'Wicked' Star Michelle Yeoh On Pranking Ariana Grande & Singing With Cynthia Erivo — Exclusive

The Latest Update On The 'Outer Banks' Cast Drama

After fans have been VERY loud about the supposed cast drama, Carlacia Grant (Cleo) made me laugh out loud when she posted her OBX 4 Instagram post — and seemingly called fans out in the comments. The roundup includes cast group pictures, a snap of Drew Starkey, and Morocco, and she captioned the post, "If I drop these are y’all gonna act right?"

Before long, the Instagram drama continued to unfold, and one cast member was the first to unfollow Rudy: Madelyn Cline. Needless to say, I'm shocked.

Why aren't Rudy and Madison friends anymore?

Rudy Pankow and Madison Bailey were best friends during season 1 (Madison called Rudy her "bestie," and said that in any situation, "he's the first person I'm going to call"). But rumors of a fallout came after the show went viral in 2020. Fans picked up on their onscreen chemistry and started shipping the actors in addition to shipping their characters JJ and Kiara (the internet shipped the fictional couple so hard, in fact, that the relationship was written into the show despite it not being the team's original plan).

"Madison and Kiara, and Rudy and JJ, are two different people," Madison said in a 2020 Entertainment Tonight interview after the relationship started picking up steam. "Let's keep the ships on the show. But as far as the show, I'm all for it."

After publicity for Outer Banks season 2 began, fans noticed Rudy and Madison didn't seem to have the same connection in public, and even appeared to avoid each other on set — a far cry from their adorable interactions during press for season 1.

Fans started outright blaming Rudy's girlfriend Elaine Seimek, who was originally a PA on the show, for causing a rift between the two actors. Madison herself shut down the rumors with a TikTok promising they all had no problems, while Rudy Pankow took to Instagram to defend his girlfriend.

"To those who are creating such displeasure and opinions about the one I love and my relationship, it’s time to stop," Rudy Pankow said in an August 6, 2021 post. "I want to express the importance to spread positivity and needing to know when it is unfair to express your own distaste for something or someone, especially when you can do it behind an anonymous identity. I was always told the best version of yourself is your most humbled self…I make this statement as my most humbled self and would be so grateful if we all would move forward in positivity and respect."

Is there drama between the Outer Banks cast?

The Outer Banks cast drama rumors only intensified after a June 2023 dinner, when Madison Bailey and her partner Mariah Linney reportedly unfollowed Elaine on Instagram. Not to mention the fact Rudy Pankow isn't in any of the Outer Banks season 4 cast videos.

After JJ's death rocked the internet, creators Josh and Jonas Pate and Shannon Burke said that it was always the plan to kill JJ. "For a long time we had known that someone was going to die," showrunner Shannon Burke told Teen Vogue. "We thought it was going to be JJ all along."

However, the fact that JJ and Kiara have been dating for almost 2 years at this point, yet barely react to the other heading into danger has fans thinking Rudy asked to leave the show. And rumors that they filmed multiple endings to give Rudy the option to stay only adds fuel to the fire.

When new episodes of the show dropped in November of 2024, fans almost immediately clocked that Rudy and Madison appear to have used body doubles for a cuddling scene — while Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes (who dated from June 2020 to November 2021) were cozied up across the campfire.

Even though an anonymous source suggested Rudy and Madison aren't friends anymore, and that their chemistry onscreen in season 1 was because they'd fallen for each other IRL, a source told People the actors are not feuding.

But one DeuxMoi source just spilled some serious tea, telling the site that, "Rudy asked them to write him off because of the drama! Production got mad and they had to refilm episodes," they said. "They filmed episode 10 before the last episodes of the first half & Rudy didn't tell the cast so it threw them off. In the last episode you can see how mad everyone was at Rudy. It's a mess and it pissed off production but they are going to brush it off like it's ‘always been the plan.’”

They also revealed that apparently, the plan was to kill JJ off in the series finale, which honestly kind of makes sense.

When did Madison Bailey and Rudy Pankow meet?

Rudy and Madison first met after Rudy had booked the role of JJ and Madison was headed to a final audition. Despite the fact they had mutual friends, they didn't meet until they were on the same plane to Charleston. She told Harper's Bazaar in 2020 that she said hello when they crossed paths, then found a DM from him on social media. “He was like, ‘I knew you were Kiara the second I saw you,’" she said. "I was like, "Oh my God, did this guy three seats up really just DM me?’ He went and found our mutuals, found my page, and messaged me.”

Well, during press for Outer Banks season 4, when the cast was asked who would be most likely to fall in love with a stranger on a plane, Carlacia Grant (Cleo) answered with Madison, leading fans to believe she was confirming the romance rumors.

Did Rudy quit OBX?

Rudy Pankow exited Outer Banks after season 4, and Madison Bailey finally spoke about what JJ means to her in the cast's official goodbye — and got emotional talking about how well Rudy brought the character to life.

"We all read the character on the page," she says. "And we know what you brought to it and you turned it out and really made something of it and paid respect to the depth of the character while bringing a lightheartedness that the show desperately needed."

And during a cast video hyping up JJ's (and Rudy's) best moments from the series, fans were beaming when Rudy and Madison dissected some of the best Jiara moments from season 3. "this video healed me❤️🩹 thank you netflix!" one TikTok user wrote in the comments of Madison talking about JJ and Kiara's first kiss. "I’m so happy [they're] friends bro like fr 🥺🥺," another user said.

Is Dorothy in Wicked: Part 2?

Any fan of the musical knows that Wicked features moments from The Wizard of Oz, and during part 1, you can see Dorothy walking to the Emerald City with the scarecrow, cowardly lion, and tin man. But one theory suggests we'll actually get to know Dorothy for one very good reason: a new Wizard of Oz movie is coming.

"Considering we’re having so much Wicked excitement how would you feel about the thought of Universal actually making a Wizard of Oz remake retelling with the themes of Wicked we already know," one Reddit user asks. "Sorta like now is having sympathy towards the wicked witch now, and maybe going in extremely similar way to the original Wizard of Oz but clearly taking a new turn to it with our new pov of the characters."

Plus, director Jon M. Chu teased that we'll see even more of her than we have before! “In movie 1, it was important to let Dorothy be how you want her to be. I didn't want to step on your images of whatever version of Dorothy you wanted her to be,” he tells ScreenRant. “But the presence is important because that plays a significant role in what will happen and how they intersect...But you'll have to see movie 2 to know how far we go with her.”

When is Wicked: Part Two coming out?

Wicked: Part Two Release Date

Wicked: Part 2 will hit theaters November 21, 2025. While the movie was originally slated for November 26, 2025, Universal Pictures decided to bump up the release date. The first Wicked movie also faced a schedule change, moving from November 27 to November 22, 2024, the same day as Gladiator II! And I can confirm they make for the perfect double feature.

What happens in Wicked Part 2?

Wicked: Part Two Plot

Act II of the musical is all about Oz's response to Elphaba becoming the "Wicked Witch of the West." Glinda becomes beloved public figure "Glinda the Good," but realizes just how much her dreams have cost her as Elphaba is gone and Fiyero, now Glinda's fiancé, is determined to find Elphaba no matter the cost.

Wicked: Part Two will feature songs like "As Long As You're Mine," "No Good Deed," and "For Good" (as well as some new ones) — and Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jonathan Bailey are going to absolutely slay.

Jon M. Chu told Entertainment Weekly that part 2 is all about "consequences," and how lonely it can be after you make an important choice like we see Elphie make in part 1. "Choices are difficult to make, but when you do make those choices, sometimes the result isn't what you expect it to be," he says. "There's a lot of soul searching in movie 2. They're asking, 'Is this the right decision that you made?'"

And even though Act II of the musical is pretty dark, Jon promises movie 2 will feature some of the same lightheartedness we saw in movie 1. "There is lots of lightness in the movie," he continues. "There's a lot of fun parts. We've not forgotten about that, but there's a matureness and a nuance to it that we earn from the first movie. The second movie really gets to play with [that maturity]."

Who's in the cast of Wicked: Part Two?

Wicked: Part Two Cast

Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jonathan Bailey will reprise their roles as Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero, respectively. Wicked: Part Two will also star Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, and Keala Settle.

Why is the Wicked movie taking so long?

The Wicked movie has had a long road to get to its release! News of the movie adaptation originally broke in 2016, with an intended release date of 2019. But the COVID-19 pandemic, and a few behind-the-scenes details, pushed the movie to 2024 instead.

"As we prepared this production over the last year, it became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to wrestle the story of WICKED into a single film without doing some real damage to it," director Jon M. Chu tweeted in April of 2022, announcing the story would arrive in two installments.

"With more space, we can tell the story of WICKED as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters."

Did they finish filming Wicked Part 2?

The good news is that, even though we have to wait a year to see Wicked: Part Two, filming is already done! On January 26, Cynthia Erivo shared a breathtaking photo of her silhouette as Elphaba flying on a broom. "I’ve been trying to think of what I’d say when this day finally came, and I’m failing miserably, because honestly there aren’t enough words to fully express what this experience has meant to me," she says on Instagram.

"The universe will take things away to make space for the grand gifts it has waiting for us," she continues. "THIS moment, this film, these people, this cast, this crew, this director, my Glinda, were the Grandest gift I could ever have asked for, and I am eternally grateful for the chance to bring you This Elphie. I hope when you meet her, you’ll love her as much and as fiercely as I do. And with that I say, that’s a wrap for me, Elphie out!! 💚💚💚"

Ariana Grande shared a similar image of her own silhouette on January 25, saying, "like a handprint on my heart," which is a lyric from "For Good." I love these women so much!

Is Taylor Swift on Matty Healy's new album?

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Fans immediately went into a spiral when Matty shared "Downtown Lights" by Annie Lennox on his Instagram story. After all, that's the song Taylor Swift mentions in "Guilty as Sin?", one of the songs that appear to be about The 1975 front man. In the song, Taylor sings about feeling trapped in a relationship, while another person sends her Annie's song.

"Drowning in the Blue Nile / He sent me 'Downtown Lights' / I hadn't heard it in a while / My boredom's bone deep / This cage was once just fine / Am I allowed to cry?"

One source told DeuxMoi that they'd seen Matty's new tracklist, and the song choice was an Easter egg for Taylor's feature! Consider me gagged.

Will Matty Healy's new album feature songs about Taylor?

No, it looks like Matty won't write songs about his relationship Taylor Swift after he told People he didn't want to write about "casual" relationships. "I think that a lot of artists, they become very interested in their lore, or they become interested in the things that have happened outside of their art that people know about, and they want to address that," he says.

But Matty doesn't want to write about his relationships just because they're getting attention from the public. "I would kind of just be lying if I made a record about, I don’t know, all the stuff that was said about me or my casual romantic liaisons or whatever it may be that I’ve kind of become known for, just because I was famous," he says.

"The idea of making a record about something that personally happened to me," he continues, "that by the time I put it out is gonna be like two years old, I see people doing that as well, and it’s not interesting." Yikes.

But we could see songs about his fiancée Gabbriette Bechtel, and I'm hoping we do!

Is there a new 1975 album coming?

Yes, Matty Healy revealed during a performance that we're getting a new album soon! “We’re working on a new record now,” he said while sitting at the piano. He shared a snippet from a new song before telling the audience, "It’s a line actually, what is it…‘I take a minute when I think I won’t die from stopping.’”

“And that’s really how I’ve felt for a long time,” he continues. “We really appreciate you guys and thank you so much. We’re going to go away and hopefully make you a good new album. I just don’t know what to do in the meantime, really.”

Is Taylor Swift releasing a new album?

While a second source claims Taylor is releasing a new album December 6 and record stores have been notified, another user says the opposite, commenting, "As someone with multiple very close record store connections, I assure you, record stores have not be alerted of anything." December 6 kicks off the final Eras Tour weekend, so we'll have to see what kinds of tricks Taylor has up her sleeve!