Kim Kardashian reveals 'low brain activity,' Ariana Grande addresses comments about her body, Vanessa Hudgens gives birth

Kim Kardashian learns she has ‘low brain activity’

Kim Kardashian faced an unexpected health revelation on the latest episode of The Kardashians, where a routine visit to brain specialist Dr. Daniel Amen turned into one of the season’s standout moments.

The episode followed Kardashian and longtime friend Scott Disick as they underwent brain imaging meant to assess their overall cognitive health. Dr. Amen told her that while she showed no elevated risk for degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s, parts of her brain appeared to be working below optimal levels. 

"The front part of your brain is less active than it should be," the doctor explained. "With your frontal lobes, as they work now, it would be harder to manage stress and that's not good for you, especially as you're studying and you're getting ready to take the boards."

The news caught the SKIMS founder off guard, especially as she continues her demanding study schedule for the California bar exam. Kardashian immediately questioned the results, insisting they didn’t match how she sees herself. "That just can't be," Kardashian replied. "It just can't — not accepting."

According to Dr. Amen, the dip in activity may reflect the “chronic stress” Kardashian has been under, both academically and personally. Kardashian has been open this season about balancing family life, her legal studies, and the lingering emotional weight of her 2022 divorce from Ye. With another attempt at the bar exam approaching, she told cameras she plans to follow a new wellness plan to stay on track.

"I got to get on a plan to really figure this out because I have some s--t to do this summer," she said. 

The Kardashians continues its seventh season with new episodes dropping Thursdays on Hulu.

Ariana Grande addresses comments about her body

Ariana Grande is once again urging fans to be mindful of their words, resurfacing a video from last year in which she addressed the impact of comments about her appearance.

The singer reposted the 2024 clip to her Instagram Stories on Saturday, adding the caption, “resharing this from last year ♡ as a loving reminder to all.”

In the original video, Grande grew visibly emotional while recounting how public scrutiny has followed her since her teenage years. “I’ve been kind of doing this in front of the public and kind of been a specimen in a petri dish really since I was 16 or 17, so I have heard it all,” she said, reflecting on the intensity of the attention she received early in her career.

Grande explained that criticism about her appearance shifted constantly. “I’ve heard every version of it — of what’s wrong with me. And then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for different reasons. But that’s everything from–even just the simplest thing–your appearance, you know?”

She added that body remarks aren’t limited to celebrities, pointing out that people encounter them in everyday settings. “I think in today’s society, there is a comfortability that we shouldn’t have at all–commenting on others’ looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes or health or how they present themselves.”

Grande has confronted body-shaming publicly before. In 2023, she reminded fans that comparisons to her past appearance were misguided, explaining: “The body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body. I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating poorly.”

Despite hesitating to explain herself, she said she hoped her honesty might help others. “I know I shouldn’t have to explain that. But I do feel like maybe having an openness and some sort of vulnerability here, good might come from it.”

Vanessa Hudgens gives birth to second child

Vanessa Hudgens announced over the weekend that she and her husband, MLB player Cole Tucker, have welcomed their second child.

Hudgens shared the news on Saturday, Nov. 29, posting photos from her hospital bed as she recovered following the birth.

“Well… I did it. Had another baby!!! What a wild ride labor is. Big shout out to all the moms. It’s truly incredible what our bodies can do,” she wrote in the caption.

The arrival of their newborn marks the couple’s latest milestone nearly a year after they exchanged vows. Hudgens and Tucker married in December 2023 in an intimate ceremony held in Tulum, Mexico, following their engagement in Paris earlier that year.

Major record labels pressure Spotify to increase prices

Record labels have pressed Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services to raise monthly rates as inflation and rising content costs squeeze margins. 

A US subscription currently costs $11.99 per month, compared with $9.99 when the service debuted in the country 14 years ago. Labels argued that such pace of price growth has not kept up with industry-wide inflation.

The expected increase also comes at a moment when global music industry growth has begun to slow. According to data from the IFPI, worldwide revenue growth in the sector slowed by half last year following a decade of rapid expansion driven by streaming.

During an earnings call this month, incoming co-chief executive Alex Norström said Spotify would adjust pricing “when the time is right for each specific market,” emphasizing that decisions are based on local market dynamics.

The company has already rolled out higher pricing across multiple international markets, including the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Australia. The United States, which boasts Spotify’s largest and most influential market, has been the last major holdout.

ICYMI:

• Doja Cat stirred a wave of excitement after she simply posted the word “deluxe” on her social-media account, which the fans interpreted as a teaser for a deluxe edition of her 2025 album Vie. The hint lines up with earlier promotions: the deluxe version was already announced via an Instagram video where she adopted the persona of ’80s-era icon Max Headroom and revealed that the expanded edition would be available on iTunes for pre-order.

• Omar El Akkad has clinched the 2025 National Book Award for Nonfiction with his provocative debut essay‑collection One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. In the book, he confronts the war in Gaza and examines Western complicity and moral failure–a sharp reckoning with the idea that the “West” stands for justice and equality, themes he once embraced upon arriving decades ago.

• Spotify is kicking off the year-end hype by teasing Spotify Wrapped 2025 with a fresh twist: artist-inspired logos that give fans a glimpse of the music moments and personalities they’ll be celebrating this year.

— Bea Bertuldo

Subscribe to the newsletter to discover new releases through Pop Base weekly and to find out what songs we declare the best of the week.