SZA Slams White House, Beyoncé's MET Gala Return, Disney Endorses AI

SZA Slams White House for “rage-baiting” Artists

SZA has publicly accused the White House of deliberately provoking artists by using their work in videos promoting its deportation efforts without permission. The controversy erupted earlier this week, when the White House shared a video featuring ICE officers making arrests, set to SZA’s song “Big Boys” from her SNL skit. The accompanying caption read: “WE HEARD IT’S CUFFING SZN. Bad news for criminal illegal aliens. Great news for America.” SZA responded forcefully on X, claiming the administration was intentionally seeking online engagement through controversy: “White House rage-baiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK,” she wrote, adding, “evil n boring.”

SZA is the latest to protest the unauthorized use of their work in promotional videos shared by government agencies. Just last week, pop star Sabrina Carpenter issued a similar strong response after the Department of Homeland Security utilized her hit song “Juno” Carpenter denounced the move as “evil and disgusting,” demanding in an X post: “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams to Co-Chair 2026 Met Gala

The Metropolitan Museum of Art just announced the co-chairs for the 2026 Met Gala, which will celebrate the Costume Institute exhibition titled “Costume Art.” The event will be headlined by a star-studded lineup including Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour. This will be Beyoncé's first Met Gala appearance in over ten years. 

The theme “Costume Art” invites a wide range of interpretations, likely sparking bold fashion choices that explore the connection between clothing and the body, which the co-chairs may embody.

Additionally, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos have been named the main sponsors for the Gala, a move that has sparked controversy on social media. The host committee will be co-chaired by Anthony Vaccarello, the creative director of Yves Saint Laurent, and actress Zoë Kravitz, alongside a group of notable figures like Doja Cat, Sabrina Carpenter, Gwendoline Christie, Lena Dunham, and Chloe Malle, who is taking over for Wintour at Vogue. 

ICYMI:

• Taylor Swift’s The End of an Era documentary and film have officially premiered on Disney+. 

• Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are reportedly returning for ‘Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.’

Disney $1 Billion Investment in OpenAI Puts 200+ Characters in Video-Generating Tool

Disney have announced a $1 billion investment in OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT and the Sora video generation tool. This partnership includes a three-year licensing deal that allows Sora users to create short, user-generated videos featuring over 200 popular characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars. CEO Bob Iger highlighted the collaboration as a way to merge Disney's iconic narratives with OpenAI's innovative technology, enhancing fan engagement with beloved characters. Additionally, Disney plans to use ChatGPT for internal purposes, such as employee support and product development.

This strategic move, however, has raised concerns within the creative community. The licensing agreement, which grants AI access to valuable intellectual property, has sparked anxiety in Hollywood over potential impacts on creators' rights and job security. In light of these worries, Iger emphasized the company's commitment to a responsible approach, assuring that the rights and protection of creators and their works will remain a top priority.

POP FACT: On this day in 2020, Bad Bunny’s El Último Tour Del Mundo became the first entirely Spanish-language album to top the US charts.

Bots Drove Campaign to Frame Taylor Swift with Right-Wing Imagery

A sophisticated analysis conducted by the AI-driven behavioral intelligence platform Gudea revealed a coordinated online attack designed to align Taylor Swift and her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, with Nazi and right-wing imagery and values. The campaign, which accused Swift of sowing dog-whistle references and amplified conspiracy theories about her ties to the MAGA movement, was primarily driven by a small fraction of bot-like accounts (3.77% driving 28% of the discussion). Researchers found that the allegations successfully migrated from fringe sites like 4chan to mainstream social media, where they were disseminated by the public and algorithms, ultimately leading to “widespread authentic discourse” even among users who did not believe the originating claims.

ICYMI:

• Kim Kardashian is the latest addition to Fortnite, with multiple skins and bundles available. 

• Spotify has announced a new feature that lets users generate a playlist using only prompts. 

• Chase Infiniti is the newest brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton.

• Charli xcx’s upcoming movie, ‘The Moment’, will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. A new trailer has also been released. 

• Australia’s world-first social media ban for under-16s has gone into effect. Users must verify their age before using any social media platform.

Best New Track: “I Did Something Bad” (UPDATED) by Taylor Swift

Apple Music introduced Dolby Atmos a few years back. It’s basically a next-level surround-sound setup that makes your music feel more immersive and three-dimensional. Now that Taylor Swift owns her masters, we can hear the originals the way they were meant to sound—bigger and more immersive.

Today also marks the drop of the Eras Tour final show on Disney+ (which features The Tortured Poets Department set) along with the first two episodes of the Eras Tour documentary “The End of an Era.” A gorgeous day for the Swiftie nation.

reputation has some of Taylor’s best production moments. There’s the euphoric beat drop in “…Ready For It?” and the hypnotic humming in “Don’t Blame Me,” all brought to life in a way that makes it feel like you’ve never heard them before.

We’ll turn our attention to “Delicate,” which actually includes a lyric change—from “oh damn, never seen that color blue” to “g*ddamn, never seen that color blue.” That’s not the only change.

“I Did Something Bad” is pure unapologetic revenge energy and it’s a blast. Here, it’s fully resurrected…and there’s a new lyric:

“If he calls me a b*tch, then he had it coming.”

—Dawson Therre

— Katie Macbeth

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