Anna Paquin, Christy Carlson Romano, and Melissa Gilbert, all former child stars themselves, broke their silence last week to demand the entertainment industry stop treating young performers as disposable, after three female child actresses of the same generation died within a single year. Hayden Panettiere died on August 16 in Greenville, South Carolina, at age […] The post Three former child actresses demand Hollywood reform after Hayden Panettiere's death at 36 appeared first on American Almanac .
Anna Paquin, Christy Carlson Romano, and Melissa Gilbert, all former child stars themselves, broke their silence last week to demand the entertainment industry stop treating young performers as disposable, after three female child actresses of the same generation died within a single year. Hayden Panettiere died on August 16 in Greenville, South Carolina, at age 36. She was five days short of her birthday. Preliminary autopsy results found no signs of trauma, and Fox News reported the DEA is assisting in the investigation. Her death followed those of Michelle Trachtenberg, who died at 39 in February 2025, and Daveigh Chase, who died at 35 in July. Three women, all put in front of cameras as children, all gone before 40. That pattern,…Open
A growing wave of sleep apnea patients are posting videos of themselves wearing their CPAP masks on TikTok and Instagram, and respiratory device maker ResMed is spending real money to keep the trend going. Kayla Fawcett, a 32-year-old from Wisconsin, kicked it off with a stunt that had nothing to do with corporate branding. She […] The post Sleep apnea patients turn CPAP masks into a social media badge of honor appeared first on American Almanac .
A growing wave of sleep apnea patients are posting videos of themselves wearing their CPAP masks on TikTok and Instagram, and respiratory device maker ResMed is spending real money to keep the trend going. Kayla Fawcett, a 32-year-old from Wisconsin, kicked it off with a stunt that had nothing to do with corporate branding. She wrapped her hair around the tubing of her CPAP headgear before bed, clipped it in place, and filmed the results. By morning, her TikTok had crossed a million views. The comment section filled with women saying the video had changed how they felt about their machines, and some said it convinced them to start using theirs again after quitting. The movement now calls itself "CPAP baddies," and it has drawn in content…Open
A federal health inspection found that UCLA's locked psychiatric unit let a suicidal 71-year-old actor keep his leather belt and went unchecked for long stretches, failures his children now call fatal. Robert Carradine, the veteran actor best known for playing Hilary Duff's father on Disney's Lizzie McGuire, voluntarily checked himself into UCLA's Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital […] The post Federal inspectors found UCLA psychiatric hospital failed to protect Robert Carradine before his death appeared first on American Almanac .
A federal health inspection found that UCLA's locked psychiatric unit let a suicidal 71-year-old actor keep his leather belt and went unchecked for long stretches, failures his children now call fatal. Robert Carradine, the veteran actor best known for playing Hilary Duff's father on Disney's Lizzie McGuire, voluntarily checked himself into UCLA's Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital on January 16, 2026, because he was experiencing suicidal thoughts during what records describe as a "manic episode suicidal ideation." He had battled bipolar disorder, severe depression with psychotic features, and anxiety for roughly two decades. The next day, hospital staff found him unresponsive in his room after an apparent hanging involving a leather belt,…Open
A helicopter carrying two British honeymooners crashed and burned just feet from its landing pad on a Greek island, killing all three aboard, and investigators still cannot say why an experienced military-veteran pilot never called for help. Alexander Cromie, 31, a vice president at Blackstone, and his wife Marie Ebert, 30, a senior specialist at […] The post British newlyweds and pilot killed in Greek helicopter crash as investigators probe mechanical failure appeared first on American Almanac .
A helicopter carrying two British honeymooners crashed and burned just feet from its landing pad on a Greek island, killing all three aboard, and investigators still cannot say why an experienced military-veteran pilot never called for help. Alexander Cromie, 31, a vice president at Blackstone, and his wife Marie Ebert, 30, a senior specialist at Bain & Co in London, died Monday evening when their small private helicopter went down on the island of Sifnos in the Aegean Sea. Pilot Giorgos Raikos, a 55-year-old former Greek military aviator with thousands of flying hours, also perished. The aircraft had departed from Markopoulo, near Athens, a roughly 40-minute hop the couple chose over a ferry ride that can take up to five hours. The…Open
Molly McNearney, the wife and executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel, says she wants the late-night host to retire and relax, but can't let go because she believes his political commentary is "incredibly important right now." McNearney appeared alongside Kimmel on Monday's episode of the "Armchair Expert" podcast and laid out the tension in remarkably personal […] The post Kimmel's wife admits she wants him off late night — but says his anti-Trump voice is too 'important' to quit appeared first on American Almanac .
Molly McNearney, the wife and executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel, says she wants the late-night host to retire and relax, but can't let go because she believes his political commentary is "incredibly important right now." McNearney appeared alongside Kimmel on Monday's episode of the "Armchair Expert" podcast and laid out the tension in remarkably personal terms. She wants her husband to step away from more than two decades in late night. She also wants him to stay right where he is. The admission offers a window into the mindset driving one of network television's most politically charged shows, and into a late-night genre that is bleeding viewers, losing money, and struggling to justify its own existence. McNearney frames Kimmel's…Open
Danielle Fishel says she signed on to Girl Meets World after its creator promised the Disney Channel series would stand on its own, only to watch the writers spend every day trying to force it back into the mold of Boy Meets World. Fishel, who played Topanga Lawrence across both series, laid out her frustrations […] The post Danielle Fishel calls 'Girl Meets World' direction "really frustrating," says producers broke their promise appeared first on American Almanac .
Danielle Fishel says she signed on to Girl Meets World after its creator promised the Disney Channel series would stand on its own, only to watch the writers spend every day trying to force it back into the mold of Boy Meets World. Fishel, who played Topanga Lawrence across both series, laid out her frustrations on the Pod Meets World podcast she co-hosts with fellow Boy Meets World alumni Rider Strong and Will Friedle. Her account paints a picture of a production that publicly told fans to expect something new while privately recycling the old show's beats from day one. Before Girl Meets World went into production, executive producer Michael Jacobs, who created both shows, sat down with Fishel and made a specific commitment, she told…Open
A raccoon camped out beneath the Citi Field stands has been caught on video swiping peanut shells and accepting a hot dog from fans during a recent New York Mets game, a sideshow that briefly upstaged the home team. Fan Scott Reynolds was sitting in the bleachers with his family during a Mets game against […] The post Raccoon living under Citi Field bleachers helps itself to peanuts — and a hot dog appeared first on American Almanac .
A raccoon camped out beneath the Citi Field stands has been caught on video swiping peanut shells and accepting a hot dog from fans during a recent New York Mets game, a sideshow that briefly upstaged the home team. Fan Scott Reynolds was sitting in the bleachers with his family during a Mets game against the San Diego Padres when a clawed paw shot up through a small hole in the concrete floor beneath the seats. The family had been eating peanuts and dropping shells on the ground, an inadvertent invitation for the animal living just below. Reynolds captured the encounter on video , which showed the raccoon's hand groping through the gap, feeling around for scraps, and dragging peanut shells back into the darkness beneath the stands.…Open
Dolly Parton, the songwriter and entertainer who rose from Appalachian poverty to become the most recognized woman in country music history, died August 25 at the age of 80, months after health struggles forced her off the stage. Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the death on behalf of the Parton family in a video posted […] The post Dolly Parton, country music legend, dead at 80 appeared first on American Almanac .
Dolly Parton, the songwriter and entertainer who rose from Appalachian poverty to become the most recognized woman in country music history, died August 25 at the age of 80, months after health struggles forced her off the stage. Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the death on behalf of the Parton family in a video posted to Parton's official Instagram account . No cause of death was given, and no location was disclosed. Parton had been open about declining health since at least September 2025, when she canceled a six-show Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace originally scheduled for December. In a written statement at the time, she told fans she had "been dealing with some health challenges" and that her doctors had ordered "a few…Open
A new investigation reveals Palestinian Authority-run schools turned the Oct. 7 massacre into math lessons and assembly celebrations, even as the PA angles for a governing role in post-war Gaza. Children in West Bank classrooms multiplied Israeli death tolls for homework. Elementary students recited poems welcoming Hamas fighters as instruments of death. Teachers scrawled "May […] The post Palestinian Authority schools caught glorifying Oct. 7 massacre as West Bank government seeks role in Gaza appeared first on American Almanac .
A new investigation reveals Palestinian Authority-run schools turned the Oct. 7 massacre into math lessons and assembly celebrations, even as the PA angles for a governing role in post-war Gaza. Children in West Bank classrooms multiplied Israeli death tolls for homework. Elementary students recited poems welcoming Hamas fighters as instruments of death. Teachers scrawled "May Allah protect you! Excellent!" on worksheets that calculated how many "Jihad fighters" entered Israeli towns on Oct. 7, 2023. At least 11 Palestinian Authority-run schools held assemblies shortly after the attacks that killed more than 1,200 Israelis, featuring readings and posters celebrating the bloodshed. The findings come from a new investigation by Palestinian…Open
The Trump administration argued in a Monday court filing that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts must undergo proposed renovations and a cash infusion to survive. Why it matters: It's the latest in the legal battle over the venue's future, which the administration has proposed to overhaul , including potentially adding President Trump's name to the building. Driving the news: "An order blocking the Board from appropriately recognizing President Trump," the DOJ argued in Monday's filing , "will cause donors to flee, financial contributions to dry up, and structural rehabilitation to stop." - Without Trump's efforts, the filing reads, "the Center will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be…