In part, Kimmel is concerned because “the issue is that he’s such a lunatic. we actually have to debate if he meant it literally.” But Kimmel also bleakly joked that the closer we get to the election, the more Trump “talks like Thanos.”

Watch Kimmel’s Monday night monologue above.

Kimmel started by playing a clip from the rally, held Saturday in Ohio, in which Trump had the crowd singing the national anthem in tribute to the Jan. 6 “hostages,” referring to criminals who participated in the insurrection he incited on Jan. 6, 2021.

“And I guess it’s OK to wear a hat during the national anthem now too,” Kimmel commented.

“Trump told the crowd that if he doesn’t win in November, he’s not sure we’ll ever have another election in this country. And if he does win in November, we definitely won’t have another election. But of all the very disturbing things he said, this was probably most disturbing,” Kimmel said as he cued up the “bloodbath” comments.

“The longer this election goes, the more he talks like Thanos,” Kimmel said before turning his attention to Trump’s defense of the comments.

“He’s saying ‘bloodbath.’ So, after the bloodbath remark, people went like, ‘oh that’s not great,’ so Trump went into spin mode, saying he was only talking about a bloodbath in the auto industry.”

“The truth is, the context we should be considering, isn’t whether or not Trump meant ‘bloodbath’ literally,” Kimmel continued. “What the issue is that, he’s such a lunatic, we actually have to debate if he meant it literally. We have to ask, ‘was that totally crazy or just kind of crazy?'”

Kimmel also discussed former Vice President Mike Pence, who has now publicly said he will not endorse Donald Trump for president this year.

The “former Vice Poodle is not being a good boy,” Kimmel said, adding, “it does kind of come as a little bit of a surprise but I guess the Stockholm syndrome finally wore off.”

Kimmel then called for Pence to be added to the cast of “Dancing With the Stars.”

The post Jimmy Kimmel Jokes the Closer the Election Is, The More Trump ‘Talks Like Thanos’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Despite being sent home ahead of “The Bachelor” finale, contestant Rachel Nance said her breakup with Joey Graziadei happened in the “best way possible.”

“I had a feeling going into fantasy suites that it wasn’t going to be me,” Nance told TheWrap. “I can say confidently that it ended in the best way possible for Joey and I. We still care for each other and we still have that love and adoration that won’t go away.”

Nance was one of the three remaining women that Graziadei courted through Fantasy Suites, and felt confident putting herself out there despite knowing she might not be Graziadei’s final rose pick from the start.

“I was freaking out, like ‘what if it’s not me at the end, but I’m just happy with how it ended,” Nance said. “I’m happy for him, and same for me.”

Below, Nance unpacks her final date with the ABC reality dating show’s leading man, and whether she might be interested in continuing her time in “Bachelor” nation, whether on “The Bachelorette” or on the beaches of “Bachelor in Paradise.”

TheWrap: Going back to your Fantasy Suite date, it got a bit derailed by your injury. Why were you hesitant to tell Joey something was wrong?

Rachel Nance: That’s always just been my personality since I was a kid. My mom always told me I was so hard-headed. I always try to tough everything out. I used to joke with my dad that I’m his favorite son because he has all girls. I didn’t want to “ruin the date” by saying I was injured. But I’m not gonna lie, it was so painful. I’m glad Joy was able to really see that be like, “Girl, something’s wrong — Let’s get you checked out,” and that I was able to let him take care of me, which is what I should have done from the beginning.

What’s it been like watching your journey back? Do you wish you would have opened up a bit sooner?

The Rachel while filming did amazing. Now, I’m able to open up way more because I’ve learned so much, but I’m so proud of what I shared in the moment. I shared things at my pace. I opened up when I was able to — I didn’t force anything. And if that was leaving a slow burn and I took too long to open, it was on my accord, and that’s how it should always be.

Going into the “Tell All,” was there anything you wanted to tell Joey?

I just wanted to let him know that I’m here for him. I also wanted to know if he’s happy, because if he’s happy that’s all I wanted. When you look back, the respect we have for each other is so evident when we’re speaking to each other. The calmness we both had when we sat next to each other — It just felt like we hung out yesterday, and that’s the beautiful part. Sometimes with exes, it doesn’t work like that. This is a sad breakup but such a beautiful ending to to our relationship.

Joey was also very complimentary of you as well. What did it feel like to be on the receiving end of that?

That’s just Joey — He’s such a sweetheart. His parents should be so proud of proud of him. He’s so genuine and just hearing him reassure me through all of this just goes to show that he does care about me.

Would you be up for being the next “Bachelorette?”

Honestly, I don’t know if I would do it, but it’d be an interesting season because I’d be like, “I don’t like you — you gotta go home.” But as of right now, I’m really enjoying things calming down, and I’m gonna go home and hang out with my family and enjoy this peace because things on social media have been crazy for me and I think I need some time to recuperate and decompress from all of it.

What about “Bachelor in Paradise?” Would you be up for going to the beach and who would you be excited to see from other seasons?

I felt like I wouldn’t like anybody on “Paradise,” but again, I’m never gonna say no to something right now. I’m just gonna see how I feel in the moment when asked.

You got to spend some time with Susan from “The Golden Bachelor” ahead of your Fantasy Suite date. What was it like meeting her?

I feel like I’ve known her for years. She’s like an auntie to me. We still talk to this day. She’s gone through so much and she has so much advice to give and such a beautiful range makes you feel seen and heard. She’s someone that everyone should get a chance to meet in my opinion.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The finale of “The Bachelor” premieres Monday, March 25, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

The post ‘The Bachelor’ Star Rachel Nance Says Breakup With Joey Happened in ‘Best Way Possible’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Although Maria Georgas’ time on “The Bachelor” has come to an end, the fan-favorite contestant sees the chance to lead her own season of “The Bachelorette” as an enticing gig.

“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime,” Georgas told TheWrap of potentially becoming “The Bachelorette.” “I would be stupid to turn it down. It’s not something that I was thinking about doing — I never even thought I would even get the chance.”

With no official decisions made for the upcoming season of “The Bachelorette,” which is still slated to premiere this summer on ABC, Georgas hesitated on whether she would be in consideration for the job.

“I don’t know until I’m in the moment, I guess, that I’ll know if I would do it or not,” she said.

Despite having a flirtatious and chemistry-filled relationship with Joey Graziadei on “The Bachelor,” Georgas did not receive a rose ahead of the fantasy suite dates, which she said left her feeling “caught off guard.”

“When I was trying to leave in Jasper, he really did fight for me to stay,” Georgas said. “[During] hometowns, he was all in — he was talking to my dad about asking for his blessing and talking to my friend about how he still wants to fight for me, so I was a little caught off guard with the whole ending at that moment.”

Ahead of being sent home during the post-hometown rose ceremony, Georgas pulled Graziadei aside in a last-ditch effort to share her feelings after holding in her emotions throughout the season.

“I always felt like I was being left behind in the connection — I was just constantly trying to fight for us as well,” she said. “Even though my instincts were telling me, ‘Don’t say I love you, or don’t do that.’ I was like, ‘No, I want to give it my all so that I leave with no regrets.'”

However, Georgas also noted that her elimination was the “right decision,” saying, “Our relationship took its toll, and it was meant to end when it ended.”

Georgas and Graziadei saw each other for the first time since their breakup during Monday’s “Women Tell All” episode, and Georgas said seeing the leading man was easier than she expected.

“We were like friends, honestly, so it was just nice to see him at this point,” she said. “I think that feeling is way better than hating seeing him or being still upset and needing closure. I was just happy to see him, and he looked good. If he’s happy, then I’m happy.”

The finale of “The Bachelor” premieres Monday, March 25, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

The post ‘Bachelor’ Star Maria Georgas Says Being ‘The Bachelorette’ Would Be the ‘Opportunity of a Lifetime’ appeared first on TheWrap.

After receiving an ominous note from one of his three remaining women on “The Bachelor,” Joey Graziadei said he went “dark” and immediately thought of the worst-case scenario.

Following three fantasy suite dates with Kelsey Anderson, Daisy Kent and Rachel Nance, Graziadei arrived to a note at his door from Anderson, which read, “We need to talk.”

“I went dark very quickly — I thought that she was leaving, I thought something went wrong,” Graziadei told TheWrap. “I think any guy that ever gets a text or anything from a girl that says, ‘We need to talk,’ you assume the worst.”

While Graziadei noted that his assumption was “understandable,” he also admitted he wished he was able to be a “little bit more understanding in that time,” saying that his reaction was “raw and real emotion.”

Despite the note prompting a moment of concern for Graziadei, Anderson cleared up any confusion when she told the leading man she missed spending time with him and wanted to be honest about her emotions.

“I wish she used some different words — I wish it didn’t have to be in a note in that way,” Graziadei said, adding that Anderson’s attempt at honesty was “sweet” at its core. “For her to want to get more time and talk to me, I think people can see now that it didn’t really change where we were at.”

Below, Graziadei unpacks his decision to send Nance home, revisits his relationship with fan-favorite Maria Georgas and looks ahead towards next week’s finale.

TheWrap: During the Tell All, we also saw that you chose to send Rachel home after fantasy suites. Why did you decide your connection wasn’t there yet?

Joey Graziadei: I go back to the conversation we had on the bench when I said goodbye — we both agreed we had so much love for each other, but I was at the point where there were people sharing things with me, and it was time for me to be able to see if I could express if I was falling in love with them. When Rachel said that, I realized that I wasn’t ready to express that — I didn’t feel like I was there. As always, the most honest and real thing I could do was take time to think about it, but once I came to the conclusion that I knew that we weren’t at the same point, I had to say goodbye.

You saw Rachel for the first time tonight. What message did you want to share with her?

It’s always great seeing Rachel again, we have so much appreciation and respect for one another. It was just nice to be able to have even more closure — to not have that conversation be in a moment where we had so many emotions, because when that happens suddenly, it’s so tough to be sitting on that bench and be able to share how you’re truthfully feeling. I am happy that I got to say what I did, and I’m really happy that she got to see the moment after where I was talking to the camera and I said, “I know she’s gonna be OK, but I want her to know how much I want her to be OK.” All of that was very special.

You also said goodbye to Maria before fantasy suites. What was it like to see her again and do you have any regrets about sending her home before fantasy suites?

We had a great connection — we had so much fun. There’s no point of me now of having regrets because I knew I did the best that I could at that time, and I led with my gut. It’s not like I didn’t believe that Maria had feelings for me — I knew that she was truthfully falling in love with me and I have so much appreciation that she decided to tell me that — but I think a lot of people also saw that she struggled with the whole entire idea of the show with other women being there and letting go and trusting that if you really want this to work, you have to trust the connection, and not all the other things that are going on around you.

I got to that point where I knew the three other women were accepting — they knew it was hard, but they were willing to keep pushing forward, and I just didn’t know if Maria was going to be able to do that going into the next week. It’s nothing to do with how much I care and have respect for her, it just was making the choice I thought that was the best to move forward with.

During the Tell All, Maria said she wished that she had done things a little bit differently. Do you think any of that would have impacted what happened between you two?

It’s possible. It’s always hard to know. These women sometimes are a lot harder on themselves than they need to be. This is such a tough experience — there’s so many things that come from this that no one should have to deal with or go through and you see different sides of yourself. I think it’s more important for people to be given grace and realize that anyone in this position is not going to do it perfectly. They all can be a lot more kind to themselves.

Headed into the finale, you have to a choice between a life with Kelsey or Daisy. How did you prepare to make this decision?

That day, as everyone can see, was so hard for me. What’s really important is to know that those emotions are real, and there’s a lot to uncover in that finale.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The finale of “The Bachelor” premieres Monday, March 25, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

The post ‘The Bachelor’ Joey Graziadei ‘Went Dark’ After Seeing Kelsey’s Post-Fantasy Suites Note appeared first on TheWrap.

Matthews was a guest on “Inside Jen Psaki” Monday night when she was asked about her former boss’ behavior. Psaki and Matthews agreed the comment deserves to be considered carefully—and taken very seriously.

Matthews, who resigned from her post after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, explained, “This one comment they’re [The Trump campaign] saying is overblown, but it does follow a proven track record of these kinds of unhinged comments from him, and increasingly violent rhetoric and apocalyptic rhetoric almost.”

She went on to imply that Trump could be calling his supporters to stage another insurrection. “When he says things like there’s going to be ‘death and destruction,’ if he’s charged in these criminal cases. That is, I think, a warning call to his supporters he’s telling them kind of marching orders almost and we saw this happen in the lead-up from the election in 2020 to January 6, where he told them to come to the Capitol, he said it was going to be a wild day that we needed to save our country,” Matthews added.

“So, he’s putting these kinds of messages out there, hoping that they’ll act on them.”

Matthews also spoke to the Trump campaign’s official line that the “bloodbath” he referred to is merely economic in nature. She said, “And in my eyes—yeah, sure, he could have been talking about the economy but I think when you’re looking at who the messenger was of this message, this is a man who helped incite a deadly insurrection on our nation’s Capitol. So when he’s using terms like bloodbath, it’s really hard for me to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

The former Trump employee also admitted that she “couldn’t imagine going to him or even cast a vote for him, given everything that’s transpired,” primarily because of the events of Jan. 6 and Trump’s lack of “remorse for what happened that day.”

Trump defended himself via Truth Social Monday morning, claiming as he has after previous, ambiguously violent rhetoric that he was being taken out of context and was speaking only about the U.S. auto industry.

Trump’s language has grown increasingly dark as it’s become apparent he will be the Republican Party’s candidate against President Biden in November. He has been particularly preoccupied with undocumented immigrants, whom he described as “animals,” as well as with his political opponents, whom he labeled “vermin.”

Watch the interview with Sarah Matthews in the video above.

The post Trump Press Flack Who Resigned Over Jan. 6 Warns ‘Bloodbath’ Remarks Are ‘Marching Orders’ for His Supporters | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Recounting a night out in a Belfast pub while filming “Game of Thrones” some years ago, Benioff told the sold-out crowd at the Los Angeles debut of “3 Body Problem” that they got the idea to cast Bradley as a snarkier, harsher role after seeing him flirt with a tourist.

Benioff said Bradley was “incredibly sarcastic” and dry in his banter, and he and Weiss were inspired.

“He’s nothing like the Samwell that people know from ‘Game of Thrones,’ and we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun someday to work with John and see him play a character kind of closer to the actual John?'”

Benioff, who cocreated the new sci-fi series based on Liu Cixin’s trilogy of books with Weiss and Alexander Woo, quickly clarified that Bradley isn’t quite as cutting as his character, Jack Rooney.

“So not to say that he is quite as much of a dick as Jack, but he’s just wildly funny and we wanted to see, you know, we wanted to see that,” he said.

“3 Body Problem” didn’t just reunite Bradley with the “Game of Thrones” team, either. Also costarring on the series — and present at the Sunday night event in Hollywood — were Jonathan Pryce and Liam Cunningham.

“And then, you know, Jonathan Pryce, if you’re lucky enough to work with Jonathan Pryce once, you live a blessed life in Hollywood” Benioff said. “To get to work with him twice is kind of beyond the pale. So we’re just very fortunate.”

Cunningham, who played Davos Seaworth in 42 episodes of “Game of Thrones,” stars in “3 Body Problem” as Thomas Wade. As Weiss put it, the books the series is based on describe the character as “being 40 years old, devastatingly handsome, resembling Hugh Jackman … so of course, we thought Liam Cunningham immediately.”

“He was the perfect comp,” Weiss said. “Liam is just somebody that we — another one of those people that we just love being around and his work truly speaks for itself. Just looking at everything, not just what he did on our show, but what he’s done far and wide with many of the greatest directors who’ve ever lived. So we were lucky that he agreed to quit the job that he committed to and come join us instead.”

“3 Body Problem” is based on the Chinese novel “The Three-Body Problem” by Cixin. The show’s tagline reads, “Across continents and decades, five brilliant friends make earth-shattering discoveries as the laws of science unravel and an existential threat emerges.”

Benjamin Lindsay contributed to this report.

The post ‘Game of Thrones’ Creators Say They Cast John Bradley in ‘3 Body Problem’ After Seeing Him Flirt in a Belfast Pub appeared first on TheWrap.

As the Washington Post reported earlier on Monday, Trump’s current lawyers have come up empty-handed after approaching 30 or more suretors.

“As Americans, we should be very concerned about where that money is coming from,” Cohen told MSNBC’s Michael Steele. “What if, hypothetically, the money is coming from Saudi Arabia or from Qatar? Or through a backdoor channel of Russia? That now leaves a potential presidential candidate owing a foreign entity, all at the expense of America’s national security. This is no joke.”

As the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Trump will be given security briefings by U.S. intelligence agencies, despite the fact that he is facing a separate trial in Florida for allegedly violating the Espionage Act and mishandling classified documents, NBC News reported earlier this month.

Added Cohen, “This places our national security in jeopardy and continues to make Donald Trump the single most dangerous thing in America to our national security and democracy.”

Steele speculated that Trump could be selling state secrets to foreign powers to cover his own legal expenses: “That could potentially make him dangerous. Is he going to be out there looking at how he can backdoor some cash?”

“He doesn’t care where the money comes from as long as he gets it, even if that places our national security in risk,” Cohen said. “He’s already shown documents to individuals over at Mar-a-Lago who did not have clearance to view them.

“I will tell you that making Trump president was the absolute worst idea that I ever had. Bar none,” the lawyer said.

Watch the full MSNBC segment in the video above.

The post Michael Cohen Warns of Foreign Powers Paying Trump’s Legal Bills: ‘This Is No Joke’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

“Donald Trump, again the Republican frontrunner who’s clinched the nomination,” Brzezinski said after playing a clip from a weekend speech in Ohio in which the former president emphasized his intention to free individuals imprisoned for the Capitol riot in January 2021.

“One of the first things he’ll do in office is free the — and I say this in quotes — ‘hostages,'” Brzezinski said. “It’s beyond twisted for him to use that word. Not surprised, but as disturbed as we’ll ever be.”

Cohost Joe Scarborough went on to imagine American families who know hostages held in Gaza hearing Trump draw such a parallel to aggressors who eagerly turned to violence in Washington D.C.

“People who actually are hostages who were doing nothing but being in their home or at a music festival, minding their own business when Hamas terrorists came and seized them and beat them, raped them, abused them, took them underground,” Scarborough added. “And Donald Trump comparing those people in name to others that drove from across the country, came to the Capitol, used bear spray on police officers, beat the hell out of cops, beat the hell out of other people who got in their way, wanted to hang Mike Pence, were looking for Nancy Pelosi, destroyed a lot of offices, defecated in the United States Capitol and again jammed cops heads in indoors and tried to hurt as many people as they could.”

The hosts also reviewed former Vice President Mike Pence’s response to Trump’s comments, pointing out that he denounced his former colleague and refused to endorse him in the 2024 presidential race.

“I think it’s very unfortunate at a time that there are American hostages being held in Gaza, that the president or any other leaders would refer to people that are moving through our justice system as hostages. It’s just unacceptable,” Pence told Margaret Brennan on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “I was there on Jan. 6. I have no doubt in my mind, Margaret, that some people were caught up in the moment and entered the Capitol, and they’re certainly entitled to due process of law for any nonviolent activities that day, but the assaults on police officers, ultimately an environment that claimed lives, is something that I think was tragic that day and I’ll never diminish it.”

Watch the full “Morning Joe” segment in the video above.

The post ‘Morning Joe’ Says Trump Is ‘Beyond Twisted’ for Calling Jan. 6 Rioters ‘Hostages’ During Ongoing Israeli Crisis | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

The untitled comedy project’s logline promises “a codependent friend group reunion,” in which the friends “navigate how their time apart, goals and new relationships have changed them,” TheWrap has learned.

“Barry” alums Emma Barrie and Aida Rodgers will executive produce alongside the “Bodies Bodies Bodies” and “Shiva Baby” star.

Sennott most recently starred as PJ, platonic other half to Ayo Edebiri’s Josie, in “Bottoms,” which she cowrote with director Emma Seligman. Seligman also directed Sennott in “Shiva Baby.”

Sennott also appeared alongside Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd in HBO’s “The Idol” as Leia. She starred as Alice in the A24 thriller-comedy, “Bodies Bodies Bodies.”

A graduate from NYU Tisch with a focus in acting, Sennott’s breakthrough performance came from Seligman’s “Shiva Baby,” originally a student film that was adapted into a full-length feature. Her first television appearance occurred in the HBO comedy-drama “High Maintenance.”

The actress played a series regular role on ABC’s “Call Your Mother,” and she worked with “The Bear” star and Emmy winner Edebiri to make “Ayo and Rachel Are Single and Speak Up” for Comedy Central.

She costars alongside Nicole Kidman in “Holland, Michigan,” and she will also play Rosie Shuster in “SNL 1975.”

Sennott is repped by WME, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, The Lede Company and Yorn Levine Barnes. Barrie is repped by UTA, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment and Hansen Jacobsen. Rodgers is repped by Ryan Tracey at CAA.

The post ‘Bottoms’ Writer-Star Rachel Sennott Lands HBO Pilot Order appeared first on TheWrap.

The original TV adaptation of “Shogun” simultaneously benefitted from already rising American interest in Japan and helped to drive even greater Japanophilia. One (possibly apocryphal) story credits the original series with popularizing sushi in the U.S. What remains to be seen is whether this year’s “Shogun” will have a similar cultural impact.

Longer-term trends show growing American demand for Japanese content. From 2021 to 2023, U.S. demand for Japanese shows doubled. At the same time, Americans became more open to a wider variety of content from Japan. Anime series still make up the majority of international demand for Japanese content, but there has been a shift in the past few years. In 2021, about 90% of U.S. demand for Japanese series was for anime. That dropped to 77% by the end of 2023.  

While anime is still one of the best examples of globalizing content consumption, with outstanding demand growth, the broadening of American interest in Japanese content beyond this niche genre indicates that U.S. audiences are more receptive to stories about Japan.  It makes sense then for U.S. platforms like Max and Hulu to try and tap into this demand with shows like  “Tokyo Vice” and “Shogun.”

Another benefit of expanding beyond anime is that it draws in different audience demographics. Anime is one of the youngest skewing genres, with over half of the audience for anime coming from Gen Z. Meanwhile, a show like “Tokyo Vice” appeals more to older audiences. More than two-thirds of the audience for “Tokyo Vice” is over 30. This shows that together, content imported from Japan and shows about Japan can have a broad appeal across age groups.  

Christofer Hamilton is a senior insights analyst at Parrot Analytics, a WrapPRO partner. For more from Parrot Analytics, visit the Data and Analysis Hub.

The post Beyond Anime: Demand for Japanese TV Shows Has Doubled Since 2021 | Charts appeared first on TheWrap.