New Photo - Joel McHale reflects on Community season 1: 'I would've sawed off a pinkie to do it'

EW is binging Community with the cast and creator Joel McHale reflects on Community season 1: 'I would've sawed off a pinkie to do it' EW is binging Community with the cast and creator By Chancellor Agard :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/ZvF4pJa8400x40010a3bf9e86e7400cb1001c09106ef285.jpg) Chancellor Agard Chancellor Agard is a former staff writer at . He left EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines May 8, 2020 11:00 a.m. ET To celebrate Community finally arriving on Netflix, EW is binging the beloved comedy with the cast and creator.

EW is binging Community with the cast and creator

Joel McHale reflects on Community season 1: 'I would've sawed off a pinkie to do it'

EW is binging Community with the cast and creator

By Chancellor Agard

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Chancellor Agard is a former staff writer at **. He left EW in 2022.

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***To celebrate *****Community***** finally arriving on Netflix, EW is binging the beloved comedy with the cast and creator.***

Joel McHale wanted to be a part of *Community *from the moment he read the pilot script way back in 2009.

Written by Dan Harmon, the series premiere introduced the world to Jeff Winger (McHale), an ex-lawyer who was forced to enroll at Greendale Community College after his law firm found out he faked his college degree. Cynical and manipulative, Winger hoped to breeze threw the community college without developing any attachments; however, he ends up creating a study group comprised of (mostly) lovable misfits in order to sleep with his classmate Britta (Gillian Jacobs). Suit jacket and sweatpants notwithstanding, McHale related to the character when he read the pilot.

"I think I liked the character so much because he was someone who participates with their arm extended," he tells EW in the latest installment EW's *BINGE* of *Community*. "They're like, 'Yeah, yeah, I'll do it, but just let's just calm down.' [I liked] that he was always very reticent to do anything but was game to do it. And that is kind of how I am. I'm always skeptical to a fault and sarcastic and a cynic to a fault. And it was just such a well-written script and I would've sawed off a pinkie to do it. I didn't do that, but I would have."

He continues: "You'd read some scripts and you go, 'Well, this looks like it's going to be done in a year.' Like, 'How can they maintain this level of whatever they're doing?' And this one was a sandbox that you could like [say], 'Oh, Dan can do anything he wants here and he did.' The only sort of looming goal was graduation and Pierce [Chevy Chase] proved that you never had to leave."

*Community *definitely rewarded McHale's belief that the possibilities were endless in that first season, which grew bolder with almost each episode. By the end of season 1, the NBC sitcom had done a *Goodfellas* homage ("Contemporary American Poultry") and a paintball episode ("Modern Warfare") that was a send-up of action movies and directed by Justin Lin.

"To be honest here, I didn't feel a switch. It all seemed to make sense to me," says McHale. "I just never went, 'Oh well, this show's getting *crazy*.' I never did anything like that."

That being said, McHale does remember how excited he was to receive each script and go to work every day. "I was getting to do what I always wanted to do. I always wanted to be on a good television show and act. And so I was skipping to work every day," he says. "I couldn't believe how cool the show was and how I got to be on it and how blessed I was. So there wasn't anything where like, 'Oh man, how am I going to do this one? This is the greatest challenge.' It was more just like, 'I can't believe I get to do this and try this and hopefully I'll be good at it.'"

For more from McHale on season 1, including his thoughts on the surprising finale, watch the latest installment of EW's* BINGE *of* Community* above. And check back on Saturday for season 2's episode with Yvette Nicole Brown and Ken Jeong.

**Related content: **

- The 15 best episodes of *Community*

- EW is binging *Community* with the cast and creator: Watch the first episode now

- 10 years after it premiered, *Community* is the perfect show for our moment

by Derek Lawrence

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Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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Joel McHale reflects on Community season 1: 'I would've sawed off a pinkie to do it'

EW is binging Community with the cast and creator Joel McHale reflects on Community season 1: 'I would've sawed off a pi...
New Photo - Israeli opposition leader Lapid says Trump’s emerging deal with Iran is `bad for the region’

Israeli opposition leader Lapid says Trump’s emerging deal with Iran is bad for the region’ MELANIE LIDMAN Mon, May 25, 2026 at 6:16 PM UTC 0 1 / 0Israel PoliticsFormer Israeli prime ministers Naftali Bennett, left, and Yair Lapid arrive to a joint press conference announcing that their parties will run together in the upcoming elections, in Herzliya, Israel, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) () JERUSALEM (AP) — The deal being discussed between the U.S.

Israeli opposition leader Lapid says Trump’s emerging deal with Iran is `bad for the region’

MELANIE LIDMAN Mon, May 25, 2026 at 6:16 PM UTC

0

1 / 0Israel PoliticsFormer Israeli prime ministers Naftali Bennett, left, and Yair Lapid arrive to a joint press conference announcing that their parties will run together in the upcoming elections, in Herzliya, Israel, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) ()

JERUSALEM (AP) — The deal being discussed between the U.S. and Iran fails to achieve any of Israel’s goals for the war, Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Monday, as he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to influence a better agreement.

Lapid, who is part of an alliance attempting to unseat Netanyahu in elections this year, said details of the emerging deal are “disturbing.”

“The deal is bad for Israel, bad for the region, bad for the citizens of Iran,” Lapid told reporters in Jerusalem.

Israel and the U.S. launched the war on Feb. 28 vowing to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile program, end its support for proxy militant groups across the region and end Iran’s ability to pursue a nuclear bomb. Both Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump also said they hoped to create conditions to topple Iran’s government.

According to regional officials, under the current deal being discussed Iran would give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz in exchange for ending a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and the lifting of sanctions against Iran. Key details on Iran’s nuclear program would then be negotiated during a 60-day period. It is unclear if the deal will address Iran’s missiles or support for regional militant groups.

Lapid expressed gratitude to Trump for launching the war with Israel, but criticized Netanyahu for allowing Washington to negotiate a potential deal with little coordination with Israel.

“The Israeli government is at an all-time low in its ability to influence decisions in Washington,” he said, noting that Trump said last week: “Netanyahu will do whatever I want him to do.”

Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed to Trump that Israel maintains “freedom of action” against threats in any arena, according to an official familiar with Israel prime minister's conversations with Trump, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

“Israel is a sovereign state, we are not a vassal state and we are not a protectorate,” Lapid said.

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Lapid, head of the centrist “Yesh Atid” party, briefly served as prime minister in 2022 under a rotation agreement with Naftali Bennett, leader of a small conservative party. Their coalition government ended 12 years of Netanyahu’s rule.

They have once again merged their parties into a single faction headed by Bennett as they attempt to unseat Netanyahu in elections that will be held by the end of October.

Lapid has served as Israel’s opposition leader since Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022, while Bennett took a break from politics. Their alliance is aimed at uniting a fragmented opposition with a shared hostility toward Netanyahu.

Lapid, one of a shrinking number of Israeli politicians who supports the idea of Palestinian independence, said the issue would not be on the next government’s agenda. He said the conditions are not right following the trauma of the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, and wars that have followed.

“There will be no two-state solution in the coming years, because Israelis now understand this will become just another failing terrorist state on our borders,” said Lapid, adding that the Palestinian Authority does not have the ability to effectively prevent attacks against Israel.

But Lapid said he would oppose unilateral steps that would make a future Palestinian state impossible and had received assurances from Bennett, a former West Bank settlement leader, that Israel will not move toward annexing the occupied territory.

Lapid also ruled out cooperation with Arab parties to build a coalition to unseat Netanyahu.

Opinion polls indicate that Bennett and Lapid might not be able to form a governing majority coalition without the support of some Arab lawmakers, as they did in their previous government. They broke a longstanding taboo in 2021 when they invited Mansour Abbas, leader of a small Arab faction, into Israel’s governing coalition for the first and only time in Israel’s history.

Lapid said his previous cooperation with Abbas was “the right government for the moment,” but that Israel is in a very different place after nearly three years of wars and that he and Bennett will not build a coalition with Abbas’ party in the next elections.

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Israeli opposition leader Lapid says Trump’s emerging deal with Iran is `bad for the region’

Israeli opposition leader Lapid says Trump ’s emerging deal with Iran is bad for the region’ MELANIE LIDMAN Mon, May 25, 2026 ...
New Photo - Eric André is John Cena's Little Brother from hell in first trailer for bonkers Netflix comedy

The duo go all out for laughs in the wild debut footage. Eric André is John Cena's Little Brother from hell in first trailer for bonkers Netflix comedy The duo go all out for laughs in the wild debut footage. By Derek Lawrence :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/derek160e1b72b3389c74b8ca03743731e346949.jpg) Derek Lawrence Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at . He left EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines May 20, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/JohnCenaEricAndreLittleBrother051926ab28b623c6b84880a4f9138472368c0f.jpg) John Cena and Eric André in 'Little Brother'.

The duo go all out for laughs in the wild debut footage.

Eric André is John Cena's Little Brother from hell in first trailer for bonkers Netflix comedy

The duo go all out for laughs in the wild debut footage.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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May 20, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET

John Cena and Eric André in 'Little Brother'

John Cena and Eric André in 'Little Brother'. Credit:

Clifton Prescod/Netflix

- Netflix has released the first trailer for the new comedy *Little Brother*.

- John Cena and Eric André are reunited after a memorable interaction on* The Eric André Show*.

- The film premieres June 26 on the streaming platform.

The trailer for Netflix's *Little Brother* has John Cena wishing he were an only child.

The raunchy first footage puts both Cena and Eric André through the wringer as their characters change each other's lives, for better or worse.

When alerted that his brother was in an accident, Rudd (Cena) and his wife, Deirdre (Michelle Monaghan), rush to the hospital, assuming Rudd's big bro Josh (Christopher Meloni) has been injured. Instead, he finds AndrĂ©'s eccentric — and possibly mentally unstable —Marcus. "Who the f--- is this?" Rudd asks.

It turns out that Marcus was Rudd's "little brother" in a Big Brother-like program in high school, and they haven't spoken since. But with Marcus having nowhere else to go, Dierdre convinces Rudd to bring him home. NSFW chaos ensues.

Directed by Matt Spicer (*Ingrid Goes West*) and written by Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel, André described the film to EW as "*What About Bob?* meets *Parasite*."

"I think it's a movie that all audiences can relate to," Cena shared. "We try so hard to create our own perfect environment, and in short, this movie is exactly what happens when you get your environment absolutely perfect, and then you encounter a s--- storm."

Eric AndrĂ© blows up John Cena's life — and teaches the 'ancient art of analingus' — in 'Little Brother' first look

Little Brother. (L to R) Eric Andre as Marcus, John Cena as Rudd

'Blockers' star John Cena is ready to make you forget he's John Cena

The Pact

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

The cast also includes comedy scene-stealers like Ego Nwodim (*Saturday Night Live*), Sherry Cola (*Shrinking*), and Caleb Hearon (*The Devil Wears Prada 2*).

*Little Brother* premieres June 26 on Netflix.

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Eric André is John Cena's Little Brother from hell in first trailer for bonkers Netflix comedy

The duo go all out for laughs in the wild debut footage. Eric André is John Cena's Little Brother from hell in first trailer...
New Photo - Law & Order: SVU boss says she will use Christopher Meloni 'as much as he wants'

Series showrunner Michele Fazekas says she has reached out to get Meloni back on the show but notes that the actor is &34;very busy.&34; Law & Order: SVU boss says she will use Christopher Meloni 'as much as he wants' Series showrunner Michele Fazekas says she has reached out to get Meloni back on the show but notes that the actor is &34;very busy.&34; By Shania Russell :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/ShaniaRussellauthorphoto5934b684845d480caa4485648c39ef2b.jpg) Shania Russell Shania Russell is a news writer at , with five years of experience.

Series showrunner Michele Fazekas says she has reached out to get Meloni back on the show but notes that the actor is "very busy."

Law & Order: SVU boss says she will use Christopher Meloni 'as much as he wants'

Series showrunner Michele Fazekas says she has reached out to get Meloni back on the show but notes that the actor is "very busy."

By Shania Russell

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Mariska Hargitay standing outdoors next to a man leaning on a car

Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni in 'Law & Order: SVU' season 27. Credit:

- *Law & Order: SVU *showrunner Michele Fazekas is very conscious of fans rooting for Benson and Stabler to get together.

- Fazekas says she is working to get Christopher Meloni in more episodes, but notes that the actor is very busy.

- Fans have been vying for a relationship between Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler since the show debuted in 1999.

Michele Fazekas is trying to give the people what they want, but it's a little out of her control.

Fazekas, the showrunner of *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*, is aware that fans feel very passionately about Detective Olivia Benson's (Mariska Hargitay) relationship with her ride-or-die former partner, Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). Viewers have been beating that drum since the series debuted in 1999 and all these years later, Fazekas is still looking for ways to capitalize on their addictive chemistry.

During a recent sit-down with *PEOPLE*, Frazekas was asked about what kind of storylines she's eager to explore— and immediately pointed in the direction of Benson and Stabler.

"Obviously, everyone's always asking me about Stabler, and I love Meloni," Fazekas told the outlet. "I would use him as much as he wants to. I tried to!"

Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay in a scene appearing focused

Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay.

Though Meloni officially departed the show in 2011, he has since returned to reunite the dynamic duo. For a time, he also reclaimed his place in the *Law and Order* family by leading his own spinoff show, *Organized Crime*, which ran for five seasons starting in 2021. The show's cancellation was confirmed in April.

Meanwhile, fans have devoured every instance they get of the duo reunited onscreen. But Frazekas admitted that those occasions are always a challenge to orchestrate.

Mariska Hargitay says cut Benson and Stabler 'SVU' kiss was shot 'a couple different ways'

Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay on 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'

See 40 actors who guest-starred on 'Law & Order' before becoming household names (including future Oscar winners)

Colman Domingo, Elle Fanning, and Adam Driver on various iterations of 'Law & Order'

"[Meloni's] very, very busy," Frazekas pointed out. "I tried to bring him into this. I'll just sometimes ask the question like, 'Hey, is he working?' "It's like, 'Oh yes, of course he's working.'"

Luckily, *SVU* fans are no stranger to exerting patience: Meloni's initial return to the franchise came after a 10 year stretch. A decade after his abrupt retirement, Stabler joined forces with his former partner, Benson, to solve his wife's murder.

In all their years sharing the screen, Benson and Stabler have never gone beyond flirting with the idea of a romantic relationship. However, they did get very close to sealing the deal, nearly locking lips in a much-hyped season 24 episode. But the moment was tragically nixed at the last second.

Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay smiling together at an event

Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay on 'Law & Order: SVU'.

JB Lacroix/WireImage

"To be honest with you, Chris and I thought it should go one way and the powers that be didn't, so it got changed at the last minute, that near kiss," Hargitay revealed in 2024. "Obviously Dick [Wolf, the show's creator] gets final say. It's his show and he didn't want that."

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

*SVU* recently entered its 27th season. Following the cancellation of his spinoff, Meloni is  now set to star in new Hulu series *The Land* from *This Is Us* creator Dan Fogelman.

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Law & Order: SVU boss says she will use Christopher Meloni 'as much as he wants'

Series showrunner Michele Fazekas says she has reached out to get Meloni back on the show but notes that the actor is &34;very bus...
New Photo - James Lafferty responds to former One Tree Hill costar Sophia Bush's suggestion he should join Gr...

&34;Who gives you more McDreamy vibes than James Lafferty?&34; James Lafferty responds to former One Tree Hill costar Sophia Bush's suggestion he should join Grey's Anatomy &34;Who gives you more McDreamy vibes than James Lafferty?&34; By Sarah Hearon May 25, 2026 11:00 a.m. ET Leave a Comment :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/OneTreeHillJamesLaffertySophiaBush052126c74a6c74849f455bba6e9b77b4d69eb7.jpg) Sophia Bush and James Lafferty on 'One Tree Hill'. Credit: RGR Collection / Alamy Stock Photo Sophia Bush nominated her former One Tree Hill costar James Lafferty to scrub in on Grey's Anatomy.

"Who gives you more McDreamy vibes than James Lafferty?"

James Lafferty responds to former One Tree Hill costar Sophia Bush's suggestion he should join Grey's Anatomy

"Who gives you more McDreamy vibes than James Lafferty?"

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Sophia Bush and James Lafferty on 'One Tree Hill'

Sophia Bush and James Lafferty on 'One Tree Hill'. Credit:

RGR Collection / Alamy Stock Photo

- Sophia Bush nominated her former *One Tree Hill* costar James Lafferty to scrub in on *Grey's Anatomy*.

- “Who gives you more McDreamy vibes than James Lafferty?” she exclaims to EW.

- Lafferty, however, isn't so sure: "I don't have that hair!"

Could Nathan Scott be scrubbing in at Grey Sloan Memorial?

While chatting with ** about the season 22 finale of *Grey’s Anatomy* earlier this month, Sophia Bush nominated James Lafferty as the next *One Tree Hill* alum to appear on the long-running medical drama.

“So many of us girls have been on the show. Honestly, who gives you more McDreamy vibes than James Lafferty? Nobody!” Bush tells EW. “He would be so good in that world. He would crush it — and so would Stephen [Colletti]. Those two, just the most tender humans, the best guys, the best friends from 10 years of all growing up together. It's really special.”

Bush and Lafferty starred as Brooke Davis and Nathan Scott, respectively, on all nine seasons of *One Tree Hill*, which aired from 2003 to 2012. Their costars Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley James Scott) and Hilarie Burton Morgan (Peyton Sawyer) have both recurred on *Grey’s Anatomy* in the past. Bush notes that she recently spent time with Lafferty and Colletti in North Carolina, where they filmed *OTH*. (Colletti joined the CW show during Season 4.)

“We were all in Wilmington together a few months ago, and it was before, obviously, they'd announced the next season of their show [*Everyone Is Doing Great*], but I had this sort of out-of-body experience as we all were huddled up talking about our families and talking about our lives and talking about production, the things that we're developing,” Bush says. “I sort of zoomed out and I was like, 'Oh my God guys, do you remember when we were all 22 and going to bars and look at us now?' It's crazy to have just had that experience specifically with those two guys and then to be thinking about this, I'm like, 'Yeah, put them on *Grey's*!' They'd crush.”

The same day EW spoke to Bush, we caught up with Lafferty and Colletti — and got a reaction to her kind words.

“Oh, wow. I mean, dude, I don't have that hair!” Lafferty says with a laugh.

Colletti disagrees, saying, “It’s in there, grow it out!”

Kevin McKidd details Owen and Teddy’s 'beautiful' ending on 'Grey's' — after initially thinking he should die

Kim Raver and Kevin McKidd on 'Grey's Anatomy'

Sophia Bush offers her 'classiest' answer for why the 'One Tree Hill' revival has seemingly stalled

Hilarie Burton and Sophia Bush on 'One Tree Hill'

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“That wave? That [Patrick] Dempsey wave, that's iconic. I can't fill those shoes,” Lafferty replies. “Also I can't memorize more than three sentences in a row, so there's no way I'm playing a doctor.”

For now, fans can watch Seasons 1 and 2 of Lafferty and Colletti’s meta comedy *Everyone Is Doing Great* on Netflix — and potentially expect Bush to return to *Grey’s* for Season 23 as her character, Cass, ended up in bed with Caterina Scorsone’s Amelia in the Season 22 finale.

“You immediately get that question of like, ‘What happened? This is insane,’” Bush told EW of the plot twist. “Also, I was just giggling to myself because from the moment that Cass showed up at Grace Sloan, the whole gay internet has been asking for this. And I was like, ‘Oh, okay. Writers' room, I see you!’”

- Grey's Anatomy Fandom

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New Photo - The Crash subject Mackenzie Shirilla heard speaking to mom in secret language during jail call

Shirilla is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 to life after she was convicted on four counts of murder stemming from a 2022 car crash. The Crash subject Mackenzie Shirilla heard speaking to mom in secret language during jail call Shirilla is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 to life after she was convicted on four counts of murder stemming from a 2022 car crash. By Ryan Coleman :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RyanColemanauthorphoto0081ce8f0254478080f35972c433877b.

Shirilla is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 to life after she was convicted on four counts of murder stemming from a 2022 car crash.

The Crash subject Mackenzie Shirilla heard speaking to mom in secret language during jail call

Shirilla is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 to life after she was convicted on four counts of murder stemming from a 2022 car crash.

By Ryan Coleman

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Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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Dom, Mackenzie, and Natalie Shirilla in The Crash

Mackenzie and Natalie Shirilla, as featured in Netflix's 'The Crash'. Credit:

- Strange new recordings from prison capture Mackenzie Shirilla and her mother speaking in coded language to evade detection.

- The calls obtained by PEOPLE were eventually decoded and presented as evidence in Shirilla's 2023 murder trial.

- Shirilla was convicted on charges connected with a 2022 car crash that killed two men, resulting in concurrent 15-to-life sentences.

Mackenzie Shirilla can be heard speaking in a secret language with her mother in newly obtained calls from the prison where she's serving two 15-to-life sentences for murder.

In the calls obtained by PEOPLE on Thursday, the 20 year old can be heard switching into a fast-paced, virtually indecipherable code language while speaking with her mother, Natalie. "Which one?" Natalie asks after her daughter fires off a string of words punctuated by extraneous vowels. Later, she asks Mackenzie, "Don't forget you said — can I say a gibberish term just to make sure? — don't forget that that might not be what really happened. She's being accused of that."

In other calls obtained and reviewed by the outlet, Mackenzie indicates that she's switching into the code language when her new cellmate is in the room with her or when she's in a public place and doesn't want to be overheard.

Mackenzie Shirilla in The Crash

Mackenzie Shirilla in 'The Crash'.

Investigators in Mackenzie's 2023 trial were able to decode the language, which turned out to be a relatively simple form of gibberish in which a sound resembling "ezza" or "eeza" is inserted between each syllable of each word. The results of the decryption were presented as evidence against Mackenzie during trial, including one call in which Mackenzie allegedly asked her mother, "Can we tell the police I had a seizure?"

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

Where are Mackenzie Shirilla's parents now? Inside their lives after 'The Crash'

Mackenzie Shirilla and her father, Steve Shirilla

JonBenĂ©t Ramsey’s father implores Nancy Guthrie’s family to ‘really scrutinize’ the police

Side-by-side photos of John Ramsey, and 'Today' host Savannah Guthrie with mother Nancy

Mackenzie Shirilla was convicted of four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and one count each of drug possession and possessing criminal tools after a four-day trial on Aug. 14, 2023. A week later, she was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 15 years to life. She becomes eligible for parole in 2037.

The staggering list of convictions stems from a 2022 car crash that killed Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, while Mackenzie was behind the wheel. Originally regarded as a tragic accident, prosecutors ultimately alleged that Mackenzie intentionally drove the car into a brick building at 97.8 mph in order to kill Russo, her boyfriend, and Flanagan, their friend.

Russo and Flanagan were declared dead at the scene, while Mackenzie survived with broken bones.

The Shirillas case is examined in the new Netflix documentary feature *The Crash*. Directed by prolific true crime filmmaker Gareth Johnson, *The Crash *features the first on-camera interview with Mackenzie since the incident.

Police never formally interviewed Mackenzie after the crash, and she did not testify on her own behalf during the trial. She maintains in the documentary that she has "no recollection of that morning, but I know nothing about it was intentional, because that’s not in my character."

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The Crash subject Mackenzie Shirilla heard speaking to mom in secret language during jail call

Shirilla is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 to life after she was convicted on four counts of murder stemming from a 2...
New Photo - Caleb Shomo, singer for rock band Beartooth, comes out as gay

&34;This is something I've been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now,&34; the Ohiobased frontman wrote. Caleb Shomo, singer for rock band Beartooth, comes out as gay &34;This is something I've been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now,&34; the Ohiobased frontman wrote. By Wesley Stenzel :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/WesleyStenzelauthorphoto32b61793a2784639af623f2ae091477e.jpg) Wesley Stenzel Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at . He began writing for EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines May 23, 2026 6:40 p.m.

"This is something I've been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now," the Ohio-based frontman wrote.

Caleb Shomo, singer for rock band Beartooth, comes out as gay

"This is something I've been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now," the Ohio-based frontman wrote.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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May 23, 2026 6:40 p.m. ET

Caleb Shomo of Beartooth performs at Smoothie King Center on May 06, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana

Beartooth frontman Caleb Shomo performs in 2025. Credit:

Erika Goldring/Getty

- Singer Caleb Shomo came out as gay in a statement he shared on Instagram.

- The frontman for the rock and metalcore band Beartooth said it has been "difficult to navigate" his feelings and "figure out what to do" with them.

- "This is something I've been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now," the Ohio-based musician wrote.

Singer Caleb Shomo has come out as gay.

The frontman for the rock and metalcore band Beartooth shared a lengthy statement on Instagram on Saturday reflecting on his sexuality.

"There's been a lot of speculation surrounding my personal life as of late, and I feel compelled to set the record straight before it affects those I love any further," Shomo wrote. "I am a proudly gay man. This is something I've been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now. It's been difficult to navigate the feelings surrounding the subject and figure out what to do with this fact."

Caleb Shomo, Oshie Bichar and Will Deely of Beartooth perform at O2 Academy Birmingham on March 18, 2023 in Birmingham, England.

Beartooth's Will Deely, Caleb Shomo, and Oshie Bichar perform in 2023.

Katja Ogrin/Redferns

Shomo, the only member of Beartooth who has remained in the lineup since he founded the Ohio-based group in 2012, went on to explain how his sexuality has impacted his artistic voice. "I have always strived to chase who I am in the deepest part of my soul from album to album," he wrote. "As you could gather if you've followed the band at all in the earlier years, there are four very self-deprecating albums about exploring my religious upbringing, depression, self-hatred, self-loathing, and hopelessness."

The singer said he doesn't regret his early work, but he also doesn't think the music was a completely honest reflection of his true self. "I am grateful for all these albums," he wrote, "yet feel embarrassed at times that I wouldn't allow myself to really dig up the roots for so long."

Shomo explained that his journey to embracing his sexuality was a long one. "I spent a decade burying feelings with alcohol, and honestly when I decided to put it down and focus on exploring why I felt this way for so long, it's been a direct path to me reconciling with my sexuality in hopes that it will eventually lead to me experiencing self-love," he wrote.

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Beartooth's sixth studio album, *Pure Ecstasy*, will be different from the group's previous output. "One thing I decided before I wrote a single note or lyric of the upcoming album is that whatever happens, I will express myself wholeheartedly and fully," the singer said. "Wherever it takes me, I will follow, and I refuse to water any part of it down, from the music, to the lyrical content, and way I portray myself. I will only do what makes me happy at the deepest level and what is the most honest depiction of who I am."

Shomo said he thinks it's "impossible to love every part" of yourself if you don't first "face every part of you head-on," adding, "I am trying to finally be proud of who I am, and I think this is a massive part of that journey."

Caleb Shomo of Beartooth performs live on stage at the annual Rock Am Ring festival at Nuerburgring on June 07, 2024 in Nuerburg, Germany.

Beartooth's Caleb Shomo performs in 2024.

Gina Wetzler/Redferns

The singer also shared his gratitude for everyone who has helped him along the way: "To those who have shown me love — empowerment through living life freely and openly in my presence, supporting the queer community, or simply telling me you love me whoever I am — I am forever in your debt, and I hope you know what you mean to me."

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Shomo concluded his remarks with words of advice for others on the road to self-discovery. "I encourage anyone who's struggling with who they are to give yourself grace," he said. "Give yourself patience. Be honest with yourself. Do the hard work instead of burying it down as deep as you physically can, thinking it will change, like I did. Holding these things in only hurts you and those around you. Love you all, and hopefully this is a step in the right direction to loving myself one day."**

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW LGBTQ"

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Source: LGBTQ

Published: May 25, 2026 at 05:01AM on Source: PRIME TIME

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Caleb Shomo, singer for rock band Beartooth, comes out as gay

&34;This is something I've been unpacking and reckoning with in my life for quite some time now,&34; the Ohiobased frontman ...

 

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