When a fan called a sweet (and slightly odd) moment between Dave Franco and his wife Alison Brie “diabolical,” Franco was quick to clarify—it’s not their usual routine. He shared the details exclusively with TooFab recently.

Turns out, Franco does have a line when it comes to his relationship with Brie. The topic came up while he walked the red carpet for his upcoming movie Regretting You—a chat that followed the pair’s experience filming Together, where they spent most of the time practically glued to each other.

A TikTok video of the couple talking about their 2011 “meet cute” at New Orleans’ Mardi Gras went viral not long ago, and it’s full of relationship vibes. In the clip, they talk over each other, gaze at each other affectionately, and then—out of nowhere—Brie takes the gum from her mouth and hands it to Franco.

“I feel okay talking about it now, since we’re done with that press tour,” Franco told TooFab. “That was for Together—that movie’s total chaos. We thought, ‘Let’s lean into the chaos. Let’s do weird stuff for this press run.’”

Fans couldn’t stop weighing in in the comments. One person called the gum moment “a whole other level of love,” while another labeled it “diabolical.” But Franco was clear: “That’s definitely not our usual vibe,” he said firmly.

So where does Franco draw the line with Brie? It’s simple—sharing toothbrushes.

“That’s a hard no—we don’t even talk about it,” he emphasized to TooFab. “If you bring that up? I’ll judge you.”

He also joked that the gum moment was nothing compared to their on-screen antics: “That’s the tamest thing we did in Together,” he added, referencing the film.

Later, the conversation shifted to Regretting You and the idea of regret—so TooFab asked Franco if he’d ever regretted a Halloween costume.

“Honestly? I’m not big on dressing up for Halloween,” he admitted. “I’m trying to think of what I’ve worn… Just good, simple costumes. There was a full duck onesie—total classic. That one was actually great!”

“We might have a little something up our sleeves,” Mason Thames exclusively told TooFab when chatting about his and McKenna Grace’s upcoming joint Halloween costume—following their 2024 run of four fun character pairs, including Scooby-Doo fan favorites Shaggy and Daphne.

At 18, Mason Thames is officially stepping into his coming-of-age film era—and he’s embracing every minute of it. While walking the red carpet for his new movie Regretting You, the actor opened up to TooFab about what this career shift means to him.

“I’ve been wanting to do a movie like this forever,” Thames said, noting he’s practically grown up in Hollywood. His resume already includes standout roles in The Black Phone, Incoming, and How to Train Your Dragon—making this new chapter feel like a natural (and exciting) next step.

Regretting You, based on Colleen Hoover’s story of family, first love, grief, and betrayal, sees Thames play Miller Adams: a kind-hearted guy from the “wrong side of the tracks” who becomes the romantic interest of McKenna Grace’s Clara Morgan. And he’s quick to credit his co-star for making the experience unforgettable.

Grace, 19, has an equally impressive Hollywood track record—with roles in Ghostbusters, The Haunting of Hill House, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Young Sheldon—and she’s also making the move to more mature projects, just like Thames. Rumors have swirled that their on-screen chemistry has spilled over into real life, too.

“Getting to do this movie with McKenna? It’s so special,” Thames gushed. “I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to go through this journey with.”The duo was first announced as Regretting You’s leads back in 2024, and later that year, they shared photos of their four Halloween costume duos (Shaggy and Daphne included). Dating rumors kicked into high gear in April 2025, though, when a TikTok of the two kissing went viral right before the film’s release. Since then, they’ve been spotted holding hands in public—only fueling more speculation from fans.

When it comes to this year’s Halloween plans, Thames basically confirmed they’re teaming up again for a costume—but he’s playing coy about the details.

“Who knows…” he said with a playful grin. “We might have a little something schemed up.”Thames is clearly on a roll this week. Not only is Regretting You now in theaters, but his latest horror flick, Black Phone 2, just debuted with a massive $43 million global opening—and it’s earning rave reviews to boot.

Even Saturday Night Live took notice: Marcello Hernandez gave the film a shoutout this past weekend when he brought back his Weekend Update character The Movie Guy, a cinephile with a notoriously spotty viewing record. “Oh, yeah, Black Phone 2—ring, ring! Hello? Sorry, wrong number, ‘cause I haven’t seen that one yet,” Hernandez joked during the October 18 episode.

“What I love most about The Black Phone movies is that yeah, they’re horror, but they have so much heart,” Thames told TooFab. He also added that he and Grace were both thrilled about the SNL mention—you can catch their reaction in the full interview above.

Billie Lourd, best known for her role on Scream Queens, turned to Instagram to share a deeply personal moment: how she finally told her 5-year-old son a partial truth about his grandmother Carrie Fisher’s passing—and why the conversation left her feeling “mad,” while describing grief as “a weird soup of feelings.”

Nine years have passed since Carrie Fisher’s sudden death, but Lourd, 33, is keeping the legacy of the Star Wars icon—forever beloved as Princess Leia—alive. She marked what would have been Fisher’s 69th birthday (the actress died on December 16, 2016, at 60) with a raw, emotional tribute on social media, sharing a nostalgic black-and-white photo from her childhood. The image shows Lourd alongside Fisher and her own late grandmother, Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, who died two years after Fisher at 84.

The photo was paired with an intensely vulnerable (and lengthy) caption, where Lourd laid bare the complicated emotions grief has brought her. “My mom would’ve been 69 today—and that still feels shockingly young, considering this is the ninth birthday of hers I’ve ‘celebrated’ without her,” the Scream Queens star wrote. “It feels like she’s been gone so long, she should be 100 by now? Like losing someone who’s 100 is easier to accept? But 69? That doesn’t feel right at all.”

She went on: “Every time I meet someone older than her, I get secretly jealous. Why couldn’t she have lived that long? I think anyone who’s lost a loved one too soon might get that. So I can’t really call this a fully happy birthday—she’s not here to enjoy the joy. She never got to meet her grandkids, never got to see how magical, smart, funny, and kind they are now.”

Before her death, Fisher was open about her lifelong battle with substance abuse—a reality that made talking about her passing a sensitive topic for Lourd, who shares 5-year-old son Kingston Fisher Lourd Rydell and 2-year-old daughter Jackson Joanne Lourd Rydell with her partner. But recently, Lourd took the leap and told her son a small piece of the truth.

“The other night, my son asked me how she died,” she shared. “I told him she didn’t take care of her body—telling him the truth without dumping the whole truth on him. Right away, he said, ‘Oh, but I take care of my body!’ I replied, ‘Yes, you do! And I do too, and daddy does too!’ Death isn’t hanging over our door the way it always felt like it was for her. That’s a conversation for when he’s older. He didn’t push for more answers, so we left it at that. But it broke my heart.”

Fisher suffered a heart attack during a flight from London to Los Angeles in 2016, but L.A. County coroners later determined her death was caused by complications related to sleep apnea, according to TMZ. The coroner’s report also listed drug use under “other conditions” that contributed to her passing, though officials couldn’t confirm if those drugs were significant enough to trigger the heart attack.

Talking to her son about the truth clearly stirred up a mix of emotions for Lourd. While she admitted she still holds some pent-up anger, she’s focused on honoring her mother in a positive way.

“It made me mad at her,” she continued. “Being mad at someone who’s dead is so weird—you don’t have anywhere to put that feeling. But it’s still there, and I’ve had to learn to let myself feel all of it: mad at her for not getting sober, sad for her that she couldn’t get sober, but also so grateful that she existed at all. So I let myself be mad for a minute, then I realized I want her birthday to have some happiness in it—especially for my kids.”

“She was a brilliant, magical person, and I want them to know that,” Lourd added. “So no matter how many messy emotions I’m feeling on days like this, I try to celebrate the good parts. I’ll tell the kids funny stories about her, watch one of her movies, eat one of her favorite foods, or have a Coke with a ton of ice. Grief is a weird soup of feelings, and there are a lot of ingredients in it that are hard to swallow—but in the end, I think that soup has made me healthier. It’s made me more aware of how short life is, and more grateful for all the happiness in my life.”

Lourd even joked that she hit Instagram’s character limit (“because I talk too much?”), so she finished her post in the comments section: “And for that, I’m grateful—or ‘griefull,’ if you want to make up a word. Sending my love to anyone out there who’s had to eat this multifaceted soup that is grief. It’s not always tasty, but it might make you a stronger, healthier person. Happy birthday, Momby. I miss you and love you more than you could ever know. ”

Meghan McCain and Cheryl Hines are getting real about the way the public has treated them—with McCain sharing a shocking story of political discrimination, and Hines opening up about backlash tied to her husband’s role in the Trump administration.

Hines, 60, joined McCain on Wednesday’s episode of the Citizen McCain podcast. The actress talked about the criticism she’s faced since her husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), aligned with Donald Trump and took on the job of Secretary of Health and Human Services. That conversation led McCain, 40, to recall a time she says she was treated unfairly just for being conservative.

“When you’re dealing with criticism, you learn fast: no matter who you are or what you do, there are people who just won’t like you,” Hines told McCain. “Even as an actress—you could be the nicest person in the business, and I’m sure someone out there is saying, ‘Ugh, she’s ugly, she can’t act.’… Being in the public eye teaches you that early. You realize that person doesn’t know you, so you have to tune out the noise. But it’s never easy.”

The Curb Your Enthusiasm star also thanked her family—including her daughter and stepchildren—for standing by her during RFK Jr.’s presidential campaign and after. RFK Jr., who’s long been known for controversial takes (most notably his anti-vaccine comments), ran for president in 2024 first as a Democrat. He later left the party to run as an independent, dropped out of the race, and eventually endorsed Trump. Even without a medical degree or background in medicine, he went on to join Trump’s cabinet as HHS Secretary.

After RFK Jr. took the role, Hines moved to Washington, D.C., but still spends time in Los Angeles. She told McCain that because of her husband’s position, they still get criticized even when they’re out in public.

“It still strikes me as weird that some people think it’s okay to just walk up to Bobby and yell at him,” Hines said. When McCain asked if that happens “a lot,” Hines replied, “Not really. For every person who yells at him, there are probably a thousand who come up to say they love him and want a photo. But it’s such a strange situation—I’ve never had anything like that happen before.”

McCain then jumped in to share her own experience: “I’ve actually been kicked out of restaurants because of my politics. I wasn’t doing anything wrong—it was brutal, and it happened in LA,” she said. Hines looked shocked.

“Oh my gosh, that’s insane,” Hines said. McCain added, “It’s a whole story,” and explained she was with “another woman who’s a conservative pundit—whatever you want to call what I do” when it went down.

The former The View co-host said she couldn’t understand why anyone would dislike Hines, but noted, “Being linked to the Trump administration makes you a target.” She asked Hines, “Has that been a tough adjustment in LA or New York? Even DC? Though people here seem a little more respectful.”

Hines admitted LA has been “hard to adjust to.” “There are parts of it that just don’t make sense,” she said. “Take MAHA—Make America Healthy Again. I have friends who are super into health—they’d love to get petroleum dyes out of food and arsenic out of products. But because it’s MAHA, and it feels tied to MAGA, they get so mad about it. That’s just weird to me.”

She added, “It’s interesting to see who can separate politics from the entertainment industry—and who can’t.”

McCain said one thing she “can’t stand” is when people tell her they “love” her politics but “can never say it” publicly. “I even know a musician who told me, ‘Can you not share my work on social media?’” she said. “I feel like we all need to grow up—there’s nothing to be embarrassed about if you’re conservative, MAHA, or liberal. We should all be able to coexist.”

When McCain asked if Hines has people in her life who “quietly support” her but won’t say so publicly, Hines answered, “Absolutely.”

“That’s ridiculous—I hate that. It actually makes me angry,” McCain shot back. Hines replied, “It doesn’t make me angry. I just think, ‘Okay, then!’”

“Again, I’m from the entertainment industry, so I get that this is a thing,” Hines continued. “I kind of feel bad for people who can’t be open about supporting Bobby. But I understand. I’m not gonna out anyone—if I did that, I’d be doing it all day.” She added, “There are a lot of people, even in LA, who love Bobby and support the administration. It’s just strange that they feel like they have to hide it.”

It’s unclear when McCain and Hines recorded their conversation, but the podcast episode dropped one day after Hines appeared on Tuesday’s The View—where she clashed with Sunny Hostin and Whoopi Goldberg over RFK Jr.’s lack of qualifications for his HHS role.

“Just to be clear: you know he’s not a doctor, right? He’s not a medical professional. And a lot of the time, when he talks, he’s not sharing accurate info,” Goldberg said.

Hostin chimed in next: “Respectfully, the problem here is that your husband is the least qualified HHS Secretary we’ve ever had.”

Hines pushed back, arguing that her husband has “spent his career studying toxins and public health.” Hostin calmly responded, “He’s also spread a lot of misinformation—created chaos and confusion. That’s a really dangerous thing.”

“He’s even linked circumcision to autism,” Hostin added. Hines cut in: “May I? Can I finish?”

She then brought up unsubstantiated claims about Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to pushback from Alyssa Farah Griffin and Hostin. Joy Behar then threw out one last question about RFK Jr.: “Does he or does he not have a brain worm?”

Hines joked in reply: “It ate a tiny little bit of his brain and then died, so don’t worry!”

Liam Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, is remembering the late singer on the one-year anniversary of his tragic death, sharing a heartfelt tribute and intimate photos to mark the somber day.

Taking to Instagram, Cassidy posted a black-and-white snapshot of the pair in bed—with Payne leaning in to kiss her cheek—alongside a simple yet gut-wrenching caption: “Today marks a full year without you here. I will forever hate goodbyes. I miss you Liam.” She also added a second photo to her Instagram Stories, showing the two hugging tightly during a snowy getaway, a sweet reminder of their time together.

Payne’s death came unexpectedly on October 16, 2024, when he fell from a hotel balcony while traveling in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 31-year-old “Strip That Down” singer is survived by his young son, Bear, whom he shared with ex-partner Cheryl Cole. Notably, Cassidy—who had joined Payne on the trip—had flown back home just days earlier to care for their rescue dog, Nala, missing what would be their final moments together.

In the months after Payne’s passing, a toxicology report obtained by TMZ shed light on the circumstances surrounding his death: the fall caused fatal injuries, and his system contained alcohol, cocaine, and a prescribed antidepressant. Payne had been open about his struggles with substance use in the past, even revealing that he completed a 100-day rehab program in 2023 to address his demons.

Earlier this year—around the six-month mark of Payne’s death—Cassidy opened up about her grief on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, describing the “beautiful” last day she spent with Payne in Argentina and how the memory now mixes “pain and peace.” She also recalled their final goodbye, including Payne’s last words, which feel haunting in hindsight.

“On our last day in Argentina, my car was waiting in the driveway, but we went back to the guest house to grab my suitcase and sat down on the couch,” Cassidy told Shetty during the emotional interview. “I just couldn’t stop talking—telling him how much I loved him, how he meant everything to me, how I’d miss him, and how I couldn’t wait for him to come back to Florida. We were about to start this new chapter: we’d just bought a house, gotten Nala, and moved to America together. I’d lived with him in England for two years, so moving to my home country felt like such a happy, fresh start.”

She paused to share Payne’s final words, her voice softening as she remembered: “I was rambling on and on about how much I loved him, and he laughed and cut me off. He said, ‘Kate, you’re going to miss your flight. Your car’s right there—you’re acting like this is the last time you’ll ever see me.’” At the time, Cassidy said she brushed it off with a laugh, telling him, “I know, I’m being silly. I need to get in the car. I can’t miss my flight.”

A year later, that moment—and the love they shared—remains at the heart of Cassidy’s tribute, a quiet nod to the man she still misses.

“Crying over a trip to Urth Café? Yeah, that’s so me being extra—but I don’t care,” Kylie Jenner jokes in a recent Snapchat story.

Teal waves, Urth Café, and that unapologetic 2016 energy—yep, “King Kylie” is officially making her grand return. Jenner dropped a bombshell for fans this week: she’s reviving her iconic “King Kylie” era, and she did it with a music video that picks up right where she left off a decade ago—leaning into that “guilty for being bad” vibe that first made the persona a hit.

The “King Kylie” Origin Story

Back in 2015, Jenner appeared in Terror Jr.’s “Three Strikes” music video, and fans immediately speculated she was the sultry voice behind the track. She shut down those rumors shortly after on Snapchat—but the hype around “King Kylie” only grew. That persona turned her into internet royalty, kickstarted her makeup empire, and solidified her status as a social media star. For 10 years, fans begged her to bring it back.

Then Saturday happened: Jenner finally answered those pleas by sharing a 2017 throwback on Instagram. The post? A resurfaced tweet where she once asked fans, “If I did a King Kylie collection, what products would you guys want to see?”

The Comeback: Music, Makeup, and Nostalgia

The internet blew up over her announcement—and it got even bigger when she dropped her pop debut, “Fourth Strikes.” The makeup mogul shared snippets of the song’s music video on Snapchat, the app that first launched her “King Kylie” fame.

In the clips, she’s rocking that unforgettable 2014 teal hair and a form-fitting prison outfit—total nostalgia. The track has the same mood as “Three Strikes,” but this time, it’s Jenner’s own alluring voice front and center. “Turn you on like a light, then you miss me like a flight,” she sings. “Messed up three times? It’s alright—I’m on my fourth strike.”

Tears (and Matcha Lattes) at Urth Café

To hype up the new single and her upcoming “King Kylie” collection for Kylie Cosmetics, Jenner hit Urth Café with friends for a low-key celebration. In a Snapchat story from the day, she’s seen tearing up at the café, with Hailey Bieber right by her side—holding her and wiping her tears.

“Crying just ‘cause we went to Urth Café? Yeah, that’s wild—but I did it,” Jenner wrote over the sweet clip. A friend behind the camera chimed in: “It’s okay to be emotional! That’s cute.” “Kylie, you’re actually crying,” they added softly, as Bieber pulled her in for a hug.

She also posted more from the outing on Instagram, playfully saying “Order for King Kylie!” as she filmed her friends holding matcha lattes. The café itself is a nod to the era—once a beloved spot for Tumblr-era teens, it’s the perfect backdrop for “King Kylie’s” return.

What’s Next for “King Kylie”?

Jenner didn’t stop at the video and café trip. She swapped her Instagram profile pic for a shot from the “King Kylie” era and even wore the iconic snakeskin outfit from the 2015 “Three Strikes” video in new promo photos.

Reviews on the comeback are all over the map, but one thing’s for sure: people can’t stop talking about it. The “King Kylie” collection drops October 18, and it’s bringing two fan-favorite tribute lip glosses—“like” and “literally”—plus a brand-new shade called “she’s back.”

But the big question now? Will “King Kylie” stick around this time?

Since her husband was fatally shot at a speaking event last month, Erika Kirk has faced public judgment over how she’s processed her grief in the spotlight. Now, one month later, she’s speaking out about that experience in a new social media post.

Erika shared her thoughts on grief exactly 30 days after her husband—right-wing activist Charlie Kirk—was assassinated. Posting to Instagram on Saturday, the widow (and now former commentator’s spouse) offered a raw look at what she’s been going through, addressing the criticism that’s swirled around her choices since the fatal shooting.

In the weeks since Charlie’s death, Erika has stepped into big roles: she’s taken over as CEO of Turning Point USA, the organization her late husband co-founded. Just two days after he died, she delivered an emotional speech to his followers inside his podcast studio, and later gave a powerful address at his well-attended public memorial.

“…grief doesn’t follow a step-by-step blueprint,” Erika wrote in her Instagram post, which included footage of Charlie’s memorials across the country. “One day, you’re crumpled on the floor, gasping out Jesus’ name between shaky breaths. The next, you’re playing with your kids in the living room—surrounded by family photos—and suddenly feel a rush of something you can only call a God-given, bittersweet joy. A smile creeps onto your face, and you don’t know quite how to name it.”

“People say time heals all wounds. But love doesn’t want to be ‘healed,’” she continued. “Love wants to be remembered. It’s humbling to realize this kind of pain didn’t take away my love for my husband—it amplified it. It made it sharper, more real.”

She wrapped up the post with a tender note: “I carry Charlie with me in every breath, every ache, and every small, ordinary moment of daily life. I’m still trying to figure out what this new rhythm will look like. But what these 30 days have taught me is this: the deeper the suffering, the purer the love. And I’ve never loved him more than I do right now.”

The comments section was flooded with support. Savannah Chrisley weighed in, writing: “Forever loving and praying for you and with you.” Other messages included: “Still praying for you every day,” “Women of God stand with you—you don’t owe any of us an explanation,” and “This was so beautiful. Gosh, we miss him.” Even so, a handful of critics still called her behavior “weird” or “too happy.”

Charlie Kirk—an outspoken, divisive political commentator and loyal supporter of former President Donald Trump—was killed on September 10. He’d been hosting a student Q&A at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when a sniper from a nearby building shot him. He was 31.

Two days after the shooting, authorities identified 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson as the suspected gunman. Robinson was taken into custody at 10 p.m. local time that Thursday. He faces state felony charges: aggravated murder, felony discharge of a weapon resulting in serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice. The aggravated murder charge could lead to the death penalty if he’s convicted.

“You tell ’em, Dolly—this AI stuff’s got us tangled up in all kinds of nonsense! You’re out here ‘dying,’ and I’m over here ‘having a baby’?” Reba McEntire joked in an Instagram video, poking fun at the absurd fake content swirling online.

The 70-year-old country star shared the lighthearted yet heartfelt clip Thursday to push back against a viral AI-generated image that falsely showed her longtime friend Dolly Parton on her deathbed. “Let’s be real—both of us know I’m way too young for a baby, and you’re way too tough to be laid up like that,” McEntire added, softening her tone to send support. “You better believe I’m praying for you, Dolly. I love you with every bit of my heart, and I’m counting down to the next time we get to hang out.”

Worries about Parton’s health first started when her 68-year-old sister, Freida Parton, turned to Facebook recently to ask followers to lift up the “Jolene” hitmaker. “Last night, I stayed up all night praying for my sister Dolly,” Freida wrote on Tuesday. “A lot of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately, and I truly believe in the power of prayer. That’s why I’m asking everyone who loves her around the world to be prayer warriors with me.”

Fans of all ages rushed to send the country icon their well-wishes—but Parton and her family’s silence after Freida’s post only amped up the anxiety online, leading many to fear the worst.

Thankfully, the “9 to 5” legend set the record straight herself on Wednesday, sharing an Instagram video that showed her alive and well. “Well, today’s October 8th, and clearly, I’m right here,” she said, grinning to calm concerns. “I know lately everyone’s thinking I’m way sicker than I actually am—does this look like a sick person to you? I’m hard at work over here.”

Parton, who filmed the clip during a break from shooting Grand Ole Opry commercials, added, “I just wanted to put everyone’s mind at ease. I appreciate all your prayers more than you know, and I want you to know—I’m okay.”

She also opened up about why she’d been under the weather lately: After her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, passed away this past March, Parton admitted she “didn’t take great care of myself.” Those health struggles, she explained, led her doctor to suggest she stay closer to home for a while to recharge.

Following an Instagram post from his mother Pattie Mallette—where she vowed to “pray for you always” and called for healing—Justin Bieber has responded, using the comments section to reveal exactly what the “only thing I need healing from” really is.

Bieber was quick to clarify he doesn’t actually need serious healing, though, after Mallette turned to social media to voice her prayers for him.

On September 22, Mallette hopped on her Instagram to share a post focused on her 31-year-old son, featuring several photos of him in a shirt that reads “Pray for Me”—a piece from his Speed Demon music video.

“We’re right here cheering you on, Justin, and we’ll keep praying for you always,” she wrote in her lengthy caption.

“I declare freedom, strength, clarity, and healing over you, Justin. May every chain of fear, confusion, heaviness, and pain be broken in Jesus’ name. Holy Spirit, wrap him in TRUTH, LIGHT, and PROTECTION. HEAL EVERY WOUND in his heart, mind, and body—whether they’re seen or unseen—restore what’s been taken from him, and cover him in complete WHOLENESS,” her faith-driven message continued.

“Fill him to OVERFLOWING with Your LOVE and COMFORT. Keep lifting him up as a voice for Your Kingdom—unshaken and on fire for You, Lord,” she ended. “Quiet every voice that isn’t Yours, and let his life be a bold testament to Your power, love, and healing grace. Say amen if you’re with me.”

Four weeks after Mallette shared the post, Bieber finally weighed in—hopping into the comments to joke, “The only thing I need healing from is my sprained pinky toe from playing ping pong.”

Mallette’s prayer post came just a few days after her son shared his own Instagram update about Jesus, one that seemed to stem from a conversation with ChatGPT about humanity.

Before this prayer-filled post, Mallette’s last Instagram activity was in August, when she dropped a photo dump from her “Spring/Summer 2025.” The carousel included shots of her kissing a cardboard cutout of Bieber, plus photos from her 50th birthday celebration. While Bieber didn’t leave a comment on that post at the time, his wife Hailey Bieber did—writing, “You’re so gorgeous.”

“He was really going through a hard time in his life back then,” Louis Tomlinson said of his fellow One Direction member—who died at 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

Louis Tomlinson is getting candid about the moment he found out Liam Payne had passed away. During an appearance on the Diary of a CEO podcast, the former One Direction star shared that it was bandmate Niall Horan who told him the devastating news about their friend.

“It hit me the same way it did when I lost Félicité,” Tomlinson explained, referencing his late sister, who died at 18 in March 2019.

On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, Tomlinson was in a car in Los Angeles when Horan called to break the news of Payne’s death. The 31-year-old singer had fallen from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“I think anyone feels this way when someone close to them is struggling—even giving 150% of myself just wasn’t enough,” Tomlinson admitted. He went on to reflect on the guilt that followed: “That’s when I realized it was my own arrogance thinking I could’ve helped, honestly. His pain was so much deeper than anything I could’ve fixed for him.”

Again, he emphasized how much Payne was suffering: “He was really going through a hard time in his life back then.”

One Direction stayed together for roughly six years, forming in 2010 and announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2016. The original five-member group sold millions of albums, toured the globe, and grew up publicly—all under the world’s watch.

Tomlinson also talked about the tribute post he shared shortly after Payne’s death. “When I posted that message about him… I wanted so badly for people to remember him the way he deserved to be remembered,” he said. The “Lemonade” singer added that he could “talk all day” about Payne and how “amazing” he was.

“He was someone we all looked up to,” Tomlinson revealed. “Back when we were in the band, I don’t think any of us would’ve had the courage to say that—we were too proud, honestly. But we all admired him so much.”

At the time of Payne’s death, Tomlinson shared a photo of the two hugging and smiling, writing that he was “devastated” to have “lost a brother.” He called Payne by his nickname, “Payno,” and described him as “such a positive, funny, and kind soul.” While he admitted he was “struggling” with the idea of saying “goodbye,” Tomlinson made sure to highlight how grateful he was to have known Payne.

“We got even closer after the band, and I’m so thankful for that,” he shared, opening up about their post-1D friendship. “Talking on the phone for hours, reminiscing about the thousands of incredible memories we shared—that was a luxury I thought I’d have with you forever. I would’ve loved nothing more than to share the stage with you again, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”