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Thomas Rhett Recalls the 1st Time He Saw His Adopted Daughter Willa on September 27, 2023 at 8:39 pm Us Weekly

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Thomas Rhett’s daughter changed his life with just a photo.

The country singer, 33, opened up about the first moment he saw his adopted daughter, Willa Gray, on the Tuesday, September 26, episode of Kevin Bacon‘s podcast, “Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon.”

In 2016, Rhett’s wife, Lauren Atkins, 33, visited an orphanage in Uganda and developed a bond with six-week-old Willa, who at the time was named Blessing. In conversation with Bacon, the singer reflected on seeing a photo of Atkins with the baby girl.

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“I’ve always thought my wife is the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in my life, but there was something about this picture that she was like, glowing man,” he said.

Related: Thomas Rhett’s Family: His Wife, Kids, Parents and More

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Look what God gave him! Thomas Rhett’s family has stolen hearts across the world since he hit the country music scene in 2012. Born Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. in March 1990, the Grammy nominee is the son of fellow country singer-songwriter Rhett Akins and Paige Lankford (née Braswell). Thomas and his sister, Kasey Akins, grew […]

“And so was this baby, who I’d never met before, and I remember FaceTiming her that night and saying, ‘Who was that baby that you were holding?’ And she said well, ‘This is Blessing and there are no living parents or living residents, so she has no family.’”

Rhett continued, “She’s been at this children’s home now and she, her name is Willa Gray but her name was Blessing at the orphanage. And she had been there for like a week. She was 6 weeks old.”

The couple soon decided that they wanted to adopt Willa, though Rhett admitted that at the time, he was still apprehensive about having children.

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Related: Stars Who’ve Adopted Children

See which stars have expanded their broods

“And my wife was just talking to me, like ‘We have to find a home for this child,’” Rhett said. “And I’ll never forget it dude, it was 2 o’clock in the morning where I was, half asleep, and it just kind of blurted out of my mouth. ‘We’re going to bring her home.’”

He continued, “I don’t even know if I was ready to have kids yet. I was really loving the road thing, my career was just starting to take off, I was like, ‘Man if we have kids right now, what is that gonna do?’ And I’ll never forget those words coming out of my mouth.”

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Related: Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins: A Timeline of Their Relationship

Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins’ love story is one for the books. The couple met as kindergartners, but it took them about 15 years to realize that they were life partners — and they haven’t turned back since. The country superstar and the Live in Love author started dating in 2011 after reconnecting at a […]

For the next year, Rhett and Atkins returned to Uganda a dozen times before formally adopting the then-18-month-old.

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The couple, who married in October 2012 after being friends since childhood, share three other daughters: Ada, 5, Lennon, 3, and Lillie, 19 months.

In April 2022, Rhett shared that it was his wife’s “dream” to have five children.

“Lauren’s whole dream [is that] she wanted to have five kids,” the country singer said on an episode of the “Making Space With Hoda Kotb” podcast. “Since the day we got married, she’s [been] like, ‘I want to have five,’ and I’m sitting there going, ‘That’s fine, you know, that would be great.’”

Jason Kempin/Getty Images Thomas Rhett’s daughter changed his life with just a photo. The country singer, 33, opened up about the first moment he saw his adopted daughter, Willa Gray, on the Tuesday, September 26, episode of Kevin Bacon‘s podcast, “Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon.” In 2016, Rhett’s wife, Lauren Atkins, 33, visited an orphanage 

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What We Can Learn Inside 50 Cent’s Explosive Diddy Documentary: 5 Reasons You Should Watch

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50 Cent’s new Netflix docuseries about Sean “Diddy” Combs is more than a headline-grabbing exposé; it is a meticulous breakdown of how power, celebrity, and silence can collide in the entertainment industry.

Across its episodes, the series traces Diddy’s rise, the allegations that followed him for years, and the shocking footage and testimonies now forcing a wider cultural reckoning.

For viewers, it offers not just drama, but lessons about media literacy, accountability, and how society treats survivors when a superstar is involved.

Rapper 50 Cent pictured in Tup Tup Palace night club with owners James Jukes and Matt LoveDough, Newcastle, UK, 7th November 2015

1. It Chronicles Diddy’s Rise and Fall – And How Power Warps Reality

The docuseries follows Combs from hitmaker and business icon to a figure facing serious criminal conviction and public disgrace, mapping out decades of influence, branding, and behind-the-scenes behavior. Watching that arc shows how money, fame, and industry relationships can shield someone from scrutiny and delay accountability, even as disturbing accusations accumulate.

Rapper 50 Cent pictured in Tup Tup Palace night club with owners James Jukes and Matt LoveDough, Newcastle, UK, 7th November 2015

2. Never-Before-Seen Footage Shows How Narratives Are Managed

Exclusive footage of Diddy in private settings and in the tense days around his legal troubles reveals how carefully celebrity narratives are shaped, even in crisis.

Viewers can learn to question polished statements and recognize that what looks spontaneous in public is often the result of strategy, damage control, and legal calculation.

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3. Survivors’ Stories Highlight Patterns of Abuse and Silence

Interviews with alleged victims, former staff, and industry insiders describe patterns of control, fear, and emotional or physical harm that were long whispered about but rarely aired in this detail. Their stories underline how difficult it is to speak out against a powerful figure, teaching viewers why many survivors delay disclosure and why consistent patterns across multiple accounts matter.

4. 50 Cent’s Approach Shows Storytelling as a Tool for Accountability

As executive producer, 50 Cent uses his reputation and platform to push a project that leans into uncomfortable truths rather than protecting industry relationships. The series demonstrates how documentary storytelling can challenge established power structures, elevate marginalized voices, and pressure institutions to respond when traditional systems have failed.

5. The Cultural Backlash Reveals How Society Handles Celebrity Accountability

Reactions to the doc—ranging from people calling it necessary and brave to others dismissing it as a vendetta or smear campaign—expose how emotionally invested audiences can be in defending or condemning a famous figure. Watching that debate unfold helps viewers see how fandom, nostalgia, and bias influence who is believed, and why conversations about “cancel culture” often mask deeper questions about justice and who is considered too powerful to fall.

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South Park’s Christmas Episode Delivers the Antichrist

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A new Christmas-themed episode of South Park is scheduled to air with a central plot in which Satan is depicted as preparing for the birth of an Antichrist figure. The premise extends a season-long narrative arc that has involved Satan, Donald Trump, and apocalyptic rhetoric, positioning this holiday episode as a culmination of those storylines rather than a stand‑alone concept.

Episode premise and season context

According to published synopses and entertainment coverage, the episode frames the Antichrist as part of a fictional storyline that blends religious symbolism with commentary on politics, media, and cultural fear. This follows earlier Season 28 episodes that introduced ideas about Trump fathering an Antichrist child and tech billionaire Peter Thiel obsessing over prophecy and end‑times narratives. The Christmas setting is presented as a contrast to the darker themes, reflecting the series’ pattern of pairing holiday imagery with controversial subject matter.

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Public and political reactions

Coverage notes that some figures connected to Donald Trump’s political orbit have criticized the season’s portrayal of Trump and his allies, describing the show as relying on shock tactics rather than substantive critique. Commentators highlight that these objections are directed more at the depiction of real political figures and the show’s tone than at the specific theology of the Antichrist storyline.

At the time of reporting, there have not been widely reported, detailed statements from major religious leaders focused solely on this Christmas episode, though religion-focused criticism of South Park in general has a long history.

Media and cultural commentary

Entertainment outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, Forbes, Slate, and USA Today describe the Antichrist arc as part of South Park’s ongoing use of Trump-era and tech-world politics as material for satire.

These reports emphasize that the show’s treatment of the Antichrist, Satan, and prophecy is designed as exaggerated commentary rather than doctrinal argument, while also acknowledging that many viewers may see the storyline as offensive or excessive.

Viewer guidance and content advisory

South Park is rated TV‑MA and is intended for adult audiences due to strong language, explicit themes, and frequent use of religious and political satire. Viewers who are sensitive to depictions of Satan, the Antichrist, or parodies involving real political figures may find this episode particularly objectionable, while others may view it as consistent with the show’s long‑running approach to controversial topics. As with previous episodes, individual responses are likely to vary widely, and the episode is best understood as part of an ongoing satirical series rather than a factual or theological statement.

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Sydney Sweeney Finally Confronts the Plastic Surgery Rumors

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Sydney Sweeney has decided she is finished watching strangers on the internet treat her face like a forensic project. After years of side‑by‑side screenshots, “then vs now” TikToks, and long comment threads wondering what work she has supposedly had done, the actor is now addressing the plastic surgery rumors directly—and using them to say something larger about how women are looked at in Hollywood and online.

Sweeney at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival red carpet premiere of Christy

Growing Up on Camera vs. “Before and After” Culture

Sweeney points out that people are often mistaking normal changes for procedures: she grew up on camera, her roles now come with big‑budget glam teams, and her body has shifted as she has trained, aged, and worked nonstop. Yet every new red‑carpet photo gets folded into a narrative that assumes surgeons, not time, are responsible. Rather than walking through a checklist of what is “real,” she emphasizes how bizarre it is that internet detectives comb through pores, noses, and jawlines as if they are owed an explanation for every contour of a woman’s face.

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The Real Problem Isn’t Her Face

By speaking up, Sweeney is redirecting the conversation away from her features and toward the culture that obsesses over them.

She argues that the real issue isn’t whether an actress has had work done, but why audiences feel so entitled to dissect her body as public property in the first place.

For her, the constant speculation is less about curiosity and more about control—another way to tell women what they should look like and punish them when they do not fit. In calling out that dynamic, Sweeney isn’t just defending herself; she is forcing fans and followers to ask why tearing apart someone else’s appearance has become such a popular form of entertainment.


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