From the Group Chat: Alex Cooper’s and Alix Earle’s Alleged Fallout, Millie Bobby Brown’s New Look, and the 97th Academy Awards

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Oscars Sunday to all who celebrate. This is my Super Bowl, so I’m counting down the hours until I’m wearing my coziest sweatshirt (I’ll try Katie Holmes’s trick for making pullovers look improbably chic), eating what may be the world’s chewiest and most fudgy brownies, and judging whatever unhinged outfit Jeremy Strong ends up wearing. Personally, I’m pulling for these “really, really, ridiculously low-rise jeans” — which, for some ungodly reason, are having a comeback. A few other things I’m hoping to see (but know I probably won’t)? Outrageous, out-to-there eyelashes à la Florence Pugh (I can’t figure out how they stay up), “brat black hair” (it’s apparently spring’s biggest trend), and sneakers in this surprisingly sophisticated shade. Spoiler: It’s not white.

— Melissa Goldberg / Senior Editor / Washington, DC

💸  Break out your furs and Patrick Bateman-coded power suits because the “boom boom” era is here.

🤔 Sorry, but if you want to get your hands on this shockingly in-demand accessory, you’ll probably need to hit up your Grandma Sally. 

✨ Turns out, the Anora effect is real — as evidenced by the resurgence of this sparkly Y2K hair accent. 

👀 Ding dong, the micro miniskirt is dead — and longer, fuller, “bell-like” skirts are taking its place. Our legs have never been so relieved. 

💅 The next time a friend “forgets” to invite you to a group hang or a coworker throws you under the bus, try channeling your inner Kendrick Lamar.

Someone call a doctor because things seem very “unwell” in Alex Cooper’s Podcast Land. On Tuesday, Variety reported that the Unwell Network (aka her podcasting empire for young influencers) dropped Alix Earle’s Hot Mess podcast. It also apparently gave up all rights to the show (read: Earle is free to take her weekly chitchats to greener pastures), and SiriusXM, which is Unwell’s distribution and advertising partner, will stop selling ads for Hot Mess moving forward. While Alex with an “e” hasn’t commented on the situation, Alix with an “i” seemed to briefly address the news in a TikTok, saying “there’s been a lot of chatter online this week about me and work. And I also have no idea what’s going on.” The near radio silence has created the perfect vacuum for internet sleuths to do what they do best: theorize about what actually happened between the Call Her Daddy host and the TikTok star, who just a year and a half ago became one of the first talents to sign with Unwell in what was a highly publicized match made in internet heaven. 

While most are using the alleged split as proof there’s ongoing beef between the two professional yappers, some have speculated that Cooper’s trying to spin the situation. The evidence of bad blood (if you can call it that): Last month, fans pointed out that Earle was notably absent from an Unwell Super Bowl party in New Orleans — even though she was in the city for the game. In December, Earle’s father appeared on her podcast and talked about handling “a business situation” that he “wasn’t happy” about, which some believe involved Cooper. And, around the same time, Redditors noticed Unwell was rarely promoting Hot Mess on its feeds, opting to push another host’s podcast instead. Also not helping matters? Comments about Earle’s exit from another character in the podcasting cinematic universe, Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia. A hot mess, indeed.

In this week’s edition of Things Nobody Asked For: Ayo Edebiri is supposedly writing — and maybe even starring in — a live-action Barney movie. Correct, that Barney. The giant purple dinosaur you watched when you were 5. Do we really need yet another live-action film? Probably not. But if anyone can make Barney cool in 2025, it’s our Power Suit Princess. Now, not that she needs our input — or that we’re remotely qualified to give it — but we took the liberty of casting this “adult-oriented” and “surrealistic” project: Rihanna as Baby Bop (she has experience playing very colorful, very fictional creatures), Glen Powell as BJ (don’t ask us to explain, but it just…fits), and Rachel Sennott as Riff (she and Edebiri go way back). As for the kids? North West, Rumi and Sir Carter, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Oh, and obviously, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato need cameos — Barney alums deserve their flowers.

Is Millie Bobby Brown trying to land her next role through cosplay? Some corners of the internet seem to think so. In recent weeks, the Stranger Things star has debuted a major makeover and worn a string of intensely ’90s-inspired looks, leading many to suspect she’s dropping not-so-subtle hints that she wants to play Britney Spears in an upcoming biopic. (Though, we should mention her new aesthetic has also drawn comparisons to Pamela Anderson.) It started last month, when MBB revealed her platinum blonde hair in an Instagram post with Limited Too-esque sticker effects. Since then, she’s stepped out in getups straight from the Princess of Pop’s playbook: a crop top and pants so bedazzled, they rival childhood dance costumes; a blue-and-white striped halter top and bandage skirt (complete with frosted Urban Decay-like eyeshadow); and a denim-on-denim ensemble that can only be interpreted as a nod to that outfit. Which begs the question: Is she taking a page from Ariana Grande? (MBB did say in a recent interview she’d “love nothing more” than to be part of Spears’s story.) Or is this just a 21-year-old doing, well, 21-year-old things? We have no idea, but one thing’s for sure: MBB might have competition.

After a divisive AI controversy, an incredibly messy social-media scandal, and one star-studded class photo, Hollywood’s biggest night is finally here. Yes, we’re talking about the 97th Academy Awards — which will be hosted by Conan O’Brien (was Nikki Glaser busy?) and will likely look a little different this year. That’s because (a) they’re starting early (our bedtimes would like to thank the Academy), and (b) like other recent awards shows, the ceremony will pay tribute to Los Angeles in the wake of the wildfires. Naturally, we can’t help but wonder: Will the Emilia Pérez cast awkwardly ignore Karla Sofía Gascón — who, despite everything, is planning to attend? Will Timothée Chalamet achieve his pursuit of greatness by taking home the best actor statue? Will Cynthia Erivo join the elite club of EGOT winners? (At the very least, she’ll be performing with Ariana Grande.) And, now that it’s actually competitive, who will win best picture? Tune in to ABC to find out.

Modern Citizen Eames Organic Cotton-Wool Button Cardigan

It’s not a regular cardigan, it’s a waisted cardigan. Arguably made popular by Aligne a few months back, the fitted-waist, longline style has likely been popping up on every minimalist, well-dressed person on your feed. We like this one because of its somewhat dramatic bell sleeves, patch pockets, and slightly thicker construction — which means it can pull double duty as a light jacket during warmer months. It’s elegant but not fussy, and trendy without trying too hard. Honorable mentions also go to this cropped corset-style sweater by Lioness and this Aritzia one, which comes in seven versatile shades.  

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