What’s Popping 整点爆米花

【Title/标题】
The 7 Most Anticipated Shows on Netflix in January

【Source/来源】
Media Outlet/媒体：IndieWire
Written by/作者：Ben Travers

【Background Music/背景音乐】
Is It New Years Yet- Sabrina Carpenter

【Transcript/文稿】
New year, same ol’ Netflix — kind of. Things are always changing at the world’s most dominant streaming service, and aside from the obvious shifts in strategy — like, say, acquiring Warner Bros. — it can be hard to say exactly when an experiment becomes standard practice. So let’s take a look at Netflix’s January slate and see what it tells us about where the company stands heading into 2026 (outside of the whole WB thing).
The biggest new release will be “Bridgerton” Season 4, which is once again being split into two parts that will premiere in separate months. Part 1 drops January 29, while Part 2 won’t be released until February 26. While less than a month apart, Netflix is still betting the space between each half-season will result in maintaining subscribers for an extra month while reducing subscriber churn overall. By now, the practice is old hat, but that doesn’t mean it’s a best practice.
Another curious premiere arrives with “Star Search,” the new iteration of the old ’80s series, and one of Netflix’s first attempts at episodic appointment TV. Sure, the streamer has dabbled in event releases for a while now, but those are usually one-off stand-up specials or sporting events. With “Star Search,” new episodes will be released every Tuesday and Wednesday at 9 p.m., and subscribers will be encouraged to tune in at that specific time (rather than waiting to binge) so they can participate in the live voting that helps choose each winner. “For the first time ever, viewers can participate in real time,” states Tudum. If it works, it certainly won’t be the last time, and we may see more appointment viewing on Netflix (home of the binge!) throughout the year.
Then there’s Netflix’s acquired shows, which in January include two former TNT dramas: “Falling Skies” and “Southland.” Netflix has licensed plenty of series that first aired (or streamed) on other networks. It’s been standard practice since the beginning. But what’s interesting about these two titles in particular is that they share a few commonalities with one of streaming’s bigger surprise hits in 2025: Among the Top 10 most-watched series, per Nielsen, there were expected titles like “Bluey” (No. 1), “Grey’s Anatomy” (No. 2), “Squid Game” (No. 3), “Wednesday” (No. 6), and “Bob’s Burgers” (No. 8). But slipping into the Top 10 is the formerly forgotten network drama, “Animal Kingdom” (No. 9).
Netflix has been turning more and more of these minor network hits into huge streaming wins, thanks to their accessibility and high episode counts. While “Bridgerton” seasons may only be eight episodes long, “Animal Kingdom” made 75 episodes in just six seasons. “Falling Skies” made 52 over five seasons, and “Southland” totaled 43 in the same span — not staggering totals, by today’s standards, but that’s still quite a bit of TV to watch for new fans, and it likely cost a fraction of what “Bridgerton” does. Expect to “rediscover” more old shows in the months to come.

【Title/标题】
Box Office: ‘Wicked: For Good’ Earns Huge $30.8
Million in Previews, Highest of the Year

【Source/来源】
Media Outlet/媒体：Variety
Written by/作者：Jordan Moreau

【Background Music/背景音乐】
For Good - Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande

【Transcript/文稿】

“Wicked” is casting a spell over the box office once again.

Universal’s musical sequel “Wicked: For Good” has made $30.8 million in
previews at the box office, marking the biggest pre-opening haul of the year.
However, the record comes with a caveat. Usually, previews grosses come just
from Thursday screenings, but Universal rolled out the film a few days early.
Monday fan screenings sponsored by Amazon Prime brought in $6.1 million,
while additional Wednesday showings made $6.5 million. Thursday previews,
including double screenings of “Wicked” and “For Good,” made $18.2 million.

The year’s previous record holder was Warner Bros.’ “Superman,” which earned
$22.5 million in Thursday previews before making $125 million in its opening
weekend.

“Wicked: For Good,” the highly anticipated conclusion to last year’s pink-and-
green sensation, is on track to make between $150 million and $180 million this
weekend. It could nab the biggest box office debut of the year. Currently, the
record belongs to Warner Bros.’ video game adaptation “A Minecraft Movie,”
which made $10.6 million in Thursday previews on the way to a $162 million
launch. Universal is playing it safe and predicting a $125 million opening this
weekend, but fan excitement is high after Ariana Grande’s Glinda and Cynthia
Erivo’s Elphaba became pop culture mainstays last fall.

Last year, director Jon M. Chu’s original “Wicked” hauled in $19.2 million in
previews and grew to a $112.5 million opening weekend in the same pre-Thanksgiving weekend. A year later, the cast, including Jonathan Bailey, Ethan
Slater, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang and more, finish off the story
of the “Wizard of Oz” prequel. The first “Wicked” helped power last year’s
Thanksgiving box office to a record $420 million alongside “Gladiator II” and
“Moana 2.” Disney’s family-friendly “Zootopia 2” opens next week, and the
animated sequel and “Wicked: For Good” will try to reach similar box office
heights through the holiday.

Also opening this weekend is Sony’s action sequel “Sisu: Road to Revenge,”which is projected for a $3 million debut and made $575,000 in Thursday previews. There’s also Searchlight’s “Rental Family,” starring Brendan Fraser — also expected to launch in the low single digits.

【Title/标题】

Halloween 2025: All the celebrity costumes at Heidi Klum's party

【Source/来源】
Media Outlet/媒体：BBC
Written by/作者：Rishma Dosani, Annabel Rackham

【Background Music/背景音乐】
Zombieboy- Lady Gaga

【Transcript/文稿】

It is officially the scariest night of the year and, while everyone in Hollywood and beyond has been showing off their elaborate costumes, there is one party we're all watching.

Heidi Klum has cemented her place as the official Queen of spooky season thanks to her wild, weird and wonderful costumes and her annual bash that attracts celebrities across the globe.

She had kept fans on their toes all day, dropping snippets of her costume on Instagram in the lead up to her party - despite being one of the last arrivals of the night - and she did not disappoint.

Following her notorious worm and peacock costumes in recent years, the Project Runway star took her animal theme to new levels as a bright green, and pretty hideous, Medusa.

She slithered up the carpet with several moving snakes protruding from her intricate headpiece, sticking her vile tongue out at the waiting photographers.

Although she warned fans that her costume would be "very ugly", this probably isn't what anyone expected.

Heidi collaborated with Oscar-nominated make-up artist Mike Marino once again to pull off her costume, with a team of more than 35 people working hard to ensure she had all eyes on her.

As the festivities continue, here is a look at some of the most impressive outfits at Heidiween 2025 and beyond.

But it's not all about Hollywood (or Heidiwood). Even politicians are getting in on the action, including President Trump, who is hosting a party at his Florida home.

Like Heidi, her husband Tom Kaulitz, is never one to shy away from playing dress up.

He was by her side arriving to the party as a man who was unfortunately turned to stone after looking directly at Medusa.

The Tokio Hotel musician committed to the bit by posing with his weapon and shield raised, suggesting Medusa's appearance caught him by surprise moments before his demise.

Ice-T and Coco Austin have never shied away from going all out for Halloween, and are regulars at Heidi's annual bash. This year was no different as the rapper looked menacing in a red hooded jumpsuit, hiding his face with a blood-splattered white mask. He had a selection of weapons on hand to make his costume truly terrifying.

Model Coco also got the horror memo in a bright red wig and denim bodysuit, with Chucky's tagline: "Wanna play?" scrawled across the front, layered on top of a striped, long-sleeved turtleneck top.

YouTuber James Charles carried his own head as he made his way into the party, reminiscent of Jared Leto's red carpet arrival at the 2019 Met Gala.
The beauty vlogger put his own spin on things as a "headless horseman" and even filmed a make-up tutorial on Instagram for his unique accessory.

Darren Criss may have taken some inspiration from his host as he donned a Shrek costume, including bright green face paint, a prosthetic nose and huge stomach, which he patted in front of the cameras.

Not quite as epic as when Heidi did the same in 2018, the Glee star switched his efforts up with tartan red trousers alongside wife Mia Swier - who chose not to be his Princess Fiona, but instead Puss in Boots, complete with a black cape and a hair thong.

Olympian Ilona Maher was a real-life vintage Barbie at Klum's Halloween party, modelling a strapless sparkly custom black Undone by Kate gown. She accessorized simply with black opera gloves and a chunky gold necklace.

Unveiling her outfit on Instagram, the rugby player proudly posed with her very own Barbie doll, as well as a handkerchief emblazoned with the phrase: "Beast. Beauty. Brains. Barbie."

Not every costume has gone down well, with some saying that US model Julia Fox's costume as a blood-soaked Jackie Kennedy was in poor taste.
Others have been more popular.

Singer Demi Lovato recreated her "Poot Lovato" meme which went viral on Tumblr in 2015 - a reference to her alter-ego who has been locked in a basement.

Other highlights on social media include Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's daughter North West and her friends dressing up as Japanese kawaii-metal band BABYMETAL.

Maria Carey also went for Japanese theme, with hot pink hair and a frilly pastel blue dress, and posting "Happy Halloween from Japan" in a photo with her two twin children.

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion opted for portraying Choso from the Manga series Jujutsu Kaisen.

Singer Jade, formerly of girl group Little Mix, dressed up as Greta from the Gremlins, while the Cat in the Hat's famous aesthetic was recreated by singer Janelle Monae.

Elsewhere, Paris Hilton recreated the famous look from Britney Spears's music video for Oops!... I Did It Again.

Actress Keke Palmer channelled her inner rapper by dressing up as Snoop Dogg (and lip-synching to his music).

Actress and BLACKPINK member Lisa looked dazzling as The Golden Woman from the animated series Love, Death + Robots.

Kourtney Kardashian Barker is famously a big Halloween fan, with this year's costume serving as a nod to the Bride of Frankenstein.

Lizzo, who dressed up as a weight loss drug last year, called Halloween "so cheesy" as she dressed this year as a mozzarella stick, complete with an oozing cheese dress and boots.

【Title/标题】

Carly Rae Jepsen Marries Music Producer Cole M.G.N. in an Intimate Ceremony at the Chelsea Hotel in N.Y.C.

【Source/来源】
Media Outlet/媒体：People Magazine
Written by/作者：Kimberlee Speakman

【Background Music/背景音乐】
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen

【Transcript/文稿】

The “Call Me Maybe” singer, 39, tied the knot with music producer Cole M.G.N. (whose real name is Cole Marsden Greif-Neill) at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City on Oct. 4. The intimate ceremony took place in the famed building's Bard Room among 100 guests, according to Vogue.

“We knew we wanted a location that meant something to us, and the Chelsea Hotel had become a home away from home every time we were in New York," Jepsen told the outlet of the location choice. "As artists, its iconic history and lore made it that much more appealing. For planning, we had weekly dates to talk out all the details of the wedding. This way it was only ever fun and not too much at once.”

For the occasion, she wore a strapless corseted dress with a draped skirt from Australian designer Toni Maticevski, for the ceremony, and and an ethereal tiered reception dress from Danielle Frankel in New York City. She paired both with pearl earrings made by her mom, Alexandra Lanzarott. “We knew we were trying to get pregnant, so I also wanted an alternative dress that was much more flowy that I could sub in for the ceremony or just change into for dancing," Jepsen added.

The celebration featured a surprise performance from Rufus Wainwright, who treated the crowd to a a capella version of Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel #2.” “This felt like a once-in-a-lifetime New York moment,” Jepsen shared.

Jepsen revealed her engagement to the music producer on Instagram on Sept. 23, 2024, sharing several photos showing off her sparkling ring, which features a dark gemstone and gold band.

Alongside other shots of the pair embracing and spending time in nature together, she wrote, "Very engaged over here �️."

Jepsen opened up to PEOPLE about the beginnings of their relationship while collaborating on her 2023 album, The Loveliest Time. She revealed that the two met after her management paired them together, and their working relationship soon turned romantic.

The two-time Grammy nominee described one of the album's songs, "So Right," as their "meet-cute." The track even opens with a skit about whether or not it's a "good idea" for them to hang out together after-hours — something Jepsen said she suggested only after they got “close.”

"You have to get to a certain level of comfort with somebody before you can get to those really playful, joyful, experimental places," she explained at the time.

"We'll go traveling somewhere, and we'll bring a little acoustic guitar," she added of their dynamic. "I think you'll see a lot more of our collaboration together for future projects, but ['So Right'] is our first little baby out in the world. We're both so excited."

Since striking a relationship, the pair have shown support for each other over the years, with Jepsen including Cole in a "visualizer" on Instagram for her song "Shy Boy," which included scenes of the pair dancing in the street and holding hands.

She also gave him a shoutout in a birthday post in November 2022, alongside a clip on Instagram of Cole bringing her a cake decorated with lit candles during a celebration at home. In her message, she wrote that she “wished for lots of secret things but also and most importantly just more bdays with you."

In July, Jepsen shared a sneak peek of the couple preparing for their nuptials.

"Oh you know wedding things. Mostly fighting about cake. ;)" she captioned a series of photos on Instagram showing a variety of mini cakes, plus a shot of her ring.

The following month in August, Jepsen celebrated her bachelorette party, and shared photos celebrating with friends in colorful wigs and custom shirts.

【Title/标题】

Diane Keaton, Famed for Roles in Father of the Bride, First Wives Club and More, Dies at 79 (Exclusive)

【Source/来源】
Media Outlet/媒体：People Magazine
Written by/作者：Victoria Edel, Nicholas Rice, and Julie Jordan

【Background Music/背景音乐】
The Life of a Showgirl - Taylor Swift featuring Sabrina Carpenter

【Transcript/文稿】

PEOPLE can confirm the legendary actress Diane Keaton died in California on Saturday, Oct. 11. "There are no further details available at this time, and her family has asked for privacy in this moment of great sadness," a spokesperson tells PEOPLE.

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) confirms to PEOPLE that they responded to Keaton's home at 8:08 a.m. local time and transported a 79-year-old woman to a local hospital.

Keaton rose to fame in the 1970s thanks to her role in The Godfather films and her collaborations with director Woody Allen. She won an Oscar for Best Actress for 1977’s Annie Hall. Her long career included movies like The First Wives Club, multiple collaborations with director Nancy Meyers and the Book Club franchise.

The actress was born in Los Angeles in 1946 as Diane Hall, and was the oldest of four children. Her father was a civil engineer, while her mom stayed at home.

Still, Keaton thought her mother dreamed of something bigger. "Secretly in her heart of hearts she probably wanted to be an entertainer of some kind," the actress told PEOPLE in 2004. "She sang. She played the piano. She was beautiful. She was my advocate.”

Keaton performed in plays in high school, and after graduating in 1964, she pursued drama in college. But she soon dropped out and moved to New York to try to make her way in theater. She took her mother’s maiden name, Keaton, for her professional name, because there was already a Diane Hall registered with Actors' Equity.

In 1968, Keaton was cast in Broadway’s Hair as the understudy for Sheila. In 2017, Keaton told PEOPLE that she struggled with bulimia during this time after the director of the show told her she needed to lose weight, though she didn’t blame him for her illness. “Believe me, it had to do with an overabundant need for more. Too much. It was a mental illness,” she said.

“I became a master at hiding. Hiding any evidence — how do you make sure no one knows? You live a lifestyle that is very strange. You’re living a lie,” she explained about her illness. She eventually recovered thanks to therapy, but said bulimia also robbed her of the ability to enjoy her time on Broadway.

Next, Keaton starred in Allen’s Broadway show Play It Again, Sam, which premiered in 1969. She received a Tony nomination for the role.

"I think the kindest thing that someone's ever done for me ... is that I got cast to be in The Godfather and I didn't even read it. I didn't know a single thing," she told PEOPLE in 2022. "I just was going around auditioning. I think that was amazing for me. And then I had to kind of read the book."

The film was a massive success and won Best Picture at the Oscars. Keaton reprised her role in 1974’s The Godfather Part II, which was also a triumph and won Best Picture. She returned for 1990’s The Godfather Part III, the last film.

Keaton also continued to collaborate with Allen, appearing in the film version of Play It Again, Sam, released in 1972, 1973’s Sleeper and 1975’s Love and Death. Despite her early success, Keaton’s insecurities still plagued her, and she would never watch her own films. "I just don't like the way I look and sound," she told PEOPLE in 1975.

In 1977, Keaton starred in Allen’s Annie Hall as the title character. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for the role. Annie’s wardrobe mimicked Keaton’s own, full of menswear, vests, and structured trousers, and the film cemented the actress’s place as a style icon.

Many speculated that the movie was based on Keaton and Allen’s relationship. She told The New York Times in 1977, “It's not true, but there are elements of truth in it.”

Keaton would collaborate with Allen again in 1978’s Interiors, 1979’s Manhattan and 1993’s Manhattan Murder Mystery. She also defended Allen in the wake of sexual abuse allegations from his stepdaughter Dylan Farrow. “I love him,” she told The Guardian in 2014.

Keaton’s other film roles included 1977’s Looking for Mr. Goodbar, 1981’s Reds, 1982’s Shoot the Moon and 1984’s The Little Drummer Girl. She worked with Meyers for the first time on 1987’s Baby Boom. They would reunite three more times: in 1991’s Father of the Bride, 1995’s Father of the Bride Part II and 2003’s Something’s Gotta Give, which garnered another Oscar nom for Keaton. Asked which of these projects she loved the most, Keaton told Vulture in 2020, “Honestly, you can think it’s sappy, but I love the Father of the Bride movies. They were so touching."

Keaton starred with Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler in 1996’s The First Wives Club, about three women whose husbands had left them for younger women. The comedy famously ended with all three singing Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me.” Keaton told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that she was “always kind of anxious and a little worried” while filming it because Hawn and Midler were “really amazing actresses.”

Later roles for Keaton included The Family Stone, Because I Said So, Finding Dory, Book Club (and its sequel) and Poms. She made a rare TV appearance with a starring role in HBO’s 2016 miniseries The Young Pope. Keaton also worked as a director, helming the 1987 documentary Heaven, 2000’s Hanging Up and an episode of Twin Peaks.

In 2021 Keaton starred in Justin Bieber’s music video “Ghost.” She also was a prolific Instagram user, posting updates on her life, reflections on her career and friendships and praising those she loved.

Looking back on her career, Keaton told PEOPLE in 2019, "I don't know anything, and I haven't learned. Getting older hasn't made me wiser. Without acting I would have been a misfit."

Keaton never married. “Today I was thinking, I'm the only one in my generation of actresses who has been a single woman all her life,” she explained to PEOPLE in 2019. “I'm really glad I didn't get married. I'm an oddball. I remember in high school, this guy came up to me and said, ‘One day you're going to make a good wife.’ And I thought, ‘I don't want to be a wife. No.’”

She was romantically linked to Allen, Pacino and Warren Beatty over the years. "Talent is so damn attractive," she noted to PEOPLE.

Keaton had two children, daughter Dexter and son Duke, whom she adopted in 1996 and 2001, respectively. "Motherhood was not an urge I couldn't resist, it was more like a thought I'd been thinking for a very long time. So I plunged in,” she told Ladies' Home Journal in 2008.

Keaton is survived by her children.

【Title/标题】

Nicole Kidman files for divorce from Keith Urban citing ‘marital difficulties and irreconcilable differences’

【Source/来源】
Media Outlet/媒体：E!News
Written by/作者：Will Reid

【Transcript/文稿】

Nicole Kidman has filed for divorce from Keith Urban after 19 years of marriage, bringing a surprising end to a long and seemingly successful union that brought together two superstars from the worlds of movies and music.

The 58-year-old Oscar-winning actor petitioned on Tuesday to end her marriage to the 57-year-old Grammy winning country singer in a Nashville court. The documents state the couple has undergone “marital difficulties and irreconcilable differences”.

Kidman and Urban, two of the biggest stars to come out of Australia in recent decades, have been red carpet fixtures throughout their two-decade relationship, with Urban joining his wife at the Oscars and Kidman attending music events such as the Academy of Country Music Awards.

The filings include a marriage dissolution and childcare plan agreed on by the couple and submitted for a judge’s approval.

“The mother and father will behave with each other and each child so as to provide a loving, stable, consistent and nurturing relationship with the child even though they are divorced,” says the permanent parenting plan, using language common in the state’s divorces.

“They will not speak badly of each other or the members of the family of the other parent. They will encourage each child to continue to love the other parent and be comfortable in both families.”

The plan asks that Kidman be the primary residential parent to the couple’s two daughters, ages 17 and 14, having them for 306 days per year with Urban taking them for the other 59.

The girls have lived in Nashville all their lives and the documents give no indication that will change.

The filing states that each parent earns more than $100,000 per month and neither will need childcare or spousal support.

The marriage dissolution plan lays out a roughly equal division of joint assets, with each keeping all the assets that are in their own name, including the copyrights and royalties for their artistic work.

The detailed agreements suggests that the divorce had been in the works for well over a month at the least. Urban signed the parenting plan on 29 August, Kidman on 6 September.

It will take at least 90 days for the divorce to become final under Tennessee law.

Representatives for Kidman and Urban did not respond to emailed requests for comment on Tuesday.

Both raised in Australia, Kidman and Urban met in 2005 at a Los Angeles event honoring Australians and were married in Sydney the following year.

The marriage was the first for Urban and the second for Kidman, who was married to Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001. Kidman also has two older children with Cruise.

The couple had publicly but lovingly described some marital difficulties, but there were still few if any signs they were headed for divorce. Media reports of their separation came just a day before the divorce filing.

Last year at the premiere of the Netflix series The Perfect Couple, Kidman told the Associated Press the term didn’t apply to her and Urban.

“You’re heading for trouble if you consider yourselves the perfect couple,” she said. “I’m not a believer in perfect.”

A few months earlier, Urban paid tribute to Kidman, and brought her to tears, when she received the AFI Life Achievement Award.

Urban said she showed him “what love in action really looks like” when his substance abuse problems emerged almost immediately after they wed in 2006.

“Four months into our marriage, I’m in rehab for three months,” Urban said. “Nic pushed through every negative voice, I’m sure even some of her own, and she chose love. And here we are 18 years later.”

Kidman’s film roles have included Days of Thunder, Eyes Wide Shut, Moulin Rouge and The Hours, for which she won an Academy Award for her portrayal of author Virginia Woolf. She has more recently worked in television, including the series Nine Perfect Strangers and Big Little Lies, for which she won Emmys as both actor and producer.

Urban has been a major country star since the 1990s, with hits including Somebody Like You and Blue Ain’t Your Color. He has won four Grammy awards and more than a dozen ACM awards.

Their split was first reported by TMZ.

【Title/标题】

Trump signs executive order to transfer TikTok to US owners

【Source/来源】
Media Outlet/媒体：The Guardian
Written by/作者：Dara Kerr and Nick Robins-Early

【Transcript/文稿】

Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday outlining the terms of a deal to transfer TikTok to a US owner.

Trump said the US and China had come to an agreement to allow TikTok to continue operating in the US, separating the social media platform from its Chinese owner ByteDance. Trump said the deal complies with a law that would have forced the shutdown of the app for American users had it not been divested and sold to a US owner.

“This is going to be American-operated all the way,” Donald Trump said. Under the plan, US investors will take over the majority of TikTok’s operations and take charge of a licensed copy of the app’s powerful recommendation algorithm. American companies are expected to own about 65% of the US version of the spun-off company, while ByteDance and Chinese investors will own less than 20%. The new version of TikTok will be controlled by a seven-member board of directors made up of cybersecurity and national security experts, six of them Americans, according to the White House.

The new US company will be valued at $14bn, according to JD Vance, who also spoke at the press conference, a number far lower than the valuation for ByteDance overall, which is estimated to be around $330bn. By comparison, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is valued at $1.8tn.

The group of American TikTok investors is led by the US software giant Oracle, which will oversee TikTok’s US operations, provide cloud service for user data storage and get a license to take control of the app’s algorithm. White House officials have said ByteDance and Chinese officials will not have access to US user data.

Along with Oracle and its co-founder Larry Ellison, Trump said at the press conference that other investors include media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the CEO of Dell computers Michael Dell. “Great investors. The biggest. They don’t get bigger,” Trump said. Vance added that more details about who is involved in the deal will be announced over the next few days.

When asked if TikTok would start prioritizing Maga-related content, Trump said, “I always like Maga-related. If I could, I’d make it 100% Maga-related” but indicated that the app would continue recommending a wide variety of content as before, saying: “Every group will be treated fairly”.

The deal ends months of legal limbo for one of the US’s most widely used apps, while also giving several US companies a powerful newfound influence within the social media industry. TikTok is used by about 180 million people nationwide, and Trump has credited it with helping him win the 2024 presidential election. The deal is also another foray for the Trump administration to exert influence over the tech industry, after it took a 10% stake in chipmaker Intel earlier this month and has urged companies like Apple and Nvidia to invest hundreds of billions domestically.

Trump had earlier indicated that the US government would receive a lucrative fee from the US investors for negotiating the deal with China, saying last week: “The United States is getting a tremendous fee-plus – I call it a fee-plus – for just making the deal.”

But on Thursday, when asked about this, the president simply said the US would take ordinary taxes from the new company, adding: “We’re gonna make money and we’re going to get a lot of money in taxes.”

TikTok once faced bipartisan pushback from lawmakers over concerns about data privacy, but TikTok repeatedly denied those claims, but Congress overwhelmingly voted last year to compel ByteDance to find a US buyer or face a ban in the country.

The supreme court unanimously upheld the ban in January. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order postponing the ban and has since repeatedly delayed its enforcement. The “Saving TikTok” executive order Trump issued on Thursday says the deal complies with the law passed by Congress, is a “qualified divestiture” and “resolves” national security concerns. The divestiture from ByteDance isn’t expected to be completed for another 120 days.