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Possible NATAS and Television Academy Reunion Would Help TV Survive

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Though it’s not yet official, the two television academies have announced early talks to reunify. If you’re not a member of either group, this might be the first you’re hearing that there are two TV academies at all. Here’s why a reunion would be a great thing on the public-facing end — and for the medium itself.

In short, the Television Academy oversees the Primetime Emmys we watch on TV every September. So anything primetime TV — plus streaming series, and the craft categories presented at the Creative Arts Emmys — falls under the Los Angeles-based organization. 

The group used to be part of the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, but in the 1970s, the groups split up because the West Coast chapter felt the East Coast arm was getting preferential treatment. In the divorce, the NATAS got the Daytime, Sports, and News and Documentary Emmys, plus all the regional Emmys except for Los Angeles (which falls under the Television Academy).

So while the statuettes have remained the same, the stature of the ceremonies began to differ. Hence why the “30 Rock” joke about Whoopi Goldberg only having a Daytime Emmy to complete her EGOT hit so hard. NATAS has televised some of its awards before, but not to the scale of the Primetime Emmys, which rotate an annual primetime special between the four broadcast networks.

While the reunification talks are still in the early stages, the two organizations said the Governors of the Television Academy have extended their terms by one year to oversee as much of the deliberation as possible. The two groups also put out a joint statement saying, “Television remains the most powerful medium we have to shape culture and prompt conversations that define us — no matter the size of the screen. With the business of television undergoing such a monumental transformation, this is the right moment to explore a reunification of our Academies, providing our members and our industry with a bolder voice advocating for them and a stronger partner to navigate the future with them.”

Recent history has shown that good things happen when the groups do come together. The Children’s & Family Emmys exist, in part, because the Television Academy ceded its children’s categories to NATAS in 2021. That ceremony contributes to how beloved shows like “Heartstopper” on Netflix or “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” on Disney Plus, which fans may worry are either too niche or too expensive for networks to keep making, continue. Regardless of which ceremony, it’s useful marketing to put “Emmy winner” in front of the title, and tout how a network’s title dominated at a prestigious awards show.

Keke Palmer at the 75th Creative Arts Emmy Awards held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live on January 7, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Keke Palmer at the 75th Creative Arts Emmy Awards held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live on January 7, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.JC Olivera/Variety

NATAS also recently ceded its game show categories to the Primetime Emmys, including Outstanding Host for a Game Show, which was won by Keke Palmer, Jimmy Kimmel, and Pat Sajak for his final season of “Wheel of Fortune.” More importantly, in 2024 the academies made their applications much more streamlined so that new members of either academy were enrolled into both organizations.

Though the word “consolidation” most often has a negative connotation in Hollywood, this reunion seems to serve the greater purpose of putting television as a whole on the same pedestal. Take a look at the categories honoring late night, and one can see that entire genres of TV are dying because they do not have Emmy wins, or even nominations, to compensate for their decline in ratings — a decline representative of the steady fall in TV ratings across the board year to year.

Bloomberg just reported that the number of TV shows being produced has been cut in half in just four years. TV shows have been canceled left and right to the point where the meme of Netflix only allowing “fourth and final” seasons has been cut down to suggest the streaming service can barely see a show through two. If there is a protected class, it’s Emmy-winning shows. For example, “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” “30 Rock,” “Succession,” etc. — many of the shows considered to be the best series of the 21st century — were far from being commercial hits, but because they were Emmy juggernauts, they could stay on the air and end on their creators’ terms.

Those final seasons also had their highest ratings because audiences caught up on the series through the word of mouth those Emmy wins helped provide. So if this possible reunification of the TV academies results in all Emmys being seen as equal, and more series with the words “Emmy-winning” in front of them, there’s hope for fewer great TV shows falling through the cracks just because they were not a huge, out-of-the-gate commercial hit.

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‘Love Island USA’s Kenzie Annis Signs With Gersh

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EXCLUSIVE: Kenzie Annis of Love Island USA has signed with Gersh for representation in all areas.

Annis, a fan-favorite Islander from Season 8 of the Peacock dating series, known for doing the splits in the villa, connected with viewers for her confidence, honesty, and passion for life.

Amid her time exploring and pulling people for chats in the villa, Annis has gained over 2.5 million followers across social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

Before entering the Fiji villa, Annis nnis graduated with a BSN at Kennesaw State University’s Wellstar School of Nursing.

Annis will reunite with her fellow Islanders when she films the Love Island USA Season 8 reunion, which is set to stream on Peacock on Monday, August 31 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Following her success on the dating series, Annis will be expanding her career across film, television, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, brand partnerships, and live entertainment.

RELATED: ‘Love Island USA’s Ariana Madix “Thrilled & Excited” With Emmy Nomination & The Sweet Message From Her Mom That Made Her “Tear Up”

Love Island USA was a big hit for Peacock this summer, ranking as the top streaming reality series for five consecutive weeks. The streamer says that over 30% of Season 8’s audience are new viewers to the franchise. Season 8 also saw one of Peacock’s biggest mobile audiences ever. Up until the finale, Harvey’s season had boasted over 4 billion video views across social channels and ranked as the top social program since its launch in June.

Annis will be in good company at Gersh as they also recently signed Love Island USA Season 8 runner-up Aniya Harvey. Other Love Island USA stars Gersh works with include Emmy-nominated host Ariana Madix, Season 6 Islander JaNa Craig and Season 7 winner Amaya Espinal.

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Comcast’s Xfinity to Launch Creator Reality Series Hosted by Katie Feeney

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Comcast is increasing its investment in creators. Comcast’s Xfinity will launch “Best in Class” on Aug. 5, reality competition series that’s designed to discover the next breakout college social media creator. Katie Feeney will how the series.

The creator-focused seven-episode series will bring together six college creators from different backgrounds and universities under one roof. They will then have to compete in a series of content creation challenges, all of which are naturally powered by Xfinity wifi. At the end of the series, one creator will be named “valedictorian” and earn a six-figure brand partnership with Xfinity. New episodes will air weekly on Xfinity’s Instagram and TikTok channels.

Feeney is the perfect host for a competition of this kind. The creator with more than 8 million followers on TikTok and Instagram cemented herself as a respected sports journalist while still in college. She’s also been named as one of the creators on the 2026 TIME100 Creators list.

“We didn’t want to simply attach ourselves to creator culture – we wanted to help create it. Creators are reshaping culture and entertainment, and they each depend on one essential tool: a reliable connection,” said Julie Scelzo, chief creative officer at Xfinity. “By bringing together rising talent, premium storytelling and the reliable connection that makes it all possible, we’re creating a new kind of entertainment experience built for how audiences discover and engage with content today.” 

“Creators today aren’t just posting content — they’re building brands, launching businesses and turning their passions into real careers,” said Feeney. “What I love most about this series is that it’s not just about growing as creators — it’s about finding your people. Watching these students support each other, swap ideas and build a community has been incredible. They’re talented, relatable and completely themselves, and I think that’s what viewers are really going to connect with.”

The series is produced by NBCUniversal’s Rock Studios, the studio that’s produced brand work for series like “Love Island” and “The Traitors.”

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Jared Leto Responds to Sexual Misconduct Claims in BBC Documentary

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Jared Leto has told The Hollywood Reporter he has “never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life” amid sexual misconduct claims from multiple women in a new BBC documentary.

In a short statement given to THR via his team on Wednesday, Leto said: “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false.”

Earlier in the day, Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret dropped bombshell claims against the Oscar-winning actor and Thirty Seconds to Mars rocker from 10 different women, including allegations from four women who accuse Leto of criminal sexual conduct. These incidents, the women say, occurred when they were teenagers.

They allege their encounters with the now-54-year-old took place between 2002 and 2016. In the BBC report, one of the women says she was sexually assaulted by the actor and musician in a motel bathroom when she was 17.

A different woman says she had sex with him when she was 17 in California, a state where the act is classified as statutory rape. He “shrugged off” concerns about the state’s age of consent, according to the BBC investigation.

Another of the 10 women says that she was groomed by Leto and that he “abused his celebrity status by making repeated sexually explicit phone calls to her when she was 16.” She adds that on at least one occasion, Leto suggested they should have sex.

This same woman alleges that she was subsequently sent a non-disclosure agreement to prevent her from talking about her relationship with Leto, but she refused to sign it. The BBC says it has seen the NDA, and “corroborated” a number of the accounts with friends and family of the women involved.

Additional claims come from women who say they received “strange and often very sexual” calls from Leto, as well as one occasion where he made a lewd comment about a 14-year-old’s chest during an autograph-signing event.

This isn’t the first time the Dallas Buyers Club and Tron star has faced sexual misconduct allegations. In June last year, Leto’s reps denied that the actor engaged in sexual misconduct or inappropriate relationships with women after an Air Mail exposé, which contained interviews with nine women. The majority of the contributors stayed anonymous.

Leto is a prolific Hollywood actor and singer, best known for his Academy Award-winning performance in Dallas Buyers Club (2013), as well as appearances in Fight Club (1999), American Psycho (2000), Requiem for a Dream (2000), and Panic Room (2002). His later acting credits include 2016’s Suicide Squad, in which he played the Joker, and 2025’s Tron: Ares with Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson, and Jeff Bridges.

He is also the lead vocalist and main songwriter for rock group Thirty Seconds to Mars, known for hits such as “The Kill,” “This Is War,” “Kings and Queens,” and Hurricane.”

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