Entertainment
Jennifer Lopez expresses gratitude to fans for birthday messages: ‘Feeling completely overwhelmed’
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/jennifer-lopez-birthday-instagram-0f7ca3c0b21f43e08afbd913e9d4b43e.jpg)
- Jennifer Lopez celebrated her 55th birthday on Wednesday, July 24, and later thanked her fans for their wishes in a heartfelt Instagram post
- “I’ve been seeing all of your birthday wishes, beautiful videos, and posts all last night and this morning from all over the world. I have laughed, smiled, shed some tears,” the singer wrote
- The actress’ post came after she shared a video offering a glimpse inside her Bridgerton-themed birthday bash, which was held in the Hamptons, New York on July 20
Jennifer Lopez is feeling thankful on her 55th birthday!
In the early hours of Thursday, July 25, the singer marked her special day on July 24 by sharing a reflective message on Instagram alongside two photographs of herself celebrating the occasion.
Wearing a pair of pale blue silk Lady Lynne pajamas that had “JL’s Golden Bday” written on them with the date, Lopez was all smiles as she was treated to a huge cake and multiple bouquets of flowers.
She posed in front of a “Happy Birthday” sign and wore a birthday headband as she put a party blower in her mouth in the snaps.
“I’ve been seeing all of your birthday wishes, beautiful videos, and posts all last night and this morning from all over the world. I have laughed, smiled, shed some tears, and when I saw the billboard in Times Square, I was completely overwhelmed,” the “On the Floor” singer captioned the post, referencing a “Happy Birthday Jennifer Lopez” sign in the New York City location, as seen in one of her Instagram Stories posts.
“I really do have the best, most amazing fans in the world. I could never express how moved I am or how incredibly blessed I feel to have all of you be a part of my life. Thank you sooooo very much. 🤍🙏🏼,” Lopez added.
The Atlas star shared, “It’s hard to believe we have spent all this time together. It’s funny as I sit here contemplating on the most extraordinary journey I still feel like the same girl starting out so full of energy and bravado, so ready to take on the whole world on the outside and yet so tender, fragile and sometimes frightened but always full of love on the inside. I have so much love for you.”
“I want you to know on my birthday that YOU are my biggest gift. Besides my family and friends, you have always been there for me in the good times and in the tough times. I can always count on you. And I want you to know that you can always count on me. Thank you for your caring, your understanding, your loyalty and most importantly your love. 🤍,” she concluded.
Lopez then thanked fans three times and signed the post, “Always, Jennifer.”
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Over on her Instagram Stories, Lopez gave fans another look at one of the lavish gowns she wore for her Bridgerton-inspired party she held on July 20 in the Hamptons, New York.
On Wednesday, she shared a glimpse of the glitzy bash on her Instagram, posting a dramatic video montage — set to orchestral music — showing a collection of images of Lopez throughout the night, as well as videos of guests, attendees and performers dancing as if they were at a 19th-century English ball.
“Dearest Gentle Reader… And a splendid evening was had by all,” she captioned the clip, which ended with the singer blowing out candles on a cake.
Lopez also marked her birthday by sharing a sexy photo of herself wearing a plunging white swimsuit. “This Is Me…Now 🎂,” she captioned the post.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE that Lopez’s husband Ben Affleck was not in attendance at the musician’s recent birthday party.
Amid news that their marriage is “not in the best place at the moment,” per a source connected to Lopez, The Mother star has been spending time on the East Coast over the summer following a trip to Europe, while Affleck, 51, has been in California.
“Her summer isn’t exactly what she originally had planned, but she’s making the best of it,” a source told PEOPLE of Lopez earlier this month. “She’s always grateful for family time.”
Entertainment
Taylor Swift has Knicks game run-in with Kylie Jenner after Kim Kardashian feud

What bad blood?
Taylor Swift was all smiles greeting Kylie Jenner at Wednesday night’s New York Knicks game despite her feud with the reality star’s sister Kim Kardashian.
In post-win footage circulating on social media, Swift made eye contact with Jenner while mingling on the court and waved.
The pop star, 36, reached out for a hug.
“Hi!” Jenner, 28, could be heard exclaiming as they embraced before pulling away and telling Swift how “excited” she was that the team beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
The “Kardashians” star then turned around and continued chatting with her friends.
Reps for Swift, Jenner and Kardashian did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Social media users celebrated the moment, with one writing, “Peace in the universe confirmed. … Knicks really uniting the timelines today.”
Another called it “the crossover we didn’t know we needed.”
Swift’s feud with Kardashian, notably, dates all the way back to 2016 — and most recently culminated in the Grammy winner dropping a “thanK you aIMee” diss track in 2024.
While Kardashian was a no show at the game, Jenner has been at Madison Square Garden matchups all season with boyfriend Timothée Chalamet, a diehard Knicks fan.
Swift, for her part, attended with two of the Haim sisters — Alana Haim and Este Haim.
The “Welcome to New York” singer cut a casual figure at the sporting event in jeans and a “Stevie Knicks” T-shirt honoring Fleetwood Mac member Stevie Nicks.
She completed her look with a fishtail braid, blue ribbons in her hair and a matching manicure.
She sat beside Mariska Hargitay, whose “Law & Order: SVU” character Swift named her cat Olivia Benson after, as the Knicks defeated the Spurs 107 to 106.
Swift, who we hear is set to marry fiancé Travis Kelce at the arena next month, chanced an awkward run-in with her nemesis Scooter Braun and his girlfriend, Sydney Sweeney, at the game.
Other celebrities in attendance at Wednesday’s star-studded event included Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld and more.
Entertainment
Knicks star Jalen Brunson reveals he looks for Mariska Hargitay every game

This friendship is a slam dunk.
Jalen Bruson confessed that he looks for “Law and Order: SVU” actress Mariska Hargitay at every New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden.
The point guard, 29, made the revelation on “The Richard Jefferson Show,” calling her his “No. 1.”
“Love her to death [and] she knows it,” he added in the resurfaced episode ahead of Wednesday’s Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals, where the Knicks will once again take on the San Antonio Spurs.
He then named Knicks celeb row staples Ben Stiller, Spike Lee and Tracy Morgan as some of his other favorite spectators.
The love is mutual between Brunson and Hargitay as the Emmy winner, 62, gushed about being Brunson’s “good luck charm” during Monday’s episode of “Today with Jenna & Sheinelle.”
Ahead of attending Game 3 with former “SVU” co-star Christopher Meloni, Hargitay said of the Knicks player, “I love him.”
She also admitted to using Brunson as her “inspiration” while prepping for her Broadway debut in the one-person show “Every Brilliant Thing.”
“I just thought about him and his inspiration and his humility and his work ethic, to say, ‘You can do hard things. No matter what, you can do hard things,’” she explained.
Calling him “so singular,” Hargitay added that Brunson is “a magnificent human” who promised to come see her play.
Additionally, during a June 2025 appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” she explained how their friendship blossomed.
“Ben Stiller — who’s a fan and also has very nice seats like you — said all the celebrities are jealous because Jalen Brunson only hugs you after games,” Seth Meyers said, approaching the subject.
“And this was a choice Jalen Brunson made,” he added. “You didn’t storm the court and hug him! So how did your first postgame embrace with Jalen come to pass?”
Hargitay then explained, “I think Jalen sort of grew up on ‘SVU’ … I think he felt this, as many people do, intimacy and safety that one does growing up on ‘SVU.’”
In fact, Brunson has previously admitted that “SVU” is “a pregame show” for him.
“I’ve always loved that show,” he said, noting he’d “never” been “super starstruck” until meeting Hargitay in person. “I saw her, I was like ‘Oh s–t.’ The first time we met, it was awesome. We talked and everything,” he told Stiller on the “Roommates Show” podcast.
Since then, the unlikely duo has been supporting each other on and off the court.
Brunson and his wife, Alison Marks, made an appearance at the premiere of Hargitay’s film “My Mom Jayne” at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival.
Entertainment
Beau Bridges says Tom Cruise ‘gets better with age’ as ‘Top Gun’ star keeps defying Hollywood odds

Tom Cruise’s “Jerry McGuire” costar Beau Bridges thinks the 63-year-old actor is getting better and better with age.
“I really appreciated working with him,” Bridges, who starred alongside Cruise in the 90s romcom, told People while attending the “Matlock” For Your Consideration event last week. “He’s a wonderful actor and just gets better with age. I mean, he’s still doing all those crazy stunts and stuff. Yeah. And I like working with him. I thought he was great.”
Bridges isn’t the only actor who has thoughts on Cruise’s legendary stunts.
Earlier this year, Ethan Hawke revealed that he has grown “angry” with Cruise, explaining that the “Mission: Impossible” star’s high-risk stunt work has changed what audiences and studios expect from actors across Hollywood.
“Tom Cruise has totally changed what’s expected for actors,” Hawke told Variety at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in February. “Some part of me is getting angry over the years because everyone somehow feels like they’re less if they use a stunt team.”
While Cruise — who is returning for “Top Gun 3” — has never appeared in a superhero movie from Marvel, DC or any other comic-book franchise, the actor cemented his status as an action movie icon by insisting on performing increasingly dangerous, real-world stunts himself in blockbuster franchises including “Mission: Impossible,” “Top Gun” and “Jack Reacher.”
Last year, Cruise nearly broke his back while performing a stunt for “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.”
In bonus content from the digital release of the film, Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie detailed one of the film’s most harrowing sequences: a high-flying biplane battle between the actor’s character, Ethan Hunt, and Gabriel, portrayed by Esai Morales.
The scene showed Ethan leaping from one plane onto another, as he clung to the wing midair.
“Oh, this almost broke my back,” Cruise said, per Entertainment Weekly.
“You’re talking about a lot of pain here,” McQuarrie chimed in.
Cruise’s character was seen in the video clip grabbing a seat belt, holding on for dear life, as the plane flipped upside down.
“Now watch this, the thing we haven’t talked about, holding on to this belt,” McQuarrie described, while Cruise said, “Oh God, that was brutal.”
The director continued to explain, “This separated the joints in Tom’s fingers from the force, so by the time we finished this sequence, your hands were absolutely swollen – oh my God, it was so painful to watch.”
During the intense scene, Cruise’s character was forced to crash into the side of the aircraft. As he remembered the pain, the Hollywood actor said, “Oh, that was brutal. That hit, that was a hard one.”
McQuarrie joked, “And you improvised that, thank you very much. I appreciate that. You were like, ‘I think we’re gonna need that,’ and I was like, ‘I didn’t ask you to do that.’”
-
News2 weeks agoTrump administration sues UCLA, alleging antisemitic environment festered
-
News1 week ago
Iran War Live Updates: Israel Strikes Southern Lebanon After Pulling Back From Threat to Beirut
-
News6 days agoNew Cloud-Detecting Method Will Help Astronomers Characterize Exoplanets
-
Trending3 weeks agoKnicks made a Donovan Mitchell adjustment the Cavaliers have no answer for
-
Trending2 weeks agoSpurs’ Mitch Johnson Finishes Third in Coach of the Year Voting
-
News2 weeks ago
Iran War Live Updates: U.S. and Iran Trade Strikes, Further Threatening Negotiations
-
Trending3 weeks agoThe St. Louis Cardinals have an emerging star in Jordan Walker
-
Trending7 days agoSF Giants’ familiar script sees Casey Schmitt homer, loss to Arizona
