Social media reacts as KISS’ Gene Simmons attends Parliament to call for restoration of Stormont

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor How do you make money in the emerging creator economy? Who better to answer this question than street-level entrepreneurs who were on duty working the show floor and environs on June 22 at Vidcon, fan convention for creators and influencers held annually in Anaheim, Calif. If you’re going to hawk a product or service all day at a convention, you’d better master the 60-second pitch. The seven street-level entrepreneurs who spoke to Variety‘s for this week’s “Strictly Business” podcast offered insights into where the opportunity is and where the market is heading for creators and influencers who aim to ply their trade largely virtually via social, streaming and e-commerce platforms. The companies represented are involved in distribution, technology and visual effects, e-commerce, marketing and promotion and matchmaking between brands and influencers.

More than 250 LGBTQ and ally actors, notables, and other leaders signed a public letter created by GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) calling on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter to better enforce hate speech, harassment, misinformation, and other existing content policies aimed at protecting transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming users and all LGBTQ people.

Lindsie Chrisley opened up about her current relationship with her siblings – and why she no longer follows all of them on social media.  

Sydney Sweeney is opening up about how damaging social media can actually be – to celebrities and those who aren’t celebrities at all.

Todd Gilchrist editor On Showtime’s documentary series “Couples Therapy,” clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Dr. Orna Guralnik has served in many roles for her clients: sounding board, support system, referee, reality check and sometimes, an uncomfortable mirror. And she shares her insights in each capacity with plainspoken simplicity and with empathy. It’s what has made the show such a revelatory watch for her patients as well as viewers — it exemplifies the virtues of the therapeutic experience.  “As a psychoanalyst, you want to really have the same distance from all the inner voices in the patient,” says Guralnik. “Otherwise, I try to really keep going back to a place of what we call neutrality. Now, that’s not always possible, but that’s the North Star. That’s where I try to go to.” 

Exes Kanye West and Kim Kardashian don’t always see eye to eye on their 10-year-old daughter North’s social media usage.

You won’t be seeing posts from Drew Barrymore for a while now.

Variety Staff Follow Us on Twitter It’s the most wonderful time of the year: “Actors on Actors” season, that is! Season 18 of the beloved Variety series, which celebrates the biggest stars in this year’s Emmys race, reached new heights on social media with over 85 million total views across platforms. This round’s pairings included Jenna Ortega with Elle Fanning, Pedro Pascal with Steven Yeun and a highly-anticipated “Grey’s Anatomy” reunion for Katherine Heigl and Ellen Pompeo. Once again, the series took over TikTok during its two-week run, racking up over 66 million views and gaining over 100,000 new followers on the entertainment trade’s account. Top performing videos on the platform include Ellen Pompeo’s realization that Meredith Grey was the original “pick me girl,” Jeremy Allen White’s curiosity over Jennifer Coolidge’s most iconic “White Lotus” line and Jenna Ortega’s emotional appeal for kindness on social media. 

Drew Barrymore is taking a break from social media this summer. «I want to thank everyone for making this feed such a loving place,» host wrote to her fans on Instagram Tuesday. «A safe space like on the show. It’s just very humorous and kind.

Louis Tomlinson’s little sister, Phoebe Tomlinson, has announced that she’s pregnant with her first child. The 19-year-old shared a video on Instagram on Monday to reveal that she’s expecting a child with her boyfriend, Jack Varley.

Coronation Street star Charlotte Jordan has revealed she steers clear from social media due to fans ‘hating’ her character.The actress, 28, plays Daisy Midgeley in the soap and has been involved in a dramatic storyline recently as she tries to reassure acid attack victim Ryan Connor (played by Ryan Prescott) that his ex-girlfriend Crystal still loved him, despite the fact she had said she wasn’t interested in him. Concerned that it might slow down his recovery, Daisy found herself pretending to be Crystal in communications with Ryan and falling deeper into a fake connection with him.

This Morning viewers have said they are ready to switch off as Holly Willoughby presented Monday's show with Dermot O'Leary.

Anita Baker has announced that she is dropping Babyface as the support act on her current US tour because of grief she has been getting from his fans.The two musicians announced plans to tour together late last year. Things seemed to be going fine with that tour until a show in Newark, New Jersey last month where technical problems resulted in a later than anticipated start time.

Rochelle Humes has opened up to fans on her social media admitting that she is "not okay" following an emotional night at their £3.3 million lavish family home in London where she lives with her husband Marvin Humes and three kids.

Fresh calls have been made to the Scottish Government to drop plans to label 10 per cent of the country’s seas Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).

The booming nail bar business in West Lothian may soon be licensed to tackle concerns over safety standards and modern slavery.

Kelis is neither confirming nor denying the rumors that she’s dating Bill Murray. The 43-year-old singer posted a series of vacation photos of herself on the beach in Greece on her Instagram this weekend, when a fan asked for comment on the reported relationship.

Lana Del Rey is officially through with social media.

Gene Simmons spat out his chewing gum into the hand of Susanna Reid live on Good Morning Britain.The Kiss singer, 73, pulled the stunt on the ITV breakfast show as he discussed how he once sold his used gum for $245,000 (almost £200,000) at a charity auction. As the cameras returned to the studio following a live link with Andi Peters, Susanna said: “Gene Simmons is here and chewing gum.

Bury South MP Christian Wakeford has apologised and deleted a picture he posted on Twitter of him posing with Kiss rocker Gene Simmons in Parliament in a row over Islamophobia.