Eddie Murphy received the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award at a star-studded ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 18–19, 2026. The 65-year-old comedian and actor accepted the 51st AFI honor amid tributes from a Hollywood roster that included Spike Lee, who presented the award, Dave Chappelle, Martin Lawrence, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, Arsenio Hall and Kenan Thompson. Jennifer Hudson performed a Dreamgirls medley; cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw was presented the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal. Mike Myers made a highly visible tribute in full Shrek makeup to praise Murphy’s Donkey performance. Murphy, who joked about the trophy’s size and reflected on family and gratitude, has a career spanning stand-up, Saturday Night Live and films such as Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, The Nutty Professor and the Shrek franchise. The gala raised more than $2.5 million for AFI educational programs and the tribute will be released as a Netflix special on May 31, 2026.

HBO’s Euphoria returned April 19 with its second Season 3 episode, “America My Dream,” prompting a wave of criticism focused on Sydney Sweeney’s character Cassie. The episode includes a montage of Cassie creating explicit OnlyFans content — topless and fully nude shots, an ice-cream gag, a sheer American-flag costume, a baseball-themed shoot, a puppy-play sequence and a contentious scene in which the character poses as an “adult baby” with a pacifier and diaper. Viewers on social media described the material as disturbing, degrading and gratuitous; some called for boycotts while others defended the creative choice. Coverage notes the episode also features the return of Eric Dane. Commentators and outlets including Variety have framed the scenes as both a continuation of Cassie’s arc — seeking money for an extravagant wedding — and as a meta use of Sweeney’s public persona. The debate has touched on Sweeney’s previous comments about sexualisation in her career and the showrunner Sam Levinson’s history of provocative storytelling.

Australian actor Rebel Wilson appeared in the Federal Court in Sydney on April 20, 2026, as a nine‑day defamation trial opened brought by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actress in Wilson’s directorial debut The Deb. MacInnes says a series of Instagram posts by Wilson beginning in 2024 falsely suggested MacInnes privately told Wilson she had been sexually harassed by producer Amanda Ghost and later recanted in exchange for career opportunities. MacInnes denies the allegations and is seeking aggravated damages and a court order to stop Wilson repeating the claims. Court filings and opening statements detailed a September 2023 Bondi swim and a shared bath after Ghost suffered a medical episode, with the central dispute being whether MacInnes told Wilson she felt uncomfortable and later changed her account. MacInnes’s lawyers also alleged Wilson redacted or failed to produce texts, used PR firms and private investigators, and took defamation insurance; Wilson denies wrongdoing and has signalled defences including truth. The Deb premiered at TIFF in 2024 and its Australian release was delayed amid the litigation; related suits in the U.S. and New South Wales have also been reported.

Patrick Muldoon, the American actor and producer known for his roles on Days of Our Lives, Melrose Place and Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers, died on April 19 at the age of 57 following a reported heart attack, according to Deadline and family statements. Born in San Pedro, California, Muldoon graduated from the University of Southern California, where he played football for the Trojans, and began acting while still a student. He originated the role of Austin Reed on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives (1992–95; 2011–12) and was widely recognised for playing Richard Hart on Melrose Place and Zander Barcalow in Starship Troopers. Muldoon also worked as a producer on several films and was attached to the in-production Kockroach; his most recent film, Dirty Hands, is due later in 2026. A musician as well as an actor, he fronted the band The Sleeping Masses. Friends and colleagues have posted tributes; he is survived by his partner Miriam Rothbart, his parents and sister Shana Zappa and her family. The death is being treated as sudden and coverage is developing.

The Strokes ended their Coachella Weekend 2 set on April 18-19, 2026 by performing “Oblivius” alongside a high-impact video montage that condemned U.S. foreign intervention and recent bombings in Iran and Gaza. Projected on the main stage LED screens, the montage named leaders whose removal or deaths have been linked to alleged CIA involvement — including Mohammad Mossadegh, Patrice Lumumba, Jacobo Árbenz and Salvador Allende — and referenced contested claims about Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination citing a 1999 civil trial verdict. The visuals closed with footage captioned “Over 30 universities destroyed in Iran” and an image of a Gaza university being demolished. Clips from the performance circulated widely on social platforms, garnering millions of views on X before some were removed; Coachella organisers had not issued a public statement at time of reporting. The set — which differed markedly from the band’s Weekend 1 show — coincides with renewed public debate over artists using festival stages for political protest. The Strokes are due to release a new album in June and begin a world tour in June 2026.

Actor Mindy Cohn announced on April 19, 2026, that she has been undergoing cancer treatment and is now recovering after a recent hospital stay. In an Instagram post the 59-year-old, best known for her role as Natalie Green on The Facts of Life and more recently for Apple TV+’s Palm Royale, said she had been “off social media for awhile ‘cuz I had to go kick cancer’s ass.” Cohn thanked Providence Saint John’s Hospital staff in Santa Monica, naming nurses and oncology surgeon Dr. Anton Bilchik, and praised family and friends who supported her. She did not disclose the type of cancer or details of treatment, saying she will be “recouping for another couple of weeks” before returning to work. Cohn previously disclosed a years-long breast cancer battle that began with a 2012 diagnosis and culminated in remission by 2017 after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The post drew messages of support from fellow actors and public figures.