Darrell “The Gambler” Sheets, a longtime cast member of A&E’s reality series Storage Wars, was found dead at his Lake Havasu City, Arizona, home on April 22, 2026. He was 67. Lake Havasu City police said officers responding around 2 a.m. located a man who had suffered what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound; the body was identified as Sheets and transferred to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s office. Sheets, who appeared across about 15 seasons and roughly 160 episodes of the show, retired in 2023 and ran an antiques shop, Havasu Show Me Your Junk. A&E issued a statement expressing sorrow and offered condolences to his family, which includes his son Brandon, who also appeared on the series. Several former co-stars paid tribute, and René Nezhoda has alleged Sheets had been subject to intense online harassment; police say they are aware of those claims and the death remains under investigation. Authorities have asked anyone with information to contact the Lake Havasu City Police Department.

Comedian and actor Russell Brand said on U.S. broadcaster Megyn Kelly’s podcast that he had consensual sex with a 16-year-old when he was 30, describing the encounter as “exploitative” and calling his past sexual conduct selfish. The 50-year-old made the comments while promoting a new book and amid ongoing criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom. Brand faces seven criminal charges — including three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault — brought by six women with alleged incidents dating from 1999 to 2009. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts. Detectives began an investigation after a 2023 joint inquiry by The Sunday Times and Channel 4, and Brand’s trial at Southwark Crown Court has been scheduled to start on Oct. 12, 2026, having been delayed from earlier dates. The admission has reignited scrutiny of his past behaviour, prompted media and platform responses and coincides with separate civil allegations and professional fallout, including the loss of representation and removal or demonetisation of some content on major platforms.

Darrell Sheets, a longtime cast member of A&E’s reality series Storage Wars, was found dead at his home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, on April 22, 2026. Lake Havasu City police said officers who responded around 2 a.m. located a man who had suffered what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head; the death is under active investigation and the body was turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner. Sheets, 67, who billed himself as “The Gambler,” rose to fame on Storage Wars after the show debuted in 2010 and appeared in more than 160 episodes across multiple seasons before retiring in 2023 to run an antique shop in Arizona. Colleagues and the network offered condolences; several cast members, including René Nezhoda, have said Sheets had been targeted online and urged authorities to look into alleged cyberbullying. A spokesperson for A&E said the network was saddened; family members including his son Brandon and daughter Tiffany have been notified. Mental health resources and crisis helplines have been highlighted in media coverage.

Netflix’s four-part docuseries Hulk Hogan: Real American, which began streaming on April 22, 2026, features the late wrestler’s final on-camera interviews recorded months before his July 2025 death. In the series Hogan (Terry Bollea) describes extreme opioid use while trying to return to wrestling after his 2009 divorce and stint with Total Nonstop Action: he recounts taking what he called 80‑milligram fentanyl pills twice daily, wearing multiple patches and consuming fentanyl “lollipops” — amounts a pharmacist in the program tells him would normally be lethal. The doc also covers Hogan’s long-term health troubles, including atrial fibrillation and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia disclosed in medical records, and confirms his death was ruled an acute myocardial infarction at age 71. Episodes probe his 2007–09 divorce, a period of suicidal ideation, and pain over his brother Alan Bollea’s overdose; Hogan asks producers to stop questioning him about that loss during his final interview.

Sophy Romvari’s feature debut Blue Heron, a semi‑autobiographical drama filmed in British Columbia, is drawing strong reviews and industry attention as it opens in Canadian theatres. The film — set on Vancouver Island in the 1990s and running roughly 90 minutes — follows eight‑year‑old Sasha (Eylul Guven) and her family as they struggle to understand the erratic, self‑destructive behaviour of her teenage half‑brother Jeremy (Edik Beddoes). Critics have praised Romvari’s formal inventiveness: archival textures, shifting perspectives and an audacious time‑jump into the present in which adult Sasha (Amy Zimmer) investigates her past. Cinematographer Maya Bankovic’s work and the young cast’s performances have been singled out. Blue Heron was shot in Vancouver and Nanaimo, opens in Toronto April 24 (with wider Canadian dates in May), and has received seven 2026 Canadian Screen Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and a Best Supporting Actor nod for Beddoes. Reviewers compare its emotional terrain to recent autobiographical films while noting its restrained refusal to offer tidy catharsis.

Netflix on April 23 released Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, a 10-episode animated spin-off set between seasons two and three of the hit series. All episodes arrived on the platform simultaneously. Developed by showrunner Eric Robles with the Duffer Brothers as executive producers, the series returns the core child characters to a snowy January 1985 Hawkins, Indiana, with a new voice cast and a more family-friendly, Saturday-morning cartoon aesthetic. Early reviews are mixed: critics and fans praise the polished animation, period design and a new character, Nikki (Odessa A’zion), but many fault the show for low stakes, repetitive plotting and thin storytelling that feel constrained by remaining canonical to the live-action timeline. Aggregate scores are positive but based on a limited sample; outlets including The Guardian and The Los Angeles Times offered warmer takes while The Hollywood Reporter, NME and others were more critical. Netflix and partners have already rolled out commercial tie-ins and merchandising; showrunner Robles has signalled possible future adventures or alternate-story directions depending on audience response.