ABC and Disney announced on April 22–23 that reality stars Ciara Miller and Maura Higgins are the first celebrity cast members confirmed for Dancing With the Stars Season 35, which will air this fall on ABC and Disney+ with next-day streaming on Hulu. The announcement was made during Hulu’s Get Real House event. Miller, a Summer House regular who also appeared on The Traitors, joins the show amid intense public attention after a recent Bravo cast fallout; Higgins, an Irish model and former Love Island contestant who finished runner-up on The Traitors US and has hosted Love Island USA spin-offs, has a substantial social-media following. The network also unveiled Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, a new summer spinoff premiering July 13 and hosted by Season 34 winner Robert Irwin; Mark and Shirley Ballas will judge. DWTS is produced by BBC Studios with Conrad Green as showrunner. The casting follows Season 34’s strong ratings and record fan voting, reflecting the franchise’s recent resurgence and its strategy of leveraging reality-TV crossovers and social media engagement to attract younger viewers.

Kat Graham confirmed on April 23 that her filmed scenes as Diana Ross were removed from Antoine Fuqua’s Michael ahead of the film’s April 24 release, citing “certain legal considerations.” Multiple outlets report the cuts followed major reshoots to excise a planned third act that addressed 1990s child-sex-abuse allegations after producers discovered a clause in a prior settlement — reportedly involving accuser Jordan Chandler — that bars depiction or mention of him in film or television. The studio, Lionsgate, and the Michael Jackson Estate were involved in retooling the movie; the finished film now ends in 1988 and focuses on Jackson’s rise with the Jackson 5 and early solo career. The production reportedly shot extensive footage (reports cite roughly three and a half hours) that was trimmed to about two hours. The deletions and the estate’s involvement have fueled criticism that the biopic sanitizes contested elements of Jackson’s life, prompting debate among critics, members of Jackson’s family and fans about narrative control and accuracy.

Peacock has shelved development of a planned sequel television series that would have seen Alicia Silverstone reprise her iconic role as Cher Horowitz, multiple outlets reported April 23–24, 2026. The project was first announced in April 2025 with Silverstone attached as star and executive producer and writers Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage and Jordan Weiss onboard; original film writer-director Amy Heckerling and producer Robert Lawrence were also listed as executive producers. Sources say NBCUniversal’s Peacock will not move forward, though CBS Studios and Paramount remain interested and plan to shop the project to other buyers. Universal Television is no longer involved. The series was intended to pick up Cher’s story years after the 1995 film — itself loosely adapted from Jane Austen’s Emma — and follows prior, unsuccessful attempts to revive the Clueless property, including a 2019 reboot concept centered on Dionne and the 1996–99 TV adaptation. Insiders say the IP’s strong fanbase should attract further marketplace interest despite Peacock’s decision, but no new home has been announced.

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.

Walt Disney Television’s head of unscripted Rob Mills said this week that The Bachelor franchise remains a core part of ABC and Hulu’s unscripted slate even after ABC shelved The Bachelorette season 22 — starring Taylor Frankie Paul — three days before its planned March 22 premiere. The season was pulled in March after video surfaced of a 2023 incident and amid subsequent investigations; the Salt Lake County District Attorney in April declined to file new charges. Mills told outlets on April 22–23 that the company is “taking everything a day at a time,” prioritizing Paul’s welfare while planning future franchise cycles. Disney confirmed season 30 of The Bachelor and season 11 of Bachelor in Paradise are slated to return in 2027. Separately, Hulu announced production on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has resumed after a monthlong pause and an internal review; producers say the cast will help shape how the resumed season is told and that Paul may be able to return when ready. Disney also unveiled spinoff and DWTS casting moves at its recent Get Real presentation.