Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks took a swing out of left field Thursday to poke fun at MS NOW while appearing live on the network.
MS NOW correspondent Jacob Soboroff was reporting live from the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, where some of the biggest names in politics and entertainment gathered to launch the opening of former President Barack Obama’s library and museum.
Soboroff eyed the “Forrest Gump” star, who was busy hobnobbing with other attendees but eventually offered his time to the reporter.
“What can I do for the 800 people watching MSNOW?” Hanks asked Soboroff.
“Alright, add a zero if you need to,” Hanks then quipped.
Soboroff took the joke in stride, responding, “I would say millions now that you’re on our air.”
After the two discussed the Obama Presidential Center, Soboroff thanked Hanks for “adding the zero to our ratings today.”
“I gotta tell ya, I can hear the clicks happening before my very eyes,” Hanks joked before walking away.
Soboroff then turned to MS NOW anchor Katy Tur, appearing amused by the exchange.
“Alright, thanks Tom. Appreciate that,” Tur reacted with a grin.
“He has been very supportive of the press, at least in the past,” Tur jokingly added before referencing Hanks’ donated coffee machine to White House reporters in 2017.
A representative for MS NOW declined to comment.
Hanks cheekily undercounted MS NOW’s viewership, which averaged 691,000 total day viewers and 1.1 million primetime viewers in the first quarter of 2026.
The liberal network, however, trailed behind Fox News Channel’s 1.7 million average total day viewers and 2.6 million primetime viewers during the same period.

Hollywood can finally stop obsessing over Obsession filmmaker Curry Barker‘s next movie.
Universal Film Group, along with Blumhouse Atomic Monster, has landed Barker’s first follow-up since the release of Obsession, the breakout movie of the year.
In closing what is described as a rich eight-figure deal, Barker will write, produce and direct his third film for Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Universal.
The deal keeps Barker in the Universal family, as Obsession was released by Universal label Focus Features. Focus is also behind his already shot second feature, Anything But Ghosts, which he wrote, directed and stars in.
Blumhouse Atomic Monster has been involved with those films, coming aboard Obsession after it bowed at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, and as a production entity on Anything but Ghosts. It is back in a similar capacity for this film.
Also producing are Roy Lee and Steven Schneider’s Spooky Pictures and Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath’s Divide/Conquer, a banner behind horror movies such as The Black Phone and Heart Eyes.
All details for the new project are being kept secret, but it is described as a Barker original horror idea. The project was bought off of a pitch Barker made to Universal’s top brass.
“Curry Barker has an exceptional ability to tap into the cultural zeitgeist, pairing an innate instinct for what resonates with audiences with extraordinary filmmaking prowess,” said NBCUniversal Entertainment chairman Donna Langley in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Barker’s talent is redefining what’s possible and we’re thrilled to continue our partnership with him.”
Barker’s new feature will be distributed worldwide by Universal Film Group.
Since its May 15 release, Obsession has become a pop culture phenomenon and has driven conversations on topics ranging from the movie business to gender relations. It is the rare movie to have four consecutive weekends bigger than its opening ($17.2 million) and has become Focus Features’ highest-grossing release of all time. Still going strong, it is on track to surpass $300 million worldwide this weekend. A critical and audience sensation, the movie is even starting to generate Oscar buzz. The film was made independently for just $750,000, with Focus buying it out of TIFF.
“This film is something I’ve been excited to make for a while, and I’m thrilled to be reteaming with Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Universal Film Group for it,” Barker stated regarding the new project. “They’ve built the kind of home for bold, original storytelling that every filmmaker dreams of, and I couldn’t imagine better collaborators for this film.”
In a joint statement, Blumhouse Atomic Monster partners James Wan and Jason Blum said, “With Obsession, Curry did what only a handful of filmmakers manage in a generation: he made something wholly original that connected with a massive audience, and that connection is what we care about most. The best filmmakers can work anywhere, and we are proud to have a growing slate with Curry. Getting to put this project in front of the fans his work speaks to is the whole reason we do this.”
Barker is repped by UTA, Underground and Yorn Levine.

Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to Dungeon Crawler Carl, a live-action series adaptation of Matt Dinniman’s popular science fantasy LitRPG (role-playing game) books. The project, which had been in development at the streamer, comes from Seth MacFarlane‘s Fuzzy Door and Universal Global Television where the company is based. Dinniman, who serves as co-executive producer on the series, announced the pickup on social media.
In Dungeon Crawler Carl, written for television by film, TV and comic book writer Chris Yost, an alien invasion has wiped out most of humanity and any survivors are forced to fight for their lives on a sadistic intergalactic game show. Sounds bad, right? Now try doing it with bare feet and a stuck-up, self-centered, tiara-wearing talking cat as your partner. Welcome to Dungeon Crawler World: Earth, where the apocalypse will be televised … and Coast Guard vet Carl finds himself stuck with his ex-girlfriend’s award-winning show cat, Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk, as they try to survive the end of the world, fighting monsters, aliens, an insane A.I. and even other survivors … all for the sake of good TV. Survival is optional. Entertainment is not.
Yost executive produces alongside Fuzzy Door’s MacFarlane, Erica Huggins and Rachel Hargreaves-Heald.
“Me, Chris Yost and Seth MacFarlane and his team at Fuzzy Door are all really excited to get to work,” Dinniman wrote. “In the coming weeks I’ll have more details, and if you’re going to SDCC be sure to catch me and Chris on our DCC panel.”
The series pickup caps a wild seven-year journey for Dungeon Crawler Carl, which originated in 2019 with vignettes Dinniman self-published on a digital platform as a hobby while not busy with his main job as a sketch artist at cat shows.

NEED TO KNOW
Bunnie Xo revealed on her latest podcast episode that Jelly Roll has started dating again amid their divorce
“I’m ready to focus on myself and pour into myself,” she said during the Thursday, June 18 episode of her podcast, Dumb Blonde
The couple split after nearly 10 years together, and news of their divorce went public earlier this week
Jelly Roll is back in the dating game — and his ex Bunnie Xo is all for it.
On the Thursday, June 18 episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast, Bunnie, 46, opened up about entering a new chapter with the country star, 41, as they navigate their divorce.
“Daddy Roll is probably in his finest season, right? He’s feeling himself. He looks so good. He is healthier than he’s ever been,” said Bunnie, who revealed that the singer has “started dating.”
“Jay is a little lover, and he, you know, he likes to snuggle and he likes to cuddle,” she continued, assuring her listeners she’s “fine over here.” “The crazy thing is, I’m not even ready to hook up with a dude. I’m ready to focus on myself and pour into myself.”
Bunnie even encouraged other women to slide into her ex’s DMs on Instagram. “Don’t be scared. Shoot your motherf—ing shot,” she said. “I will be the ex-wife, okay? And we’ll have a great time.”
The podcast host underscored that her only issue with a potential romantic partner for Jelly Roll would be if any disrespect comes into play.
“I will welcome you with open arms, but if you’re a bitch who is lying straight-up the first time you meet my husband — God, gotta stop calling him that — the first time you meet Jay,” she continued. “First of all, we are like the FBI. We will figure out everything about you. And two, we just don’t wanna have to do that. Just come correct and be cool.”
Bunnie also detailed the kind of woman Jelly is looking to find next. “He needs a really sweet girl who is normal and isn’t like, f—ing trying to be a f—in’ influencer,” she said. “No offense to anybody — his wife, you know — no offense to anybody, but I think he wants the complete opposite of me, which is what he deserves.”
She also revealed that Jelly “wants to settle down,” but that she’s encouraging him to “play the f—in’ field.”
News broke earlier this week that Jelly Roll had quietly filed for divorce in Tennessee last month after nearly 10 years of marriage to Bunnie.
A source previously told PEOPLE that the exes have “always had a complicated dynamic,” stretching back to the early days of their relationship. When they first met, Jelly was struggling financially and Bunnie made her living as a sex worker.
“When they first got together, they were both in a very different place in their lives,” the source says. “There was a lot of chaos, ups and downs, and they built a life together through all of that.”

NEED TO KNOW
Bunnie Xo revealed her marriage to Jelly Roll ended after an argument on Mother’s Day
The couple, married since 2016, had struggled with communication and avoided arguments throughout their relationship
Despite the split, they remain on good terms and plan to co-parent their future child together
Bunnie Xo is opening up about the argument with estranged husband Jelly Roll that ultimately ended their marriage.
The Dumb Blonde podcast host, 46, broke her silence on the couple’s shocking split with a podcast episode shared to YouTube titled “The Divorce” on Thursday, June 18, days after news of Jelly’s divorce filing went public.
Bunnie explained that she and the “Save Me” singer, 41, have “never been really good” at disagreements, and so they often never argued, choosing instead to hold things in, which she described as a “recipe for disaster.”
The Stripped Down author, real name Alisa DeFord, said they had an argument on Mother’s Day — and though she did not divulge the details of the argument, it left her feeling “fed up and so tired.”
“I just looked at him and I said, ‘Well, file the f—ing divorce papers,'” she recalled. “And in our relationship, that is the one cardinal thing that you don’t say, even though my husband has said it numerous times…. But when I say it, it really holds weight, because I’m not the type of person who says what I don’t mean.”
Bunnie said that after the argument, she “packed a bag and left,” and the two did not speak for several weeks.
“During that, he was so mad and we were so emotional that he ended up doing exactly what I told him to do and filing the divorce papers,” she said. “Was this divorce mutual? No. It was not mutual, even though I told him to file the divorce papers. I was speaking out of anger and just frustration. But was it necessary for us to have a wake-up call and for us to start having these real conversations? Absolutely.”
Jelly, born Jason DeFord, filed for divorce on May 18, but listed the pair’s date of separation as May 9 — the day before Mother’s Day.
On May 9, Bunnie shared a TikTok with Jelly and daughter Bailee, 18, writing, “Never believed in ever after happily ’til y’all” (Bunnie is not Bailee’s biological mother, but has helped Jelly raise her since she was a child).
Despite the breakup, Bunnie said she and Jelly are on good terms, and even played a voice message from him in which he called her “Mama Bea” to show just how “cool” they are with one another.
She also shared that the two are “still having a baby” together, and plan to co-parent their “nugget” as “one big happy family.”
The pair married in 2016, and were together for nearly 10 years before they split.