Rihanna, A$AP Rocky welcome first child after internet-breaking ...

The baby who broke the internet is finally here.

Fans couldn't contain their excitement on the last day of January when Rihanna and A$AP Rocky announced they were expecting their first child together with photos that showed off the 34-year-old singer's baby bump. About five months later, that baby is here.

The couple welcomed a baby boy in Los Angeles, People and Entertainment Tonight report. TMZ, the first outlet to publish the news, reports Rihanna gave birth on Friday.

Rihanna covers Vogue with fashionable baby bump, dishes on relationship with A$AP Rocky

Ahead of their baby's arrival, Rihanna graced the cover of Vogue magazine's May issue where she discussed Rocky getting out of the "friend zone," the moment she and the rapper "became my family," and how she learned that she was pregnant.

"People don’t get out of the friend zone very easily with me,” she said in the cover story published April 12. “And I certainly took a while to get over how much I know him and how much he knows me, because we also know how much trouble we can land each other in.”

Rihanna said the rapper "became my family" during the 2020 quarantine lockdowns. The two music artists left many of their luxuries behind to go on a road trip together from Los Angeles to New York.

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"I cooked our food on this little janky grill I bought from Walmart," the Forbes billionaire said. "I love the simple things but also the grand adventures … I just feel like I can do any part of life by his side.”

The humble journey for the multihyphenate predated her debut on the Forbes Billionaires List. The outlet described Rihanna as the "richest female musician" after reaching billionaire status in 2021, with an estimated $1.7 billion net worth.

In her Vogue cover story, Rihanna revealed that the pair's latest adventure into parenthood wasn't something they had planned, but they also weren't opposed to the idea.

"It was just there on the test. I didn’t waste any time. I called him inside and showed him. Then I was in the doctor’s office the next morning and our journey began.”

In January, the couple posed for photos walking hand-in-hand in New York City on a weekend when temperatures fell below freezing, but Rihanna wore a long pink coat unbuttoned to show off her growing stomach, adorned by long body chains that fell past her belly.

Rihanna confirmed the news of her pregnancy two days later, in case the chilly photo reveal wasn't enough evidence. On Instagram, the singer posted the New York City-scape photos along with a new photo of herself looking down at her pregnant belly.

"How the gang pulled up to black history month," she captioned the post.

The pregnancy announcement was just the beginning of the maternity fashion storm Rihanna later flooded fans with, as she attended many fashion shows and red carpets showing off her baby bump in epic style.

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY:Rihanna confirms she's expecting her first child with A$AP Rocky

Rihanna and Rocky, 33, have largely kept mum about their relationship, though rumors began surfacing as far back as 2013, when the rapper opened for Rihanna's Diamonds World Tour. She revealed she was dating Hassan Jameel in 2019, but later attended the 2021 Met Gala with Rocky.

RIHANNA ON HAVING CHILDREN:Singer wants 'three or four' kids with or without a partner, opens up about her own childhood

The rapper referred to her as "the one" in a GQ interview last summer, expressing how his life is "so much better" being in a relationship.

"So much better when you got the one," he added. "She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones. I think when you know, you know. She's the one."

Rocky also said he would "absolutely" be open to having children "if that's in my destiny."

Rihanna's pregnancy fashion is epic:See photos of her baby bump style

He added: "I think I’d be an incredible, remarkably, overall amazing dad. I would have a very fly child. Very.”

Rihanna revealed in March 2020 that she wants to have three or four kids within the next 10 years: “I know I will want to live differently," she told British Vogue of how she sees her future. "I’ll have kids – three or four of 'em."

Last November, Rihanna was named Barbados' 11th national hero by the nation's Prime Minister Mia Mottley as the country celebrated becoming a republic for the first time in history.

'SHINE LIKE A DIAMOND':Rihanna named a national hero of Barbados

The "Umbrella" singer accepted the honor wearing an orange floor-length Bottega Veneta gown and wore her hair in several large braids.

"May you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honor to your nation," Prime Minister Mottley added using lyrics from the singer's 2012 single "Diamonds."

Contributing: Elise Brisco, Edward Segarra, Naledi Ushe

Rihanna pregnant with second child, makes reveal during Super Bowl

Rihanna didn't have a star-studded guest list for her Super Bowl Halftime performance, but there was a very unexpected onstage cameo.

On Sunday, the "Lift Me Up" singer hit the halftime show stage for Super Bowl 57 in a crimson red ensemble, which featured a stylish jacket and bralette. The singer's outfit, a custom-made design by LOEWE, also showed off the 34-year-old's growing baby bump.

Rihanna could also be seen caressing her stomach during the performance, a nod to her soon-to-be bundle of joy. The singer’s representative confirmed the pregnancy shortly after she ended her 13-minute set.

USA TODAY has reached out to Rihanna's representatives for more details.

'If it flops or flies, my name has to stand by it': Rihanna dishes on Super Bowl halftime show

Rihanna welcomed her first child, a baby boy, with rapper A$AP Rocky last May, People and Entertainment Tonight reported at the time. The couple announced they were expecting in January 2022 with photos that showed off the singer's baby bump. Rihanna wore a long pink coat unbuttoned to show off her growing stomach, adorned by long body chains that fell past her belly.

Ahead of their baby's arrival, Rihanna graced the cover of Vogue magazine's May issue where she discussed Rocky getting out of the "friend zone," the moment she and the rapper "became my family," and how she learned that she was pregnant.

Chris Stapleton's mellow Super Bowl national anthemmoves Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to tears

She told the fashion outlet that the pair's latest adventure into parenthood wasn't something they had planned, but they also weren't opposed to the idea.

"It was just there on the test. I didn’t waste any time," Rihanna said of learning she was pregnant for the first time. "I called him inside and showed him. Then I was in the doctor’s office the next morning and our journey began.”

Rihanna revealed in March 2020 that she wants to have three or four kids within the next 10 years: “I know I will want to live differently," she told British Vogue of how she sees her future. "I’ll have kids – three or four of 'em."

Rihanna, A$AP Rocky welcome first childafter internet-breaking pregnancy: Reports

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Contributing: Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY; Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press

Rihanna, A$AP Rocky baby gets TikTok debut: See adorable video

Rihanna is giving fans a first look of her 7-month-old baby in a new 45-second video.

The singer and A$AP Rocky welcomed the little one in May and on Saturday Rihanna posted a cute video of the baby boy on TikTok. The video features mom and baby riding around in the backseat of a car while the baby yawns, smiles and tries to grab the phone from her hand.

"You trying to get mommy's phone," Rihanna says in the video.

The "Lift Me Up" singer announced she was expecting at the top of the year with a viral photo shoot in New York City. The singer and beauty entrepreneur showed off her baby bump at various events, including the front rows of top fashion shows in Milan and Paris.

The video marks the first time fans have been able to see the baby since his birth in May.

Fashion baby:Rihanna, A$AP Rocky welcome first child after internet-breaking pregnancy

Rocky teased that the photos of the baby would be "coming soon" in an interview with Complex published Dec. 5. He said fatherhood has helped him "prioritize" and that since welcoming the baby into his world he's been "all smiles."

"I think fatherhood gives me more time to do exactly what I want. I don’t have time for anything that isn’t priorities," he told the publication. "Everything is just based around my newfound love for being a dad and a family man. It’s lit right now."

More:Rihanna covers Vogue with fashionable baby bump, dishes on relationship with A$AP Rocky

Ahead of their baby's arrival, Rihanna graced the cover of Vogue magazine's May issue where she discussed Rocky getting out of the "friend zone," the moment she and the rapper "became my family," and how she learned that she was pregnant.

"People don’t get out of the friend zone very easily with me,” she said in the cover story published April 12. “And I certainly took a while to get over how much I know him and how much he knows me, because we also know how much trouble we can land each other in.”

Rihanna said the rapper "became my family" during the 2020 quarantine lockdowns. The two music artists left many of their luxuries behind to go on a road trip together from Los Angeles to New York.

Fans will get to see even more Rihanna when she takes the stage in February for the Super Bowl LVII halftime show. The pop star hinted at her performance by posting a photo of a football to her Instagram in September.

Official Twitter accounts for Apple Music and the NFL then confirmed Rihanna's performance.

Contributing: Edward Segarra, Hannah Yasharoff

Keke Palmer confirms she's pregnant while hosting 'SNL'

Keke Palmer is booked and busy, as she attested to during her opening monologue on "Saturday Night Live." She's appeared in several films and shows, including "Nope," "Alice," "Lightyear," "The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder" and "Human Resources."

But the longtime performer is taking on a new role: Mom.

During her opening monologue of the Dec. 3 episode of the NBC sketch comedy show, Palmer, 29, said she was hoping to take the time on air to address some rumors that had been circulating about her as of late.

"People have been in my comments saying, 'Keke's having a baby,' 'Keke's pregnant,' " she said. "And I want to set the record straight: I am."

She unbuttoned an oversized trench coat to reveal a crop top and a baby bump, garnering a booming round of cheers and applause. Palmer joked that it's "bad when people spread rumors about you on the internet... but it's even worse when they're correct."

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She continued: "I was trying to keep it on the down-low because I've got a lot of stuff going on. People coming up to me going 'congratulations!' I'm like, 'shh, can y'all stop? I've got a liquor sponsorship on the line. Let the check clear."

Palmer's representative Lauren Auslander further confirmed the announcement to USA TODAY.

Palmer's first acting appearance was in "Akeelah and the Bee" when she was 13. Since then, she has become a mainstay in the entertainment industry as an actress, singer, comedian and TV host.

"This has been the biggest blessing," she continued of her pregnancy news. "I'm so excited. I want to be a mom. Even though some people feel a little weird about me being pregnant because I was a child actor, but I'm 29, I'm grown."

Toward the end of the episode, Palmer again showed off her baby bump while playing a pregnant character at a doctor's check-up, where she watches her overactive twins through the ultrasound monitor as they breakdance, place a Filet-O-Fish delivery order and put out a fire in the womb sparked by Palmer eating Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

Palmer is hosting "SNL" for the first time, joined by musical guest SZA. It isn't the first time an "SNL" host has used the platform to announce a pregnancy. In 2018, Cardi B broke the news during her own debut on the show while performing, showing off a baby bump for the first time.

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Johnny Depp, Amber Heard trial Tiktok posts are making accidental ...

CNN —

TikTok posts about actor Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, have turned a stay-at-home mom based in Scotland into an accidental influencer. Or, perhaps more aptly, a DeppTok influencer.

Sophie Doggett, whose TikTok was previously populated by videos on everyday things such as herself or her pets, posted to her TikTok account on April 25 a clip of Heard’s lawyer asking a question of a witness and then immediately objecting to the response. It is one of many moments in the trial that has been seized upon by people like Doggett, as clips of testimony and references to the case have pervaded TikTok in a way that no trial has before. That’s partly because the proceeding, set to resume Monday, is being livestreamed during the age of TikTok, and also because of the high-profile celebrities the case involves.

Doggett, who paired the clip to playful music, said she gained 30,000 followers seemingly overnight from the post which has, to date, been viewed more than 5 million times. Asked about her follower count before the viral post, she says it was 6,668, a number she recites by heart. In the three weeks since the post, she’s collected more than 25,000 additional followers. Her account is now dedicated to Depp-related posts, some of which pertain to the trial, others to past Depp films or interviews. The top three posts pinned to Doggett’s account have more than 14 million collective views.

If there’s any question of where her loyalty lies, it is with Depp, something that’s conveyed through the photo associated with her TikTok account — white text against a black background that reads “Justice for Johnny Depp.”

Inside the courtroom, jurors are tasked with determining whether Depp was falsely and maliciously accused of domestic abuse by Heard, which he claims cost him an estimated $50 million in damages associated with lost acting jobs. The case stems from a 2018 opinion piece published in The Washington Post wherein Heard described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Although Depp is not named in the piece, Heard refers to the year 2016, a year in which she filed for a divorce and obtained a temporary restraining order against Depp, claiming she’d been abused.

TikTok creators are leveraging hashtags like #JusticeforJohnnyDepp to show support for the actor while using others to mock actress Amber Heard. From TikTok

Depp denied the allegations then, as he does now, and the two reached a divorce settlement that year, issuing a joint statement at the time. During his testimony, Depp alleged he was physically and verbally abused by Heard and denied accusations that he was physically violent toward her. Heard has countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming statements his team made were damaging to her career

Online, however, everyone from everyday users like Doggett — who said she is now able to monetize her posts through TikTok’s creator fund due to the attention — to legal analysts, lifestyle influencers, activists of varying pursuits, and comedians are taking it upon themselves to dissect and analyze every minute detail of the trial, down to conspiracy theories about the way in which Heard dabbed her nose with a tissue.

Emily D. Baker, a former LA deputy district attorney turned online creator, streams live legal commentary of the trial proceedings on her YouTube page, which has more than 330,000 subscribers. Her viewers increasingly request for her to respond to theories or footage they have seen on TikTok, she says.

“When you have cameras streaming in the courtroom, people are going to clock every strange behavior. And they have,” said Baker.

Many are in the comment sections on YouTube channels to cheer Depp or jeer Heard — typically in that order. Others have set up their own video broadcasts to provide ongoing commentary of the trial in real-time or devoted Instagram accounts to posting updates on the case. Perhaps most striking — because of the way in which the platform operates and how users take to it — is TikTok.

Like Doggett, two other TikTok users CNN Business spoke with recounted similar stories of going from hundreds or thousands of followers to tens of thousands of followers in a matter of days due to Depp-related posts.

One TikTok user, who is based in the UK, said she posted a video on April 27 celebrating Depp for freeing his lawyer’s snagged charger cord with a comment, “the little things.” “I wasn’t expecting anyone to reach out, or like it, or share it even,” she said, noting that she’d originally created her account to post about films. But it has since garnered more than 10 million views. She’s continued posting about the trial and she says her account has gone from fewer than 300 followers to more than 50,000.

Maria Pugsley, also based in the UK, similarly told CNN Business that followers to her account grew from fewer than 10,000 to more than 37,000. Previously, she said her use of TikTok included “jumping on the trends, really and having a bit of a laugh — it never really took off to be honest.”

But users have taken to her commentary on the trial, in which she favors Depp and has spoken about male victims of abuse. “In the beginning I went in very unbiased — all of my opinions are based on the courtroom,” she said, adding: “I am always open to having my opinion changed.”

A high-profile trial, dissected on TikTok

TikTok’s algorithm has been repeatedly reported upon as scary-good in its manner of feeding users more and more posts pertaining to their interests. One has to look no further than the hashtags on TikTok to gauge that sentiment there sways favorable toward the 58-year-old Depp, undoubtedly the bigger celebrity with a much longer history cultivating a fanbase compared to 36-year-old Heard. Doggett noted that she hadn’t personally come across posts on TikTok in support of Heard: “Maybe a couple people [in comments sections] saying ‘Team Amber.’ They get destroyed in the comments.”

One hashtag, #JusticeForJohnnyDepp, has garnered more than 11 billion views globally, while just the actor’s name has more than 19 billion, and #JohnnyDeppisInnocent has garnered more than 3 billion. Users are applying filters to their faces to personify Depp, combining clips of testimonies with past footage from Depp’s film archives. By contrast, #JusticeForAmberHeard has 41 million views. Heard’s name has garnered more than 9 billion views and #AmberTurd has 1.6 billion (a hashtag fueled by trial testimony concerning fecal matter.) Meanwhile, the #AmberHeardIsALiar had drawn more than 2 billion views when CNN Business reviewed it Friday afternoon, but the hashtag no longer appeared viewable in the app as of Friday evening.

“What you’re seeing is fan base versus fan base,” Juda Engelmayer, a public relations professional who has worked with high-profile figures, such as disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein who was convicted for sex crimes, and is currently working with the fake heiress Anna Sorokin. “It was surprising to me that the social media throngs and supporters are almost entirely backing him.”

The passionate social media posts surrounding the case are, at times, rooted in other factors. Some see outsized support for Depp, and the dismissal of Heard’s allegations, as another example of internalized misogyny. Others, including men’s rights activists, have lifted up Depp in online forums as a rare well-known man who alleges he experienced domestic abuse at the hands of a woman, thereby bringing light to the issue.

According to Daniel Klug, a systems scientist at Carnegie Mellon University’s Institute for Software Research who has researched TikTok’s algorithm, “TikTok creates a sort of mediated reality for the user.”

“Over a time period, you see a lot of short videos … depending on what kind of content you see, let’s say a lot of content about the trial, that creates a certain perception of the reality of the trial for you on TikTok,” he said, noting that posts tends to fall into two categories: those that capture testimonies from Heard, Depp, or others on the stand “describing very personal and intimate and weird details of their relationship,” or content related to Depp or the trial that is “remixed or reinterpreted by other users.”

Callum Hood, head of research at the Center for Countering Digital Hate which recently investigated abuse directed at several high-profile women, including Heard, on Instagram similarly noted that the nature of TikTok is such that “you get very, very slim segments of the trial presented and usually with a very heavy skew.”

“This applies as much to [content posted about] Ukraine as clips of the Amber Heard, Johnny Depp trial,” said Hood, noting that “content on TikTok, more so than any other platform, is free of context … We tend to know less about the account that’s posting it, less about when it was posted, less about where the material is from, about the motivations of the person posting it … I’ve got a lot of sympathy for the users because it is genuinely very hard, with the information available to you in the app, to understand the context and to make an assessment of how true or false it is.”

Center for Countering Digital Hate’s report noted that discussions of Depp and Heard’s legal battles on social media “often contain abuse towards Heard, as well as the promotion of conspiracy theories around the rate of women’s false allegations of domestic abuse.”

Trial-related content on TikTok varies from those who are analyzing and conspiracy theorizing to attempts to poke fun, which can quickly become distasteful. One popular variation of posts is based on satirical reenactments using audio from Heard’s testimony, in which she said, “I was walking out of the bedroom, [he] slapped me across the face and I turned to look at him and I said, ‘Johnny, you hit me. You just hit me.’” One widely-shared post, featured a cat role playing the former couple. It wears a blond wig when playing the part of Heard and a paper mustache and bandana when playing the part of Depp. While the original post is no longer viewable, it had been “dueted” by other accounts — a TikTok feature that enables users to post a video side-by-side one from another user in order to react to it — which can still be found on the platform.

For its part, TikTok said it removes content that violates its policies, which include “threats or degrading statements intended to mock, humiliate, embarrass, intimidate, or hurt an individual.” There may be some leeway in the case of Heard and Depp, as its community guidelines note that “critical comments of public figures may be allowed; however, serious abusive behavior against public figures is prohibited.”

“I believe I was mass reported over political differences”

There are also questions about whether and how others on the platform may be able to silence certain voices or opinions.

One TikTok user named Ashley, who asked that her last name be withheld for privacy reasons, posted about how she felt some men’s rights activists were using the trial as an excuse to discredit allegations by women of abuse.

“Can you imagine the leeway every narcissistic woman-hating man is going to have now?” she said in the post. Ashley told CNN Business that the post was quickly “dueted” and she received threats in the comments, then her account was banned.

In a message on April 26, Ashley — who is based in Pittsburgh and had 7,000 followers — asked TikTok to restore her account, “I believe I was mass reported over political differences,” she wrote, adding that she had screenshots of threatening messages she had received. Asked about her account by CNN Business last week, TikTok said it would investigate it. Following that, the company restored her account but did not provide any details on why.

Nick Cannon welcomed his twelfth child. Is our criticism justified?

Surprise! Or maybe not — Nick Cannon welcomed his twelfth child on Dec. 14, model Alyssa Scott revealed Thursday.

"My sweet girl, I got my surprise!!" Scott wrote in the caption of an emotional video a year after the death of their son, Zen. "We love you Halo Marie Cannon!"

Cannon, an actor, musician and TV host, has been making headlines for having multiple babies with different women in a short period of time, which he has said is "no accident." Each pregnancy was planned and intentional, and his relationships with the mothers of his children are healthy and consensual, Cannon says. Yet his choice to father these children has been treated as comedic fodder while raising a plethora of concerns.

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Untraditional families exist all around us every day. But when it comes to a celebrity like Cannon, we tend to judge them more harshly. Everyone has something to say, including fans, critics and even fellow stars like Vivica A. Fox ("I don't like it," she said in August. "The foundation of Black families, especially a strong father figure is needed.")

"The public loves to express their opinions, because it makes them feel like part of the story," says Donna Rockwell, a clinical psychologist and CEO and founder of "Already Famous." "When we see behavior outside the norm in the lives of celebrities, we shake our heads, pass judgments… and write it off as 'typical' celebrity entitlement."

But does this make our judgments justified?

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Is there a problem with Nick Cannon's take on fatherhood?

When asked about his emotional involvement as a father, Cannon has insisted "if I'm not physically in the same city with my kids, I'm talking to them before they go to school via FaceTime and stuff. And then when I am, I'm driving my kids to school, making sure I pick them up."

A quick scroll through his Instagram page exemplifies the love and pride he holds for his kids, and many of the mothers have praised Cannon's presence.

This fixation on his family is unsurprising to Rockwell. Any time someone in the public eye behaves in a way that deviates from the norm, like having many children from different households, "we as the public hang onto every detail" and treat it as gossip.

But aside from it being unconventional, some experts worry this dynamic is detrimental. If his 10 kids, ages 11 and younger, live in different households, many wonder how Cannon can possibly be there, physically and emotionally, for each child.

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Barbara La Pointe, a relationship coach who primarily works with families dealing with divorce and separation, worries the "Wild 'n Out" host is "unconsciously creating a legacy of generational trauma." Though there is less research on Cannon's approach to fatherhood, studies have shown that a child's emotional well-being is influenced by a secure relationship with their parents, as well as by the quality of that relationship.

In addition, relationship strategist Zakiya Knighten worries for his children's mothers who, despite going into these relationships willingly, may also be at risk for higher stress levels and mental health problems. In a now-deleted Instagram story, one of Cannon's partners said she had been awake for three days taking care of their baby, raising questions on social media about Cannon's whereabouts.

Are we being too judgmental of Nick Cannon?

Contrary to popular belief, Cannon is not the first celebrity to father multiple children with different women. Actor Clint Eastwood is thought to have 8 known children with 6 different women, his daughter told The Sunday Times. Similarly, Elon Musk has joked about "(helping) the underpopulation crisis" with his 10 children, two with singer Grimes, two with Shivon Zilis, an executive at Musk's Neuralink, and six with his first wife, Justine Wilson.

The difference, however, is that Cannon proudly embraces his lifestyle of nonconventional fatherhood and rejects traditional monogamy, even challenging those who are skeptical.

"That's a Eurocentric concept when you think about the ideas of you're supposed to have this one person for the rest of your life," Cannon said in August. "I understand the institution of marriage if we go back to what that was about. ... I don't have ownership of any of the mothers. We create families in the sense of we created a beautiful entity."

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It's tempting to speculate about a phenomenon that makes little sense to many. But, as Rockwell reminds, the reality of celebrity culture is that we only catch a glimpse of their personal lives. Without knowing the intimate details, we as outsiders will never truly know how worrisome — or how functional — Cannon's family of 10 actually is.

'I'm taking it five minutes at a time':Nick Cannon reflects on grieving his infant son

The squirrels 'splooting' all over New York City are just fine, officials ...

CNN —

If you see a squirrel splayed on its belly, you might be worried for the critter’s welfare. But don’t worry: It’s just “splooting,” as officials say – and it’s perfectly healthy.

The term splooting exploded on the internet shortly after the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation posted about the behavior on Twitter.

“If you see a squirrel lying down like this, don’t worry; it’s just fine,” wrote the department on Twitter alongside an image of a squirrel stretching out its limbs. “On hot days, squirrels keep cool by splooting (stretching out) on cool surfaces to reduce body heat. It is sometimes referred to as heat dumping.”

Charlotte Devitz, a biologist and PhD student studying squirrel behavior at the University of Minnesota, told CNN that she first noticed squirrels splooting while she was researching squirrels for her master’s degree.

“At the time I wasn’t really familiar with the term. We just called it ‘flop’ behavior,” she said. “I thought it was super cute. For a long time I tried to find published articles on what this behavior was, but I didn’t have a lot of success.”

Devitz says that splooting seems more common among larger, hairier squirrel species, like grey squirrels and fox squirrels. This dovetails with the scientific explanation for why squirrels sploot: It helps them cope with the heat, according to Devitz.

The more scientific name for splooting is “heat dumping,” Devitz said. “The squirrel is putting as much of their body surface as possible in contact with a cooler surface, frequently on concrete or pavement that’s been in the shade.”

“We’ve had quite record-breaking heat this summer, so this behavior has been very, very prominent,” she said.

Splooting is a “nice way for them to thermoregulate,” especially because squirrels don’t lose much body heat by sweating, Devitz said. The behavior, she said, is “also seen in other mammals. It’s just gained a lot of visibility because a lot of people see it and become worried when they see squirrels on their belly.”

Splooting may be especially common in cities like New York because of the way urban areas trap heat, Devitz says.

“It’s quite possible there’s a higher incidence of this type of behavior in squirrels that are in urban areas, just because they’re more in need of ways to cool down,” she said.

“With climate change,” Devitz said, “overall temperatures are rising. We’re seeing more of these heat spikes, more drought. I think it’s quite possible that this behavior will be more and more prominent and more and more necessary for the squirrel.”

Devitz notes that the cooling benefits of splooting are balanced by the possible risks squirrels face from predators. The prone pose “puts them in a somewhat vulnerable position” where they may be endangered by predators, she said.

Lil Nas X is using his baby registry to raise money for HIV awareness

The rollout for Lil Nas X's highly anticipated debut album "Montero" once again proves the 22-year-old pop star is America's leading internet virologist. Our favorite sequin-clad rap cowboy decided the release, which includes features from Miley Cyrus, Elton John and Megan Thee Stallion, left him pregnant with possibility. So naturally, he booked an exclusive interview and photo shoot with People magazine to reveal his baby bump.

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With a flower crown, a bouquet of white roses and a charming grin, he cradled his "womb" as the internet broke around him. The album is set to drop on Friday. On Wednesday, he released his "baby shower" video (no one showed up!) and by Thursday he was "in labor."

As hype around his "pregnancy" ran high, the celebrity, who is gay, released his baby registry: a list of 13 LGBTQ and HIV advocacy organizations fans should support.

What's in the Mirror, an Austin organization that "works to end mental health and HIV stigma through art, advocacy, and culturally affirming care," is included in the rundown.

“Being included on Lil Nas X’s registry is invaluable visibility for our work to raise awareness about HIV prevention and treatment in the black and queer community," Tarik Daniels, the group's executive director, said in a statement. "The funds his fans are donating will accelerate our nonprofit’s plan to defeat the stigma that drives new infections."

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What's in the Mirror founders think of HIV as a social justice and racial justice issue. "The three groups most affected by HIV are Black gay men, Black cisgender women and transgender women of color," a release from the organization said.

They hope to overcome some of the structural barriers that lead to high infection rates by amplifying the message that HIV treatment and prevention strategies like frequent testing and pre-exposure medications are highly effective.

Like their pop star champion, the nonprofit is also trying to break down faith-based stigma around homosexuality which they believe contributes to the spread of HIV.

'Dude Dad' Taylor Calmus, now living in Fort Collins, to host TV show

Taylor Calmus has a lot to be proud of.

The 34-year-old Fort Collins dad has two children with one on the way, a funny and forgiving wife, Heidi, and — most recently — a sparkly new master bathroom.

"This is my pride and joy," Taylor said Thursday, showing off the shiny new space marked with a crisp, white-tiled shower, a huge soaking tub, modern black fixtures and trendy exposed rafters.

After gutting it down to the studs, rendering it unusable for the past eight months, Taylor recently finished renovating the space with some help from friends.

His buddy Charlie Berens was there to assist with adding a new window to the room. His brother Zach drove down from Nebraska to help tile. And his friend Joanna gave her input on touches like the couple's new grey vanity.

Oh, and by Joanna, I mean former HGTV star Joanna Gaines.

You see, to his kids — 5-year-old Theo and 3-year-old Juno — Taylor may just be dad, but to his millions of followers, he's "Dude Dad" — comic, DIY extraordinaire and the star of a flourishing series of vlogs featured across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

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This summer, he'll also become Super Dad — the center of a forthcoming DIY- and dad-focused TV series by the same name where Taylor and his crew will help dads build out-of-this world playhouses for their kids.

The full season of "Super Dad" is set to premiere July 15 on the Discovery+ streaming service and will go live on Magnolia Network — Chip and Joanna Gaines' new TV network — when it makes its cable premiere in January 2022.

Taylor's videos started as a fun side project five years ago when Theo was born, he said.

At the time, he and Heidi, 35, were living in Los Angeles, where Taylor had been pursuing an acting career. He knew that with a baby on the way, he'd need a job that was more consistent.

“I thought we might have to leave and move somewhere else where it would be harder to pursue that dream (of acting), but I was like, 'Well, I’m going to just start making my own thing as a way to stay creative while also being a father,' " Taylor said.

"I saw a lot of mom blogs and things out there, but there wasn't a lot for dads," he added. "I started doing it, and it just grew and grew and grew."

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The videos started as little comedy sketches based around fatherhood. In one of his first Dude Dad videos, Taylor offered viewers a list of things to never say to their pregnant wife — "so you've just been sitting there eating pickles all day?" and "I can build a crib! It's just a wood cage!"

That last part is true, though. Taylor could probably build a crib.

After working for a carpenter through high school and college back in his home state of South Dakota, Taylor had building skills. And when Heidi was pregnant with their second child — their daughter, Juno — Taylor posted a video of an intricate Rube Goldberg machine he'd constructed through their entire house that ended with Juno's gender reveal.

“That video kind of blew up and it kind of opened my eyes to go, ‘oh, maybe I can use those skill in my videos as well,’ " Taylor said. "I found this cool niche of A) being an invested father and B) being a millennial that knows how to work with your hands."

Enter Fort Collins

After about four years of success with their Dude Dad videos, Taylor and Heidi decided it was time for a change.

They'd lived in Los Angeles for a decade, and doing so with kids was getting harder and harder, Taylor said.

The family decided to move and narrowed their choices down to Minneapolis, Nashville and Fort Collins. In the vlog where they announced these contenders, Taylor made sure to say "Colorado" after "Fort Collins" — "because if you don't, no one will know where Fort Collins is."

They ultimately landed on Fort Collins, owing the decision to its proximity to the mountains and their family in South Dakota and North Dakota as well as consistently sunny days and the fact that some of their friends already lived here.

"We just kind of jumped," Taylor said. "Three weeks later, we were under contract for a house we’d never seen in a city we’d spent very little time in.”

The couple purchased a 1970s tri-level with lots of DIY project potential last May and had its kitchen and living room gutted down to the studs by the time they moved in a few weeks later.

"That was my kitchen," Heidi said, pointing to a hip-height built-in landing where she had once set up camping gear to cook.

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In time, they renovated it into what it is now — a cheery space with vaulted, planked ceilings and a bright and open kitchen dotted with family photos and kids artwork.

They showed the whole process to their followers through a series of vlogs on their various Dude Dad channels. The vlogs continued to take off in the family's first year in Fort Collins, and Dude Dad now has more than 3 million followers on Facebook as well as 330,000 each on YouTube and Instagram.

The Dude Dad team also grew, now consisting of Taylor, Heidi and their friends (and video whizzes) DJ Cosgrove and Matt Berkenpas, who film and edit vlogs for the channels.

Between videos of shiplap and kitchen island installation, the couple also does comedic skits on parenthood and everyday life.

Earlier this week, they posted a video of Taylor impersonating Heidi in her third trimester of pregnancy — wig, baby bump and all. A day later, they posted another video of Heidi reacting to it.

"I've never wanted to be in the spotlight, so it's pretty odd for me," said Heidi, who had never been a part of the entertainment industry back in Los Angeles — she worked with victims of human trafficking instead.

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"No, she hasn't," Taylor said. "But it's funny because I think she's more popular than I am. If you look at my Instagram, my top posts are either pictures of her or pictures of me dressed as her."

The Dude Dad team usually produces about a video a week but is ramping up to likely double that, Taylor said.

After all, there's plenty to video. While their house looks immaculate, there is always another project lurking. They need to finish the new baby's nursery, and the family's backyard is notably missing a cool playhouse like the ones Taylor helped build as part of "Super Dad."

Taylor said he plans to remedy that soon for Theo and Juno's sake.

And there's a never-ending stream of material when it comes to funny takes on fatherhood and family life.

“That’s what I’ve always wanted the page to be about. It should be a fun, positive place for people to come," Taylor said. "One happy corner on the internet.”

Erin Udell reports on news, culture, history and more for the Coloradoan. Contact her at ErinUdell@coloradoan.com. The only way she can keep doing what she does is with your support. If you subscribe, thank you. If not, sign up for a digital subscription to the Coloradoan today.

Is Duchess Meghan pregnant? Twitter and tabloids claim to know

It's the bane of being royal and newly-married in the internet age: Twitter and tabloid media will obsess over your midsection and pronounce you pregnant – over and over, until one day, like a broken clock, they finally get it right.

So, just short of four months since the former Meghan Markle married Prince Harry, the newly minted HRH the Duchess of Sussex is getting the tabloid treatment.

"In very happy news, a Kensington Palace insider has confirmed that the Duchess of Sussex is pregnant and has all but cleared her diary to ensure she rests as much as possible," declared the Australian gossip weekly New Idea last week.

Thus, the magazine said, the royal couple's much-anticipated tour Down Under in October would have to be canceled.

Baloney, said Kensington Palace, without using that precise term.

On Monday, the palace issued more details of the Down Under tour, which will mark Harry and Meghan's first big international trip in their new royal role as globe-trotting sweethearts of the Commonwealth.

The couple – both of them – will spend the last two weeks in October touring Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga, including an appearance at Harry's Invictus Games in Sydney.

Gossip media have always been keenly interested in royal pregnancies because they're responding to their audiences – who are keenly interested in royal pregnancies. Remember that several of the more exuberant magazines, such as the American Life&Style, confidently predicted – twice – that Duchess Kate of Cambridge was about to give birth to twins.

"Kate Middleton Is Pregnant With Twins and She's Already Picking out Names! (EXCLUSIVE)," shouted the headline on L&S last year. She didn't. In April, she gave birth to a baby boy, Prince Louis.

But interest in a possible Sussex pregnancy is even higher, in part due to their status as the royal couple of the moment, and in part due to Meghan's age: She turned 37 in August.

But the "evidence" being cited for her alleged pregnancy is pretty thin, and thinly sourced. To wit: Last week, when she and Harry attended a charity gala in London, she wore an electric blue Jason Wu frock with a ruffle detail at the waist.

"Is there already a bun in the oven?" speculated Hollywood Life.

On Twitter, people in no position to know looked at pictures of Meghan in the dress and claimed to have "feelings" that she is pregnant.

But how could Meghan "look" pregnant in Jason Wu when only days before, at a charity gala performance of "Hamilton" in London, she wore a tuxedo-style mini-dress by Judith & Charles that showed off her slender waist. No baby bump in sight.

Then a video surfaced of Harry and Meghan meeting some children at a different charity gala showing the prince, 33, rubbing his wife's back – and that, too, was taken as evidence of...well, something. (Actually, the two of them show way more PDA than most royal couples, although usually she is the one who is patting his back.)

Kensington Palace, of course, declined to comment one way or another, but US Weekly cited an unnamed “insider" as pooh-poohing the pregnancy rumors. It was merely "an unflattering dress and wind,” the magazine reported. Harry and Meghan are focusing the first year of their marriage on their royal duties and charities and will start a family later.

To be sure, some royal-covering media are uncomfortable with the Sussex baby bump watch. Harper's Bazaar points out that most people would not engage in this kind of rude speculation about anyone they actually know.

"You get no points for spotting her condition first. It just makes you look like an insensitive jerk," the magazine declared Monday.

But the jerks are moving on to the next unconfirmed rumor of pregnancy: Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, a yoga teacher and social worker who lives in Los Angeles but is said to be moving to London any day now.

On Sunday, the Daily Star, a London tabloid in the same media company as the tabloid Express and Sunday Express, reported that Ragland is taking "nanny classes" through a parenting center, Cradle Company, in Pasadena.

She's taking classes in breastfeeding, childbirth, newborn care, CPR and first aid because she plans to move to Kensington Palace to help Meghan once the first baby arrives, The Star claimed.

“Meghan wants to avoid hiring staff if possible once her first child arrives. The thought of having her mum move in with them and take on the role of baby nurse is the best possible solution to that."

Alix Abbamonte, a spokeswoman for Cradle Company, declined to comment to USA TODAY.

Never mind, the rest of the celebrity media crowd seized on this unconfirmed report as an excuse to discuss her alleged pregnancy. On Monday, the Express reported that Ragland quit her job as a social worker in May and "is expected to move to London as early as this month."

Can any of this be officially confirmed? Not by the palace, which generally avoids announcing royal pregnancies until after the first 12 weeks have passed. (A recent exception: Duchess Kate, whose struggles with acute morning sickness caused her to cancel engagements early in her pregnancies, thus forcing the palace to make early announcements.)

Nor has Ragland confirmed anything. In fact, unlike Meghan's father, Ragland's ex-husband, Thomas Markle Sr, Meghan's mother has been resolutely discrete: She has not given a media interview since her daughter's relationship with Harry first emerged in 2016.

Don't expect her to change that position now.