Intro for January 6, 2026

Dear Gossips,

Six days into the year and we have our first sort of unexpected mashup of two celebrities you wouldn’t have predicted to collaborate: Winona Ryder and A$AP Rocky. She co-stars with him in the new video he just dropped for a track called “Punk Rocky” and it suits both of them – a subversive suburban setting for her, playing his neighbour, and offbeat and stylish for him, in a direction he seems to be leaning into more and more. “Punk Rocky” now sets up a full album release, speculated to be next Friday.

But back to Winona and how she ended up here, seemingly randomly, but not really if you’ve been following Rocky’s interests. He’s namechecked Tim Burton in practically every interview I’ve watched over the last year, The Nightmare Before Christmas is his favourite movie, and Tim worked on the album art for the upcoming Don’t Be Dumb. So it’s really not a stretch for Winona to make an appearance considering that she’s arguably Tim Burton’s most famous muse. And if Rocky idolises Tim, naturally he’d feel the same about Winona, just like us.

Which explains how he presents her in this video – a quirky queen theme-coloured in red who comes through when he needs her. With cookies and also dance moves. Winona Ryder and Rocky dancing together? I need more.

But also, we’re now one step closer to a possible Winona and Rihanna moment. And I don’t mean music, like just a photo would do.

Speaking of Rihanna, she and Rocky spent New Year’s in Barbados. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @awgecentral

She was also seen hanging out with locals at a birthday party a couple of days ago. Can you believe the 10^th anniversary of Anti is coming at the end of this month? TEN YEARS! A whole ass decade has passed since that album, her best, came out. Where did it go? I had to fact-check this three times because …ten years?!

I’m not asking the question that usually comes next. This woman had three children in four years, all she’s been doing is cooking! 

Yours in gossip,

Lainey