Celebrity Social Media, May 28, 2025

Ahead of the season four finale tomorrow, Hacks has been renewed for a fifth season; I’m thoroughly enjoying the tension of season four. 

One of my favourite gags has been “Cher is a no” and like the Reese Witherspoon scene, it is art imitating life. 

 

Hoda Kotb is incredibly popular and one of the few people who have left morning TV because they want to, not because they were fired or pushed out or under investigation. She gave up the network grind to spend more time with her family and has also announced a new wellness feature, Joy 101. It hits all of the buzzwords (mindfulness, gratitude) and will include classes and in-person retreats. Several celebrities have tried to create this kind of community but it’s difficult for a bunch of reasons (funding, overestimating how much time women have for wellness, cost). Hoda’s popularity might be a key differentiator here. 

Where I think they could dig deeper is zoning in on age. So much wellness content is targeted to women in their 30s and 40s and perimenopause, with very little for the 60+ crowd. Hoda is 60 and this seems like a huge opportunity to speak to a specific audience. 

 

Fast Company wrote a piece on As Ever and it is quite fawning, particularly about the relationship between Meghan and Netflix. There’s also a tidbit about the future: 

“The easiest thing to do would have been to endlessly restock the popular products, which would likely sell out very quickly again. But while the As Ever team has hinted online that the items will be back on sale soon, Meghan also wants to take a step back, gather data from the launch, and figure out exactly what As Ever could be. She says she’s planning to announce new products in the first quarter of 2026.”

Taking a step back after a big success can be seen as a slow-and-sustainable approach. On the flip side, it’s also gambling on people’s attention spans. Netflix and Meghan are banking on the idea that she will be as popular in a year as she is right now. That is a safe bet. But this approach aligns with reliable reporting on the Sussexes’ work ethos; there is a constant shift in goals and she changes her mind quite frequently, which makes building a sustainable brand tricky.