EXCLUSIVE: MSNBC LIVE ’25 TICKET SALES BOMB — EVEN RACHEL MADDOW DINNER STRUGGLES
PLUS: BEN AFFLECK FROZEN OUT OF MATT DAMON & CHRIS HEMSWORTH’S IBIZA BIRTHDAY BASH, SNL CAST ‘DISGUSTED’ WITH PETE DAVIDSON
EXCLUSIVE: MSNBC LIVE ’25 TICKET SALES FLOP — EVEN RACHEL MADDOW DINNER STRUGGLES
It was supposed to be MSNBC’s can’t-miss fan spectacular. Instead, ticket sales for MSNBC LIVE ’25 are sputtering — and insiders say the network is sweating. Of the 14 seating sections for the Morning and Evening Sessions, only three have sold out, and the Rachel Maddow Capstone Dinner — hyped as the crown jewel — still has empty tables. “They thought this would be gone in hours,” a source spills. “Right now, it’s shaping up to be a disaster.”
Set for Oct. 11 in New York City, the event boasts a heavy-hitter lineup — Joe & Mika, Nicolle Wallace, Chris Hayes, Jen Psaki, Lawrence O’Donnell, Stephanie Ruhle — plus “in-depth democracy discussions” and VIP meet-and-greets. Premium Orchestra seats come with access to the Maddow dinner and a Capstone Lunch.
“There’s time to turn it around,” another insider warns, “but at this pace, they could lose money. If this were a J.Lo concert, it’d already be canceled.”
Execs banked on MSNBC’s fiercely loyal base snapping up tickets. Instead, sales are sluggish. “This was meant to be the ultimate fan lovefest,” a third source says. “They may have to paper the house to avoid empty seats on camera.”
EXCLUSIVE: BEN AFFLECK FROZEN OUT OF MATT DAMON & CHRIS HEMSWORTH’S IBIZA BASH
Chris Hemsworth’s 42nd birthday in Ibiza was a celebrity dream — Matt Damon, Rita Ora, Taika Waititi, Liam Hemsworth, sun-drenched yachts, champagne toasts. But missing from the guest list? Ben Affleck.
Sources tell #ShuterScoop it wasn’t an oversight. “Ben is needy and difficult,” one insider claims. “He’s better one-on-one. In groups, he doesn’t play nice — he drains the energy.”
While Damon and Affleck are Hollywood’s most famous bromance, insiders say the vibe shifts when other big names are around. “Matt thrives in those everyone’s-laughing settings,” says a source. “Ben… not so much.”
The crew hit celeb hotspot Casa Jondal before heading out on the water, dancing and laughing. “It was all good vibes,” says another insider. “Probably exactly why Ben wasn’t there.”
Still, the optics are brutal. “If it were reversed, Ben wouldn’t leave Matt behind,” one source says. “This could put a real chill on their friendship.”
EXCLUSIVE: SNL CAST ‘DISGUSTED’ WITH PETE DAVIDSON — “MORE FAMOUS FOR DATING THAN COMEDY”
Pete Davidson’s new claims about feeling like an outsider on Saturday Night Live are getting side-eye from those who were there. Sources tell #ShuterScoop plenty of his castmates were over him long before he left.
“He was a brat — moody, unpredictable, and never as prepared as the rest,” says one insider. Another adds, “He was more famous for who he dated — Ariana, Kate, Kim — than for anything on the show. It brought tabloid chaos into a place that’s supposed to be about the comedy.”
Davidson insists no one was “mean” and that Kenan Thompson took him under his wing. But behind the scenes, resentment brewed over what some saw as “limited sketch chops” and a reliance on buzz over material.
“It’s SNL — everyone’s fighting for airtime,” says a veteran staffer. “You can’t survive on headlines alone.” Love him or loathe him, Pete’s tenure remains one of the most polarizing in the show’s history.
EXCLUSIVE: BLAKE LIVELY SNUBBED FROM TAYLOR SWIFT’S ‘SHOWGIRL’ CELEBRATION
Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl celebration at Casa Cipriani was pure glitter — record-breaking numbers, glowing champagne toasts, her inner circle in attendance. But one seat stayed conspicuously empty: Blake Lively’s.
Sources tell #ShuterScoop the omission wasn’t accidental. “This was a curated list,” one insider says. “Blake just didn’t make the cut.”
The two were once inseparable, but tensions reportedly flared when Lively contradicted Swift’s public denial of involvement in the It Ends With Us controversy — a moment insiders say “rattled” the friendship.
Instead, Swift dined with BFF Ashley Avignone and actor Owen Thiele. “She was radiant,” says an eyewitness. “This was about celebrating a career high — and she kept the circle small.”
With Swift’s Showgirl trailer smashing a record 167 million views in 24 hours, her team is laser-focused on protecting the era’s narrative. “Taylor doesn’t do accidental guest lists,” a source says. “Every seat was intentional — and Blake’s wasn’t one of them.”
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