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Psychiatrist weighs in as “The Summer I Turned Pretty” fan enthusiasm turns toxic

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Psychiatrist weighs in as “The Summer I Turned Pretty” fan enthusiasm turns toxic


The debate over who the main character in creator Jenny Han’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” should end up with is heating up as the final episodes of the third season approach – but fan enthusiasm is starting to spill into hostility. 

Prime Video’s hit romance series has captivated audiences as it follows Isabel “Belly” Conklin who finds herself in a love triangle with brothers Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher competing for her attention. Passionate fans have broken off into two dueling camps: #TeamJeremiah versus #TeamConrad. And they’re taking to social media to battle over which love interest should ultimately win Belly’s heart. 

But some of these so-called fans are turning on the actors themselves.

Last month, actors Christopher Briney (Conrad) and Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah) told “CBS Mornings” they often have to remind fans that they’re just playing a role.

“It’s a story that people can relate to and love. Yeah, we’re just grateful that people are passionate about the story we’re telling,” Casalegno said. Briney added, “You root for both of these characters at times.”

Lola Tung, who plays Belly, also admitted the rivalry gets a bit too intense at times.

“When people have an attachment to the characters, they want to see it come together at the end. I’m so grateful that they care so much, but people get a little scary about it. Please don’t threaten to kill someone if something doesn’t go your way — I promise you, it’s not that serious,” she told Teen Vogue.

“There is a line between fiction and reality”

Last week, Prime Video launched a social media campaign called, “The Summer We Started Acting Normal Online,” urging viewers to keep the conversation kind and highlighted its zero tolerance policy for bullying and hate speech.

“The show isn’t real but the people playing the characters are,” Prime Video wrote.

Board-certified psychiatrist and author Sue Varma said she is “blown away” that a network had to step in and tell fans to simmer down and the show is fiction. Varma says fans’ emotional attachment may point to a larger societal problem.

“There is a line between fiction and reality. And I feel as if these lines are becoming really blurred when people are projecting their anger, their hatred, their harassment and resentment onto fictional characters,” she said.

Varma said this indicates that there is perhaps a “deep void in our society right now” with people longing for human connection. 

She explained these fan behaviors are a sign of a psychological phenomenon known as parasocial relationships – or one-sided bonds with media figures. Varma adds the anonymity of social media emboldens fans to exhibit bad behavior.



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22 India-backed terrorists killed in Khyber intelligence-based operation, says ISPR

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22 India-backed terrorists killed in Khyber intelligence-based operation, says ISPR


Security personnel stand guard in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. — AFP/File
  • IBO conducted on reported presence of India-backed militants: ISPR.
  • Says weapons and ammunition also recovered from killed terrorists.
  • Sanitisation operation continues to eliminate any other militants.

Security forces and law enforcement agencies neutralised at least 22 India-sponsored terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in the Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 21, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.

According to the military’s media wing, the joint operation was conducted in response to the reported presence of India-backed militants, also known as Fitna al-Khawarij.

It added that during the operation, the terrorists resorted to indiscriminate firing out of panic and in an attempt to avoid capture. As a result, a 10-year-old innocent child was martyred.

The ISPR added that weapons and ammunition were also recovered from killed India-sponsored terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.

“Sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji found in the area,” the ISPR said, adding that the relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision “Azm-e-Istehkam” will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.

“Such sacrifices of our innocent civilians further strengthen our resolve.”

Pakistan has witnessed a spike in cross-border militant activity, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both of which share a border with Afghanistan, since the Afghan Taliban took control in 2021.

In response to the escalating attacks, Pakistan launched “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq,” during which approximately 796 Afghan Taliban fighters and allied militants were killed, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.

More than 1,000 Afghan Taliban fighters and terrorists were also injured during the Operation Ghazab lil-Haq. The minister had said that 286 posts of the Afghan Taliban regime had been destroyed and 44 captured.

In October 2025, the two countries were also involved in border clashes after Afghan Taliban fighters and allied militants carried out unprovoked assaults on Pakistan’s border positions.

The ensuing fighting resulted in the deaths of over 200 Taliban and affiliated militants, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred in the line of duty.





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Mariska Hargitay expresses love for Christopher Meloni’s ‘Law & Order’ series

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Mariska Hargitay expresses love for Christopher Meloni’s ‘Law & Order’ series


Mariska Hargitay expresses love for Christopher Meloni’s ‘Law & Order’ series

Mariska Hargitay has revealed she was moved to tears after seeing Christopher Meloni’s emotional response to the cancellation of Law & Order: Organized Crime, describing it as the closing of a significant chapter for her longtime co-star and friend.

Speaking to Extra, Hargitay said she watched Meloni’s Instagram video about the show ending and was immediately overcome. 

“I saw it and burst out in tears, first of all,” she said. 

“I immediately burst out in tears because it has, just like [Meloni] said, and he was so beautiful and open, because it has been a great ride. And it has been so beautiful and intimate and such a huge part of his life and was life-changing for him.”

She also said the news had come as a genuine shock. 

“Chris is working and in demand and such a magnificent actor. But it’s, in a way, closing a chapter. So when that happens, one needs to take inventory. It’s a real marker in your life.”

Law & Order: Organized Crime was officially cancelled after five seasons earlier this month. 

Meloni marked the occasion with a heartfelt video on Instagram. 

“I wanted to take this moment to say thank you to the fans who not only helped give the character of Elliot Stabler life and longevity, but for sticking with him and welcoming him back. It was a good ride,” he said.

The series, which premiered in 2021, followed Stabler, the character Meloni first played on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as he returned to New York after a decade away to rebuild his life and take on organised crime. 

It aired on NBC for its first four seasons before moving to Peacock for its fifth and final season, which concluded in June 2025. 

The cast also included Danielle Moné Truitt, Rick Gonzalez, Ainsley Seiger and Dean Norris.





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Luke Grimes shares what disappoints ‘Yellowstone’ fans the most

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Luke Grimes shares what disappoints ‘Yellowstone’ fans the most


Luke Grimes shares what disappoints ‘Yellowstone’ fans the most

Luke Grimes has been playing cowboy Kayce Dutton on Yellowstone since 2018, but some fans are still coming to terms with a fundamental truth: he is an actor, not an actual cowboy.

The 42-year-old, who now continues the character’s story in the CBS spinoff Marshals, told Toronto radio station CHUM 104.5 that the strangest fan encounters often involve a version of the same realisation.

Some viewers, he said, “loved that show so much that they were, on a certain level, upset that it wasn’t real.” 

The most common version of this comes in the form of a complaint. “A lot of times you’ll get the, ‘You’re not a real cowboy.'” 

His response is straightforward. 

“Well, of course I’m not, I’m an actor. That’s why I’m able to do this. If I was a real cowboy, I’d be, like, herding cattle right now. I wouldn’t be on this show.”

Even his one-year-old son, whom he shares with wife Bianca Rodrigues Grimes, has his own take on the cowboy persona. 

“My son thinks my cowboy hat is really funny,” Grimes told PEOPLE at the Marshals LA premiere. 

“He doesn’t understand why I have that big thing on my head.” That said, the baby loves visiting the set and got excited when he was brought along.

New episodes of Marshals air Sundays at 8pm ET on CBS.





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