Will Ferrell dresses up as hockey referee for NHL game a year after showing up as beer-guzzling B...

The actor and longtime hockey fan explained that he was ready to step in as a ref &34;at a moment's notice&34; if needed. Will Ferrell dresses up as hockey referee for NHL game a year after showing up as beerguzzling Buddy the Elf The actor and longtime hockey fan explained that he was ready to step in as a ref &34;at a moment's notice&34; if needed. By Emlyn Travis :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/EmlynTravisauthorphotocba6765b433b4f93b9398d18053153b1.jpg) Emlyn Travis is a news writer at . She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

The actor and longtime hockey fan explained that he was ready to step in as a ref "at a moment's notice" if needed.

Will Ferrell dresses up as hockey referee for NHL game a year after showing up as beer-guzzling Buddy the Elf

The actor and longtime hockey fan explained that he was ready to step in as a ref "at a moment's notice" if needed.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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January 2, 2026 8:33 p.m. ET

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Will Ferrell dressed as a referee at a Los Angeles Kings game. Credit:

Kelly Smiley/NHLI via Getty

New year, same Will Ferrell.**

On the first day of 2026, the actor and comedian continued his hilarious holiday tradition of dressing up for hockey games, this time showing up in full NHL referee gear to watch the Los Angeles Kings face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning. **

In video from the game, Ferrell can be seen taking his fake role very seriously as he taps on the glass, yells encouragement to the real officials, and points at various players.

The* Saturday Night Live* alum, who is a longtime Kings fan, spoke about his unique outfit choice with Kings reporter Carrlyn Bathe during the game.

"I've always been in support of the NHL referees. In fact, I trained two of the guys out here," Ferrell quipped. "They're two my of prize students, Brandon and Frances. They're calling a heck of a game."

He noted that the attire was "all mine," and that he'd be happy to step in as a referee if needed. "I've got it ready to go at a moment's notice," Ferrell declared, "because you never know, if one of these guys go down, I may have to put on the skates and get out there."

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In fact, Ferrell said his costume was so accurate that "fine folks at the Kings have begged me" not to use his whistle because it "could cause issues" during the game. He added, "In between periods I gave it a shot. It works very well."

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.*****

Will Ferrell dressed as Buddy the Elf at a Los Angeles Kings game in 2024.

Ronald Martinez/Getty

Ferrell's costume comes one year after he dressed up as a haggard version of his beloved Yuletide* *character Buddy the Elf (from the movie *Elf*) to watch the Kings battle it out against the Philadelphia Flyers. During that game, Ferrell's sullen Buddy could be seen chugging a beer and smoking a candy cigarette as he sat behind the glass with his family.

Ferrell later explained the inspiration behind the stunt on an episode of Jason and Travis Kelce's* New Heights* podcast. "Buddy the Elf got laid off, I think, from the North Pole," Ferrell joked. "He's having a pull from his beer. He's smoking a cig. That was just — I get these weird ideas every now and then."**

He also expressed his surprise at how much attention the costume received. "The reaction was insane. They were like, 'What is he doing? Is he promoting something?'" Ferrell said. "But occasionally I like to do weird things like that just to stir it up."

- Celebrities & Creators

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Published: January 03, 2026 at 05:38AM on Source: RON MAG

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byKris Ronald

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 02, 2026

Will Ferrell dresses up as hockey referee for NHL game a year after showing up as beer-guzzling B...

The actor and longtime hockey fan explained that he was ready to step in as a ref &34;at a moment's notice&34; if...

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Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson had to get naked, attack each other 'like tigers' on first...

&34;Die My Love&34; stars Lawrence as a woman going mad, while Pattinson plays her love interest. Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson had to get naked, attack each other 'like tigers' on first day filming together &34;Die My Love&34; stars Lawrence as a woman going mad, while Pattinson plays her love interest. By Raechal Shewfelt :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RaechalShewfeltauthorphotoc49d3a3b6aa442f588f2bbc0de804e09.jpg) Raechal Shewfelt Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at . She has been working at EW since 2024.

"Die My Love" stars Lawrence as a woman going mad, while Pattinson plays her love interest.

Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson had to get naked, attack each other 'like tigers' on first day filming together

"Die My Love" stars Lawrence as a woman going mad, while Pattinson plays her love interest.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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January 2, 2026 10:00 p.m. ET

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Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson costar in 'Die My Love'. Credit:

Kimberly French/MUBI

What a way to bond with a new co-worker!

Jennifer Lawrence has revealed that she and Robert Pattinson, her costar in the new dramedy *Die My Love*, spent their first day of filming in what might have been an awkward experience.

"Our first day on set was a naked scene where we were attacking each other like tigers," Lawrence said during *The Hollywood Reporter*'s Actress Roundtable, which also featured Jessie Buckley (*Hamnet*); Laura Dern (*Is This Thing On?* and *Jay Kelly*); Cynthia Erivo (*Wicked: For Good*); Renate Reinsve (*Sentimental Value*); and Amanda Seyfried (*The Testament of Ann Lee*).

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.*****

Lawrence said the director of the film, Lynne Ramsay, had sent her and the *Batman* star to interpretive dance lessons ahead of time to help them prepare.

Surprisingly, the *Silver Linings Playbook* star explained that beginning the shoot that way had been a relief.

"It was kind of nice that it was Day One," Lawrence said, "'cause then it wasn't hanging over our heads."

Jennifer Lawrence says Robert Pattinson was 'not pervy' filming sex scenes for 'Die My Love'

Jennifer Lawrence admits the dog in Die My Love 'annoyed the s---' out of her — but that's the point

Seyfried said that plan was "actually brilliant," before adding, "If you know what the genitals look like, then you don't wonder."

Lawrence agreed: "Then I don't have to think about it."

She clarified that they were not naked during the interpretive dance lesson.

'Die My Love' stars Jennifer Lawrence as Grace and Robert Pattinson as Jackson.

Seamus McGarvey/MUBI

In *Die My Love*, Lawrence plays Grace, a mother struggling with postpartum depression and her longing for connection, especially with her boyfriend Jackson, the part played by Pattinson.

The film, which is out now, costars Sissy Spacek, LaKeith Stanfield, and Nick Nolte.**

And Spacek, for one, was impressed with their love scenes.

"They were brilliant to watch," Spacek told ** of Lawrence and Pattinson last month. "I mean, there was nothing sexier than watching them fight and then make up. It was incredible."

The *Coal Miner's Daughter *star had an up-close seat, as she plays Pam, the mother of Pattinson's character.**

Watch the full conversation above.**

*Die My Love* is in theaters now and available to rent or purchase on streaming platforms.

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Published: January 03, 2026 at 05:38AM on Source: RON MAG

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byKris Ronald

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 02, 2026

Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson had to get naked, attack each other 'like tigers' on first...

&34;Die My Love&34; stars Lawrence as a woman going mad, while Pattinson plays her love interest. Jennifer Lawrence...

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Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened. Vampire Diaries boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5 Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened. By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/SamanthaHighfillauthorphoto0917254112e875604542d49744a27de908d183.jpg) Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at , where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television. EW's editorial guidelines August 18, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET Katherine Pierce was a staple of the Vampire Diaries universe.

Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened.

Vampire Diaries boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened.

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 18, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

Katherine Pierce was a staple of the *Vampire Diaries* universe. But at one point in the series, the writers had to fight to tell more of her story.

"We had to negotiate for the right to let Nina [Dobrev] play Katherine again because the season 2 Katherine [story] had really taken everything out of her and the network was being very protective," executive producer Julie Plec says about the show's fifth season during episode 5 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*. "[The network] and studio were being very protective and they were like, 'You can't do that anymore, you can't have Katherine.'"

On an earlier episode of the podcast, Dobrev spoke about how exhausted she was at the end of season 2, the first season in which she played both Elena and Katherine in the present day. So when it came time to make Katherine human and even introduce a third Petrova doppelgänger, the writers had to get creative. "We had to basically beg the network to let us even write story for Katherine," Plec says, noting that "the triplegänger made the whole thing worth it."

Nina Dobrev as Katherine Pierce on 'The Vampire Diaries'. Tina Rowden/The CW

Fans will remember that season 5 featured Katherine taking over Elena's body, which meant that for a good chunk of the season, Dobrev only had one character to play. And then, eventually, Katherine met her demise, a decision that also came about following those negotiations. "I literally think we had to say we'll kill her in order to get permission to use her," Plec recalls.

Additionally, during the podcast, Plec discusses the choice to have Bonnie (Kat Graham) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) be the two characters who "die" together at the end of season 5, which led to a discussion about Bamon, the popular ship. "Bonnie and Damon had a thing in the books we had sort of always said, 'We don't buy a romantic connection between Bonnie and Damon because Damon's just done too many terrible things and Bonnie just has more integrity than that,'" Plec says. "But we wanted to service that relationship in the canon a little bit."

For more about season 5—and the series overall—listen to the full episode below:

**To listen, subscribe to *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries* feed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to EW's YouTube page to catch all the video interviews and stay tuned to EW.com.**

**Related content:**

- *Vampire Diaries* bosses on the 'controversial' sire bond and the role Pedro Pascal auditioned for

- *Vampire Diaries* boss Julie Plec explains why Klaroline could never happen today

- *Vampire Diaries* star Paul Wesley on Stelena's season 2 split: I was 'dealing with my own stuff' on screen

- *Vampire Diaries* creators talk season 1 Katherine twist, the fan response that left them 'aghast'

- Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shows

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Published: January 03, 2026 at 04:19AM on Source: RON MAG

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byKris Ronald

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 02, 2026

Vampire Diaries boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened. Vampire Diaries boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine...

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Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/SamanthaHighfillauthorphoto0917254112e875604542d49744a27de908d183.jpg) Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at , where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television. EW's editorial guidelines August 20, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET The Vampire Diaries creators have talked a lot about the importance of a great villain for the series, and in its later seasons, there was one villain that stood out among the rest: Kai Parker (Chris Wood).

Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 20, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

The* Vampire Diaries* creators have talked a lot about the importance of a great villain for the series, and in its later seasons, there was one villain that stood out among the rest: Kai Parker (Chris Wood). Introduced in season 6, the sociopathic siphoner quickly became a favorite in the *TVD* fandom, and for Ian Somerhalder, whose Damon Salvatore was the series' first villain, Kai marked a significant shift for the show.

In episode 6 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*, Somerhalder recalls his hesitation about Damon becoming a good — or at least better — guy in the show's third season. "I was so upset about the trajectory of Damon," Somerhalder says. "So much so that at one point I was sitting across from [executive producer] Julie [Plec] in her office in Atlanta almost in tears so angry about this."

Plec, along with her co-creator Kevin Williamson, explained that Damon couldn't be what they called a "one trick pony," that he was going to be the villain at times and the hero at others. But that's precisely why Somerhalder says he was jealous of what Chris Wood got to do as Kai in season 6. "That's why I was always so in love with what Chris Wood was doing on screen, because up until that moment, there was never a character in the show, other than Stefan in the Ripper age, that actually had the ability to not be so serious, to do horrific things but do it with a smile," Somerhalder says.

As far as Wood's inspiration for Kai, Wood, who's also on the podcast, says, "We talked about Ted Bundy if he was really funny. It was the worst person in the world who's also like maybe a good hang if you can get him to shut up for a second. That was sort of what I was always going for."

For more listen to the full podcast episode, featuring Somerhalder, Wood and executive producer Julie Plec, below:

**To listen, subscribe to *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries* feed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to EW's YouTube page to catch all the video interviews, and stay tuned to EW.com.**

**Related content:**

- *Vampire Diaries* boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

- *Vampire Diaries* bosses on the 'controversial' sire bond and the role Pedro Pascal auditioned for

- *Vampire Diaries* boss Julie Plec explains why Klaroline could never happen today

- *Vampire Diaries* star Paul Wesley on Stelena's season 2 split: I was 'dealing with my own stuff' on screen

- Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shows

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Sci-Fi"

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Published: January 03, 2026 at 04:19AM on Source: RON MAG

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

byKris Ronald

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 02, 2026

Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai

Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes...

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Vampire Diaries writers and Candice King discuss the 'most bananas' season 7 twist By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/SamanthaHighfillauthorphoto0917254112e875604542d49744a27de908d183.jpg) Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at , where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television. EW's editorial guidelines August 25, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET Over the course of its eight seasons, The Vampire Diaries' mythology changed every now and then to fit a certain story.

Vampire Diaries writers and Candice King discuss the 'most bananas' season 7 twist

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 25, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

Over the course of its eight seasons, *The Vampire Diaries*' mythology changed every now and then to fit a certain story. But in its seventh season, the show delivered its biggest change from its established mythology when, suddenly, Caroline (Candice King) became pregnant via a magical transfer. Even though she was a vampire, she was somehow carrying Alaric (Matthew Davis) and Jo's (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) twins.

The twist was something the writers thought up as a way to soften the tragedy at the end of season 6 when Kai (Chris Wood) killed Jo and her unborn children—on her wedding day, no less. "We had always left that [story thread] hanging on instinct," writer Neil Reynolds says during episode 7 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*.

Executive producer Julie Plec adds, "Because of the tragedy of the twins and Jo dying and looking for story for Alaric for the season, we had separately come up with the story of the woman who knocks on his door and is like, 'I think I'm pregnant with your babies.'" But the writers weren't sure if that twist was *too* crazy, so they didn't originally plan to go there. Until star Candice King called to let them know she was pregnant. "I was very nervous to make that call," King says on the podcast.

Candice King on 'The Vampire Diaries'. Bob Mahoney/The CW

Ultimately, the writers decided to work in King's pregnancy and use the aforementioned story, only instead of a random woman showing up pregnant, Caroline would carry Ric's kids. Plec remembers warning CW president Mark Pedowitz about "the most bananas thing" she was ever going to pitch him at the time, but surprisingly, he wasn't fazed. And thus Caroline's pregnancy became part of the series and will always go down as one of the show's most unexpected turns.

For more about season 7, listen to the full episode of the podcast below:

**To listen, subscribe to *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries* feed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to EW's YouTube page to catch all the video interviews, and stay tuned to EW.com.**

**Related content:**

- *Vampire Diaries* star Ian Somerhalder reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai

- *Vampire Diaries* boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

- *Vampire Diaries* bosses on the 'controversial' sire bond and the role Pedro Pascal auditioned for

- *Vampire Diaries* boss Julie Plec explains why Klaroline could never happen today

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Teen"

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Source: Teen

Published: January 03, 2026 at 04:19AM on Source: RON MAG

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

byKris Ronald

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 02, 2026

Vampire Diaries writers and Candice King discuss the 'most bananas' season 7 twist

Vampire Diaries writers and Candice King discuss the 'most bananas' season 7 twist By Samantha Highfill :maxby...

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Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast. Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Salvatore brother and Damon's fate in the finale Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast. By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/SamanthaHighfillauthorphoto0917254112e875604542d49744a27de908d183.jpg) Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at , where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television. EW's editorial guidelines August 27, 2021 9:00 a.m.

Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast.

Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Salvatore brother and Damon's fate in the finale

Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast.

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 27, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

For *The Vampire Diaries* creatives, casting Enzo was a particularly difficult task. Because originally, the role was going to be very different.

"You were supposed to be the third Salvatore brother," executive producer Julie Plec tells star Michael Malarkey in episode 8 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*. Writer Brett Matthews adds, "That was always the plan, and then it went a different direction, but that's why it was so hard to find the person. We thought it was going to be a Salvatore brother, so we cast a very wide net [and] looked very hard." Ultimately, they scrapped that plan and made it so Enzo didn't share Salvatore blood, but he was a brother figure for Damon (Ian Somerhalder) for many years (and he was sired by Lily Salvatore).

But that wasn't the only plan that changed in the writers' room over the years. In discussing the *Vampire Diaries*' final season, Plec and Matthews recall the final major debate: Which Salvatore were they going to kill in the series finale? "We went back and forth in the writers' room all season long," Plec says. "We finally landed on: We're killing Damon. That's the right thing to do. He is the one with the consequence to pay. Stefan was morally a bit stronger of a character."

Michael Malarkey as Enzo and Ian Somerhalder as Damon on 'The Vampire Diaries'. Annette Brown/The CW; Bob Mahoney/The CW

Matthews adds, "Damon's a fairly obvious choice," noting that the writers really fell in love with the idea of Damon compelling Stefan (Paul Wesley) to let him die. But when executive producer Kevin Williamson proposed that it should be Stefan that dies, they started to rethink their plan. "It felt like dying for Stefan freed him from a lot of weight, whereas it felt like living for Damon freed him to go and be the man that he was always supposed to be," Plec says.

Of course, both Salvatores were meant to die in the original ending Plec and Williamson came up with during the show's second season. In that ending, "The boys would sacrifice themselves to save Elena so that Elena could go and have a life and be human and live," Plec recalls during the podcast. "To save her, they would die together, and that was always the pitch. And then when Nina [Dobrev] left, it felt like the show can't be as much about protecting Elena's happiness, although that's important to us, but we want to protect the bothers' happiness, we want them to get something out of this. Then it shifted to: We can't kill both of them for her because that feels somehow like nobody got what they wanted. Let's find a different way to give one of these brothers the happiness that they need and the other brother the closure that they need."

(One other way Dobrev leaving changed the plan? Plec says, "I thought that by the time we came back to the end of the series, whenever it was, that Elena would've found her way back to Stefan and Damon would've found a different path.")

For more about the final season, listen to the full podcast episode below:

**To listen, subscribe to *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries* feed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to EW's YouTube page to catch all the video interviews, and stay tuned to EW.com.**

**Related content:**

- *Vampire Diaries* star Ian Somerhaldher reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai

- *Vampire Diaries* boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

- *Vampire Diaries* bosses on the 'controversial' sire bond and the role Pedro Pascal auditioned for

- *Vampire Diaries* boss Julie Plec explains why Klaroline could never happen today

- Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shows

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Sci-Fi"

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Source: Sci-Fi

Published: January 03, 2026 at 04:19AM on Source: RON MAG

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

byKris Ronald

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 02, 2026

Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Salvatore brother and Damon's fate in the finale

Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast. Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Sal...

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Steelers LB TJ Watt calls dry needling mishap a 'fluke' and hopes to play against Baltimore

Steelers LB TJ Watt calls dry needling mishap a 'fluke' and hopes to play against Baltimore WILL GRAVES January 3, 2026 at 4:58 AM 0 Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) tackles Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) () PITTSBURGH (AP) — T.J. Watt is ready to take a break from dry needling and get back to work on the football field. The Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker is hopeful to play on Sunday night when the Baltimore Ravens visit with the AFC North title on the line.

- - Steelers LB TJ Watt calls dry needling mishap a 'fluke' and hopes to play against Baltimore

WILL GRAVES January 3, 2026 at 4:58 AM

0

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) tackles Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) ()

PITTSBURGH (AP) — T.J. Watt is ready to take a break from dry needling and get back to work on the football field.

The Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker is hopeful to play on Sunday night when the Baltimore Ravens visit with the AFC North title on the line. The perennial Pro Bowler has missed each of Pittsburgh's past three games following a dry needling treatment mishap that led to surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung.

Watt called the accident, which was administered by a member of the club's athletic/medical staff, a "fluke." The 31-year-old, like many NFL players, has used the treatment — in which needles are inserted under the skin to target trigger points such as knotted or tender areas in muscles — for some time.

While Watt didn't rule out turning to it down the road, he added with a grin that it won't be a part of his recovery regimen in the short term.

Watt experienced discomfort after having treatment at the facility on Dec. 10. He went to the hospital, where the 2021 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year was told he needed surgery to fix his lung.

"Obviously very scary," Watt said. "Just a significant amount of pain at the same time you're going to work, and then all of a sudden you need surgery. It sucks. Just a lot of unknown."

Watt sat out three critical games while recovering. The Steelers went 2-1 during that stretch — doubling the win total the club had without Watt in the lineup during the first eight seasons of his career — and can win the division for the first time since 2020 by beating the Ravens on Sunday night.

Watt called the rehab process "unique" but felt really good after practice on Friday at Acrisure Stadium.

"I have no limitations," Watt said. "I tried to simulate as much as I could with shoulder pads and stuff like that. But you can only simulate so much. So I feel really good right now. Hopefully that's the case on Sunday as well."

Watt declined to get into specifics about how he was affected physically, instead focusing on what he can do to help Pittsburgh get into the playoffs. The Steelers have reached the postseason five times during Watt's career, but have yet to advance.

"Everyone knows the magnitude of this game," Watt said. "It's just a matter of going out and getting it done. That's kind of the key. Everybody knows how important these games are. Everybody knows this is what you train all offseason, your whole career for games like this."

Watt, who receives a significant amount of attention from opposing linemen, tight end and running backs, has just seven sacks this season, his lowest total in a year in which he's played at least 13 games since his rookie year in 2017.

Longtime teammate Cam Heyward said the Steelers need Watt to do "T.J. Watt" things against the Ravens. Watt has 17 of his 115 sacks against Pittsburgh's longtime rival.

While Watt is well aware of the one major hole on his resume, he's also simply happy that he may have a chance to make an impact instead of watching from afar or on the sideline as he's been forced to do while he recovers.

"I'm glad to have the doctors that we had, the surgeon that I had," Watt said. "(And) to be able to be here playing football games this weekend."

___

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Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Sports"

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Published: January 03, 2026 at 01:27AM on Source: RON MAG

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

byKris Ronald

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

January 02, 2026

Steelers LB TJ Watt calls dry needling mishap a 'fluke' and hopes to play against Baltimore

Steelers LB TJ Watt calls dry needling mishap a 'fluke' and hopes to play against Baltimore WILL GRAVES Janua...

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