Month: October 2024

John Amos, the acclaimed actor known for his roles in Roots and Good Times, has died at the age of 84. 

Amos died of natural causes on Aug. 21, a representative for Amos confirmed to Variety today. His son, Kelly Christopher Amos, mourned his dad’s passing in a statement. 

“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” he said. “He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold… and he was loved the world over.”

“Many fans consider him their TV father. He lived a good life. His legacy will live on in his outstanding works in television and film as an actor,” he continued. “My father loved working as an actor throughout his entire life… Most recently in Suits: L.A. playing himself and our documentary about his life journey as an actor, America’s Dad.” Amos spoke about the docuseries with People earlier this year. 

“He was my dad, my best friend, and my hero,” his son concluded. “Thank you for your prayers and support at this time.”

Amos’ big break came in 1970 when he began playing Gordy the Weatherman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, his first major TV role. In 1974, he began starring as father James Evans on the beloved sitcom Good Times. When his role on the show wrapped up after three seasons, he took on another iconic role as the adult Kunta Kinte in the legendary miniseries Roots, playing a grown-up version of the character made famous by a young LeVar Burton. Amos went on to earn an Emmy nomination for his work on Roots. 

Amos went on to star in movies like Let’s Do It Again and Coming to America. Later in life, he had roles on shows like The West Wing and guest spots on 30 Rock, Two and a Half Men, and more. He continued acting until recently with appearances on The Righteous Gemstones in 2022 and last year’s The Last Rifleman. 

Original Saturday Night Live star Laraine Newman told People that creator Lorne Michaels didn’t expect the show’s success. Initially, he believed it would only run for a few weeks, at the most.

“When Lorne pitched the show to me, he said, ‘It’s 13 weeks with a five-year option,’” Newman recalled. “I thought, like that will ever happen.”

The birth of the legendary sketch show, which held its 50th season premiere on Saturday, is the subject of the new movie Saturday Night. Newman is played by Emily Fairn, while Gabriel LaBelle plays Michaels. Reflecting on the show now, Newman admits that no one thought it would make a significant cultural impression.

“No one could have imagined it would last this long,” she marveled. “Nothing lasts 50 years!”

Newman’s assessment is more or less accurate. Saturday Night Live was originally conceived to replace Saturday reruns of The Tonight Show after Johnny Carson and NBC became embroiled in a dispute. Carson wanted the reruns to air during weeknights so that he could have more time off, and NBC wanted to show the talk show giant that he was replaceable.

Michaels was approached by the network’s vice president of late-night programming, Dick Ebersol, to create a variety show for the coveted 18–34 demographic. Michaels and Ebersol developed the series over just three weeks, its cast assembled from a rag-tag group of local improvisers, playwrights, and actors. When it premiered the show was largely an experimental curiosity that no one, least of all NBC execs, expected to last more than a few months at most.

Newman joined SNL fresh out of The Groundlings. She was the youngest member of the show’s cast but quickly became one of the ensemble’s most treasured players with characters like Connie Conehead and Valley-Girl Sherry.

“It’s surreal. The Groundlings, like SNL, has shaped so much of modern comedy,” Newman said of the improv troupe, which includes fellow SNL alums Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell, and Kristen Wiig. “I would have never imagined we’d be looking back at five decades of influence from both.”

Of her time on Saturday Night Live, Newman said, “It was such a unique experience, and I’m proud to be part of something that’s had such a lasting impact…I’ve always thought about how TV reflects the anxieties, beliefs, and values of culture. It also helps shape them. Presenting issues through storytelling can be really effective on a systemic level.”

Bruce Willis has, by all accounts, been surrounded by the support of his loving family since he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023. However, seeing a family member grapple with a cognitive disease is not easy, as the actor’s adult daughter, Tallulah Willis, suggested this week.

The 30-year-old provided an update in an Instagram post on Monday, sharing a few candid photos of herself and her dad from recent years, presumably before his condition deteriorated. In the first photo, Willis can be seen standing behind his daughter giving her a sweet kiss on the head. In the second, the pair are seen sitting at a restaurant adjacent to a bowl of soup; while in the third, Willis smiles as Tallulah flips through a scrapbook of magazine articles.

“Hey, I love this guy so much and feeling feelings is tough stuff, but I’m so grateful to let them flow through me now instead of disconnecting from it! From the forever archives,” she wrote.

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In addition to his daughters, Willis’ ex-wife Demi Moore has been providing fans with updates on his condition. While speaking with Drew Barrymore last month to promote her buzzy new horror movie, The Substance, Moore was asked how the Die Hard star was doing, all things considered.

“Given the givens, he’s in a stable place,” the 61-year-old shared. “What I say to my kids is you meet them where they’re at. You don’t hold on to who they were or what you want them to be, but who they are in this moment. And from that, there is such beauty and joy and loving and sweetness.”

“When I’m in L.A., I go over every week and I really treasure the time that we all share,” she added.