When Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin announced in 2014 they were separating after more than a decade of marriage, their joint statement infamously introduced a two-word phrase to the pop-culture vernacular: “conscious uncoupling.”

It feels quaint now to look back on a time before we knew the term — which refers to a relatively amicable breakup or divorce — but at the time, the exes faced a lot of backlash in the media for what was perceived as a self-important way to describe a split. In fact, the response was so negative that Paltrow says she lost a job over it.

The Oscar-winning actress and entrepreneur appears on the latest episode of Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, and the surprising anecdote came when the Saturday Night Live alum asked Paltrow if she’d ever been fired. After sharing a story of losing her gig working at a toy store when she was 12, Paltrow transitioned to the more serious story.

“You know, I was supposed to do a movie at one point, and it was right after the kind of ‘conscious uncoupling’ thing with Chris,” Paltrow told Poehler. “And there was a lot of harsh stuff in the press, and I think the distributor was like, ‘This might be too hot to touch.’ So that was great, because I was getting a divorce and then I got fired, which was awesome,” Paltrow added sarcastically.

The Goop founder explained that she was just trying to find a better way through an incredibly hard time in her life, and the “conscious uncoupling” idea — introduced by sociologist Diane Vaughan back in the 1970s — gave her that framework.

“Say you had a really nasty divorce or your parents had a really nasty divorce, and then you hear this idea that it doesn’t have to be done this way,” Paltrow said of why people had a harsh reaction to the phrase. “I think the implicit learning is like, ‘Oh f—, they’re saying I did something wrong,’ which of course is not the intention. But of course, that makes sense to me. ‘Is the inference that I messed someone up?’ Like, that’s not a nice thing to contemplate. So I do understand why it was so personal for people, because it was. You only see that kind of reaction when it’s personal.”

Martin and Paltrow met and began dating in 2002 and were married the next year. Before their 2014 separation, they had two children together: 21-year-old Apple and 19-year-old Moses.

Watch Paltrow’s full Good Hang interview — with the firing talk starting around the 22-minute mark — below.

To pen the theme for a James Bond movie is one of the most coveted gigs in music — and Oasis‘ Noel Gallagher is ready to throw his hat in the ring.

As rumors continue to percolate about the future of the legacy franchise, the Gallagher brother told TalkSports in an interview Monday that he’d love to contribute an original song to the next Bond film, whenever it comes to be. When asked how he’d respond if he were offered the gig by longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, Noel quipped, “I’d say, ‘All right, Babs.’”

“Absolutely, yeah, of course, it’d be an absolute honor!” the British singer-songwriter continued. “I think those kind of things should be done by Brits, not Yanks.”

The Manchester, England, native added that he’d also be down to play a bad guy in the next movie — specifically, “a Mancunian villain.”

The musician’s comments come amid mounting speculation about who will play James Bond in the 26th installment, details of which have long been under wraps. Some people think Callum Turner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Regé-Jean Page, Henry Golding or Damson Idris will get the gig — which has been portrayed by Daniel Craig in the five most recent films — although Deadline reported this past September that director Denis Villeneuve is looking for an unknown British actor to fill the role.

And while Noel made his feelings about Americans dabbling in the Bond song canon clear, many of the franchise’s most successful themes have been penned and performed by U.S.-born artists. Most recently, Billie Eilish and Finneas won an Oscar for “No Time to Die,” while Carly Simon, Madonna, Rita Coolidge, Nancy Sinatra, Jack White and Alicia Keys all scored Billboard Hot 100 hits with their Bond anthems.

A judge has dismissed an “inflammatory” lawsuit filed against Mary J. Blige by her former stylist Misa Hylton — and is warning that Hylton might face punishment if she engages in more “bad faith litigation tactics.”

The celebrity stylist sued Blige earlier this year, claiming the R&B legend and longtime friend had “sabotaged” her management relationship with the rapper Vado. Blige quickly fired back, accusing Hylton of “fabricating accusations” to extract a lucrative settlement.

In a ruling Tuesday (Jan. 6), a Manhattan judge granted Blige’s motion to dismiss the case — an easy decision since Hylton never actually filed a response in court. By doing so, the judge said she had effectively abandoned her explosive allegations as soon as she had to prove them.

“The court in no way condones parties filing lawsuits claiming millions in damages based on inflammatory accusations, only to have those very same parties abandon their allegations when faced with a motion to dismiss and sanctions,” Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond wrote.

Though she dismissed the case, the judge refused Blige’s request to go even further and legally punish Hylton for filing the case, saying she was more interested in simply ending the dispute quickly. But she warned that such penalties could still be revived.

“Plaintiffs and their counsel shall consider this a warning to refrain from engaging in similar patterns of behavior in the future,” Judge Perry-Bond wrote. “This written warning may serve as weighty evidence on a future application for sanctions if plaintiffs and/or their counsel continue to engage in similar bad faith litigation tactics.”

An attorney for Hylton did not immediately return a request for comment.

Hylton is a longtime hip-hop stylist known for dressing Blige, Lil’ Kim, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah and many other stars in the 1990s and 2000s — including Kim’s legendary breast-exposed purple jumpsuit at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. When Hylton was honored in 2019 as someone who “helped shape the landscape of urban fashion,” Blige was in attendance.

But in April, Hylton filed a lawsuit accusing her former client of a wide range of wrongdoing. She claimed Blige exerted pressure on Vado (Teyon Winfree), who was signed to the star’s Beautiful Life Records, to fire Hylton as his manager. The lawsuit, which Vado co-filed alongside Hylton, claimed Blige had also refused to release an already-finished album or allow him to tour until he ditched Hylton.

In a scathing response in July, Blige’s lawyers said that Hylton’s allegations were not only “baseless” but also entirely fictional, written to be shared “in the press and on social media” for the purpose of “trying to coerce a favorable settlement.”

Blige not only asked the judge to dismiss the case, but also asked for sanctions — monetary legal penalties — against Hylton and her lawyer, Nicholas Ramcharitar, for even filing it in the first place.

“Plaintiffs and their counsel had significant time to investigate these issues, not only before filing but also after defendants’ counsel sent a lengthy letter identifying with granular specificity why each of their claims is baseless,” wrote Blige’s attorneys Lisa F. Moore and Andrew Pequignot. “Yet, plaintiffs and their counsel chose not to withdraw the complaint and instead appear to be doubling down.”

After Blige filed those motions, court records show that Hylton and Ramcharitar never filed a response — or any other filing in the case at all. In her ruling on Tuesday, Judge Perry-Bond said that was tantamount to dropping the case.

“Plaintiffs failed to oppose defendants’ motion to dismiss, which constitutes the abandonment of their claims,” she wrote. “Therefore, the motion to dismiss is granted.”

After years of conjecture, the organizers of Belgian dance mega-festival Tomorrowland have confirmed that they’re launching a Thailand edition in 2026.

This will mark Tomorrowland’s debut edition in Asia and follows Tomorrowland ventures in the United States from 2013 to 2015, myriad editions in Brazil, and the Tomorrowland Winter festival that happens annually in the French Alps, along with the flagship event that’s been happening annually in Boom, Belgium, for 20 years.

Tomorrowland Thailand will happen Dec. 11-13, 2026 at a 237-acre site in Wisdom Valley in Pattaya, Khao Mai Kaew, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province, an area known for its nature areas and natural beauty. Unlike the summer flagship festival in Belgium, Tomorrowland Thailand will not offer camping areas for attendees, with a hotel package sale opening Feb. 28 and a general ticket sale beginning March 8.

In a statement released Tuesday (Jan. 6) Tomorrowland organizers noted that the festival will happen in partnership with the Thai Government, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

“Chosen over several other Asian destinations, Thailand’s appointment underscores its growing influence on the global stage of music, innovation, and experience-driven tourism,” the statement reads. “A festival of this magnitude is expected to generate a significant impact on the local and national economy, boosting tourism, hospitality, and creative industries while welcoming festivalgoers from across the globe. Tomorrowland Thailand will not only introduce a new audience to the magic of Tomorrowland; it will also shine a global spotlight on Thailand as a hub for large-scale cultural and entertainment experiences.”

A statement from the Tourism Authority of Thailand also notes that “Hosting Tomorrowland in Thailand marks an important milestone in our ambition to position the country as a leader in global tourism and creative experiences. We look forward to welcoming people from all over the world to discover the beauty, culture, and hospitality of Thailand.”