Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan headlined an “Icon Q&A” panel on Wednesday (Oct. 22) at Billboard Latin Music Week 2025 in Miami, where they reminisced about their beginnings in the industry, reflected on some of their major achievements and shared their views on topics such as the conservative backlash to Bad Bunny’s selection for the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show and the strict immigration policies of the Trump administration.

Presented by BMI, the panel was moderated by Jesús González, vice president, creative, Latin, at the music rights organization, who introduced the power couple as the artists who achieved “truly the first Latin crossover” and “the pillars that this industry has been built upon” after revolutionizing pop music in the ’80s with their Miami Sound Machine.

“I have worked on three Super Bowl Halftime Shows, three Olympic games and produced for six U.S. presidents with 48 events at the White House,” said the No. 1 Latin music producer, noting that he is neither a Democrat nor a Republican. “But … we need to have opportunities. For example, Bad Bunny, who has incredible success and was already part of the Super Bowl with Shakira and Jennifer [Lopez in 2020], has been the subject of major news coverage. I’m very happy with what he has done for Puerto Rico, for his country [with his recent residency at the Coliseo]. And we must have opportunities in different languages. It’s a normal thing.”

“The most important thing for me is that people see the value of Latinos who came here to contribute, to work, and the gratitude we have for being in the best country in the world,” he added, as a Cuban immigrant who truly achieved the American Dream. “I don’t want a child to think they don’t have opportunities in this great country.”

Meanwhile, Gloria expressed her concern over the current government’s aggressive deportation campaign and the loss of respect for other people’s opinions. “We’re human beings, and we’re kind of split down the middle on probably everything that exists. But one thing that’s always inspired me about this country that I deeply love and respect is the fact that there’s always been respectful discourse, and after every debate, people shook hands. And it scares me to see that changing,” the legendary singer-songwriter said.

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“And the freedoms we share must be defended, mi gente. There is no reason to be cruel to people. Yes, we absolutely need our border to have a legal process. But there’s no need to take someone that has put years of work into this country, that has sacrificed … They are not criminals!” she continued, receiving a roaring applause from the audience at The Fillmore Miami Beach. “It scares me to see what we’re seeing. It scares me. And I will always speak up because freedom must be defended.”

This year, Gloria Estefan is celebrating five decades in music and four decades of “Conga,” the megahit by Miami Sound Machine that launched her to stardom. Meanwhile, Emilio Estefan just topped the list of the Top Producers of the 21st century on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart, with 14 No. 1 hits between 2000 and 2024 as a producer for artists including Carlos Vives, Paulina Rubio and, of course, Gloria Estefan.

With over 30 years of history, Latin Music Week is the largest and most important gathering of Latin artists and industry executives worldwide. The event coincides with the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will air on Thursday (Oct. 23) on Telemundo and Peacock, and where Bad Bunny will be honored as the Latin Artist of the 21st Century.

Reba McEntire is set to usher in the holidays as host of this year’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center special, which will air Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. on NBC and simulcast on Peacock.

The two-hour special, held at Rockefeller Center in New York City, will celebrate the holidays with the lighting of one of the world’s most well-known trees. McEntire will not only host the special, but she will perform throughout the night. The three-time Grammy winner won’t be the only musical performer that evening — a full lineup of musical guests is slated to be announced soon.

McEntire is currently a coach on season 28 of NBC’s The Voice and starring in the network’s comedy Happy’s Place, which will start its second season on Nov. 7. Of course, the star is also no stranger to spearheading a television special, as she has hosted the ACM Awards 18 times. In 2017 and 2018, McEntire also served as host and performer for the Country Music Association’s CMA Country Christmas holiday special. Over the years, the Country Music Hall of Famer has released holiday albums including 1987’s Merry Christmas to You, 1999’s The Secrets of Giving and 2017’s My Kind of Christmas.

Universal Television, in association with Jesse Collins Entertainment, is producing Christmas in Rockefeller Center, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay serving as executive producers, and Glenn Weiss directing.

McEntire announced her role on Christmas in Rockefeller Center with a sweet social media video that showed McEntire holding up a strand of holiday lights, while lip synching to a snippet of Mariah Carey’s famous “It’s time!” announcement that Carey uses to ring in the holidays.

See the video below:

Chappell Roan is walking the walk. After advocating for the LGBTQ+ community throughout her career, the pop star has announced a fund called the Midwest Princess Project supporting vulnerable trans youth.

The news came in the form of an Instagram post on Thursday (Oct. 23), with Roan writing, “I am so excited to announce @midwestprincessproject, an organization we’ve launched to provide support and needed resources for trans youth and LGBTQ+ communities!”

“The Midwest Princess Project already raised over $400,000 at my Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things Pop-Up Shows, and those funds will be donated to incredible organizations making a positive impact for trans youth in their communities,” she continued. “Outside of transaction fees to host the donation page and limited costs for my team to effectively manage the project, we have committed to donating every dollar possible to the organizations that need it most.”

Among the organizations that have benefitted so far from Roan’s fund are the Ali Forney Center and The LGBT Center in New York; Trans Wellness Center and TransLatin@ Coalition in Los Angeles; and The GLO Center and The Center Project in Missouri. Each of those organizations were local to the three cities the Grammy winner performed in for her recent run of Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things Pop-Up Shows, which contributed $1 per ticket sold to the Midwest Princess Project.

The launch of Roan’s fund marks a natural next step in her career, which she’s spent fiercely defending the rights of queer and trans people. One of the most notable instances of this was when she revealed at Gov Ball 2024 that she’d declined an invitation to perform at the White House’s Pride Month festivities, saying at the time, “We want liberty, freedom and justice for all … That means freedom in trans rights.”

In 2023, Roan penned a love letter to the LGBTQ+ community for Billboard. “To the community that saved me,” she wrote at the time. “‘Thank God I’m gay’ is a sentence I thought I’d never say, but it’s true. Thank God I love women. Thank God you taught me to accept myself, inspired me to dress loud and dance the way I have dreamt of since I was nine.”

Country singer Jameson Rodgers allegedly hurled a “full, unopened beer can” into a concert crowd and hit a fan during a 2022 festival on the Jersey Shore – and an appeals court now says Sony Music must continue to face the resulting lawsuit filed by the injured woman.

Samantha Haws sued Rodgers, Sony and others, claiming the incident at the 2022 Barefoot Country Music Festival in Wildwood, NJ, had left her with “severe and permanent injuries.” She even sued MillerCoors because it was a can of Miller Lite that Rodgers allegedly threw.

Sony wants to be dismissed from the case, arguing that it cannot be sued in New Jersey because it isn’t based in the state and didn’t operate the festival. But a lower judge denied that request last year – and a New Jersey appeals court upheld that ruling on Wednesday.

In recent years, there’s been a disturbing trend of objects being thrown at concert performers. NBA YoungBoy stopped a show earlier this month after fans threw objects, Luke Combs was hit in the face during a July concert, and Bebe Rexha needed stitches after being hit with a smartphone, leading to criminal charges against the offender.

But there’s also been multiple incidents involving objects thrown by the artists, often resulting in legal action. 50 Cent was sued last year over an incident in which he threw a microphone off-stage in frustration, allegedly hitting a stagehand. Cardi B hurled a mic at a fan who threw a drink at her at a 2023 Las Vegas concert, resulting in another lawsuit.

In her July 2024 case, Haws claims that Rodgers and/or others “threw full, unopened cans of Miller Lite beer from the stage into the crowded audience” at the Barefoot Festival. She says one struck her “violently and without warning in the head and facial area,” leaving her with “severe, painful and permanent bodily injuries.”

Sony, named as a defendant in the case because Rodgers is signed to Columbia Nashville, immediately moved to exit the case. The company argued that it didn’t organize or market the festival or pay for or provide security for it. But a judge said last year that Rodgers had potentially performed at the festival as Sony’s agent, which could legally put the company on the hook for his actions.

In Wednesday’s decision, the New Jersey appeals court rejected Sony’s appeal of that ruling. It said there was “no error” by the lower judge because Haws had established a “business relationship between Sony and Rodgers related to live performances” and the label “would be subject to specific jurisdiction if Rodgers was acting on Sony’s behalf at the time Haws was injured.”

The ruling does not mean Sony is liable to Haws, or that her allegations will ultimately be proven. Instead, it merely sets the stage for more litigation over whether Sony was sufficiently involved to face the lawsuit. Reps for Sony, and both reps and an attorney for Rodgers did not immediately return requests for comment on Thursday.