Hacks is comfortably the funniest show on TV and this year it got even better with the addition of Robby Hoffman. The Brooklyn native and comedian was brought in as Randi, the no-nonsense assistant to the chaotic managers Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) and Kayla (Megan Stalter). Randi is a Hasidic Jew turned atheist with the Hacks team writing the hilarious part (Randi is starting out in Hollywood but has never seen a movie before) specifically for Hoffman, whose acerbic comedic style seems primed to have its breakout moment soon. Away from Hacks her life is going swimmingly, too. She appeared alongside Michelle Williams in Dying For Sex and is co-writing an HBO series. She also married her wife, The Traitors standout and host of the Long Winded podcast, Gabby Windey. —David Renshaw

Describe a highlight from your year so far. Marrying the love of my life.
What’s something you hope to achieve before the end of 2025? Can't talk about it yet but it's big. :)
A life motto that you live by? Slow and steady wins the race.

Are you tired of overly persistent Instagram ads and clout-bombed marketing campaigns? Boy, do I have a brand for you. Corteiz, the Alcatraz-logo’d, mercurially dropping, rabidly in-demand streetwear label from London has notched loftier and loftier achievements under the stewardship of founder Clint419, forcing hypebeasts to race across major metropolises and collaborating with Nike. Since being founded in 2017, its boldly colored sweat-sets, emblazoned with its slogan "Rules The World," have been worn by Central Cee, Slowthai, Jorja Smith, and the late Virgil Abloh (to the 2021 Met Gala, no less). Right now, it feels like the only thing Corteiz can’t do is keep their wares in stock. —Vivian Medithi

Scroll TikTok for roughly 30 seconds and you will likely come across Jack Coyne, the host of Track Star. The concept is simple: Coyne plays songs and contestants listening on headphones have to name the artists. The more right answers they get, the more cash they win. Sometimes they are members of the public and other times they're a little more famous: HAIM, Druski, and soccer wonderkid Lamine Yamal have all played Track Star this year as Coyne shapes what a Gen Z game show looks like. —DR

Describe a highlight from your year so far. I recently got to visit Sesame Street and film an episode of Track Star with Elmo who’s been an idol of mine since I was a toddler. It was totally surreal to be on the set of a show that’s been a part of my consciousness for as long as I can remember. The team that makes that show come to life is amazing and their dedication to helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder is hugely inspiring. In a year of career highlights this takes the cake.

What’s something you hope to achieve before the end of 2025? Too many things! We’ve been working on a podcast behind the scenes for a couple of months and I’m incredibly excited to get that out into the world this summer. We’re also planning to get six huge docs out on our Public Opinion YouTube channel. I kind of feel like it’s the most underrated channel on YouTube and the videos are finally starting to pop so I’m really excited to see where we can take it. I’m SO proud of the videos we’re putting out there.

A life motto that you live by? Be kind, be curious and enjoy every second of it.

Women’s basketball has always been underrated but in 2025 especially, if you haven’t been tuned in, you’re severely out of the loop. Amid the recent successes of the New York Liberty and the Golden State Valkyries, Brittany Hampton has become a figure to watch as the official go-to stylist for the Valkyries and Liberty stars like Sabrina Ionescu. Outside of those teams, she recently dressed Los Angeles Sparks’ Cameron Brinks and 2025’s No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers, of the Dallas Wings, on draft night. Consider Hampton the unofficial-official outfitter of the WNBA. —SW

Describe a highlight from your year so far. This year has been filled with beautiful moments, but joining the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Collective and being part of WNBA history was a standout. As a Bay Area native, having the chance to pour my heart back into my hometown through fashion, culture, and storytelling especially while working the past couple of years as a representative of Women’s sports felt like a full-circle moment.

What’s something you hope to achieve before the end of 2025? I want to continue building a pipeline for young women, especially athletes to see themselves as forces in both sports and style. Whether it’s launching their own brands, securing major fashion partnerships, or just helping them feel confident in what they wear, I hope to make that vision more tangible and accessible by the end of the year.

What’s your secret to success? God, grit, and grace. I stay rooted in purpose, move with intention, and trust that what’s for me never misses. I also don’t wait for a seat at the table. I build my own and bring others with me.

Sorry, Baby was the first buzzy movie of 2025, wowing critics at Sundance and getting snapped up by A24. Praised for its humor, compassion, and specificity, Sorry, Baby is the story of an academic slowly piecing their life back together following a traumatic incident. Eva Victor, who first broke out as an internet comedian a few years ago, wrote and directed the movie, as well as plays the lead role. They had no previous filmmaking experience and turned to a follower for help: Moonlight director Barry Jenkins replied to their DM and came on board as a producer, while Victor shadowed I Saw The TV Glow auteur Jane Schoenbrun before shooting their movie. Opening later this month, Sorry, Baby is already being whispered about as a possible 2025 Oscar contender. —DR

Describe a highlight from your year so far. Me and my family watch a bald eagle cam that tracks this one bald eagle nest in Big Bear. And last year and the year before the parent eagles had eggs that didn’t hatch, and so that was sad. Morale has been low. But this year they hatched! So there’s two eagles now that are learning to fly.

What’s something you hope to achieve before the end of 2025? To finish a book. I’ve started probably seven books this year. I need to finish one or two books. Three would be amazing. Even four. That will feel so good.

A life motto that you live by? Maybe I live by “life is random”. Things that happen are constantly surprising and humbling and weird. No?

Johnny Novo is a two-time Yelpie winner and the man behind Chicken Wars, an Instagram series in which he rates grocery-store rotisserie chickens on their skins, breasts, and legs, combining these components to give a final score out of 10. Over time, he’s compiled a spreadsheet ranking every 'tissi he’s reviewed. Fairway leads the rankings at 9.1, while Mexican Walmart has the most motions/$ (1.17). He’s gained 50,000 followers in 2025 alone due to his commitment, his fairness, and his magnetic personality — a combination of warmth, humor, and lowkey swagger. Watch this space because big things are on the way. —Raphael Helfand

What's a highlight of your year so far? I think the highlight is just finding something I’m passionate about doing in my free time; it’s not one moment. I love making videos, I love eating food, and I love traveling, so having a hobby that allows me to do all of those has been pretty cool and very fulfilling.

What's something you hope to achieve before the end of 2025? I saw a quote the other day from Naval Ravikant that said, “Find what feels like play to you but looks like work to others. You’re going to outcompete them because you’re doing it effortlessly.” That pretty much sums up how I feel about Chicken Wars. I’m working hard, I’m exhausted, I’m giving every ounce of energy I have, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A life motto you live by? “No one is coming to save you.” It may be a bit morbid, but I’ve found it so true. I’d sit at my nine to five, praying someone would come along and hand me my dream job. As I’ve grown, I’ve realized that’s the wrong attitude. I need to go out and take it, or at least try.

New York City’s mayoral primary kicks off on June 24, and it’s the first time in years since the city has had a candidate as exciting and truly forward-thinking as Zohran Mamdani. Born in Uganda and immigrated to N.Y.C. when he was 7, Mamdani is at the head of what feels like an actually equitable and progressive political campaign. Among his proposals are initiatives like free public buses, city-funded grocery stores, no-cost childcare, and rent freezes. These are lofty goals no doubt, but politicians who even dare to speak of such possible dreams are rare creatures these days — most just kow-tow to the status quo. However the election shakes down, at the very least, Mamdani’s arrival in the city’s political scene has invigorated scores of young people to become more involved with their local communities as his thousands-strong canvassing efforts have generated headlines, and empowered so me and so many of my friends to start knocking on doors. That is an impact that lasts longer than an election cycle. —Steffanee Wang

A quiet desperation hangs off of Jack Haven’s face almost every moment they’re on screen for 2024's I Saw The TV Glow. Their searing, otherworldly performance lends no small amount of credibility to the breakout second feature from writer/director Jane Schoenbrun, an urgent allegory for gender dysphoria that has touched the lives of countless young people. With that momentum, the 30-year-old Haven is focusing on a range of passion projects including writing and directing the DIY BDSM drama October Crow and cofounding the art pub Waif. It’s a vintage from an art world darling: impossible to either pin down or ignore. —Jordan Darville

Describe a highlight from your year so far. I got to see my mom get married to her longtime partner. it was a simple wedding at city hall. Alex and I did her hair and makeup she looked very beautiful. Afterwards we went to papaya King and everyone got a hotdog.

What’s something you hope to achieve before the end of 2025? I hope to tour October Crow through Florida, Atlanta and New Orleans, and I think we will in August with Mina and Avsha playing music and Deja and I clowning.

A life motto that you live by? To thine own self be true.

Who are Mixie and Munchie, the two enigmatic, stylish, and silent girls behind the perplexing 2girls1bottl3 account? You don’t really need to know to enjoy their wacky videos which involve them sitting at some public location (think gas station or fast food spot), dripped out in Y2K gear, to film themselves making a mixed drink in complete silence (one of them is also always eating something, usually chicken). The concept has amassed the duo hundreds of thousands of followers, and recently, even FKA twigs joined in on the fun. It’s kinda like if David Lynch was a content creator and also a girl and also loved mixed drinks — performance art for the Gen Z set. —SW

What's the best food to pair with a cocktail? The best food to pair with any cocktail will always be chicken shop 3 piece wing and chips.

What are your thoughts on the rise of mocktails? Love a mocktail. They keep us grounded when we have 3 other drinks to make even if we do end up drinking it out of a measuring cup and at a bus stop.

What's the drink of 2025, and can you share your recipe? The drink for 2025:
The Mixie and Munchie, to be made in 7/11
Half a Slurpee any flavour
3 oz either vodka or tequila
Crushed ice
Squeeze of lime
Top with soda
Tajin to dust over the top
Twizzlers for edible straws