Feed aggregator

Natalie Tran has spent most of her life performing. She started acting at just 5 years old, built a career in theater and film, and eventually found an unexpected creative outlet through short-form videos on TikTok. But rather than replacing her acting ambitions, content creation has become a springboard for something bigger.

In this conversation with Mashable Culture Editor Crystal Bell at VidCon 2026, Tran reflects on what happened after one of her comedy sketches went viral and how she turned that momentum into a sustainable creative career. She explains why making short-form videos taught her the fundamentals of directing, editing, and storytelling, how those skills carried over into writing and directing her first short film, Passion Project, and why she believes creators are increasingly carving out their own path into film and television.

Tran also shares her philosophy on authenticity, balancing sketch comedy with her off-camera personality, navigating comments and metrics, and why she thinks passion — not algorithms — is still the most important ingredient for building a lasting career online.

Watch the full interview above.

Taylor Swift's latest era? Bridal.

For months, fans have wondered when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce would finally say "I do" after announcing their engagement last August. This week, those questions shifted into overdrive as reports of heightened security and elaborate preparations around New York City's iconic Madison Square Garden fueled speculation that the wedding is just days away. The timing has only added to the frenzy — the celebration is rumored to coincide with Fourth of July weekend, a holiday Swift has long called one of her favorites and famously celebrates with her star-studded Rhode Island parties.

SEE ALSO: In defense of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s rumored MSG wedding

Whether you're a Swiftie refreshing your feed for to-the-minute updates or someone who just opened X to find "Taylor wedding" trending, it's easy to feel like you've missed a chapter.

The reports have been plentiful. The theories, even more so. Here's everything we know about the rumored wedding weekend, along with what hasn't been confirmed yet.

Is Taylor Swift getting married this weekend?

It certainly seems that way.

After months of speculation following their engagement, multiple reports now point to the 4th of July weekend as the couple's long-awaited wedding celebration. On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that Swift and Kelce are expected to wed at Madison Square Garden on Friday evening, with a more intimate rehearsal dinner planned for Thursday night. People, meanwhile, has spent the week chronicling the wedding preparations, reporting everything from a black-tie dress code and no-phone policy to celebrity guests arriving in New York ahead of the festivities.

The preparations around New York City's Madison Square Garden have only fueled the excitement, as workers wearing Taylor Swift t-shirts have been spotted unloading equipment from trucks outside the Manhattan arena.

That said, neither Swift nor Kelce has publicly confirmed a wedding date or venue. As with nearly every milestone in their relationship, the couple appears to be keeping the biggest details under wraps until they're ready to share them.

Why is Madison Square Garden at the center of the wedding rumors?

If you've seen Madison Square Garden trending alongside Swift's name, you're not imagining things.

The iconic arena has become the focal point of wedding speculation after reports of extensive event preparations, increased security measures, and activity surrounding the venue began circulating online. Fans quickly connected the dots, wondering whether one of the world's most recognizable entertainment venues could also become the backdrop for the biggest celebrity wedding of the year.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani even addressed the rumors during a recent press conference about the extreme heat wave hitting the city this weekend. "My recommendation to all New Yorkers is to stay inside and stay cool. And if you happen to be getting married at Madison Square Garden, you will be staying inside, and you will be staying cool. And I think it's a good example to set for the city at large."

The mayor followed up with an Instagram post advising New Yorkers on ways to beat the heat. "Here’s what you should know about the historic heat wave headed our way," the post read. "Especially if you’re (hypothetically) having your wedding at MSG this weekend."

Whether the Garden is hosting the ceremony itself, part of the festivities, or simply another event tied to the wedding weekend remains unconfirmed.

Who's rumored to be attending Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding?

A Taylor Swift wedding was never going to be a quiet affair, at least on the internet. And the star-studded, 1000-person guest list is shaping up to be almost as headline-worthy as the wedding itself.

Several attendees have either confirmed their invitations or have been identified through reporting. Among them are San Francisco 49er George Kittle, Claire Kittle, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, Graham Norton, and Suki Waterhouse. Other close friends, including Ed Sheeran and Zoë Kravitz, are widely expected to attend, though their invitations haven't been publicly confirmed.

One notable absence? Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales. After weeks of speculation, People reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales won't be making the trip to New York after all. However, the kings of New York — aka the Knicks starting five — reportedly did make the guest list.

Who else makes the final guest list remains one of the weekend's biggest mysteries. With Swift's decades-long friendships across music, film, and television, and Kelce's ties to the NFL, fans are expecting no shortage of A-list arrivals. We'll be on the lookout for Swift's childhood BFF Abigail Anderson.

What has Taylor Swift actually confirmed?

Officially? Almost nothing. That's become something of a pattern for Swift. While fans have become experts at decoding Easter eggs, the singer has increasingly chosen to share life's biggest milestones on her own terms — and often after the fact.

View this post on Instagram

Beyond announcing their engagement, neither Swift nor Kelce has publicly shared details about wedding plans, including the date, venue, or ceremony. Instead, much of what the public knows has come from reporting by outlets including the Associated Press, The New York Times, and People, which have pieced together details from permits, venue preparations, and sources familiar with the celebration.

Until Swift or Kelce makes it official, everything falls on a spectrum from credible reporting to enthusiastic internet detective work.

When will we know for sure?

Probably when Taylor Swift wants us to.

According to People, guests have been instructed to follow a strict no-phone policy, with phones reportedly being collected upon arrival. Combined with the event's extensive security measures, that could make this one of the rare celebrity weddings where very little leaks in real time.

Of course, this is Taylor Swift we're talking about. If anyone can pull off one of the year's most anticipated events without the internet immediately spoiling it, it's probably her.

Until then, the wedding remains exactly where Swift has always seemed most comfortable: at the center of the internet's attention, with millions of people trying to decode the plan while the mastermind stays one step ahead.

It seems like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has learned a lesson from Intel. If you want the Trump administration to back off your company, simply provide them with an ownership stake in it.

According to a new report from the Financial Times, OpenAI, which is currently valued at $854 billion, is currently in early talks to give the U.S. government a five percent stake in the company. OpenAI CEO Altman has reportedly discussed the stake buy-in as a way to ease political pressure from Trump and his administration, according to the Financial Times report, which also states Altman has reportedly argued that doing so will also "share the upside of AI" with the public.

The White House has increasingly involved itself in matters related to the release of new AI models in recent months. The Trump administration reportedly requested that OpenAI stagger its future AI model releases, starting with the upcoming GPT 5.6. The U.S. government wants OpenAI to first release new AI models to a select group of close partners before any public launches.

Last month, the Trump administration forced OpenAI competitor Anthropic to remove its powerful new Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models from public use. The administration issued an export control directive ordering a ban on foreign nationals using the models. To comply with the government order, Anthropic suspended the models entirely.

The Trump administration lifted the order on Wednesday following negotiations with Anthropic, allowing the company to make the models available to the public again. Anthropic reportedly agreed to work with the U.S. government on future AI model releases.

Anthropic and the Trump administration have openly feuded before regarding the use of AI models. Earlier this year, the Trump administration designated Anthropic a "supply-chain risk" to national security after disagreements arose over how the U.S. government could use Anthropic's AI models. 

OpenAI is likely seeking to avoid similar confrontations with the U.S. government as it prepares to go public in the near future.

Last summer, President Donald Trump openly called for the resignation of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. However, Trump seemingly backed off after the U.S. government took a 10 percent stake in the chipmaker.