David Hasselhoff’s daughter pays tribute after mother Pamela Bach dies, aged 61

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Taylor Hasselhoff-Fiore, the daughter of David Hasselhoff, has paid tribute to her mother Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff who died by suicide last week aged 61.

Bach, originally from Oklahoma, was an actor and model known for her TV appearances during the 1980s and 1990s. She moved to Los Angeles in 1985 where she met her ex-husband Hasselhoff on the set of his hit show Knight Rider.

In an Instagram tribute shared one week after Bach’s death, her eldest daughter Taylor shared a heartfelt slideshow of family photos. The pictures show Taylor, 34, and her younger sister Hayley, 32, with their mother over the years.

One picture shows Taylor cradling Hayley as an infant alongside their mother.

In the post’s caption, real estate broker Taylor wrote that she would “do anything in the world” to hug her late mother again.

“My forever angel, you are my best friend, my whole heart, my everything,” she wrote. “I promise to make you proud and celebrate you everyday.”

Taylor, who has a baby daughter called London, said that she will teach her child about her mother’s legacy.

“London will know all about how incredible you are and I promise I will protect Hayley forever…”

She continued: “Mama I love you so much, the pain is unbearable but I will be strong for you & hold onto your memory until we meet again my beautiful.”

Following Bach’s death, Hasselhoff said in a statement to TMZ: “Our family is deeply saddened by the recent passing of Pamela Hasselhoff.”

“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time but we kindly request privacy as we grieve and navigate through this challenging time.”

TMZ reports that Bach died by suicide. Paramedics were called to her home late on 5 March, according to law enforcement sources cited by the outlet, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bach, born Pamela Weissenbach, made her film debut in Francis Ford Coppola’s Rumble Fish in 1983, which also starred Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke and Diane Lane.

She also worked with her husband on Baywatch and spin-off series Baywatch Nights. Her other television credits included TJ Hooker, Cheers and The Young and the Restless.

She was married to Hasselhoff from 1989 to 2006, when the actor announced he was filing for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalised in 2006, with each being given custody of one daughter. Hasselhoff married model Hayley Roberts in 2018.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

Miami Beach mayor threatens theater’s lease over West Bank documentary

O Cinema in South Beach could lose city funding and its lease for screening “No Other Land,” the Oscar-winning documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The mayor of Miami Beach is moving to cut off funding from an independent cinema and terminate its lease after it screened an award-winning documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

O Cinema, an independent community theater inside Old City Hall in South Beach, became embroiled in a dispute with Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner after it opted to screen “No Other Land,” a documentary about Israeli military violence in the West Bank that recently won the Oscar for best documentary feature. In a newsletter to residents Tuesday, Meiner called the documentary, which was produced by Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, a “false one-sided propaganda attack on the Jewish people.”

On Wednesday, Meiner introduced a resolution that proposes discontinuing a planned public grant to the theater and terminating its lease with 180 days’ notice. City commissioners are expected to vote on it March 19.

“No Other Land,” despite its commercial success and critical acclaim, has struggled to secure a U.S. distributor — which its producers have said is because distributors fear the political backlash from screening the film since it documents the Israeli military forcefully displacing Palestinian people in Masafer Yatta, a group of hamlets in the southern West Bank, between 2019 and 2023 — with the footage concluding shortly before Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza.

It follows the unfolding friendship between two of the film’s directors — Yuval Abraham, who is Israeli, and Basel Adra, who is Palestinian — and shows them repeatedly confronting Israeli soldiers executing what they say are legal orders to demolish Palestinian homes and evict residents in Masafer Yatta, where Adra grew up.

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Critics, including Abraham, condemned Meiner’s move as a violation of free expression.

“What No Other Land exposes about the occupation of Masafer Yatta in the West Bank is so damning that the only strategy left is censorship,” Abraham said in a statement responding to Meiner’s proposal. “It won’t work. Banning a film only makes people more determined to see it.”

After O Cinema announced its plan to screen “No Other Land,” Meiner sent CEO Vivian Marthell a letter on March 5 asking her not to air the film.

The next day, Marthell informed Meiner in a letter that although O Cinema had initially chosen the film to provide its audience “an opportunity to experience Oscar-nominated and award-season films firsthand,” she had decided to cancel the screening “due to the concerns of antisemitic rhetoric.” She pointed out that the cinema had “a long history of showcasing and supporting Jewish films” and was hosting a year-long Holocaust film series.

But then, Marthell reversed course, telling the Miami Herald that the screenings would go ahead. She said O Cinema’s decision to screen “No Other Land” was “not a declaration of political alignment,” but rather “a bold reaffirmation of our fundamental belief that every voice deserves to be heard, even, and perhaps especially, when it challenges us” — a position statement she told the Herald would be read at every screening of the documentary.

Meiner, who is Jewish, in his Tuesday newsletter criticized the O Cinema for reversing course and accused it of “normalizing hate and then disseminating antisemitism” in a publicly funded facility. “For this reason, I am introducing legislation to move on from O Cinema, as permitted by our contract, and seek a cultural partner that better aligns with our community values,” he wrote.

It was not immediately clear Thursday what impact the city’s move would have on the O Cinema and its planned screenings of “No Other Land” on March 19 and 20. The resolution has not yet been adopted. It states that the city signed two recent grant agreements with O Cinema for $25,831 and $54,071.52, and that half of these sums have already been paid but the other half remains outstanding, and would be canceled if the resolution passes.

Marthell did not respond to requests for comment early Thursday. The city of Miami Beach responded to a request for comment by directing The Washington Post to Meiner’s newsletter.

In an email to residents Wednesday, Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez criticized Meiner’s move, while also condemning “No Other Land” as “a propaganda-driven, one-sided narrative that falsely depicts Israel as the aggressor.”

But she defended O Cinema’s choice to screen the documentary, saying that “the answer to propaganda is not censorship, it’s truth.”

Sonia Rao contributed to this report.

Nikki Glaser Gets a New Gig

After a well-reviewed emcee debut, the Golden Globes are bringing back comedian Nikki Glaser to host the 2026 ceremony. Dick Clark Productions, the producer of the award show, announced Thursday that Glaser will return for the 83rd Globes next January. Glaser, the first woman to host the show solo, successfully shepherded a ceremony she called “Ozempic’s biggest night.” (Read more of her best quips here.)

“Hosting the Golden Globes this year was without a doubt the most fun I have ever had in my career,” said Glaser in a statement, per the AP. “I can’t wait to do it again, and this time in front of the team from The White Lotus who will finally recognize my talent and cast me in Season Four as a Scandinavian Pilates instructor with a shadowy past.”

The Globes, in which the top awards went to the films The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez and the TV series Shogun and Hacks, drew 9.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen, a 2% dip from the year prior. Like this year’s broadcast, next year’s Globes will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+. “Nikki Glaser brought a refreshing spark and fearless wit to the Golden Globes stage this year,” said Globes President Helen Hoehne. “Her sharp humor, and bold presence set the tone for an unforgettable night, making the ceremony feel vibrant and most of all fun.” (More Nikki Glaser stories.)

Movie Review: Soderbergh’s sleek spy thriller ‘Black Bag’ crackles – WTOP News

If you’re hosting a dinner for half a dozen British intelligence agents with the aim of ferreting out a mole,…

If you’re hosting a dinner for half a dozen British intelligence agents with the aim of ferreting out a mole, what should you cook?

For George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), who’s preparing for four colleagues, plus himself and his wife, Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett), who, like him, is a high-level operative, it’s chana masala with a few drops of truth serum.

“Will there be any mess to clean up?” Kathryn asks her husband as they’re getting ready.

“With any luck,” he responds.

So goes much of the crackling patter of “Black Bag,” Steven Soderbergh’s delicious marital drama cloaked as a sleek spy thriller. Lean and taut, the 93-minute “Black Bag” is more a sizzling amuse-bouche than full-course meal, but it’s simmered to perfection.

George and Kathryn, as fellow agents at London’s National Cyber Security Centre, don’t seemingly have what you might call a traditional marriage. Each has their own secret ops, leaving large swaths of their lives off limits to the other. When George asks where Kathryn is flying off to on Wednesday, she shrugs with a smile, “Black bag.”

In the movie’s opening scene – a slinky tracking shot that trails George into and out of a nightclub – an agent named Meacham (Gustaf Skarsgard) gives him the assignment to track down the mole, with the added wrinkle that Kathryn can’t be dismissed as a possible suspect. A cyber-worm device called Severus that’s capable of hacking into nuclear facilities has gone missing. The fate of the world, as it so often is, is said to be at stake.

But, really, the state of George and Kathryn’s marriage is what interests us. Extreme though their situation is, their union is one that, like any couple, is built on trust and devotion, even if their professional lives demand the inverse. When George, lying on top of Kathryn tells her he’d do anything for her, she coos, “Would you kill?” It’s a fair-enough test to the bounds of wedded bliss, sure, but her second question matters even more. “Would you lie?”

Over that dinner – a scintillating set piece around a darkened dinner table inside their London town house – we can quickly gather just how much the truth means to George. He’s renown for his powers with a polygraph. As a youngster, he even brought down his own father, uncovering his affair. “I don’t like liars,” George says through clenched teeth.

They’re joined by Colonel James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page); the in-house psychologist Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris); the carousing spy Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke); and the newest NCSC recruit, cyber specialist Clarissa (Marisa Abela). Both are paired off in clandestine relationships that quickly emerge, among other secrets. More than state secrets, infidelity dominates the conversation.

Fassbender’s spook is an agent of precision. He wears gleaming black-framed glasses. When only a few drops of sauce land on his cuff, he immediately withdraws to change his shirt. Hard as it would seem, Fassbender has found a character almost as dispassionate and monotone as his methodical assassin in David Fincher’s “The Killer.”

This time, though, he’s not a loner. Blanchett’s Kathryn is kept more at a remove from us. She’s mysterious and aloof – a femme fatale, maybe, we’re led to wonder. An “aroma of hostility” accompanies her, Zoe tells her in a psych evaluation. Is she the mole?

This is an insular film, taking place mainly in crisply composed interiors, aside from the lake George occasionally fishes for bass in. There, in a fitting encapsulation of a movie full of smooth surfaces with currents twisting underneath, the camera gently rests on the water’s surface.

“Black Bag” follows a run of agilely directed thrillers by Soderbergh made with screenwriter David Koepp ( “Presence,” “Kimi”). They are both at the height of their almost-too-easy powers; the script, especially, is peppered with delectable dialogue. Their movie adopts the air of menace and suspicion of a John Le Carré novel, yet hinges on the sturdiness of its married couple, like a super spy version of Nick and Nora from “The Thin Man” or a more cerebral “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”

All of the supporting players – while they make up a fine ensemble – are ultimately playthings in their game of love. In a casting coup, a former James Bond – Pierce Brosnan – drops in late in the film as Arthur Stheiglitz, the head of NCSC. In his handful of scenes, Brosnan is rageful and ferocious, chomping into both Ikizukuri (prepared live fish) and the scenery.

His presence both enlivens a movie already humming with the uber-cool chemistry of Blanchett and Fassbender while transforming “Black Bag” into a twisty rejoinder to that notoriously skirt-chasing spy. Here, Mr. Bond, is how sexy monogamy can be.

While directing a satellite to peer down upon his wife on some unknown mission in Europe, George explains their mystifying dynamic to Clarissa: “I watch her, and she watches me. If she gets into trouble, I will do everything in my power to extricate her.”

In her response, Clarissa speaks for everyone: “That’s so hot.”

“Black Bag,” a Focus Features release is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for language including some sexual references, and some violence. Running time: 93 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

The Life of Chuck teaser trailer previews heartfelt Stephen King adaptation

Time is ticking in the teaser trailer for The Life of Chuck, the upcoming adaptation of the 2020 short story by Stephen King.

Tom Hiddleston stars as Charles “Chuck” Krantz, the titular protagonist at the story’s center. The movie is divided into three chapters told in reverse. Chuck, an ordinary man by nature, walks down the street in the teaser. When the camera cuts to Chuck smiling, it quickly flashes to younger versions of the character.

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“The universe is large, and it contains multitudes, but it also contains me,” a voiceover states before the teaser ends.

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Besides Hiddleston, the ensemble cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Annalise Basso, Benjamin Pajak, Karen Gillan, Mia Sara, Matthew Lillard, Carl Lumbly, Samantha Sloyan, Harvey Guillén, Jacob Tremblay, Kate Siegel, and Mark Hamill. Nick Offerman plays the film’s narrator.

Horror maestro Mike Flanagan writes and directs The Life of Chuck. Flanagan also produces with his frequent collaborator Trevor Macy of Intrepid Pictures.

Flanagan has previously adapted some of King’s works, including Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep. Flanagan will also adapt two more of King’s novels — The Dark Tower and Carrie — for television for Amazon MGM Studios. While Flanagan and King are predominantly known for their work in horror, The Life of Chuck is a much different story than what audiences are used to seeing from the duo.

The Life of Chuck premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People’s Choice Award. Neon, the distributor behind the most recent Best Picture winner Anora, will distribute Flanagan’s movie.

The Life of Chuck opens in theaters on June 6, 2025.

Black Mirror season 7 trailer teases return of the USS Callister

Netflix’s biggest nightmares return in the Black Mirror season 7 trailer.

The British sci-fi series is back for “six electrifying stories,” including the sequel to USS Calister, the Emmy-award-winning episode that opened season 4. The first sequel in Black Mirror history followed an unpopular video game programmer (Jesse Plemons) who created a Star Trek-like video game with digital clones of his coworkers. Stars from USS Callister returning for the sequel are Cristin Milioti, Jimmi Simpson, and Billy Magnussen.

“Fans of the show will recognize the cast of a certain spaceship from one of our episodes reappearing,” series creator Charlie Brooker told Netflix. “We’ve done a sequel for the first time in Black Mirror history. Normally, I kill off all the characters at the end of an episode, [but] I kept some of ’em alive. I’m growing as a human.”

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The USS Callister is not the only episode featuring familiar characters. Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry return as Tuckersoft employees Colin Ritman and Mohan Thakur. The duo was featured in Bandersnatch, the 2018 interactive film where fans could choose their own adventure to provide different endings.

Netflix remains secretive about the other episodes in season 7. However, the star-studded cast has been revealed. It includes Michele Austin, Awkwafina, Milanka Brooks, Peter Capaldi, Emma Corrin, Patsy Ferran, Paul Giamatti, Lewis Gribben, Osy Ikhile, Rashida Jones, Siena Kelly, Rosy McEwen, Josh Finan, James Nelson-Joyce, Chris O’Dowd, Issa Rae, Paul G. Raymond, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jay Simpson, Ben Bailey Smith, Harriet Walter, and Michael Workéyè.

Black Mirror is created by Emmy winner Charlie Brooker, who executive produces with Jessica Rhoades and Annabel Jones. The first two seasons of Black Mirror and a Christmas special aired on British Channel 4. Subsequent seasons have all aired on Netflix.

Black Mirror season 7 debuts on April 10 on Netflix.

Nikki Glaser to return as host of Golden Globes in 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — After a well-reviewed emcee debut, the Golden Globes are bringing back comedian Nikki Glaser to host the 2026 ceremony.

Dick Clark Productions, the producer of the awards show, announced Thursday that Glaser will return for the 83rd Globes next January.

Glaser, the first woman to host the show solo, successfully shepherded a ceremony she called “Ozempic’s biggest night.”

“Hosting the Golden Globes this year was without a doubt the most fun I have ever had in my career,” said Glaser in a statement.

“I can’t wait to do it again, and this time in front of the team from ‘The White Lotus’ who will finally recognize my talent and cast me in Season 4 as a Scandinavian Pilates instructor with a shadowy past.”

The Globes, in which the top awards went to the films “The Brutalist” and “Emilia Pérez” and the TV series “Shōgun” and “Hacks,” drew 9.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen, a 2% dip from the year prior.

Like this year’s broadcast, next year’s Globes will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

“Nikki Glaser brought a refreshing spark and fearless wit to the Golden Globes stage this year,” said Globes president Helen Hoehne.

Dawn Robinson, Member of ’90s Mega Girl Group En Vogue, Has Been Homeless and Living in Her Car for the Last 3 Years

Charna Flam is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Her work has previously appeared on Variety, The New York Post, and The Wrap.

Dawn Robinson, a former member of the R&B girl group En Vogue, told fans in a new YouTube video that she is homeless has been living in her car for the past three years.

“You guys, for the past three years, I have been living in my car,” Robinson, 58, said in the Tuesday, March 11 video before sighing with relief. “I said it, oh my gosh, it’s out.”

The singer explained that she was living with her parents in Las Vegas in 2020. However, after some time, she decided to move out. She relocated to Los Angeles upon her former manager’s suggestion. He proposed she could stay with him for a bit, but that didn’t work out, and she remained in a hotel for eight months.

As she stayed in the hotel, it became difficult to find an apartment because the manager was allegedly “playing games” and would disapprove of the places Robinson proposed she could live. “Sometimes people want to trap you and keep you in a situation where you’re vulnerable and depending on them,” she said of their dynamic. “So I got out of there.”

That’s when Robinson began researching “car life” and “loved what [she] was seeing.” Quickly, she decided to take the leap, and now it’s been three years since she started her “car life” and headed for Malibu, Calif.

“I felt free,” she said of her decision. “I felt like I was on a camping trip. It just felt like it was the right thing to do.”

The musician reiterated to viewers that she is not sharing this experience to receive pity.

“It’s not ‘Woe is me,’ ” she said. “I’m learning about who I am. I’m learning myself as a person, as a woman.”

“I miss my family. I miss everyone I was connected to. But I needed to do this alone… But I needed to do this for me,” she said, before revealing that her dog Max passed away in the car. She “really is on [her] own.”

She concluded the video by telling the viewers she would have an apartment if she could, but she’s “absolutely” glad she did this. “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished out here.”

“Be spontaneous,” she said. “Do the scary. F— fear.”

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Robinson was one of the founding members of the four-member girl group En Vogue, alongside Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis and Maxine Jones. The group was formed in 1989 and released their debut album, Born to Sing, the following year. Robinson notably sang the lead vocals on “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It),” “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” and “Free Your Mind.”

En Vogue earned six Grammy nominations between 1991 and 1997.

Robinson left the group in March 1997 and signed with Dr. Dre’s label, Aftermath. She rejoined En Vogue for brief stints in 2005 and 2009. Robinson also acted in several films and was part of the first season of R&B Divas: Los Angeles.

Disney’s Snow White Premiere Dims Amid Casting Controversy

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s stirring up the most drama of them all? Disney’s latest live-action adaptation of “Snow White” has traded its fairy-tale sparkle for something decidedly more subdued — and perhaps that’s telling us more about Hollywood’s current climate than any magic mirror ever could.

The House of Mouse’s decision to dial back the film’s March premiere at the historic El Capitan Theatre speaks volumes. Gone are the dazzling red-carpet festivities typically associated with such launches, replaced instead by an intimate gathering with carefully controlled press access. Welcome to Hollywood 2024, darlings, where even the most enchanted tales can’t escape reality’s harsh spotlight.

At the center of this swirling storm stands Rachel Zegler. The “West Side Story” breakout star (and let’s be honest, she was absolutely magnetic in that) found herself caught in a tempest of her own making. First came the predictable outcry over her Colombian-Polish heritage in a traditionally European role — because heaven forbid we acknowledge that fairy tales exist in every culture. Then came her refreshingly candid (though perhaps poorly timed) comments about the 1937 original that sent Disney traditionalists into a collective meltdown.

“She’s not going to be saved by the prince,” Zegler declared at D23, painting a portrait of a thoroughly modern Snow White who’s “dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.” Cue the pearl-clutching from corners of the internet where change is apparently more poisonous than any apple the Evil Queen could conjure.

The controversies didn’t stop there. The creative decision to reimagine the seven dwarfs as “magical creatures” sparked heated debate about representation. Peter Dinklage’s critique on Marc Maron’s podcast cut straight to the bone: “They were very proud to cast a Latino actress as Snow White, but you’re still telling the story of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’”

Things got even more complicated when the film’s leading ladies found themselves on opposite sides of one of today’s most charged global conflicts. Gal Gadot’s pro-Israel stance and Zegler’s support for Palestine have transformed what should be a magical escape into a mirror reflecting our deeply divided world. (Though honestly, when did fairy tales ever truly escape politics?)

Zegler, to her credit, maintains remarkable composure. “I interpret people’s sentiments towards this film as passion,” she told Vogue Mexico — possibly the most diplomatic response since Grace Kelly became Princess of Monaco.

The European premiere’s relocation to a Spanish castle feels both strategic and symbolic. Trading London’s traditional glamour for a more controlled narrative in a setting that embraces the fairy tale’s romantic roots? Well played, Disney. Well played.

Director Marc Webb now faces a challenge worthy of any fairy tale hero: delivering a film that must somehow satisfy traditionalists while embracing modern sensibilities. His eclectic portfolio (from indie darling “500 Days of Summer” to “The Amazing Spider-Man”) suggests he might just have the range to pull it off.

As the March 21 release date approaches, this Snow White saga perfectly encapsulates Hollywood’s ongoing struggle to modernize beloved classics. In an era where every casting decision becomes a cultural battleground and each creative choice faces unprecedented scrutiny, even the fairest of them all can’t escape controversy’s shadow.

But perhaps that’s exactly as it should be. After all, the best fairy tales have always been about transformation — even when that transformation makes us uncomfortable.

Donatella Versace out as creative director of the Milan fashion house, in a shakeup by US owner

ROME (AP) — Donatella Versace has been replaced as creative director of the Italian luxury fashion house founded by her late brother Gianni Versace, assuming the new role of chief brand ambassador, Versace’s U.S. owner Capri Holdings announced on Thursday.

Versace will be replaced by Dario Vitale, who most recently was design director at the Miu Miu brand owned by the Prada Group. His appointment is effective on April 1.

Versace, 69, welcomed Vitale, emphasizing in a statement that “championing the next generation of designers has always been important to me,” while Vitale, 41, thanked Versace for “her trust in me.”

Versace was thrust into the role of creative director in 1997 after her brother’s murder in Miami, at first tentatively and then with a boldness that led to some big runway and red carpet moments. They included a healing and celebratory tribute to Gianni Versace on the 20th anniversary of his death, featuring supermodels that he helped create alongside a new generation of celebrity model, and Jennifer Lopez in an even skimpier version of the jungle dress that nearly broke the internet at the 2000 Grammys, reprised on the Spring-Summer 2020 runway.

Versace acknowledged the difficulty of her transition as she took from her brother, known for his sexy silhouettes and purposely loud prints and of the Versace Medusa and Greca motifs. Under Donatella, Versace became synonymous with the power woman she herself projected, despite periods of self-doubt.

“I asked why I took so long to find my way,” she told reporters ahead of the anniversary show. “The first few years I wasn’t sure of myself. I made mistakes. But you learn from your mistakes.”

The creative shift comes amid speculation that the Prada Group is in talks to buy Versace from Capri Holdings, which paid 2 billion euros (currently $2.2 billion) for the fashion house in 2018. The U.S. group also owns Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo.

Miuccia Prada acknowledged interest in the brand on the sidelines of Milan Fashion Week last month, while Versace made no comment at what was to be her last runway show. Versace symbolically wore a vintage jacket that Gianni made for her in 1992, inspired by the powerful Miss S&M collection.

Capri Holding’s statement made no mention of any plans to sell Versace, but the arrival of a designer from Miu Miu is only likely to fuel speculation of a possible deal.

Versace received an outpouring of love and support on social media posts marking the shift from younger designers she has championed, including Roberto Cavalli creative director Fausto Puglisi and former Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccoli, along with tens of thousands of fashion fans.

“I hope I’ve made you proud so far,” Versace wrote in an Instagram post celebrating her and her brother’s major moments in Versace’s nearly 50 years.

They included photos of Gianni and Donatella together, and major Versace celebrity moments featuring Lady Diana, Naomi Campbell, Elton John, Adele, Taylor Swift, Gigi Hadid, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Jane Fonda and many more.

Versace CEO John D. Idol said in a statement that the creative shift was “part of a thoughtful succession plan for Versace.” He called Vitale “a strong leader,” and expressed confidence that “his talent and vision will be instrumental to Versace’s future growth.”

As chief brand ambassador, Versace “will continue to champion the Versace brand and its values,” Idol said.

Versace represented 20% of Capri Holdings 2024 revenue of 5.2 billion euros. Capri recently laid out strategic plans to rebalance the Versace portfolio to return the brand to its more daring roots, increase sales of accessories and win back entry-level consumers put off by a post-pandemic focus on higher net-worth clients.

During the presentation, Idol acknowledged that Versace had recently struggled in menswear “where the historical … customer was used to us being very, very loud. And we’ve gone much quieter.”

Versace said she was “thrilled” that Vitale would join Versace and that she was “excited” to see the brand her brother founded in 1978 “through new eyes.”

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to carry on my brother Gianni’s legacy. He was the true genius, but I hope to have some of his spirit and tenacity,” she said in a statement. “In my new role as chief brand ambassador, I will remain Versace’s most passionate supporter. Versace is in my DNA and always in my heart.”