Despite only being six at the time, I still remember the pure scandal and drama that occurred in 2005 when it was revealed that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had been having a sordid love affair on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith while the actor was still married to national sweetheart Jennifer Anniston.

It was a story that gripped the globe, and pretty soon after, we—I’m referring to both the film fanatics and hopeless romantics—all became completely obsessed and enamoured with the idea of two co-stars falling in love while in the midst of filming a romantic comedy. Any hint or glimmer of off-screen chemistry sent us all into a tizzy, trying to decipher whether or not there was any secret smooching going on when the cameras turned off.

So, is anyone surprised that netizens have now become truly convinced that actors Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell are indeed our next pair of rom-com victims? Before we dive into the depths of whether or not this could actually be true, let’s first examine the evidence.

Now, Sweeney and Powell, or Poweeney, started filming their new movie Anyone But You in Australia in February 2023, and when pictures began emerging of the two young actors sightseeing and just generally frolicking about in the Aussie sun, people began noticing some serious sparks.

@laurenisgossip

this is a hot take on Glen Powell & Sydney Sweeney….let me know your thoughts: friends or more than friends?

♬ original sound - Lauren is Gossip

Firstly, TikTok detectives began noticing how naturally close the two were. They’d be holding one another and smiling together in pictures, clinging onto each other in between takes when they were filming in the ocean and overall just seeming like a pair of young insanely beautiful people who got along incredibly well—maybe too well.

@vannajmg

Asking my husband his unbiased opinion…i rest my case. #greenscreen #fyp #sydneysweeney #glennpowell #drama

♬ original sound - Vanna

And then, Poweeney made their official first promotional appearance together at the CinemaCon 2023. Posing together on the (grey) carpet, the two participated in a number of interviews which only further fired up suspicious gen Zers. Not only is it glaringly obvious from the video clips that Powell and the Euphoria actress admire one another greatly, there seems to be a comfortability and ease between them which just screams romance.

@shallonxo

Is this simple body language tell confirm #GlenPowell and #SydneySweeney are hooking up? Get all the tea in my latest YouTube video, link in bio! #FYP #ShallonLester #Celebrity #TopGun #Euphoria

♬ original sound - Shallon Lester

@katiee.howell

its the eyes that say everything… are they cheating? Idk but its definitely crossing boundries #sydneysweeney #glenpowell

♬ She Knows - J. Cole

Now, some non-believers have claimed that the two are simply playing up to the cameras, seemingly in hopes to boost the buzz around their film. And while this isn’t a completely ridiculous notion—we’ve seen many other Hollywood co-stars do the exact same thing—a PR stunt just doesn’t seem to fully tie up all the loose ends.

Oh, and on top of all this, there have been multiple alleged reports that both Powell and Sweeney (who were both in serious long term relationships at the start of filming) have split from their respective partners.

@amandachristine_1

#sydneysweeney #glenpowell #greenscreen #fyp

♬ original sound - A M A N D A

@itslinklauren

Glen Powell and his girlfriend Gigi Paris have broken up. The internet has been on fire recently with Glen and Sydney Sweeney content #glenpowell #sydneysweeney #glenpowellsydneysweeney #popculture #bradpitt #angelinajolie #brangelina #romcom

♬ original sound - Link Lauren

As someone who’s spent the majority of their life invested in celebrity couples and on-screen romances, I hate to admit it, but I kind of hope this gossip is all based on actual facts. As sad as it is that this affair may’ve broken up two seemingly happy couples, no-one can convince me that Poweeney don’t have a pretty magical connection. The heart wants what the heart wants.

Singer (and recently certified TikTok star) Meghan Trainor has recently come under fire after making some pretty defamatory statements about teachers and the school system in the US.

During the last episode of her podcast Workin On It—which featured controversial influencer Trisha Paytas who, funnily enough, always seems to find herself in the centre of an online drama—Trainor discussed how she planned on homeschooling her children.

The singer noted that she’d seen videos on TikTok where parents had spoken about their kids having to wear bulletproof backpacks to school and explained that it completely turned her off the idea of her own children going to public school in the country.

Now, this particular sentiment is understandably valid. Not only have mass shootings in America been at a record pace during 2023 so far, there have been 377 school shootings since 1999—a figure that would leave any parent highly cautious and anxious about letting their children go to school.

However, it was Trainor’s next comment that really hit a nerve with educators online. The ‘All About That Bass’ singer (who was clearly riled up at this point) stated: “Fuck teachers!”

Practically instantaneously, teachers began sharing their anger on TikTok—stitching the podcast clip and criticising Trainor for making such a hurtful comment. One user shared how they understand that there are teachers who cause trauma and can be problematic, but that “it’s not the majority.”

@glitterbeardteach

@meghantrainor this is really disappointing. Teachers are under attack so much in the media and this sentiment isnt helpful. There are bad teachers, but that isnt the experience for the majority of kids. Honestly, maybe I trust that too many people are good? I don’t know. I understand wanting to homeschool for whatever your reasons may be. But, this made it through to the final episode? @workinonitpod this was disappointing. #meghantrainor #ryantrainor #workinonitpod #respectteachers #dobetter

♬ Lo-fi hip hop - NAO-K

The individual went on to note that “we’re already in a very anti-teacher place, so the disconnect with reality is really apparent and sad. When you have a following that large and are that much of a celebrity, everything that you say is very important. This is just a gross miss from Meghan Trainor, which really sucks.”

Another TikToker, a user by the name of Soogia, posted on the video-sharing app and stated: “The thing I want to talk about most is the privilege with which you speak those words. You’re never going to have to know what it feels like to send your kids to school because you have the privilege to keep them at home and to most likely hire someone to teach them for you if you wanted to. Most of us do not have that privilege. You being so flippant about the whole thing was really gross to me.”

@soogia1

@meghantrainor I drafted this before I saw that you posted your apology, but I still think you need to see this video as well. meghantrainor supportteachers gunreform trishapaytas greenscreenvideo

♬ 3 minutes - StMooY7

The creator continued: “When you say ‘Fuck teachers’, those are the people who parents like me, and most parents, rely on to help protect our kids because we’re not there. In a lot of cases, a lot of teachers have given up their lives to protect the lives of children.”

Following the initial wave of backlash, Trainor released an apology statement regarding her comments. The singer posted a video to her personal TikTok saying: “Teachers of TikTok and teachers of the world, I recently said ‘Fuck teachers’ on the podcast and it’s not how I feel. I was fired up because we were talking about how sending your kid to school here in America is so horrific.”

@meghantrainor

@galsgotmoxie thank you for making your video and for bringing attention to this. I am sorry for being careless with my words. I LOVE teachers and I am here for you ❤️ Let’s work to make schools a better place together

♬ original sound - Meghan Trainor

The Grammy winner continued: “I did not mean [to say that about] all teachers. I love teachers, I fight for teachers. I think they have the hardest job and they are the most underpaid. They are the most unappreciated when they literally raise all of us. I don’t want to make excuses, I just want to [say] I am so sorry.”