Kareem Rahma Reveals the “Subway Takes” Guest He Didn't Click with and Who He's Hoping Will Make an Appearance (Exclusive)

On May 13, 2026, Kareem Rahma attended the 2026 YouTube Brandcast at Lincoln Center in New York City

NEED TO KNOW

• During a red carpet conversation with PEOPLE, the content creator revealed who his “dream” guest for his series Subway Takes would be

• The 39-year-old also wasn’t shy about naming his “least favorite” celebrity interview

Kareem Rahma has built a devoted following by turning everyday subway rides into some of the internet’s most entertaining conversations.

As the creator and host of the viral social media seriesSubway Takes, Rahma invites celebrities, comedians and cultural figures onto the New York City subway for candid, fast-moving discussions that often feel more spontaneous than traditional interviews.

While attending the 2026 YouTube Brandcast on May 13, Rahma exclusively revealed to PEOPLE one celebrity he still hopes to bring onto the series.

“Ben Affleck, man. Come on. I'm trying to summon you,” the 39-year-old content creator says while directly addressing the actor. “I think you're the most underrated and under-respected… actor, writer, director. The most underrated of our time,” he reveals.

Rahma made it clear the admiration was completely genuine. Speaking passionately about Affleck, the host doubled down on how badly he wants the Oscar winner to appear onSubway Takes, insisting the praise was not meant as an exaggeration or a joke.

"I hope you don't take this as a joke, and I also hope you don’t…take this poorly or the wrong way, but I'm a huge fan of you, and I would love to interview onSubway Takes,” he emphasizes.

While attending the red carpet on Wednesday, Rahma was also honest about the interviews that have not fully clicked.

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When asked about his “least favorite” guest, he pointed tohis October 2025 episodewith sports analyst and TV personalityStephen A. Smith.

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Since 2023, Rahma’s series has become known for its 15-minute conversations on the NYC subway with strangers and major celebrities via microphones attached to MetroCards.

Over the years, he has welcomed guests including actorsCate BlanchettandJason Bateman, comedian Hasan Minhaj and singerRosalía.

The appeal of the show comes from its unpredictability, with guests discussing everything from pop culture and relationships to deeply personal opinions — all while commuters go about their daily routines.

Rahma’s new full-length YouTube series,Keep the Meter Running, which premiered on May 13, follows the host as he rides through New York City with cab drivers — inspired by his own father’s experience behind the wheel — while learning about their lives and favorite places.

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May 16, 2026

Kareem Rahma Reveals the “Subway Takes” Guest He Didn't Click with and Who He's Hoping Will Make an Appearance (Exclusive)

On May 13, 2026, Kareem Rahma attended the 2026 YouTube Brandcast at Lincoln Center in New York City NEED TO KNOW ...

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“Top Gun” creators say Tom Cruise 'barfed on himself' during jet ride that sold him on movie: 'They shook him around'

Top Gunjust turned 40, and to commemorate the occasion members of its key creative team are recalling the first timeTom Cruisefelt the need for speed.

Jack Epps Jr., the screenwriter who penned the classic action drama, and Jerry Bruckheimer, the film's producer, spoke withThe Guardianabout their memories of making the film.

Epps remembered a group of US navy pilots taking Cruise for a spin in a fighter jet shortly before he committed to starring in the film.

"They look at him and they don't know who Tom Cruise is," Epps said of the pilots. "They do what they like to do: they took him up, they shook him around, he barfed on himself, and he came out and said, 'I love this.' From that moment, he was on."

Bruckheimer said that he personally connected theMission: Impossiblestar with the pilots.

"We couldn't quite get him to commit [to the movie],, so I arranged for him to fly with the Blue Angels in El Centro, California," Bruckheimer recalled, noting that Cruise looked quite different from his character inTop Gundue to his longer hairdo for the 1985 movieLegend. "He had long hair and a ponytail and they saw this guy walk up and they said, 'We'll get this hippy a real ride.'"

Bruckheimer continued, "They sure did and he got out of the plane, walked to a phone booth, because there were no cell phones then, called me up, said, 'I'm in.'"

Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to a representative for Cruise for comment.

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Cruise previously recalled his own perspective on his flight with the Blue Angels in a 2016 interview onJimmy Kimmel Live— and revealed that he'd already made up his mind to star inTop Gunafter his first meeting with Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott, but wanted to leverage his commitment so he could take a ride with the Blue Angels.

"I told my agent, 'I'm going to make this movie, but don't tell Jerry I want to make this movie, because I want to fly with the Blue Angels,'" he said (viaE!). "You've got work these things, you know? I'm a businessman."

The actor also admitted to losing his lunch during the flight. "I vomited with the Blue Angels," he told Jimmy Kimmel.

Curt "Griz" Watson, a pilot with the Blue Angels, previously detailed that same flight with Cruise in a2023 video interview. "We put him in the back of the 7 jet and I took him out. We basically did some rolls and some loops," he said. "I let him fly the airplane a little bit."

Watson echoed Bruckheimer's recollection of the flight inspiring Cruise to sign on to the film. "My understanding was that he came back from the flight and went directly to a phone booth and called the producer and said, 'I'll do it,'" he remembered. "And I got a really nice letter from him that said, 'Thanks for the ride, I appreciate it.' And something to the effect of, 'It really helped me with my character development for the movie.'"

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Top Gunand its sequelTop Gun: Maverickare now playing in theaters in celebration of the original film's 40th anniversary.

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“Top Gun” creators say Tom Cruise 'barfed on himself' during jet ride that sold him on movie: 'They shook him around'

Top Gunjust turned 40, and to commemorate the occasion members of its key creative team are recalling the first timeTom Cruisefelt the ...

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Jack Schlossberg says he'll never process sister Tatiana's death: 'She was my best friend'

Kennedy heir Jack Schlossberg, the son of President John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline, lost his older sister, Tatiana, in December.

Key Points

• Tatiana Schlossberg, 35, died of cancer. The environmental journalist was a mother of two.

• Political candidate Jack Schlossberg said Tatiana was his best friend.

While Jack Schlossberg is focused on winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, he can't stop thinking about his sister Tatiana's death.

"I don't think I'll ever process it," he toldVanity Fairin an interview published Friday. "The world will never be the same for me, not only since she passed away, but since she was diagnosed with cancer about two years ago."

Tatiana Schlossbergdied Dec. 30, after announcing in November 2025 that she had been diagnosed with cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, more than a year earlier. Doctors told her the prognosis was terminal.

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"She was my best friend. We could finish each other's sentences," Schlossberg, 33, said of losing one of his two sisters. "I miss her all the time. Every day I think about her."

Schlossberg has said previously that his sister had told him he "better win" in his campaign.

His grief has served as a motivation.

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"It's made me all the more motivated, engaged, and focused on making the most out of my life, and I think that there's no higher calling than public service," the grandson of PresidentJohn F. Kennedysaid. "To me, I think politics is a noble profession, and one that I would be fantastic at serving this district as. So she wanted me to win, and I intend to honor her by doing just that."

The proximity of Schlossberg's loss has shown him, he said, that "it could have just as easily been me."

He feels an obligation to himself and his sister "to make the most out of my precious life and all that I’ve been given in this life to give back to others and make sure that we can fund cures for the type of cancer that took her life, and for other types of cancer."

During Tatiana's life, she worked as an environmental journalist at theNew York Times. She published the non-fiction bookInconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Didn't Know You Hadin 2019.

The emotional essay in which she disclosed her illness was published in theNew Yorker.

"Mostly, I try to live and be with them now," she wrote of her family, which included husband George Moran and their two children, Edwin and Josephine. "But being in the present is harder than it sounds, so I let the memories come and go. So many of them are from my childhood that I feel as if I'm watching myself and my kids grow up at the same time."

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Jack Schlossberg says he'll never process sister Tatiana's death: 'She was my best friend'

Kennedy heir Jack Schlossberg, the son of President John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline, lost his older sister, Tatiana, in Decembe...

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“Off Campus”' Mika Abdalla Breaks Down That 'Heated' Finale Cliffhanger and Teases Season 2 (Exclusive)

Warning: This story contains spoilers for the season 1 finale ofOff Campus.

NEED TO KNOW

• Season 1 of Off Campus leaves off with a major cliffhanger involving Allie (Mika Abdalla) and Dean (Stephen Kalyn)

• Abdalla breaks down what's to come for Allie after that twist and teases season 2 as she reveals she's received the first two scripts: "It's all very real"

• Off Campus is now streaming on Prime Video

There's a bit of a mess on Allie Hayes's hands at the end ofOff Campusseason 1.

After getting involved with Dean (Stephen Kalyn) — Allie and Dean are the subject of the third book inElle Kennedy's series,The Score, and season 1 of the Prime Video show adapted the first book,The Deal— after her breakup with Sean (Riley Davis), Allie started to panic about falling back into old patterns. In the hopes of slowing things down between her and Dean, she suggested they both sleep with other people, and then she slept with the mysterious Carter St. James (Charlie Evans), whom she'd previously kissed, after running into him on campus.

In the final moments of season 1, Carter walked into Malone's and a nightmare unfolded for Allie. Dean put the pieces together that she had slept with Carter, just after he revealed that he didn't want to see other people, and Carter St. James's true identity was revealed: he's actually Hunter Davenport, the protagonist of Kennedy'sThe Play, a book in herOff Campusspinoff series,Briar U.

"We were all surprised by it,"Mika Abdalla, who plays Allie, tells PEOPLE of the twist. "I think it's really great. "It's really fun to throw someone else into the mix for Allie, just fresh out of her relationship, freaking out about this relationship [with Dean]."

"It's nice to pump the brakes a little bit," Abdalla, 26, says. "I'm excited to see what goes on from there, because that's a pretty heated way to end the season."

She reveals the season was originally "supposed to end differently, and then we had to change that, for reasons that will be revealed later," and the Hunter twist was instead introduced.

Hunter's arrival in the series was "like the freaking nuclear codes," Abdalla says. "We needed to not talk about that. No one was allowed to know who that man was, which was hilarious." The cast was explicitly told not to "follow" Evans on social media or otherwise engage with him to avoid spoiling his arrival. "We weren't allowed to do a freaking thing with that man. They kept it locked up."

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Showrunner Louisa Levy tells PEOPLE that the decision to bring Hunter into the fold "allowed us to tee up potential future seasons that we might be able to explore, and also tee up a little bit of Dean's backstory that we might be able to get into in future seasons as well."

As she points out, Hunter is a character that appears inThe Score,Dean and Allie's book, "just in a small way," so she and the writers found it a "fun opportunity" to "pull from the later books and use those characters to build out" the world on the college campus. "I have no idea how fans are going to react to it, but I'm very excited to see."

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Off Campuswas renewed forseason 2before season 1 premiered, but Prime Video has not yet confirmed which couple it'll follow. On her character's behalf, Abdalla says she is "not excited" about the next installment, as she anticipates some major challenges for Allie. "I am excited about it as an actor," she says. "I am excited for the deep emotional turmoil that Allie is going through, because I think that'll be a lot of fun [to play], and that's not really something I got to play around with too, too much this season."

"I am excited to see the inner workings of her. It's really fun to play such a vibrant, larger-than-life character, who also has these extremely deep feelings about herself and the world around her. It's such a balance," Abdalla continues. "I'm excited to do the puzzle of Allie."

Abdalla has received scripts for the first two episodes of season 2, she confirms, which is "very exciting," and the cast returns to Vancouver to start filming shortly. "It's all very real," she says of the next installment.

Off Campusseason 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.

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“Off Campus”' Mika Abdalla Breaks Down That 'Heated' Finale Cliffhanger and Teases Season 2 (Exclusive)

Warning: This story contains spoilers for the season 1 finale ofOff Campus. NEED TO KNOW Season 1 of Off Campus leaves...

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Suzette Charles Criticizes Miss America 42 Years After Inheriting Crown from Vanessa Williams Due to Nude Photo Scandal

Suzette Charles was crowned Miss America 1984 about 10 months after she placed as the runner-up at the pageant, coming in just behind winner Vanessa Williams

NEED TO KNOW

• After Williams was forced to resign following a nude photo scandal, Charles inherited the crown, becoming the second Black woman to be named Miss America (also after Williams, who became the first Black winner)

• In an interview with The Guardian over 40 years later, Charles condemned the organization's response to Williams' scandal and criticized the pageant system more broadly

Suzette Charlesis looking at pageantry with a more critical eye, over 40 years after she held the coveted title of Miss America.

The singer and actress, 63, placed as the runner-up at Miss America in 1984, finishing just behindVanessa Williams, who made history as the first Black woman to wear the sash. Williams, now 63, wasforced to resign after her nude photos— which she had taken years prior and under the promise of anonymity — were sold and published inPenthousemagazine without her consent. Charles then inherited the crown, making her the second Black woman to be named Miss America.

Decades later, the former contestant looked back on her journey to the national stage in an interview withThe Guardian. It started after she won Miss New Jersey at the state level. She remembered feeling "shocked" that she lost: "I thought my performance was stellar," Charles told the outlet.

Speaking toThe Guardianfor the profile published on Friday, May 15, Charles criticized Miss America officials for their response to the scandal, knocking the pageant organization for punishing Williams "so many months later."

Charles described her crowning as "a bittersweet acceptance," and she expressed disapproval with the storied contest more broadly.

“The initial plan was to empower women, but we're in a different phase," she said in the interview. "I think it's probably time to say goodbye.”

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Williams spoke to PEOPLE about her fall from Miss America glory in 2024, about eight years after she returned to the pageant to serve as the head judge for the Miss America 2016 pageant.

“There was a tremendous amount of onus, pressure, shame, judgment,” Williams said, thinking back on the scandal that dominated the world's news cycle for weeks. “I took all that on as a 21-year-old. It was global. You can fail quietly, but that was a worldwide fail.”

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To mark her appearance on the judging panel, then-CEO of Miss America Sam Haskell issued a public apology to Williams.

“I have been a close friend to this beautiful and talented lady for 32 years,” he said. “You have lived your life in grace and dignity and never was it more evident than during the events of 1984 when you resigned.

Haskell continued, “Though none of us currently in the organization were involved then on behalf of today's organization I want to apologize to you and to your mother Ms. Helen Williams. I want to apologize for anything that was said or done that made you feel any less the Miss America you are and the Miss America you always will be.”

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May 15, 2026

Suzette Charles Criticizes Miss America 42 Years After Inheriting Crown from Vanessa Williams Due to Nude Photo Scandal

Suzette Charles was crowned Miss America 1984 about 10 months after she placed as the runner-up at the pageant, coming in just behind w...

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Court Ruling on Marquess of Bath's Son, Born Via Surrogacy, Could Have Major Implications for the Royal Family

A landmark court ruling could change the future of the British aristocracy and the royal family

NEED TO KNOW

• A High Court ruling last week determined that the Marquess of Bath's younger son can potentially inherit part of his father's fortune despite being born via surrogacy

• Previously, inheritance was determined by the historical definition of a legitimate child, which was written prior to significant advances in modern fertility technology

A landmark court ruling could change the future of the British aristocracy and, ultimately,the royal family.

Last week, a High Court ruling determined that the younger son of Ceawlin Thynn, the 8th Marquess of Bath, and his wife,Emma, Marchioness of Bath, can one day inherit part of his father's fortune, despite being born by surrogate.

Lord and Lady Bath, 51 and 40, respectively, share two sons, John, 11, and Henry, 9. During her pregnancy with John, the Marchioness developed hypophysitis — a rare inflammatory condition affecting the pituitary gland that can lead to serious hormonal complications and, in severe cases, become life-threatening. So, when the couple decided to expand their family, they welcomed their second son, Henry, via an American surrogate carrying their biological child.

However, because Henry is believed to be the first known member of the British aristocracy born via surrogate, questions were raised about his status under longstanding inheritance rules. Traditionally, succession rights were determined using an older legal definition of a “legitimate” child — language embedded in historic family trusts and laws that were last substantially updated in the 1970s, before major advances in fertility treatment and surrogacy.

In his ruling, Justice Matthews stated that it would be "unfair" to treat Henry as though he were not his father's son, according toThe Daily Mail.

"Henry is the son of Lord and Lady Bath. Not only is he treated by them and will be treated by the world in general as a child of Lord and Lady Bath's marriage, but he is also their genetic child," the justice added.

Though Henry is still young, Justice Matthews said the family took on the court case now to avoid problems with U.S. taxes and ensure the possibility that Lord Bath's son can become his beneficiary in the future.

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"A decision can then be taken at a later stage, in the light of appropriate advice, whether to exercise the power to add him," he added.

This isn't the first time Lord and Lady Bath have made aristocratic history. In 2020, Emma, previously Viscountess Weymouth, became Britain's first Black marchioness when her husband inherited the title upon the death of his father.

The daughter of a Nigerian oil tycoon and a British mother, Emma has found fame on reality television, mostly recently joining Bravo'sLadies of London: The New Reign,which premiered in March. She alsomade her Met Gala debutearlier this month, stepping out alongside celebrity pal Serena Williams.

The Baths' court ruling marks one of the first significant shifts in precedent to British succession in more than a decade. The decision is now being viewed as a potentially significant moment for Britain’s hereditary system more broadly, with legal observers noting it could eventually shape how aristocratic succession — and even royal inheritance rules — are interpreted in a modern era of assisted reproduction.

The last major decision that shifted the fates of the royal family in such a way came in 2013 when Parliament passed theSuccession to the Crown Act 2013, meaning that birth order now determines who will become the next king or queen of the U.K., regardless of sex.

Previously, the British monarchy had operated under male-preference primogeniture, meaning that female siblings fell behind their male siblings in the line of succession, regardless of birth order. It affects all royals born after Oct. 28, 2011, and alsoremoved the disqualificationplaced on those arising from marriage to a Roman Catholic.

In 2013,Princess Charlottebecame the first female member of the British royal family to hold her place in the line of succession even after her little brother,Prince Louis, was born.

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Court Ruling on Marquess of Bath's Son, Born Via Surrogacy, Could Have Major Implications for the Royal Family

A landmark court ruling could change the future of the British aristocracy and the royal family NEED TO KNOW A Hig...

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Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend reacts to her memoir, reveals domestic abuse story he asked to be cut out (but it wasn’t)

Hayden Panettiere's ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, reacts to her new memoir, which details domestic abuse in their relationship.

Key Points

• Hickerson reveals the one story he asked her to cut from the book, in which he threatened to throw a phone at her.

• Hickerson also says he spoke with Panettiere "yesterday" and thinks about marrying her one day.

Hayden Panettiereis revealing all in her new memoir,This Is Me: A Reckoning, including the"brutal"chapter of her life with boyfriend Brian Hickerson.

The two dated on and off from 2018 to 2022, during which Hickerson was arrested multiple times for domestic abuse. In 2021, he was sentenced to45 days in jailand four years probation andordered to stay awayfrom the actress for five years.

Panettiere details the “traumatic” relationship in her book, which Hickerson admits is a tough read but important.

"The domestic violence stuff, I think it's like page 272, my chapter. Everybody should read it," he toldTMZin a new interview.

There is one story he wishes would not have been printed, however.

"I was drunk," he recalled to TMZ. "Hayden was standing across the room and I had a phone in my hand and I said, 'Uh, Hayden,' I said, 'I'll give you 10 seconds to run as fast as you can before I throw it at you.'"

Hickerson didn't offer up much contrition for the way he treated the actress. In fact, he defended himself to TMZ, saying, "People do this all the time, you know."

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Panettiere publicly revealing what went on in their relationship is "more important for abusers" to read, added Hickerson. "My biggest thing about domestic violence is I don't think it is taught early enough in life. Never in my life did I ever get taught what domestic violence was, right? Maybe if I did at an early age, maybe I wouldn't have done what I did. We don't know."

Hickerson reserved his criticism for Panettiere's estranged mother, Leslie, whom he calls, "by far one of the worst people I've ever met in my life... She's terrible."

Hickerson also revealed he's now in AA after being in "such a dark place" with drugs and alcohol — and the leader of his group is none other thanShia LaBeouf.

"The man saved my life," Hickerson said of the actor, who was justarrestedin February 2026 for an alleged physical altercation outside a New Orleans bar. "I am a very big Christian and so is Shia and we both love Jesus."

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As for himself and Panettiere, Hickerson claimed the two last spoke "yesterday" and that he holds out hope he'll marry her one day. "She probably don't think the same way," he admitted. "We probably wouldn't be good together."

Watch Brian Hickerson’s full interview with TMZ below.

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Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend reacts to her memoir, reveals domestic abuse story he asked to be cut out (but it wasn’t)

Hayden Panettiere's ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, reacts to her new memoir, which details domestic abuse in their relationship. ...

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