The 57-year-old New York rapper, whose artist name stands for Ladies Love Cool James, rose to prominence in the 1980s alongside the likes of Beastie Boys and Run-DMC after being signed by Def Jam Recordings. 

The two-time Grammy winner emerged in the hip hop scene at the young age of 16 and while many fans will remember him for his work on hits like 'Going Back to Cali' and 'I'm Bad', his secret influence can be heard in the slang of youngsters today. LL, whose real name is James Todd Smith, revealed in a 2024 interview with the Metro that the peculiar phrasing was born out of his 2000 track. LL Cool J said he wishes he'd trademarked it (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) The lyrics go: "Like ecstasy, my crew's next to me / It's my destiny, to make history I'm the emperor, Rap King / From the streets of Paris, up north to Sing-Sing. "One question: Do I do my thing thing? (Hell Yeah) / Then putcha L's in the air, for the Greatest Rapper All Time." 

If you're still clueless, the chorus is a dead giveaway: "I'm the GOAT!" it goes, "The Greatest Of All Time." Aptly titled, 'The G.O.A.T', the record resonated with fans and millions more who have adapted the phrase to use it in their everyday vocabulary. 

For example, you might hear a sporting legend or some other culturally accepted icon being referred to as 'the GOAT' in their field, like Simone Biles of Team USA, considered the GOAT in gymnastics, or Beyoncé in the music industry, or LeBron James in basketball, to name just a few. 

He then said he came up with the term and acronym from ‘smashing together’ Muhammad Ali’s famous line, ‘I am the greatest’ as well as the nickname given to the South Carolina street basketball player, Earl ‘the Goat’ Manigault. Though Earl, born in 1944 and died age 53 in 1998, years before LL's track, was called 'the Goat', the singer says 'there's no question' he 'came up' with the moniker. He's set to headline a concert on New Year's Eve (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images) LL then went on to use the term on his eighth studio album, G.O.A.T., which featured James T. Smith: The Greatest of All Time. He said: "It’s pretty wild that it turned out how it did. I had no idea it was gonna become a worldwide phrase and statement. 

"To be able to touch the world through my art like that is pretty dope. What it says to me is that I can do more creatively. It says to me, if I’m capable of creating terminology for the entire globe, I can do some big things." The link comes as LL is set to headline a New Year's Eve concert in Philadelphia this year, completely for free. 

"Philly, don’t call it a comeback. We’ve got unfinished business. Shout out to the Mayor for the invitation! Meet me on the Oval this New Year’s Eve as we bring in 2026 — live," he said. 

The 37-year-old revealed she ditched her razor for the first Fifty Shades of Grey movie in 2015, where she appeared fully nude while playing Anastasia Steele. She made the admission during the latest episode of Hot Ones Versus on Wednesday (7 October). 

The star explained: “I was full frontal, and she was supposed to have never had a wax.” Anne Hathaway, who she was in the episode with, asked: “And you didn’t wanna use a merkin?” to which Johnson simply responded: “No.” 

Even though it shouldn’t be one because women should just be able to do whatever they want with their bodies, the whole ‘to shave or not to shave’ has become an ongoing debate. The actress revealed she grew out her pubic hair for Fifty Shades of Grey (Universal Pictures) Weighing in on the conversation in an article on Every Stage Health, Dr. Holly W. Cummings explained that despite pubic hair being so natural for women, some people can be very emotional about it, with these feelings being deeply rooted in societal expectations and myths. 

In case you weren’t aware, pubic hair actually has a very important purpose in protecting us, just like the hair around your ears, nose, and eyes. Dr Cummings outlined: “It keeps the skin of your vulva warm and moisturized. It protects the delicate skin from friction during sexual activity. It keeps dust, dirt, and germs away from the vagina to prevent infection.” 

Researchers even suspect that it can play a role in sexual attraction and pleasure. The expert added: “What’s more, the vagina is a self-cleaning organ. If you sense a little body odor, it’s because your pubic hair is doing its job of trapping sweat, oil, and bacteria. To care for your pubic area, all you need to do is regularly rinse with water.” 

Shutting down another bizarre myth, the gynaecologist affirmed that, long story short, there is absolutely nothing ‘dirty or unclean about pubic hair,’ and there is no medical reason to remove it.

A gynaecologist has assured that there's nothing unclean about pubic hair (Getty Stock Image) As per Healthline, if you are simply letting it grow, you don’t really need to do anything in terms of maintenance. If you do want to keep on top of it but without shaving, you can trim or shape it to your liking using a pube clipper, trimmer, or haircutting shears. 

The website explains that if you use scissors, it’s important to disinfect them first and designate the tool for that job. The experts advise: “Don’t use it on anything else. For your clipper or trimmer, follow the manufacturer’s directions for keeping it clean. Don’t share it.” 

If you choose to remove the hair, you have to take precautions to ensure you’re doing away with the hair in the safest way - and we all know there a whole lot of options out there. Johnson's admission has reignited the conversation (Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) Dr Cummings explained: “Trimming is the safest option because it shortens your pubic hair without cutting close to the skin, which can lead to injury or infection.” Another option is waxing; however, it can be painful, as the expert advised: “There is a risk of burns and general irritation, plus small cuts and other skin damage you can’t see. 

“If you choose waxing or sugaring, go to a licensed professional with lots of experience.” She warned that she’s not the biggest fan of shaving with a razor as it ‘can hurt sensitive skin, leading to rashes, ingrown hairs, and infection’. 

The gynaecologist concluded: “If you choose to shave, use a new, clean razor every time, as used razors can carry bacteria. It’s best to shave in the direction of hair growth if you can, but that can be hard to tell. It’s common for pubic hair to grow in multiple directions.” 

The 37-year-old actress admitted she grew out her pubic hair while filming the first Fifty Shades movie, which hit our screens back in 2015, where she appeared fully nude. "I grew my pubic hair. For Fifty Shades, the first one, I was full frontal, and she was supposed to have never had a wax," Johnson explained on the latest episode of First We Feast. 

And when asked if she considered using a merkin instead, Johnson had a very clear answer. "No," she replied without hesitation. While growing out your body hair might not be something you need to do for a movie role, there are actually a few things that can happen when you stop shaving down there. Here’s what you need to know...

Dakota Johnson recently revealed she stopped shaving 'down there' for her 50 Shades of Grey role (Universal Pictures)

You could say goodbye to razor burn 

Anyone who's ever shaved their bikini line will know the struggle of razor burn, bumps and the occasional extremely annoying ingrown hair. Stopping shaving means you're less likely to experience irritation caused directly by the razor scraping across your skin. 

Ingrown hairs can happen when shaved or removed hairs grow back into the skin, potentially causing redness, itching, inflammation and sometimes painful bumps. So, putting the razor down could give your skin a much-needed break. 

You’ll save yourself some time 

Let's be honest, shaving takes time. Whether you're doing a quick tidy-up or embarking on a full DIY Brazilian mission, it's one more thing to squeeze into an already busy routine. Letting your pubic hair grow naturally means you can skip the shaving step altogether - which could save you plenty of time over the course of a month. You could save yourself hours every year if you decide to stop shaving (Getty Stock Images)

Your skin may get less irritated 

Pubic skin can be particularly sensitive, and repeated shaving can cause irritation, especially if you're using a blunt razor, shaving without enough lubrication or going over the same area repeatedly. Giving your skin a break from hair removal may therefore help reduce some of that irritation. 

Of course, everyone's skin is different, and stopping shaving isn't guaranteed to solve every irritation issue. 

You might experience fewer ingrown hairs 

Ingrown hairs are one of the less glamorous side effects of hair removal. They happen when a hair curls back or grows sideways into the skin rather than growing normally out of the follicle. 

Because shaving cuts the hair at the surface, allowing your pubic hair to grow can mean fewer shaving-related ingrown hairs for some people. If you regularly get painful or recurring ingrown hairs, however, it's worth speaking to a healthcare professional. You may also experience fewer ingrown hairs (Getty Stock Images)

Your pubic hair can provide a natural barrier 

Now, in case you're not in the know, pubic hair isn't dirty or inherently unhygienic at all. Like hair elsewhere on the body, it can provide a physical barrier between the skin and the outside world. 

That doesn't mean pubic hair prevents infections or STIs - it doesn't - but there's also no medical requirement to remove it in order to be clean. Good hygiene comes from washing the external genital area appropriately, rather than whether or not you have hair. 

You may notice less pigmentation from repeated shaving 

Repeated irritation and inflammation can sometimes contribute to changes in skin pigmentation, particularly in people prone to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. If shaving frequently leaves your skin irritated, stopping could reduce one potential source of that inflammation. 

However, skin colour variation around the vulva and bikini area is completely normal, and going natural won't necessarily change existing pigmentation. You won't have to worry about the dreaded shaving itch (Getty Stock Images)

There may be less friction from shaving 

A freshly shaved bikini area can sometimes feel particularly sensitive, especially when your skin is rubbing against clothing. For some people, allowing the hair to grow back can make the area feel less irritated. 

Pubic hair itself can also reduce some skin-on-skin friction, although there's no guarantee that keeping it will make sex more comfortable. Ultimately, what feels best is going to be different for everyone. 

You don't have to worry about the dreaded shaving itch 

The regrowth stage can be seriously uncomfortable. As freshly shaved hair grows back, those short hairs can feel prickly or itchy against your skin and underwear. Letting your hair grow naturally means you can avoid that particular post-shave phase altogether. Whether you prefer completely bare, neatly trimmed or completely natural is a personal choice! (Getty Stock Images)

It won't automatically make you smell worse 

One of the biggest myths surrounding pubic hair is that keeping it is somehow unhygienic. It isn't. Pubic hair doesn't inherently cause bad odour, and having it doesn't mean you're less clean. 

Sweat and bacteria can contribute to body odour whether you have pubic hair or not, so regular washing of the external genital area is still important. And if you notice a sudden or unusual change in genital odour, particularly alongside itching, pain or unusual discharge, that's something to get checked rather than blaming your pubic hair. 

You might simply feel more comfortable 

Perhaps the biggest benefit is also the simplest: you don't have to remove your body hair if you don't want to. Whether you prefer completely bare, neatly trimmed or completely natural is a personal choice.

There's no one 'correct' way for pubic hair to look, and you certainly don't need to grow it out for a movie role like Dakota Johnson did. Sometimes, the best grooming routine is simply the one that makes you feel most comfortable in your own skin! 

During the 2020 election, Trump and Biden went head to head for the presidency. It would have been Trump's second term, but ultimately his Democratic competitor came out on top. 

Biden was then president between January 2021 to January 2025, then Trump once more found himself back in the White House. But before his second term, Biden expressed his concerns about what he would do if he was to run the country for another four years. 

Speaking back in 2020 in a resurfaced video, Biden shared: "The world has changed because of what Trump has done. And the American people, including Independents and some Republicans, know how bad he is, know how much he's misrepresented, know how he's getting close to getting us in a war." Joe Biden expressed concerns about there being a war between Iran and the US in 2020 (Sean Rayford/Getty Images) "I said, as the walls close in on this man, I'm worried he's going to get us to war in Iran," he went on. "Unfortunately I may have been right. The fact of the matter is there's a lot at stake in this election." Six years later and US is embroiled in an ongoing conflict with Iran, proving Biden right. 

While there have long been hostilities between Iran and the US, the latest fallout come after Trump ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. But there's another part of Biden's 2020 sentiments that he was right about – that being that Republicans starting to change their views on Trump. 

One high profile example is former devout Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene. In an interview last year, she shared how the party 'really feel' about the POTOUS. Marjorie Taylor Greene is one example of a Republican that's turned on Trump (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images) "I think they're terrified to step out of line and get nasty Truth Social posts about them," she said of her Republican colleagues. Greene went on to say in her tell-all 60 Minutes interview: "We've watched a lot of my colleagues go from making fun of [Trump], making fun of how he talks, making fun of me constantly for supporting him. 

"When he won the primary in 2024, they all decided to start kissing his ass and putting on a MAGA hat for the first time." A month later, Greene officially resigned from the Republican party and her position as the US Representative for Georgia’s 14th congressional district. Support for Trump within his own party is starting to waver (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) His support has continued to decline in recent months. An Ipsos report in September found that Republican approval of Trump’s overall job performance declined from 86 percent in January 2026 to 73 percent as of a couple of weeks ago. 

"This comes as Republicans’ views of Trump’s handling of economic issues have also declined, falling from 80% to 56% on the U.S. economy and 70% to 44% on the cost of living," the report explained.

"More broadly, Trump’s approval rating stands at 32% among all Americans, a low point in Reuters/Ipsos polling fielded across his first and second presidency."

The 82-year-old actor has been in a relationship with Welsh-born Zeta-Jones since 1998. The pair got engaged the following year and married in New York in 2000. In his new memoir One Helluva Ride, Douglas has opened up about the early days of his relationship with the stunning star and revealed that once things got serious she made it clear that she wasn’t keen on the idea of sharing him. 

He wrote: “She told me she understood that I was a single guy who’d come out of a long marriage, but she would only be monogamous.” He recalled that she told him: ‘I’m not interested in dating you if you’re dating other people. You can either continue with them or end it and be with me.”

The couple met in the late 1990s and Michael Douglas was smitten from the get-go (Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images) Douglas, who was newly divorced from his first wife Diandra at the time, was happy to agree to her conditions but he had to do something first, well he had to do five things first. “I told her wait here I have to make five quick calls. ‘Five? You have to make five calls?’” he recalled. 

“Just after my marriage, I had been seeing five other women. They knew I was recently separated and in the process of getting a divorce “I made sure they all lived in different cities, which felt like a respectful way to be non-monogamous.” 

The Wall Street actor said that none of the other ladies he had been seeing had wanted anything serious or questioned whether he was meeting other women, adding: “I am sure they were seeing other people, too.” So, when the time came to break the news that he’d no longer be seeing them as he’d met someone else, they ‘all took it well’. Douglas also revealed the rather cheesy but 100% accurate line he used on Zeta-Jones shortly after they first met.

The pair have been married for 26 years after Catherine Zeta-Jones issued an ultimatum (Lars Niki/Corbis via Getty Images) The smitten-star admitted that after having dinner with Zeta-Jones and her Zorro co-star Anthonio Banderas and his then-wife Melanie Griffith, he got ‘smashed’ on booze and as he was getting ready to say goodbye, he told her: I’m going to be the father of your children.” 

Douglas wrote: “It wasn’t a cheap pickup line. It was the truth.” It sure was, as the pair are now mum and dad two kids: son Dylan, aged 26, and a daughter named Carys, who is 23. With more than a quarter of a century together, Douglas recently told PEOPLE that their love is stronger than ever. 

“It goes beyond being attracted to somebody in this matter. It’s just an unknown bond of being close and… a mutual respect,” he said. Sharing the secrets to their longevity, he added: "A good sense of humour doesn't hurt, number one. 

“And talking things out. Never using the words 'never' or 'always' when you get angry with each other. "And putting yourself in the other person's position before you make your value judgment. But you gotta have fun.”

Spokesperson Sean Parnell said that the commander-in-chief has given the green light for Nidal Malik Hasan to meet his grisly fate, nearly two decades after the devastating Fort Hood shooting. It's a controversial and uncommon method of execution in the US - and those who have watched one unfold have conflicting opinions on the humaneness of the process. 

Hasan, 56, is one of four men on the military's death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas - and Parnell said 'judgement day has finally come' for him. On Tuesday (6 October), the Pentagon spokesperson shared a social media post explaining that both Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Trump have rubber stamped his pending execution. Hasan will meet his fate in December (Bell County Sheriff's Office via Getty Images) Hasan's scheduled death on 3 December will mark the first military execution since April 1961. He was given the ultimate punishment in August 2013 by a military jury after he was found guilty of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder. 

The former US Army psychiatrist, from Virginia, opened fire with a laser-sighted handgun at the Texas military base, Fort Hood, in November 2009. It left 13 soldiers dead and another 30 injured. Hasan was left using a wheelchair as he was partially paralysed due to a shootout with police who battled to subdue him during the mass shooting - and he is now set to soon meet a similar fate to his victims. If the military execution goes ahead, his last moments will likely be extremely unpleasant. The metal chair at the rear of the room is what death row inmates are strapped to before the firing squad begin (South Carolina Department of Corrections) The procedure is expected to be similar to those used by US states who put prisoners to death with a firing squad, such as Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah. It may be comparable to the execution of Brad Sigmon in South Carolina in March last year, which saw three officials open fire at him while aiming for a red bullseye target on his chest. 

Witnesses described how they saw the double murderer strapped to a chair, which had a basin underneath it to catch blood, before a hood was then placed over his head. A curtain that had concealed the firing squad was then opened, before shots were fired simultaneously at Sigmon. 

A reporter for the Associated Press described observing his chest rise and fall several times after the bullets penetrated his body. It took three minutes for him to die after the first shot was fired. 

How death by firing squad unfolded for Sigmon Brad Sigmon was pronounced dead three minutes after his execution began (South Carolina Department of Corrections) Brutally, the bullets that were used are designed to break apart on impact and inflict maximum damage on the condemned inmate. Those who observe such executions are often given ear plugs to protect their ears. As detailed by FOX Carolina News in wake of Sigmon's death, he was strapped down to a metal chair that is bolted to the floor in the execution chamber at the Broad River Correctional Institution in South Carolina. 

Those responsible for putting him to death were Department of Corrections employees who, interestingly, had volunteered for the macabre job. The publication reported that there was a 'portal' in the wall of the execution chamber, which is where rifles that were each loaded with live ammunition were positioned, before the triggers were pulled from around 15ft (4.6m) away. 

After the warden recited the execution order, bullets rained down on Sigmon, before a doctor pronounced him dead minutes later. Although his method is perhaps more definitive that other methods such as the lethal injection, as demonstrated during Christa Pike's botched execution last week, it apparently isn't any easier to watch. 

What witnesses have described 

Reporters who saw Ronnie Lee Gardner be put to death by a firing squad in Utah in June 2010 gave chilling accounts of what happened in the moments after the trigger was pulled. The killer explicitly wished to meet his fate this way and famously told the Deseret News in 1996: "I like the firing squad. It's so much easier... and there's no mistakes."

Ronnie Lee Gardner requested a firing squad (Utah Department of Corrections) He was pronounced dead approximately two minutes after a five-man firing squad unloaded at him from 25 feet (8m) away. KSL5TV former reporter Sandra Yi explained that Gardner's head was 'restrained' by officials during his execution, ensuring he could not budge. 

"There was a strap across his forehead, so he couldn't move his head," she told Associated Press at the time. "But I could see him moving his eyes...and it looked almost like he could see us through the window, even though he couldn't. When he was shot, some of us I think weren't sure if he had passed away because we could see movement. 

"He had his fist clenched and we can see his elbow move up and down and his thumb and forefingers moving, rubbing against each other."

A chair used for firing squad executions in Utah (Utah State Department of Corrections) Others shared similar accounts, such as Pat Reavy from Deseret News, who recalled how Gardner 'kept moving' after the round of shots were fired at him. The general consensus was that the firing squad got the job done efficiently, as KTVX-TV reporter Marcos Ortiz said: "What caught my attention was that it was so sudden, so quick. Boom, boom! Just like that." 

Sheryl Worsley, reporting for KSL NewsRadio, concurred and described it as being 'over pretty quickly'. "It was cleaner than I expected and it was fast," she said. "But he moved, he moved a little bit. And to some degree that bothers me and to some degree that mirrors the last few weeks of his life...because he was fighting to stay alive the last few weeks of his life, legally, and that seemed to carry on the last 60 to 120 seconds." 

In response to the news of Hasan's execution date being set, Death Penalty Action - an organisation which opposes capital punishment - said: "There ​is nothing Donald Trump loves more than the power to kill."

Jamaal Howard is set to be put to death today following the 2000 murder of petrol station worker Vicky Swartout. The execution, which will take place at around 6pm in Texas, will go ahead using the same drug, pentobarbital, used in the Pike's failed execution last week. 

But the killer is not fully aware of what is happening to him, according to his spiritual advisor Dr Jeff Hood, who claimed he is 'intellectually disabled'. Speaking with the Metro, he said: "I told Jamaal last week about what happened to Christa. That the drugs didn’t work and she was now in hospital. 

"I thought he would be upset, but I was wrong. He told me, 'I am not worried, because the warden will just come and shoot me in the head', which is clearly not based in reality." Despite his disability, prosecutors have pushed for Howard to be sentenced to death. Aged 20, he was found guilty of stealing his granddad’s gun and firing at Vicky, which ultimately led to her death. Howard was 20 when he committed the murder. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice) However his family, as well as Dr Jeff, claim that Howard was shot in the head. He no longer recognises people he has known for a number of years, and mistakes his advisor for his attorney regularly. 

"When you talk about the lethal injection drugs," Dr Jeff said, "He thinks you are talking about drugs that would get you high or something." The advisor added: "He really has no idea it will end his life. Pike received life-saving treatment in hospital following the botched execution. (Christa Pike's legal team) "My worst fear is going into the chamber with him today, and him telling me he doesn’t know what’s going on." Pike became the first person in history last week to survive two doses of the so-called lethal injection. 

Her attorneys confirmed just yesterday that the killer was conscious and speaking following the botched execution just days ago. In an emailed statement shared with The Tennessean, lawyers Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason said: "Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care. 

"Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed. Her recovery is medically unprecedented. Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery."