Kayla Nicole Is Sick Of Trolls, Miley Cyrus Teases New Album & Ex-Uber Driver Heads To Big Leagues
Good afternoon, champions.
It's about 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, so I trust that by now you've already dunked your face in three bowls of ice-cold bottled water, rubbed a banana all over your body and completed 450 push-ups.
If not, congratulations on sucking at life.
OK, OK, I know Zach Dean already thoroughly covered the Ashton Hall morning routine in yesterday's Nightcaps, but it's still the only thing on my X timeline. Well, that and people making fun of him.
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In other words, we need basketball, and Thursday cannot come soon enough. I'm so jazzed about the Sweet 16, which no doubt means I'm in for a crushing disappointment when my Tennessee Vols take on Kentucky on Friday. But I'm wearing my positive pants today, boys and girls, and you won't bring me down.
The work day is pretty much over. How's about you throw on your own positive (sweat)pants, grab a beer and settle in for the most important news of the day, huh? It's Nightcaps time!
Kayla Nicole Is Sick Of Trolls
Kayla Nicole — who is apparently famous for being a TV host, model and influencer, even though most of us just know her as Travis Kelce's ex-girlfriend — is making headlines again. This time as a guest on Cameron Brink's Straight 2 Cam podcast.
Yes, I know we talked about Cameron's podcast in last Tuesday's Nightcaps, too. But when the girl brings content, she brings content. Plus, Cam is one of the most stunningly beautiful humans I've ever seen. But that's beside the point.
Anyway, Kayla is once again airing her frustration with the online trolls who won't stop bullying her since Travis started dating the most famous woman in the world, Taylor Swift. But she's found a way to handle these haters, and it's pretty simple.
"No. 1 is just logging the f*ck out," she said. "That’s my No. 1 go-to, when it becomes too much, I just have to log out. Because it’s not the real world, there’s life happening beyond the internet."
Honestly, all the bullying Kayla receives makes no sense to me. Why does anyone care who Travis used to date? I mean, if she were out there talking sh*t about him or Tay-Tay, I'd say she's probably asking for it. But as far as I know, she's really just doing her own thing.
Sure, she may have risen to fame because she dated Travis Kelce, but can you blame the woman for capitalizing?
"I see someone in my comments at least once a week, like, ‘Girl, they are going in on you on Reddit,'" Kayla said. "I don’t even look. I can’t.
"I also think people need to start doing psych evaluations before you can create a new Instagram account with a fake profile and a weird picture. You should have to be psych evaluated."
I agree with that. I actually envy people who have the time to create anonymous accounts on social media just to troll people they don't even know. Do you people have jobs? Responsibilities? A 401K? I need to know the motivation here.
In my past life as a PR rep for professional athletes, one of my rules for clients was to never engage with anyone on social media who didn't use their real name or a profile photo. Actually, that's advice we can all use.
Also on the podcast, Kayla confesses how much she hates wearing underwear (except underneath jeans or a short skirt) and discusses her win on FOX's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.
Sorry for the spoiler if you had that one recorded for later.
I guess the World's Toughest Test has gotten a little tougher since Season 1. I tried to watch the first season, where contestants had to perform such death-defying stunts as jumping 6 feet out of a helicopter into water while wearing a life vest and punching a guy in a full-on, padded protective suit.
Riveting stuff.
(Disclaimer: Everything FOX airs on television is tremendous. Please don't fire me.)
Miley Cyrus Teases New Album
Miley Cyrus is revealing her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful, on May 30. And because the anticipation is undoubtedly killing you, she decided to throw her fans a bone by releasing the cover art for the album.
You know, to build the hype!
Only one thing instantly came to mind when I saw this photo. I mean, it's pretty clear where she got her inspiration, right?
For you uncultured swine who don't get the reference, that's the Snow Miser from the classic claymation Christmas movie The Year Without a Santa Claus. Oddly, though, Miley's description does not mention the children's movie villain and instead provides some artsy gobbledygook.
"Captured by renowned fashion photographer Glen Luchford, the album artwork features Miley Cyrus draped in archival 1997 Thierry Mugler couture, a striking nod to the album’s bold aesthetic and visual storytelling."
I read that sentence three times, and I'm still no closer to understanding what it means.
I'll admit my music taste is a little more Billy Ray Cyrus than Miley Cyrus. But if she put this song on her album, I promise I'll listen:
OutKick's own Matt Reigle chimed in: "She needs to do a double album where she looks like Heat Miser."
A Christmas special! Let's make this happen, Miley.
8-Year-Old Loses His Mind Over Dolly Parton
A quick personal story: I've spent my whole professional career in sports and entertainment. I've met, encountered and worked with A LOT of celebrities over the years.
Now, I don't tell you that little factoid in a "wow, look at me, I'm so cool" kind of way. I tell you that simply to demonstrate that I don't really get starstruck. Athletes and celebrities are really just people who happen to have a skill that makes them a lot of money. Or they know the right people and got lucky. When it all comes down to it, the celebrities that people obsess over are no different from the people you meet on the street.
Except Dolly Parton. Dolly Parton is different.
If there is one time in my life when I was starstruck, it's when I met the Queen of Tennessee, Miss Dolly herself. I was the social media manager for the Tennessee Titans at the time, and she held a telethon to raise money for victims of the wildfires that ravaged Gatlinburg in 2016.
I walked in and here came this larger-than-life (though quite tiny) icon of a human being in a sparkly white jacket and hair teased up to Jesus. She held out her hand to me and said, "Thanks for being here, I'm Dolly."
I WAS MYSTIFIED.
As she explained to me (and other members of the media) what the people of East Tennessee meant to her, she cried. Her telethon raised $9 million that night, and Dolly was as warm and kind as she's always been portrayed in the media. She was as welcoming to me and the rest of the nobodies as she was to Chris Stapleton, Paula Deen and Montgomery Gentry (RIP Troy). I'll never forget that day.
All of that to say… I totally get what the kid is going through in this video:
We need more role models like Dolly. Legendary human.
Former Uber Driver Makes Yankees Roster
Let's go from one heartwarming story to another. Because I'm just one big ray of sunshine today!
Catcher J.C. Escarra is 29 years old and has spent eight years in the minor leagues. For those who don't know, Minor League Baseball pays diddly squat — way less than even the WNBA. Like, Angel Reese would need about five or six MiLB salaries combined to pay the rent for her downtown Chicago condo.
So, to make ends meet, Escarra worked as a substitute teacher and an Uber driver while grinding through the minors, holding out hope for a call up to the bigs.
On Sunday, he finally got that call. Watch New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone deliver the news:
"I had just gotten married and bought an apartment with my wife [Jocelyn]," Escarra said when talking about his previous side jobs. "So now I’ve got a mortgage to pay and a wife to provide for. I had to make money somehow, and no one was going to take away my home from me. I knew I had to make those payments, so I was doing anything it took."
Well, you're gonna be a little too busy in the Bronx this year to drive people to the airport, J.C.
Now, if you're ready for a real touching moment, watch the call he makes to his mama after he gets the news. (It starts around the 1:27 mark.)
I'm not crying, you're crying!
Your Weekly Rocky Update
Many of you are very into my stories about my newly adopted dog. I know that because I get several emails each week about dog stuff. Others probably don't care. If you fall into that latter camp, feel free to scroll to the next section.
I've officially had Rocky for three weeks now, and his progress has been incredible. In just a short amount of time, I've watched him go from jumpy, whiny, anxious shelter dog to the most confident and loving boy. He follows me everywhere.
He's also excelling at training — already nailing his sit, down and place commands, and he walks in a perfect heel. He's eager to work, eager to please and he's smart as heck.
Over the weekend, my husband and I took Rocky on his first of many, many hikes, and he loved every minute. He stuck right by us the whole time, sniffer in overdrive. And he practiced good trail manners — sitting and waiting patiently while other dogs and children walked by in the other direction. I already knew he was a good boy, but I was floored by how little direction he needed on his first adventure into the woods.
When we got him from the rescue earlier this month, the staff estimated he was a "1-year-old shepherd mix." Out of curiosity, I ordered a DNA test, and we got the results last night. Rocky is 100% German Shepherd.
The only information we have about his life before us is that he was surrendered to an overcrowded kill shelter in Alabama because his owners said he was just "too much." While I'm elated that he ended up in my home, that really pisses me off.
As a large, very young, high-energy, working breed dog, yes, Rocky is a lot to handle at times. He requires consistent training, attention, enrichment and exercise. This is something the previous owners would have known if they had done ANY research into the purebred canine they were purchasing from a breeder.
Sadly, though, I think this sort of thing is all too common. People drop a couple of thousand dollars on a purebred dog because it looks cool (or whatever the reason), but they aren't prepared or willing to provide the care the dog requires.
So this is my PSA to please support your local shelters and rescues. They are doing God's work to take care of and find homes for these animals who are discarded for simply doing the things they are bred to do.
After three weeks with Rocky, I cannot imagine how anyone could give up on this dog. He is pure joy.
One More Thing: In Honor Of George Foreman
We lost a legend over the weekend as George Foreman passed away at age 76. Our own Ian Miller already wrote a lovely eulogy for the former boxer and pioneer of kitchen countertop grilling.
But if you'll allow me, respectfully, I'd like to share my own tribute to George — in the form of this classic clip from The Office.
Fly high, Big George.
OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m.
Follow me on X / Twitter at @TheAmberHarding or email me at Amber.Harding@OutKick.com.