Ryan Williams Nails New NIL Deal, Village People Make Headlines & Rebecca Black Is Back!
I know, I know. You don't even have to tell me. You missed me terribly while I was out last week. But pretty cool for the great Anthony Farris to make his return to Nightcaps, right?
Last week was our anniversary, so my husband and I took off for the mountains to do some hiking and to get as far away from people as possible. I will be writing reviews on a couple of the trails we did, so — if you're into that sort of thing — look for that on OutKick OutDoors later this week.
But if you just want to admire the sweet, majestic views of the Great Smokies, here ya go:
A lot happened since then, though — a Super Bowl, for instance. I know you've been inundated with Super Bowl coverage over the past couple of days, but I feel obligated to mention it. So I'll just go ahead and give you my quick thoughts:
- It was very cool to see President Trump at the game and the positive reception he got. I remember a time, not so long ago, when celebrities and media members weren't even allowed to acknowledge his existence without being shunned from society.
- Regardless of her politics, I don't understand the Taylor Swift hate. The woman is just there, minding her own business, to support her boyfriend. I, personally, don't listen to her music, but she seems like a decent human to me. I actually think conservative Twitter embarrasses itself a little bit with its obsessive hatred of T-Swift.
- I am, admittedly, wildly out of touch with rap music and could not name a Kendrick Lamar song before this halftime show. Still, I tried to approach it with an open mind. But I just can't get down with modern rap. I can't understand a single lyric, and there's no discernible melody. It's right up there with scream-o for me on the intolerable scale. (OK, Grandma.)
- As a Miami Dolphins fan who never gets to experience happiness, I took great pleasure in the toppling of Chiefs Kingdom.
Now that we've cleared up all that, let's get to some nonsense, shall we? Settle in. It's Nightcaps time!
Ryan Williams Gets A Nail Polish Deal
Some of y'all are really not gonna like this one. But we have ourselves a new male nail polish spokesman!
Male polish, if you will.
Alabama star wide receiver Ryan Williams just celebrated his 18th birthday over the weekend. (Yes, he was only 17 this past season for the Crimson Tide. Perhaps you didn't catch that fun fact when the broadcasters dropped it 127 times during each game.)
And what better way to celebrate your birthday than a shiny new NIL deal with Sally Hansen?!
Williams paints his nails before every game, a tradition that started back in high school with his little sister. Throughout the 2024 season, he showed off multiple colors, including orange against Tennessee and green one week to match his suit.
Adding to his other lucrative deals with brands like Uber Eats and Hollister, Williams' NIL valuation has now jumped to $2.7 million.
Of course, he's not the first male athlete to partner Sally Hansen. Former Duke star and current 76ers guard Jared McCain, who is also known for painting his nails, signed with the beauty brand last year.
Look, I have the same take on this as I did with Caleb Williams at USC: Do I think it's odd for straight, grown men to paint their fingernails? Yes. But I'm not going to hate on them for it.
Because while you're stuck at work making fun of an 18-year-old kid on social media, he's counting his millions of dollars with his perfectly manicured hands. So who's really winning here?
The Village People Are Making Headlines
Yes, in the Year of our Lord 2025. Of course, they can thank Donald Trump for that. While out on the campaign trail, the viral "Trump Dance" craze swept the nation — to the tune of that lovable disco pop tune "YMCA."
I remember loving this song as a kid in the '90s because it was fun to do the arm movements and spell Y-M-C-A over my head while I rolled ‘round and ’round and 'round at rollerskating parties.
Simpler times.
Anyway, take it away, President Trump:
Thanks to Trump, that song went No. 1 on the Billboard Charts for the first time in 45 years! Then, the old disco grandads really had their moment when they got to perform on stage with Trump the day before his Inauguration last month.
Maybe I'm an idiot, but I'll admit I was wildly confused when I first saw that performance on my TV. I thought to myself, DAMN, what in the Balance-of-Nature is going on here? What kind of vitamins do I need to take now to be bopping around like that when I'm almost 80?!
But then I learned that the Village People are now an entirely new group of people — a much younger village — except for the lead singer, Victor Willis.
Now, the Village People are trying to capitalize on this sudden burst of popularity.
On Monday, the band took to its official Facebook page to plead the VP's case for a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! (In this case, VP refers to Village People. Although I'm sure JD Vance could really shred on the guitar if he put his mind to it.)
"For those who doubt Village People's broad influence on other artists.. ‘Rolling Stones song influenced by Village People,’" the post read. "Clearly the group has had a major influence on other artists thus satisfying the prerequisite for inclusion.
"You hear that, ‘Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?’ You hear that, ‘Kennedy Center Honors?’"
But wait, that's not all!
Victor Willis (the patriarch of The New Village People I mentioned earlier) is also in the news for allegedly threatening to sue Jim Jefferies after the comedian insisted "YMCA" is a song about gay sex.
To be fair, before MAGA got a hold of it, the song was fairly well established as a gay anthem. But it was also about getting yourself clean, having a good meal and finding many ways to have a good time with your fellow youths!
I don't know, Jim, I'm not sold. I just feel like "you can hang out with all the boys" without having sex with them.
Anyway, what a revival for the Village People!
Shark Attacks & The Most Disturbing Fish I've Ever Seen
In case you need more reasons not to venture out into the ocean, I have two for you right here.
First, two American tourists were attacked by a shark in Bimini Bay, a luxury resort area in the Bahamas, on Friday. Both women were airlifted for treatment, and will fortunately survive.
This comes just two months after a 44-year-old Massachusetts woman was killed by a shark while paddleboarding in the Bahamas.
Remember last summer when we had all those shark attacks off the Florida panhandle and Myrtle Beach? I love the beach as much as anyone, but the more I hear about this stuff, the more I think maybe I just like to admire the ocean from a safe distance with an umbrella drink in hand.
I've never heard of a shark attack happening at the resort bar.
Still, I think I'd rather take my chances with a shark than whatever the hell this thing is:
My husband has a theory that aliens are already on Earth, and they live in the ocean. I don't think this is an original theory, but it's one he swears by. And one glimpse at that aquatic nightmare has me convinced, too.
Apparently, it's a humpback anglerfish — also known as the "black sea monster" or the "black sea devil." These puppies are known to live at depths of 1,500 feet, where no light exists.
The research and conservation organization that caught this one on video wrote on Instagram: "This could be the first recorded sighting in the world of an adult black devil alive, in broad daylight and on the surface."
GREAT. Now we have literal sea monsters coming out of hiding and venturing out to explore new places. Before we know it, this thing will be sneaking up on us at the resort bar.
One More Thing: Happy Anniversary, Rebecca Black!
You all remember her hit song "Friday," right? And when I say "hit," I mean it was so bad that it got everyone's attention and you couldn't get it out of your head for weeks. It was a viral video in the early, early days of viral videos.
Now, I don't generally condone ridiculing a little kid, but in this case it worked out for her. This video has since raked up 174 MILLION views on YouTube and launched her career.
Rebecca is 27 now and still making music. Or whatever this is.
But Rebecca hasn't forgotten her roots! Yesterday, she celebrated the 14th anniversary of the song that started it all for her — "Friday."
"this video officially older than i was when it dropped," she wrote on X. "old hag!"
Congratulations, Rebecca, you old hag. Here's to 14 more years of you… doing whatever it is you're doing. (Before you get really ancient, anyway, and they replace you with a body double like they did the Village People.)
Also, since today is not Friday, here's a parody version of the song that I seem to remember being a lot funnier 14 years ago. I take no responsibility for the three minutes of your life you will waste by watching "Tuesday."
Dude is like a young, G-rated Jon Lajoie
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.