Latest news with #childrenEntertainment
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ex-Wiggles star Emma Watkins opens up about surprise living arrangements with her husband Oliver Brian and sister Hayley
Children's entertainer Emma Watkins has opened up about her unique bond with her younger sister Hayley in which they blend family, work and friendship. The 35-year-old former Wiggle has revealed she lives, works and travels with her younger sister Hayley, 34, in a unique setup that blurs the lines between family and business. 'We live together and work together and to be honest, we wouldn't have it any other way,' Emma, who married husband Oliver Brian in 2022, told the Courier Mail. She added they are inseparable and even shared a suitcase while on tour together. 'Hayley is so organised when she travels – everything has its place in a neat little packing cell. Meanwhile, I just toss it all in and hope for the best. To Hayley, my suitcase is basically a lucky dip and a nightmare,' Emma said. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The Sydney-born entertainer added she and Hayley had such a strong connection due to seeing each other on a regular basis. 'EVERY DAY. Which is a lovely change, because when I was on tour with The Wiggles we didn't see each other much,' she said. 'Now, we get to work together and build our company, sharing music and dance with children all around the country. We're so excited to be coming to Brisbane to celebrate Frozen at Westfield Chermside this month!' Emma performed as the Yellow Wiggle in the iconic children's group from 2013 - 2021 and after leaving created her own character called Emma Memma. In 2023, The pair competed together on Channel Ten's The Amazing Race Australia and previously opened up about an intense challenge they took part in which never made it to air. The siblings told Yahoo that upon arriving in India they were given a 'traumatic' fire-eating challenge which they successfully completed. 'I had to eat some sort of leaf that was on fire, and I would have loved for everyone to have seen that because that was a traumatic experience,' Hayley said. 'You had to make like 26 leaves with different ingredients and then consume one. They put it on fire before they put it into your mouth, they just shoved it in, on fire.' Emma added that after fighting hard to successfully complete their challenges, it was fun to watch the other teams on TV struggle with their own challenges. 'I think that is the beauty about this show, that contestants get to then watch all the others struggle through challenges which we didn't pick or we didn't see,' she said. 'There's so many in the race now when we watch it back, and we've been texting each other every Wednesday night, and we've been like, "I wish we had chosen that one!".' The pair then admitted while they loved their time on the show it was much harder than they expected - but would consider doing it again. Emma, who launched a new children's entertainment franchise in 2022 featuring her character 'Emma Memma', raced on behalf of the Leonie Jackson Memorial Fund. The charity focuses on the support of education and services for deaf and hard of hearing children. Emma tied the knot with husband Oliver Brian in 2022 and have been going strong ever since. The lovebirds said 'I do' in an intimate ceremony in the Victorian countryside attended by 80 friends and family. The nuptials came after Emma mixed business with pleasure shortly after she joined The Wiggles in 2012, falling head over heels for her co-star Lachy Gillespie. They got engaged in May 2015, said 'I do' in rural New South Wales in April 2016, and then stunned fans by announcing their split in August 2018.
CBC
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Ms. Rachel posted about children in Gaza. The reaction that followed was intense
Ms. Rachel is one of the biggest names in children's entertainment right now, with 15 million subscribers on her YouTube channel alone. In her feed, you'll usually find posts about potty training tips and collaborations with organic yogurt companies. More recently, however, she's also begun using her influence on social media to talk about how the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has affected children in the region. This move has created quite a controversy, to the point where some have called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether Ms. Rachel is being paid by Hamas. Today on Commotion, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud chats with author Jael Richardson and Vulture TV critic Kathryn VanArendonk about the reaction and criticism Ms. Rachel is getting for speaking up amidst the ongoing conflict.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
The Wiggles set to 'conquer' new territory as the children's group scores a major deal in Asia
They have already conquered the small screen in Australia, and now The Wiggles have scored a major deal that will see them expand their fan base in Asia. On Thursday, ABC Commercial announced that their TV show, Ready, Steady, Wiggle! has been sold to Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM). The national broadcaster for Malaysia, RTM will screen seasons four to seven of the popular series. The current lineup of the children's group is Anthony Field, Caterina Mete, Lachy Gillespie, Simon Pryce , Evie Ferris, John Pearce, Lucia Field and Tsehay Hawkins. The show will go to air in English on RTM's free-to-air channel. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Ready, Steady, Wiggle! is already screened in South Korea and Taiwan, building on the group's significant fan base Down Under, in the UK and North America. Blue Wiggle Anthony Field said he was thrilled with the news of the deal. 'We're thrilled to be sharing The Wiggles' content with even more families in Asia,' he said in a statement 'Our songs are all about joy, learning, and inclusiveness, and it's wonderful to know that children from so many different cultures will now have the chance to sing, dance, and learn with us.' The Wiggles, which formed in 1991, have built an entertainment business reputedly worth $50 million. Woman's Day reported in 2021 that the Wiggles tours, TV shows, recordings, merchandise and sponsorship are a 'river of gold', bringing in more than $20 million a year. In 2021, The Wiggles sought to increase diversity in the group by adding four additional supporting members to the group. Shortly after this change, Emma Watkins left the group and Tsehay and Evie jointly took on the yellow skivvy. The group has just concluded the first Australian leg of 'Bouncing Balls' live tour in Adelaide. The tour will continue with dates in Darwin and Perth before it travels across the UK, USA, and Canada.
ABC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
The Wiggles head to Malaysia as ABC Commercial grows brand's regional reach
This latest deal signals an expanding commercial blueprint for The Wiggles brand, one that places Southeast Asia as a key growth territory in the post-pandemic media landscape. A trusted brand lands in a new market The agreement will see RTM acquire four seasons (Series 4–7) of the Ready, Steady, Wiggle! series for its English-language free-to-air channel. For ABC Commercial, the deal builds on a broader strategy: extending the reach of reliable, educational entertainment across borders. With The Wiggles already established in Australia, North America and the UK, Malaysia becomes the latest addition to a growing list of markets where the brand resonates with preschoolers, and where local broadcasters are actively seeking quality content with cross-cultural appeal. Cultural connection as a growth strategy According to ABC Commercial's Content Sales Manager for Asia and MENA, Alex Zhou, the timing is ideal. 'We're seeing strong demand from broadcasters for safe, smart content that parents can trust,' Zhou said. 'The Wiggles tick all those boxes, they've spent over 30 years combining music, movement and learning in a way that feels joyful and inclusive.' Part of that relatability comes from the group's evolving cast. With John Pearce, the Purple Wiggle, bringing Asian heritage to the screen, the brand's diversity has become a feature, not just a footnote, in how it connects with young viewers globally.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CoComelon set to move from Netflix to Disney+ as viewership declines
Parents whose children enjoy the preschool animated show CoComelon are potentially going to have to fork out for another streaming service as the series is set to jump ship from Netflix to Disney+. The 3D animated show, which is a mix of nursery rhymes and original children's songs revolving around the adventures of baby JJ and his siblings, TomTom and YoYo, has been a major hit on YouTube since its inception in 2006, where it is the third most subscribed channel with 193 million followers. CoComelon, which was purchased by Candle Media for $3bn in 2021, has been a Netflix mainstay since it was added to the platform in 2020 and regularly tops the viewing figures for preschool shows on the service. Deadline is now reporting that the series is now due to join Disney+ in 2027 as the company strengthens its grip on children's entertainment with titles such as Bluey and Spidey and His Amazing Friends already under its belt. According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources from Netflix say the decision not to renew the deal was due to viewership declining by 60 per cent between 2023 and 2024, despite four new seasons airing in 2024 alone. The Wrap also notes that Disney is expected to pay 'tens of millions' to stream every CoComelon season, with the show expected to arrive on its service in 2027, the same year a CoComelon movie is due to be released in cinemas. Former advertising executive and father of two Jay Jeon and his wife created CoComelon in 2005 and shortly afterwards began uploading the videos to YouTube. Those videos eventually grew to gain billions of views and CoComelon was acquired by Moonbug Entertainment in 2020 before that company was purchased by Candle Media. It has expanded the franchise with spin-offs including a podcast on Spotify and a live tour called 'CoComelon Live!' 'We never imagined our channel could grow this big, or that it could attract such a large and loyal following,' Jeon said when speaking to The Independent in 2020. 'We're so amazed each month, each year, and we're so grateful.' The couple uploaded their first video in 2006 under the name 'ABCkidTV' after discovering how much their children enjoyed the animated shorts. Later, the company changed to CoComelon because the original name felt 'limiting' on YouTube. CoComelon, to the founders, felt 'universal and fun for children', so the name was changed and popularity grew. 'We've tried to create characters that are adorable, likeable and universally relatable. We began to think of JJ, YoYo, and TomTom as our imaginary kids, and over time, we built a family around them – parents, grandparents, animal friends, school classmates,' Jeon said. 'And we think a lot about our audience and what they're going through: growing up, daily challenges, learning new things. Life! We hope they share experiences similar to those of our characters.'
