Sasha Farber Says DWTS Season 35 Absence Wasn’t His Choice
Sasha Farber says his Dancing With the Stars absence was not a decision he made. According to E! News, the 12-time professional dancer addressed why he was missing from the Season 35 lineup after the cast was announced on Sept. 2.
Farber was not among the pros paired with celebrity contestants for the new season, a noticeable omission for a familiar face on the show. The key distinction here is that this was reportedly not a voluntary step away from the ballroom. In other words: he didn’t quietly choose a season off and then let the speculation do the cha-cha.
Related coverage from Just Jared ties Farber’s explanation to a comment that was later deleted. That gives the story a source trail, but it also limits what can be independently checked from the material available. Neither the supplied reports nor the cast announcement details provided here establish who made the decision, why Farber was left out, or whether the absence is temporary.
That uncertainty is the real hook. Farber’s nonappearance is confirmed as part of the Season 35 cast reveal, while the circumstances behind it remain based on his reported remarks rather than a full public explanation from the show or the dancer. For a franchise where pro pairings are part of the weekly storyline, removing a recognizable veteran from the lineup naturally invites questions—but the current facts do not support turning those questions into a bigger backstage theory.
For now, the clean read is simple: Farber wanted viewers to know this was not his call, and his reported comment was enough to shift the narrative from “taking a break” to “not selected for this season.” The missing details matter, and until either Farber or the show says more, that’s where the gossip should stay.
Malkovich and Rockwell Find Trouble at Easter Island
John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell are sharing the kind of screen time that sounds dangerous on paper and irresistible in practice. In Wild Horse Nine, the pair play CIA operatives who travel to Easter Island while preparing for the Chilean military coup that would topple Salvador Allende’s government.
The film comes from Martin McDonagh, whose work tends to lace bleak circumstances with very dry, very sharp comedy. The early critical reaction suggests this movie leans into that contradiction: The Hollywood Reporter describes it as a poignant, blood-marked buddy comedy, while Variety and Deadline likewise highlight the melancholy and comic force of the central double act.
That consensus matters because the premise could easily become a stiff historical thriller. Instead, the reviews point to the relationship between Malkovich and Rockwell as the movie’s main event. Their pairing brings contrasting flavors of eccentricity and menace, giving the political backdrop a more intimate pressure point: two operatives trying to function while history gathers speed around them.
Steve Buscemi is also part of the cast, adding another distinctive presence to a lineup already built around performers who can make a pause feel like a provocation. The Easter Island setting gives the story an isolated stage, while the looming coup supplies the larger stakes. It is a compact recipe for mistrust, dark jokes and men who may be much less in control than they think.
BAD GOSS take: this is not celebrity news because someone misbehaved on a red carpet. It is celebrity news because three major screen personalities—and a director with a taste for beautifully damaged people—have assembled a movie where the chemistry is reportedly doing the heavy lifting. If the reviews are any guide, Wild Horse Nine is selling its history through its actors, with Malkovich and Rockwell making the partnership impossible to ignore.
Rooney and Kate Mara Share Venice Spotlight
Rooney Mara and Kate Mara arrived together for the Venice premiere of Bucking Fastard, giving the festival one of its most irresistible sibling double acts. The sisters appeared on the red carpet for the film’s 2026 debut, according to coverage from Just Jared.
This is more than a coordinated family appearance. The Maras play sisters in Werner Herzog’s film, putting their real-life connection directly inside the movie’s central dynamic. Variety describes their characters as romantically pursuing Orlando Bloom’s character, which gives the casting a deliberately charged, slightly unruly hook.
The reception was equally attention-grabbing. Variety reported that Bucking Fastard received a six-and-a-half-minute standing ovation in Venice, while The Hollywood Reporter highlighted an emotional Herzog response during the launch. That combination—provocative premise, famous siblings, and a visibly moved director—is exactly the kind of festival spectacle that travels beyond the screening room.
For Rooney and Kate, the pairing also creates a useful bit of cinematic intrigue without requiring a manufactured feud or matching social-media stunt. Their shared screen presence lets the film sell intimacy and friction at once, while the Venice setting supplies the prestige gloss. In other words: this is a rare celebrity story where the family connection is not just decoration; it is part of the movie’s pitch.
BAD GOSS is calling this a real festival moment, not a rumor inflated by a single red-carpet photo. Three separate outlets in the story cluster place the sisters at the premiere and connect the film to the strong Venice response. The only mystery left is whether the movie’s provocative setup lands as daring, chaotic, or both.