Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon assortment of Puck’s best new reporting. Today, Lauren Sherman breaks down Pierpaolo Piccioli’s appointment as Balenciaga’s new creative director (less than two years after his unceremonious ouster from Valentino) and what it portends for Kering and the Pinault empire. Perhaps more than anything, as Lauren writes, the decision speaks to the risk-averse state of luxury these days… Plus, below the fold: John Ourand gets on the horn with Fox Sports C.E.O. Eric Shanks to discuss the company’s late shift to streaming. Abby Livingston examines the G.O.P. factions tugging at Mike Johnson’s sleeve as the party attempts to pass Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” And Scott Mendelson checks in on the Memorial Day weekend box office to see whether Hollywood is… back? Meanwhile, on the pods: Dylan Byers rings up ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro on The Grill Room for a deep dive into the network’s digital makeover. On The Town, Matt Belloni and Spotify exec Charlie Hellman candidly assess how the streaming era has impacted artists. And on Fashion People, Lauren and designer Scott Sternberg trade notes on Piccioli at Balenciaga.

FASHION

With the appointment of Pierpaolo Piccioli to succeed Demna at Balenciaga, Kering appears to be choosing stability—taking a second chance on a proven operator, rather than betting it all on an untested genius. It’s indicative of the risk-averse state of luxury these days, but also the growing pressures on the Pinault family, itself. Read Now

SPORTS

A candid chat with Fox Sports C.E.O. Eric Shanks about the network’s bundled past, its sports and news future, and why the Indy 500 hits different for a Hoosier. Read Now

WASHINGTON

A growing contingent of Republicans point to Trump’s decision to unleash tariffs before tax cuts as a tactical error—and wonder if they still have the political momentum to pass his megabill with all its components intact. Read Now

HOLLYWOOD

Even without a record-breaking Memorial Day, the first half of 2025 is likely to land in solid box office territory thanks to Jack Black, Ryan Coogler, and a bunch of Warner Bros. movies that are somehow hitting all the right notes. Read Now

MEDIA

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro joins Dylan for a deep dive into ESPN’s digital transformation as they prepare to launch their highly anticipated D.T.C. product this fall, named… ESPN. Pitaro unpacks the marketing strategy behind the new app, ESPN’s rights portfolio, the state of their MLB negotiations, the integration of sports betting, and much more. Listen Now

HOLLYWOOD

Matt is joined by Spotify’s global Music Vertical head, Charlie Hellman, to talk about the current state of the music industry, how the streaming era has impacted artists, how artists actually get paid, competing with YouTube, the surge in A.I.-generated music, and artists’ biggest frustrations with Spotify. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about Donald Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit against CBS. Listen Now

FASHION

In this jam-packed episode, Lauren and designer Scott Sternberg get into former Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccioli’s appointment at Balenciaga, the best and worst dressed at the Cannes Film Festival thus far (from Jennifer Lawrence in Dior to Emma Stone in Louis Vuitton to Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix in Givenchy), and the state of the sweatpants market. Scott also lays out a product plan for Burberry, which is in the midst of a turnaround. Listen Now

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