Author: Kelly Whitewood

Lauren Wasser was a 24-year-old model from California when an ordinary day turned into the worst kind of nightmare. She went to the hospital with what felt like the flu—fever, aches, exhaustion. Within hours she was in septic shock. Doctors discovered the cause wasn’t influenza at all, but menstrual toxic shock syndrome (mTSS), a rare, fast-moving infection triggered by bacterial toxins. The likely culprit: a tampon she’d been using exactly as instructed. Lauren slipped into a coma for more than a week. Her organs began to fail. She suffered two heart attacks. When she finally woke, doctors told her they…

More of a Mom Than Her Biological Mother: How Bunnie XO Stepped Up for Jelly Roll’s Daughter A Family Tested by Addiction Country superstar Jelly Roll has always been open about how becoming a father changed his life. When he learned while incarcerated that he had a daughter on the way, he vowed to turn things around. Today, he shares custody of his 16-year-old daughter Bailee Ann with his wife Bunnie XO, who has played a central role in raising her. Bailee’s biological mother, Felicia Beckwith, has long battled addiction. During Jelly Roll’s emotional testimony to Congress on the fentanyl…

Riley Green in the Running for PEOPLE’s Sexiest Men Alive Competing in the “Sexiest Country Singer” Category Riley Green is officially in the spotlight for more than just his music. The country star is one of the nominees in PEOPLE’s Sexiest Men Alive 2025 Readers’ Choice Poll, where fans can vote across different categories. Green is competing in the “sexiest country singer” group, going head-to-head with Cody Johnson, Shaboozey, and Warren Zeiders. This marks Green’s first appearance in the poll, joining the ranks of other country artists who’ve been recognized in years past. Staying Grounded in Jacksonville, Alabama Despite the…

The toothbrush showed up on a Tuesday, the kind of day that tastes like dish soap and errands. I was sorting laundry, turning out pockets like always, when I felt the plastic handle. Blue. Drugstore brand. Still slick with toothpaste that had dried into chalky stripes. I stared at it a long time, the way you stare at something ordinary until it becomes a riddle. My gut did that ugly animal thing—clawed once, hard. A toothbrush in a suit pocket? Not a dopp kit. Not a gym bag. A suit. People don’t brush their teeth in suits unless they’re late…

I slammed my seat all the way back on a twelve-hour flight and spent the next hour pretending not to notice the pregnant woman behind me nudging it forward with her knees. When she finally said she didn’t have enough legroom, I took off my headphones just long enough to snap, “If you want luxury, fly business class,” then slid them back on like a curtain. We landed. The aisle surged. A flight attendant pointed to my carry-on at the door and said, “Sir, check your bag.” I unzipped it and froze. Inside: a neon-pink onesie that read I’M THE…

I’ve been married to Kavi for ten years. I’m infertile. His best friend, Leah, is pregnant. She asked him to be her birth partner—and to put his name on the birth certificate. I said no. He called me a monster. The next day Leah posted a sunset maternity shoot on Instagram: her barefoot in a field, Kavi’s hands cradling her belly like they were a couple. “Grateful to have my best friend by my side… can’t wait for our little one to meet Uncle Kavi 💛 #ChosenFamily.” The poses weren’t “best friend.” They were intimate. The photos were weeks old.…

Tommy has always been my miracle. He came into the world with a rare neurological glitch that silences his voice without touching his understanding. His doctors said the wiring between brain and speech just… misfires. So he can’t form words, but he hears, understands, laughs, cries—feels everything. We learned to speak his language: gestures, drawings, the sharp tilt of his chin when he’s right and I’m slow to catch up. When he started writing, our house filled with little notes on sticky pads and napkins. His teachers marveled. I did too. His eyes were sentences. Because my husband, Michael, and…

I didn’t think a dress could start a war. I’m fifty, a widow eight years now, and when I said yes to love again, I promised myself one thing I never had the first time: a real wedding dress. Not a borrowed skirt and blouse in a courthouse, but the kind of gown you zip up and feel your spine lengthen, your heart lift. Mark—my high school sweetheart, my husband of decades—died with his hand in mine. After he was gone, I survived for our son, Ethan, and made peace with the idea that big beginnings were behind me. Then…

I never planned to be the kind of woman who starts over at seventy-three. People expected me to fade into my quiet house, knit a few scarves, and wait. Then my husband died and the rooms went cavernous with silence—his aftershave still clinging to one flannel shirt, the coffee pot suddenly always empty. My sons stopped dropping by. Their wives wrinkled their noses at my rescue cats. Even the ticking clock felt too loud. One Sunday after church I heard two volunteers whisper there was a newborn at the shelter—Down syndrome, no one coming, “too much work.” I didn’t think.…

TikTok has a knack for minting trends that make you laugh, wince, and ask “why?” all at once. The latest entry in that hall of fame is “hamstering”—a term as quirky as the act it describes. At its core, hamstering fuses public spectacle with adventurous bedroom energy and a bit of car-based choreography. The gist: one partner rises through a sunroof while the other remains inside the vehicle and engages in intimate play. The nickname comes from the way hamsters sip from a water bottle—head tilted, tongue extended—which mirrors the odd, upward angle involved. It’s less romance novel, more viral…