Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Stephen A. Smith Receives “Thumbs Down” Award, Maya Boyd Is Your New Storm, James Talarico’s Strategic Ad Campaign, and Ray J Defeats Orlando Brown in the Ring

Van and Rachel pay tribute to actress Hayden Panettiere and Jason Arday. They also discuss James Talarico’s campaign ad against Ken Paxton. Plus, reactions to the Ray J vs. Orlando Brown boxing match and a discussion on Stephen A. Smith receiving the “Thumbs Down” award from the NABJ. Plus, an in-depth discussion on the casting of Maya Boyd in Marvel’s new X-Men movie, coming in 2028.

(0:00) Intro
(0:33) Weekend pleasantries/Al Green and grits
(8:19) Weekend pleasantries/dreams
(20:59) Hayden Panettiere gone too soon
(29:02) Maya Boyd cast as Storm in Marvel’s new X-Men movie
(46:19) Jason Arday passes away at 41
(01:04:07) Pengate 2026
(01:15:06) Ray J wins big
(02:10:44) Van on capitalism

Hosts: Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay
Producers: Marco Escalante and Jade Whaley
Social Producer: Bernard Moore
Video Supervision: Jacob Cornett

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Website: theringer.com
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For more from The Ringer:
Shop: theringer.com/shop
Website: theringer.com
Twitter: twitter.com/ringer
Facebook: facebook.com/ringer
Instagram: instagram.com/ringer