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‘Home Alone’ turns 35: Macaulay Culkin’s improvised scene, on-set injury and behind-the-scenes secrets
"Home Alone" is turning 35 this year.
The classic Christmas movie premiered in November 1990 and became an immediate hit, launching its star, Macaulay Culkin, into greater levels of fame.
The movie follows a young boy who is accidentally left behind when his family travels to Paris for the holidays and has to protect not only himself, but also his home from a pair of burglars who call themselves the Wet Bandits.
Here are 10 behind-the-scenes secrets from the making of the film, in honor of the 35th anniversary of its release.
‘HOME ALONE’ DIRECTOR FINALLY ANSWERS WHAT THE MCCALLISTERS DID FOR A LIVING
Macaulay Culkin was already making a name for himself before starring as Kevin McCallister in "Home Alone," but the 1990 movie made him a household name.
The film's screenwriter, John Hughes, wrote the movie with Culkin in mind. The two worked together on an earlier film, 1989's "Uncle Buck," and Hughes was impressed by Culkin's acting chops.
"John was such a respectful guy as far as the directors he worked with, and I remember him saying — based on 'Uncle Buck'— [that] Macaulay would be great for this," director Chris Columbus told Entertainment Weekly in November 2015. "But I think it’s just directorial responsibility [that] I should meet other kids."
Columbus recalled meeting with "hundreds and hundreds of kids" and watching just as many audition tapes before meeting with Culkin. Following his audition, Columbus was convinced, saying he liked him because he wasn't like "one of these Hollywood-perfect kids," adding that "he was really funny."
One of the most iconic scenes in the movie almost didn't happen.
When speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Columbus provided insight on the famous scene in which Culkin's character puts his hands on his cheeks and screams out in pain after applying aftershave.
"That was not written the way Macaulay performed it," Columbus explained. "I thought he was going to slap on the cologne and move his hands and scream. But on the first take, he slapped his face and kept his hands glued to his face as if he had just put superglue on his face, and his hands stayed completely still as he screamed like the Edvard Munch painting. That’s why he was such an interesting kid: No one else would have done that."
The director loved the moment so much, it ended up being the expression on Kevin's face on the movie poster.
When left to his own devices, Kevin sits down in front of the TV with a big bowl of ice cream and starts watching a gangster movie called "Angels with Filthy Souls."
"Guys, I’m eating junk and watching rubbish! You better come out and stop me!" he yells out, knowing there is no one there to get in the way of his fun.
The film-within-a-film – which includes the memorable line "Keep the change, ya filthy animal" – has become legendary, but the movie itself is not real and was only filmed for the purposes of "Home Alone."
The clip was filmed the day before filming on "Home Alone" began, and was based off of the 1938 James Cagney film "Angels with Dirty Faces."
"I believe the title was decided upon only because we needed to create a label for the tape Kevin puts in the VHS player," art director Dan Webster told Vanity Fair in December 2015. "Now that is a very old-fashioned sentence!"
The adults behind the scenes of the film didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for the sake of a joke.
In one of the scenes, Kevin takes advantage of being alone in the house and starts rummaging through his big brother Buzz's belongings. In doing so, he finds a picture of Buzz's girlfriend, and after seeing the photo says, "Buzz, your girlfriend … woof!"
In a 2013 interview with Yahoo, the actor who played Buzz, Devin Ratray, revealed the picture was not of a real young girl.
"They decided it would be unkind to put a girl in that role of just being funny-looking," Ratray said. "The art director had a son who was more than willing to volunteer for the part. I think if he had known it would become the highest-grossing family comedy of all time, he might have had second thoughts about it."
The movie wasn't only a career boost for Culkin, but was a huge success for everyone involved.
Debuting in November 1990, the film held the number one spot for the remainder of the year and into the next, for a total of 12 weeks on top.
It then remained in theaters until late into the summer of 1991, staying in the top 10 until June of that year. Its success in theaters was reflected in the box office numbers, as the film grossed $285.7 million domestically and over $470 million worldwide.
The movie would become the highest-grossing film of 1990 and one of the highest grossing live-action comedies ever. It held the record for 27 years until "Never Say Die" broke it in 2017, according to Time.
Joe Pesci portrayed one of the two burglars who were terrorized by Kevin when they attempted to break into his house.
When rehearsing for one of the scenes, it seems Pesci got a bit too in character and left a permanent mark on Culkin.
"In the first 'Home Alone,' they hung me up on a coat hook, and Pesci says, ‘I’m gonna bite all your fingers off, one at a time,’" Culkin told Rule Forty Two in 2004. "And during one of the rehearsals, he bit me, and it broke the skin."
He told the outlet he still has a scar on his finger from the on-set accident.
The movie's director almost worked on another classic Christmas movie, but his issues with the film's star led him to "Home Alone."
Columbus was first approached by Hughes to direct "Christmas Vacation," and after directing a series of flops, Columbus was quick to accept the offer, but backed out after meeting the film's star, Chevy Chase, saying, "I realized I couldn't work with the guy."
"First of all, he's not engaged. He's treating me like s---. I don't need this. I'd rather not work again," he told Variety in December 2024. "I quit 'Christmas Vacation.' The next weekend, I got another script from John – and it's 'Home Alone.' 'Home Alone' for me was even more personal, a better script, and I thought, I can really do something with this, and I don't have to deal with Chevy Chase."
Jeremiah S. Chechik ended up taking over for Columbus to direct "Christmas Vacation."
When working with a comedy legend, a little improvisation is expected, and working with John Candy was no different, according to Columbus.
"John took those scenes and ran with them," Columbus told Entertainment Weekly. "We’d do a couple scripted takes and then we would improvise about four or five other takes, and a lot of the improvisation ended up in the film. Whereas something like the church scene was like doing a play — we did it exactly as John had written it."
The filmmakers were lucky to even be able to have Candy in the film, as due to his busy schedule, they only had 24 hours to film his scenes. In that time, the comedian improvised many scenes.
Columbus recalled him telling Catherine O'Hara's character about a time he spent all night alone with a corpse in a funeral home, saying, "that just came out of nowhere."
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Pesci and Daniel Stern made up the duo known as the Wet Bandits who tried and failed to break into the McCallister home with Kevin inside, however Stern almost missed out on being in the film.
In a 2019 episode of the documentary series "The Movies That Made Us," Stern explained the shooting schedule was changed from six weeks to eight weeks, but there was no pay increase for the additional two weeks.
After Stern walked away, they replaced him with Daniel Roebuck. However, after a few days of rehearsal, Columbus decided he wasn't right for the part. After offering Stern the part a second time, the actor agreed, and the rest is history.
"What an idiot I was to let that almost get away," he said in the documentary. "I would have been like, 'Ooh, I missed it, why? Oh, because of my pigheadedness.' Thank God they came back to me!"
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Ever since the film's 1990 release, audiences have been wondering what the McCallister's did for a living to be able to pay for a trip to Paris for 15 people, including members of their immediate and extended family.
"Back then, John and I had a conversation about it, and we decided on what the jobs were," Columbus told The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast in December 2024.
"We thought the mother, at the time, because we used mannequins in the basement — I do remember having a conversation — she was a very successful fashion designer. The father could have, based on John Hughes' own experience, worked in advertising, but I don’t remember what the father did."
He also dispelled the longstanding rumor that the father was involved in organized crime, explaining that "even though there was, at the time, a lot of organized crime in Chicago," the father was definitely not involved.
Nashville's hidden 'wine country' provides taste of Tennessee in whiskey barrels
Some 30 minutes south of Nashville, Arrington Vineyards is proving that good wine doesn't have to come from California.
Co-founder Kip Summers and winemaker Chase Vienneau have spent nearly two decades coaxing character out of Tennessee soil — and now, through the Fox News Wine Shop, they're sharing it nationwide.
"I toured a winery in Napa and thought, 'Wow, I think I'm in the wrong business. I need to figure out how to do this,'" Summers recalled.
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Once he did, he met Vienneau while they were working together at a small family winery north of Nashville.
Arrington Vineyards was soon born, closer to Nashville in Williamson County, where he partnered with Kix Brooks — one half of the award-winning country music duo Brooks & Dunn.
"We started the winery down here with the idea of providing a place for people to enjoy a little bit of wine country," Summers said — "but in Middle Tennessee."
That vision had its challenges.
"They are what they are here in Middle Tennessee," Summers said of the region's conditions.
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"This time of year, we've got cool nights and warm days, and a lot of dry weather. It's a lot more humid and tropical during the summer. So, for us, it kind of boils down to which grapes can we grow here successfully?"
Vienneau, who followed Summers to Arrington Vineyards in 2008, added, "It's almost impossible to grow [Cabernet] here in Tennessee. … We've obviously had to switch over to hybrids here, which still make really good wines, and they're a little more resistant to our climate here in Tennessee."
That local experimentation led to the wine now featured in the Fox News American Wine Club. Antiquity is a red blend that spends a year in used Tennessee whiskey barrels.
"The wine that's part of this Fox Wine Club is made from a grape called Chambourcin, which is well-known in Virginia and New York, and a lot of the areas in the eastern United States," Summers said.
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The result is a "really good, consistent dry red wine for us every year," he said.
"That's one of the reasons we wanted that wine to be a part of the wine club, because it really is a true representation of what we've been doing here for three years."
"It's really versatile, too, for us," Vienneau added. "We make a Ruby-style port out of Chambourcin. … We can make a dry Rosé. We've made a really nice sparkling, French-method wine out of it."
Summers said the setting is part of the appeal.
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"When we talk about us being Nashville's wine country, we're really one of the few places you can go if you're in Nashville, and if you said to yourself, 'I'd really like to go out and hang out in a vineyard and have a bottle of wine with some cheese and a charcuterie tray — and enjoy the scenery, walk among the vines and just have a nice afternoon,'" Summers said.
"We're the only place that you can do that. Our proximity to Nashville makes it a no-brainer."
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Since Arrington Vineyards is situated near Nashville and owned by a country music star, the soundtrack matters, too.
"We've been doing music on the weekends ever since we opened," Summers said. "You don't have to sacrifice the musical experience if you want to come out here on a weekend. You can do wine and music at the same time."
"It brings us all together," Vienneau added.
The Fox News Wine Shop bottle is also a chance to introduce Tennessee wine to more Americans.
"I'm just excited that people get to try — and will have an opportunity to try — really good wine from the state of Tennessee," he said.
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"It's just such an unknown on a national basis. … Tennessee whiskey is a known quantity, but Tennessee wine is just completely unknown on a national level. Just giving people that opportunity is going to be fun."
Learn more about the Fox News Wine Shop here.
Chinese coast guard conducts patrol through disputed Senkaku Islands waters following Taiwan spat
Chinese coast guard ships sailed through the Senkaku Islands in what it called a "rights enforcement patrol" on Sunday, continuing to ramp up tensions with Japan.
The move is the latest sign of Beijing's displeasure with Japan, which administers the islands, after newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gave a full throated defense of Taiwan's independence earlier this month. She vowed that any attack by Beijing on Taiwan would warrant a military response from Japan.
"China Coast Guard vessel 1307 formation conducted patrols within the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands. This was a lawful patrol operation conducted by the China Coast Guard to uphold its rights and interests," China's coast guard said in a statement.
In the days since Takaichi's Nov. 7 statement on Taiwan, Chinese officials have summoned Japan's ambassador and warned Chinese citizens against traveling to Japan. China's defense ministry also vowed that any Japanese intervention would be ineffective in protecting Taiwan.
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The most vicious response came from China's consul general in Osaka, who appeared to threaten to decapitate Takaichi in a now-deleted post on social media.
The official, Xue Jian, wrote, "That filthy neck that barged in on its own--I've got no choice but to cut it off without a moment's hesitation. Are you prepared for that?"
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Japan’s government condemned the statement, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara calling it "extremely inappropriate" and confirming that Tokyo had lodged a formal protest with Beijing. Kihara said Xue had made "multiple" inflammatory remarks in the past and urged China to take disciplinary action.
China instead appeared to defend the diplomat. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Monday that Xue’s words came in response to Takaichi’s "wrongful and dangerous" comments, which he said misrepresented China’s position on Taiwan. Lin accused Japan of "refusing to face up to its historical responsibilities" and warned Tokyo not to interfere in "internal Chinese affairs."
Taiwan's defense ministry says it has also detected ramped up aggression from China in recent days. The self-governed island said it monitored 30 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval ships operating nearby, according to NBC News.
Fox News' Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
'Brady Bunch' star Barry Williams admits he couldn't hide attraction to TV sister Maureen McCormick
Here's the story of a boy who fell for Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.
Barry Williams, who starred as Greg Brady in the hit sitcom "The Brady Bunch," recently appeared in the CW docuseries "TV We Love," where he opened up about having a crush on his co-star Maureen McCormick.
Producer Lloyd Schwartz, son of creator Sherwood Schwartz, also appeared in the episode about "The Brady Bunch" and discussed directing the 1973 episode "Room at the Top." In it, Marcia Brady (McCormick) and Greg, tired of sharing bedrooms with their younger siblings, fought to claim the attic space of their home as solo bedrooms.
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"I remember this scene. I remember the day," said Williams. "Lloyd discovered that there might have been a little bit too much attraction between brother and sister. Maureen McCormick was very, very attractive. I was gravitated right to her. And it was coming out in our scenes together."
"I’m sitting a little too close, leaning in a little too far," said the 71-year-old.
"[Lloyd] was right. It’s very hard to hide. That’s chemistry. Lloyd was on the set, and he pulled me aside. He said, ‘Good scene. I just want you to keep in mind here that she is your sister.’"
In the scene, Greg goes into Marcia’s room and sits on the bed next to her. He tries to comfort her after pushing her too far during an argument, and she bursts into tears.
WATCH: ‘THE BRADY BUNCH’ STARS EXPLAIN BEING ‘FOXHOLE BUDDIES’ THROUGH EXPERIENCES ON THE SHOW
Schwartz said Williams’ feelings for McCormick during filming were undeniable.
"As [the child stars] started getting older, my challenge was, in some ways, to keep them off of one another," he said.
Christopher Knight, who played middle brother Peter Brady, wasn’t surprised.
"I dare say that if you find anyone who grew up watching the show, their first crush was probably Marcia Brady," he said.
Earlier this year, Knight recalled on an episode of "The Real Brady Bros" that the chemistry between the two stars was more than platonic.
"You two were looking a little close — a little less like brother and sister and more like..." Knight began.
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"You mean dreamy-eyed?" Williams suggested.
"The longing, kind of wide-eyed," Knight, 68, responded. "Yeah, that was you — and she was looking dreamy."
"It was sort of on-again, off-again with Maureen and me throughout the years," said Williams. "There was always a little dance being played that was broken up by hiatus."
In 2024, Williams told Us Weekly he also had a "teenage crush" on his TV mom, the late Florence Henderson.
"I had a teenage crush on her, for sure," said Williams. "And she’s got a very lively personality and great sense of humor, but I knew that I wanted to have music in my career [in] acting, and so I talked to her a lot about that."
"I had found this singer coming into the Copacabana near Beverly Hills," he recalled. "I can’t think of exactly where it was, but I invited her to go together as a date, and she said, ‘OK,’ so I was thrilled. And now for me, it was a date."
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"We were recognized, and so people were whispering about us, which is strange, but we talked about the singer, his orchestrations, the band that he had, and what touring was like," Williams added.
"And she gave me an idea of what that life would look like now at the end of the date. And this is chronicled in my book as well. I did go in for a little kiss, and she was nice enough to return it. So, it was a highlight. Nice little peck, yes."
In 2023, Susen Olsen, who played Cindy Brady, set the record straight about the outing.
"I disliked the rumors that Florence Henderson and Barry Williams had an affair," Olsen told Fox News Digital about her co-stars at the time.
WATCH: ‘BRADY BUNCH’ STAR SUSAN OLSEN ADDRESSES CAST AFFAIR RUMORS, DEATH HOAX: ‘I DON'T LIKE THE IMPLICATION’
"Barry had a crush on her," the 64-year-old clarified. "She was very kind to him. She let him take her out for her birthday. So I don’t like the implication that’s been out there, that something was going on with them. There wasn’t anything going on with them except for mutual respect and love."
In McCormick’s 2008 memoir, "Here’s the Story," the former child star recalled a trip to Hawaii where the cast filmed the first episode of Season 4. It was there that she and Williams kissed.
"As soon as I stepped off the plane, I started to think about him more intensely in the way I had fantasized for a long time," she wrote in her book, as quoted by Us Weekly. "We had spent the past three and a half years staving off the desire of a mutual attraction despite the intimacy of working closely with each other every day."
McCormick also described performing a duet with Williams. In 1972, the cast released their second studio album, "Meet the Brady Bunch," and embarked on a national tour.
"We stood on opposite sides of the stage, inching slowly toward the center," she wrote, as quoted by the outlet. "Finally, we turned and sang to each other. It was choreographed to be a romantic moment, and there was so much sexual tension between us, we didn’t have to pretend."
In September 2024, McCormick chose not to kiss and tell. Instead, she told Us Weekly she celebrates the friendships with her castmates that have lasted over the years.
"The show will just always hold a super warm spot in my heart," she said. "It’s just an amazing bond, so I feel very lucky to have that."
"The Brady Bunch" aired for five seasons on ABC from 1969 to 1974, and its success inspired numerous spinoff titles.
American Culture Quiz: Test yourself on gridiron glory and presidential pastimes
The American Culture Quiz is a weekly test of our unique national traits, trends, history and people, including current events and the sights and sounds of the United States.
This week's quiz highlights gridiron glory, presidential pastimes and much more. Can you get all 8 questions right?
Give it a try and see how you do!
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To try your hand at more quizzes from Fox News Digital, click here.
Also, to take our latest News Quiz — published every Friday — click here.
Jane Seymour declares '70 is the new 50' after finding love again following four marriages
Jane Seymour believes age is just a number when it comes to her love life.
During an interview with Hello! Magazine, Seymour opened up about finding love again in her 70s after being married four times. Two years ago, she met emergency room doctor and musician John Zambetti, whom she called "amazingly brilliant."
Seymour admitted to the outlet that she didn't think a healthy, loving relationship was possible at this stage of her life.
"I honestly never thought I would find a really committed, healthy, lovely, loving relationship at this time of my life, but I’m incredibly blessed that I have," Seymour told the outlet.
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"70 is the new 50," the actress noted.
The "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" star feels lucky to have met Zambetti after already being able to live her life.
"You’ve had a life. Many lives. And children, and grandchildren, and careers, and ups and downs. You know what you want. I consider both of us so fortunate to have found each other at the time we have, because it wouldn’t have ever worked earlier," she said.
Seymour added, "He had a different life – his world was medicine and touring, and mine was running around the world making movies. I think we met each other at exactly the right time."
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When asked if they met through online dating, Seymour shut down the idea by saying it's "too complicated – I can kill a computer just by looking at it!"
Seymour and Zambetti actually met through their children.
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Seymour has six children, including stepchildren, and Zambetti has two from his previous marriage, which lasted 43 years, according to Hello! Magazine.
"Our kids pretty much put us together. They’re the ones that heard that he’d seen me and asked whether I was single or not," Seymour said.
Zambetti and Seymour's love story began at a Shwayze concert, whom the British actress calls their "mutual best friend."
"Shwayze knew I would go and watch him because I’ve always supported him," she said, explaining that she's known the musician since he was seven. "I’m like his surrogate mother. And it turns out John’s always been his surrogate father."
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When they first met, Seymour told Hello! Magazine that Zambetti had no idea about her illustrious acting career.
"He’d never seen my work. One of the first things he did is say, ‘I want to see what you do’. It’s funny because I haven’t seen half of what I’ve done – I haven’t seen most of ‘Dr Quinn,’ because I was too busy making it," she said.
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Seymour shared intimate details about her relationship with the outlet. She made it clear that sex is still a very important part of her life.
"In my parents’ generation, and I think a lot of people, they reach a certain age and they go, ‘That’s not part of our life any more, and it’s not necessary’. I just think, with maturity, you understand your body, you understand what feels good and you have knowledge, so put it down to that," Seymour said.
Pop culture embraces smoking as 'cool' again — and Gen Z youth are watching
Gen Z — largely comprised of middle- and high-school students — reported the lowest smoking rates on record in 2024, according to CDC and FDA data, but that trend may be in jeopardy.
"Overall, the decline in smoking in the U.S., [down] to about 11.9% of the population overall, is a great public health success story that has occurred over the past 20 years," Dr. Neil W. Schluger, dean of the School of Medicine of New York Medical College and pulmonologist, told Fox News Digital.
Some experts, however, fear that the "cool factor" could be making a comeback, hooking a new generation on smoking.
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In certain populations, there is reportedly a movement to re-glamorize cigarette smoking, Schluger said.
One Instagram account, @Cigfluencers, posts photos of celebrities with cigarettes to its more than 83,000 followers.
"SMOKING HOT!" reads a caption for a provocative image of Sabrina Carpenter smoking over a bathroom sink. "Also, Smoking = Hot."
Additional celebrities who have been open about their cigarette use — and are also pictured on @Cigfluencers — include Ben Affleck, Jeremy Allen White and Natalie Portman, among others.
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"Influencers can be influenced by marketing dollars and can attract younger generations, particularly if the channels used are popular among younger people, such as with social media," said Judith J. Prochaska, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University in California, whose research focuses on developing effective treatments for tobacco dependence.
Multiple studies show that adolescents and young adults who watch smoking-related content are more likely to begin using tobacco products in the future, but those risks are magnified when they engage with tobacco content on social media.
"It’s confusing and a dangerous contradiction for young people who take their cues from pop culture and celebrity influencers, and are especially vulnerable to believe that smoking is more popular than it really is," said Truth Initiative CEO and President Robin Koval in a news article on the organization’s website.
In a recent opinion piece published in The BMJ, the author wrote that smoking is experiencing a "pop-culture revival" that is an "unwelcome throw-back for public health."
"This normalization of smoking risks is re-igniting a harmful cultural association between cigarettes and coolness, to which young people are particularly vulnerable," the article says.
In the mid- to late-90s, around one-third of high-schoolers smoked cigarettes. That has dropped to less than 3% today, according to the American Lung Association.
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"It is harder to track trends in youth and young adults, because they tend to be less connected to survey efforts, and behaviors can change quickly," Dr. Daniel J. Boffa, vice chair of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and division chief of thoracic surgery at Yale School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
"The signals we do have suggest that tobacco smoking rates are much lower in Gen Z than for some earlier generations."
Boffa noted, however, that around 8% of Gen Z teens use e-cigarettes — "which is important because we really don’t know the long-term effect of e-cigarettes yet, and some young adults will switch over from e-cigarettes to smoking tobacco."
The U.S. saw a surge in vaping rates in 2019, largely due to the popularity of the brand JUUL, which resonated among youth because of its high nicotine delivery, discreet design, kid-friendly flavors and appealing marketing tactics, Prochaska noted.
E-cigarettes are also on the rise among young adults — in part due to adolescents aging into young adulthood, she added.
Over 90% of long-term smokers started before the age of 18, Boffa noted.
"The problem with tobacco smoking in the teenage and young adult years is that the most severe health-related consequences won’t appear for a few decades, making it easier to ignore the warnings," he warned.
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When someone smokes over time, the inhaled combusted tobacco and paper damage the tiny air sacs in the lungs called alveoli, which facilitate the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This damage could lead to chronic obstructive lung disease, according to Mayo Clinic.
The habit can also increase cancer risk, health experts warn. Humans produce random mutated cells that can potentially become cancerous, but a healthy immune system usually eliminates those cells.
When someone smokes, however, toxic substances enter the body and depress the immune system, giving those mutated cells a chance to grow and become cancerous.
Repeated exposure can also increase the risk of oral health problems, pregnancy harms, sexual dysfunction and even mental health effects, Prochaska warned.
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Smoking is also a risk factor for coronary artery disease, aneurysms in the aorta (the main artery of the heart), peripheral vascular disease, and heart attacks and strokes, according to the FDA.
"The reduction in tobacco use in the U.S. is a huge advance in public health, and we should be vigilant not to slide backwards," Schluger said.
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To maintain this progress, the doctor is a proponent of banning smoking in public places, raising tobacco taxes, increasing funding for cessation programs, and cracking down on illegal advertising and sales to minors.
DNA innovation credited in Idaho, Rachel Morin cases signals shift in race to catch killers, lab founder says
In the time it takes to process thousands of tips and chase down leads, serial offenders can strike again.
That's why forensic expert David Mittelman is arguing the rapid DNA breakthroughs in the Idaho murders and Rachel Morin cases have revealed a new tool for crimefighters — investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) research has become so fast and cheap that it could be the first thing investigators reach for, not their finishing touch.
"You should be reading the DNA the same way you're checking the video cameras," the Othram forensics lab founder told Fox News Digital. "Because the very first question you have is, who is at the scene? So check the cameras nearby, check the DNA, and then start your investigation."
The current trend in most active cases is for investigators to use DNA as a "confirmatory tool," he said — a final step to make sure police have the right suspect. DNA and IGG research is more widely used in cold cases, he said. And that's something he hopes will change.
"So DNA goes from being the last step in the process as a confirmatory tool to the first step," Mittelman said. "It's like checking the video feed, except that you're checking the DNA feed."
In the Idaho student murders and the Maryland slaying of mom of five Rachel Morin, police with few leads turned to Othram for help conducting the IGG, which led them to now-convicted killers Bryan Kohberger and Victor Martinez-Hernandez.
Traditional DNA testing compares a suspect's sample to a law enforcement database in search of a match, but not all criminals can be identified in this manner, especially if it's their first offense. IGG testing involves a blend of forensic science and the same methods used to trace a person's ancestry in order to track down an unknown suspect.
"When IGG becomes as common as fingerprint and digital forensics, it will ensure that other families don’t have to endure the same pain as the Morins," said Randolph Rice, a Baltimore-area attorney who represented Morin's family. "IGG should not be viewed as a last resort or a luxury; it should be a standard, front-line investigative tool."
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Cases that benefit from IGG have a readily available DNA sample from the perpetrator and often involve murder or sexual assault, Mittelman said, making them among the most heinous crimes. Under his proposal, he said, they'd be cheaper, faster and easier to solve.
"DNA testing identified him [Kohberger], in a month or in weeks, and the end-to-end cost for that DNA testing was under $10,000," Mittelman said. "So you can't even pay the detective for a month for the amount of money it costs to solve that case."
In the Morin case, Martinez-Hernandez was already an international fugitive and suspected killer connected to another sex assault in Los Angeles.
"When he committed that crime in Los Angeles, they should have immediately put the DNA CODIS, like they did, saw no match, and they should have used this technique and immediately found him," Mittelman said. "And then Rachel Morin would still be alive. That's exactly my point."
DR MARC SIEGEL: My Personal Miracle: A physician's lessons in faith and healing
We all have miracles in our lives, and they happen every day. When I first began to study medicine, the intricacies of the human body and how it functions declared itself to me as one of G-d’s miracles.
I wasn’t alone among budding doctors in seeing it this way, in never seeing faith or the human soul or spirituality as standing in opposition to science. Great technology helps a physician to preserve and extend life and to relieve suffering. Faith helps us to believe that each life is precious.
But miracles are not predictable. G-d grants us the miracles He wants us to have, not always the ones we may pray for.
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Back in the 12th century, Hannah found that her prayer to have a child was only answered because G-d knew that her son Shmuel (Samuel) would go on to become a great prophet. Shmuel in Hebrew means G-d hears. He heard Hannah’s prayer.
In my own life, we prayed for a third child and were gifted with one from G-d. While my wife was pregnant, I was praying on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and reading Hannah’s prayer when I saw that the man in the pew in front of me had a little baby on his shoulder. "What’s his name?" "Shmuel." When I got home, my young daughter was excited about a television program called "The Powerpuff Girls" and mentioned a character named Samuel. We had our name for our new son.
But when Samuel was born, he couldn’t hear, a cruel twist on the name, and so I prayed to G-d again and sure enough, after clearing out his ear canals a day later, he smiled in response to our voices and passed his final hearing test before leaving the hospital.
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Unfortunately, his infant years were marked by repeated ear infections, a reminder to me that G-d controls his miracles — not us — and that they may be fragile. But Samuel grew into a very kind, loving child and then an extremely intelligent adult. I could see that G-d had a purpose for him in this world.
My parents are both over a hundred years old because of the physicians who have refused to give up on them even when they both sustained hip fractures.
My father has survived to age 102 despite an emergency bowel operation and being put on a ventilator at age 98. That was followed by dialysis over the past four years, all because of his fierce love for my mother and because of doctors, nurses and aides who all believe that a single life is precious and needs to be cherished. My father says that the secret to a long life is to duck whenever someone throws a punch.
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Recently, I met a woman who showed me a necklace she wore around her neck with a pendant that said "Milagros" which means miracle in Spanish. Right before she was born, she was suffocating from a lack of oxygen. A nun who was in the room handed her mother this necklace and said, "if you promise to wear this all your life, your daughter will be fine. God’s presence is in this room."
Her mother quickly agreed, and she was born completely normal, though many years later she was found to have a benign brain tumor which required repeated surgeries and radiation — all of which she survived, clutching the same pendant in her hands before she went in for each procedure.
We are all in G-d’s hands, I thought as she told me the story.
Doctors and their patients need to realize this. It makes us all more humble and promotes kindness and healing.
Marjorie Taylor Greene says she hopes to 'make up' with Trump amid ongoing feud
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told CNN on Sunday that she hoped she and President Donald Trump could make up amid their ongoing feud.
CNN host Dana Bash asked Greene if she thought she could make amends with the president during "State of the Union" on Sunday, and whether she felt she had a future in the GOP if she couldn't.
"I certainly hope that we can make up. And, you know, again, I can only speak for myself. I‘m a Christian and one of the most important parts of our faith is forgiveness. And that’s something I’m committed to," Greene said.
She added, "That‘s why I can easily come on your show that is watched all over the world, and I can say things I‘m sorry for, and I can try to set an example of how I think we should move forward as Americans. And so, of course, on my end, I believe in that. And I certainly hope to see that happen."
Greene has been a vocal, visible ally of Trump since 2020 and had even once been floated as a possible running mate. However, she has become more of a thorn in the side of Trump and fellow Republicans in recent months, particularly when it comes to her calls for the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.
Trump attacked Greene as a traitor and dropped his endorsement of her on social media on Friday.
The president claimed that Greene "has told many people that she is upset that I don’t return her phone calls anymore" in a long post where he ultimately vowed "Complete and Unyielding Support" to any conservative primary challenger in her north Georgia district leading into the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump claimed Greene had "gone Far Left," citing her recent appearance on ABC's "The View", and gave her the new nickname "Wacky."
"She has told many people that she is upset that I don’t return her phone calls anymore, but with 219 Congressmen/women, 53 U.S. Senators, 24 Cabinet Members, almost 200 Countries, and an otherwise normal life to lead, I can’t take a ranting Lunatic’s call every day," Trump added.
Greene responded immediately on social media, writing on X that "President Trump just attacked me and lied about me."
"I don’t worship or serve Donald Trump," Greene wrote on Friday. "I worship God, Jesus is my savior, and I serve my district GA14 and the American people."
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The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
Fox News' Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.