GOOD AFTERNOON!

This is OUT OF SCOPE, your weekly intel to fuel your water cooler conversations, delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. If someone forwarded you this email, be sure and subscribe here. 

was ozzy reincarnated as aquaman?

Covering Aquaman the week after we cover Superman may feel like HL is in DC’s pocket. But hear us out—this isn’t the Aquaman you’re thinking of. We christen today’s edition in the name of pop-culture phenom Trisha Paytas’ son, Aquaman Moses Paytas Hacmon, whose birth was announced to the public just yesterday.

To some, this may beg the question: who is Trisha Paytas? If you haven’t heard of the prolific personality, buckle in. 

Paytas’ career began on YouTube. Her channel, blndsundoll4mj, at its inception was a countdown to the release of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Bastards”—replete with raps and poems dedicated to the film’s director. Over the years, her content — ranging from lifestyle vlogs to ASMR, cosplaying as a fast-food worker to iconic kitchen floor breakdowns, and a cardboard cutout marriage to two hit podcasts — has become internet folklore.

But her impact goes beyond socials: she’s appeared on Ellen, America’s Got Talent, Nathan For You, My Strange Addiction, Dr. Phil, Big Brother, Modern Family, and SNL. You can catch glimpses of her in Amy Winehouse, Katy Perry, The All-American Rejects, and Eminem music videos. Her own music career has included sceney alt-rock, Christian pop, and beat-for-beat High School Musical reshoots. She’s written 11 books and starred in a one-night-only Broadway show. Paytas is, undeniably, a multihyphenate. 

Controversy is a rite of passage for any internet starlet, and Trisha is the rule (not the exception), having been criticized for trying genders, diagnoses, and religions (exhibits A, B, C) on for size. She’s engaged in beef with everyone from Charli D’Amelio to JoJo Siwa. Trisha has maintained her status as internet royalty through it all—perhaps because she embodies authenticity in a way few have. She doesn't pretend to be perfect—in fact, it's her candor in her messiness that makes her so fun to watch.

Trisha’s life has settled into relative normalcy over the past few years since she tied the knot with the brother-in-law of her ex-cohost (with whom she had a very public falling-out). The couple has had three children: Malibu Barbie, Elvis, and now, Aquaman Moses. The births have all been suspiciously timed to notable deaths (most recently, Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne), leading some to speculate that the Paytas family is some kind of a nexus for celebrity reincarnation. We here at HL are ready to break out the cork board and red thread—Aquaman did, after all, host Ozzy’s last show. Ultimately, Aquaman Moses’s command of social feeds yesterday proves the Paytas name still has serious pull—and speaks to Trisha’s enduring impact on the culture writ large.

LUNCH BREAK

five quick consumption recs for the time between meetings

1. HUNTER’S BACK. The presidential scion shares his favorite expletives and hottest takes.

2. COLBERT CANCELLED. Who would’ve thought Stephen Colbert and Hacks’ Deborah Vance were such spiritual soul-sisters? 

3. THE BRATCHELORETTE. Charli XCX marries the 1975’s George Daniel — meaning the party girl, “anti-bride” discourse is about to be pummeled to death. 

4. RIP OZZY. A great obituary for the Prince of Darkness.

5. PEDRO SUMMER. The new Fantastic Four movie is Pedro Pascal’s third summer blockbuster this year—what can’t he do?

TREND RAPPORT

viral vocab of the week 

NORMAN (n.) –  A mulleted, mustachioed, tote-bag-toting archetype. In the tradition of hipsters before them, the Norman embodies the sum total of all things the culture finds cool–if not slightly overdone–in 2025. 

COLDPLAY-ED (v.) – To be publicly exposed for cheating via viral video. Named after the band whose concert became ground zero for the now-infamous-affair-turned-corporate-fodder. See also: global humiliation and resignations. 

GEN Z STARE (n.) – A blank, blinkless expression used by Gen Z to convey boredom or silent protest. Now trending in headlines everywhere and living rent-free in middle managers’ heads. Some call it rude, others authentic — everyone agrees it’s a microcosm of the larger generational divide. 

SEE YOU NEXT WEDNESDAY!

###