Get a rundown of Us‘ top stories making headlines in celebrity news, sports and entertainment on August 21, 2026. Here are the key takeaways:
• Kim Zolciak‘s son Kroy “KJ” Biermann Jr. was arrested in Alpharetta, Georgia, for sodomy and aggravated sexual assault on August 17, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 8. Zolciak said her son “categorically denies” involvement, voluntarily took and passed a polygraph examination and that no DNA belonging to him was found on his alleged victim.
• Hayden Panettiere‘s three best friends — Emily Buckingham, Kasey Kitchen and Allie Beatti — shared heartfelt tributes exclusively with Us, honoring the late actress on what would have been her birthday, August 21, five days after her death. They remembered her as empathic, fiery, brave, funny and deeply committed to helping others and advocating for mental health and substance abuse awareness.
• Zach Hickerson, the brother of Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, laid out a timeline of the effort to save her life, saying he found her unconscious at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, called 911 and jointly performed CPR with Brian while Brian administered Narcan. An autopsy found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death, and the Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating.
Edited by Samantha Benitz. Story produced with AI assistance
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