Carrie Underwood Celebrates Her Birthday In Hawaii & The Libs Are Furious With Kai Trump

Let me tell you why this LA Marathon thing is bullsh*t.

In case you didn't hear, the LA Marathon (which, like all marathons, is 26.2 miles) provided runners an option this year to dip out after 18 miles if they were too tired to continue. Granted, it's always an option to drop out of a marathon at any point in the race if you feel like you can no longer continue. The difference, though, is that the 2026 LA Marathon still awarded finisher medals to 18-mile runners.

Now, I won't pretend that running 18 miles isn't hard. I have an 18.6-mile trail race coming up in less than three weeks, and I'm already worried I might die.

So I'm not here to begrudge anyone for running that distance. But it's not a marathon. And that's the whole point.

A couple of years ago, I ran the Whiskey Run Half Marathon in Nashville. There was a 5K option for this race as well. The appeal of this particular event — as you might have guessed — was the free whiskey tasting and party that was to happen after we all crossed the finish line.

The logistical problem, though, was that the 5K runners obviously finished much earlier than the half-marathon runners. So by the time we ran our 13.1 miles and made it to the after party, the 3.1-mile drunks had already taken every seat in the bar and drank all the good bourbon.

All that was left for the half-marathoners was Jack Daniel's and the assorted sugary-flavored Jack varietals. AND the 5Kers got the same medal as us! One guy at the bar (who was good and sloshed by the time I got there) told me he and his buddies walked the 5K just for the bourbon.

"A free booze hack!" he said.

So anyway, the moral of the story is that I'm just bitter about not getting any Blanton's two years ago. And I'll hold that grudge for as long as I see fit.

Y'all ready for some Nightcaps? Let's go.

Donna Kelce's Home Renovations

If you've spent more than 12 seconds on X/Twitter this week, you know that Donna Kelce — mom of Travis and Jason — is undergoing a home renovation.

How would you know this? Because the investigative journalists at TMZ would never let huge breaking news like that slide under the radar.

That post has 29 million views so far. 29 MILLION!

I'm not a huge fan of TMZ. I mean, sure, I've cited them before in my reporting when they've broken stories in the sports world. But I hate the paparazzi genre of media where they send photographers out to get candid photos of celebrities just minding their own damn business and living their lives — only for the Internet to then tear these people apart.

READ: Negative Reaction To Sydney Sweeney Viral Bikini Photos Proves Too Many Men Live In Fantasy Land

This happens every time a female celebrity goes on vacation with her family — or is just relaxing in her own backyard — and some pap hiding in the bushes takes an unflattering or unposed photo of her in her bikini. The photo gets posted online, and the internet trolls come out of the woodwork to talk about how fat or "mid" she is.

It's gross.

Anyway, this Donna Kelce post is the kind of paparazzi work I am here for. Because this completely meaningless "news" alert has united social media for some of the funniest, most wholesome memes. And don't we need a little wholesome fun every once in a while when the world is burning?

Anyway, best of luck to Donna on her home renovation. I hope we get to see the finished product.

I also hope she hired Randy Marsh to be her contractor:

The Libs Are Mad At Kai Trump

Kai Trump — perhaps you've heard of her grandfather, Donald — is getting raked over the coals for her new YouTube video.

In the video, she visits a grocery store called Erewhon Market. In case you're a plebeian like me and have never heard of an Erewhon, it's a trendy grocery store in Los Angeles that is famous for being expensive. And apparently Instagram influencers love their $22 smoothies.

The video, titled "I Brought My Secret Service to Erewhon," shows Kai browsing the store and purchasing items she later reviews. At one point, the 18-year-old joked she will have to "file for bankruptcy" after learning about a store-branded sweater that costs $165.

She didn't buy the sweater, but she did end up spending $233.

Naturally, the Libs went in on Kai — calling her a tone-deaf spoiled brat for throwing all this money around while some American families can't afford their weekly grocery bill or gas, and war is going on overseas.

Now, I'm not necessarily defending this YouTube video. Frankly, it's abysmally boring, and if she weren't the president's granddaughter, there is no way in hell Kai would have 1.46 million subscribers. But she's not exactly the first nepo baby ever to cash in on her family's fame. 

So if you're going to be outraged about an 18-year-old from a wealthy family making a social media video about a viral smoothie, then I hope you have that same outrage for all the Hollywood celebrities out there spending ungodly amounts of cash on things they don't need as well. Or the Democratic politicians with four vacation houses.

Are these the same people who told us we shouldn't worry about what Hunter Biden is doing because Hunter Biden is not the one in office?

And I'd say Kai drinking smoothies is a lot less concerning than Hunter's extracurriculars.

You can hate Donald Trump as much as you want, that's irrelevant here. Kai Trump may be related to the president, but she's not sitting in the Oval Office or in the war room deciding the fate of the country. She has nothing to do with how much money you're forking over at the pump or how many troops are deployed overseas. 

If Kai starts posting videos discussing foreign policy, then sure, go in on her. But right now, she's just a college kid making silly social media videos. Get over it, losers.

I would highly recommend watching these "Kingdom of Influencers" videos about Erewhon, though:

Happy Birthday, Carrie Underwood!

Queen Carrie turns 43 today, and — lucky for her — she just so happens to be spending the week in Hawaii filming for American Idol.

One, I can't believe that show's still on. Two, I can't believe the season Carrie won was 21 years ago. I remember watching the finale where she beat out Bo Bice. What's that guy doing these days?

Let's take a walk down memory lane:

Anyway, happy birthday, Carrie. OutKick loves you.

If you're not watching ‘Paradise’ on Hulu, you are MISSING OUT.

Tyler B. Writes: Per your recommendation in Nightcaps, I jumped on the Paradise bandwagon. Holy crap! Wife and I binged it in just a few days (and later regretted staying up so late to do it). Best TV show in a long time.

Rick M. Writes: I've been on "Paradise" from the beginning, I'm glad it's finally getting the recognition it deserves. This season is somehow even better than season 1. I love that we're getting to see life outside the bunker.

Amanda R. Writes: OBSESSED WITH PARADISE.

Amber:

SAME.

I think we only have three episodes left of Season 2, which is a real bummer. Because I don't want to wait another year or whatever it's going to take to make Season 3 happen. Trying to enjoy this while it lasts.

Also, I don't know if any of you got into From? I think I probably mentioned it in a previous Nightcaps, but it's an underrated show, too. Of course, it doesn't help that it's on MGM+. Who in the world subscribes to MGM+?!

Anyway, if you haven't watched it, it's worth a go. It's a sci-fi horror mystery show (heavy on the mystery) from the same executive producers as LOST. There are three seasons out now, and Season 4 premieres next month.

They just released the trailer:

MP From Virginia Brings Us Home With An Ode To Aging

Last week — while discussing the fast food CEO burger wars — I mentioned that I don't really eat fast food because my desire to look good naked trumps my desire to eat greasy food from a bag.

MP Writes: Amber, the comment you made about looking good naked reminded me of a beach music song by the Fantastic Shakers.

📩 Email: amber.harding@outkick.com
Send your thoughts, stories, tips, rants and photos of your dog.

🐦 Twitter/X: @TheAmberHarding

📸 Instagram: @amberharding

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OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m.