• Britt Lorino, 55, moved from Texas to Arkansas as part of a mover incentive program.
• Work Here, Live Here offers new Mississippi County residents up to $50,000 toward their mortgage.
• Despite fewer amenities, Lorinos appreciates the lower costs and community feel of his small town.

A Papa Johns recently opened in Osceola, Arkansas — and Britt Lorino is thrilled about it. The 55-year-old can tell the town he calls home is "transforming."

Lorino moved to Osceola just over a year ago. It's 55 miles north of Memphis and is home to just over 6,000 people, per a 2022 Census count. Despite raising their family in Austin, Lorino and his wife decided to settle in Mississippi County because of its mover incentives.

The Work Here, Live Here program — run by local industries, community groups, and financial institutions — offers residents up to $50,000 toward a home purchase if they agree to live there for at least four years.

"I was ready in my life to put it back in first gear and slow down," Lorino said. "It's almost like the clock moves a lot slower in Osceola than it does in Houston or Austin."

Mississippi County is one of the US' top steel producers. Eligible participants can be movers or existing Arkansas residents, but they must work for one of the program's partner companies, which include Big River Steel, US Steel, and Atlas Tube. Lorino, for example, works for Big River Steel.

Program leaders told BI that they have attracted 80 new homeowners since Work Here, Live Here launched in 2022. Participants can receive a 10% forgivable loan to construct a new home or a 5% forgivable loan if they purchase an existing home. The maximum home cost is $500,000, so the largest possible incentive is $50,000.

Lorino said he and his wife bought an existing home for about $325,000 and received the 5% loan incentive.

Mover incentive programs like Work Here, Live Here come as the cost of living rises in US cities, and some jobs continue to be location flexible. With steep housing expenses on the coasts, some homebuyers are turning toward the Midwest or South — and smaller counties see it as an opportunity to boost their economies.

Osceola has less amenities than Austin, but Lorino said the area is growing

Although Lorino briefly lived in Arkansas and Louisiana for work in the past decade, he spent most of his life in Texas. It's been an adjustment to move from a big city like Austin to a small town, he said.

Rural Mississippi County has its challenges: Lorino has to drive long distances to visit a doctor or buy clothes. There aren't many restaurants to choose from and local stores usually have limited inventory.

"In Austin, everything's at your fingertips," he said. "On every street corner, there's a bank and there's some kind of department store. Here, not so much."

Even so, he and his wife are happy with their decision to live in Arkansas. Their adult children still live in Austin, and Lorino said his son can't afford a home there.

Arkansas' cost of living is much lower — the median home price in Osceola is $485,000 lower than in Austin — and Lorino and his wife can order most of what they need online if there isn't a store nearby. Memphis is just an hour's drive away if they want to see a concert or a professional sports game.

Lorino also feels a strong sense of community with his neighbors and coworkers. He appreciates that he can have personal conversations with the mayor or city council members in town. Osceola has "good, hometown living," he said.

He isn't sure if he and his wife will live in Mississippi County forever, but they plan to stay for several years. It takes some patience, Lorino said, but the growth they've in the area is exciting — the town is not only attracting new movers, but hotels, chain restaurants, and a golf course.

"If you can imagine five or 10 years from now, what this will be like, I think I think people would get more clarity," he said.

Have you been paid to move? Are you open to sharing the pros and cons of your experience? If so, reach out to this reporter at allisonkelly@businessinsider.com.

• In "28 Days Later," Cillian Murphy's character, Jim, wakes up from a coma after a zombie outbreak.
• The actor was reunited with director Danny Boyle for the sequel, "28 Years Later."
• Murphy is joined by British stars Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, in the new movie.

"Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy has reunited with director Danny Boyle for the long-awaited horror sequel "28 Years Later," two decades after his breakout role in "28 Days Later."

In the original film, Murphy played Jim, a bicycle courier who wakes up from a coma to find that the UK has been hit by the "Rage" virus, which turns people into zombies.

The infected, however, are not like the traditional slow, shuffling hordes of the undead. Instead, they sprint and scream while chasing survivors.

The film performed fairly well at the time, earning $84 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Boyle's unique vision of a post-apocalyptic Britain led to a resurgence of zombie movies in the 2000s. Many took inspiration from Boyle's fast zombies, such as in the "Dawn of the Dead" remake, and "Zombieland."

While Boyle produced the 2007 sequel, "28 Weeks Later," the Juan Carlos Fresnadillo-directed film focused more on gory action, than the suspense-driven horror of the original.

In January 2024, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that "28 Years Later" is in the works by Boyle and "28 Days Later" writer Alex Garland. Here's what we know about the sequel.

Cillian Murphy will be joined by British stars, including Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Murphy has stated over the years that he would like to return to the franchise that kickstarted his career.

In February, he told Variety: "I've always said I would love to be involved because that movie changed everything for me and I have great affection for it and for those guys Alex, and Danny."

Murphy added: "So I'm really thrilled that we'll get the band back together to make this one."

In May, Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman Tom Rothman confirmed to Deadline that the "Oppenheimer" star will reprise his role as Jim in "28 Years Later."

When asked whether Murphy is definitely returning, Rothman said: "Yes, but in a surprising way and in a way that grows, let me put it that way."

The Irish actor will be joined by British stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O'Connell, Ralph Fiennes, and Erin Kellyman, per Deadline. Details about their characters are being kept secret.

In June 2024, Comer appeared on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast and briefly discussed what Boyle is trying to achieve with his director of photography, Anthony Dod Mantle.

She said: "It's him. It's Danny, and I think he's constantly trying to find new ways and I think, just seeing where they've gone with it and all the new additions and explorations, I think people are going to be very excited."

'28 Years Later' arrives in June 2025 and is the start of a new trilogy

The long-awaited sequel will arrive in theaters on June 20, 2025, and is the start of a new trilogy. According to Deadline, "Candyman" director Nia DaCosta is in talks to take over the reins for the second movie, while Garland will write the entire trilogy.

Little is known about what to expect from the future of the franchise, although presumably, it'll be packed with hordes of screaming zombies again.

Interestingly, a title for DaCosta's movie might have been revealed thanks to the United States Copyright Office, which lists it as "28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple."

This doesn't necessarily reveal anything about what the future movie could revolve around, but it certainly feels different.

• Thousands more one-person businesses are hitting million-dollar revenues and may keep growing.
• From 2020 to 2021, the number of such businesses grew from 47,000 to 58,000, driven by the pandemic.
• Professional, scientific, and technical services led, followed by construction and finance.

Thousands more one-person businesses are reaching the coveted million-dollar earnings number — and it may continue to rise.

A Business Insider analysis of nonemployer businesses — those that are run solely by their owners with no other paid employees — found that between 2020 and 2021, the number of nonemployer businesses with revenues of at least $1,000,000 skyrocketed from just under 47,000 to nearly 58,000. The 2021 numbers are the most recent from the US Census Bureau.

This number had been steadily increasing since the Census Bureau started tracking it in 2012, when it was about 31,800. The 2020 to 2021 increase was the largest year-over-year increase since 2012.

The 2021 data suggests the professional, scientific, and technical services sector is where entrepreneurs have had the most success growing their businesses to over a million in sales. Of the 14,450 millionaire businesses in this sector, 874 have revenues over $2.5 million. Millionaire businesses make up 0.38% of all one-person businesses in this sector.

Construction ranked second with just over 6,600 businesses, of which 211 had revenues above $2.5 million. Millionaire businesses in construction made up 0.24% of total one-person construction businesses. Finance and insurance were close behind with about 6,450, of which 623 had revenues over $5 million. This sector had the highest percentage of millionaire businesses at 0.85%.

Other top industries included retail trade, real estate, transportation and warehousing, and wholesale trade. On the flip side, utilities, mining, and manufacturing ranked lowest for millionaire businesses.

Small business creation has been on the rise throughout the pandemic. As more Americans leave their 9-to-5 jobs to start their own businesses in the age of hybrid work, many are looking to grow everything from clothing lines to independent financial service companies to "sweaty startups" like lawncare or self-storage.

"If you look at who is truly wealthy in these towns, people who are eating at the nice restaurants, people who are at the nice country clubs, you'll find that they actually didn't have new ideas at all," said Nick Huber, who launched the "sweaty startups" movement and owns nine companies, told BI. "They didn't have tech startups that were aimed at changing the world, and they didn't build a billion-dollar business. Most of them did something common or boring, and they just did it uncommonly well."

The Census Bureau estimates there are now almost 28.5 million nonemployer businesses in the US, which has shot up during the pandemic.

The number of total monthly business applications grew from about 300,000 in February 2020 to consistently in the low- to mid-400,000s over the last few years, peaking with almost 546,000 in July 2020. Since March 2020, this has amounted to just under 22 million new applications.

Have you started a business that has been doing well financially? Reach out to this reporter at nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.

• Jeanelle Teves is a mom of two and an executive.
• She stops working at 4:30 each afternoon to spend time with her family.
• She says this time makes her more efficient and focused at work.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jeanelle Teves, a content creator and Bugaboo's chief commercial officer. It has been edited for length and clarity.

When I'm at work, I'm 100% focused on my job. As the chief commercial officer for Bugaboo, a global stroller and baby equipment brand, that's essential. But at 4:30 p.m. each day, I leave the office or sign off the computer to be home for dinner with my husband and my two children, who are 7 and 3.

That's my sacred time each day. From five until about 8 p.m. — when the kids go to bed — I'm basically unreachable so I can be fully present with my family. I eat dinner with the kids at 5:30, spend quality time with them, and tuck them into bed.

Only then will I log back in to work if necessary, which usually happens a few times each week.

I carve out uninterrupted time for my marriage too

My husband is a stay-at-home dad. It's very important that we have dedicated time to be together, both as a family and without the kids. My husband's love language is quality time, so being home for dinner each night shows him that I'm prioritizing him and that I appreciate the work he's doing.

Of course, dinner with two kids isn't exactly relaxing, so we also have a standing date night each week. I do everything in my power to keep that appointment, including saying no to professional events and work dinners. I'll even travel home on a red-eye flight to be there if I can.

Because I prioritize our family and couple time, my husband understands if I occasionally need to miss dinner because of work obligations. He knows those opportunities are really important to me, and he respects that.

Flexibility starts with good communication

I'm an executive, so I have a lot of leeway in setting the tone for my team. I also work at a company that is 80% women, 60% of whom are moms. I worked my way up the corporate ladder in different settings, so I know that not everyone can say they're leaving work for family time.

Still, I believe everyone can have flexibility with communication and accountability. If you're looking for more balance, I suggest having an open, honest conversation with your boss about expectations. A lot of the time, we pour our energy into projects or facets of our work that aren't the most important.

Instead of doing that, ask your manager which two to three deliverables are the most crucial. Target your energy toward those. Ask how your boss wants to be kept informed about these priorities. This way, you can work in a more efficient way to cover the most critical parts of your job and keep your boss happy.

Propose solutions when conflict comes up

Lots of professional parents have experienced the pull between work and family obligations. When that happens, try to propose a creative solution to your boss. Try saying, "I know [this task] is very important, so…" and then tell them exactly how you'll keep up while maintaining your flexibility.

For example, you could watch a meeting recording afterward or email your thoughts. As I tell my daughter, there's always a solution — you just have to find it.

Flexibility makes work more efficient, but employees need accountability too

I'm at my best at work when I'm fulfilled in my home life. Most employees are most efficient when they're prioritizing health and well-being, so it makes sense for employers to support that.

Recently, I was hiring for a position on Bugaboo's leadership team. I interviewed 10 candidates and asked each an open question: What are you looking for in a job? Each person said flexibility. It's what the top talent in our generation is seeking, and offering it is essential in order to attract and retain skilled employees.

On the other hand, employees need to be accountable for their work. If you're working outside conventional hours, that's OK, but you can't forget that your organization is counting on you.

I want to flip the narrative that anyone can do it all. Some weeks, I'm headfirst into work, preparing for a board meeting or a big presentation. On other weeks, like at the end of the school year, I'm prioritizing family and ducking out early to ride bikes in Central Park. Together, it makes for something like balance.

• Rachel Wells moved into being fully self-employed after a hard job search.
• Wells plans to keep working for herself partly because of the creative freedom it offers.
• Wells, who has made money from different income sources, shares advice for others.

Rachel Wells, 24, is fairly new to being fully self-employed after a contract job got cut short and a tough job search.

Wells, who lives in the UK, was already job searching a few months before her project manager job was supposed to end in the spring of 2023. She told Business Insider when the job ended a couple of weeks earlier than anticipated, she panicked more "because now I've got less money than what I would've expected to last me a bit longer."

Wells decided to be fully self-employed in the summer of 2023. She said this career pivot "wasn't a willful decision."

"I remember my mom said to me, 'Maybe you're not supposed to get a job. Maybe you're just supposed to go out on your own,'" Wells said. "And for me, that sounded uncomfortable because I like the structure of having an employer and being in a team and an office, and I didn't think I was ready."

But now, Wells said she's grateful she ultimately didn't get a job offer, considering that she can happily pursue her calling and considering how much she earns.

"We're able to move house and things like that because of what I'm earning now," she said.

Wells is a career coach under her business, Rachel Wells Coaching, and writes articles as a Forbes contributor, among other self-employed income streams. She said her client work has been with people from around the world, although her client base is largely in the US now, and she has worked with people of different job levels. She said she doesn't do career coaching as often now and is working on building her presence "as a YouTube influencer, teaching others how to launch side hustles and thrive in their careers and finances."

According to the UK government website, 13.3% of UK workers were self-employed in 2021. Wells doesn't see herself leaving behind being fully self-employed, partly because of the freedom it provides.

"I can't imagine myself back in the constrictions of working for an employer again," Wells said. "Because I just love being a leader and being able to express myself and share my thoughts and to be able to use my creative ideas to just, 'Hey, let me just try this new angle for the business without getting approval for it.'"

Why one should have multiple income sources

Wells finds it important to diversify income sources regardless of who employs you — whether working for yourself or an employer. She finds one benefit of this is you have another source of income if one ends up tapering out. Wells also finds your income streams can be in the same type of work.

Take digital marketing work. If that's your expertise, Wells said you could consult while also running client campaigns, create a bot that helps people with marketing, or write a blog focused on marketing strategies that has affiliate links within posts to help make some passive income.

"Through one main idea, through one side hustle, it kind of branches out into different diversified sources of income," she said. "And that's kind of what I'm doing inadvertently without realizing it. I have this one main passion, which is about leadership and career development. But through that, I'm doing different things. I'm doing freelance writing. I'm consulting. I'm public speaking. I'm coaching."

Wells said her career coaching work, which she started as a teenager, has "definitely evolved, especially being in the actual world of work, in the corporate world and working as a manager."

Wells said it's important to work on your professional development and personal brand, as well as to identify what you have a passion for and where your expertise lies. She finds prioritizing building a network and working on your expertise and brand helpful in case of a layoff or quitting a role because then you have something to fall back on.

"Never be so comfortable and cushy within your role that you don't seek to develop yourself outside of the job," Wells said.

• Joseph Stiglitz and other Nobel Prize-winning economists are worried about another Trump administration.
• They explained why in a recent letter, and Stiglitz further explained in a Business Insider interview.
• Inflation is one concern, which has cooled from its peak in 2022.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz told Business Insider the US economy is "remarkably strong."

However, Stiglitz and others foresee a potential resurgence of inflation and other woes depending on who wins the next presidential election.

"I think general consensus, not just my view, but almost anybody modeling what is going on would say the Trump administration would be more inflationary," Stiglitz told BI. "How much more depends on how radical they are. And that depends on where Congress is. If they have a Democratic Congress, they won't have the ability to do what they would do with a Republican Congress."

Stiglitz recently spearheaded a letter signed by over a dozen Nobel Prize-winning economists. The letter, which was first obtained by Axios, stated the economists were "deeply concerned about the risks of a second Trump administration for the U.S. economy."

The economists predicted dire results from a Trump victory this fall. "The outcome of this election will have economic repercussions for years, and possibly decades, to come," the letter stated. "We believe that a second Trump term would have a negative impact on the U.S.'s economic standing in the world and a destabilizing effect on the U.S.'s domestic economy."

President Joe Biden and Trump had their first presidential debate of 2024 on Thursday. There are still a little over four months until the election, and FiveThirtyEight reports as of June 25 its forecast finds it's a "pure toss-up" who will win.

Business Insider talked to Stiglitz about the economy if Trump is once again president. Stiglitz said the widely shared view is this could result in higher inflation, worse inequality, and a potential broader economic slowdown. Massive progress has already been made in cooling off inflation.

Stiglitz pointed out how remarkably the inflation rate had cooled down without leading to high unemployment. The US unemployment rate has been at or under 4% since the end of 2021, a historically long stretch of low joblessness.

Stiglitz noted Trump's promise of large increases in tariffs as one of the things that could make inflation worse.

"Those tariffs overwhelmingly get passed on to consumers and increasing their prices and get fed down the supply chain — again, increasing prices to consumers," Stiglitz said.

Another could be the large decrease in taxes Trump proposed "that are not paid for and increasing the budgetary deficit from the level that it is today," Stiglitz said.

"And given where we are, I think the broad assessment is that that would be inflationary," he said. "And the broad assessment of the consequences of that is that the Fed would be forced to raise interest rates, and all that combined would still serve to increase inflation even as unemployment increased and GDP slowed."

A third factor that could juice inflation would be the "drastic reductions in immigration" that Trump has proposed, Stiglitz said.

There are different sectors of the US economy that rely on immigration, and Stiglitz said that the tight labor market could become even tighter with this drop in immigration.

Stiglitz also pointed to the possibility of a partial or full repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act, which included a Medicare prescription drug provision, among other things. "Without that, which Republicans had talked about repealing, drug prices will go up."

Outside of the risks to inflation, Stiglitz said a Trump presidency could also mean a slowing GDP. Another problem that could get worse is the inequality crisis.

Stiglitz pointed to Trump's tax policy as one that could boost inequality.

"The tax cut is a tax cut for the corporations and the billionaires," Stiglitz said. "If you look at the share of the tax cuts that go to the bottom, very small. In fact, in some of my analysis I suggested that it's even possible that some parts of the bottom would see a tax increase."

CNN and others noted statements from the Trump campaign disagreeing with the letter that the 16 economists signed.

"The American people don't need worthless out of touch Nobel prize winners to tell them which president put more money in their pockets," Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign's national press secretary, told CNN in a statement. "Americans know we cannot afford four more years of Bidenomics, and when President Trump is back in the White House, he will reimplement his pro-growth, pro-energy, pro-jobs agenda to bring down the cost of living and uplift all Americans."

• Walgreens plans to close a "significant" number of underperforming US stores.
• The move highlights recent and longer-term challenges facing the company and its competitors.
• CEO Tim Wentworth said the industry is "largely overbuilt" given how the past decade has unfolded.

Thursday's news that Walgreens will close a "significant" number of underperforming stores threw a spotlight on struggles facing the retail pharmacy industry.

Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth told investors on Thursday that 25% of the company's roughly 8,600 US locations contribute nothing to its adjusted operating income and that a large portion of those stores will be shuttered over the next three years.

"Customers evolved, demographics and preferences have shifted, and we need to reposition and operate our stores accordingly," Wentworth said.

While Walgreens' earnings indicate significant company-specific challenges, they also highlight recent and longer-term challenges facing its competitors as well.

Rite Aid has closed more than 500 locations since filing for bankruptcy in October, and CVS is in the final year of a three-year plan to close roughly 900 stores. Walgreens CFO Manmohan Mahajan noted on the earnings call that Walgreens has closed some 2,000 locations over the past decade.

In short, regardless of which national pharmacy brand you pick, there's a fair chance the location in your neighborhood could close, if it hasn't already.

Walgreens execs pointed to several contributing factors driving this trend.

For starters, retail pharmacies make money in two key ways: by dispensing prescription medication and ancillary medical services, and by selling an assortment of merchandise in their "front of house" retail stores. Both of these revenue sources are under pressure.

For Walgreens, execs said the prescription business is getting squeezed by contracts they negotiated with insurers last year that are "not sustainable," plus more patients are using home-delivery companies.

In the "front of house," Walgreens is facing pricing pressures and rising rates of shrink, which includes losses due to shoplifting.

"Walgreens does itself no favors in this environment by having a lackluster proposition and broadly uncompetitive prices compared to mass merchants," GlobalData retail analyst Neil Saunders said in a note.

But even if things were going well for Walgreens, Wentworth suggested there would likely still be quite a few closures.

"This industry has been reducing its capacity over the last several years, and that is not a bad thing," he said. "I think most of us knew — when I was in the PBM [pharmacy benefit management] business — I knew that retail pharmacy was largely overbuilt for where the future was going to be."

• "Queer Eye" star Bobby Berk announced in November 2023 that he was leaving the show after season eight. 
• In March 2024, Rolling Stone published an exposé about what led to Berk's exit. 
• Jonathan Van Ness addressed the allegations in June after being accused of having "rage issues." 

Netflix's "Queer Eye" reboot built a reputation as a feel-good show about a team of professionals, known as the Fab Five, giving people life makeovers. But the reality TV show's legacy has been marred by drama and rifts among its cast members.

The reboot, which premiered on the streamer in 2018, was initially hosted by Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Jonathan Van Ness, and Antoni Porowski.

But after interior designer Berk's shocking exit was announced in the fall, more details about the exit have come to light. Here's a complete timeline of the fallout.

November 13, 2023: Bobby Berk reveals he's exiting 'Queer Eye' after 8 seasons

Berk shared the news via a statement posted on Instagram and broken up into threads on X (formerly known as Twitter).

His full statement read:

"To the Queer Eye Community who have become family to me. The love that I have received from you all over the last 6 years has been absolutely surreal. You have tuned in and been dedicated fans and together we were able to share the healing powers of design. I learned from you all about kindness, love and acceptance and that has changed my life for the better. The way you have embraced me and accepted me for who I am is something that l will truly carry with me for the rest of my life. Throughout these years, you, the die-hard fans of Queer Eye, have all shared so many stories with me about how the show has touched your lives and I could not be more grateful to each and every one of you for being brave enough to share your experiences. To all our wonderful, loving, amazing, and brave heroes there is so much I want to say, and so much gratitude I want to express to you all for letting me into your homes and hearts. It's all because of you that I've kept going all these years and each and every one of you have changed me for the better. I'm so very proud of all of you! Being able to help guide you to find the best version of yourselves is something I never took for granted and never will. It's with a heavy heart that I announce that season 8 will be my final season on Queer Eye. It's not been an easy decision to be at peace with, but a necessary one. Although my journey with Queer Eye is over, my journey with you is not. You will be seeing more of me very soon."

The day after Berk's exit was announced, a source told People magazine that "the parting was amicable."

"Bobby's departure is unrelated to relationships with his castmates," a source told the publication.

That statement was contradicted by a source who told Us Weekly that Berk was "asked to leave" due to tension with the cast.

"There were many challenges with scheduling [and] there was a loss of interest from Bobby filming the show," the source, referred to as an "insider," told Us Weekly. "The network and the cast thought it was time to bring in fresh blood. His heart was not in it and the rest of the cast started to resent him because of that."

February 27, 2024: Netflix announces interior designer Jeremiah Brent as Berk's replacement for season 9

Brent got his start as celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe's styling associate on "The Rachel Zoe Project" in 2011. He's also been married to famous interior designer Nate Berkus since 2014 and they have two kids.

With Brent's hiring, Netflix announced production on season nine would begin in Las Vegas in the spring.

January 25, 2024: Berk talks to Vanity Fair about he left the show and confirms that there was tension between him and France

Berk's interview with Vanity Fair was conducted days ahead of the release of season eight of "Queer Eye." Berk told the publication that he and his "Queer Eye" costars signed a seven-cycle contract. After the contract ended in September 2022, Berk said he and his costars were ready to move on — but then Netflix renewed the show and offered them a new contract, which everyone signed except him.

Berk said he left because he already had other projects in the works and made his peace with the show.

Berk also responded to speculation that there was beef between him and France, based on his social media activity (Berk unfollowed France on Instagram and didn't noticeably tag him in posts about the group).

"Tan and I had a moment," Berk said. "There was a situation, and that's between Tan and I, and it has nothing to do with the show. It was something personal that had been brewing — and nothing romantic, just to clarify that."

Berk admitted that his emotions got the better of him and he probably shouldn't have unfollowed his costar.

"We became like siblings — and siblings are always going to fight," Berk said, adding that he was hopeful that he and France would ultimately be "fine."

March 5, 2024: Rolling Stone publishes a bombshell report, detailing behind-the-scenes drama that led to Berk's exit

Rolling Stone spoke to 10 individuals involved in the production of the show and "well-placed sources." Among the surprising details were allegations about hairstylist Van Ness, who is nonbinary.

Three sources described them as emotionally "abusive" and prone to "rage issues." Van Ness was also accused of being unprofessional and "demeaning" to others. According to one source, Van Ness' temper would hit a boiling point at least once a week.

"There was absolutely tension between everybody else, especially from Jonathan Van Ness," a production member told RS. "He didn't want to ever share the spotlight with anyone. There were times when we couldn't even shoot scenes with certain members of the Fab Five together because it got so bad." 

According to the exposé, Berk didn't get along with Van Ness and France while filming the most recent season. Beyond having tension, RS reported that France "campaigned" with Porowski to replace Berk with Brent.

March 8, 2024: France addresses the drama on Instagram, referring to Berk's exit as a firing and saying that he had no impact on Brent's casting

France primarily denied that he played a role in Brent's casting on the show, and said the interior designer landed the gig on his own.

"Yes I've heard what's going on," France said in a video posted on Instagram. "And I just want to address one point real quick. My former colleague getting fired had nothing to do with me trying to get my friend hired. Netflix and the production companies did a full-on casting. I didn't put my friend up for the job. They ended up getting it because they were the best person for the job."

"Am I so happy that they have the job? Uh-huh. I really am," France continued. "I think they're going to be incredible on the show, but I didn't get them hired by getting rid of somebody else. And this all started because of a comment on a gossip blog that just got reposted, reposted, and then it's almost become gospel."

France concluded by attempting to put an end to rampant speculation.

"So from the horse's mouth: I'm telling you, that that's not at all how it went down," he said. "And that's all I'll say on the matter. If you need to dig deeper, if you still don't believe me, so be it — but that's it."

Shortly after France posted his video, Berk seemingly reacted on X and indicated that he was taking the high road amid the drama. He posted a GIF of Michelle Obama saying, "Our motto is: 'When they go low, we go high!'"

Business Insider has reached out to Berk, France, and Netflix, but did not receive an immediate response.

June 26, 2024: Van Ness addresses the allegations of abusive behavior

Van Ness appeared on the "Table Manners" podcast and addressed the allegations of verbally abusive behavior made against them in the Rolling Stone exposé.

They explained were first told about the article in December 2023, shortly after their company, JVN Hair, went bankrupt.

"I went from this bankruptcy. Then, 'Oh, there's someone who's going to write an investigative takedown, exposé piece about you that isn't really based in reality, but can certainly have a lot of things taken out of context to make you look as bad as possible," they said.

"So from January to March, I was walking on eggshells being like, 'When is this going to happen?' And then it finally did happen."

The stylist denied the allegations but said that they have been "stressed out" in the past.

"Even though I do believe that that article was overwhelmingly untrue and done in bad faith, there have obviously been times throughout my career where you're stressed out, or I may have been elbow-deep in highlights and was like, 'No, I can't talk about that right now,'" they said.

Rolling Stone did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Diana Welsch went to art school before deciding to train as a car mechanic at 25.
• When she landed a job as a trainee at Tesla, she moved from Arizona to Los Angeles.
• She said it was the best job she ever had, but she left in 2023 because of the pressure at work.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Diana Welsch about training to be a car mechanic instead of going to grad school. Business Insider has verified her income and employment. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I've always admired people who can fix things. I was brought up in an upper-middle-class area in Arizona, where going into a trade was generally not seen as a viable option. Blue-collar work was looked down on.

From the age of 17, I worked part-time in a library in Phoenix. After graduating from high school in 2003, I went to college and studied art. I kept up my library job on the side.

I needed a proper job after college. You had to go to grad school to become a librarian, and I didn't want to do that.

My car kept breaking down, and my friend would help me fix it. I loved working under the hood of a car and realized I wanted to be a mechanic.

I went to trade school instead of grad school

I decided to go to trade school in 2014. My mom, who had left blue-collar work for a white-collar job, didn't understand my decision. I took out a student loan and enrolled at Universal Technical Institute in Arizona.

After the one-year program, I started working in garages. At various points, I worked at Chevy, Meineke, and Sun Devil Auto.

Along the way, I encountered various obstacles. For one, I felt like I wasn't being taken seriously, and it seemed like it was because I was a woman.

I got a dream job at Tesla

At my trade school fair, I saw that Tesla was hiring trainees.

I applied and got the Tesla traineeship in 2017, which was based in Los Angeles. It was a dream job.

Tesla was different from my other jobs. From day one, they took me seriously and gave me real work. They paired me with an experienced technician. After a few months, I could do repairs at the level my mentor had been working at.

After two years, I was transferred to their mobile service department. My job was to drive to people's houses and workplaces in my Tesla Model S to repair their cars.

I'd do basic repairs, such as replacing windscreen wipers, batteries, or air filters or fixing their window or door if it stopped opening. I'd also help with customer education — when people need help figuring out how to use a feature.

Many of Tesla's clientele were older and affluent. Sometimes, clients needed help figuring out how to use the screen to connect their phone to the car's Bluetooth. I'd walk them through it and get them to do it for me to show they could. It came in handy that I'd worked in the library, where I'd have to help people figure out the computers.

I learned how to diagnose a vehicle, verify a customer's concern, diagnose a concern, fix it, and then verify that it's fixed. I was called out to help a few celebrity clients, and a few times, I did repairs on cars parked in movie studios.

I bragged to my family that I was the most glamorous mechanic in the world. I could've been fixing bulldozers on a fracking site in North Dakota, but instead, I was driving around LA in a fancy race car and changing celebrities' wiper blades.

People were scared of Elon Musk

I never met Elon Musk, or "Uncle Elon," as the staff called him. Once, in 2019, I was filling out repair forms in the office instead of working in the garage because I had a vision issue and was wearing an eye patch.

One of the technicians ran into the room and said: "Uncle Elon is here. This is not a drill. Clean off your desk, tuck in your shirt, whatever you got to do."

I was worried. I'd heard Elon could fire people on the spot. Thankfully, he stayed in the garage and didn't come into the office.

Over time, I became disillusioned with the workplace.

It went from being an incredible place to work to being a terrible environment because of changes to management.

I went on vacation in January 2023. When I came back, they'd changed my manager to someone I'd never met.

Management changed their expectations for mobile technicians. They wanted us to do 10 appointments a day. Factoring in the time it takes to travel between appointments and chat with the customer, this wasn't doable.

It was exhausting. Every day, I came home from work exhausted and fell asleep on my couch.

While doing more appointments, my paycheck stayed the same. And the cost of living was going up.

When I started in 2017, I earned $21 an hour, a great wage. In Arizona, I had been earning $10 an hour. But the cost of living went up. By 2023, I was earning $29 an hour and struggling to pay my bills. I was working hard and struggling to rent a one-bedroom apartment.

I left Tesla later that year

I'd wanted to stay at Tesla my whole life — it was the most fun job ever. But I couldn't stay.

I left in September 2023 to work as a plumbing apprentice for a plumbing union. But I was only there for a month, until one of my old managers, who had left Tesla, contacted me with a new opportunity at a company he works for that replaces diesel generators with battery packs.

Working with generators was an easy transition from cars.

It's a startup and I love working there. It feels like Tesla did at the start. I wish I had gone to trade school after high school instead of college. Fixing things makes me happy.

Editor's note: Tesla did not respond to requests for comment for this story. Elon Musk has previously denied widespread reports that he abruptly fires people, saying in 2021 that he gives "clear and frank" feedback.

• Qingyue(Annie) Wang is a software engineer at Google.
• Prior to landing her job, she was rejected by Google seven times.
• Persistence and adapting her approach were key to finally achieving her dream job.

My journey to finally landing a job at Google was an emotional roller coaster. I went through seven rounds of rejections before finally achieving my goal.

But I'm glad I didn't give up.

I was sad to be rejected but understood why

In college, I double majored in computer science and math. I first became interested in applying to Google because I was intrigued by the cool products and good culture. I'd heard great things about the company and really wanted to experience it for myself.

In 2018, I applied to be a Google intern but was rejected twice. The first time, I failed the online assessment. Then, a recruiter reached out to me to give me a second chance. Unfortunately, I didn't pass on this attempt either.

I was sad but felt the rejections were reasonable; I lacked prior experience, had only solved a few technical problems before, and hadn't thoroughly prepared for the assessment. I regretted not properly preparing and wanted to be better equipped when the next opportunity came.

Preparation was lonely

The summer before my final year of college, I managed to land an internship at another company. When I returned from the summer break, I vowed to study harder for my post-graduation job search. Every day, after finishing my coursework and classes, I'd work on interview preparation.

It was a lonely journey. Most days, after my evening studies, I'd take the last bus home and walk through the long, dark neighborhood streets. Looking up at the stars on my walk home, I'd remember why I was working for my goal, grit my teeth, and do one more round of practice.

That fall, I applied to three different full-time roles at Google. Unfortunately, my résumé didn't make it past the initial screening process.

The experience made me understand rejection more deeply, but I never considered giving up. I knew my abilities could be improved over time.

The role I applied for was canceled

As I was about to graduate in early 2020, I finally secured an interview for a new grad position at Google. This role specifically required C++ knowledge. As part of my interview preparation, I studied a C++ book and worked on several projects to improve my C++ skills.

After the interview, I kept analyzing how everything had gone. The interviewer seemed pleased with my answers and gave me some positive feedback, which gave me some hope that I might've passed, but I wasn't completely sure.

I awaited the results with bated breath.

When I received an email from the recruiter to schedule a phone call, I was very nervous. I tried to guess from his tone in the email whether he was going to share good news or bad news. I felt vaguely uneasy, but I held onto hope as I answered his call.

"I received positive feedback from every round," he began. Hearing this, I was filled with joy. But when I heard him say "but…" my heart sank.

He delivered the news: the role had been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I felt like collapsing and tears flowed down my face. I don't remember what the recruiter said to me after that; I only remember trying my best to stay professional and make my voice sound calm.

Once I hung up, I couldn't hold it in anymore and started to cry out loud.

My rejection was not a reflection of my ability

Eventually, I calmed down. I remembered an ancient Chinese saying, "The times create heroes," which speaks to the profound impact current events have on individuals. I realized the fate of an individual, like myself at that moment, is inevitably influenced by the larger environment — in this case, a pandemic.

Not receiving an offer didn't reflect my abilities, bravery, hard work, or willingness to learn.

Despite my positive mindset, things didn't seem to improve. Later in 2020, I got another chance to interview for a Google role, but I didn't manage to pass the phone interview round because I failed to provide the optimal solution to a question they'd asked me.

Disappointed, I accepted this reality check; my understanding of basic algorithms needed improvement. I decided to focus on strengthening this area and prepare thoroughly for the next opportunity.

I intentionally practiced and addressed my weaknesses in algorithms, which helped me secure a job at Amazon.

My final attempt

While I valued my experience at Amazon, Google still felt like an elusive dream to me.

In 2022, a Google recruiter reached out again, reigniting the curiosity that had been suppressed in my heart for so long.

I decided to try again.

I realized that I had been too passive with job opportunities. I'd been using the same résumé and preparation for different types of interviews, without customizing my approach for each company. I felt like I was putting in a lot of effort to prepare, but I wasn't spending enough time reflecting and adjusting to fit the specific company.

This time, I learned my lesson and did things differently.

I set up a meticulous study plan, outlining daily tasks and review points. I repeatedly addressed complex problems and used any spare time to mentally revisit the problem-solving process. This helped me to quickly identify unfamiliar points and practice them deliberately. During technical question practice, I prioritized depth of understanding over quantity.

Of course, I still occasionally had doubts and thought, Is it worth spending so much time? How will I face myself if I don't pass this interview? But I knew that if I didn't try my best, I'd regret even more that I gave up.

During this period, I also landed an interview for a role at Apple, which would've required a completely different assessment to prepare for. Since I was working full-time at Amazon, my time was limited, so I decided to forgo the Apple interview — even if that meant burning that bridge — and fully devote myself to my Google prep.

I finally landed the job

I still remember the day I received the phone call. "Congratulations!" the recruiter said this time.

I immediately told my friends the news. Surprisingly, I was calmer than they were. My mind was completely blank because I couldn't believe it, but my friends were so emotional, even crying.

One of my longtime friends recalled how I'd struggled to finish my homework in college, how hard I worked to get my first internship, and how my family didn't support my job search after graduation.

While awaiting the official letter from Google, I received a gift: a white hat with the Google logo. It came with a congratulatory note. Holding the paper, I felt a wave of emotion and a strong sense of the power of persistence.

I have the job of my dreams

It's been two years since I got the news that I'd finally landed a job at my dream company. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to finally experience Google's culture and even become an internal career coach to support other Googlers in their career growth.

Although my career journey didn't unfold as I had expected, I'm glad I had the chance to experience different company cultures, learn a variety of technologies, and engage with many cool projects.

I've come to view everything as a journey; the journey itself is what's important. Whether the outcome is good or bad, it's fleeting and will pass; the process is long-lasting.

Looking back, I am deeply grateful for not giving up. When I feel confused, I can remember those times when I showed strength and persistence.

Despite moving apartments three times in the past two years, I still keep the welcome letter from Google on my shelf and look at it every day. It reminds me of my tenacity and inspires me to keep pursuing my goals.

Qingyue(Annie) Wang is a software engineer and internal career coach at Google who is passionate about helping people achieve their career goals.