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A Gold Coast TikTok star has officially relocated to LA with her husband and younger daughter, leaving her elder daughter behind. WE’VE GOT THE SCOOP
Confidential
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Gold Coast TikTok star Kat Clark has officially relocated to Los Angeles with her husband Jonathan and 14-year-old daughter Deja, leaving eldest daughter Latisha, 22, behind in Australia.
The family departed the country on Wednesday after an emotional farewell at the airport, just one day after Kat and Latisha celebrated their shared birthday on May 27.
In a teary video posted to social media, the influencer mum-of-two hugged Latisha goodbye before boarding a flight bound for the United States, a move Kat has long described as a lifelong dream.
Now officially based in LA, the family is understood to be staying in an Airbnb while they search for a permanent home. Their one-eyed staffordshire terrier, Dream, will join them once they’ve settled in.
Clark has told fans the move is initially for two years, with many speculating that’s due to visa restrictions.
But nothing is off the table, with the sources close to the family hinting they could extend their stay if life — and business — goes well in the US.
The family has been documenting their journey online, including clips of them packing up their Gold Coast home, which they’ll rent out during their time abroad.
“We’ve had some opportunities come up in America and we’re going to give it a go,” Kat previously said.
Insiders added that the decision was also likely influenced by the greater earning potential in the US, where platforms like TikTok offer monetisation tools — including the lucrative Creator Rewards Program — that remain unavailable to Australian users.
While the decision sparked mixed reactions from fans, Clark says she’s committed to making the most of the experience, and has promised to keep sharing every step of the adventure.
NEWLYWED STAR’S SWIFT ENTRANCE
Fresh from her New York wedding, Australian actress Phoebe Tonkin has been spotted in Brisbane, marking her first public appearance since tying the knot with Bernard Lagrange earlier this month.
The Boy Swallows Universe star was seen in the leafy inner-city suburb of Newstead on Thursday, carrying a black overnight bag as she made a swift entrance into a local building.
The reason for her visit remains unknown, but it marks Tonkin’s first confirmed return to Queensland since the 2025 AACTA Awards on the Gold Coast, where she took home Best Lead Actress in a Drama for her role as struggling mother-of-two Frances Bell in Netflix’s Boy Swallows Universe.
Tonkin, 35, wed Lagrange in a private ceremony at All Souls Church in New York on May 10, donning a custom Chanel couture gown. The intimate nuptials drew an A-list guest list, including Margot Robbie, Lara Worthington, Samara Weaving, Teresa Palmer, Eiza González, Claire Holt, and Vampire Diaries co-star Nina Dobrev.
The Brisbane sighting comes just weeks after Hollywood actor Owen Wilson was also spotted in the Newstead area, fuelling speculation the riverside suburb is fast becoming a favourite for visiting stars.
TINO SETS SOCIAL MEDIA ABLAZE IN BUDGY SMUGGLER CAMPAIGN
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui has sent fans into a frenzy after stripping down, again, for a scorching new Budgy Smuggler campaign that’s left very little to the imagination.
The Queensland Maroons star and Budgy Smuggler ambassador has fronted a steamy new campaign for the brand’s exclusive State of Origin All Fired Up ‘95 Budgies, modelling the limited-edition maroon swimwear in front of a wall of flickering flames and TV screens.
Dropped on game day Wednesday, the campaign ad was instantly a hit on the Maroons’ social channels, with Fa’asuamaleaui’s chiselled abs (and barely-there togs) sending social media into meltdown.
“There’s no such thing as winter in Queensland, so get the rig out,” the brand wrote in the caption, cheekily encouraging fans to gear up for Origin in style.
Retailing for $70, the fiery new pair is available exclusively via the Maroons Shop, though some fans have jokingly asked how much it would cost to buy the exact pair Fa’asuamaleaui wore in the shoot. No official answer has been given … yet.
Fa’asuamaleaui has been a long-time favourite of the Budgy Smuggler brand, but fans say this latest campaign may be his hottest yet, combining footy pride with, frankly, thirst-trap energy.
THELMA PLUM’S TOUR CHAOS, HOT CHIP OBSESSION AND BLUNT PLEA TO GOVERNMENT
A week into her biggest national tour to date, Brisbane music icon Thelma Plum has lifted the lid on the chaos, cravings and candid truths that come with life on the road.
Speaking to The Scoop ahead of the Queensland leg of her I’m Sorry, Where Is That? regional tour, the ARIA-winning singer-songwriter didn’t hold back — revealing the hardest part of touring isn’t the shows, it’s what happens after them.
“It’s rough out there,” she admitted.
“By the time we pack down and get back to the hotel, it’s 2am and there’s nothing open but fast food. I have to force myself to pack microwave rice and tuna just so I don’t end up eating hot chips every single night — even though I would happily eat hot chips every single night.”
Plum, 29, said she’s learned to prioritise her mental health on the road, something she didn’t do as a teenager when she could “go all night without sleeping.” Now? “If I did that, I’d cry the whole next day,” she laughed.
But the singer-songwriter, known for her fearless honesty, wasn’t laughing when she turned her attention to the lack of government support for regional touring.
“It’s so important we bring shows to these places — but it’s hard. Touring regional Australia feels almost impossible sometimes. The government should give everyone money to tour there,” she said.
Plum’s 19-date run includes stops in places like Byron Bay and the Sunshine Coast, with support acts chosen via triple j Unearthed to spotlight local talent.
Known for calling out injustice, Plum said that fire still burns. “That’s who I am to my core and it’s not going away. Much to some people’s liking,” she said.
She also teased plans to head straight to LA after the tour to begin writing her next album, no break, no rest. “It’s ridiculous,” she said. “But I don’t want to stop.”
Thelma Plum’s first Queensland show of the tour is June 13 at Kings Beach Tavern, Caloundra.
SPA WEEKEND WRAPS ON THE GOLD COAST AS HOLLYWOOD STARS BID FAREWELL
Filming has officially wrapped on Hollywood comedy Spa Weekend, with its all-star cast celebrating the end of the shoot after several months on the Gold Coast.
The high-profile production, starring Isla Fisher, Anna Faris, Leslie Mann and Michelle Buteau, quietly wrapped cameras this week, after transforming parts of Southport and Broadbeach into stand-ins for Los Angeles.
Buteau marked the occasion with a cheeky social media post that quickly went viral.
“Went to Australia, shot a movie, hugged every animal, ran away from spiders, skipped the Vegemite & motorboated every avocado in the southern hemisphere. Memories, b*tch!” she wrote, alongside a series of photos from set.
During their time in the Sunshine State, the stars were frequently seen soaking up the local lifestyle, grabbing coffees, strolling the Broadbeach boardwalk, and filming scenes in their signature bathrobes, which drew plenty of attention from passing fans and paparazzi alike.
Spa Weekend, from Bad Moms writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, follows three best friends whose luxury retreat spirals into chaos thanks to an unexpected guest. The film, which does not yet have a release date, is expected to contribute more than $12 million to the Queensland economy and create nearly 200 local jobs.
SLATER SHIRTLESS IN SURPRISE SURF CLUB VISIT BEFORE MAROONS DEFEAT
The Maroons paid a surprise visit to Mooloolaba Surf Club ahead of Wednesday night’s State of Origin opener at Suncorp Stadium – with coach Billy Slater even going topless to give fans a glimpse of his still buff physique.
Slater and the team were based on the Sunshine Coast for Origin camp and called in to the surf club last weekend for lunch and a dip in the ocean.
The club proudly posted pics of the visit, including one of Slater and former Maroons warhorse Nate Myles under the showers after a swim.
“Yum,” commented one female fan under the photo of the two legends.
Sadly, not even a hearty surf club feed and an invigorating swim in the Mooloolaba breakers could lift an insipid Queensland as they went down 18-6 to the dreaded Blues in Origin 1.
Yuk, not yum, if you’re a Maroons fan.
MARK OCCHILUPO INSPIRES NEW BILLABONG RANGE
He might be well past his prime but surf gear giant Billabong is still banking on Gold Coast surfing legend Mark Occhilupo to flog some merch.
Billabong has just released a new range of clothing dubbed the Occy Collection, inspired by the former world champ.
The retro collection, harking back to the 1990s when Occhilupo staged a remarkable comeback from surfing oblivion to win the world title, includes boardshorts, hoodies, shirts and even hats.
Occhilupo, who was dubbed the Raging Bull for his power-packed surfing style, travelled to California earlier this month to launch the new range.
Now 58, Occhilupo is still hugely popular with young and old surfers alike and has been a Billabong team rider for more than 40 years
EX-MP CURTIS PITT LAUNCHES CAREER AS MOVIE PRODUCER
Curtis Pitt has well and truly flipped the script on his career, swapping Question Time for call sheets in a bold post-politics pivot into the film industry.
The former Queensland Treasurer and Speaker, who formally resigned in August 2024 after 15 years in parliament, confirmed this week he’s inked a deal to bring two hard-hitting Australian memoirs to the screen.
This marks his producing debut under his production company Rolling Jaffa, part of the Australian Screen Network.
Pitt has optioned Paul MacNamara’s bestsellers The Criminal Class and Inside Juvie, memoirs based on the author’s years working as a teacher inside juvenile detention centres.
“After several months of discussions and follow up meetings at the #ScreenForever conference earlier this month, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve signed an agreement to option the best-selling novels ‘The Criminal Class’ and ‘Inside Juvie’ by Paul A MacNamara for adaptation to the screen,” Pitt wrote on social media.
“I’m looking forward to developing this as a Queensland — based project.”
It’s a fitting second act for the former Member for Mulgrave, who was a passionate advocate for Queensland’s screen sector during his political career.
Now, he’s moving from policy to production, and wasting no time getting cameras rolling.
With early support from Screen Queensland, Screen Australia and Screen Producers Australia, Pitt’s shock career shift has sparked intrigue across both the political and entertainment worlds, and could position him as one of the state’s most unexpected new players in film.
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