Pop CultureDRAMA INDEX
E! News Shares 25 Secrets About Hocus Pocus
Doug Jones says Bette Midler's Hocus Pocus contract required her feet on screen, and that the moths in his big scene were real; BBN would like a word with the shoes.
Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock on this story, from Weekend Edition at 11:20 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are E! News's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance
- First reported by E! News: “Oh Look, 25 Glorious Secrets About Hocus Pocus Revealed”, with reporting from Screen Rant.
- Covered on BBN on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 11:20 AM ET on Weekend Edition, by Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- E! NewsOh Look, 25 Glorious Secrets About Hocus Pocus Revealed
- Screen Rant25 Crazy Details Behind The Making Of Hocus Pocus facts used on air
What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorBette Midler reportedly had a contract requirement that her feet be shown on screen in Hocus Pocus, according to Doug Jones, and E! News has the rest of the secrets.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorHank, this is a family emergency. Twenty-five secrets, and they've gone straight to the footwear. I need a minute.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIt's a movie from the nineties. I don't have strong feelings about it.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorJones says he heard a rumor she wrote an isolated shot of her shoes and feet walking in. That's not vanity.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThat's a negotiated, footwear-forward deliverable.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo she asked for a walking shot of her shoes. And got it.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorAnd the shoes had representation.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorMeanwhile, Jones says the moths coming out of his mouth in his big scene were real.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSomeone put moths on his tongue so he could cough them out.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThe shoes got a clause and the man got moths. The Drama Index gives this a nine, for the unequal distribution of contract language.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA nine. I'd have said a six, but I wasn't asked to leave the shot.
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Photo: Selbymay · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Sandro Halank · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Louis-Michel van Loo · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: See above. Compilation by Interfase · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Myles Kalus Anak Jihem · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0