[ cheers and applause ] ♪ this is "nightline." >> juju: tonight, powerball mania. with a huge jackpot up for grabs, it seems like everyone wants to be a billionaire. >> how excited are you? >> oh!

>> juju: we pull back the curtain on the highs -- >> within a couple of hours i had a lexus that cost more than my first house. >> juju: and the lows. >> my granddaughter's dead probably because of the money. >> juju: the company winning the big prize. >> this is my day to win. >> juju: breaking barriers. mikaela j. rodriguez, the first trans woman to win a golden globe for lead actress. >> do not do this, it's embarrassing. >> we do not have the luxury of shame. >> i want you to get everyone into the conference room for a group talk session, like -- >> are you trying to say the word meeting? >> yes, that's it. that's the word. >> juju: how she responds to the haters. >> you know, it fuels me, actually. i like to be fueled by the people who can't really deal with me. >> juju: also appearing with reality tv royalty. 170 million americans find community on tiktok. i'm patriotic, kenny.

my scooter broke down. i went into a depression. i posted it to show that kenny's not always happy. within 24 hours, people had donated over $5,000. oh, you're kidding. set up the patriotic kenny foundation to give mobility scooters to veterans. none of this would've happened without tiktok. keep tiktok.

♪ >> juju: thanks for joining us. tonight, the powerball frenzy gripping the nation. people lining up to buy tickets for a chance at more than $1 billion. no one's picked the light numbers since january, so it's been a long time without a winner. tonight, we go behind the scenes with some people who have experienced the joys and the heart aches that come with winning the big prize.

in the beating heart of cornhusker country, where the great plains meets the great american work ethic, dave and erika harrig spent their days building their version of the american dream. >> the typical american family, both of us working full-time jobs, living paycheck to paycheck. >> juju: until one day in 2013. dave had been buying lottery tickets every week for years, never quite striking gold. >> i get up in the morning, got the kids up for school. the powerball come on, they were calling the numbers. i was hearing the numbers as my son was talking to me. when they called the powerball, i knew we won. i just started jumping through the house. >> juju: that's right in a world of big swings and even bigger cash prizes, the harrigs hit the jackpot. a $61 million jackpot. >> scared the kids, they didn't know what was going on. you know, you always credream at winning. when you finally do, i sat down. i thought, what do i do next?

>> within a couple of hours, i had a lexus that got delivered to my house that cost more than my first house. i about wanted to throw up. >> went to my part-time job to tell them i retire. >> powerball jackpot is $1 billion. >> i want to buy a big, giant piece of land. >> juju: everybody loves a good lottery story. >> it's the first, so i had to pay rent. this is all i have left. so god, please let me win. >> god wants you to be rich? >> god wants me to be rich. >> this is my day to win. >> juju: few things capture our attention like lotto mania. >> how excited are you? >> oh! ah! >> give it away. having too much money is a headache. >> juju: this week, since no one had the winning numbers, the powerball jackpot soared to $1.23 billion. and the eighth-largest u.s. lottery jackpot ever. as a matter of fact, no one has hit powerball since new year's day.

1 billion 23 million dollars. a private concert from beyonce herself could run you $24 million according to "forbes." with your jackpot you could pay queen bey to perform an hour set at your house for 51 days. say you want to fly on a private jet to the south of france, 70k a flight. you can hop back and forth between the u.s. and paradise every day for the next 48 hours. >> how much did you win? >> i won half a million dollars. >> juju: winning big. maybe that's why our country loves the lottery. who hasn't fantasized about buying that fancy home while bingeing "my lottery dream home" on hgtv? >> look at these countertops. >> juju: or "the lottery changed my life" on tlc. >> i noticed i matched on number 15. then i scratched off the prize.

bam! life, it doesn't get any sweeter than that. >> juju: but winning is the proverbial double-edged sword. >> this check for $314 million -- >> juju: jack whitaker's life spiraled after he won a record powerball $314 million in 2002. >> i pretty much lost everything i held dear in my life. >> juju: he struggled with drinking and gambling. >> i just couldn't tolerate what was happening to me anymore. i would fly off the handle. if somebody wanted to fight me, i'd fight them, i didn't care. i don't like that guy. i don't like how hard up i got. i don't like what i've become. >> juju: suffered a series of unexpected tragedies and losses. his family torn apart. >> my granddaughter's dead. probably because of the money. my wife had said she wished she had torn the ticket up. i wish that we had torn the

ticket up, too. >> juju: let's get this out of the way. you're probably not going to win. the odds are insane. your chances of hitting this jackpot, about 1 in 292 million. you're nearly 300 times more likely to be struck by lightning, or nearly 80 times more likely to be bitten by a shark. pretty crazy, right? but somebody does have to win. >> good luck. >> all the statistics, the year we won, they always say, you've got a better chance of getting hit by lightning. the year we won, more people won $1 million or more in the lottery than getting struck by lightning that year. >> juju: erika and dave have a different lifestyle. >> our life was in turmoil about two months before it finally started to settle down. you figure, i'm going to work until i'm 65, retire. all of a sudden, you're retired. all these things you dream of doing, you've got to pace yourself. >> juju: pacing yourself means different things to different people.

>> we were saving the 65 c-10 -- pushing 1,000 horsepower. >> juju: dave's first pride and joy? >> i want what every redneck wants, a red corvette. and somewhere along the lines, somebody knew a automobile broker. and by the time the interview's over, i had a picture on my phone, a text, that said, "this one's yours coming off the assembly line." >> juju: what else did he do with his money? he built a museum. not just any museum. he opened a museum dedicated to his fellow firefighters. >> since we retired, he went back to school at age 50 to become an emt. so giving back to the community there. >> the big thing for the community is, this increases community awareness, community safety. it showcases what volunteer firefighters do. >> ladies and gentlemen, it's time to announce iowa's newest

millionaires! >> juju: also beating those 1 in 292 million odds is brian losse from iowa who won $202 million over a decade ago. using his winnings to enrich local communities. >> we have a foundation. there is so much joy in seeing the things that we've been able to accomplish and be a part of making happen here within my own town. >> juju: there's the smaller wins which can translate into big bucks. on wednesday, there were $1 million prize winners in california, georgia, massachusetts, maryland, new jersey, south carolina, and washington. and just last week, smokes for less in newburgh, new york, told two million-dollar winning tickets. >> this place is on fire, without a doubt. >> the place i go to, nobody wins, so maybe i should go to a different place. that's what i'm doing. >> thank you. this is usually it.

i control -- all right, time to go to the shop. >> juju: back home in nebraska, erika and dave are taking special care to preserve their fortune. they still have the majority of their money. >> our financial team has done well to keep us in check. >> they slap our hand when my spending gets out of control a little bit. >> they've done well with investments. have a plan. like i said, lawyer, cpa, fiduci fiduciary, and go from there. that's the one thing that you don't think about when you buy that ticket. you think about what you're going to buy. bigger house, nice car. but you've got to take it to the next level. >> juju: and a warning to all you future lotto billionaires. >> a warning would be, stay true to yourself. no matter what. family, your relationships, friends. that's the most important and always will be.

>> juju: coming up, breaking barriers. actress mikaela jae rodriguez trading the drama of the series "pose" for laughs on "lat." iv, imagine being good to go without daily hiv pills. good to go off the grid. good to go nonstop. with cabenuva, there's no pausing for daily hiv pills. for adults who are undetectable, cabenuva is the only complete, long-acting hiv treatment you can get every other month. it's two injections from a healthcare provider. just 6 times a year. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or if you're taking certain medicines which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions, post-injection reactions, liver problems, and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems, mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or considering pregnancy.

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we're going to be together! ♪ we belong ♪ ♪ we belong together ♪ ♪ we belong ♪ hulu on disney+. available with disney bundle. plans starting at $9.99 a month. ♪ >> juju: okay, welcome back. michaela jae rodriguez is a mul multi-hyphenate award-winning actress, broadway performer, and singer as well. now she's out with "loot" on apple tv and "american horror story" on fx. welcome. >> thank you, i'm glad to see you again. >> juju: very happy to see you.

you're a very busy woman. >> i am, i am. >> juju: on this show you play sofia, who is a no-nonsense, nonprofit ceo. you also have a love interest in the second season? >> yeah have a love interest in the second season. we get to see sofia squirm a little bit. first season, we got to see her straight laced and no b.s., a little uptight. >> juju: we have a clip from it, let's take a look. >> what is this? >> full disclosure, it's not finished. >> it's not done, you didn't even finish the word "presentation." >> i was about to type it in, then the meeting was starting and you told us to never be late. so in many ways, this is your fault. >> howard, you need to take this seriously. space for everyone is a huge project. we all need to be at the top of our games. this needs to get done. >> yes, ma'am. ♪

>> juju: that's hilarious. so i'm a little bit afraid of you. in the beginning of the clip. are you a closet swiftie at the end? >> yeah, she's a vibe. she's a great songwriter. >> juju: she really is. you've been putting songs out there as well. ♪ >> juju: how would you describe your music? >> my music is definitely r&b and pop. i have two singles that will be coming out pretty soon. my recent singles, they were very rooted in r&b and funk. now we're taking a different role. we're going to rebrand in a different way. >> juju: you have broadway training. the last time i saw you was on stage at the rose bowl belting out a song with billy porter. >> please welcome michaela jae rodriguez! give it up! >> juju: that was at the height of "pose." what do you decide to put your energy into, music or theater or tv? >> i went to school for music initially at berkeley college of

music. put all my love into music. that doesn't deter me from acting or theater. i like to think i'm a jack of all trades. >> juju: we have to talk about your history-making moment. i was at home, ready to scream, and so excited. you made history as the first trans lead actress to win a golden globe. what was that moment like? >> i mean, it was insane for me. i mean, like you said, it was the first time a trans woman of color had ever gotten that opportunity. and i was just astounded by it. i also had insecurities that i would never be able to actually achieve something like that. so it was a big surprise to me. >> juju: the show itself was so ground breaking. and made such a difference with representation. how has that changed you, do you think? >> it's changed me a lot. i always hold blanco on my shoulders. she was a wonderful pillar for me, i learned a lot from her. >> juju: the house ofof evangelista. >> your answer is love in the face of hate? >> amen to that love is the

answer. that's where a lot of my confidence comes from. whether there be derogatory hate, i persevere through that. >> juju: you talked about all the hate out out there, in many ways only amplified in the last couple of years. how do you deal with that? and when do you know when to carry that weight and when to let it go? >> you know, it fuels me, actually. i like to be fueled by the people who can't really deal with me. it actually lights a fire under me to keep it going. >> juju: you're having a lot of fun on "loot." >> i am. >> juju: you're also in another ryan murphy project, "american horror story" with somebody named kim kardashian. >> my girl. >> juju: what has that been like for you? >> it's been great. definitely different. >> i don't know, it feels like a sisterhood. >> i love the show's versatility. this is a totally different character from sofia and blanca, and i'm glad people get to see different facets of me. >> juju: it's maya rudolph in

"loot." obviously comic chops like crazy. >> oh, what flavor is this? >> gin. >> juju: and others who are rounding out the cast, all comedians. are you the straight man on do you you like the comedy? >> i'm pretty much the straight man of the show. i always call them the comedian gurus. i learned from them all the time. they have been the teachers to me. i feel like i get a master class from them all the time. >> juju: you are such a role model in the trans community. what message do you have to young people out there or any trans folks out there who might be struggling? >> i would say to any trans person, any trans woman, any person who is different, no matter if they're part of the lgbtq ai community or not. do the let anybody deter you. i like to be the example. so look to the example. >> juju: what can we look forward in the future from michaela jae? >> music, music, music, music. and making sure i become the pop star that i deserve to be.

>> juju: already, there, you've actualized it into reality. i'm so glad to see you again. >> same here. >> juju: you keep being you, michaela jae, good to see you. >> nice to see you too. >> juju: catch "loot" on apple tv plus and american horror story on fx. when we come back. >> the looming eclipse and the 105-year-old man preparing for his 13th sighting. i'm all in with clearer skin. skyrizi, ♪ things are getting clearer...♪ ( ♪ ) ♪ i feel free... ♪ ♪ to bear my skin, yeah that's all me. ♪ ♪ nothing is everything ♪ ( ♪) with skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. and most people were clearer even at 5 years. skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions...

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♪ >> juju: finally tonight, excitement for the solar lunar eclipse is building. millions hoping to catch their first glimpse. but one man is preparing for his

13th solar eclipse. here's abc's david muir. >> david: in fort worth, texas, no one is more excited than lavergne visor, 105 years old. he's been chasing eclipses for decades. it all started in 1963, packing his oldsmobile station wagon, driving more than 2,000 miles, from fort worth, all the way to maine. that's him with his own instruments, capturing it all. lavergne and his wife marion seeing 12 eclipses together over 60 years. new mexico, back in '72. williston, north dakota, in '79. he took that picture. and in 2017, watching from beatrice, nebraska. this year, the eclipse coming right through texas, lavergne won't have to go far. and right here tonight -- lavergne on his 13th eclipse at 105. >> corona opens up and it's a beautiful sight to see. so, if you are close to the path of totality, be sure to drive in there and see it. >> juju: our thanks to david.

and tune in for abc news and national geographic's coverage of the eclipse across america starting monday at 2:00 p.m. eastern. and that's "nightline" for tonight. watch full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here, same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.