| 100% | THETORTURED | 11 | With 35-Across, 2024 album that led to a new era in the Eras Tour |
| 43% | SMOG | 4 | Fog that has combined with excessive smoke in the air, often leading to a lot of lung diseases |
| 43% | WILLY | 5 | With 35-Across, the lead role in Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman" |
| 42% | LOUISVUITTON | 12 | Fashion house that collaborated with the Final Fantasy XIII video game franchise in 2016 to create a new look for the heroine Lightning (2 wds.) |
| 39% | DONTBIGEMPTY | 12 | With 45 Across, a query put to Bob Hope in 1939's The Cat and the Canary |
| 39% | PEPPERS | 7 | With 15 Across, illusion that uses a reflection to create the appearance of a phantom |
| 38% | SHOHEI | 6 | With 34-Across, Dodgers pitcher who, in 2024, became the only player to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season |
| 38% | ASSIST | 6 | Pass that leads to a score, in basketball |
| 38% | TAHOE | 5 | California freshwater lake with a name that translates to "edge of the lake" in Washoe |
| 37% | EPISODIC | 8 | With a new show in the series each week |
| 37% | DETAIL | 6 | "Attention to ___," complete the phrase with a word that ends in "ail" |
| 37% | TEA | 3 | Tax that led to a party in Boston |
| 37% | COURT | 5 | Word with "ship" to refer to the course of a romantic relationship that might lead to marriage |
| 37% | TIMOTHEE | 8 | With 35-Across, "Little Women" actor who plays the lead character Paul Atreides in "Dune" |
| 37% | BROKENLINK | 10 | It may lead to a 404 error page … as represented in 35-Across |
| 37% | PEARL | 5 | With 4 Down, site of the attack that on today's date in 1941 lead to the US entering WWII |
| 36% | DEC | 3 | Month that leads to a brand new year, for short |
| 36% | YORK | 4 | City in England with a New one in the US |
| 36% | IKEA | 4 | Company that was the first in the U.S. to air a TV ad with a gay couple (1994) |
| 36% | FIRST | 5 | With 5-Across, baby's milestone ... or a hint to the hidden layer in this puzzle's Across clues |
| 36% | SLIMSHADY | 9 | "The Real ___," Eminem's first song to reach number one in the U.K, with a video that parodied several real-life celebrities: 2 wds. |
| 36% | ERA | 3 | Pitching statistic that Shane Bieber led the league in last year, with a 1.63: Abbr. |
| 36% | BUTTERFLY | 9 | Word that must be added to 1-, 8-, 65- and 66-Across for their clues to make sense [with a visual hint in the grid] |
| 35% | MWA | 3 | Fraternal org. founded in 1883, now with over 740,000 members, that was to protect families after the death of a breadwinner. (abbr.) |
| 35% | PERSONALITY | 11 | You might think that a new one will lead to 40-Across |
| 35% | TUSIMPLE | 8 | Co. that's launched a self-driving freight network, starting in Texas and Arizona with plans to be national by 2024 |
| 35% | NETFLIX | 7 | Streaming platform with "The Crown" that launched in 2007, and a way to enjoy 19a at home in the Internet age |
| 35% | BASTILLE | 8 | Band with the album "Bad Blood" that was a first-time Grammy nominee for Best New Artist |
| 35% | TWINKILLING | 11 | Baseball double play, in slang ... or a hint to understanding the 12 Across answers that have circles |