Puzzle

 ACROSS

  1 Facing trouble

  8 Typical beer pong container

 15 She shed kin for a parent

 16 Weaver who challenged Athena

 17 Resident of Canada's capital (last 3 letters + first 2 of 18-Across, forward)

 18 ___ Beach, Florida

 19 Prunes, once

 20 One-on-one fights

 22 Juice WRLD genre

 23 Geologic time periods

 24 Up shot?

 25 Prom ride

 26 U-turn from SSW

 27 Zellweger of "What/If"

 29 Seeped

 30 Meet's partner

 32 Huge tree in California

 34 Family-focused comic since January 7, 1990, and a hint to this puzzle's hidden characters

 36 Short film type

 38 Mean smile

 41 T at a pride parade?

 42 Travels, as an odor

 44 Minivan, e.g.

 46 Like Cheerios

 47 Go "WAAAAAH"

 48 "What have I done?!"

 49 Humor writer's quality

 50 Capital of Bangladesh

 53 Like caramels

 54 Disneyland's home

 56 Jackson dubbed "The Queen of Gospel" (first 3 letters + last 3 of 54-Across, backward)

 58 Change a B to an A, say

 59 (Not again!)

 60 City east of Leipzig

 61 Protects

DOWN

  1 "Pass to me!"

  2 Just a little while

  3 Radio part

  4 Con artists' concoctions

  5 Puppy's feet

  6 Biological eggs

  7 Muscle/bone connector

  8 "The Sweetest Taboo" singer

  9 Word before "history" or "hygiene"

 10 Installs, like tile

 11 First month in Q4

 12 Sausage in Mexican cuisine (last 2 letters + first 1 of 39-Down, forward)

 13 Anonymous

 14 One may look like <OOOO>

 21 Fancy rideshare option

 24 Leave alone

 25 Needing tightening

 27 Raises, as a child

 28 Electric ___

 29 Long jump legend Jesse

 31 Ivory's counterpart

 33 Covered with motes

 35 Bow wood

 36 Workout coach

 37 Lightbulb measure (first letter + last 3 of 3-Down, backward)

 39 Organizational rank

 40 Dashed all over the house, say

 41 In the direction of

 43 Like many paintings

 45 Kansas City MLB team

 48 Chicago airport

 50 Really, really tired

 51 ___-and-seek

 52 Response to a preacher

 53 One wearing a hat at work

 55 Time sheet units: Abbr.

 57 "Yes," on a ship

Solution