#MAGFAB: Quinta Brunson for InStyle US - May 2023
Quinta Brunson sat down with InStyle for her cover interview kicking off InStyle’s New & Next Issue to talk about her style evolution–including the challenges of being a petite woman with curves–and her casting choices she made for her wildly successful show, Abbott Elementary.
Brunson’s own evolution has taken her from an advertising and broadcast telecommunications student, to digital content creator for BuzzFeed, to roles in New Girl, Big Mouth, and many other stepping stones in between, all of which have lead to her crown jewel project: creating and starring in the award-winning Abbott Elementary, an ode to her mom, a teacher in the Philadelphia public school system for years.
When casting for Abbott Elementary, it was important to Brunson to portray “women who have curves” and people who looked “real”: “Lisa [Ann Walters] auditioned and she was perfect for the role. Janelle [Jones] auditioned and she was perfect for the role. It was more embracing those women in the way they look than rejecting them and their talent because of the way they look,” says Brunson. “Their talent is incredible. I lead with talent first and then everything … I don’t really care how you look if the talent is there. That’s how we should be doing things in general.”
A “real” woman herself, she found it difficult to find stylists to help convey who she really was, before meeting her stylist, Bryon Javar: “Not only am I 4-foot-11, [but] I’m 4-foot-11 with breasts and a butt. And that’s just the cardinal sin: to be short and have the nerve to have any type of curve,” she says with a playful eye roll.
“Before working with Bryon, there were times where I would work with other stylists and I just have to be like, ‘I’m not this young,’ or, ‘this feels too young for me.’ And it would be like, ‘No, you can pull it off,’” says Brunson. “And I was like, ‘But it’s not about pulling it off. It’s about what I want to represent when I come to certain award shows or certain events I have to do.’ I’m not just an actress, not just a writer, not just a producer, not just a showrunner. I want to make sure I can convey who I am through what I wear.”
Even as a writer, she uses fashion to tell her story without words: “It’s another extension of me showing who I am without talking. More and more, I start to hate talking as I go further in my journey. Things like fashion can help you say something without saying anything. And so I’ve come to really appreciate that,” she explains. “As I talk to Bryon about how I want to present [myself at] an award show or an event, I’m like, Wow … I’m getting to say who I am through the clothing and I plan to do that more because I plan to talk less in the future.”
Brunson’s confidence and love of her body came from growing up as a trained dancer: “Dancing is learning how to have control over your own body at a very young age. We usually hear about control in a manipulative way or in reference to sex, sexual control, or attractiveness. But I’m talking about truly having ownership over the mechanics of your own body, learning to control different muscles,” Brunson says. “I’ll talk to friends who came into appreciating their bodies much older or who still have trouble appreciating their own body and it makes me realize over and over and over again how much dance did for me. My body is mine. I work it, I control it, and it doesn’t belong to anyone else. I believe in God. I have a very spiritual relationship. I believe I’m a vessel. But this is still my temple.”
Issue on newsstands now.
#RHOA: Kenya Moore sets the record straight on her ‘great relationship’ with Israeli entrepreneur Roi Shlomo
REAL Housewives of Atlanta's Kenya Moore has set the record straight on her relationship with Roi Shlomo in an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun.
On the RHOA premiere, Kenya revealed a friend of the show, Monyetta Shaw-Carter, introduced her to a new eligible bachelor amid her ongoing divorce from Marc Daly.
The U.S. Sun broke the news that Kenya was dating the Israeli entrepreneur prior to his TV debut.
Now, in an exclusive interview, Kenya, 52, is giving a new update on her relationship after fans have become invested.
The reality star told The U.S. Sun: "We're great friends. He's a wonderful friend who supports me in any way that he can, especially with business.
"And we just have a lot of things in common and we just sort of, like, understand where we are in each other's lives, and it's been a great friendship."
HEATING UP RHOA star Kenya Moore is dating handsome restaurateur Roi Shlomo after divorce
Kenya continued: "Yes, we dated, but I think right now we're really just focusing on being great friends and I think that's the foundation of any great relationship.
"And I think that's kind of where I went sort of wrong.
"I feel in my marriage that I didn't give our friendship the time that it needed in order to determine if you even want to be in a relationship with someone.
"And I think the difference with Roi is that we really have known each other for a while - over a year - and we've gotten to be really close.
Roi, the founder of Kale Me Crazy and Turks & Caicos' Aziza Restaurant & Lounge, first made his debut in the RHOA season 15 trailer that dropped in April.
After telling Roi, "You look sexy," she confided to cameras: "We might be looking at another Mr. Moore." Their relationship will continue to play out in new episodes.
TAKING IT SLOW
Prior to dating Roi, Kenya was married to ex Marc Daly since June 2017 before they separated in September 2019.
Since May 2021, they have been embroiled in a messy divorce.
The Detroit native explained to The U.S. Sun that because she's "fresh out of a marriage," she's "not looking to rush into anything serious."
"I just feel like you have to temper a relationship, especially after everything that I've been through.
"And I have to know that I'm picking the right people to spend my time with. And also, because I have a daughter, I have to consider that now I'm a single mom," Kenya reasoned, speaking about her four-year-old, Brooklyn.
"So that's caused me to, you know, be very discerning and making sure that people are who they say they are and not take anything too seriously too fast."
WHAT A GIRL WANTS
While she confessed that this season on RHOA she feels like she "suppressed a lot of things" like "companionship," she said that she feels like it's the right timing for her to get back into the dating scene.
Kenya shared: "Now I feel like, 'Hell yeah, I deserve that! I deserve to have men that want to take me out and wanna get to know me, want to date me, want to have a serious relationship with me or be exclusive. I deserve all of those things.
"And I think I'm finally ready for that now after, you know, God, it's almost been almost four years after I first separated from my husband.
"So I think after four years I deserve to get back out there and experience the best that's out there."
She concluded: "But, for me, it's only fair to wait to be serious with someone until my divorce is final."
EASY ON THE EYES
Kenya's new love interest, Roi, ends up being a hot topic in multiple episodes throughout the new season of RHOA.
In the premiere, Kenya gushed: "I'm kind of crazy about him.
"He's been very kind to me, he's funny. He makes me feel alive, and he's not bad on the eyes."
Friend Monyetta weighed in, saying it is "so cute to see them together," while Kandi said it is "awesome" that Kenya has a new man.
Kenya then openly revealed to her gal pals: "Everything just got awoken, you know what I'm saying?
"I just felt like it was just asleep and now I'm like, 'Okay, I'm feeling stuff, I'm feeling stuff...it has just made me feel like a woman again!"
Real Housewives of Atlanta airs new episodes on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
#MusicNews: PJ Morton Remakes Lauryn Hill’s “Sweetest Thing”
Soul sensation PJ Morton has taken Lauryn Hill’s iconic single “Sweetest Thing” and given it a fresh, uptempo groove via his own rendition of the song.
LISTEN HERE
The song was recorded live in studio with a full band and includes a visual capturing a performance of it during the creation.
#HipHopNews: 18-Year-Old Man Confesses To Fatally Shooting Pop Smoke
Pop Smoke was fatally shot during an attempted robbery in Hollywood Hills on February 19, 2020. Yesterday (May 12), the Los Angeles Times reported that in juvenile court, an 18-year-old charged in the fatal shooting of the famed NYC-bred rapper admitted to killing him.
The killer was 15 at the time of the murder. He was admitted to a juvenile court petition charging him with first-degree murder in the 2020 death of Pop Smoke, also known as Bashar Jackson. The defendant also admitted to the robbery and allegations that he intentionally discharged his weapon during the home invasion.
At the time of the murder, three other people were charged in the death of the “Mood Swings” rapper. According to the Associated Press, Corey Walker and Keandre Rogers, who were 19 and 18 at the time, and one other juvenile were taken into custody. A judge created a court order to ensure the media did not identify the juvenile defendant.
The City News Service asserted that Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge J. Christopher Smith told the defendants that Pop Smoke “lost his life for no good reason.” He also told the young defendants that they should “make better choices” because the route they are taking has no positive outcome.
Neither of the three defendants will be granted credit for the time they have served since the murder. The 19-year-old and a third young man who admitted to one count of voluntary manslaughter and home invasion could remain in juvenile custody until turning 25.
Pop Smoke was named top new artist, top rap artist, and top male rap artist at the Billboard Music Awards in May 2021. The NYC drill rap star was creating a massive buzz for himself. His name has been kept alive with his critically acclaimed posthumous projects.
While fans clamor for more, the late rapper’s producer Rico Beats claims there is no more unreleased music from Pop Smoke left.
Jamie Foxx's daughter says actor's been 'out of the hospital for weeks' after medical emergency
Jamie Foxx's medical mystery deepens. Although reports last week claimed he was steadily improving in the hospital, the actor's daughter spoke out on Friday and said he's been out for "weeks."
Corinne Foxx, who issued the only official statement about the actor's "medical complication" one month ago, shared a positive update about her father. On her Instagram Story, the 29-year-old posted a screenshot of an article with the headline "Jamie Foxx's loved ones reportedly preparing for the worst" and called the report false.
"Sad to see how the media runs wild. My dad has been out of the hospital for weeks, recuperating. In fact, he was playing pickleball yesterday! Thanks for everyone's prayers and support," she wrote. "We have an exciting work announcement coming next week too!"
The Oscar-winning actor suffered an undisclosed medical emergency on April 11. The Foxx family, via Corinne, said in a now-deleted post Jamie "experienced a medical complication." They credited "quick action and great care" for putting him on "his way to recovery." Last month's statement continued, "We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time."
For weeks, news outlets including CNN and People have reported on his hospitalization and that doctors were running tests to determine what was going on. The actor's rep has not returned Yahoo Entertainment's repeated requests for comment. Many of the actor's famous friends, including Nick Cannon and Kevin Hart, spoke out and said he was "getting better," but did not give any specifics as to what happened.
"I'm very fortunate to have the relationship that I have with Jamie and to be able to just check on him and stuff like that," Hart said on the May 2 episode of Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast. Referring to Jamie's family, he added, "They're being tight and for reasons just about where he is, because Jamie's always been a private person to a certain degree."
On May 3, a message posted to Jaime's Instagram account thanked fans for support.
One week ago, a "source in the actor's circle," according to People, claimed the actor was stable and no longer in "a life-threatening situation." However, it sounded like he was still in the hospital four weeks after the incident.
"[Doctors] are doing more tests and want to be completely sure that he will be OK before allowing him to" leave the hospital, the insider claimed, adding that Foxx was told to "keep his stress level down," when he is discharged.
The source told People the hospital is "the last place Jamie wants to be" despite needing care.
"He has a lot of projects going on," the insider added. "He gets things done; he is focused and astute. What happened to him medically is serious enough to keep him in the hospital."
Jamie is not rushing back to work. The actor will not host the upcoming season of Fox's Beat Shazam, which started filming last week, as Cannon stepped in. Kelly Osbourne is taking Corinne's place as guest DJ on the show. Jamie's press tour for Strays is pushed as Universal Pictures moved back the release date of the movie from June 9 to August 18 while he recovers.
Andy Cohen Reveals Wendy Williams Pitched Herself To Join 'RHONY' Cast: And he said NO!
Andy Cohen dropped a major bomb about a celebrity who wanted to be a Housewife!
In the Bravo boss' new book, The Daddy Diaries: The Year I Grew Up, Cohen revealed that Wendy Williams once reached out to him about possibly joining the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City.
“Had this call come a year earlier, it would’ve been a brilliant idea,” the Watch What Happens Live host wrote in a passage from his book dated in May 2022. “If she [Williams] is struggling with mental health issues, though, this isn’t the time. Her enthusiasm was infectious, though when I was explaining the idea of Legacy and the brand-new show, she just wanted to focus on the last version. So the conversation didn’t go anywhere.”
Despite the shocking revelation, the former daytime diva said in the past that she would never end up taking a spot on the hit franchise. “No, I won’t be a member of The Real Housewives of New York City,” Williams made clear during a July 2019 episode of The Wendy Williams Show.
“First off, you’re not coming to my apartment. You’re not checking out who I date. There would be so many no no nos that you would be bored with me," she stated about keeping her life under wraps.
The job never coming to fruition may be a blessing as Williams has gone through quite a tumultuous time in her life with her never ending health, financial and family related woes.
“Wendy does not have many real friends, but the few that are coming around are causing some concern for the people that do truly care about her,” an insider said of the former radio jockey's current state.
Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts' earns Master's from The University of Oklahoma
It's been a big year for Jalen Hurts. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback earned a master’s degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma on Friday, months after he led his team to the Super Bowl and signed a massive contract extension.
Education appears to have always been important for Hurts. Both his parents are teachers, and Hurts told "Essence" in April that he was inspired by his mother during his freshman year at Alabama after he watched her go back to school to get another degree.
"She went back to school, and she got her master’s to become a counselor,” he said. “That’s a living testimony for me.”
Hurts later earned a bachelor's degree in communication and information sciences after only three years at Alabama before he transferred to Oklahoma in 2019.
Now, with two degrees and a Super Bowl appearance under his belt, Hurts heads into his fourth NFL season with more expectations. The Eagles have the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl (+700), per BetMGM — right behind the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs (+650). Philadelphia also had one of this year's best draft classes after general manager Howie Roseman beefed up the defensive line with Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith.
Everything starts and ends with Hurts, though. He's the franchise quarterback with the big contract, and the Eagles will go as far as he does in 2023.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Celebrate Their Son's First Birthday
Happy Birthday to RZA Athelston! Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's family of three are celebrating a special milestone!
Yesterday was the first birthday of the married couple's baby boy, RZA Athelston Mayers, whom they welcomed on May 13 last year. To mark the special occasion, the "D.M.B." rapper shared a series of sweet family photos of himself, the "We Found Love" singer, and their adorable infant son.
The carousel begins with a cute picture of the three resting on beach blankets, with RZA crawling next to his mother as Rihanna leans over to kiss Rocky on the cheek. Another picture shows the rapper and the infant smiling at the camera as the Fenty mogul looks lovingly at her son.
Other photos show the three making silly poses while taking a mirror selfie, as well as Rocky and RZA sharing some father-son time while sitting on a grassy lawn. In one stylish pic, the family wears coordinating black leather looks and sunglasses. Rih pairs a leather tank top with a Louis Vuitton denim skirt, while Rocky layers a sleek jacket over a mesh jersey.
Rocky also confirmed the baby boy's first name in the post, which is a nod to the Wu-Tang Clan’s de facto leader, RZA. Earlier this week, the Daily Mail obtained a copy of the infant's birth certificate, which also revealed that the baby's middle name is the same as Rocky's, whose given name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers.
"'WU TANG IZ 4 DA CHUREN 🤲' HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY TO MY 1st BORN . RZA❤️," reads the caption.
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Rihanna is pregnant with her and Rocky’s second child, a reveal she made during her historic Super Bowl halftime performance in February. During her breathtaking appearance at the Met Gala earlier this month, the "Love on the Brain" singer explained that her second pregnancy already feels "so different" from her first.
"It's so different from the first one," she said during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "No cravings. Tons of nausea. Everything's different, but I'm enjoying it." She added, "I feel good. I feel energetic."
'Aladdin' actor deactivates Twitter after appearing to shade 'The Little Mermaid's' projected box office success
Halle Bailey’s loyal fan base is not letting anyone slander her or the upcoming live-action reimagining of The Little Mermaid. Actor Mena Massoud learned this the hard way when he appeared to have downplayed the film’s projected box office success in a now-deleted tweet.
Massoud has been facing an onslaught of backlash since Saturday (May 13), when he wrote, “Our film was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times. It’s the only way we reached the billion-dollar mark with our opening. My guess is TLM doesn’t cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel.” His comments seemed to be in response to reports that say Bailey’s film debut will bring in at least $110 million during its four-day opener over Memorial Day weekend.
Massoud famously starred in Disney’s live-action Aladdin as the titular character, which was remade in 2019 alongside Will Smith, who played the blue genie. The movie made its debut over the Memorial Day holiday and brought in $116.8 million in domestic ticket sales. Two months after its release, Variety reported that the film had crossed the billion-dollar mark at the global box office. Whether or not he intended for his remarks about the mermaid flick to be shady has yet to be explained. But Bailey’s fans could not care less, as they swarmed the actor’s tweet, ultimately leading to him deleting the post and deactivating his account. To say that Twitter users have not been easy on him would be an understatement,
Bailey has long stated that her portrayal of Ariel, who is white in the original cartoon flick, is a huge accomplishment for diversity efforts. “I know people are like: ‘It’s not about race.’ But now that I’m [Ariel], people don’t understand that when you’re Black, there’s this whole other community. It’s so important for us to see ourselves,” she said in a February cover story for The Face magazine. At the upcoming film’s Los Angeles premiere, she again emphasized the importance of representation and paid homage to the Black princesses who came before her, Brandy as Cinderella and Anika Noni Rose as Tiana.
It’s safe to say that theaters will be packed for a minute as moviegoers help to push The Little Mermaid past the billion-dollar mark.
Sasha Obama graduates from USC with Barack and Michelle in the audience
The Obama sisters are all grown up. Today (May 12), Sasha Obama walked across the stage at the University of Southern California decked in graduation garb and received her degree from the prestigious school. Her parents, Former President Barack Obama and Former First Lady Michelle Obama, were in the audience, as was her older sister, Malia.
Twenty-one-year-old Sasha started college at the University of Michigan but transferred to USC last year. She majored in sociology at the California school.
Photos of the former president and first lady showed the proud parents beaming as they walked into the graduation and sat amongst the crowd just like every other family. The ex-POTUS sported a grey suit with an unbuttoned white shirt while the ex-FLOTUS wore a black jacket with a navy tulle skirt. Malia wore a pale pink off-the-shoulder dress.
Of course, they couldn’t totally blend in just like the other graduates’ relatives in attendance. They were accompanied by Secret Service agents, as reported by TMZSasha was just seven years old when she moved to the White House. Today, the two sisters are living together once again, this time sharing an apartment in Los Angeles. The city is a convenient location for Malia, who graduated from Harvard in 2021 and has since been working as a screenwriter, most recently for Donald Glover’s hit series, “Swarm.”
The two siblings have grown up in the public eye, but have largely maintained private lives. They spoke publicly for the first time in the 2020 Netflix documentary Becoming based on Michelle‘s 2018 memoir. Sasha spoke highly of her mom and wished that she’d bask in her own glory. “I’m excited for her to be proud of what she’s done because I think that’s the most important thing for a human to do is be proud of themselves,” she said, per Today.
Taylor Swift Seemingly Defends Fans From Security During 'Eras Tour,' Concertgoer Explains What Allegedly Happened
Taylor Swift appeared to be defending some fans from overeager security at her Eras Tour performance on Saturday night (May 13) in Philadelphia, Penn.
In a clip from the show that is going viral online, the 33-year-old pop star was performing “Bad Blood” when she began speaking to someone in the audience.
“She’s fine,” she said between the lyrics, “She wasn’t doing anything. Hey, stop! Stop.”
Taylor appeared to walk off after the situation was resolved and continued with the song like nothing happened.
A fan who was seemingly in the audience is explaining what was happening to cause her outburst.
“Taylor was yelling at a security guard because they fully kept putting their hands on us to physically push us off of the barricade instead of just telling us to move,” one Twitter user explained.
They continued, writing, “It’s really scary how every single man had a power trip towards every single women who was standing on the barricades. all the men didn’t even hesitate to touch us to move us and they were very very aggressive when they were doing it.”
“+ we weren’t throwing anything, we weren’t screaming anything insane, she was fully coming over to dance and sing with us and it resulted in security being extremely aggressive for no reason.”
The Swiftie who shared the video of the interaction on TikTok noted that the security guard she seemingly yelled at “was a pain in the a-s the entire night.”
“The fact that this happened during #badblood made it even better,” they added.
Taylor had another noteworthy interaction with a fan during the same show. The night before, she gave a special shoutout to a celebrity friend’s children.
Janet Jackson Shares a Moment With Tom Cruise After He Attends Her 'Together Again Tour'
Janet Jackson shared a special moment with Tom Cruise. The 56-year-old “So Excited” music icon is currently in the midst of her Together Again Tour, and the 60-year-old Top Gun: Maverick star cheered her on in the audience on Friday (May 12) in Charlotte, North Carolina.
After the show wrapped up, she hopped on social media to share a photo of the pair.
Taking to Instagram, Janet uploaded an adorable picture of the duo cheesing for the camera. In it, Tom has his arm wrapped around her and is dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a black jacket.
Janet is wearing a pair of sweatpants and has a scarf around her neck.
“T, it was so good seeing you and nice spending some time together,” she captioned the post.
If you missed it, Janet recently accepted an apology from an NBA star. Any guesses on why?
Sweden Wins Eurovision Song Contest 2023
Sweden has won the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Swedish contestant Loreen came first with her song “Tattoo,” beating out 25 other countries to garner 583 points. Her win means the contest will likely be held in Sweden next year.
Sweden was followed by Finland’s Käärijä with 526 points and Israel’s Noa Kirel with 362 points, who took second and third place respectively.
This year’s Eurovision took place in Liverpool, U.K. on behalf of last year’s winner Ukraine after it was deemed too dangerous to hold Eurovision in the country following the Russian invasion. Ukrainian entry Kalush Orchestra won last year’s contest followed by the U.K.’s Sam Ryder in close second.
Remarkably it is Loreen’s second Eurovision win: she previously won the contest in 2012 with her song “Euphoria.”
Eurovision, which is run by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) features musical acts from around Europe as well as a number of countries outside it, including Israel and Australia who participate by virtue of their membership of the EBU.
Eurovision was hosted this year by rapper turned “Britain’s Got Talent” judge Alisha Dixon, “Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham, Ukrainian rock star Julia Sanina and longtime Eurovision commentator Graham Norton.
The show was opened by a number of famous faces including Catherine, the Princess of Wales, Andrew Lloyd Webber, rapper Ms Banks, Joss Stone and last year’s winner Kalush Orchestra. It also featured a performance by last year’s runner up Sam Ryder, who performed his new single “Mountain” accompanied by Queen drummer Roger Taylor, as well as a number of former Eurovision contestants who paid tribute to some of Liverpool’s most famous musical artists.
Check out the full list of contestants for the 2023 contest below:
Teya & Salena (Austria) – “Who The Hell Is Edgar?”
Mimicat (Portugal) – “Ai Coração”
Remo Forrer (Switzerland) – “Watergun”
Blanka (Poland) – “Solo”
Luke Black (Serbia) – “Samo Mi Se Spava”
La Zarra (France) – “Évidemment”
Andrew Lambrou (Cyprus) – “Break A Broken Heart”
Blanca Paloma (Spain) – “Eaea”
Loreen (Sweden) – “Tattoo”
Albina & Familja Kelmendi (Albania) – “Duje”
Marco Mengoni (Italy) – “Due Vite”
Alika (Estonia) – “Bridges”
Käärijä (Finland) – “Cha Cha Cha”
Vesna (Czechia) – “My Sister’s Crown”
Voyager (Australia) – “Promise”
Gustaph (Belgium) – “Because Of You”
Brunette (Armenia) – “Future Lover”
Pasha Parfeni (Moldova) – “Soarele şi Luna”
TVORCHI (Ukraine) – “Heart of Steel”
Alessandra (Norway) – “Queen of Kings”
Lord of the Lost (Germany) – “Blood & Glitter”
Monika Linkytė (Lithuania) – “Stay”
Noa Kirel (Israel) – “Unicorn”
Joker Out (Slovenia) – “Carpe Diem”
Let 3 (Croatia) – “Mama ŠČ!”
Mae Muller (U.K.) – “I Wrote A Song”
Congrats to Loreen.
The Kelly Clarkson Show responds to claims of toxic work environment
NBC Universal has responded to claims in a new report that The Kelly Clarkson Show's producers have created a toxic work environment.
Eleven employees, 10 current and one former, say they are not only overworked and underpaid, but that they are subjected to bullying and verbal abuse in a new Rolling Stone story published Friday. They also allege that despite filing multiple reports to the show's human resources department, nothing has changed. Instead, they allege that they were penalized for their complaints, claiming that executive producers yelled at them and left them out of meetings.
A network spokesperson has now provided a statement to EW.
"We are committed to a safe and respectful work environment and take workplace complaints very seriously, and to insinuate otherwise is untrue," the statement reads. "When issues are reported they are promptly reviewed, investigated, and acted upon as appropriate. The Kelly Clarkson Show strives to build a safe, respectful, and equitable workplace that nurtures a culture of inclusivity and creativity."
The sources interviewed for the Rolling Stone report clarified that Kelly Clarkson herself has not engaged in toxic behavior but, rather, executive producer Alex Duda, known for his work on Steve Harvey and The Tyra Banks Show.
"NBC is protecting the show because it's their new moneymaker," said one ex-employee in the piece. "But Kelly has no clue how unhappy her staff is."
"Kelly is fantastic," added another employee. "She is a person who never treats anyone with anything but dignity and is incredibly appreciative… I'd be floored if she knew the staff wasn't getting paid for two weeks of Christmas hiatus. The Kelly that I interacted with and that everyone knows would probably be pretty aghast to learn that."
Representatives for Clarkson did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.
Aside from Duda, employees pointed to unprofessional behavior from various other higher-ups at the show. One described a scenario in which an employee quit after a producer "yelled and cursed at them multiple times on stage." Another recalled a production manager throwing a stapler across the room and speaking "in a way that you're not supposed to in a professional environment — cursing, raising his voice, and throwing a huge temper tantrum."
"Kelly [Clarkson] uses a sign-off: 'Make it a great day and if it's not great, change it,'" a current employee said. "But it's hard to exist and work in a machine that's pumping out this happy, bubbly, positive messaging and then you have people here who are just treated badly."
Clarkson's show fills the daytime slot once occupied by The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Before that long-running series ended, allegations surfaced claiming that DeGeneres and her producers fostered a toxic workplace environment marred by racism, intimidation, and fear. Though the accusers cited DeGeneres herself, the host claimed she was unaware of the issues and eventually released a statement to her staff promising changes behind the scenes of the series.
Kirk Franklin Says Son’s Leak of Their Phone Convo Lead to ‘Worst Two Years of My Life’
*Kirk Franklin said that his son’s decision to leak their messy phone conversation in 2021 lead to the “worst two years of my life.”
“It traumatizes me to this day. It is very difficult, and my wife [Tammy] will tell you,” Franklin tells Page Six. “That tape was a reflection of years of what our family dynamic has been going through, just so you know. You don’t have that type of anger out there without there being a history of something.”
The gospel artist’s estranged 35-year-old son Kerrion recorded the private phone call between them in March of 2021 and posted it on Instagram. The exchange included Franklin cursing out his son, and saying the threats: “I will put my foot in your ass” and “I will break your neck.” Franklin issued a public apology to his fans the following day, saying “I’m not perfect.”
Kerrion went on to appear on the first season of Zeus reality series, “Bad Boys: Los Angeles” in March 2022. One month after the premiere, he was arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court back in 2007 after being cited for 3 misdemeanors: falsely representing himself to an officer, possession of purported government-issued California driver’s license/California identification, and possession of alcohol under 21.
After Kerrion was released in June 2022, he thanked his parents on his Instagram page “for the prayers & the wind the highest is moving me in.”
Kirk and Tammy Franklin are currently on a press tour promoting their new dating show, “The One,” due to premiere on May 18 on TV One.
New Couple Alert? Jonathan Majors Is Reportedly Dating Meagan Good
People reports that actors Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good are dating. The publication's report follows a TMZ story claiming that the pair were recently seen attending a movie theater together in Los Angeles.
Near the end of March, Jonathan was arrested on suspicion of strangulation, assault, and harassment in New York City.
Jonathan was arrested in New York on March 25 for an alleged altercation involving a 30-year-old woman, who was taken to hospital with minor injuries to her head and neck.
The US Army subsequently paused an ad campaign featuring the actor, and he was dropped by his management and PR team as well.
It was also reported that multiple women are cooperating with the criminal investigation into the charges.
Earlier this week, Jonathan appeared virtually at a hearing related to the charges, in which the complaint was also updated to add that, according to CNN, "the woman also sustained injuries to her arm and hand and that she was allegedly pushed into the side of a vehicle by Majors."
So far, he has denied the charges. "This is a witch hunt against Jonathan Majors, driven by baseless claims," Jonathan's defense counsel Priya Chaudhry said in a statement to BuzzFeed. "Instead of dismissing the allegations in the face of the woman's clear lies, the DA has adjusted the charges to match the woman's new lies. To be clear, there are no new charges against Mr. Majors."
Texas Woman Murdered By Boyfriend After He Learned She Traveled To Have An Abortion
A Texas woman lost her life after being gunned down by her boyfriend after he learned she traveled out of state to have an abortion.
Sadly, women are continuing to be stripped of their right to choose, even in their own households. That is exactly the case of 26-year-old Gabriella Gonzales. On the morning of Wednesday, May 10th, police responded to a call about a shooting outside of a Church’s Chicken restaurant on S. Walton Walker Boulevard. When authorities arrived around 7:40 a.m., they located Gonzales with multiple gunshot wounds. Sadly, she had already succumbed to her injuries. Police soon located surveillance video that showed Gonzales walking with 22-year-old Harold Thompson. He is seen trying to put the woman in a chokehold. Gonzales eventually broke free and continued walking. That is when Thompson retrieved a gun and shot her in the head. Once she fell to the ground, he shot her multiple times. Several witnesses were nearby, with one seeing Thompson try to choke Gonzales. Her sister was also present and heard the shots ring out.
During their investigation, police learned that Gonzales had traveled to Colorado to get an abortion. She’d returned the night before she was killed. After coming back, police say she and Thompson argued because he didn’t want her to have the procedure done. Thompson had a history of abuse during his relationship with Gonzales. An affidavit from March did not identify her by name but detailed him beating her multiple times. The victim, in that case, was confirmed to be pregnant.
Thompson is being held in the Dallas County Jail without bond.
But Why Tho?
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