Month: July 2022

He’s only given sneak peeks at his relationship with his girlfriend, but Joe Budden’s romance was put on full display just hours ago. The media mogul and reality star’s life has been in the spotlight for nearly a decade after he joined Love & Hip Hop all those years ago, but at the time, Budden was with ex-girlfriend Tahiry Jose. Later, he began dating Erica Mena’s ex Cyn Santana, and their evolution was well-documented in the series. The pair would welcome a son and Budden would go on to propose during his podcast, but four months later in 2019, the couple called it quits.

These days, Budden is once again happily in love with his girlfriend Shadée Monique, and while their relationship has yet to receive the reality television treatment, the world is still tuned in.

Earlier today (July 18), Shadée uploaded a series of images to celebrate her three-year anniversary with Budden, and it shows the couple going strong.

“Happy Anniversary baby….3 Years down and a lifetime to go,”  A few Ups and downs and break ups to make ups …but we are here stronger and more in love than ever! We did it Joe!!! You’re not only my love but my best friend…I love you Joseph Anthony Budden [smiling hearts emoji][red heart emoji] @joebudden.”

The congratulatory messages poured in, and Budden interjected with a heartwarming reaction of his own.

“You trying to make me cry lol….. Happy anniversary babe & i love you more. [wink kissy-faced emoji][smiling hearts emoji].” Check it out below.

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A post shared by Shadée Monique (@therealcateyes)

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It is officially the end of an era now that the rumors regarding Desus & Mero have been confirmed. Earlier today (July 18), social media lit up after Desus Nice fired off enigmatic tweets. “The hive deserved better than this ending. Reddit can slander my name but when the truth comes out…..actually just wait,” he tweeted. “Bodegahive you think I abandoned y’all but the art is coming back. Plz believe in me, I love y’all.”

Desus Nice and The Kid Mero first emerged with their Desus & Mero podcast back in 2013, and since that time, they have become a leading force in the comedy and Hip Hop scenes. The pair of funny friends have worked independently, with Viceland, and most recently, with Showtime on their self-titled late-night talk show. All seemed to be on the up and up, however, after Desus’s tweets went viral, the premium network confirmed that they have ended their time with the duo.

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“Desus Nice and The Kid Mero will be pursuing separate creative endeavors moving forward. SHOWTIME’s late-night talk show DESUS & MERO will not be returning for a fifth season. Its final episode aired Thursday, June 23,” a Showtime spokesperson shared in a press release.

They added:

“Desus Nice and The Kid Mero have made a name for themselves in comedy and in the late-night space as quick-witted cultural commentators. Throughout its run, the series won a WGA Award, received Critics’ Choice and TCA Awards nominations and scored interviews with President Barack Obama, President Joe Biden, Derek Jeter, Missy Elliott, Denzel Washington, Charlize Theron, David Letterman, Yo-Yo Ma and many more. They have been brilliant hosts, and we wish them the best, along with the team at JAX Media and the incredible crew.”

Unsurprisingly, this news has launched speculation into why things came to a screeching halt. Desus promises that all secrets shall be revealed, so fans will have to wait for the time being for any answers. 

These days, it’s common for people to express themselves with emojis instead of words, but an Italian tennis champion found himself in trouble with the masses after including one in his Instagram Story. Matteo Berrettini is a superstar on the tennis court, holding seven titles and ranked as a Top 10 player. However, it wasn’t his talents that drew attention recently, but a post about LeBron James that caused Berrettini to face backlash.

The sports star shared a photo of James wearing a Drew League jersey and added two emojis: a crown and a gorilla. It looked as if he was honoring the basketball star, but people were quick to point out the historically racist connotations between apes and Black people.

For hours, Berrettini’s fans and foes faced off on social media as his detractors called him a racist while his supporters denied the allegations. Berrettini returned with an apology, stating that he was completely unaware of the racist connection.

 “I am very sorry if my previous story post offended anyone,” he wrote. “I was informed that it can easily be misinterpreted so I have deleted it. Lebron is my biggest idol. Incredible role model and inspiration.”

This isn’t the first time that James has been at the center of controversy of this nature; years ago, Vogue magazine was accused of using the NBA icon’s cover feature to mirror a King Kong poster. Social media continues to debate whether or not Berrettini should have apologized.

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After his comments on Instagram swept the Hip Hop world, Tariq Cherif is reportedly doing a bit of backtracking on a recent statement about Travis Scott. Once again, Rolling Loud Miami turned into a spectacle after Kanye West pulled out of his performance at the last minute. This incident mirrored Ye’s Coachella debacle earlier this year after the mogul walked away from his headlining spots just a week before the festival’s weekend was to launch.

Kid Cudi was quickly announced as West’s Rolling Loud replacement, and considering their previous public fallout, it made for interesting social media conversations. Rolling Loud’s founder Tariq Cherif would post online that he “tried to convince Ye to stay.”

Robin Marchant / Stringer / Getty Images

“He wasn’t having it,” Cherif added without giving insight into why West decided not to move forward. When followers brought up Travis Scott—who some believe was the reason behind West’s Coachella exit—Cherif chimed in.

“Venue won’t allow Travis because of astroworld deaths,” he replied. This made for a bold statement causing Cherif to clear things up with TMZ. The outlet claimed they spoke with him about the remarks and Cherif relayed that he deleted the messages because “it simply was not accurate.”

Rolling Loud reportedly asked Scott to headline the event but unfortunately, the timing didn’t work out. TMZ added, “Tariq’s comment on Instagram appears to have been made out of frustration from negative posts from festival-goers demanding Travis.” Still, the comments seemed to have placed Cherif in hot water with Scott’s fans, at least for now.

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