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The Boston Celtics employee who had an “intimate relationship” with head coach Ime Udoka was reportedly responsible for arranging the travel schedule of Udoka’s longtime partner, Nia Long. While her identity remains anonymous, TMZ reports that organizing Long’s travel for away games was among her duties within the organization.

The woman was also reportedly involved in helping organization Long’s move to Boston.

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Though the relationship was described as consensual, the woman accused Udoka of later making “unwanted comments” toward her. For the affair, Udoka ended up being for the entire 2022-23 season over “violations of team policies.”

Long addressed the story in a statement provided to People: “The outpouring of love and support from family, friends and the community during this difficult time means so much to me. I ask that my privacy be respected as I process the recent events. Above all, I am a mother and will continue to focus on my children.”

Udoka apologized for his actions in a statement after the suspension became public.

“I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down,” he wrote. “I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation and I accept the team’s decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment.”

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Johnny Depp and his trial attorney, Joelle Rich, who worked on his infamous libel case against The Sun in 2018, are reportedly in a non-monogamous relationship. TMZ reports that, while the two have been linked, they are continuing to see other people.

“Johnny and Joelle are NOT exclusive,” the outlet reported. “In fact, a source connected to Johnny’s new movie tells us he’s recently been spotted on set getting cozy with a new woman while filming over in France.”

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Depp and Rich have also been a couple longer than originally believed, with TMZ reporting that they were together throughout the summer while Depp’s defamation trial against Amber Heard was held. Rich apparently left her kids and estranged husband in the U.K. for months to stay with the actor.

The news follows a report from US Weekly, which claimed that the two are getting “serious.”

“Their chemistry is off the charts …,” a source told the outlet. “It’s serious between them. They are the real deal.”

Back in June, Depp was rumored to be linked with his attorney for the defamation trial, Camille Vasquez. She dispelled the rumors as “sexist.”

“I care very deeply about my clients, and we have obviously become close,” she stated to People at the time. “But when I say ‘we,’ I mean the entire team, and of course that includes Johnny.”

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SZA purchased every seat at a theater in New Jersey for fans to go see The Woman King for free on Saturday. The new film starring Viola Davis and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood was released on September 16.

“PLEASE GO SEEE ITTTT !,” SZA said in a tweet.

The new historical epic follows a group of all-female warriors protecting the African kingdom of Dahomey. In addition to Davis, the cast is rounded out by John Boyega, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and more.

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The movie kicked off as a box office success, debuting at number one and grossing $19 million domestically in its first week. Of the wide audience, Davis recently told Variety that the story is universally appealing.

“There was a sense that our stories aren’t universal and can’t reach the white man or woman or the Hispanic man or woman,” Davis told the outlet. “I feel human stories are for everyone, not just Black consumption.”

The story was met with backlash online following its release by critics who were upset with the historical inaccuracy of the plot, to which Davis told Variety, “If we just told a history lesson, which we very well could have, that would be a documentary.”

Check out SZA’s announcement below.

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Post Malone was admitted to the hospital on Saturday, forcing him to cancel his performance at TD Garden in Boston. While Malone didn’t specify what exactly led to the symptoms, he complained of having a “difficult time breathing” in a statement on Twitter.

“I woke up to a cracking sound on the right side of my body,” Malone said in the post. “I felt so great last night, but today it felt so different than it has before. I’m having a very difficult time breathing, and there’s like a stabbing pain whenever I breathe or move.”

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The hospitalization comes a week after he tripped and fell into an opening onstage, causing him to pause his performance. He was able to return to the stage after a 15-minute break but ended the show after a few more songs.

Afterward, he revealed that he suffered bruised ribs during the worrying fall, but said that he had been cleared to resume the tour.

“I feel terrible, but I promise I’m going to make this up to you,” he concluded.

Malone has several more shows scheduled for next week and into October. It’s unclear if he will need to postpone more concerts.

Check out Malone’s explanation of the situation below.

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Ice Spice responded to criticism of her recent performance at Rolling Loud in New York City, where she was brought on stage by Fivio Foreign. Spice is best known for her viral hit, “Munch (Feelin’ U).”

“I’m not a hater I want everyone to win I really do… soooooo can someone please get ice spice some stage presence coaching & breath control training please,” one Twitter user who caught the attention of the Bronx rapper tweeted in response to a clip of Spice’s appearance at the festival.

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In reply, Spice commented on a repost of the tweet writing, “She fried,” with a fries emoji.

After the user’s post put her under fire from Spice’s supporters, she tweeted: “Y’all will close ur ears, eyes & nose to pretend like the facts is hate but will never close ya mouth. y’all don’t know the definition of a hater… it’s YOUUUU you’re the fkn haters. Telling the truth ain’t hating. 90% of the idiots I block follow me. Ur fkn obsessed fans.”

Spice’s popularity has soured over the last month since the release of “Munch (Feelin’ U).” She even was flown out to Toronto, Canada by Drake to appear at OVO Fest.

Check out Spice’s response to the criticism below.

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Lil Baby was honored with the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award at Black Music Action Coalition’s second annual Music in Action Awards Gala, earlier this week, as a recognition of his contributions to racial and social justice. The event was held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.

Baby hosts an annual Back to School Fest in Atlanta where he provides thousands of children with backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, and more. Earlier this year, he also partnered with Atlanta restaurateur Lemont Bradley to help create jobs in his hometown.

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“To even be acknowledged in music, let alone by a role model like Quincy Jones and the Black Music Action Coalition,” Lil Baby started his acceptance speech. 

He continued: “I honestly didn’t know what a humanitarian was, but as I looked into it and started reading, I understand that I’m actually humanitarian. I just want to say that I appreciate everybody in here because nothing that we doing or trying to do can be done by one person. It’s gonna take all of us to stick together and stay together.”

Elsewhere during the event, 300 Elektra Entertainment’s Kevin Liles used his acceptance speech for the BMAC Social Impact Award to advocate for the Restoring Artistic Protection (RAP) Act bill, which aims to limit the power of evidence in artistic expression in court.

Check out Baby’s acceptance speech below.

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Tyler Perry has addressed Spike Lee’s infamous criticism of his character, Madea, which saw the legendary director label it, “coonery buffoonery.” Perry spoke about the backlash to his work while appearing on the new HBO Max series, Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace.

“There’s a certain part of our society, especially Black people in the in the culture that…they look down on certain things within the culture,” Perry explained to Wallace. “For me, I love the movies that I’ve done because they are the people that I grew up with that I represent and they, like, my mother would take me in the projects with her on the weekends, she played cards with these women.”

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Perry has said that the character of Madea, who has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, was inspired by his mother and his aunt.

Lee originally spoke about the character during an interview in 2009, which resulted in Perry previously saying that he can “go to hell.”

Perry’s sit-down with Wallance comes in conjunction with the release of his newest Netflix film, A Jazzman’s Blues. Written and directed by Perry, the movie stars Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer as star-crossed lovers in the deep South.

Check out a clip from Perry’s appearance on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace below.

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G Herbo spoke about losing his brother and the toll it took on his mental health during a recent interview on Hot 97’s Ebro In The Morning. G Herbo admits that he went through a rough stretch where he turned to alcohol.

“You don’t even know the support that you have until you open up and say something,” Herbo explained. “It don’t have to be your family; it don’t have to be your closest friends. There’s people out there who just care because they understand what you’re going through.”

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From there, he addressed the loss of his brother, who was shot and killed in 2021: “When it happened, it threw everything off about me I didn’t care [about anything]. I didn’t have any motivation for music, nothing. I knew I couldn’t just give up all the way. I snapped out of it.”

To get through the rough patch, Herbo says he became reliant on alcohol to a degree to which the people around him could tell he wasn’t himself.

“When I started drinking liquor I was not myself,” he shared. “I didn’t even know how to handle it being off liquor, because I was doing it to grieve.”

He added: “I didn’t even realize, but everyone around me was like, ‘Damn, Herb is turning into something that he’s not.”

Herbo previously paid tribute to his late brother on his single, “Locked In,” back in February.

Check out Herbo’s appearance on Ebro In The Morning below.

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Rick Ross is teaming up with Hempacco to launch a new hemp cigarette venture, Hemp Hop Smokables. The brand will be offering hemp cigarettes, smoking paper, and alternatives to nicotine tobacco. Ross will also be joined by Rap Snacks, Inc. founder and CEO James Lindsay.

“I truly believe in the health benefits of hemp-derived products,” Ross said in a statement on Hemp Hop’s website. “Having had my own health scares, and through my healing process, I decided I would develop a line of smokables to help others with the benefits of hemp cannabinoids.”

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Announcing the venture at Rick Ross’ Boss Up Conference, Jorge Olson, Co-founder, and CMO of Hempacco said: “We’re ready to start offering Hemp Hop Hemp Cigarettes to wholesale distributors. With Rick Ross and James Lindsay spearheading the sales, distribution, and marketing, it will be a wonderful consumer experience for the consumers. James Lindsay is also a wholesale distribution veteran and is ready to present the products to all of his Rap Snacks network of distributors all over the country.”

Lindsay, who is listed as a co-founder, added: “It’s fantastic to team up with my partner, Rick Ross, to mentor Black entrepreneurs wanting to scale their business and become mentors to the new generation of your business leaders. Sculpting and participating in the success of others is one of my big passions.”

Investing in the hemp industry is just the latest business move from Ross, who has made several on top of his iconic rap career. Ross is also the franchise owner of multiple Wingstop locations and the founder of Maybach Music Group (MMG).

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Jordyn Woods was certainly feeling the love on her 25th birthday, thanks in part to her boyfriend of over two years, Karl-Anthony Towns. The social media star celebrated another trip around the Sun on Friday (September 23), at which time her NBA-player beau uploaded a heartwarming collection of photos of the pair from throughout their relationship.

“I could write a letter about your greatness. But the world already knows how I feel,” the Minnesota Timberwolves player penned in the caption. “To another 365 love.” The birthday girl promptly wrote back, “I love you!”

Jordyn Woods and Karl-Anthony Towns attend the Dior Men’s Spring/Summer 2023 Collection on May 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, California — Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

In the first photo, the pair can be seen standing together on the beach, elegantly dressed as Woods holds a stunning red rose in her hand. Others find them laughing in the car together, posing for photos in their best outfits at events, and of course, enjoying countless vacations all over the world.

As Daily Mail notes, the model hosts the IG series, Regular-ish, on which she’s previously discussed the connection she has with Towns. “I think it’s kind of cool dating your best friend. We know each other. We know each other’s hearts,” she shared.

“We know each other on good days and bad days and we’ve been through a lot of bad days together,” the 25-year-old admitted.

Though their romance only became official in May of 2020, the two have been friends for much longer than that, and have supported each other through some of their hardest moments in life, such as the death of Wood’s dad to cancer in 2017, and Towns’ mother passing after a battle with COVID-19 in 2020.

Just last month, the couple was spotted jewelry shopping in Italy, at which time they made headlines for allegedly spending some extra time in the ring section – read more about that here, and tap back in with HNHH later for more pop culture news updates.

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