LGBTQ

Candace Owens Says JoJo Siwa Is “Lying” About Sexuality, Teen Tells Commentator To “Back The F*ck Off”

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If there’s one thing you can always count on Candace Owens to do, it’s stir the pot. Her most recent bout of antics arrived on Twitter earlier this week when the right-wing political commentator opted to turn her attention to JoJo Siwa’s TikTok page. In a five-minute video, the grown woman dissects the teenager’s social media posts, going so far as to accuse her of faking her sexuality. As you may recall, the Dance Moms alum came out as part of the LGBTQ community in January 2021. “I don’t believe JoJo Siwa is a lesbian,” Owens declared in her post from April 4.

“But the way, I want to state that very clearly, I do believe she’s desperate for attention,” the 33-year-old said of Siwa. “You’re not going to believe what she’s doing now,” Owens added before speculating about a romance between the internet sensation and former Disney Channel star, Demi Lovato. In the same year that JoJo came out, the Camp Rock actress also informed the world that she’s pansexual. “She did this for attention,” the talk show host doubled down on the relationship rumours. “I don’t believe she’s a lesbian no more than I believe Demi Lovato is a lesbian.”

JoJo Siwa Claps Back at Candace’s Comments

In the caption of her tweet, Owens once again pondered, “Is JoJo Siwa lying about being lesbian for attention?” While some of the internet is in agreeance with the mother of two, many others are slamming her for concerning herself with the love life of a 19-year-old when she has a family of her own. As the post continued to circulate online, Siwa eventually got word of it and didn’t hesitate to give her new nemesis the attention she was looking for.

“I haven’t watched the video yet… But if it has anything to do with your caption, respectfully, back the f*ck off,” she told the controversial figure. Candace Owens doesn’t appear to have responded to JoJo Siwa at this point, though she has posted other videos about heated conservative topics such as drag queens and the transgender community. Let us know if you think her comments on the teenager are out of line below, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.

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Benzino Demands LGBTQ+ Community Stop Flirting With Him

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Benzino wants the LGBTQ+ community to stop flirting with him. In a series of since-deleted posts on social media, the 57-year-old explained that, while he’s an ally to the cause, he isn’t interested in men. The comments come after a trans woman named Shauna Brooks alleged that Benzino pursued a relationship with her in 2022. At the time, she leaked audio of phone calls with him. In response, Benzino claimed he is only attracted to cis women.

“Attention to all in the LGBTQ, abcd!!!” Benzino began in one of his new tweets. “I respect y’all’s movement and your decision to be who you want to be BUT STOP THE WEIRD SHIT WITH THE COMMENTS AND FLIRTING. I’M NOT FUCKING FLATTERED BECAUSE I’M NOT GAY!! RESPECT THAT SHIT AS I RESPECT WHO YOU ARE!!”

Benzino’s Response To His Doubters

ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 06: Benzino attends “Hollywood Hearts” Atlanta movie premiere at Regal Atlantic Station on October 6, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

When accused of lying about being hit on, Benzino came back with examples from Twitter. “Wtf I gotta lie to y’all for? Yall weird asf!” he captioned the screenshots. “There’s WAY more but twitter only allows 4 pics at a time.” He further complained about his followers on Instagram, reaffirming that he’s “straight.” “Fuck y’all mad at me for?? Cause I ain’t wit that shit?” he asked. “I know it ain’t all gays & not all gay men are disrespectful but it’s a lot who are, it’s been going on for awhile. I don’t wanna see that on my timeline. Just respect that. I’m straight, and idgaf about none y’all comments.”

When he was accused of dating Shauna Brooks, Benzino appeared on The Danza Project in April 2022 to explain why being thought of as gay makes him uncomfortable. “You never want to go through people thinking that you’re gay when you’re not,” he said at the time. “Like, I just, and people are like ‘Well if it ain’t true then you should…’ Man, fuck all thizzat. Like you don’t want to be accused of being gay. I just don’t want that, bro.”

Benzino’s Since-Deleted Posts

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Boosie Badazz Accuses Gabrielle Union Of “Gay Bashing”

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Boosie Badazz frequent criticism of the LGBTQ+ community found him in a long-standing feud with Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union. The rapper’s comments about Zaya Wade led to a ban on Instagram and Planet Fitness, where he filmed transphobic comments before sending them off to the ‘Gram. At the time, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union didn’t fuel the media storm that he caused but eventually, the Bring It On actress gave Boosie a piece of her mind.

“He’s so preoccupied. It’s almost like don’t protest too much Lil Boos’…. You got a lot of dick on your mind,” she told Jemele Hill. Union and Hill then went onto further imply that Boosie hasn’t confronted his own sexuality. “It’s like, sir, is there something you want to go ahead and tell us,” she said. Boosie later fired back, claiming Dwyane Wade was also homosexual. “​​Hope you don’t think black couples look at yall like a power couple they don’t!” he tweeted. Go bang him with that dildo and wait on a script u lil white girl.”

Boosie Badazz Calls Gabrielle Union A “Hypocrite”

During Boosie Badazz’s latest appearance on Vlad TV, he went on to share a more in-depth reaction to Gabrielle Union’s comments about him. Though he acknowledged that he has no knowledge of Wade actually being gay, the rapper explained that he found her comments hypocritical, especially as an advocate for gay rights. “For her to say that, that makes her a hypocrite,” he said. “You don’t want no one to talk about what goes on in those situation but you’re saying that somebody has dick on their mind? So if you do got d*ck on your mind, you feel some type of way about that. Baby, you a hypocrite.”

At this point, Vlad interjected, describing Gabrielle Union’s comments as a form of “gay bashing” which Boosie agreed with. “You ‘gay bashing’ me,” he added with a smirk on his face. “Are you gay bashing? You’re a hypocrite… Everything I spoke to her was from the heart. We don’t look at you like a power couple, baby. I mean, not the people where I’m from.” However, Boosie explained that he “tried to be respectful” since family members personally asked him not to mention Zaya. Check the full clip above. 

Ari Lennox Fans Ask If She Was “Dykin It” As 2016 Photo Resurfaces, Singer Responds

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For Ari Lennox, 2023 is off to a strong start. After finally delivering her sophomore album, age/sex/location, at the end of last year, the Dreamville artist gave us her first new vocals in a minute on the Creed III soundtrack. Along with several of her labelmates, and other hip-hop and R&B favourites, she helps paint a perfect sonic picture for Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut. “Greater” finds her showing out on her own, but on “Talk To Me,” she was joined by Omen and OG DAYV.

Aside from that exciting project, which landed on Friday (March 3), Lennox has also been busy entertaining audiences on stages all across the nation. Her tour kicked off a few weeks ago, boasting many sold-out dates and sultry performances from the Washington, D.C. native. From time to time, she’s even been teasing social media with tantalizing thirst traps of her various tour looks. Most recently, the “Pressure” hitmaker gave us a preview of the look she rocked in Connecticut.

More Tour Thirst Traps

On Sunday (March 5), the R&B diva posted up in a pair of tiny denim shorts and a shiny metal bra on Twitter. “Connecticut was love,” she wrote in her tweet, including an image of her singing to a full crowd gazing back at her with immense love. “This was an amazing show from top to bottom,” one attendee responded to Lennox’s commemorative post. “Vocals are consistently fire. Ari is a sanger. When you are ready a live album will be [amazing], I feel like all the greats have one.”

While her new thirst traps are certainly getting their share of attention, another hot topic of conversation surrounding the 31-year-old right now is her sexuality. Over the weekend, a TikTok featuring a throwback photo of Lennox from 2016 surfaced online, showing her without makeup and in a more masculine presenting outfit. “Mmm honey, was Ari Lennox dykin’ it out here in these streets before she got famous?” one user asked. “‘Cuz her energy makes this make sense to me.”

Ari Responds to Twitter’s Sexuality Speculation

By the time she saw the tweet for herself, Lennox couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. “I leave Twitter for three days… THREE DAYS,” she joked. In the replies, others pulled out more past photos of the singer that show her dressing similarly. “Explain this too, it’s giving very much butch,” someone pressed her for answers. “Let me not know how to dress in peace, DAMN,” she clapped back.

Elsewhere online, many are pointing out that she didn’t explicitly deny the rumours, leaving them with a shred of hope that the entertainer might play for both teams. Of course, nothing has been confirmed, but she’s been publicly linked to a few men throughout her career. Keep scrolling for more of Twitter’s discourse about Ari Lennox’s sexuality, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.

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Raven-Symoné To Be Honored With Icon Award At 2023 Truth Awards

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Sunday, March 4th marks the ninth annual Truth Awards, with Raven-Symoné set to receive the 2023 Icon Award. The 37-year-old actress is being recognized for her commitment to family programming and LGBTQ advocacy, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Initiated by the Diva Foundation and Better Brothers Los Angeles, the Truth Awards honors Black LGBTQ+ members and allies. Specifically, the ceremony shines a light on stars who’ve used their platform to embrace and advocate for their identity.

The Icon Award will add to Symoné’s impressive list of acclamations. Previously recognized for her work in The Cosby Show and That’s So Raven, the Georgia-born star has racked up five trophies from the NAACP Image Awards. In addition, Symoné has earned two Daytime Emmy nominations for her work on The View.

Symoné’s Star Continues To Rise

Raven Symone attends 28th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards at Millennium Biltmore Hotel on June 17, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/WireImage)

The Disney Channel alum will receive her recognition at the 2023 Truth Awards, which will be hosted in Hollywood, CA. Sheryl Lee Ralph, the founder of the DIVA foundation, gave a statement about the ceremony. “The Truth Awards, along with our acceptance and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community, will encourage, inspire and motivate others to live their truth unapologetically,” she wrote.

“It’s important that we focus on supporting our brothers and sisters in the LGBTQ+ community as they continue to fight for equality. Our public acknowledgment and partnership make it possible for them to live out loud and openly for the world to see.” The ceremony will be led by Pose actress and transgender rights advocate Angelica Ross. Joining her are Cocktails With Queens host Claudia Jordan and news anchor Marcus Washington.

Raven Speaks Her Truth to Oprah

Despite her industry-shaking success in her early career roles, Symoné received backlash after a 2014 interview with Opera Winfrey. During their discussion, the actress reflected, “I don’t want to be labeled gay, I want to be labeled a human who loves humans.” She continued to expand, “I’m an American; I’m not an African-American. I’m an American.” Even with Winfrey warning her of the criticism she would likely face for the comments, Symoné stood with her truth.

The 2023 Truth Awards will be recognizing Bryon Perkins, the first openly gay HBCU football player, with the Courage Award. Additionally, The Upshaws (created by Wanda Skyes and Regina Hicks) will receive the Cultural Affirmation Award. The STARZ network will also be honored with the Corporate Diversity & Leadership Award for 2023. To keep up with the hottest pop culture news, don’t forget to check out HNHH.

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