racism

Chris Rock Calls Out Meghan Markle For “Racist” Royal Family Accusations: “Just Some In-Law Shit”

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The last year has been an interesting one for Chris Rock. He previously found his world turned upside down following an altercation with Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars. While the comedian certainly felt the impact of the slap he received across the face from the actor, it was the latter whose career took several major hits as a result of his violent actions. Rock, on the other hand, was offered plenty of exciting opportunities, including a two-and-a-half-hour-long stand-up special.

The Netflix project finally made its debut on Saturday (March 4). As expected, the South Carolina-born entertainer didn’t hold back. On the long list of topics he addressed was obviously “Slapgate,” as it’s become known online, but that’s not all he had to vent about. Elsewhere in the lengthy performance, Rock shared his thoughts on Meghan Markle, who released a Netflix special of her own with her husband Prince Harry recently.

Chris’ Big Comedy Comeback

Chris Rock is seen backstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Al Seib /A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)

“Like who is this girl Meghan Markle? Seems like a nice lady, just complaining,” the Madagascar voice actor says in a video making rounds online. “Like didn’t she hit the light-skinned lottery?” He then specifically referenced comments she made during an interview with Oprah in 2022. At the time, it was revealed that a member of the Royal Family previously raised questions about what colour their first son, Archie, would be due to the actresses’ interracial lineage.

Mocking Markle, Rock ranted to his audience. “‘They’re so racist, they’re so racist.’ Some of that shit she went through was not racism. It was just some in-law shit,” he insisted. “‘Oprah, they’re so racist. They wanted to know how brown the baby was going to be.’ That’s not racist. Even Black people want to know how brown the baby going to be.”

Rock Defends the Royal Family

Apparently, in the father of two’s family, it’s customary to “check behind the ears” of a newborn. This is “because you’ve got to know what kind of black child you going to get.” The funny man then described the range from light skin, like Steph Curry, to far darker complexions, like Draymond Green’s. After dissing Markle, Rock told listeners that he still sympathizes with what she’s been going through.

“I know her dilemma: Black girl trying to be accepted by her white in-laws. Oh, it’s hard. It’s so hard – but it ain’t as hard as a white girl trying to be accepted by her black in-laws. Now that shit is really hard,” the entertainer laughed. “If you Black and you wanted to be accepted by your white in-laws then you need to marry a Kardashian because they accept everybody.” Read what Chris Rock had to say about his feud with Will Smith here, and let us know if you’ll be watching the comedy special in the comments.

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Rolling Stone Writer Accused Of Racism After Replying To The Weeknd’s Criticism With Monkey Meme

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A writer for Rolling Stone faces heavy accusations of racism after he replied to The Weeknd’s shots at the publication with a picture of a monkey. Moreover, this all stemmed from a recently shared promo clip of HBO’s upcoming series The Idol, which Abel stars in. In the clip, his character disses Rolling Stone, calling them “irrelevant” when approached for a promo opportunity. Afterwards, the magazine shared a report in which they interviewed various cast members and came to critical and damning conclusions on the show’s production, script, and messaging. Then, the Canadian star tweeted the clip, asking the publication “Did we upset you?” and a writer responded with the seemingly bigoted meme.

While many might take this as overly reactionary, it’s important to consider the context of their feud and the imagery in the meme. In fact, it’s kind of a reflection of the hypocritical and indulgent brush that they painted the series with in their report. Still, many on social media found it quite funny, mostly in spite of the connotation and hopefully not because of it. Also, it just so happens to target one of the most successful artists of our time, and one who already pushes back against industry institutions.

Rolling Stone Writer Faces Accusations Of Racism For Response To The Weeknd

Moreover, the show’s behind the scenes testimonies took a backseat in the midst of this ordeal. However, HBO issued a statement on these allegations, including one that noted series director Amy Seimetz being booted halfway through. “The initial approach on the show and production of the early episodes, unfortunately, did not meet HBO standards so we chose to make a change.

“Throughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew. We look forward to sharing The Idol with audiences soon.” Still, audiences don’t have the show in their hands to compare, and maybe there’s some truth to what happened on set. But a possibly discriminatory response to a minority superstar rings louder right now than any speculation on a yet-to-premiere show. Regardless, stick around on HNHH for more updates on this story and The Weeknd.

Yara Shahidi As Tinkerbell In “Peter Pan & Wendy” Trailer Has Racist Twitter Users Fuming

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For years now, Disney has been reimagining animated childhood classic films into live-action stories starring some of our favourite actors. It all began in 2010 with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, and since then we’ve seen other tales like Cinderella, Dumbo, and The Lion King brought to life. More recently, we’ve seen Cruella and Pinocchio, and in the coming months, both Peter Pan & Wendy and The Little Mermaid will be hitting theatres.

To the surprise of many producers made the creative decision to cast Black women in roles traditionally characterized by white features. Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel to take us under the sea this May, and Yara Shahidi was tapped to bring Tinkerbell to life in the upcoming magical movie. On Tuesday (February) 28, Disney finally dropped off the trailer, giving audiences their first look at the 23-year-old in character.

Disney’s Magical Peter Pan & Wendy Trailer is Here

Due out at the end of April, the project follows a free-spirited Peter Pan as he whisks away his new friend Wendy to his home of Neverland. While there, the young girl faces no fears of growing up, much like her unique, green-outfitted companion. Much like in the animated original, we’ll see adventures with mermaids, pirates, and fairies along their journey.

As Variety notes, Peter Pan & Wendy was first teased at the D23 Expo last September. It was directed by David Lowery, and sees Alexander Molony and Ever Anderton in the leading titular roles. Fans are also excited to see Jude Law’s performance as he brings the villainous Captain Hook to life. What the internet seems to be debating about, though, is Shahidi’s casting.

Twitter Reacts to Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell

Yara Shahidi is seen in Midtown on January 18, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)

“So instead of giving POC their own movies or making new movies with POC characters, they decided to just make white characters Black for some reason?” one Twitter user asked earlier today, pointing out that The Princess and the Frog is the only Disney project with a royal Black lead. “Who’s rooting for Paris Hilton to play Pocahontas? Come on guys,” someone else joked.

While the hate is obviously running rampant, there are still plenty coming to Shahidi’s defense. “‘Tinkerbell isn’t black’ and fairies aren’t fucking real so now what?” one of them expertly shut down the online trolls. Keep scrolling to read Twitter reactions to Yara Shahidi bringing the first Black Tinkerbell to life. Make sure to check back later for more pop culture news updates.

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Elon Musk Thinks U.S. Media Is Racist “Against Whites & Asians”

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Since taking over as Twitter’s CEO, Elon Musk’s posts on the social media platform have been undeniably controversial. Ever the advocate for free speech, the South African engineer’s latest scandal finds him coming to the aid of a famous cartoonist who’s become known as a racist. As Salon reports, Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strip, has been dropped by hundreds of newspapers across the nation for making damaging comments about the Black community in a now-viral video.

It all began when the artist shared the latest episode of his YouTube series, Real Coffee with Scott Adams. At the time, he repeatedly shared his thoughts that Black people are part of a “racist hate group.” He appears to have fallen into the school of thought after seeing Rasmussen Reports’ poll revealing that a reported 53% of Black Americans agreed with the statement, “It’s OK to be white.”

Scott Adams Controversy

Elsewhere in his post, Adams revealed that he no longer plans to “help Black Americans” before advising other white people to “get the hell away from Black people.” In wake of the Dilbert doodler being cancelled by social media users far and wide, plenty of debate has been flying – chiefly on Twitter. “If Scott Adams wasn’t a cruel, racist, heinously insensitive asshole… it might’ve worked out differently,” actor William Baldwin wrote in a condemning post.

“This isn’t wokeness, this isn’t political correctness, this isn’t cancel culture. This is consequences. See the difference?” he pointed out to followers. Of course, the number of critics Adams has is steadily growing, but luckily for him, one of the biggest accounts on Twitter is coming to his rescue. On Sunday (February 26), Elon Musk turned the tables with a tweet suggesting that there are bigger issues to deal with as far as racism goes.

Elon Musk Chimes In

In response to a tweet from @MonitoringBias, declaring that “Adams is a racist, but not the 20 million Black people who think it’s not OK to be white,” the 51-year-old shared his opinion that, “the media is racist.” Musk went on to say, “For a *very* long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now they’re racist against whites and Asians.”

He then noted that the same thing previously happened with elite colleges and high schools around the country. “Maybe they can try not being racist,” the controversial public figure wrote, leading to further debate. What do you think of Elon Musk’s take on modern-day racism? Sound off in the comments, and check back later for more pop culture news.

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#BHM: The Source Magazine Remembers The Trayvon Martin Tragedy 11 Years Later

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Eleven years ago during the NBA All-Star Game, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by self-appointed Neighborhood Watch person George Zimmerman in his father’s neighborhood of Sanford, Florida, outside of Orlando. Martin was only carrying a can of Arizona Ice Tea and a pack of Skittles.

After Martin’s death and Zimmerman’s acquittal, a epidemic of young Black males dying at the hands of law enforcement and citizens alike hit the streets of America, such as Jordan Davis, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Akai Gurle and a host of others in which almost no one was held responsible for their deaths. In some of the cases, the municipalities of the cities where the deaths occurred, sued the estates of the deceased.

If Trayvon would’ve lived the life of a normal teenager instead of being killed by an overzealous citizen, he would be 28 years old. Even President Obama made a declaration at the time of Martin’s death, saying, “Trayvon Could’ve Been Me”, which sent shockwaves across the globe. The death of Trayvon marks a dramatic turning point in the history of America and proves that racism is alive, well and as American as an NBA All Star Game.

The post #BHM: The Source Magazine Remembers The Trayvon Martin Tragedy 11 Years Later appeared first on The Source.

Bryan Cranston Suggests “MAGA” Is A “Racist Remark”

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Prepare to rehash MAGA madness as the U.S. approaches another presidential election next year. Donald Trump coined the phrase during his tenure, and it spread like wildfire among his supporters. Yet, it wasn’t just in America that MAGA mania took over. Red hats surfaced worldwide, and the “Make America Great Again” slogan was forever cemented in infamy. Some have refuted the phrase, questioning when the U.S. has been “great” to and for all of its citizens. Others associate MAGA with Trump’s often incendiary remarks disparaging People of Color or marginalized groups.

Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston has been on the interview circuit, and he’s sharing thoughts about all things politics. He went toe-to-toe with Bill Maher as the pair debated Critical Race Theory, and more recently, he addressed MAGA enthusiasts. Cranston visited Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace on CNN and explained why Trump’s slogan could be considered racist.

Bryan Cranston Questions MAGA Supporters

HOLLYWOOD, CA – MAY 10: Actors Bob Odenkirk, left, and Bryan Cranston attend the “All The Way” Los Angeles Premiere at Paramount Studios on May 10, 2016 in Hollywood City. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

“When I see ‘Make America Great Again,’ my comment is, ‘Do you accept that that could possibly be construed as a racist remark?’” said Cranston. “A lot of people go, ‘How could that be racist, to make America great again?’ I said, ‘So just ask yourself from an African-American experience: When was it ever great in America for the African-American? So if you’re making it great again, it’s not including them.’”

“It’s to teach us, in the ‘woke’ world, to open up and accept the possibilities that our privilege has created blind spots for us. Maybe I haven’t seen what’s really happening, in all my years.” The reactions to the actor’s comments have been pouring from one social media platform to the next. He has been vilified by avid Trump and MAGA supporters but praised by their opponents.

Bryan Cranston & Bill Maher Clash

During his conversation with Maher earlier this month, the crux of the discussion was about the likes of CRT and The 1619 Project shining a light on the ongoing impact the institution of slavery has had on American history. Maher doesn’t believe in 1619‘s mission of dissecting the Transatlantic Slave Trade’s influence, but Cranston thinks it’s essential. “In Florida, they want to do away with critical race theory, and a lot of other states,” said the actor. “I mean, teaching how the race trade and racism is systemic in everything we’ve done in government, in social activities.”

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Ice Spice’s Looks Mocked By The 1975 Singer Matt Healy, Yungblud Defends Her

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A podcast episode that arrived earlier this month is gaining traction online as people are calling out The 1975 singer Matt Healy. He recently appeared on The Adam Friedland Show podcast, and during the chat, Healy brought up Ice Spice. He claimed he DMed the Bronx rapper before he and the hosts began mocking Ice’s looks. “She’s like an Inuit Spice Girl,” someone said as they all laughed. “This cubby Chinese lady. ‘Yeah, I rap and [make] music.’ Do Inuits talk like that?” Then, the group began making fun of Inuit, Hawaiian, and Chinese accents.

Healy added, “Yeah, that’s what Ice Spice is like.” Then, the group described Spice as an “attractive woman who released one song.” One of the hosts asked Healy, “So, you slide in her DMs. What’d you ask her, ‘Are you a f*ckin’ Eskimo?’” The comments faced minimal backlash when the episode was first released, but Yungblud made his grievances known.

Yungblud Calls Out Matt Healy & Podcast Hosts
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 02: Ice Spice attends the 2023 Spotify Best New Artist Party at Pacific Design Center on February 02, 2023 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Steven Simione/FilmMagic)

Not long after the podcast episode aired, Yungblud fired off a tweet. “Love listening to three privileged white dudes sit around and objectify a young black female artist who’s blowing up,” he wrote. “Welcome to your 30’s i guess.” Healy took issue with Yungblud’s response and, in turn, uploaded a video mocking the singer. This isn’t Healy’s first controversial run-in; weeks ago, he was accused of giving the Nazi salute during one of his performances. Fans questioned if he was anti-Semitic or doing it as satire.

Meanwhile, reactions to Healy’s remarks about Ice Spice have recently gained steam on social media. People have questioned why he didn’t face more criticism. Healy seems unapologetic over his remarks, which isn’t surprising considering his previous scandals that have permeated the Alternative scene. However, since his comments have gone viral, people have educated him on Ice Spice’s heritage.

Ice Spice Shared Her Background

In November, Ice was tweeting away with fans as several began questioning her ethnic background. To end the discussion, she wrote, “I’m Nigerian, but IDK which tribe. Maybe u right!” she said to someone who claimed she looked Igbo. “Dominican too, Chill sisters.” Check out Matt Healy and the podcast hosts speaking about Ice Spice above around the 19:45 mark.

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On This Date In Black History Month: At Least A Dozen HBCUs Get Bomb Threats On First Day Of #BHM One Year Ago

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Last year on the first day of Black History month, at least a dozen Historically Black Colleges and Universities received bomb threats, causing the schools to either evacuate or dismiss classes for that day altogether, showing the relentless commitment to racism in this country, especially towards its specialized, secondary learning institutions.

**From the report dated Feb 1, 2022**

The FBI is actively investigating bomb threats at the following schools: Mississippi Valley State University, Morgan State University, Alcorn State University, Tougaloo College, Jackson State University, Kentucky State University, Fort Valley State University, Howard University, Xavier University, The University of the District of Columbia, Spelman College, and Edward Waters University.

According to the report, Morgan State closed their campus for the day(February 1) due to the alleged threat.

The FBI released a statement via USA Today about the bomb threats which read, “The FBI is aware of the series of bomb threats around the country and we are working with our law enforcement partners to address any potential threats. As always, we would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious to report it to law enforcement immediately.”

The post On This Date In Black History Month: At Least A Dozen HBCUs Get Bomb Threats On First Day Of #BHM One Year Ago appeared first on The Source.