View this post on Instagram After big sister FaceTime consultations, conversations with his homies and knowing what would make her smile, Sayeed SURPRISED Storm with the CUTEST promposal #proudbigsis #jrprom #lovearollerset #canvaspainting A post shared by Yara (يارا) Shahidi (@yarashahidi) on Apr 10, 2019 at 7:12am PDT Sayeed Shahidi Asks Storm Reid To Prom Yara Shahidi has been prepping for the release of her new film The Sun Is Also A Star , due in theaters May 17, but she’s still got time to be a great big sister. Much like her scenes in black-ish , Yara took some time out to help her little brother Sayeed with his dating life this week. Back in 2017, Sayeed asked A Wrinkle In Time actress Storm Reid to Homecoming and she said it was the “BEST. SURPRISE. EVER.” This year, thanks to Yara and the homies, Sayeed nailed his promposal too… “After big sister FaceTime consultations, conversations with his homies and knowing what would make her smile, Sayeed SURPRISED Storm with the CUTEST promposal,” Yara told her followers on Instagram, posting a photo of the sweet moment. On his own social media, Sayeed wrote “So Lucky I get to go to my first prom with her #picscomingsoon.” Storm responded “He’s just the absolute sweetest. Saturday can’t come fast enough.” Peep their young love up top and on the flip — and yes, we love a good roller set too, Storm!
Source: Prince Williams/WireImage / Getty Future Is Unbothered In Rolls Royce After Not Being Invited To Eliza Reign’s Baby Shower ISSA Baby Reign Shower ! But there was no Future in the forecast. View this post on Instagram REIGN SHOWER List of all vendors: Full Design and Decor @ticaroseevents Photographer @imagerybyjulesphotography Videographer @bricksgroup Floral Design @latablechicevents Custom Desserts @luxcakery Custom Cookies @moecookiesplease Custom Cake @iamcaked Custom Dessert Backdrop @elfren Custom Flooring Wrap @mpeeventgroup Balloon Design, Circle Grass Backdrop @maggiecreativedesign Custom Rental & Table Top @glamtouchrentals Draping @justbydesign Custom Stationary Design & Calligraphy @dscreationsandco (I do not own any rights to this song) A post shared by Haitian Goddess (@elizareign_) on Apr 8, 2019 at 7:54am PDT Eliza Reign, the woman who claimed she was in fear for her life after allegedly becoming pregnant with Future’s six child, is now nine months pregnant and held a baby shower over the weekend. View this post on Instagram All the hurt, blood, sweat and tears I’ve encountered thru these pass 9 months have really made me grow into a better person. The lies i was told, the promises that were made with the pain and suffering I’m glad @ticaroseevents made sure I had an amazing Baby Shower. Between my family, with only my genuine friends @toyatoya_bae @tia_becca_ @boisluvtois @brooklyninthebuildin @ib_da_king @azure_latrice @pumkin1026 @msfinesse01 to turn to about my real problems, I must say I’m relieved And happy that i am now surrounded by genuine people that truely showed me what real love and support is. I love y’all! THANK YOU…. I had a so call friend steal $6500 from me while pregnant God sits high and looks low… I AM GODS CHILD. HE BLESSED AND NOT DONE BLESSING ME. Father God i am THANKFUL and GRATEFUL for this blessing #9months #babyreign #countdown #graditude #humbleness #growth #ididit #wedidit HAVE FAITH! NEVER GIVE UP Makeup @makeupbydon Dress: @theohanaboutique Hair: @luxury_xtensions Thank you to everyone that showed up love y’all A post shared by Haitian Goddess (@elizareign_) on Apr 8, 2019 at 11:45am PDT While everything LOOKED beautiful and amazing, Eliza revealed she’s been through some serious challenges during her pregnancy. She captioned one of her shower videos with a testimony to what she has endured: All the hurt, blood, sweat and tears I’ve encountered thru these pass 9 months have really made me grow into a better person. The lies i was told, the promises that were made with the pain and suffering I’m glad @ticaroseevents made sure I had an amazing Baby Shower. Between my family, with only my genuine friends @toyatoya_bae @tia_becca_ @boisluvtois @brooklyninthebuildin @ib_da_king @azure_latrice @pumkin1026 @msfinesse01 to turn to about my real problems, I must say I’m relieved And happy that i am now surrounded by genuine people that truely showed me what real love and support is. I love y’all! THANK YOU…. I had a so call friend steal $6500 from me while pregnant God sits high and looks low… I AM GODS CHILD. HE BLESSED AND NOT DONE BLESSING ME. Father God i am THANKFUL and GRATEFUL for this blessing #9months #babyreign #countdown #graditude #humbleness #growth #ididit #wedidit HAVE FAITH! NEVER GIVE UP Makeup @makeupbydon Dress: @theohanaboutique Hair: @luxury_xtensions Thank you to everyone that showed up love y’all When one woman commented: Why didn’t he come to the baby shower sis he went to @joiechavis Eliza responded: same reason why you didn’t… #wasntinvited OUCH… Fortunately Eliza had plenty of support from her friends. View this post on Instagram Respect people who find time for you in their busy schedule. But love people who never look at their schedule when you need them…. Dresses @theohanaboutique @imagerybyjulesphotography Makeup @makeupbydon A post shared by Haitian Goddess (@elizareign_) on Apr 9, 2019 at 7:17am PDT We hope things improve between Future and Eliza Reign for the sake of the baby. Wishing her a healthy delivery! In the meantime, Future was spotted in Beverly Hills this week. Hit the flip to see how unbothered he is, despite the baby news.
View this post on Instagram We. Didn’t. Even. Try. For. This. What’s the name of our duo? #TwilightZone does #ShotsFired reunion A post shared by DeWanda Wise (@dewandawise) on Mar 26, 2019 at 8:58pm PDT DeWanda Wise Slayyyys “The Twilight Zone” Premiere Impossibly gorgeous actress DeWanda Wise slayyyyed “The Twilight Zone” premiere in Hollywood with a bronzy delicious lewk and deliciously spooky Black lip that melted us (and everyone else) into a puddle of heart-eye goo. View this post on Instagram I love this look so much I wish I could “US” it. Styled by @jasonbolden Makeup by @bethanygmakeup Hair by @tymwallacehair #TwilightZone A post shared by DeWanda Wise (@dewandawise) on Mar 27, 2019 at 10:20am PDT Hit the flip for a swoon-worthy glimpse of DeWanda at “The Twilight Zone” premiere.
Source: Claudia Hershner / Claudia Hershner HB’s 2019 Hustler’s List highlights Black women across the beauty, entertainment and marketing fields. These women are blazing paths in their respective lanes while embodying the definition of a true hustler. CEO Brittney Kelley is the definition of what it looks like to do it all, while looking good. The mommy of two is killing it as the CEO of her own makeup line, that offers lipsticks, lip liner and handbags carrying her own namesake. She is also the wife of Major League Baseball player, Josh Harrison. Balancing both family life and business accolades is no easy feat, but she does it with the grace of a pro. We caught up with Kelley about how she maintains her professional and personal endeavors, and advice she has for other women looking to start their own companies. HB: Describe how your passion for fashion and makeup began… Brittney Kelley: It began at an early age. I would sit at home and watch my mom get glammed up. I loved to play in her makeup and clothes. As a young girl, I would sit on the couch during award season and sketch all the beautiful dresses on a sketch pad as the celebrities would walk down the red carpet. It was so cool to me. HB: How did you decide to launch a line? Brittney Kelley: When I was in college at the University of Cincinnati, I created a fashion show that provided African American designers and models an opportunity to showcase their work. I was a business student and knew I wanted to showcase my styling efforts. At the time, there was nowhere for me to show it. I wasn’t a design student in college, so I couldn’t showcase them through the design program. Through my shows and research, I started to notice that there were not many African American Handbag Designers. I loved handbags, so I decided to launch my own line. From there, I launched a beauty & lifestyle brand of lipsticks to showcase bold colors for the everyday woman. There are so many beauty and lifestyle brands that focus on what the fashion industry considers beauty, I wanted to create a line that showcased a chic style for any woman (even moms). I wanted to let all women know, that “You can be your own kind of beautiful” by illustrating bold and bright colors for women of all skin tones and backgrounds. HB: What obstacles did you face in launching your line and how did you overcome them? Brittney Kelley: Because I was so young when I first started out and was working with a minimal budget, I faced the challenge of manufacturing. It took a while to find a good manufacturer that was willing to produce small quantities of my products. I never gave up and just kept contacting companies, until I found someone that could produce my items. HB: What would you say to naysayers who feel the makeup industry is “too saturated” with product offerings? Brittney Kelley: I would say that the economic base in the beauty industry is very large. “There’s a piece of the pie for everyone” you just have to find your niche! HB: How do you balance being an entrepreneur/wife/mother? Brittney Kelley: I make sure that I set aside time for everyone. As an entrepreneur, it is very easy to get caught up in your work. There can be nights where you can be up until 3am or 4am doing work. I try to create a work life balance. I am a wife and mother first. So that means if I have to spend a good part of the day with my family and then spend all night finishing up work, that’s just what I will do! My family is the most important thing to me. It’s truly a balancing act! Sometimes, I don’t even know how I do it!! HB: Who is your womenpreneur inspiration and why? Brittney Kelley: My womenpreneur inspiration is “Karen Civil”. She’s a great example of a woman that exudes self-confidence, women empowerment and not letting anyone deter you from your dreams! That is something that is so hard to come by in a society where people are constantly trying to drag you down. HB: What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Brittney Kelley: “Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything.” I say this, because as entrepreneur’s we are constantly worried about everything. It’s just in our nature. You want everything to be perfect. We are perfectionist! Whether its worrying about who will like your product, if your product will sell or are you giving off the right image. All off these things can take over our minds. So, this is something that was said to me and I try to stand true to it. HB: What advice would you give to other women looking to start their own businesses? Brittney Kelley: Just do it! Ask god what he wants you to do and do it! HB: Did you ever doubt your ability to “do it all?” Why or why not? Brittney Kelley: Yes, there are many times that I doubted myself. You will always have naysayers, that say “O there are thousands of lipstick companies” or “everyone has a lipstick line”. I had to push through. My husband and my family are my biggest supporters and they never let me stop believing in myself. I pray every night and still do, for god to continue to lead me on the path that he wants me to be on. I would say that he’s leading my life in his direction. RELATED STORIES: HB’s 2019 Hustler’s List: Milan Rouge Is Dominating The Luxury Streetwear Lane With Her Brand Milano Di Rouge HB’s 2019 Hustler’s List: KayCee Nwasike Curates Events For Your Favorite Celebrities & Brands
If you can’t beat them, Joseph and Kendra Duggar figure that the saying really does apply: They might as well join them. A couple months after a photo of Joseph and Kendra’s son leaked online , the young couple has decided to control its own narrative by opening up an Instagram account… … and sharing their very own photo of eight-month old Garrett. “We finally decided to get social media! Still trying figure out how it works,” the couple wrote as a caption to the adorable snapshot below, adding: “Looking forward to keeping y’all updated on our little family.” For the record, it’s a joint account, shared by both husband and wife. Little Garrett (who is just SO gosh darn cute, starting up at us while dressed in his blue onesie here) was born to Kendra and Joseph last June. Most members of the Duggars pretty quickly jump online to share a video and/or many images of their newborn sons or daughter, but Kendra and Joseph decided against those moves for whatever reason. But they did seem pretty psyched about the addition, who arrived so soon after these two got married that a few questions were raised. The main one being: Did Kendra get pregnant before the wedding ?!? Anyway, though. Back to Kendra and Joseph’s reaction to Garrett entering the world last summer. “No matter how many times we’ve experienced the joy of babies born in our families, there’s nothing comparable to the joy in our hearts today!” they told Us Weekly, adding at the time: “Children truly are a gift from God. We are so thankful for his safe arrival and this new journey as parents.” We’ll never know, of course, whether Joseph and Kendra violated the most sacred Duggar courting rule of all and had intercourse before becoming husband and wife… … but we aren’t about to judge them for it, either. Most of Joseph’s brothers and sisters, meanwhile, opened an Instagram account as soon as they started courting. We don’t know what took this pair so long to do so, but we’re psyched to see all the precious images of Garrett likely to come. A mere 15 hours after the couple joined this service, they already gobbled up 135,000 followers. That said, they have a looooooong way to go until they’re the most popular social media members within the Duggar universe. Just consider: Jessa Seewald has a whopping two million followers, while her sister Jill has 1.6 million and Jinger has around one million. Strangers on the Internet are clearly pumped that Joseph and Kendra have now joined the fray. “Garrett is so adorable!! Can’t wait to see updates on your little family!” said one fan, while another wrote: “Welcome! I love following the Duggar family! You guys inspire me so much!” And then there was this from Joy-Anna: “Welcome, Joe, Kendra, & Garrett!” And this from John-David: “Welcome to Instagram Joe and Kendra!” For a look back at Joseph and Kendra’s wedding, click below! View Slideshow: Joseph Duggar & Kendra Caldwell Wedding: First Kiss (and More) Revealed!
If you have yet to hear about the latest cheating scandal in the Kardashian/Jenner fam, well here we go! Kylie reportedly accused Travis Scott of cheating on her while on his Astroworld – Wish You Were Here tour. But hours after the call out, the reality star happily took to Instagram to promote her latest Kylie Cosmetics products. Jenner posted a series of videos to her Instagram story to explain how her new Kylie Cosmetics Setting Powders worked. She also shared two Instagram posts with photos of the products, which she revealed will be available on March 7. “Finally! I’m so excited to Introduce NEW Kylie Setting Powders! 6 beautiful shades: Translucent, Soft Pink, Beige, Yellow, Dark and Deep Dark,” she wrote. “Velvety, smooth, weightless and gorgeous, our new all over loose powders effortlessly set your makeup, balance oils and provide a natural, skin-like finish. Launching March 7.” The second post showed Kylie holding one of the powders. “SETTING POWDERS by [Kylie Cosmetics] launching March 7th,” she wrote with a heart emoji. All of the advertising for her products came a day after boyfriend Travis Scott postponed his concert in Buffalo, New York citing illness, but really it is rumored that it was because Kylie accused him of doing the dirty behind her back. So he returned home to make things right and “deal with it,” according to TMZ. On Thursday afternoon, Scott tweeted, “Buffalo I’m so sorry I can’t perform tonight. I’m under the weather and it f–king sucks! Can’t pull up without full rage. Show rescheduled to March 10 all tix are valid. See u soon.” TMZ reported that Jenner accused Scott of cheating on her after he arrived in Los Angeles Wednesday. He intended to surprise the makeup mogul and their adorable daughter Stormi but was instead met with “evidence” that Jenner claimed was proof that the rapper had cheated. This apparently turned into a major argument which continued into Thursday. Travis’ reps say he “absolutely denies” the allegations. Kylie just lost her best friend, Jordyn Woods, about a week before from a cheating scandal and now is possibly losing her lover over the same betrayal? Khloe and Tristan Thompson broke up after Jordyn and the basketball star were “all over each other” at a house party a few weekends ago. Khloe, also a recent first-time mom, found out the following Monday and broke up with Thompson immediately after. We will see if Kylie follows in her sister’s footsteps. The current Travis Scott scandal comes as shocking news to everyone, especially because Kylie and Travis have been hinting at an engagement in the near future. And they were even previously rumored to have secretly wedded thanks to all the flashy rings that Jenner often shows off. The “wifey” and “hubby” nicknames on social media also added to the speculation. Travis and Kylie met at Coachella in 2017 and welcomed Stormi a year later. “I’ll let everybody know” when they get engaged, Kris Jenner told Paper last week. And as for being a young mother, Kylie admits it is what she has always wanted. “It’s genuinely what I wanted…to be a young mom,” she told the outlet. “I thought, ‘This is what I want to do, and if people accept it or don’t accept it then I’m OK with every outcome.” And while Kylie has raved about Travis’ parenting skills in the past, we know she would be just fine on her own. Besides Stormi and her fam is all she really needs! View Slideshow: Kylie Jenner Catches Travis Scott CHEATING … Here’s How She Busted Him [Updated]
Join Our Text Club To Get The Latest Music, Entertainment, Contests And Breaking News On Your Phone. Text NOW to 60796 to join! Source: Patricia Schlein/WENN.com / WENN The fallout from the Jordyn Woods / Tristan Thompson / Khloe Kardashian saga has put Woods in a spotlight nobody thought she wanted to be thrust in. Woods has been reportedly cut from all businesses associated with the Kardashian family. She previously teamed up with ex-best friend Kylie Jenner on her makeup line and had her own page on Khloe’s Good American fashion site but as of today, Woods’ page had been scrubbed and removed from the site. Insiders allege that Woods ruined any potential opportunity of working for or with the company. It doesn’t end there. Even though Kylie and Jordyn are at an odds due to her alleged hookup with Thompson, Jenner revoked her former friend’s security clearance for the gated neighborhood she resides in. If you recall, the drama began at a house party earlier this month when Woods was reportedly caught kissing Thompson, prompting a confession to Khloe and the whole thing being ended between her and Thompson. On Tuesday, Woods shared video of her walking towards a set — that of Jada Pinkett Smith ‘s Red Table Talk where she’ll no doubt speak about everything that’s happened in her life in the past few weeks and share accountability for what happened. Looks like Jordyn Woods is at ‘Red Table Talk’ to tell her side. pic.twitter.com/HlB2msybrQ — Karen Civil (@KarenCivil) February 26, 2019 Jordyn Woods going on Red Table Talk pic.twitter.com/Qxg5Wj96cJ — Jasmyn Lawson (@JasmynBeKnowing) February 26, 2019 RELATED: Report: Jordyn Woods Blaming Tristan Thompson Hook-Up on the Alcohol RELATED: As Jordyn Woods Moves Out Of Kylie’s House, Khloe Posts About Betrayal On Instagram RELATED: Who Is Jordyn Woods?: 25 Flame Photos Of Tristan Thompson’s Latest Thotiana
The housewives were in Tokyo, and if you thought they were going to get along swimmingly, you were sadly mistaken. Eva Marcille is still a relatively new addition to the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and she’s been very reserved with her arguments. On Sunday night’s episode, however, Eva let rip on Marlo Hampton after realizing there was only one way to deal with her: With a tense war of words. The episode picked up in the immediate aftermath of last week’s big blowout between Nene Leakes and Tanya Sam. Eva wasted no time in telling the ladies they were going to the red light district for some karaoke fun. Kandi wondered whether she would be able to don her sneaker wedges for the evening, and Eva was not impressed. “I know you ain’t talking, Eva! Your Birkenstock-wearing ass,” Marlo yelled, prompting Eva to go on the offensive. “Girl, you got me all the way twisted. I’m on my motherf–king runway right now. Stop it,” the former model said, parading her $1,200 flats in front of Marlo’s face. “Now you just done got the plug on it. Now, chill out,” Marlo said under her breath. “Ain’t nobody got no plug!” Eva fired back. “She been doing this. I went from on the runway to off the runway every minute of 5’7″. Been doing it since 18, and I’m every minute of 33.” She then shouted to Marlo that she’d “tried to sit on [her] yoga mat” but that she had finally been pushed too far. “Put your wig down and leave me alone!” Eva shouted. Marlo stood up to face her in a fight. Marlo then opted to complain that everything Eva wore on the runway was in her closet, and that’s when Eva decided it was time to say about her age. “Because you’re older than me, Marlo!” Marlo then said that Eva could not fit in any of her runway clothes because she’s gained weight. “And you fit it in when? Never! January of never!” Eva fired back, adding: “The way your ass is set up, you could never model… You wanna work for plus size? Stop. I don’t know where you’re getting these plus-size fashions from.” “Your mother,” Marlo said as the housewives acted like a mic had just been dropped. “Don’t do that,” Eva said as she walked over to Marlo. “Marlo, I am so sincere. Don’t do that.” As the women continued to bicker, everyone else just watched with popcorn. “Go take your cigarette break!” Marlo shouted after Eva trashed her makeup. “You can’t even breastfeed ’cause you too busy smoking a cigarette. Breastfeed. Breastfeed. Breastfeed. Can you breastfeed?” “Have a child!” Eva hurled. “You so bitter, imma pray for you.” She continued, “What we gon’ do is leave my fashions alone,” but Marlo said back, “What you gon’ do is respect your elders! You a child!” “I have two kids and a husband. What do you have?” Eva asked. “You got two kids by two different men!” Marlo muttered. “And you have what? You have nothing. You have what’s on your wrist and that ill-fitting wig you wearing. That’s about what we got, so sit it back,” Eva said at the end of the hour. What are your thoughts on all the latest action? Hit the comments below. RHOA continues Sundays on Bravo. View Slideshow: The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 11: All the Secrets… EXPOSED!
Source: Derrick Salters/WENN.com / WENN Rihanna has never had the closest relationship with her father, and it looks like things are just heading more downhill for the Fenty family. News broke today that the makeup and music mogul is suing her dad, Ronald Fenty, along with his company called Fenty Entertainment, for exploiting her name for his own gains. According to court docs , Rih claims that her father created the entertainment company and has been soliciting business acting as agents of the singer. Rihanna claims that her father booked a $15 million tour in Latin America and two concerts at the Staples Center in LA and the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for $400,000, for which she says she has no involvement in. Rihanna, who has multiple business endeavors under the Fenty name including Fenty Beauty, Savage X Fenty, and Fenty PUMA, says she sent several cease and desist letters to her father and his partner, but is now suing him as a last resort. Even though suing your father seems harsh, Rihanna isn’t the only celebrity that’s had to handle some tough situations against family members. Here’s a list of some more celebrities that got an unfortunately close look at how money–and a lot of other things–can make family turn into foes. 1. Kanye West VS. His Cousin Kanye West hasn’t been quiet about having to pay his cousin $250,000 for a laptop–in songs alone, he mentions the situation more than once. He first addresses the scenario in “Real Friends,” basically admitting that his cousin extorted him with some adult videos on his laptop. “ I had a cousin that stole my laptop that I was f***in’ bi***es on Paid that n***a 250 thousand just to get it from him” On the same album, on “No More Parties In LA,” West makes it known that he has no hard feelings toward his cousin even after having to give him a quarter million. “And as far as real friends, tell all my cousins I love ’em Even the one that stole the laptop, you dirty motherf***er” Well, not exactly no hard feelings. But the love is still there, because they’re family. 2. Jay-Z VS. Solange Not exactly a fight over money, but like Beyonce says, “of course sometimes s**t go down. When it’s a billion dollars on an elevator.” Legend says that Solange was being protective of her sister and came at Jay-Z after his cheating allegations came to light–but of course, that information isn’t going to make it out of the Knowles-Carter household. One thing’s for sure: Bey wasn’t doing anything to stop her sister from throwing some punches, so it’s a pretty good assumption that Solange was stepping up on her sister’s behalf. Hov actually spoke on the infamous elevator fight on the Rap Radar podcast back in 2017, but he didn’t elaborate on the cause. He explained: “We had one disagreement ever. Before and after, we’ve been cool. She’s like my sister. I will protect her. That’s my sister, not my sister-in-law. My sister. Period.” Nobody wins when the family feuds. 3. Kobe Bryant VS. His Parents It’s not surprising that multiple celebs have had to deal with family members trying to capitalize off their success–and Kobe Bryant knows exactly what that is like. The former Lakers star had such a big problem with his parents auctioning off valuable memorabilia they kept at his house that he decided to take them to court. They finally reached a settlement which allowed his parents to auction only six of the items, which was 10% of the original listing–which would still sell for more than $500,000. The items included items such as Kobe’s old school uniforms and replicas of NBA championship rings he had made for his parents as gifts. They were given $450,000 up front for the sale lot from Goldin Auctions, which they then used to buy a house in Las Vegas. After the settlement, both his parents made a public statement as an apology to fans and their son. 4. Frank Ocean VS. His Dad Frank Ocean’s situation with family lawsuits is a little bit different than the rest on the list–because the star is actually the one being sued. The singer’s father, Calvin Cooksey, sued Ocean for libel and is currently seeking $14 million. The whole thing started when the singer told a not-so-flattering story about his father in a Tumblr post . “I was six years old when I heard my dad call our transgender waitress a f****t as he dragged me out a neighborhood diner saying we wouldn’t be served because she was dirty. That was the last afternoon I saw my father and the first time I heard that word, I think, although it wouldn’t shock me if it wasn’t.” Frank’s father denies that this exchange ever happened. “I have never discriminated against anyone transgender or heterosexual or homosexual,” he wrote to Rolling Stone . “The events that defendant describes on June 21st 2016, that I called a transgender waitress F****T NEVER HAPPENED … The defendant is a scam artist, a fraud and a hypocrite who deceive[d] the LGBT community.” This lawsuit between Frank and his dad is still ongoing. 5. The Kardashians VS. Their Stepmom Even though family feuds are pretty tough to imagine, it’s a lot easier to see how a family would have a poor relationship with one of their step-parents. Ellen Kardashian was married to Robert Kardashian Sr. before his untimely death, so she had personal items belonging to the Kardashian children–which included their personal journals and private photos. The family ended up later suing her for copyright over these items and wanted $500,000 in damages because they claimed she hid them. The family ended up settling in 2014 while the diaries and photos were returned to the Kardashians.
In December of 2017, the adult film world was shocked by the suicide of August Ames , an up-and-coming 23-year-old performer who had recently taken the industry by storm. Ames’ death came on the heels of an ugly social media confrontation prompted by some controversial comments she made about a fellow performer. “Whichever (lady) performer is replacing me tomorrow for @EroticaXNews, you’re shooting with a guy who has shot gay porn, just to let cha know,” Ames tweeted just two days before her passing. “BS is all I can say… Do agents really not care about who they’re representing?… I do my homework for my body.” The tweet prompted immediate backlash from both fans and fellow performers, many of whom accused Ames of homophobia. Ames — who was herself bisexual — quickly clarified her position, tweeting: “NOT homophobic. Most girls don’t shoot with guys who have shot gay porn, for safety. That’s just how it is with me. I’m not putting my body at risk, i don’t know what they do in their private lives.” The charge to denigrate Ames was led by fellow adult performers Jaxton Wheeler and Jessica Drake, who recently claimed she was harassed by Donald Trump . “Performers, by all means, f–k who you want to f–k…but if you’re eliminating folks based on the fact they they (sic) may have done gay or crossover work, your logic is seriously flawed,” Drake tweeted. “Reality is, WE DON’T KNOW who does what with whom when there are no cameras.” Within hours of Drake’s tweet, Ames was found dead in a public park roughly 20 minutes from her home. Her death was ruled a suicide by hanging. At the Adult Video News Awards six weeks later, Ames’ widower, Kevin Moore, was greeted with thunderous applause when he took the stage to defend the right of all performers to work with whomever they choose. Drake was in the audience as fans wearing t-shirts honoring Ames gave Moore a standing ovation. The narrative that formed around Ames’ death was quick and convenient — PC hysteria had led to rampant cyberbullying, which resulted in Ames’ decision to take her own life. Now, however, in a new podcast entitled the Last Days of August , author Jon Ronson argues that the situation is far more complex than originally thought. Throughout her life, Ames was open about her traumatic childhood and her struggles with mental illness. Ronson says her short time in the adult film industry shattered Ames’ psyche, a theory he formed after viewing the final scene that she filmed, which has never been released to the public. “When you think about it, what we were watching in that moment was the moment that she decided to die. That’s what we were watching and it’s awful,” Ronson recently told the New York Post . “That was the truth of it, that was the moment when she reached the point of no return. The Twitter bullying may have been the icing on the cake, as some people described it.” Ronson says the scene very clearly took Ames outside of her comfort zone as she was brutalized by a domineering Russian porn star named Markus Dupree. “On more than one occasion in the footage, Markus forcefully repositions August, which visibly startles her,” Ronson’s co-host, Jessica Misitzis, says in the podcast. “She says ‘Whoa s–t!’ and at one point Markus picks up her pink thong, stretches it around her head, jerks her around by it, and then shoves it in her mouth. “At the end of her scene, August is interviewed by a crew member to establish consent for legal purposes. She’s staring straight into the camera, holding up her check for the day’s work, her makeup’s gone and her hair is pulled back, she looks resigned and emotional and hollow all at once,” Mitzis adds. “‘Were you treated OK?’ she’s asked. And flatly, and quietly she says, ‘Yes.’ For the first time in this footage, all the camera is focused on is August’s face and she seems like she’s verging on tears.” In text messages viewed by Ronson and Mitzis, Ames complains to a friend that Dupree went “full on War Machine,” a reference to the adult perfomer who assaulted Christy Mack in 2014. Six weeks after filming that scene, Ames took her own life. The Last Days of August is currently available on Audible.
