Source: PA Images / Getty Jack Johnson , boxing’s first Black heavyweight champion, violated the Mann Act back in 1913 when he drove a white woman across state lines in his vehicle. Today, President Donald Trump, flanked by Sylvester Stallone and others, posthumously pardoned the legendary pugilist but some on Twitter viewed it as an empty act. Joining Stallone in the Oval Office where Trump issued and signed the pardon was WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder and former undisputed World Heavyweight Champion, Lennox Lewis. Back on July 4, 2010, when President Barack Obama was in office, Sen. John McCain was part of a growing chorus of voices seeking Jackson’s pardon along with an aggressive campaign from the family. Just under eight years later, the dream was realized in a moment that observers see as nothing more than a Trump photo op. “If he was President 100 years ago, Trump would have had Jack Johnson deported,” Sportswriter David Zirin wrote in a retweet caption sharing the news. Reaction across Twitter has moved Jack Johnson’s name near or at the top of Twitter’s Trending Topics section and we’ve collected some of the responses below and on the following pages. If he was President 100 years ago, Trump would have had Jack Johnson deported. https://t.co/ne3lDS4D4X — Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) May 24, 2018 For those people who think Trump critics like me are knee-jerk opponents of everything Trump does and are incapable of evaluating individual decisions: he has done a right and good thing with his pardon of Jack Johnson. Doesn’t change anything else. But, one right and good thing. — Jacob T. Levy (@jtlevy) May 24, 2018 Trump just pardoned Jack Johnson as an attempt at distracting from his #NorthKorea failure. Even worse, Trump has never heard of Jack Johnson the boxer, and thinks he pardoned Jack Johnson the singer. — Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) May 24, 2018 — Photo: Getty
Source: New York Daily News Archive / Getty Amid news that New York prosecutors were set to levy charges against Harvey Weinstein , the former Hollywood producer made a preemptive maneuver. On Friday, Weinstein will hand himself over to authorities to face a number of sex crime charges. The New York Daily News reports : Harvey Weinstein is expected to surrender to authorities Friday to face charges related to alleged sexual misconduct in connection to a probe by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and NYPD, the Daily News has confirmed. The fallen former Hollywood honcho is facing charges in connection to at least one accuser — Lucia Evans — who reported to investigators that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004, sources said. Because of the nature of the allegations, the statute of limitations does not apply. As the outlet adds in its still-developing report, a grand jury has been assembled to look into matters of financial fraud connected to Weinstein. Over the course of Thursday morning, it was reported that prosecutors were mounting an investigation against Weinstein. — Photo: Getty
Horrible news out of Hollywood this week: Jill Messick, a former Miramax producer who once managed actress Rose McGowan, committed suicide suicide on Wednesday, her family has confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. She was 50 years old. This is terribly sad – but it may have gone largely unnoticed by the mainstream press if Messick’s family had not released a pointed statement in response to the tragedy. Released by Messick’s loved ones to The Hollywood Reporter, the statement places the blame for this suicide on Harvey Weinstein… McGowan herself… and members of the press for how they covered the #MeToo movement . Weinstein, of course, is the former head of Miramax who has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women. McGowan has claimed for years that she is one of these women, while she’s now a leading voice for the #MeToo movement, which seeks to empower victims of rape and misconduct. Messick, meanwhile, represented McGowan in 1997, at the time she says she was raped by Weinstein. The late producer/manager later took an executive position at Miramax, then led by Weinstein. “Jill was victimized by our new culture of unlimited information sharing and a willingness to accept statement as fact,” reads the emotional statement. “She became collateral damage in an already horrific story.” The full statement, which is available at The Hollywood Reporter , goes on to say that Messick was devastated after the film mogul’s attorney released an email in which Messick defended Weinstein. “The speed of disseminating information has carried mistruths about Jill as a person, which she was unable and unwilling to challenge,” it says. Messick’s relatives acknowledge that McGown told her about an incident with Weinstein… … but they insist that Messick “stood up on Rose’s behalf” and “alerted her bosses to the horrific experience which Rose suffered.” Continues the statement: “She opted not to add to the feeding frenzy, allowing her name and her reputation to be sullied despite having done nothing wrong. “She never chose to be a public figure; that choice was taken away from her.” The family also mentions that Messick was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After discussing with Messick and her management team what transpired with Weinstein, McGown is on record as saying she did not feel much support. In their message to the public on Thursday, Messick’s loved ones criticized journalists for publishing the aforementioned correspondence between Messick and Weinstein. “We must take a moment to consider the ramifications and consequences of what we say and what we do,” the family’s statement reads, concluding: “Words matter. Someone’s life may depend on it.” McGowan, for her part, has been on a mission to reveal the truth about Weinstein, the culture in Hollywood and everything else related to this ongoing sexual harassment scandal in entertainment. It has thus far ended the careers of such A-Listers as Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K., among MANY others. Weinstein’s attorney, Ben Brafman, previously responded to McGowan’s allegations in a statement to People Magazine that reads: “Mr. Weinstein denies Rose McGowan’s allegations of non-consensual sexual contact and it is erroneous and irresponsible to conflate claims of inappropriate behavior and consensual sexual contact later regretted, with an untrue claim of rape.” His spokesperson also has said that McGowan “chose to demand money” from the producer and worked and appeared with him later in her career. On January 30, Weinstein’s lawyers released an email in which Messick said McGowan had told her she got into a hot tub with Weinstein “consensually” yet “regretted” it. Her family here says the document was released without Messick’s consent. “Harvey’s desperate attempt to vindicate himself, was devastating for her. It broke Jill.” May Jill Messick rest in peace. View Slideshow: Hollywood Sex Scandal: Who’s Been Caught? Accused? Fired?
It’s been a few months now since all the awful stories about Harvey Weinstein started pouring in … And what a super depressing time it’s been. Actress after actress has come forward to accuse Weinstein of everything from sexual harassment to sexual assault to rape, and though these stories have been coming out for so long now, we’ve yet to hear the end of it all. We know that because today, Uma Thurman finally felt comfortable to reveal what Weinstein did to her. A little bit of background: Uma has known Weinstein for years and years, ever since she starred in Pulp Fiction. Back in November, she was asked about all the stories that had been coming out about him, and she explained to the reporter that she didn’t have a “tidy soundbite” prepared . “I am not a child,” she said then, “and I have learned that when I’ve spoken in anger, I usually regret the way I express myself.” Uma Thurman: See Her INCREDIBLE Statement on Harvey Weinstein Scandal “So I’ve been waiting to feel less angry. And when I’m ready, I’ll say what I have to say.” She definitely seemed angry then, and she seemed even angrier a few weeks later when she shared a message about Thanksgiving with her followers on Instagram. After talking about being “grateful,” she wrote that “I feel it’s important to take your time, be fair, be exact, so… Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!” “Except you Harvey, and all your wicked conspirators,” she added in parentheses. “I’m glad it’s going slowly — you don’t deserve a bullet .” She advised everyone to “stay tuned,” and we have … and now in a new interview with the New York Times, she’s telling her story at long last. To start, Uma explains that she began getting close to Harvey and his first wife after filming Pulp Fiction. “I knew him pretty well before he attacked me,” she says. “He used to spend hours talking to me about material and complimenting my mind and validating me.” “It possibly made me overlook warning signs.” “This was my champion,” she continues. “I was never any kind of studio darling. He had a chokehold on the type of films and directors that were right for me.” Later, she says that she had a meeting with him in a hotel room — unfortunately, you can probably tell where the story is going at this point. As they were discussing a script, Harvey changed into a bathrobe, but Uma says that she “didn’t feel threatened,” that she “thought he was being super idiosyncratic, like this was your kooky, eccentric uncle.” After that, he told her to follow him as he went to a different room, and he ended up leading her to a steam room. “And I was standing there in my full black leather outfit — boots, pants, jacket. And it was so hot and I said, ‘This is ridiculous, what are you doing?'” “And he was getting very flustered and mad and he jumped up and ran out,” she says. Not too long after that, Uma says that she was meeting with Harvey in another hotel when he attacked her. “It was such a bat to the head,” she recalls. “He pushed me down. He tried to shove himself on me. He tried to expose himself. He did all kinds of unpleasant things.” “But he didn’t actually put his back into it and force me.” She compares the experience to being “like an animal wriggling away, like a lizard.” “I was doing anything I could to get the train back on the track. My track. Not his track.” The next day, he sent her roses with a card that just read “You have great instincts.” How horrifying is that? She went back to the hotel to confront him about what happened, but she says that his assistants tried to pressure her to let it go and to focus on the upcoming film projects she was working on with Harvey. After finally agreeing to meet with him one more time, she told him “If you do what you did to me to other people you will lose your career, your reputation and your family, I promise you.” She says that that was the last thing she remembered of that night, but a friend of hers who’d gone with her to the hotel for support says that Uma stayed upstairs in Harvey’s room for a long time, and when she came back down “she was very disheveled and so upset and had this blank look.” View Slideshow: Hollywood Sex Scandal: Who’s Been Caught? Accused? Fired? Harvey has already denied everything, beyond admitting that he did make an unsuccessful pass at Uma during that first hotel incident. What a terrible story that just keeps getting worse, huh?
Recently, and to no one’s surprise, Wendy Williams suggested that Travis Scott either dumped Kylie or plans to dump Kylie, and the he plans to throw out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak. Wendy suggested a theory that Kylie’s been so secretive about her pregnancy because Travis left her. And she suggested that Travis left because, well, he got his girlfriend pregnant after one month of dating and doesn’t need that in his life. Apparently, Travis Scott heard about her broadcast and is taking offense in a major way. A source tells HollywoodLife that Travis Scott is fuming at Wendy Williams over her unkind statements. (A lot of folks have been in that boat a time or two; most have learned to let it go and maybe rewatch that video of Wendy Williams collapsing on live TV ) ” Travis is so pissed at Wendy , he’s taking this very personally.” If he’s really going to be a part of Kylie’s life in a long-term way, then he’s going to need to get used to people speculating all sorts of things about him. “She’s making horrible assumptions about him when she knows nothing, she’s never even met him.” To be fair, based on everything that we’ve ever seen of Wendy Williams, that is essentially her job. According to this same source, Travis doesn’t match Wendy’s description in the slightest. ” Travis has no intention of abandoning his child or responsibilities as a dad .” To be clear, we’re not sure if Wendy actually believed that child abandonment was his plan. At the very least, she must know how abandoning one of the most famous moms-to-be in the world might hurt his brand. “He’s excited about becoming a dad .” Not many people are excited when they find out that they’ve knocked up their girlfriend of one month. But sometimes they get excited. Especially when their baby momma is loaded. “If Wendy really knew him she’d know that family is everything to him.” It’s true that his family, based in Houston, is very important to him. “He’s so close to his parents and his brother and sister. His whole family is hyped for this baby.” In fact, Travis so so close with his folks that, reportedly, Kylie and Travis were fighting over how to spend the holidays. “He’s not some deadbeat that doesn’ t know the meaning of family.” That line really jabs at what — even coming from Wendy Williams — almost feels like a racially charged element to Wendy’s theory. Yes, sometimes people within minority groups can perpetuate stereotypes about each other. ” Wendy ‘s comments aren’ t just offensive to him, they’ve upset his whole family, especially his mom.” That’s all nice to hear, because we want good things for Kylie and her baby. HollywoodLife points out, however, that Wendy isn’t the only one who’s reportedly had concerns about Travis. “Kris is unclear about Kylie’s future with Travis but for now, Kris is extremely disappointed in how Travis is handling the pregnancy.” We know that Travis turned to Kanye for advice on dealing with the very hormonal Kylie. We also know that he’s been touring through most of Kylie’s pregnancy. “Kris has made it clear to Travis that Kylie deserves more out of him. Kris also let Travis know that she is the boss in the family, she is watching him closely and that he better not hurt her youngest daughter.” I cannot imagine what it would be like to be threatened by Kris Jenner. “Kris finished warning Travis by telling him that despite the status of his relationship with Kylie, he best step up and be a more present father when the baby arrives.” Even those of us who aren’t talk show hosts need to be careful when we let speculation become rumors or assumptions. As we’ve said from the get-go, it’s highly unlikely that Travis Scott planned to become a father. He was just the rebound guy enjoying one of the Jenner sisters. He’d been with Kendall before. Presumably, something went wrong, because we can’t imagine that Kylie planned for this, either. But it looks like Kylie and Travis are making the best of her pregnancy. if he hasn’t cut and run while Kylie’s at her most hormonal, then it’s hard to imagine him running off when there’s an actual baby before his very eyes. Remember, Kylie’s due date is February 4th. That is in nine days . No matter how people want to characterize him, he’s probably nervous and excited. Like any parent. View Slideshow: Kylie Jenner Baby Name: What Could It Be?
We all heard the horrifying story of what Harvey Weinstein allegedly did to his former assistant . But, as you can imagine, the 65-year-old former mega-producer had multiple assistants over the years. One of those assistants, Sandeep Rehal, is now suing over the way that she says Harvey Weinstein treated her. This goes beyond what most of us think of as workplace sexual harassment. The accusation that she says that she was regularly required to clean up semen and condoms, which is gross , barely scratches the surface. TMZ reports that Sandeep Rehal is suing Harvey Weinstein and also Rob Weinstein for “unspecified damages.” She says that she started working as Harvey Weinstein’s personal assistant in 2013. According to her accusations, while she worked as his assistant, if they sat together in a car, he would rub her between her thighs. She describes how he would allegedly press against her when they walked, and use derogatory language to refer to her — calling her things like “c–t” and “p–sy.” Sandeep accuses Harvey Weinstein of repeatedly using the line: “What’s wrong Sandeep, is the tampon up too far today?” Obviously, that’s inexcusable to say under any circumstances, because it’s sexist and vile. In a workplace environment, it’s normally a reason to go to HR. She also describes Harvey Weinstein in a way that matches the description of him as a leering, power-mad ogre that we’ve heard so much, saying that he was fond of the phrase: “I am Harvey Weinstein and you are at Weinstein University. I decide whether or not you graduate.” And then it gets worse. Sandeep says that Harvey Weinstein had her manage an updated list of “available women” for his sexual conquests. She did even more to facilitate that, making sure that he was stocked with Caverject shots for erectile dysfunction. To be clear, TMZ isn’t suggesting that Sandeep is saying that she helped him plan Weinstein’s alleged rapes of various actresses. Just that she managed his itinerary. But then comes what might be the grossest part that doesn’t involve Weinstein touching or speaking to her. She says that she was regularly required to clean semen from Harvey Weinstein’s couch, and to pick up his used condoms. Ewww . She also had to obtain clean underwear for him, but out of context, getting clothes for your boss is often a pretty standard job for personal assistants. (In context … it’s still icky) In response, Harvey Weinstein’s representation tells TMZ : “Mr. Weinstein categorically denies these claims and his lawyers will respond in the appropriate legal forum with evidence proving they are untrue.” So, your pretty standard denial. A little different from the “remembering things differently” line that came out in response to Lupita Nyong’o’s disturbing story . “The evidence will show these claims for money are in the realm of a science fiction movie.” Sandeep Rehal isn’t even the only woman suing, of course. It sounds like Weinstein’s lawyers are going to be very, very busy. There has been backlash against the #MeToo movement, mostly by men who think think that each of the accused is being portrayed as being equal to the others. (They aren’t; people have been very clear that James Franco is no Harvey Weinstein , because of course he isn’t) And then there are the usual irritating defenses — reductions to the absurd like “what, I can’t talk to women anymore?” to which most of us just want to respond: “If that’s your takeaway, then yes.” Because if you can’t tell the difference between talking to a woman and saying inappropriate things to her, you shouldn’t be talking to anyone. But even the most devoted contrarians seem to agree that Harvey Weinstein sounds horrifying. He was the string that was pulled to unravel so many sex monsters. View Slideshow: Hollywood Sex Scandal: Who’s Been Caught? Accused? Fired?
WENN.com Seal Insists He Didn’t Mean To Insult Oprah With His Weinstein Meme Seal was under fire on Thursday for a post he made about Oprah, implying that she cannot be a “Me Too” advocate after years of friendship with Harvey Weinstein. Though many people have been trying to use old pictures of (insert celebrity here) with Weinstein against them, nobody can say that those old friends knew anything about what the powerful producer was doing to various women–especially someone like Oprah, so powerful herself she wouldn’t have been subjected to any of it. Even worse for Seal, he was further labeled as a hypocrite since his ex-wife Heidi Klum was also photographed multiple times with Weinstein, who was a producer for her show Project Runway . Now, unsurprisingly, Seal is backtracking and apologizing for what he posted about Oprah and insisting he has a great deal of respect for the mogul. The singer explains that he only used the meme for the actual message itself, and not to take shots at her in particular. Seal says in a video posted to his Facebook page, “What I re-posted was not an attack on Oprah at all…She just happened to be the person photographed with the pig in the picture. What I re-posted was commentary on the hypocritical and double-standard nature and behavior of Hollywood.” The “Kiss From A Rose” singer also took the opportunity to stick to to Stacey Dash and let her know he isn’t okay with her tweeting articles about him and trying to prove a point. He fired at the Fox News commentator, “Stacey Dash, keep my name out of your mouth. Do not retweet, re-quote anything I said in order to reinforce your self-hating agenda. You live in the Sunken Place.” Can’t really win people over any more than loving on Oprah and hating on Stacey Dash, right?
WENN.com Seal Insists He Didn’t Mean To Insult Oprah With His Weinstein Meme Seal was under fire on Thursday for a post he made about Oprah, implying that she cannot be a “Me Too” advocate after years of friendship with Harvey Weinstein. Though many people have been trying to use old pictures of (insert celebrity here) with Weinstein against them, nobody can say that those old friends knew anything about what the powerful producer was doing to various women–especially someone like Oprah, so powerful herself she wouldn’t have been subjected to any of it. Even worse for Seal, he was further labeled as a hypocrite since his ex-wife Heidi Klum was also photographed multiple times with Weinstein, who was a producer for her show Project Runway . Now, unsurprisingly, Seal is backtracking and apologizing for what he posted about Oprah and insisting he has a great deal of respect for the mogul. The singer explains that he only used the meme for the actual message itself, and not to take shots at her in particular. Seal says in a video posted to his Facebook page, “What I re-posted was not an attack on Oprah at all…She just happened to be the person photographed with the pig in the picture. What I re-posted was commentary on the hypocritical and double-standard nature and behavior of Hollywood.” The “Kiss From A Rose” singer also took the opportunity to stick to to Stacey Dash and let her know he isn’t okay with her tweeting articles about him and trying to prove a point. He fired at the Fox News commentator, “Stacey Dash, keep my name out of your mouth. Do not retweet, re-quote anything I said in order to reinforce your self-hating agenda. You live in the Sunken Place.” Can’t really win people over any more than loving on Oprah and hating on Stacey Dash, right?
When it comes to showing off her cleavage, it’s clear Demi Lovato has no issue. Seriously, no… issue… at… all . But the artist makes it clear in a new Instagram caption that she does sometimes feel self-conscious about a different body part. On Thursday, the 25-year-old singer opened up about the ongoing challenges of recovering from an eating disorder, along with the constant feelings of doubt she often has about her appearance. But which she is trying her hardest to overcome. Along with the following picture, Lovato wrote this caption: “So, I’m insecure about my legs in this picture but I’m posting it because I look so happy and this year I’ve decided I’m letting go of my perfectionism and embracing freedom from self criticism.” Lovato, of course, has long been very candid about her past struggle with a drug addiction and also with anorexia. She’s come a long way. But her battle will never really be over. Continued Lovato in her latest inspiring message: “Learning to love my body the way it is is challenging but life changing. “Giving up my eating disorder has been the most challenging journey of my life but I work every day towards solid recovery even if I mess up sometimes.” In conclusion: “Today I’m feeling strong. You all can do it too. It IS possible. Thank you God for this new chapter in my life. #EDrecovery #happyAF.” We’ve long admired Demi not just for overcoming her own demons, but for speaking out so often about them in an attempt to help others as well. In October, for instance, Lovato shared a couple before-and-after photos that made it apparent just how well she is doing these days. The singer also admits to having bipolar disorder, but she doesn’t want to be defined by it. She said the following three months ago in the documentary Simply Complicated, discussing her eating disorder: “I don’t want to give it the power that it controls my every thought but it’s something that I’m constantly thinking about. “Body image, what I wish I could be eating, what I wish I could be eating next, what I wish I didn’t eat, you know it’s just constant. “I get envious towards people who don’t struggle with an eating disorder because I think my life would be so much easier.” We continue to wish Lovato the best. View Slideshow: Demi Lovato: 19 Candid Confessions from Her Documentary
If you've been anywhere near the internet in the past three months, then you're no doubt aware of the shocking public disgrace that is the Harvey Weinstein sex scandals . At this point, there are so many accusations against Weinstein that it's nearly impossible to keep track of them all, but not one of his victims has forgotten the damage he inflicted. Among Weinstein's many high-profile (alleged) victims is the actress Mira Sorvino, who was (allegedly) blacklisted by the powerful mogul after he attempted to rape her and she fled . Those familiar with the situation say Weinstein effectively derailed Sorvino's once-promising career as revenge for eluding his attempted sexual assault. It remains to be seen if Weinstein will go to prison in connection with the many accusations against him, but it's beginning to look like he'd be better off incarcerated. The former Miramax chief has some mighty powerful enemies on the outside these days, including Mira's famous father, Paul Sorvino. You might know Paul as Paulie in Goodfellas , or from a number of other intimidating badass roles that didn't seem to be much of a stretch for the veteran actor. TMZ recently caught up with Paul and asked him about the Weinstein situation. “He better hope that he goes to jail,” Sorvino told the outlet in no uncertain terms. “If we come across, I think he'll be lying on the floor … somehow.” Hilariously, Sorvino's awesome threats get even more blunt from there. Watch the full clip below to see Sorvino make an early case for himself as Dad of the Year:
