Tag Archives: jussie-smollett

Nick Sandmann The MAGA Hat Wearing Teen Suing Washington Post For $250 Million!

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  Nick Sandmann’s attorney, the Kentucky teen, who went viral for having a “face-off” on January 18th with a native American in our nation’s capital has announced that they have filed a lawsuit against the Washington Post for $20 million dollars. Get Breaking News & Exclusive Contest in Your Inbox:    Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit You may be like me and wondering why?  According to Sandmann’s legal team, they are seeking compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of the teen saying that the Washington Post, “engaged in a modern-day form of McCarthyism by competing with CNN and NBC, among others, to claim leadership of a mainstream and social media mob of bullies which attacked, vilified, and threatened Nicholas Sandmann.” RELATED STORY: MAGA Hat Wearing Teen from Covington Makes Statement, See Full Video The law firm Hemmer, DeFrank, Wessels also claims that Nathan Phillips “targeted and bullied” Sandmann and that Sandmann “stood quietly and respectfully for several minutes”.  The law firm also stated that this was just the beginning of legal action being taken. Read the full statement here The Latest: #NYFWNOIR: Top 20 Looks From Black Models On The Runway Nick Sandmann The MAGA Hat Wearing Teen Suing Washington Post For $250 Million! Struggle Rapper Blueface Facing Years For Unregistered Handgun Charge Jussie Smollett Gets Final Meeting With Police Before Case Goes To Grand Jury Vitamin Of The Day: If You Want To Feel Rich Just Count Your Blessings Tristan Thompson Cheated on Khloe Kardashian With Kylie Jenner’s Best Friend Straight Outta Decatur: K3hz Visits The Graves Of His Fallen Friends In New “Prayer” Visual (World Premiere) Seriously?! Man Gets Charged With 1993 Murder After Police Get His DNA Off A Napkin In The Trash A$AP Rocky, Kendall Jenner & More Star In Spring 2019 Calvin Klein Campaign Le’Andria Johnson Shares Her Testimony About Being In Jail For 30 Days And Overcoming Alcohol Abuse [VIDEO]   SOURCE: Lex18 News

Nick Sandmann The MAGA Hat Wearing Teen Suing Washington Post For $250 Million!

Jussie Smollett: Is He Being Framed By Police?

For several weeks now, the strange saga of Jussie Smollett has dominated headlines and heated social media discussions. In case you somehow missed the story, here’s a brief recap: Smollett claimed that he was attacked by two white men while walking home from a Subway restaurant around 2 am. Despite frigid, polar vortex weather, Smollett stated that the two men had staked him out and recognized him from his role on TV’s Empire . He added that they came equipped with a bottle of bleach that they dumped over his head and a length of clothesline that they wrapped around his neck in an act mock lynching. Smollett claimed that the men used several racist and homophobic slurs and screamed at him, “This is MAGA country!” Many found the actor’s version of events suspicious from the start, but Smollett quickly gained the support of numerous celebrities and politicians, including presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. Over the course of the past week, however, Smollett’s story began to unravel. Currently, Chicago police are investigating the possibility that Smollett staged the attack with the help of two Nigerian who briefly worked as extras on Empire. His case is set to go before a grand jury as early this week. If convicted of a felony for filing a false police report, Smollett faces several years behind bars. So it should come as no surprise that he’s lawyering up — or that he’s reportedly hired one of the most famous defense attorneys in the country. According to TMZ, Smollett has hired Mark Geragos to represent him in court. Neither Smollett nor Geragos has officially announced that decision, but the attorney has spoken out on Jussie’s behalf on several occasions, most recently on Anderson Cooper’s CNN show: “Any time you start to get law enforcement drip, drip, drip leaks that, to me, is a telltale sign that something else is going on,” Geragos told the host. Geragos went on to express his doubts that it would have been possible for police to track down Smollett’s alleged co-conspirators via the “grainy footage” that was presented to them. He credits Smollett’s cooperation with the arrest of the brothers, and states — in somewhat contradictory fashion — that they were only taken into custody due to public “pressure” to make an arrest. “I haven’t seen anything but leaks from law enforcement sources,” Geragos added. “To me, that screams out that someone is trying to manipulate something.” No doubt by this time, many on both sides of the aisle would prefer for this ugly story to disappear from the headlines. But as Geragos and Smollett gear up for an epic legal battle, we’re reminded that this saga is just getting started. View Slideshow: Jussie Smollett: Did He REALLY Stage His Own Attack?! Empire Star Under Investigation [UPDATED]

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Jussie Smollett: Is He Being Framed By Police?

Jussie Smollett Defends Himself Against Damning Hoax Allegations

The investigation into Jussie Smollett has taken more twists and turns than an Empire season finale. In the latest unexpected development to emanate from what had originally appeared to be a simple (albeit horrific) case of assault against the star, Smollett has released a statement through his legal team. It seeks to end speculation that Smollett actually staged the attack late last month in which he was allegedly beaten and taunted by a pair of racist assailants.   This is what Smollett’s attorney said late Saturday on his client’s behalf: As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. N othing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying. How did we possibly get to this point? It’s a long and convoluted story… Smollett told Chicago police that he was savagely beaten early on the morning of January 29. He told authorities back then that the two suspects screamed yelled that he was in “MAGA country,” that they tied a rope around his neck, that they poured bleach all over him and that he eventually took himself to a hospital for treatment. The case made national headlines. Numerous 2020 Presidential candidates sent their thoughts to Smollett, celebrities everywhere showered him with support and Donald Trump told the press it was a “horrible” incident. Donald Trump Comments on Jussie Smollett The beating was referring to in the press as a “hate crime” and a “modern-day lynching.” Shortly after this story went viral, however, the police and the media were given reason to have some doubts. Smollett, for example, reportedly refused to turn over his full cell phone records to the cops. According to a new TMZ article, the police were also suspicious after Smollett took them to the scene of the alleged crime and immediately pointed out an obscure security camera in the vicinity. Questions were raised internally over how Smollett know about this camera and whether he actually planned the attack to occur within the sight of it. Then… two arrests were made in the case . However, the men arrested were brothers from Nicaragua who actually worked in the past as extras on Empire. They knew Smollett somewhat well. This raised even more questions, along the lines of: Would two African-Americans really scream racial epithets at Smollett? Might Smollett have paid these associates off as part of an elaborate hoax? This theory is now gaining quite a bit of momentum. For starters, the brothers were released without being charged — and the reason given by Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi certainly raises a bunch of eyebrows: “We can confirm that the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the Empire case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation.” View Slideshow: Jussie Smollett: Did He REALLY Stage His Own Attack?! Empire Star Under Investigation [UPDATED] Shifted the trajectory of the investigation . The latest update from CNN also begins as follows: Two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation tell CNN that Chicago Police believe actor Jussie Smollett paid two men to orchestrate an assault on him that he reported late last month… Multiple outlets claim that Smollett paid the siblings $4,000 in exchange for their role in the assault. Why would he do this? Presumably, sources have alleged, because he was being written off Empire and thought producers would change their minds after he became such a sympathetic figure on the national stage. It’s worth noting, however, that all executives and writers associated with Empire have strongly denied having any plans to let Smollett go. As you can see, this is a confusing and disturbing case all around. Either Smollett really was the victim of a violent hate crime… or he’s lying about it. There’s no in between at this point. Speaking to Robin Roberts of Good Morning America last Thursday, Smollett insisted he was telling the truth. “It feels like if I had said it was a Muslim or a Mexican or someone black I feel like the doubters would have supported me a lot much more,” Smollett said. “And that says a lot about the place where we are as a country right now.”

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Jussie Smollett Defends Himself Against Damning Hoax Allegations

Jussie Smollett Assault Case: Arrests Have Been Made

We have a significant update in what has become one of the more bizarre stories we’ve seen in awhile. And that update is this: Two men have been arrested in conjunction with Empire actor Jussie Smollett getting savagely beaten in Chicago last month. According to TMZ, a pair of brothers from Nigeria named Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo have been taken into custody by the Chicago police department. They have been labeled “potential suspects” in this beating, as opposed to mere “persons of interests,” which is a key distinction. As previously reported on The Hollywood Gossip and via other outlets, the siblings were picked up at O’Hare Airport on Wednesday night and subsequent had their home raided. Police reportedly found shoes, a laptop and other possible pieces of evidence there that may link them to the Smollett investigation. But here’s where it gets interesting and sort of troubling… Smollett had previously told the cops that his attackers were white. He claimed they screamed that he was in “MAGA Country” at the time of the incident, while also screaming racial and anti-gay epithets in his direction. Now… is it possible that two African-Americans could have uttered these words? Sure. Anything is possible. But the brothers had also previously worked as extras on Empire. Their attorney has confirmed to a CBS affiliate in Chicago that they knew Smollett pretty well. Now… is it possible they therefore knew where he lived and knew his whereabouts on the night of the alleged attack? Sure. However, there’s been rather serious talk that Smollett actually staged this assault and both the skin color of these suspects – and their connection to the actor definitely gives us reason to consider this theory. View Slideshow: Jussie Smollett: Did He REALLY Stage His Own Attack?! Empire Star Under Investigation [UPDATED] Why would Smollett do such a thing? We really don’t wish to speculate too much on such a sensitive and seemingly wild/horrible possibility, but the ABC affiliate in Chicago alleges that he was about to be written off Empire. Presumably, turning himself into a victim of a hate crime that received national attention would have made Smollett into far too much of a sympathetic figure for producers to follow through with this plan. 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment, however, released a statement in response to the rumor that Smollett was being fired, dismissing the rumor out of hand: The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off EMPIRE is patently ridiculous. He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand by him. To review, Smollett has claimed two men verbally berated him with racist and homophobic slurs early in the morning of January 29. He says they poured a substance, believed to be bleach all over him; and tied a rope around his neck. Speaking to Good Morning America on Thursday after the beating, Smollett challenged his critics and insisted he’s telling the truth. “I’m pissed off,” he told Robin Roberts early in their chat, citing the criticism he’s received from doubters of the attack. “They called me a f—-t, they called me a n–ga. There’s no which way you cut it,” Smollett said, adding: “I’ve heard that it was a date gone bad, which I also resent that narrative. I’m not gonna go out and get a tuna sandwich and a salad to meet somebody. That’s ridiculous. And it’s offensive.” As for why he waited a short while before calling the police to report what happened? He cited the idea of “pride” and explained: “We live in a society where, as a gay man, you are considered somehow, to be weak, and I’m not weak. I am not weak. And we, as a people, are not weak.” Watch excerpts from the interview below as we try to make sense of this confusing and disturing ordeal all around. Jussie Smollett Speaks on Horrific Attack

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Jussie Smollett Assault Case: Arrests Have Been Made

Black Legacy: Viral Dance Culture Would Be Nothing Without These Music Icons

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Source: NBC / Getty Black History Month can be a drag if we don’t incorporate recent history into the stories of achievement. With viral dance crazes taking over the Internet in recent years, it’s important to know that many Black people paved the way for moves to be seen, practiced and spread across the world. It’s not just the dancers who get moves to go viral either. Someone has to spread the word. Back in the day, there were various DJs, radio hosts and T.V. pioneers who saw the potential of dance and made sure it reached the masses. Hit the next pages for some Black icons who were crucial to viral dance culture stretching from 1976 to 2015.

Black Legacy: Viral Dance Culture Would Be Nothing Without These Music Icons

Jussie Smollett Tells GMA’s Robin Roberts He’s ‘Pissed’ That People Don’t Believe Him

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Source: Jason LaVeris / Getty Jussie Smollett gave his first interview to the media about his racist and homophobic attack , sitting down with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts on Thursday . The “Empire” actor attempted to clear up those pesky rumors that he made up the “MAGA” details behind his attack. He stressed that his critics don’t believe the truth , because they “don’t even want to see the truth.” “What is it that has you so angry? Is it the attackers?” Roberts asked. “It’s the attackers but it’s also the attacks,” Smollett said. “At first it was a thing of like, ‘Listen, if I tell the truth, then that’s it, cause it’s the truth,’” the singer said. “Then it became a thing of like, ‘Oh, how can you doubt that? Like how do you not believe that? It’s the truth.’ And then it became a thing like, ‘Oh, it’s not necessarily that you don’t believe that this is the truth. You don’t even want to see the truth.’” “I think people need to hear the truth,” he said. Adding, “Cause everybody has their own idea. Some are healing and some are hurtful, but I just want young people, young members of the LGBTQ community — young, black children — to know how strong that they are.” The 36-year-old singer also doubled down on the validity of his story, stressing that he knows what he heard the assailants scream at him. “I didn’t need to add anything like that. They called me a f*****, they called me a n*****. There’s no which way you cut it. I don’t need some MAGA hat as the cherry on some racist sundae.” “I could only go off their words,” the actor said of the motivation. “I mean, who says, ‘f***** ‘Empire’ n*****, this is MAGA country,’ ties a noose around your neck and pours bleach on you? And this is just a friendly fight?” Smollett later explained his hesitation in turning his phone over to officials, who wanted him “to give my phone to the tech for three to four hours.” He continued: “I’m sorry but — I’m not gonna do that. Because I have private pictures and videos and numbers: my partner’s number, my family’s number, my castmate’s number, my friends’ numbers, my private emails, my private songs, my private voice memos.” As we previously reported , on Jan 29, Jussie was reportedly attacked by MAGA supporters, in Chicago, who brutally beat him and left him with a fractured rib before putting a noose around his neck and pouring bleach on him, TMZ reports. He was treated at Northwestern Memorial before being discharged. Smollett was reportedly walking out the subway at around 2am when two men, wearing ski-masks approached him and asked, “Aren’t you that fa**ot ‘Empire’ n*gga?” The culprits reportedly yelled, “This is MAGA country” during the attack. Days before the incident (which is being investigated as a hate crime), a threatening letter addressed to Jussie Smollett was sent to Fox Studios Chicago with the words, “You will die black f**.” Chicago Police have released surveillance footage of two persons of interest who are wanted in connection with the brutal and possible hate crime committed against Jussie Smollett. Meanwhile CNN is reporting that CPD are questioning two people for the actor’s attack. “These individuals are not yet suspects but were in (the) area of concern and are being questioned,” police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Thursday in a tweet. “Investigation continues.” “The people of interest are alleged to be in the area where a crime was reported,” Guglielmi said in a subsequent tweet. “They are not considered suspects at this time as they are currently being questioned by detectives. Through s meticulous investigation, #ChicahoPolice detectives have identified the persons of interest in the area of the alleged attack of the Empire cast member. These individuals are not yet suspects but were in area of concern and are being questioned. Investigation continues. pic.twitter.com/tmy2jNvww5 — Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 14, 2019 Important for media reporting: The people of interest are alleged to be in the area where a crime was reported. They are not considered suspects at this time as they are currently being questioned by detectives. We remain in communication with the alleged victim. pic.twitter.com/JuH1kYRTYV — Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 14, 2019 RELATED NEWS: Joe Budden On Jussie Smollett Hate Crime: ‘Show Me Footage And I’ll Shut TF Up’ Jussie Smollett Speaks Out About Attack: ‘I Fought The F**k Back.’ Y’all President Called Jussie Smollett’s Attack ‘Horrible,’ But Then Made It About His Wall [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”3022208″ overlay=”true”]

Jussie Smollett Tells GMA’s Robin Roberts He’s ‘Pissed’ That People Don’t Believe Him

Jussie Smollett Gives First Interview Since Being Attacked & Shuts Down Rumors

Source: Stephen Green / Getty The ‘Empire’ Actor Recalls A Traumatic Night J ussie Smollett is finally speaking up after reports of his brutal attack by racist, homophobic MAGA must. Smollett sat down with Robin Roberts of Good Morning America for his first interview detailing his attack last month. He said he was in the middle of picking up some food from Subway in Chicago and was on the phone with his manager when someone called him a racist and homophobic slur. Jussie said a guy in a mask then punched him screaming “This MAGA country ni**er,” and Jussie punched him back, which resulted in a short scuffle outside. He said a second unknown guy jumped in, kicking Jussie in his back. In the interview with Robin, Jussie also addressed the doubters who might’ve thought he was lying about the whole incident: “I have to acknowledge the lies, and the hate. And it feels like if I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me much more. A lot more. And that says a lot about the place that we are in our country right now… It’s not necessarily that you don’t believe that this is the truth, you don’t even want to see the truth. Smollett, who portrays the openly gay musician Jamal on Empire , said he suffered injuries to his clavicle bone and ribs during the attack. However, some still questioned his story: “For me, the main thing was the idea that I somehow switched up my story, you know? And that somehow maybe I added a little extra trinket, you know, of the MAGA thing,” Smollett said. “I didn’t need to add anything like that. They called me a f—-, they called me a n—-. There’s no which way you cut it. I don’t need some MAGA hat as the cherry on top of some racist sundae.” Jussie also addressed rumors that he was in the middle of a late night love visit when he got attacked. “I’ve heard that it was a date gone bad, which I also resent that narrative,” he said. “I’m not gonna go out and get a tuna sandwich and a salad to meet somebody. That’s ridiculous. And it’s offensive.” Jussie was actually hanging with his friend and creative director Frank Gatson in an apartment, and they got hungry, which prompted the Subway visit. Smollett said the only reports he heard that were inaccurate were the ones claiming the attackers were wearing MAGA hats, which they weren’t. Smollett also explained why he was initially reluctant to hand over his phone to the police: “They wanted me to give my phone to the tech for three to four hours. I’m sorry but — I’m not gonna do that. Because I have private pictures and videos and numbers: my partner’s number, my family’s number, my castmate’s number, my friends’ numbers, my private emails, my private songs, my private voice memos.” Jussie didn’t even want to call the police at first, but Gatson did it on his behalf. When the cops arrived, they said they found Smollett in his apartment with stained clothing and a “white rope draped around” his neck, according to the report. “I was looking at myself, just like checking myself out. I saw the bruise on my neck, you know, like the little — the rope burn around my neck,” he said. “So when the police came I kept the clothes on, I kept the rope on me. … I mean, it wasn’t, like, wrapped around. But, yeah, it was around because I wanted them to see.” Jussie said he believes the photos released of the two possible suspects are accurate. He’s hopeful that the police will track the culprits down, and he hopes his story will inspire other marginalized groups: “I think people need to hear the truth,” Jussie said. “Cause everybody has their own idea. Some are healing and some are hurtful, but I just want young people, young members of the LGBTQ community — young, black children — to know how strong that they are.” You can watch a clip of Jussie’s words below, then hit the next pages for more videos. “I want young people, young members of the LGTBQ community, young black children to know how strong they are.” @JussieSmollett thinks people need to hear “the truth” after his attack. https://t.co/b5efiP0JCG pic.twitter.com/YGVIDMipgC — Good Morning America (@GMA) February 14, 2019

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Jussie Smollett Gives First Interview Since Being Attacked & Shuts Down Rumors

Smokey Robinson Defends J. Lo After Gentrified Motown Performance, Says Critics Are Setting Us Back ‘A Hundred Years’

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Source: Kevin Winter / Getty We all watched J. Lo salsa across the stage for the Motown tribute at the Grammy this weekend and collectively thought it was trash, but there was one man who defended her participation in the honor from the jump. Smokey Robinson. #BlackTwitter erupted when it was first announced J. Lo would perform the tribute at the Grammys prompting Mr. Robinson to come to her aid. “I don’t think anyone who is intelligent is upset,”  Robinson told Variety.   “I think anyone who is upset is stupid.” Wow. Criticism only grew once J. Lo actually performed and included a salsa routine into her already gentrified performance. Well, Smokey wasn’t feeling the backlash and took to Instagram to defend her again. Well the problem is Smokey, sure everyone listened to Motown but the legacy of Motown gave a voice to the Black struggle. Among those struggles were the Black woman being oversexualized and marginalized. In today’s society, being a Black women isn’t enough unless we look like a light skin, long-haired woman, which is exactly what J. Lo represents. There were hundred of Black performers who could have stood in her place and J. Lo should have been aware enough to understand that when the offer was extended to her. What say you readers, you riding with Smokey on this one? RELATED STORIES: Black Twitter Put J. Lo’s Motown Tribute In The Trash Where It Belonged We Love J. Lo, And She’s A Great Performer But Not For The Grammys’ Motown Tribute

Smokey Robinson Defends J. Lo After Gentrified Motown Performance, Says Critics Are Setting Us Back ‘A Hundred Years’

Black Grandmother Fights Off Machete-Wielding Robbers With Scooter

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Source: Lyn Holly Coorg / Getty Aretha Cardinal was sitting with her husband, Joseph Nelson, in the driveway when suddenly two robbers waring clown masks and wielding machetes attacked Joseph. According to the reports , the attackers threatened, “You gonna give it up, or I’m gonna cut you,” While Joseph fought back, Aretha grabbed the first thing in sight, her child’s scooter and began attacking the assailants until they fled. “[I] couldn’t believe what was happening,” Joseph explained to  Houston’s ABC13 . “He reached his hand through the window, put it on my throat like this, and I’m like, ‘Dude, you serious, you trying to rob me with a machete?’” Aretha chased the red-nose wearing assailants, later identified as Luis Jimenez and Jose Lugo, away and bashed in their windshield mirror with the two-wheeler to really scare them away. “Any weapon is good for me if I can get you off me and my husband, that’s what I’m going to do. I used the scooter, broke it in half,” Aretha said. Luis Jimenez and Jose Lugo have been charged with aggarvated robbery.   RELATED STORIES: Video Shows Detroit Cop Forcing Young Black Woman To Walk In Freezing Cold, Calls It ‘Black Girl Magic’ Jussie Smollett Speaks Out About Attack: ‘I Fought The F**k Back.’

Black Grandmother Fights Off Machete-Wielding Robbers With Scooter

Amber Portwood: Officially Out of Teen Mom OG?!

Teen Mom OG has gone through so many changes recently. Sometimes it barely even seems like the show we've watched for years now. Farrah Abraham and Ryan Edwards both left, and Bristol Palin and Cheyenne Floyd joined the cast. Gone are the days of keeping up with those four girls from the first season of 16 and Pregnant. Like, Sarah Palin was featured on the last season. That's how weird things have gotten. But as bizarre as things are now on our beloved reality show, things might be getting even worse by the time the next season rolls around. Because Amber Portwood really might be quitting. 1. Oh, Honey … Amber had a very, very hard time last season. Worse than usual, even. 2. On the Bright Side … Sure, she wasn’t high out of her mind like she was in the old days, and she didn’t commit any felonies on camera, either. 3. Yay? Actually, now that she’s with Andrew and they share precious little baby James, she’s really seemed to calm down a lot. 4. Uh Oh No, Amber’s most recent issues have been very different: she’s been suffering from postpartum depression. 5. Mental Health That’s on top of her previously diagnosed bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. 6. Fair Enough As you can imagine, she was in a really bad place. View Slideshow

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Amber Portwood: Officially Out of Teen Mom OG?!