On Wednesday, MTV aired a special installment of Teen Mom 2 entitled Secrets Revealed . And Leah Messer certainly helped the show deliver on that promise. In one of the episode's most memorable segments, Leah opened up about her relationship with T.R. Dues . Rumors about Leah and T.R. have been circulating for years, but this is the first time that Leah addressed the matter publicly. And saying that some fans were shocked by her revelations would be putting it very mildly. 1. Shunning the Spotlight Leah has a reputation as one of the most secretive Teen Moms. With the possible exception of Chelsea Houska, she seems to value her privacy more than any of her co-stars. 2. Leah Opens Up On this week’s special, however, Leah spilled the tea in a major way, opening up about a period in her life that had long been shrouded in secrecy. 3. Happy Again These days, Leah is dating Jason Jordan and appears to be happier than she’s been in years. 4. Darker Days Following her divorce from Jeremy Calvert, however, Leah went through a difficult time which resulted in her decision to check into rehab for emotional issues. 5. Keeping a Low Profile Leah quite understandably shied away from the spotlight quite a bit in those days, hoping to protect her privacy, as well as that of her daughters. 6. It’s All Coming Together And it seems it’s for that reason that Leah was so secretive about the relationship that helped her through one of the most difficult times in her life. View Slideshow
Welcome to the great marital debate of 2018. Earlier on Friday, multiple sources reported that Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber has entered a New York City courthouse… obtained a marriage license… and exchanged vows. That’s to say: Baldwin and Bieber are married!!!!!!! How exciting and unexpected, right? Yes, if these reports are accurate. But a pretty reliable source who is very close to the situation is telling everyone to please slow his or her roll. Because no marriage has actually taken place. “I understand where the speculation is coming from, but I’m not married yet!” the 21-year-old model Tweeted Friday evening. But here’s the the thing; this message has since been mysteriously deleted, so make of that what you will. And here’s the other thing: People Magazine is sticking by its claim that Bieber and Baldwin are husband and wife. According to this publication’s sources, Bieber and Baldwin exchanged vows this afternoon and signed their marriage license. They are absolutely, 100%, legally wed. HOWEVER, Hailey “feels a civil ceremony and their ‘real’ wedding are two separate things,” one source explains, adding that the stars will hold a much bigger gathering somewhere down the line. Adds a religious source, dubbed as such by People: “What happened at the courthouse is a courthouse thing – a legal thing. But marriage is two people making a vow before God and the people they love.” (Just to be clear: That’s completely false. A marriage, by definition, is a legally binding agreement between two people.) TMZ, meanwhile, first broke the news of Justin and Hailey entering a courthouse in New York. It even quoted a witness who overheard Bieber telling Baldwin, “I can’t wait to marry you, baby.” But this celebrity gossip website says no ceremony of any kind took place, but we can expect one to be held some time next week. Oh, and in case you were wondering why Baldwin and Bieber moved up their alleged plans to get married in 2019… it’s NOT because she’s pregnant, TMZ writes. So that’s where things stand at the moment. No one is really certain what’s going on. But we do know that Bieber and Baldwin got engaged in early July. The pair has stayed close after just having what appeared to be a fling a couple years ago; and then reunited romantically this summer after Justin committed himself to his faith. They’ve since written some very nice things about each other on social media, with Bieber penning the following message to Hailey the day after their engagement news broke: My heart is COMPLETELY and FULLY YOURS and I will ALWAYS put you first! Y ou are the love of my life Hailey Baldwin and I wouldn’t want to spend it with anybody else. You make me so much better and we compliment eachother so well!! Can’t wait for the best season of life yet!. It’s funny because now with you everything seems to make sense! The thing I am most excited for is that my little brother and sister get to see another healthy stable marriage and look for the same!!! That was just two months ago, but Baldwin has made no secret in the past that she sees no reason to have a long engagement. When you know, you know… you know? “My sister was 24 when she got married, and my parents also got married when they were young, too. I see no reason to wait. When you know it’s right, it’s right.” she told The Cut. Baldwin also said her parents are totally on board: “I said to them, ‘You’d stop me if you didn’t think this was the right decision, right?’ And they didn’t.” View Slideshow: Justin Bieber: All His Sexual Conquests, RANKED!
G un violence across the nation has reached a human rights crisis level: from the out-of-control situations in Chicago and Baltimore to tragedies like the Parkland, Florida , school shooting and most recently the Dallas cop who killed an unarmed Black man in his own apartment. NewsOne spoke with Philadelphia-based Black Lives Matter (BLM) national organizer and activist Asa Khalif about his grassroots effort to help stem the crisis in Philadelphia, where shootings have increased by 10 percent this year and homicides in southwest Philadelphia have surged by 26 percent . See Also: Heartbreaking: Chicago Mourns Gun Violence Activist As City Sees 21 People Shot Amnesty International released a new report on Wednesday that examined how the U.S. government has allowed gun violence to become a human rights crisis “on a massive scale” and accuses the powers that be of violating international human rights standards. U.S. officials are required to comply with certain global treaties that touch on the right to live free of violence, including the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, the global human rights organization said. But gun violence has disproportionately affected Black communities. African-Americans represented approximately 13 percent of the population in 2016, yet they constituted nearly 60 percent of gun homicides nationwide. Naomi Wadler—the 11-year-old activist who delivered a poignant speech about gun violence at the March for Our Lives demonstration in March—will be honored by the NAACP. https://t.co/ofDM1xm1El pic.twitter.com/1egG1Cei3g — NewsOne (@newsone) July 15, 2018 Khalif said he supported Amnesty International designating gun violence a human rights crisis. Last year, He and other activists started an initiative in Philadelphia last year to reach out to young people in the community. He said they see themselves as uniquely positioned to contribute to a solution through preventing potentially violent situations from getting worse. NewsOne (NO): How is BLM organized to combat gun violence in Philadelphia? Asa Khalif (AK): We have defused and de-escalated at least 25 to 30 incidents last year, and 45 this summer. We know the players because we live in the community. When we get information, word on the street that there will be beef, often through Instagram or Facebook, it’s very easy for us to approach ‘Raheem’ and say, “Can I talk to you? I heard there’s a misunderstanding, could we have a conversation before it gets to a certain level.” A lot of this violence comes from misunderstandings. A lot of times the brothers don’t even want to engage in violence. A lot of it is ego, peer pressure, false pride. And they’re looking for a way out. Intervening helps both parties to save face and walk away without looking like a quote, punk. We are concerned about this issue. We live in the community. The myth is we only show up when there’s a police shooting. We are on the front lines when it comes to gun violence because it affects us. We have loved ones who have been victims. NO: The interventions you described are important, but what’s the bigger solution? AK: Gun violence is a virus in our community. We know the virus; we’ve detected the virus, and we know where that virus is coming from. It’s up to us, organizers and people in the community. We have the cure. We have to come together as people of color to make sure gun violence is not an issue in our community. There’s a church on every block in our community, and those churches go behind safe walls and preach to themselves. It’s time now for ministers and congregations to link up with the activists, and not be afraid of BLM activists who have been deemed militant. As I’ve said when the movie Black Panther was playing, we–the activists, community leaders and mothers and fathers who are standing in our communities–are the superheroes. Black Panther, Wonder Woman, Batman, those are people who don’t exist and are not coming to save our community, and so we have to pick up the torch. In #Philadelphia we #WearOrange , we march and we say #Enough to Gun Violence @MomsDemand pic.twitter.com/aGkcyWXa5R — Jme B GunSafety (@archymomjaime) June 2, 2018 NO: Do you share Amnesty International’s view that the government bears a lot of blame for the gun violence? Aside from the legislative failures toward achieving gun control, has other government policies contributed to the problem? AK: I’ve been extremely critical of the federal government, which has always had a hand in the flow of guns into the community. We have to hold the government and gun dealerships accountable. We need to call on law enforcement, instead of occupying our community and shooting us in the back, to do the job you were sworn to do. If you’re going to rush into our community, make sure the busts you do are the gun dealers, the ones who are making the big dollars, not ‘Raheem’ who sold a gun for 50 bucks. The government is also 99 percent to blame in setting the conditions that make gun violence an issue. We have poverty in our community, unemployment, our schools are not as well-funded as white counterparts. It all gives a sense of hopelessness. When you have those conditions and you have no self-worth, it’s very easy to pick up a gun and shoot someone who looks like you because you don’t value yourself. If you give people hope, you’ll see a turnaround. Give a man a job and you’ll see a drop in crime. Young people need a place to go and a purpose, an alternative to standing on the corner and selling drugs. SEE ALSO: Black Pastor Praises Dallas Police Chief For How She Is Handling Amber Guyger Killing Botham Jean In His Home White Man Pulls Gun On HBCU Students After Entering Apartment Building [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3825237″ overlay=”true”]
We have shocking news to report from the world of Married at First Sight: One of the couples featured on this Lifetime reality series has called it quits. Why is this so surprising, considering the finale of each Married at First Sight season ends with twosomes deciding to give their love an extended shot … or to go their separate ways? Because this break-up has taken place during the season. Indeed, with new Season 7 installments airing every Tuesday night, Mia Bally and Tristan Thompson* have announced that they can’t pretend any longer. They can’t spend another moment as husband and wife. They are getting a divorce. (*No, not that Tristan Thompson ; not the basketball player who has scarcely met an Instagram model he didn’t want to bend over and simply pound. We’re talking about this other one.) According to People Magazine, Bally filed for this legal split in Dallas County, Texas, on September 4. It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who’s been watching Married at First Sight that this relationship has come to a conclusion. It’s only unexpected that Bally is the one who has filed the paperwork. Over the course of the past few weeks, Thompson has been struggling with a few issues from Mia’s past, specificially that she was arrested years ago on a charge of stalking . This information came to light after Mia was detained and questioned at the airport while the newlyweds were set to embark on their honeymoon. Later on, Tristan learned that Bally was still active on a dating app, even while the two were married. That was yet another major bump in the romantic road, but Thompson (on air, at least) had been willing to try and overlook the obstacles and remained committing to his union. That said, there were very clear signs of tension. All of this is piling up, and now I’m sitting here not knowing who I just married,” Thompson said at one point. He added during another scene: “This entire marriage I feel like I’ve been completely honest with Mia, and I’ve told her to just give me the truth, and it seems like she’s gone out of her way to hide things from me. “I honestly don’t know what to feel or what to believe right now. I thought we were done with all the secrets and lies.” Like we said: it’s no surprise these two didn’t work out. We’re just taken aback that Mia is the one to have pulled the plug. But we guess Tristan just didn’t live up to the expectations she had in mind for a husband. “I feel like I lead a simple life,” she said in the past, explaining: “I do go to church every Sunday. “I am part of a Bible study group on Tuesdays. So that’s what I want is a man to lead me closer to Christ, or even a goal, us have a goal together, and he leads me towards those same motivational values that we have.” Oh well. Better luck next time, guys! Married at First Sight airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on Lifetime.
Michelle Obama is going on tour . The former First Lady admits she’s “a little frightened” by how candid she got in her brand new memoir, Becoming but she’s nonetheless proud about her open and honest new memoir. “Over this time that I’ve been out of the White House, I’ve had time to think and reflect for the first time in a long time. I spent some time really thinking about the people, the stories and the experiences that have shaped me and helped me become the person I am today,” Obama, 54, explains in an intimate new video released Wednesday. RELATED: Michelle Obama Offers Students A Vision For Their Future As School Year Begins RELATED: Michelle Obama Launches ‘When We All Vote’ Initiative With The Help Of A Few Famous Friends The announcement comes with dates for a brand new book tour. Mrs. Obama will be hitting 10-cites this fall including stops in Dallas, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., her hometown of Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia and San Jose. “I am proud of what I’ve created. I’m proud because it is candid, it’s honest, it is totally and utterly me. So I’m also a little frightened because it is so candid and honest and open,” she added. The synopsis of the book reads, “IN A LIFE filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare. In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.” Tickets are on sale at https://www.becomingmichelleobama.com starting at $29.50.
Valerie Goodloe/Splash News Viola Davis Takes Issue With Her 2011 Film ‘The Help’ Viola Davis ‘ role in The Help earned the actress several awards, but now she says she regrets playing the part of a black maid working for a white family during the Civil Rights Movement. During a Q&A with The New York Times , the Academy Award winner dropped a bombshell when she said quite plainly, “Have I ever done roles that I’ve regretted? I have and The Help is on that list.” Before stating her piece , Davis made sure to show a little love to the cast and writer/director, Tate Taylor . “But not in terms of the experience and the people involved because they were all great,” she continued. “The friendships that I formed are ones that I’m going to have for the rest of my life. I had a great experience with these other actresses, who are extraordinary human beings. And I could not ask for a better collaborator than Tate Taylor.” Nonetheless, she wasn’t happy with the end result. “I just felt that at the end of the day that it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard. I know Aibileen. I know Minny. They’re my grandma. They’re my mom. And I know that if you do a movie where the whole premise is, I want to know what it feels like to work for white people and to bring up children in 1963, I want to hear how you really feel about it. I never heard that in the course of the movie,” Davis explained.
Ember Jean Roloff has achieved a milestone. It's a simple one and, technically, it's not one over which she had much control. But it's a major one nonetheless: The only child of Audrey and Jeremy Roloff is now a year old!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In celebration, most Little People, Big World cast members came together on Sunday, September 9 to pay tribute to the precious infant and to watch her smash some cake all over her face. Care to join them? Scroll through the following party photos now! 1. Ready for Her Party It’s Ember Jean’s party, folks. And she’ll look adorable if she wants to! 2. Where Has This Cake Been My Whole Life? You’ll forgive Ember for not looking up and smiling here. She has a cake to devour. 3. Such a Proud Grandma Amy Roloff is holding the birthday girl here. Indeed: Ember Jean Roloff is now a year old! 4. CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! Ember picks away at her cake in this photo, which was shared online by her very excited mother. 5. Celebration for Ember Talk about a beautiful family, right? We wish we had been invited to Ember’s first-ever birthday party! 6. Birthday Gal!! Ember is front and center for this precious picture of the freshly-minted one-year old. View Slideshow
On Wednesday, August 15, Alaskan Bush People star Noah Brown married Rhain in a heartwarming wedding ceremony. Some “fans” of the show and the family have never liked Rhain, and rumors began to surface that Rhain wasn’t allowed to take Noah’s last name. Noah has come forward to clear things up, once and for all. Noah Brown spoke to RadarOnline to lay this rumor to rest. “Rhain is my wife,” Noah affirmed. Not that there was any doubt — but, especially for newlyweds, that statement can feel powerful. “And,” Noah continued. “She is my wife for life.” Noah then makes it clear: “and of course she will be taking my last name.” Noah cannot help but gush about his new life. “It feels wonderful to be married,” Noah shares. He mentions that his wedding date was a long time coming. “Rhain and I were engaged for over a year,” he reminds fans, before repeating: “And we are finally married.” He really loves saying it. That is so cute. He says that the feeling of being married has really improved his life. “It is like this huge weight has been lifted,” Noah says. They’re no longer engaged and deciding when and where to get married or trying to work out any of those details. Noah concludes: “We can finally focus on being husband and wife.” Good for them! Obviously, not ever woman who marries a man then goes and changes her last name to match his. Some hyphenate. Some simply leave their names as they are. It depends on many factors, but ultimately comes down to personal preference. Changing a name can be a troublesome and time-consuming and expensive process. It was probably a lot simpler a century ago when few women were gainfully employed or owned property. Sometimes, it can take a new bride some time to change her name — remember, you have to change things like deeds and bank accounts in the process. Just because someone hasn’t raced to do so instead of going on her honeymoon doesn’t mean that she’s never changing her name. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Noah has been something of a black sheep in his family, which is probably why he gets more grief from fans and viewers than Bam Bam does. Both sons fell in love and moved on with their lives, but Noah was always a little weird (yes, even weirder than his siblings). The kid who’s a little goth isn’t going to thrive out in the wilderness, folks. He’s a grown man and he’s allowed to live his wife. Some fans turned their ire on Rhain, even accusing her of “copying” Noah’s sister Rain’s name, because Rhain’s birth name is Ruth. Folks, people can change their names any time that they like. We’re not sure why people think that Rhain would want to copy her now-husband’s sister’s name. Noah dragged Rain on Instagram just a couple of months ago. Also, Rain Brown’s full name is Merry Christmas Kathryn Raindrop Brown . How would you even begin to “copy” that? We’re so glad that Noah and Rhain found each other and we hope that they continue to enjoy their wedded bliss. Fans (and so-called “fans”) will continue to say whatever they like about Noah and Rhain, but the further removed from reality television that Noah is, the less that these haters can touch them. View Slideshow: Alaskan Bush People: 13 Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know
(Family courtesy photo via AP) It has been almost six months since two Sacramento police officers shot and killed 22-year-old Stephon Clark as he stood in the backyard of his grandmother’s home. The officers fired about 20 shots and said that they thought he was holding a gun and were in fear for their lives. He was only holding a cell phone. The Sacramento Police Department’s internal investigation of the shooting is still ongoing, as is the investigation being led by the California State Attorney General. Both officers involved in Clark’s death have been back on the job for at least four months, and activists continue demanding justice for his death. According to the Sacramento Bee, Clark’s family has filed $35 million in wrongful death claims with the city of Sacramento. The city has not officially released any documents to confirm this, a news release acknowledged that claims forms seeking damages “in excess of $15 million” for “nine separate causes of action that include negligence and wrongful death” have been filed with the city. Los Angeles attorney Dale Galipo and other attorneys reportedly filed claims seeking $20 million for Clark’s two children and $15 million for his grandparents and parents. According to the Bee , the documents were filed just before the six-month deadline to submit a wrongful death claim to the city. Such claims usually indicate a federal civil rights lawsuit will follow. [ione_media_gallery src=”https://blackamericaweb.com” id=”635029″ overlay=”true”] READ MORE STORIES ON BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM: SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit LIKE US ON FACEBOOK . FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM
Source: WENN.com / WENN Post Malone must have a bullseye drawn on his back because it seems like trouble is following him everywhere but the latest instance has somewhat of a happier ending. Thieves targeted San Fernando Valley home that the popular artist once stayed and even demanded to know where he was before making off with $20,000 in stolen goods. TMZ reports : Law enforcement sources tell us … 3 male suspects smashed a front window a little after midnight on September 1 and entered the San Fernando Valley house. We’re told a resident living there was pistol-whipped. We’re told one of the 3 men yelled, “Where’s Post Malone?!” … before stealing a bunch of cash, jewelry and cell phones … about $20k worth. The barking out of Post’s name makes it clear they were targeting him, but it’s been months since he lived there. We’re told the people living there now have no connection to Post. The outlet threw out the possibility that the recent rash of home invasions and the like could be linked to other high-profile cases as a home where Rae Sremmurd was staying in the area was robbed of a safe just hours later. Rappers, a word of caution: don’t let social media know your location because it’s clear the bad guys are watching your every move. — Photo: WENN
