It’s no secret that with the election of Trump, white supremacy and racially-motivated hate crimes/actions are at an all-time high, which also now includes Halloween costumes. In the latest case of “our pain is their entertainment,” a group of white students decided to mock Freddie Gray’s death by wearing a ridiculously offensive Halloween costume. In Trump's America, it's not a surprise that there is an increase of hate-based Halloween costumes this year. https://t.co/vXrcGm1arw — theGrio.com (@theGrio) October 31, 2017 Every year at this time you can expect to see numerous people of other races deciding to dress up in varying forms of blackface for Halloween. However, this time a group of students thought that mocking the brutal death of Baltimore’s Freddie Gray by police would make an even better costume than all the racist ones in the past. In a report by The Grio , a group of students from a collection of schools dressed in orange jumpsuits with Freddie Gray’s name on the back of one and a photo caption that featured the N-word. Via The Grio: Several students have come under fire for racially insensitive Halloween costumes, including one portraying Freddie Gray. According to the Baltimore Sun, a graduate of the Boys’ Latin School of Maryland wore an orange jumpsuit with “Freddie Gray” on the back of it during a party off-campus at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Another group of students, from Gilman School and Roland Park Country School, were pictured wearing orange jumpsuits, with a caption posted to social media reading, “N—-s broke out,” according to CBS. Another student, this one at St. Paul’s School, was pictured with a swastika and a racial slur painted on his bare back. Following the release of the photos St. Paul’s School stated that they do not tolerate any form of hate or discrimination. Officials from the other schools which the students attend have vowed to investigate the images. Meanwhile Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake responded on social media, writing, “Heartbroken. Disappointed. Frustrated.” The mayor also mentioned her daughter, who attends Roland Park, writing, “It will undoubtedly be a rough day for my daughter tomorrow. Praying I find the words to help her make sense of this nonsense.” Check out today’s Top Stories here: Steve Harvey’s Ratings Tank Following Public Trump Support Rep. Frederica Wilson Demands Apology From Trump Official John Kelly
Remember when Donald Trump slammed Arnold Schwarzenegger for diminished ratings on this season of Celebrity Apprentice? Arnold Schwarzenegger remembers. And he just flipped the script on the President of the United States. In a 40-second Twitter video, the former Governor and reality TV host clapped back at Trump for the Commander-in-Chief's historically low approval rating, which sits at 37% in the latest Gallop poll . And that poll was taken before the FBI confirmed that Trump was under investigation for treason . “Oh Donald – the ratings are in, and you got swamped,” Schwarzenegger says in the following video. “Wow. Now you’re in the thirties?” The action star goes on to bring up the latest budget proposal by the Trump administration, which has come under fire for how many social programs it wants to cut. “But what do you expect?” Schwarzenegger asks in the footage, explaining: “I mean when you take away after school programs for children and meals on wheels for the poor people, that’s not what you call ‘making America great again.’ Come on.” To his credit, Schwarzenegger concludes by not just slamming Trump, but offering him advice and assistance. “Who is advising you? Let me give you some advice: go to a middle school — the Hart Middle School, right in Washington, six miles away from the White House. “I’ll take you there, so you can see the fantastic work that they’re doing for these children. Let’s do it, huh?” Watch the full swing Schwarzenegger takes at Trump below. We can't wait to see howPOTUS responds!
So at this point, it’s probably safe to say that Donald Trump is the pettiest president of all time, right? Like, it’s hard to imagine any of those other 44 men getting into social media fights with The Terminator. But times have changed, and now we’re living in a time in which the actual president of the United States feels the need to log onto Twitter and express his hurt feelings. It’s strange, it’s uncomfortable, but here we are. Trump’s feud with Arnold Schwarzenegger started back in September when it was announced that Arnold would take over Trump’s position as host of The Apprentice . Arnold’s season premiered in January, and there was a big drop in ratings — 4.9 million viewers compared to 6.8 million viewers that watched Trump’s last premiere. At the time, Trump tweeted “Wow, the ratings are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger got ‘swamped’ (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT.” Yes, he seriously referred to himself as “the ratings machine.” Feel free to take a break to shake off all that embarrassment. “So much for being a movie star – and that was season 1 compared to season 14,” he added. “No compare him to my season 1. But who cares, he supported Kasich and Hillary.” You’d think that Trump would have been too busy with that presidency gig to worry so much about The Apprentice, but you have to realize that he’s still an executive producer for the show. (Hold on, it only gets more absurd from here on out.) Arnold fired back , telling Trump that he hopes he cares as much about being a good president as he does about ratings. He later criticized Trump for his ridiculous Muslim Ban, and for all the other terrible, terrifying decisions he’s made in these past two months. But finally, things got to be too much for Arnold, and he decided to step down as the host of The Apprentice. In a statement, he said that he loved working with the people on the show, and that he would love to continue working with them, but the show simply has too much “baggage.” “With Trump being involved in the show,” he explained, “people have a bad taste and don’t want to participate as a spectator or as a sponsor or in any other way support the show.” “It’s a very divisive period now, and I think this show got caught up in all that division.” So that’s totally fair — Arnold doesn’t want to get mixed up in any Donald Trump production when Donald Trump is very likely the most hated man in all of America right now. But you know Easy D couldn’t just let that lie. Trump got on Twitter this morning and wrote “Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to a great show.” So Arnold was fired because the ratings were bad, huh? It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that since the last season of the show premiered, people have learned so very, very many terrible things about Trump and may have wanted to distance themselves from a production he’s always been so closely involved with? View Slideshow: Donald Trump: Thousands of People Expressing Regret Over Voting for Him! Arnold’s already hit back, responding with “You should think about hiring a new joke writer and a fact checker.” Yep, this feud isn’t ending any time soon.
Two weeks after her ex-husband’s tragic passing, Ricki Lake is coming clean about Christian Evans’ demons, and his cause of death. The horrific truth about why he died, sadly, is what a lot of fans assumed when they first heard reports that Christian Evans was dead . In a new interview, the former talk show host said that her ex, who suffered from bipolar disorder, committed suicide by gunshot in February. “I’m in disbelief,” she tells People in its latest issue. “I have some bouts of peace, but it’s hard to swallow that this was supposed to happen.” Days after sending his sister a suicide note, Christian Evans was discovered dead in his automobile with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was just 45 years old. “I knew right then that he was gone. Everybody thought he was missing, but I knew,” Lake, 48, said of hearing about the letter’s existence. “The struggle was just too much for him,” she added of her husband of three years (2012-2015). “[Christian] did the best he could.” Evans previously threatened to end his life in a shocking suicide letter to a friend last fall (October 18), though he didn’t follow through. “I had to sell most of my belongings to pay for a treatment center for bipolar and suicidal depression,” the late jewelry designer wrote. “I’m in awful financial shape,” he wrote. “Homeless in a custom Range Rover.” Lake admits her former spouse’s sudden manic episodes led to their nasty 2014 breakup, saying “it was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” To say Evans’ mood swings were extreme would be an understatement, according to his ex-wife, who paints a sad and scary picture: “He thought he could fly. He thought he could cute cancer with his hands. It was horrific. He just wasn’t the person I had been with for four years.” “He was giving my money away,” she says. “He thought he was a God.” Lake also confirmed previous reports that she and Evans reconciled after she filed divorce papers, though ultimately it didn’t work out. “He wasn’t stable … But I was still in love with him, so there was something romantic about it,” she explains. “I wanted to save him.” She says she last saw him just three days before he took his own life, and in his last text to her, he wrote, “Good night, I love you angel.” In her interview, Lake said that she plans to scatter his ashes on their favorite beach in Spain, where they couple got engaged in Ibiza in 2011. R.I.P. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Died in 2017: In Memoriam
Earlier today, we reported that Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have broken up after about one year of dating. The former couple issued a joint statement assuring fans that the split was entirely mutual and amicable, and that Katy and Orlando would remain close friends. The press release read, in part: “Before rumors or falsifications get out of hand, we can confirm that Orlando and Katy are taking respectful, loving space at this time.” “Respectful, loving space”? If that’s not an overcompensating statement, then we’ve never heard one. Given that there was talk of Perry and Bloom getting engaged just a few short months ago, it seems clear that this wasn’t a case of just gradually growing apart, and that something happened that led these two to call it quits. At first, theories sprung up that the relationship went up in flames during the Vanity Fair after-party following the 2017 Academy Awards . Now, new rumors seem to support that theory, and the blame is being placed squarely on Orlando’s shoulders. Both parties attended the party, but they reportedly stuck to opposite sides of the room, like opposite sex middle-schoolers at a semi-formal dance. “Katy didn’t spend much time with Orlando,” said the onlooker. “They got together for a photo, but that was about it.” Until moments ago, it was widely assumed that Katy and Orlando had gotten in some sort of fight, and that we’d likely never figure out the exact cause of it. Now, Radar Online is claiming to have uncovered the cause of their deal-breaking blowout: According to the site, Orlando was spotted getting flirty with an heiress named Erin McCabe at the star-studded bash. Some insiders feel that he and Katy were already broken up before the party, and Orlando has simply already moved on to someone new. Others claim that Katy witnessed the flirtation, got pissed, and dropped Orlando on the spot. Either way, it seems the situation isn’t as respectful and loving as Katy and Orlando initially led us to believe. We guess Orlando can join Russell Brand and John Mayer on the lengthy list of Katy Perry’s douchey exes. The girl just doesn’t seem to have great luck with men. It’s a shame she doesn’t get along better with Taylor Swift, because those two could team up on a mean duet.
It’s hard to believe that the Big Bang Theory is still on the air after all these years. Season 10 is keeping viewers laughing over on CBS, but the lead cast members are laughing all the way to the bank. Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg are each raking an estimated $1 million per episode. BAZINGA! Yes, the show is expensive, but it’s disheartening to learn that Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch are earning a fraction of this figure . The two actresses are earning $200,000 per episode right now, and they are seeking parity with their co-stars. Rightfully so! If you watch The Big Bang Theory online , you will already know that both Bialik and Rauch bring the same level of funny to the show as the others, so the pay gap should not be this huge. It’s worth noting that Bialik and Rauch joined the ratings juggernaut in Season 3, but it still does not explain an estimated $800k difference in salary. Mayim stars as Amy Farrah Fowler, while Melissa stars as Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the hit CBS comedy series. We’re hearing the lead cast members have offered to reduce their asking fee to $900k per episode if it means their co-stars are getting a bigger pay check. With negotiations underway this week, the pay dispute is holding the show’s renewal up. The series is averaging 19.5 million viewers in Season 10 with all viewing metrics tallied up. It’s the biggest show on broadcast TV, and it would be a huge blow to CBS if they lost it over a dispute about pay. The future of the show has been up in the air for the past few months but look for the series to get a two-year renewal when the pay is settled for all of the stars. It was kind that the key players offered to reduce their own salaries to allow the ladies to get a raise. It remains to be seen whether Bialik and Rauch will hold out for more substantial increases. Will the show become a casualty of cast negotiations breaking down? That’s not likely when you consider the fact that CBS is actively pursuing a spin-off focusing on Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Cooper. In 2014, Helberg and Nayyar threatened to quit the show if they did not receive a pay rise to put them in line with Cuoco, Galecki and Parsons. Could you imagine The Big Bang Theory without Howard and Rajesh? That’s not something we’re willing to entertain the thought of. As always, we’ll keep you updated on any changes, but a renewal should come soon after the dispute being resolved. What do you think about all of this? Sound off below! View Slideshow: 14 Times Your Favorite TV Characters Embraced The Single Life
If you enjoy high drama surrounding reality stars on HGTV, then you’ve surely been taking in every last little detail of the increasingly ugly divorce of Tarek and Christina El Moussa. But then again, if you enjoy high drama surrounding reality stars on HGTV, then you’re probably completely overwhelmed with how awful things are between the Flip or Flop stars. Because things are awful. Sincerely, incredibly, remarkably awful. As we learned last month, Tarek and Christina separated after a terrifying incident involving guns and a whole mess of cops that went down in May. After getting into some kind of argument in their California home, Tarek grabbed a gun and went outside, heading for a hiking trail. Christina followed him, looking extremely upset. A few people witnessed all that and called the police, concerned that Tarek was suicidal. Police arrived soon after — 11 officers and one helicopter, to be exact. But, according to Tarek, he’d just left the house to get some air after the fight. He took the gun in case he came across any dangerous critters along the way. Several months went by after the incident, and it was only in December that we learned they’d separated. After the news leaked, Tarek and Christina released a statement insisting, among other things, that they “plan to continue our professional life together.” But that statement came several weeks ago now. And in the time since, things have obviously changed. They’re currently filming for Flip or Flop, and reports have stated that the El Moussas aren’t getting along all that great . Shocking, right? One source claimed that “Tarek yells at her in front of production,” and that “he is constantly putting her down.” “He says he blames her for leaking information about their split and he thinks that she sabotaged their marriage.” Another report, as horrific as it sounds, claims that Tarek has been joking about raping Christina on set. So considering all that, you’d think that both of them would be eager to cut ties completely, right? Professional life and all. But if you did think that, then you’d be wrong. According to a new report from People, Tarek and Christina are urging HGTV to let them continue filming , even after this current season. A source says that they “are very much committed and want to continue to work together and continue the show.” Ultimately though, the decision to keep filming isn’t up to them — HGTV executive are keeping an eye on the ratings before ordering more seasons. It shouldn’t be a problem though, considering ratings are way up for Flip or Flop. So it looks like there’s a good chance we could be seeing a whole lot more of this couple. What could possibly go wrong? View Slideshow: Christina El Moussa Photos: Flip or Flop Hotness!
Jeremy Calvert has a few things to say to Leah Messer. A few angry and bitter things to say to Leah Messer, we should clarify. As those who watch Teen Mom 2 online or on television witnessed this week, tension ran unusually high between Jeremy and Leah. The parents of three-year old daughter Adalynn divorced back in 2015, but had been on relatively amicable terms until recently. Not any longer, and it appears the reality show is to blame. Calvert, who recently called out MTV for manipulating footage and ruining lives through editing, went off on TM2 and his ex-wife. Jeremy was not pleased about Messer’s interpretation of his actions, making it look like he practically kidnapped their child. As depicted on Monday’s episode, Calvert took Adalynn on a trip to Ohio , failing to answer any phone calls or texts from Leah. The incident took place after Messer’s hometown of Elkview, West Virginia, suffered a major flood. Here’s where it gets a little complicated: While Messer’s house fortunately came out of the natural disaster unscathed, Calvert’s family residence in Ohio was significantly damaged. Jeremy therefore left South Dakota, where he had been working as a pipeline engineer, to return home and help out his folks. He had Adalynn with him at the time, and Leah claimed she was left in the dark when it came to her child’s whereabouts. “We’re supposed to get another flash-flood warning, and she’s in another city and I know nothing!” she screamed at one point. Leah later said Jeremy “lied” when confronted about this But now Calvert has taken to Instagram to tell his side of the story, which he says is just another case of MTV stirring up drama. “So, to clarify tonight’s episode about me leaving West Virginia and not informing Leah on my travels,” the reality star captioned a video clip. Jeremy Calvert Clarifies Teen Mom 2 Scene “I texted her at 6:42 pm and did not get a text message back until 9:38 pm when I was already in Ohio.” He continued in his attempt to escape blame: “I am not waiting around 3 hours for my ex-wife to respond to me and say yes you can take our child to Ohio or not during a disaster.” “We didn’t have no water, electricity and everything was flooded, debris everywhere. “So, no, I was trying to spend some quality time with my daughter while I had a chance to be home from South Dakota even though it was a complete nightmare trip and everybody lost everything.” “So, I tried my best to communicate.” “I can’t help if somebody don’t answer their phone, read text messages or whatever situation may be on that behalf. I can only do what I can do.” Jeremy Calvert Goes Off on Teen Mom 2 Editing “The phone conversations you all saw tonight took [place] a week later when I was already back in West Virginia,” he continues. Unlike how it looks, he was “packing my clothes, getting ready to go back to work in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.” “Therefore MTV, all they want to do is stir the pot and cause more drama that was unnecessary.” “Because we had already hashed out the issues, but they wanted to bring it back up,” he says. “So they have some good drama for TV for you all to watch and get your own opinions about and get the ratings through the roof.” “So there you go on that bunch of bulls–t.” It doesn’t sound as though this will be the last time we hear from Calvert on this topic, which he has promised to refute on a line-item basis. “As a repercussion for deceitful editing, I will address each scene with what really happened,” he told Instagram followers earlier this month, adding: “I appreciate all of your support over the years.” He has not addressed rumors that Jeremy Calvert and Brooke Wehr broke up earlier this month after getting engaged last fall. Messer, meanwhile, seems unfazed by her ex-husband’s complaints and rants, or is certainly trying to put on a positive front. On Tuesday night, she shared a meme that reads “Don’t let anyone rent a space in your head, unless they’re a good tenant.” Determined not to let either Jeremy bring her down or criticism over her parenting affect her, Messer wrote the following as a caption to this message: Becoming aware of who and what impacts you positively and negatively is essential to learning how to choose to feel good. Your thoughts and how you think about things create your feelings yet it’s important to remember that they don’t define you. T ake inventory of who is taking residence in your mind. Observe their presence and how you’re affected by them. If they’re not good tenants, it’s time to evict! A good first step is to replace the thought of them with someone who adds value to your life, then make a mental list of at least 10 things you appreciate about this person. Your mood will elevate almost immediately. View Slideshow: Leah Messer’s Messed-Up Love Life: The Ultimate Timeline! There is no reason to excuse perpetual behavior that doesn’t serve you. Your mind, the thoughts you think and the beliefs you have, become the reality you experience. Deep stuff.
Kandi Burruss is not impressed with the allegations that were made about her in a recent episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta . In case you missed it, Phaedra Parks and Porsha Willams felt the need to claim that their co-star and her husband, Todd Tucker had a threesome with Shamea Morton. “They are really close — she’s close to both of them,” Williams said. Parks added, “Close to her and Todd — she doin’ both.” Now, nothing would surprise us about these ladies. They do pretty much anything possible in order to stay in the spotlight, so this could have been a ruse to have them be talked about in the media. Hey, someone’s got to do something to drum up the ratings. Either way, Kandi was less than impressed with the comments from her co-stars and aired her feelings on a Bravo blog . “I was cracking up!” she wrote. “First of all, what Phaedra said was some bulls–t, but what she did was just an example of what I was talking about. She’s been doing shady things and saying shady things behind my back for years now. That is why I really don’t mess with her like that.” If you watch The Real Housewives of Atlanta online , you probably know there is no love lost between the pair and that they will bicker at any given opportunity. Watch The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 9 Episode 8 Online Burruss was in an apologetic mood because she did then apologize for some of her earlier comments about Phaedra in the episode. “Although I shouldn’t have said some of the things Phaedra and I had talked about in private to anyone (I especially shouldn’t have said it on camera for the world to hear), but at least what I said was true,” she said. However, Porsha was not getting out of it without another few zingers from Kandi. “Phaedra is whispering made-up stories, telling them this untrue Shamea story, and her rationale is ‘we are close.’ Girl, you’re reaching! If that’s the case, Phaedra and I used to be close,” she said. “And right after that Porsha’s telling me I’m wrong for saying something about my ex friend, but she just co-signed a story Phaedra made up about Shamea, who is her current best friend. SMH.” This should pave the way for a whole lot of new drama and we could not be more excited. Can it be the reunion yet? What do you think about all of this? Sound off below! View Slideshow: The Real Housewives Cast Shake-Ups: Who’s In? Who’s Out?
Khloe Kardashian will probably be ecstatic at the prospect of putting 2016 behind her. It was probably one of the worst years of her life. Her relationship with Tristan Thompson was probably one of the only bright spots of that year. Wait… we can probably also throw her finalizing her divorce to Lamar Odom into one of the highlights. Ever since Khloe and Tristan have been a thing, it’s been clear the pair are totally in love. They’ve been very vocal about it over social media. People have even been speculating that Khloe has a little Kardashian bun in her oven, but we still have no idea whether that’s a fact, or some more Kardashian family fiction. Khloe took to Instagram to ring in the new year with a cute picture of Tristan kissing the side of her head, accompanied with a very hopeful caption. “Happy New Year!!! May you always be surrounded by the love you are deserving of! May Gods blessings continue to rain on us all!” There’s no denying that the picture was very cute, and it solidified the fact that the pair are really in love. With 2016 in the can, Khloe has a new reality show to look forward to. She will be the key attraction on Revenge Body, a new series that will help lucky individuals shut the haters up. Basically, viewers will apply for the opportunity to go on the show and have Khloe Kardashian help them get the body they so desperately desire. It’s hardly an original concept for a TV show, but Khloe has went through some transformations herself, so she’s probably one of the best people in the industry for the job. It remains to be seen if any of her family members will show up to try and plug the ratings. What do you think about all of this? Sound off below! View Slideshow: Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson Make Out. HARD.
