In response to the ruling that her whiskey brand, Uncle Nearest, will be placed under a receivership, CEO Fawn Weaver took to social media to tell followers that she and the brand are still going strong, and to clear up what she calls “fake news” about the current state of her role.

“Some reports claim I no longer own Uncle Nearest,” Weaver said in an Instagram Reel posted on Saturday. “Let me be clear: I built this company, I own this company, I run this company.”

Weaver did not share details about the lawsuit and is under a gag order from the court. But she said in the post caption that she is still speaking out, despite being cautioned to “move in silence.”

“But God didn’t call me to that,” she wrote in the caption. “He called me to live out loud and knew he built me strong enough to take the shots when they came.”

After a legal battle between Uncle Nearest and one of its lenders, Farm Credit Mid America, the future of the whiskey company and the role of its founders, Fawn Weaver and her husband Keither Weaver, is in the balance. According to claims from Farm Credit, the company defaulted on $108 million in loans. They also accused the company of lying about its barrel inventory to get an increased loan, misusing loans on a $2 million Martha’s Vineyard property. But, the order from the Tennessee judge suggested that the Weavers remain in control of the brand’s marketing, which Farm Credit agreed with, according to reports.

“By keeping the Weavers involved in this way, they could mitigate any potential brand damage that a receivership might entail,” said the order. 

The Weavers and Farm Credit have to submit suggestions for the new receiver by August 20.

Fawn reiterated her message from an Instagram post from earlier this week, which is that fans of the whiskey need to “keep clearing the shelves” at any Uncle Nearest distributor to show their support. According to Weaver, Uncle Nearest is “moving in the opposite direction” of the trend of spirit brands that are struggling as a record low of Americans are drinking alcohol. She then shouted out all of the states where she said sales for Uncle Nearest are up.

“Our team remains unshaken and unmoved,” Weaver said in the Instagram Reel posted yesterday. “If that ever changes, you’ll hear it directly from me, and I know you’ll respond accordingly.”

8

What should’ve been a harmless, free-for-all $30,000 Lady Bird Lake scavenger hunt in Austin turned into an actual crime scenario after Kick streamer Amaris “XenaTheWitch” Sampson allegedly shot an innocent person in the thigh with a paintball gun. Yep, you read that correctly: the 29-year-old social media personality confused an onlooker with a participant, pulled the trigger, and found himself cuffed.

Police verified the altercation took place sometime about 5:55 p.m. on August 9th along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. Sampson was booked into Travis County Jail as of Wednesday and now stands charged with two Class A misdemeanors: assault with bodily injury and deadly conduct. If convicted, she would face up to seven years in jail for a paintball splat.

The Viral Video That Got Her Arrested

The entire incident has been live-streamed and has gone viral since. During the course of the montage, pandemonium broke out:

“Adriana! That’s a live worker you nearly killed.”
“Huh? Yeah, that’s a work!”
“I don’t give a f***.”

Seconds later, one can hear the injured bystander utter:

“Yes, she f***** shot me. It was one of those girls.”

As opposed to apologizing or even stopping, Sampson purportedly uttered more defiantly: “I don’t give a f**.”

A Pattern of Recklessness

If you are one who is used to XenaTheWitch’s antics, this is far from breaking news. Her streaming career has been controversial:

Her cameraman was accused in January of taking an Uber driver’s phone while live on stream and tossing it under the driver’s car.

She stunned everybody in November of 2023 by pissing out of her bedroom window on camera, yes, for views.

So the paintball debacle appears more like a predictable overextension of a streamer attempting to outdo herself from her previous prank instead of an accident.

Community Reaction and Fallout

The streaming community is split. Some are running to her defense, labeling it a “misunderstanding in the course of an event,” while others are saying shooting unarmed civilians in public is not “content,” it’s against the law. The victim reportedly told police that she had been injured and in agony, and APD was extremely adamant that Sampson’s actions were reckless and endangered others in the park. Salt in the wound, the event was even hosted by fellow streamer Paul “Ice Poseidon” Denino, who is himself known for controversy. The scavenger hunt was set up as wild and high-stakes fun, but the “stakes” ended up being a police record.

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August 15, 2025August 15, 2025

Whew, chile — things got real on Love & Hip Hop this week! Yandy Smith-Harris is breaking her silence after a recent episode aired, showing her candidly discussing an “emotional connection” with someone who wasn’t her husband. Fans and critics alike have been buzzing, and Yandy is here to set the record straight.

📝 The Backstory with Mendeecees

Yandy and Mendeecees Harris have had a complicated journey in the public eye. From their early days on the reality series to facing the highs and lows of marriage, including legal issues and long separations, their relationship has been anything but simple. Despite challenges, the couple has remained committed to co-parenting their children while navigating the pressures of fame.

💬 Yandy Speaks Her Truth

During the episode, Yandy admitted to Mendeeces that she had formed an emotional bond outside of their marriage. Yandy’s reveal comes months after her former best-friend and hairstylist took to social media putting her on blast amongst multiple claims.

Within the recently aired episode both Yandy and Mendeeces admitted that the last few years of their marriage has been a constant back and forth of hurting one another.

Though Yandy explained that connection doesn’t always mean physical infidelity but can happen emotionally when couples face long periods apart or personal struggles. Mendeeces made it clear that he feels an emotional connection is far more hurtful than a physical one. The moment sparked heated discussions online as men and women discussed different levels of infidelity paired with the complexities of marriage.

Yandy emphasized that she and Mendeecees are still working on their relationship, learning from past mistakes, and striving to grow together.

🌟 Growth, Transparency, and Reality TV

As the episode continues to trend online, Yandy took to Instagram Thursday August 14th with a video for fans to emphasize that she and Mendeecees are still working on their relationship, learning from past mistakes, and striving to grow together.

She added that her willingness to be transparent about the messiness of marriage, fame, and personal growth is something she takes pride in while also asking for grace to navigate this current chapter in her life.

Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion journalist Robin Givhan is leaving the Washington Post. The Washington Association of Black Journalists confirmed today that Givhan took a buyout from The Post after more than two decades of contributing to the newspaper. She worked as a senior critic-at-large for The Post, most known for covering the fashion industry, along with arts, race, and politics.

Givhan first covered the fashion industry and wrote a column at The Post from 1995 until 2010. During that time, her fashion coverage earned her a Pulitzer Prize in criticism in 2006. She also covered Michelle Obama during the first year of the Obama Administration. After that, she was a style correspondent for The Daily Beast for two years and returned to The Washington Post in 2014.

Last year, she earned the Rabkin Prize for her arts writing. And most recently, she wrote a book on the late designer, Virgil Abloh, called “Make It Ours: Crashing the Gates of Culture with Virgil Abloh.”

At least 60 Washington Post journalists have been let go this year, according to The Washingtonian. Many have been with the newspaper as long as Givhan or even longer. The newspaper has been struggling to find its footing under new leadership with a fresh CEO, Will Lewis, and directional changes, such as the decision from Jeff Bezos for the paper not to endorse a presidential candidate in the last election.

In 2023, The Post cut 240 staffers. Kathy Baird, its chief communications officer, said at the time that the layoffs would put the newspaper “in a strong place for 2024 and beyond.”