“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” may have reached the end of an era. The beloved installment in Bravo’s popular franchise has survived multiple shake-ups over the last few years, losing mainstays like Phaedra Parks, Nene Leakes, Cynthia Bailey, and more.

But the latest casting shakeup of Kenya Moore departing the show leaves us wondering what the show will look like moving forward, and if we are truly saying goodbye to the series we all fell in love with.

As The Root reported, Moore announced her departure from the series earlier this week, deep in the middle of production for the show’s 16th season. With a retooled cast, Moore was announced alongside returning peach holders and newbies, with Porsha Williams and Shamea Morton Mwangi coming back into the fold, Drew Sidora and Moore returning from last season, Cynthia Bailey returning as a “friend” of the housewives and newbies Brittany Eady, Kelli Ferrell, and Angela Oakley joining.

This much-needed refresh felt like an exciting step in the right direction for viewers of the series, as dwindling ratings and middling fan reception plagued the last handful of seasons of ‘Atlanta.’

Moore’s sudden exit, however, leaves us in new territory for this series and for the franchise. Her controversial departure stems from a filmed event earlier this month where Moore allegedly revealed posters of Eady performing oral sex, as PEOPLE Magazine reported. While conflicting reports surrounding whether or not she truly exited the series or was fired continue to flood in, one thing is for certain: the show will not be the same without Moore, and housewives of her nature.

For years, these shows have been helped, in part, by polarizing figures — Housewives whom you love, hate, or even love to hate. Since she joined in season 5, Moore was featured heavily in this capacity on the show. Season after season, she stood as the one who wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is, to get her hands dirty in the sandbox that is reality TV, and to “move story” forward. Without this archetype of reality star, we would not have much to talk about.

On an Amazon Live, Kandi Burruss (who herself just departed the series after 15 years), spoke to this sentiment, saying that Moore’s exit will have a major impact on the series. “I feel like this is the end of an era,” she said. “I don’t care who disagrees. I feel like it’s the end of an era. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t like her or whatever. You always gonna need somebody who doesn’t mind being real and keeping it 100 on camera, pushing the story, meaning like bringing up things that other people are trying to avoid.”

As Burruss pointed out, these shows have thrived on stars who are willing to say what other people won’t and push the envelope, and Moore was certainly one of those housewives. In fact, for years the series was filled with housewives of that nature…the likes of Nene Leakes and Phaedra Parks, personalities who, perhaps due to the lack of social media presence that there is today, felt a bit bolder than the new wave of housewives we are seeing today.

But maybe this push towards the new (and a bit less dramatic) is a good thing for the overall health of the franchise…? Just last year, “The Real Housewives of New York” did a complete reboot — a first in the franchise’s history. After low ratings, a controversial 13th season, and a cast that just did not gel, the show relaunched with a fresh (and thankfully more diverse) representation of New York.

It’s hard to imagine “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” without Moore, just like it was hard to imagine the series without Leakes when she first left. But, with time, perhaps we will move through these growing pains and a new Atlanta will be born. Will the show have less shocking drama and polarizing antics?

Perhaps…but maybe, from the ashes of the old “RHOA,” a new show will arise with something fresh to offer. While we wait, however, we mourn the days of “Gone with the Wind Fabulous,” “Bye Wig,” and “Who Gon’ Check Me Boo?” …which may truly, finally, be gone forever.

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

LeBron James must really be the greatest of all time. He’s the only NBA  player in history who persuaded his team to sign his son so they can hoop together.

Take that, Michael Jordan.

I still have MJ as the GOAT. But I can’t help marveling at LeBron’s remarkable journey, which now overlaps with his oldest son’s path. Bronny James became the most famous second-round pick ever when the Los Angeles Lakers selected him 55th overall in Thursday’s draft.

Let’s agree on a few things right away. First, the Lakers wouldn’t have selected Bronny if his father wasn’t the league’s all-time scoring leader. Second, no other NBA team was going to take him (only three more picks remained). Third, the Lakers were in a difficult position and faced potential downside either way.

Folks who think the Lakers are stupid surely disagree, but this is a sweet moment, no matter what happens next. Strip away the various business interests in sports, media and entertainment, and peek under the family’s fame, bank accounts and cultural influence. It all boils down to a simple father-son story of human interest.

 What’s not to love about that?

I understand the Lakers’ move at the emotional level of human interaction. They rightly decided that the heart tugs were sufficient reason to throw a bone and fulfill LeBron’s dream. It’s not like 55th picks make or break a team’s fortunes. Players taken that late do well to make the roster and ride the bench. Teams take fliers at that point and hope to get lucky, but expectations for the fourth-from-last baller drafted are low. 

Bronny wasn’t the 55th-best NBA prospect in most eyes, opening the Lakers to criticism that they wasted the pick to please LeBron. But leaving the younger James on the board would’ve pissed off LeBron, who can depart via free agency next week. Many folks are convinced that LeBron runs the organization, so it’s no big deal if the number grows. That’s a small price to pay for retaining King James’ services.

“There’s never been a father and a son that have shared an NBA basketball court and that feels like something that could be magical,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “We know, and have to respect of course, that LeBron has a decision on his opt-out … but if it worked out that he was on our team next season, NBA history could be made. And NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform.”

This is a Hollywood story, for sure. We just don’t know which genre.

It could be anything from pure horror to uproarious comedy, with Pelinka and first-year head coach J.J. Reddick vying for the best supporting actor award. It might not be a thriller but it’ll be dramatic AF, chronicling the face of the league in his 22nd season while his teenage son tags along.

News flash: Bronny has privileges that players of comparable size and skill don’t enjoy. Favor ain’t fair. He didn’t ask for it, and he doesn’t have to act like it’s nonexistent. Children who follow their parents in any field can have a leg up on peers and the NBA is no exception.

“I don’t want to hear these charges, people talking about nepotism,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said. “The NBA is full of nepotism. The ownership level, front offices, coaching. I don’t want to hear it all of a sudden because Bronny James’ father plays for the Lakers. It is rampant in this league.”

We don’t know how much Bronny’s development was set back by a cardiac arrest in July 2023, prior to his freshman year at USC. He was considered a better NBA prospect in high school but his stock dropped during his lone year in college, which was delayed by treatment for a congenital heart defect. He came off the bench in 19 of his 25 games and posted meager numbers.

Being on the Lakers with his dad could be the best or worst outcome, perhaps both simultaneously. Call it a push, and he’s in the league, regardless.

“I just want to have people know my name is Bronny James and not be identified as just LeBron James’ son,” Bronny said in May at the NBA Combine. “I feel like that would be a great angle. Everything that follows my dad, people just try to link me with that and all the greatness that he’s achieved. I haven’t done anything yet, so I feel like there needs to be that divide between Bronny and LeBron.”

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Good luck dividing them now. Only the length of the bench separates them, with Bronny on the end. 

LeBron’s tutelage could be Bronny’s best shot at maxing out as an NBA player. I’m curious whether agent Rich Paul keeps his predraft pledge to decline a two-way contract for Bronny. Such a deal seems perfect for development; Bronny would be paid the same whether in the NBA or G League and he could play in up to 50 NBA games. Paul might’ve made the vow to scare away would-be suitors, like he reportedly warned them Bronny would play in Australia if drafted by any team except the Lakers.  

I’d understand if neither LeBron nor Bronny desired this experience. But I also understand why they consider it the ultimate scenario for their father-son relationship. At its core, this is a heartwarming moment for the James family and a gracious move by the Lakers with no long-term repercussions.

Congratulations is the most appropriate response. And wow. 

Deron Snyder, from Brooklyn, is an award-winning columnist who lives near D.C. and pledged Alpha at HU-You Know! He’s reaching high, lying low, moving on, pushing off, keeping up, and throwing down. Got it? Get more at blackdoorventures.com/deron.

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Nashville-based pop singer and songwriter Leah Mason reveals “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” the fourth single from her forthcoming album, HEXED, set to be released on August 9th.

With haunting lyrics that reverberate with honesty and vulnerability, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” is undoubtedly one of Leah’s most heartfelt singles to date. A dreamscape of sparse piano and minimalist production, her utterly breathtaking vocals take center stage. It’s an evocative and spellbinding reminder of Leah’s artistic breadth.

“I’m a pro at masking my emotions and suppressing my feelings until I can deal with them later,” Leah reveals. “But the thing about emotions is they don’t wait for the most convenient time to bubble to the surface. This song is about surrendering to your mind and acknowledging how you’re feeling. Truthfully, that’s the only way to start the healing process.”

Leah Mason has found her place in pop music and she’s here to stay. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter, who People Magazine heralded as “an undeniable talent,” has captured the hearts and ears of millions since she burst onto the scene in 2021.

Determined to continue pushing the boundaries of her sound, Leah broke away from the familiar last year and ventured to Sweden to work with Simon Jonasson on her debut album, HEXED. After two and a half weeks, she emerged from the studio with a collection of meticulously crafted pop tracks. Across the album’s 12 tracks, she takes the intensity of young adulthood and bottles it up into a selection of universally relatable songs, ranging from tongue-in-cheek, angst-driven anthems to heartfelt musings. HEXED is without a doubt Leah Mason’s most confident, raw, and real project to date.

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Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

I have wanted to interview Robert Smith for a long precisely because he’s the richest Black man in America. That’s a stunning achievement. According to Forbes, he’s worth over $9 Billion. He’s won the game of capitalism — and spent a lot of time giving money away. He’s a philanthropic leader who once spoke at Morehouse in 2019 and then paid off the academic debt of everyone in the graduating class. He combines brilliance in science, savvy in the world of finance, and interpersonal skills to make lots of people want to work with him.

I met Smith on the set of “Masters of the Game” in Manhattan and was immediately struck by his charisma. He’s brotherly, he’s avuncular, he’s warm and welcoming. You can see why so many people want to be around him. The interview premieres on Saturday at noon on TheGrio Cable Network.

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Smith grew up in Denver and was an engineering prodigy. As a teenager, he developed a critical new part for semiconductors. In college, at Cornell, he won an award for excellence in chemical engineering. He got an MBA from Columbia and landed at the iconic Goldman Sachs. He ended up convincing Goldman Sachs to take a chance on the tech world at a time when the tech world was just beginning to explode. That helped him become wealthy. Then he left Goldman to found his own venture capital firm, Vista Equity Partners, which became one of the leaders in Silicon Valley venture funding. 

Smith’s Vista now has over $100 billion in assets under management. 

We all think about money but it’s complicated, emotional,  sometimes exciting and sometimes scary. I wanted to know what Smith’s emotional relationship with money has been throughout his life. I wanted to talk about what he did interpersonally to help him succeed in the lily-white world of finance. I wanted to see if he takes pride in being the richest Black man in America. Does that matter to him?

If you care about money, this is an important interview — you might learn how to make your own million. 

Watch Robert Smith’s “Masters of the Game” interview at 12 p.m. ET Saturday on TheGrio Cable Network.

Deron Snyder, from Brooklyn, is an award-winning columnist who lives near D.C. and pledged Alpha at HU-You Know! He’s reaching high, lying low, moving on, pushing off, keeping up, and throwing down. Got it? Get more at blackdoorventures.com/deron.

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BLACKPINK singer, rapper, dancer, and style icon LISA is back today with her first solo release in three years, “Rockstar,” a song about living large on multiple continents. The anxious, blippy, supremely confident mix of hip-hop and club music quickly landed at No. 2 on the Genius Top Songs chart.

Produced by Sam Homaee and chart-wrecking hitmaker Ryan Tedder—who together wrote the song with LISA and three other folks—“Rockstar” showcases everything the BLACKPINK superstar can do. On the chorus that opens the song, LISA flexes her rap skills while alluding to the fact that she speaks Japanese, one of four languages at her disposal.

She switches to singing in the pre-chorus, where she brags about jetting off to places like Miami and Bangkok, located of course in her home country of Thailand.

In the song’s lone verse, LISA name-checks a popular Japanese citrus sauce while describing her here-today, gone-today travel style.

In the “Rockstar” music video, LISA dances in the streets of Bangkok and leads an army of young people in white hoodies. The visually striking and energetic video further cements her status as a global music and fashion icon.

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Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

One of my favorite songs to listen to at pretty much any function where Black people will gather is Nu Shooz’s “I Can’t Wait.” I’m 45 and this song has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have heard it at family reunions, cookouts, graduation parties, etc. I guess because I’ve only heard the song at Black functions (and for a time, at all Black functions), I assumed its creators were Black people — probably from Detroit. 

So you can imagine my surprise when I learned, maybe last year, that Nu Shooz is a white husband-and-wife duo from Portland, Oregon. They join a list of white groups (this might need an asterisk) that made music so omnipresent in the Black community that many of us didn’t realize or never checked to see if they were, indeed, Black. If that group of artists had a president, it would be Bobby Caldwell. There are still people finding out that he is white, and it tickles me every time. To be clear, the race of the artists doesn’t matter; finding out Nu Shooz are white people doesn’t change my relationship with the song or with them. I love “I Can’t Wait” and will play it whenever the moment calls for it or when the mood suits. It’s just funny. 

What’s even funnier is that there is a music video for “I Can’t Wait,” but because it was released in 1986 — before I knew that songs aside from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” had music videos and well before I had any earthly idea where to watch them — I’d never seen it until I was in my 40s. A song that I grew up with and has been in my life for roughly 40 years has a music video, and because I rarely, if ever, go back and check out music videos from the 1980s, I had no idea. 

That’s how I made this discovery. I was listening to “I Can’t Wait” and realized I didn’t know anything about the group. I didn’t know if they were a band. I didn’t know where they were from and also realized that I couldn’t name another song from them if my life depended on it. I googled the group and landed on their Wiki page, which does not have a picture of them but, of course, has their names (John Smith and Valerie Day) and their point of origin: Portland, Oregon.

PORTLAND, OREGON??????!!

I don’t know much about Portland but I definitely don’t think about Black people or Black musicians (Hi, Esperanza Spalding!) when I hear Portland. So then I went to YouTube to see if there were any videos of them and BOOM — a whole video for “I Can’t Wait” with a white woman singing all the parts I assumed were sung by a Black woman. Now, I’m not saying Valerie Day sounds like Teena Marie, but I’d really never thought, or considered, that she was white because the song was always played at Black functions, and usually songs made by Black folks are played at Black functions. 

Of course, as soon as I found this knowledge, I had to ask my friends if they knew and shockingly, yes, most of my friends did. There were a few folks who, like me, who had never thought about it, and because they heard it in similar places as me, made the same assumption I did. But way more people than I realized had also seen the video and here I was at 40-plus seeing the video for the first time. Because of my musical knowledge and enthusiasm, several of the homies got quite a chuckle out of my discovery. 

So yeah, at my big age, I learned something that many people already knew. I can’t wait until the next time it happens. I know you see what I did there. I’ll see myself out.

Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).

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Throughout this year, Shaunie Henderson and Shaquille O’Neal’s former marriage has been a topic of discussion due to Shaunie’s book and Shaq’s podcast, where they both have respectfully detailed their time together in their 7-year marriage. Now, Shaq’s mom is joining the conversation and giving her thoughts on what her first impression of Shaunie was back in the day.

While doing an interview with Sway In The Morning, Lucille O’Neal talked about how it is to navigate being a mother to a wealthy athlete such as Shaq. Sway asked Lucille what it was like to meet Shaq’s then-wife Shaunie and how she viewed their relationship initially. Lucille didn’t hold back with her answer.

“A mother’s love for a son is something extremely unique, and at some point, those sons find other women,” Sway began. “They find wives. What was it like when you first met Shaunie? What was that like knowing that my son is about to be married and has this new person in their life?”

“Before then, I had already gotten to the place where my place is secure. I don’t care who he marries or who he gets with. I know my place, and I’m secure in it,” said Lucille. “It’s hard to see them go into a relationship and somehow you may feel maybe that might not be the right relationship,” she said. “But, you have to step back, and we have to let it happen. And I tell a lot of the mothers that we are going to remain their mothers as long as they live… we are not their girlfriends. So, I’m safe in my place.”

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