On Wednesday (April 17), Ashanti went on her Instagram to share that she and Nelly are expecting their first child together. In the clip, we see the R&B singer getting ready to perform when “momager” Tina Douglas asks her how much more time she needs to get ready.
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“I’m gonna need about nine months,” Ashanti replies leaving her mother speechless. In addition to being pregnant, the “Foolish” songstress told Essence magazine that she’s also engaged.
Back in 2017, Nelly was arrested in Washington state after being accused of raping a woman on his tour bus. The woman, who would later be identified as 21-year-old Monique Greene, was one of three women who made sexual assault allegations against the rapper.
Greene’s case was dropped after she opted not to testify, but the lawsuit was eventually settled. Two more women from England would also make disturbing claims about the Nelly, saying that he groped them and masturbated in front of them after being invited to spend time with him and his entourage in 2016 and 2017.
However, Essex police stopped an investigation into the case of one of the English women due to her inability to testify. Nelly publicly expressed gratitude to U.K. police for “thoroughly investigating” the allegations.
Nelly — who already has son Cornell III, 21, and daughter, Chanelle, 26 — has seemingly never professionally suffered from the accusations, as the St. Louis native has gone on to release albums, appear in commercials and be honored at award shows.
“This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope and anticipation,” Ashanti stated to the publication. “Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience.”
As folks express joy for Ashanti and Nelly’s renewed relationship, they shouldn’t forget about his past.
On May 5th, fans of the beloved pirate captain Monkey D. Luffy have an extra reason to celebrate as they mark his birthday alongside the highly anticipated English dub premiere of One Piece Season 14 Voyage 15 on Crunchyroll. This special birthday launch will feature episodes 1062 to 1073, including the groundbreaking Episode 1071, where Luffy unveils his Gear Five transformation, a major milestone in the series.
In honor of Luffy’s birthday, Crunchyroll is preparing a treasure trove of special surprises that will be unveiled on the big day. Fans are encouraged to join the celebration and experience the thrills of Luffy’s latest adventures, available in select territories, starting at 4 pm PT.
Gear Five Episode Synopsis:
In Episode 1071, Luffy surprises both friend and foe alike as he bounces on the ground and transforms into a giant, wielding his newfound power against the formidable Kaido. As Luffy revels in his new abilities, his allies, including Kid, Law, and others, continue the fight against flames and enemies below, eagerly awaiting Luffy’s victory.
One Piece, based on the manga by Eiichiro Oda, follows the epic journey of Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates as they seek the ultimate treasure, The One Piece, and aspire to become the Pirate King. With its unique blend of action, humor, and heartfelt storytelling, this long-running series continues to captivate fans worldwide.
Join the global One Piece community in celebrating Luffy’s birthday and the launch of this pivotal new chapter in his journey. As the excitement continues, Crunchyroll is set to expand its One Piece offering on May 7th with the addition of several English dubbed TV Specials in select territories.
For more information and to prepare for the festivities, fans can visit the official One Piece show page on Crunchyroll and the official English X home for One Piece. With Luffy leading the way, the best is yet to come, and May 5th promises to be a day to remember for all One Piece fans!
Election poll data and turnout trends of Black voters and voters who identify as LGBTQ+ signal the significant sway the two groups could play in the outcome of the 2024 presidential contest.
Black LGBTQ+ voters, who stand at the intersection of these two influential voting blocs, could be critical for President Joe Biden’s reelection.
“The Black and LGBTQ communities are both critical parts of the Biden-Harris coalition that played an important role in the president’s victory in 2020 and will be pivotal to victory this November,” said Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones, a member of the Biden-Harris 2024 national advisory board, and Florida’s first openly gay Black lawmaker.
In addition to more Black Americans voting in 2020 than in any other presidential election since President Barack Obama’s reelection in 2012, voters who identified as LGBTQ+ in 2020, an increasingly growing population (at least 20 million), surged to its highest level (7% of the electorate) in U.S. history.
“That is not an insignificant number when the election was decided by tens of thousands of votes in just a handful of states,” Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who also sits on the Biden-Harris campaign’s national board of advisers, told theGrio.
Understanding the crucial impact Black and LGBTQ+ voters could make in this year’s election, the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign got an early start by investing millions of dollars in ads targeting Black voters. Recently, the campaign launched OUT for Biden, a national organizing and engagement program to mobilize LGBTQ+ voters.
Sen. Kamala Harris greets the crowd at the annual Pride Parade at Civic Center on Sunday, June 30, 2019, in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Gabrielle Lurie/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
To date, several LGBTQ+ organizations have endorsed President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for a second term, including those led by Black LGBTQ+ leaders like Kelley Robinson, president of Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization.
“We get that when they come after reproductive rights, when they come after DEI, when they come after LGBTQ+ issues, it is an attempt to undermine the progress that we have made in this country,” Robinson told theGrio. “Not only over the last 10 years or 20 years but over the last 400 years.”
Pointing to battleground states like Texas, Georgia, and Florida which are comprised of some of the nation’s largest Black populations and the highest surge in LGBTQ+ voters, the social justice advocate added, “Black LGBTQ+ voters get that better than any other community. We are a huge voting bloc.”
“The Biden-Harris administration has been the most pro-equality administration in U.S. history,” said Robinson, who noted President Biden’s signing of the Respect for Marriage Act – which enshrined same-sex marriage in federal statute for the first time in U.S. history – and the administration’s expansion of discrimination protections.
By contrast, she said, Trump has “led some of the most anti-LGBTQ+ efforts in American history,” including enforcing a military trans ban. Robinson also expressed dismay at Trump’s campaign promise to “back the hateful ban on trans people getting health care access, [and] promising to defund hospitals and criminalize doctors for providing medical care.”
Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign, speaks during the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner at the Washington Convention Center on Oct. 14, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
According to polling, Black and LGBTQ+ voters overwhelmingly favor Biden over Trump. A March 2024 poll conducted by GLAAD found that 68% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer voters prefer Biden compared to 15% who prefer Trump. Similarly, a New York Times/Sienna poll conducted in April showed that 69% of Black voters support Biden compared to 16% who support Trump. An additional 15% remained undecided.
Though support for the president and vice president among Black and LGBTQ voters eclipses those in support of Trump, the Biden-Harris reelection campaign is working to widen that gap through its mobilization efforts like OUT for Biden and its ad blitz directly speaking to Black voters.
Robinson said the rest of the work in mobilizing Black and LGBTQ+ voters rests on organizations like HRC.
“We have a responsibility to be out there bridging the gap for both letting them know that we see the things that matter to them most in their communities,” she said. “And sharing how this Biden-Harris administration is … pushing forward laws and policies that are going to make a difference.”
Earl Fowlkes, president and CEO of the Center For Black Equity, a Black LGBTQ+ social justice organization that also endorsed the Biden-Harris campaign, said he personally speaks to voters, including his own younger nieces and nephews who are of voting age who have “come to [him] with some concerns.”
“I’ve been able to speak to them about … how important that when you compare it to the opposition, there is no comparison,” Fowlkes told theGrio. “Unfortunately, people are not getting the detailed information. They’re getting snippets of stuff through social media … they’ve drawn the conclusion based on a lack of evidence.”
The longtime political organizer said it is his “job” to “provide the evidence” to voters about the Biden-Harris record, including canceling $147 billion in student loans, a record low Black unemployment, and the rebuilding of America’s infrastructure, including bridges, highways, and roads.
“[Biden] is not getting credit for those things. So we have to remind people of how bad things were during the last administration,” said Fowlkes. “If we don’t reelect the president and the vice president, we’re going to be fighting battles that we thought we had already fought and won.”
President Joe Biden delivers the 2023 State of the Union address with Vice President Kamala Harris behind him. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images)
Kenyatta, who is Pennsylvania’s first openly gay lawmaker of color, said seeing “precedents 50 years old overturned” like Roe v. Wade has “certainly” not left him and others “feeling secure” about other precedents like Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court that made same-sex marriage a constitutional right.
The 33-year-old state lawmaker, who chairs President Biden’s advisory commission on advancing educational equity and economic opportunity for Black Americans, said Black and LGBTQ+ people have “been on the receiving end of bullying” by leaders like Trump.
“In lieu of being able to solve real problems for real people, Donald Trump has demonized folks,” said Kenyatta. “Joe Biden, on the other hand, has been an outspoken, unapologetic supporter of all Americans, irrespective of their sexual orientation.”
He also noted key Black LGBTQ+ appointments within the Biden-Harris administration and presidential campaign, including him, Sen. Jones and White House Press Secretary Karine-Jean-Pierre.
The elected and grassroots leaders told theGrio that every day until Election Day will be critical to ensuring that Americans, particularly Black and LGBTQ+ voters, understand the stakes in this year’s election on Nov. 5.
“It will take all hands on deck,” said Jones. “The contrast could not be more stark between President Biden, who has worked to bring down costs, create good, family-sustaining jobs, and keep our families safe — and Donald Trump who’s dead set on ripping away Americans’ freedoms, gutting Social Security and Medicare, and undoing the progress made in the last four years.”
Fowlkes, who argued that get-out-the-vote campaigns and urging voters to vote early are going to “make the difference,” said, “The Black LGBTQ population once again is gonna step up to the plate and knock it out.”
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GloRilla was pulled over for making a U-turn at a red light at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Suwanee Walk Avenue at around 4 a.m. The artist, whose real name is Gloria Hallelujah Woods, was charged with reportedly driving under the influence.
The Suwanne Police Department stated that when an officer pulled her over, they quickly saw that Woods’ eyes were bloodshot and watery. The officer said they could also smell alcohol on the star’s breath and marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.
GloRilla allegedly explained to the officer that she was going home after leaving a venue in Atlanta. The officer stated that Woods confessed to drinking but insisted that she was fine to drive. She failed a sobriety test.
The police report also said that during the failed sobriety test, her right breast popped out but she was “unable to realize” that. GloRilla’s brother was also in the vehicle during the traffic stop and another officer found marijuana and an open alcohol container in the vehicle. The rapper was released a few hours later on bond.
GloRilla’s popularity has been through the roof of late. Since going viral in 2022 with her hit “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” she has experienced major mainstream success by signing to Yo Gotti’s label Collective Music Group, an imprint of Interscope Records.
Glo’s latest single, “Wanna Be,” features Megan Thee Stallion; the track’s dance challenge is dominating the internet. Her and Meg are co-headlining the upcoming Hot Girl Summer Tour 2024.
Mistakes happen and the allure of fame at a young age (Glo is only 24) can be hard to navigate. We hope this encounter with law enforcement will simply be a one-time occurrence.
In a nail-biting showdown at the Etihad Stadium, Real Madrid secured their place in the Champions League semi-finals after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Manchester City, reaffirming their status as the kings of the competition.
The match got off to an electrifying start when Rodrygo broke the deadlock for Real Madrid with a clinical strike in the 12th minute, sending shockwaves through the Etihad Stadium. Despite City’s efforts to rally before halftime, Real Madrid’s defense, led by an outstanding Lunin between the posts, held firm to maintain their slender lead.
The second half saw Manchester City come out with renewed vigor, with De Bruyne finally finding the breakthrough with a well-placed shot in the 76th minute, leveling the tie and setting the stage for an intense battle in extra time.
Extra time proved to be a test of endurance for both sides, with Real Madrid weathering a relentless onslaught from Manchester City while also creating chances of their own. However, with neither team able to find a winner, the match ultimately came down to a nerve-wracking penalty shootout.
In a display of nerves of steel, Lunin emerged as the hero for Real Madrid, making two crucial saves to deny Bernardo Silva and Kovacic from the spot. Meanwhile, Bellingham, Lucas Vázquez, Nacho, and Rüdiger held their nerve to convert their penalties and secure a historic victory for Real Madrid.
The tension continued to mount as the shootout unfolded, with both teams trading blows until Rüdiger’s decisive spot-kick sealed the deal for Real Madrid, sending them through to the semi-finals where they will face Bayern Munich in what promises to be another thrilling encounter.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Officially, no one killed Alton Sterling.
On July 5, 2016, Baton Rouge, La., police officer Blane Salamoni pumped six shots into the back and chest of 37-year-old Sterling as Officer Howie Lake II held him down. Because Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry concluded that the officers “acted as reasonable officers…and were justified in their use of force,” neither officer was found guilty of murder, manslaughter or excessive use of force against Sterling. The U.S. Department of Justice determined there was “insufficient evidence” to pursue charges. And, even though the local government eventually settled a wrongful death civil suit with Sterling’s family for $4.5 million, neither Salamoni, Lake, the Baton Rouge Police Department nor the city had to answer for their actions in a court of law. Technically, they just did some things that — through no fault of their own — resulted in a person being not alive. That’s how the law works for cops …
And white people.
If you’re Black, it’s a little different. For instance, when an unnamed police officer was injured during a July 9, 2016, protest against the police department that did not murder Sterling, everyone found someone to blame:
But Mckesson is also Black. So, in 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana ruled that Mckesson could be held responsible for the officer’s injuries. In this unique case, it did not matter that Mckesson didn’t injure anyone. The U.S. Fifth Circuit of Appeals later affirmed the ruling, paving the way for a civil court jury to find Mckesson negligent for a crime he did not commit. And despite the judges concluding that Mckesson nor the march he organized had any connection to the Black Lives Matter organization, every news outlet has reported who was at fault for this single incident of reverse police brutality:
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Mckesson v. Doe. In an unsigned, four-and-a-half page decision, the same Supreme Court that seems poised to hand a victory to Donald Trump and the insurrectionists affectionately known (to me) as Seal Team Jan. 6, explained that “a violent confrontation with a police officer was a foreseeable effect” of protest organizer DeRay Mckesson “negligently directing a protest.” The Supreme Court’s official act of cowardice leaves a lower court decision in place that essentially eliminates the right to organize a protest in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, the states covered by the Fifth District decision.
I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that Mississippi and Louisiana have the highest percentage of Black residents while Texas has the largest Black population. Even Fifth Circuit Judge Don Willett thinks that his colleagues are wrong. In his lone dissent, he argues that “Mckesson cannot be liable for violence unless he encouraged violence.” Willett argues that the current ruling incentivizes anyone who disagrees with a protest to show up and start throwing rocks.
“To spell it out, I am concerned that those who oppose a social or political movement might view instigating violence (or feigning injury) during that movement’s protests as a path toward suppressing the protest leader’s speech—and thus the movement itself,” wrote Willett. “Dr. King’s last protest march was in March 1968, in support of striking Memphis sanitation workers … Had Dr. King been sued, either by injured police or injured protestors, I cannot fathom that the Constitution he praised as ‘magnificent’ — ‘a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir’ would countenance his personal liability.”
Willett repeatedly referred to the Supreme Court’s 1982 NAACP v. Clairborne decision, which clearly established that peaceful protest organizers could not be liable for damages. Even Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor felt the need to remind her colleagues that another SCOTUS decisionbarred the use of negligence to punish speech. To be fair, the justices who decided Mckesson vs. John Doe may have simply forgotten Counterman v. Colorado.
When the Fifth Circuit heard Mckesson v. Doe, Counterman v. Colorado was two weeks old.
Unfortunately, Sotomayor’s rationale and Willett’s dissent fell on deaf ears because they were doing it wrong. When it comes to equality, liberation and justice for Black people, logic and reason are as ineffective as declarations and constitutions. However, I came up with an idea that could clear up this judicial confusion and drum up support for these anti-free speech laws. My suggestion may be controversial and sound a little radical at first, but I really think it could work.
Equal protection under the law.
No, seriously, hear me out. What if Donald Trump had to abide by the same rules as Mckesson? What if police were subject to the same scrutiny as a man standing in front of a store selling CDs? What if the white women protesting critical race theory at school board meetings were held liable for the history that Black kids didn’t learn? What if people who caught COVID could sue anti-maskers, and school shooting survivors could sue the NRA, and trans kids could sue Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Black people in small towns could sue Jason Aldean, and everyone on Black Twitter filed a class-action suit against Elon Musk?
Now that’s justice.
Of course, we’d probably have to make some kind of amendment to the U.S. Constitution to make it legal. Sure, we’ve never tried anything like this in the history of this country, but I truly believe my “equal protection clause” just might work. To be fair, I tend to hold some crazy beliefs, including one that always seems to come as a surprise to most white people:
Laws are impartially enforced and objectively applied. They are used to impose justice and redress wrongs. If a rule or code of conduct is arbitrarily applied or subjectively administered, it is just a suggestion. And in America, there is not a single regulation, judicial precedent or piece of legislation that has ever been enforced without consideration of the capricious, irrational consideration of race. Even the system of white supremacy has no rhyme or reason. It’s just an unwritten, preposterously inconsistent code of conduct that governs America’s behavior, but it’s not real.
If that seems absurd, you can’t possibly fathom how crazy it feels to be Black in a country with no laws. Think of how it feels to know your right to life, liberty and happiness are just worthless words scrawled on an unenforced promissory note. Imagine being disproportionately targeted by a state-sanctioned, legally protected group of trained killers. Yet, while peacefully petitioning your government for police accountability, consider the lunacy of being held accountable for not injuring a member of a group that is never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever ever ever ever held accountable for their actions. If I told you that opinion came from someone who literally had the title of “justice,” you’d swear I was making this up.
I am not making this up.
Then again, I’ve heard that there’s a place in America where people actually swear they “will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich …”
Now, that’s unbelievable.
Michael Harriot is a writer, cultural critic and championship-level Spades player. His NY Times bestseller Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America is available in bookstores everywhere.
The families of nearly seven deceased Alabama inmates filed lawsuits against the state Department of Corrections over a gruesome finding that made funeral arrangements all the more painful.
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They say they received calls from the funeral homes reporting that their loved ones’ organs were missing.
The family of Jim Kennedy Jr., an inmate who died last year at the Limestone Correctional Facility, told CNN they received a call from the funeral home inquiring about a missing heart, liver and other major organs. Only his eyes were left.
Anthony Perez Brackins also died last year while serving a 21-year sentence. The report says his family was also notified by the funeral home that his body was hollowed out. The family of Kelvin Moore told the outlet they experienced the same.
“It’s just an atrocious act to know you’ve done that without our permission and we would not have agreed to it on any terms. We don’t want this to happen to another family and it could be anyone, because everyone knows someone that’s incarcerated,” Simone, Moore’s brother, said via Andscape.
Screenshot: CNN
Their stories are just a few of many who came forward in a lawsuit claiming the DOC is up to some shady work and asserting the fact none of their loved ones were registered organ donors.
“It’s a systematic abuse situation. But so many of these cases went completely unnoticed because families don’t typically think they need to do a second autopsy. Many of them can’t afford it, even if they wanted to,” said attorney Lauren Faraino, who is representing the families, via Andscape.
Suspicions as to who writes off on the alleged theft of inmate internal remains points to two places: The University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine and the DOC prison warden.
Under an agreement between two state institutions with divergent missions, UAB said it conducts autopsies for the corrections department, which is “responsible for obtaining proper authorizations from the appropriate legal representative of the deceased.”
Under an autopsy agreement between corrections and the UAB Board of Trustees dating to around 2005, the warden signs off as the “legally designated representative and therefore am legally entitled to grant permission for the completion of an autopsy and the removal of organs or tissues for further study on said inmate.”
Since 2018, the report says UAB students have repeatedly raised concerns about the overwhelming amount of pathology samples stemming from prisoners’ remains who appeared to not only have died in the facility but also had untreated medical issues ahead of death.
“These people are dying sicker, dying with less care and they look sicker, their bodies look sicker and we get to learn from that. That’s supposed to be a win for us?” said one anonymous student to CNN.
In 2021, Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill prohibiting forensic personnel form retaining organs after autopsies without first asking the next of kin for permission. However, with incidents happening as recent as 2023, these lawsuits suggest no ones cared to follow the law.
Hulu has released five first-look photographs from its highly anticipated documentary, “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge,” giving fans a sneak preview. The documentary, which will be released on Hulu in the United States and Disney+ abroad on June 25th, promises a unique look inside the life of a cultural hero.
The documentary is co-directed by two-time Academy Award-winning filmmakers Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton and produced by Fabiola Beracasa Beckman, Tracy Aftergood, and Sean Stuart, is set to be a riveting investigation of empowerment, resilience, and entrepreneurship.
“Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge,” which will premiere as the opening night selection at the 2024 Tribeca Festival on June 5, has an intriguing premise. The documentary dives into Diane von Furstenberg’s incredible path, which exemplifies the spirit of empowerment and equality.
Von Furstenberg’s reputation as a fashion pioneer extends far beyond style. In 1974, she introduced the classic “wrap dress,” a garment that not only changed the fashion landscape but also liberated women from all walks of life.
Von Furstenberg, who was born to a Holocaust survivor, has a story of perseverance and tenacity. Despite various hurdles, such as navigating a male-dominated sector and battling cancer, she rose to become a source of inspiration for women all over the world.
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The documentary promises an intimate look at von Furstenberg’s life, from her early beginnings to the creation of a multimillion-dollar design company. With her unapologetic personality and imaginative thinking, she continues to inspire women to take control of their lives and follow their aspirations with passion and purpose.
The Time100 gala returns for another year celebrating the most influential people of 2024.
Taraji P. Henson attends the BET Awards 2021 at Microsoft Theater on June 27, 2021, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images,,)
Time Magazine annually recognizes 100 prominent figures who are making a difference in the world and their respective industries spanning across entertainment, politics, business, sports and more. ABC is set to broadcast the star-studded, 18th annual event with actress Taraji P. Henson as this year’s host.
Time Magazine revealed its Time100 list on Wednesday, alongside the issue’s four worldwide covers highlighting a person featured in the publication’s next class of leaders. Taraji P. Henson, Patrick Mahomes, Dua Lipa and Yulia Navalnaya grace the covers of each special issue.
“The influence recognized on this year’s Time100 list of the world’s most influential people spans industries and continents,” Jessica Sibley, Time CEO, said in a statement. “With our Time100 partners, we are proud to convene the newest members of the Time100 community for a day of conversation at the Time100 Summit and for our annual Time100 Gala, which we will once again bring viewers inside with a primetime special on ABC.”
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The “Time100: The World’s Most Influential People” gala will take place on April 25 in New York and air as a primetime TV special on May 12. High-profile guests confirmed to attend the gala include 21 Savage, Patrick Mahomes, Maya Rudolph, Kelly Robinson while Fantasia Barrino and Dua Lipa are scheduled to perform.
Other influential people featured on the Time100 list include Leslie Odom Jr., Jeffrey Wright, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Burna Boy, Colman Domingo, A’ja Wilson and more.
Everyone has a favorite movie or TV series that they’re completely obsessed with. It’s your safe space. The place you go when you’re sick, sad or just have a random free Saturday. No one loves and understands the stories and characters the way you do. I get it, because that’s how I feel about “Star Wars.” However, as much as I love it, I’ve never harassed or sent a threat to an actor, writer or director involved in the franchise. I’m a fan, not a fanatic.
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Unfortunately, not all fans recognize the difference, and the people behind some of entertainment’s most popular titles often find themselves on the receiving end of fanatical backlash. And a sad truth about toxic fandom is that it’s often much more dangerous for Black artists.
One of television’s most prolific creators recently confirmed that her biggest hit has been the source of some of her scariest moments. While promoting “Bridgerton” Season 3, Shonda Rhimes revealed that back in her “Grey’s Anatomy” days she needed police protection and 24-hour security to deal with toxic fans. While she appreciated their “strong feelings” about the characters, for Rhimes, “it became weird.”
“They got mean,” Rhimes told The Sunday Times, “And you never knew who was going to really take offense in the wrong way.”
Shonda was writing a TV drama about sexy doctors saving lives at a Seattle hospital and people were harassing her family over it. As popular as the show is, this isn’t exactly world-shattering stuff.
“I wanted to just be able to walk out my front door and hang out with my kids and not be worried. I would lay awake at night with stress,” she said. “I had some very helpful friends who’d had similar experiences, who were able to give me a lot of perspective, and who were adamant that if you can’t live normally then you’re not going to be able to live.”
Sadly, Rhimes’ story isn’t an outlier. When it comes to toxic fandoms, Black actors, writers and producers routinely receive the brunt of the harassment. John Boyega and Moses Ingram were targeted by “Star Wars” trolls, Leslie Jones was the subject of racist online attacks for the 2016 “Ghostbusters” reboot, and most recently, since being cast as Juliet in a West End production of “Romeo and Juliet,” Francesca Amewudah-Rivers has been relentlessly harassed with racist and misogynist online abuse.
These so-called “fans” always feel like they need to go extra hard with their hatred when Black artists are involved in their favorite projects. If you don’t like something Rhimes writes on her shows, you can simply not watch. If you have a problem with a Black actress playing Juliet, you can just skip the production. There’s always a more reasonable choice available, but these people feel entitled to immediately jump to harassment and threats.
If the showrunner of your favorite show requires police protection just to air a season finale, you are no longer a fan, you’re a crazy stalker who doesn’t deserve their time.
It’s up to other members of the fandom to stand up and let these trolls know that this behavior is not acceptable or welcome in their community. We also need the stars of these projects to stand up for their Black co-stars and colleagues (I’m looking at you Tom Holland).
This may not be a problem we can actually solve, but we also can’t let these people diminish the joy and success of Black artists.
