A video of Cleveland bus driver Artis Hughes delivering a vicious uppercut to passenger Shi’dea Lane (pictured) quickly went viral earlier this fall. Hughes told police Lane grabbed him by the throat and spit in his face, hence his reaction. No matter where you stand on the matter, it seems we can all agree, both Hughes and Lane were out of order.
Bobbi Kristina has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons since her mother’s death in February. There’s the underaged drinking documented on her family’s reality show, her “engagement” to her adopted brother (much to the dismay of her aunt Pat), and two car accidents in two months.
Were we really busy discussing the texture of Gabby Douglas’s hair while this little girl was busy becoming the first African-American to win Olympic gold in the women’s individual all-around finals? As ESSENCE.com columnist Demetria Lucas put it, “Anyone who looks camera-ready after a workout equivalent to one-tenth of Gabby’s just isn’t working hard enough.” Now let’s put it to rest.
Chad and Ev’s reality love show didn’t last more than a few months in real life when the former NFL star reportedly head-butted the Basketball Wives star. She filed for divorce in early August, two months after saying “I Do.”
The Jacksons took the cake for SMH family drama this past summer. First Michael Jackson’s siblings fire off a letter accusing his estate of fraud. Then Katherine Jackson goes “missing,” according to MJ’s daughter, Paris. After she reemerges, Katherine temporarily loses custody of MJ’s kids in July, and quickly regains it. In mid-August, a California judge grants her and grandson TJ Jackson’s co-guardianship. Pass the popcorn.
Rihanna and Chris Brown’s friendship/dating saga has taken lots of interesting turns in the past few months. And we’re ashamed to say we know way too much about these kids. Earlier this year, Rihanna confirmed she and Brown would be reuniting on a song from her new album. She later seemed to confirm months of speculation when she Instagrammed a shot of a shirtless Brown lying face down on her bed sleeping, clearly to show the world they’re an item again.
Ukranian reporter Vitalii Sediuk got more than he bargained for when he tried to kiss Will Smith during the Moscow premiere of Men in Black 3 — and it was all caught on tape. Well, we know better than to try to plant a wet one on Mr. Smith. SMH
Yikes! Earlier this year, Sherri Shepherd filed a police report against a Twitter follower who threatened to rape her. “Somebody should drag u in a back alley and rape you,” tweeted @DaCloneKiller. The actress also used the moment to advocate against bullying. “This type of bullying is one of the reasons children are killing themselves b/c there’s no consequences for the bully(s),” she wrote.
Juanita Bynum shocked the gospel community this summer when she told an Atlanta radio station she had experimented with drugs and slept with women. “I’m not embarrassed about my conversions,” she said. “A life of transparency causes people to see Christ in you and through you!”
A woman filed a police report accusing The Voice judge of slipping a drug into her drink and sexually assaulting her. TMZ later reported that the woman and Cee-Lo had a long history together. His lawyers say the woman went to police after hiring a civil lawyer and getting shot down in her request for money.
It was the bar brawl heard around the world. Drake and Chris Brown got into a bottle-throwing altercation at a New York nightclub, which reportedly stemmed from their mutual love for Rihanna (sigh!). Drake and Brown are being sued by the club for $16 million. There’s got to be a cheaper way to resolve your issues, fellas.
We know it’s his prerogative, but we do wish Bobby Brown would stop getting arrested on charges of suspicion of driving while intoxicated, especially since he voluntarily entered rehab for alcohol addiction this past summer. The “Every Little Step” singer has been charged with DUI’s twice in the past six months. It’s time to do better, Bobby B!
Tia Mowry took offense (rightfully so) to online commenters who called her adorable 1-year-old son, Cree, ugly. “It’s disgusting that some focus on looks,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “I brought a beautiful child into this world.” And that’s all that should matter.
You can’t blame Rihanna for trying to pull off one of the biggest PR stunts in music history. The pop princess brought 270 journalists and fans on a Boeing 777 plane for a seven-day, seven country whirlwind tour around the world to promote her seventh album Unapologetic. It all sounded so fun, except the part where journalists complained of being sleep deprived, not eating well (apparently there was lots of liquor) and having no access to Riri. She stayed in first class and rested. As one fan put it, “It was like fun torture.”
We’ve come to love Wendy Williams for speaking her mind, but the talk show queen may have gone too far with her latest comments about Beyonce. “You know Beyonce can’t talk. She sounds like she has a fifth grade education,” declared Williams on her show. When her audience met the comments with a chorus of boos, Williams replied, “Excuse me, I just said I was a fan. But we have to call a spade a spade.”
