Here’s what we’re talking about over our coffee mugs this Wednesday:
During an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, Down Home With The Neelys star Gina Neely talked openly about her impending divorce. “Life happens, honey. What are you going to do? Cry in a bowl of milk? At the end of the day, Pat and I are real people. Life happens,” Neely told Williams. “We’re still good friends, but it just happened. You don’t stop living because bad things happen. You keep going!” Neely also showed off her new size-zero body—she recently lost over 25 pounds. [Hello Beautiful]
Da Brat stopped by The Rickey Smiley Morning Show to guest host and let people know she’s “still here.” The rapper shared some details about what’s been going on in her life and career. “I’m constantly working. I’m putting out songs all the time. I’m just letting people know I’m still here. I’m trying to work on this reality show,” she said. Da Brat will be performing at the Soul Train Awards alongside Missy Elliot and Lil’ Kim in a reprise of their 90’s hit “Not Tonight.” [Black America Web]
Raven-Symone’s father is coming to her defense. Christopher B. Pearman called his daughter “brave.” “I taught her to be brave and stand tall in whatever she believes in,” he said, adding his interpretation of her statement on Oprah: Where Are They Now? “I think what she was trying to say is that we shouldn’t look at each other as ‘this’ or ‘that’, but rather ‘us’ and if we do that we evolve as a species,” he said. “She knows she’s Black. We didn’t bring her up to be stupid. She’s because I’m Black and her momma is Black. So that’s not even a question.” [The Grio]
While we’re on the subject of Blackness, a few days ago, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley spoke out about how Black people tear down other Black people for not being “Black enough.” CNN Now anchor Don Lemon says he’s experienced this exact type of criticism within the Black community. “If I don’t carry a certain narrative, I’m then an Uncle Tom and a sell out,” Lemon said. The CNN anchor is known for his sometimes controversial views on race, particularly his list of Five Things Black people need to be doing that he shared last year. [The Root]
Could Litchfield Prison’s sneakiest lady be returning to Orange Is The New Black? That’s what the rumor mill is saying. Lorraine Toussaint, who played the role of the conniving Vee in the Netflix series, reported to the set of the show this week for the filming of season three. Her character Vee was run over by the prison van in the finale of the hit show but there are rumors that Vee may be coming back. When asked if she would be returning, Toussaint could neither confirm nor deny the rumors. “If I were to do that, they would have to kill me. For real. Again,” she said to TMZ. “Can Vee really be dead? She’s alive somewhere.” [TMZ]