Ananda Lewis Dies: MTV VJ & Talk Show Host Was 52
Ananda Lewis, an MTV VJ and talk show host, has died. She was 52.
Lewis' sister Lakshmi took to social media to share news of her death on Wednesday, June 11.
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'She's free, and in His heavenly arms,' she said in a Facebook post. 'Lord, rest her soul.'
More to come…
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Washington Post
27 minutes ago
- Washington Post
People deletes Olivia Munn story after Ms. Rachel comments draw ‘threats'
In a rare move, People magazine deleted a story from its website on Wednesday after it triggered 'violent' threats against its subject, the actress Olivia Munn, and her family. The story was about Munn's distaste for children's television and bore a headline specifically citing the popular YouTuber Ms. Rachel — which apparently triggered some fans. 'There is no excuse for these abhorrent attacks, and we will always prioritize safety above all else,' the publication acknowledged in a statement explaining the decision to remove a story. It's an unusual move for any news outlet to delete, rather than amend or update, a story — even People, which is generally considered a friendly go-to outlet for celebrities to share their stories. When asked for further information about removing the article, a People representative pointed back to its original statement. The post was drawn from the magazine's recent interview with Munn for a cover story, which published online June 4. The 44-year-old actress, who was promoting her new Apple TV+ series, talked about life with her husband, 42-year-old comedian John Mulaney, their children — a three-year-old boy and eight-month-old girl — as well as her 2023 breast cancer diagnosis. People also published several separate exclusive items using material from the Munn interview, including one in which she discussed her fertility treatments, and another post headlined, 'Olivia Munn Doesn't Let Her Kids Watch Ms. Rachel. Here's Why.' In the story, according to sites that repeated quotes from it before it was deleted, Munn shared her irritation with children's TV programming. She specifically cited Ms. Rachel, a major celebrity to young children and their parents. 'I know kids love [Ms. Rachel], but the thing is, if I can't watch it, I'm not going to spend the rest of my life going crazy,' Munn said, and added she was not a fan of 'Blue's Clues' or 'Spider-Man' either. (She did admit a tolerance for 'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood,' because it helped her son prepare for the arrival of a baby sister.) However, the framing of the People headline drew attention on social media, especially given that Ms. Rachel, whose full name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, has been in the news for speaking out about the plight of children in Gaza — though it's unclear if this topic was even addressed in the People story. All of this was surely heightened by the strong feelings many fans harbor about Mulaney and Munn's relationship, and its timing relative to his divorce from an artist, Anna Marie Tendler, with her own significant social-media following. Various publications and social media accounts started regurgitating Munn's comments, and Accurso herself expressed disappointment when she left a comment on People's Instagram post, now disappeared as well: 'WHO CARES?! I'd rather you cover me advocating for kids in Gaza who are literally starving, largest cohort of child amputees in modern history, thousands & thousands killed — no medical care, no education, no homes… do better!!!' Accurso wrote, according to multiple reports. 'Not against [Munn] at all and don't care that she doesn't want to watch the show — all my love to her and her family — disappointed in the outlets.' Later, she wrote on her own Instagram account that she and Munn had spoken and were on good terms. 'Please be kind to Olivia & her precious family,' Accurso wrote. 'I don't believe in hate, attacks or hurtful comments.' Munn also criticized the coverage. 'To Ms Rachel and your fans, I hear and respect the passion behind your support. I never anticipated the media would single out one small thing I said and distort it like they have,' she wrote in an Instagram story earlier this week. 'Every parent understands the importance of finding meaningful programming that helps us connect with our kids. I don't want something taken out of context to be a moment that steals even a minute of joy for anyone.' Mulaney weighed in Wednesday, calling for a stop to the 'violent and threatening' comments that Munn had been receiving in online comments and direct messages. 'An innocent comment my wife Olivia Munn made about what children's programs we like has somehow — unbelievably — been conflated with not caring about the deaths of children in Gaza,' he posted on Instagram. "The people doing this are so wildly out of line and so unhelpful to any conversation. You took a nothing comment to a dark and dangerous place. This kind of behavior isn't activism.' Accurso has been creating educational children's content on YouTube, where she has more than 15.2 million subscribers, since 2019. With the help of silly and cheerful music, Ms. Rachel teaches children how to spell and use the bathroom, while also offering lessons on emotional support. Outside of her YouTube show, Accurso has been outspoken about Gaza, which led to backlash from right-wing media commentators and StopAntisemitism, a prominent pro-Israel group, which called on the U.S. attorney general to investigate the children's entertainer. (Accurso said earlier this month that she stands against 'all forms of hate.') But, Accurso told WBUR, 'I wouldn't be Ms. Rachel if I didn't deeply care about all kids. And I would risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for them.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hayley Williams Celebrates Doechii's ‘Bold, Unmistakable Talent' in Heartfelt Tribute
Real recognizes real. According to Hayley Williams of Paramore, rising rap star Doechii is as real as it gets. In a touching tribute penned for Them, the 'Ain't It Fun' singer offered plenty of praise for the 'Denial Is a River' rapper, sharing that she's been closely watching her career since her performance at the 2022 BET Awards. 'Watching her on that stage, I had the same feeling I did the first time I saw Missy Elliott on MTV as a kid,' Williams said. 'It was raw, bold, unmistakable talent — the kind that doesn't wait for permission. She came out swinging, and I remember thinking, Oh, she's taking it. This is hers.' More from Billboard Meet the Drag Performers Teaching Everyone How to Fight Back Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Threats in 2025 You Can Shop Addison Rae's 2000s-Inspired Look From Her 'Times Like These' Music Video Now with Free People Mariah Carey Celebrates Pride Month in Style With Rainbow Merch Available on Amazon Prior to Williams' discovery of Doechii, the rapper had already paid tribute to Paramore through a sample of the band's hit ballad 'The Only Exception' on her 2020 single 'Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.' Williams pointed out in her tribute that she 'hadn't even caught' the interpolation when she first saw Doechii's performance. The singer went on to praise Doechii's self-assured artistry, and even added that she still aspires to that level of confidence more than 20 years into her career as a performer. 'People sometimes assume because of how I am onstage, that I carry that same confidence. But the truth is, that kind of boldness is something I still have to work to access,' she said. 'With Doechii, though, that energy feels inherent. When I listen to her, I feel it — like it transfers through the speakers. And I think a lot of her listeners feel the same way.' Williams added that the rapper's openness about her sexuality is just another example of how Doechii is doing music stardom on her own terms. 'It's powerful to watch an artist like her speak openly about identity in the public eye,' she said. 'We need that. We need women who are unapologetic about who they are, who they love, what they believe.' Closing her tribute, Williams thanked Doechii for giving performers everywhere — including herself — something to aspire to. 'Watching someone emerge with that kind of confidence, that kind of clarity, is a gift,' she said. 'She reminds me — and probably a lot of people — that moving through the world with certainty doesn't mean you stop learning or growing. It just means you know your worth as you go. And that, to me, is something to look up to.' Doechii is coming off yet another big win, this time at the 2025 BET Awards, where she took home the trophy for best female hip hop artist. During her speech at the ceremony, Doechii called out President Donald Trump activating the National Guard in response to the ongoing Los Angeles protests around ICE raids in the city. 'I want y'all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?' she asked the crowd. 'People are being swept up and torn from their families, and I feel it's my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people.' Best of Billboard Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Pentatonix & Train Will Bring Their Holiday Hits to iHeart Christmas Concert Fox Plans NFT Debut With $20 'Masked Singer' Collectibles 14 Things That Changed (or Didn't) at Farm Aid 2021
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Combs' ex said he sulked after she went to another rapper's sex performance
Sean "Diddy" Combs' lawyers say his freak offs were part of a lifestyle. An accuser testified she attended a sex performance hosted by another high-profile rapper. The rapper wasn't named in the trial, but Combs' lawyer described him as a music industry "icon." When Sean "Diddy" Combs learned his girlfriend went to another rapper's freak off, he freaked out, the woman testified. "Jane" — the pseudonym for one of Combs' accusers at his sex-trafficking trial — said on the witness stand this week that Combs sulked and threw a fit after discovering she attended a sex party hosted by another hip-hop star months earlier. In her testimony, Jane said she attended the event, hosted in a Las Vegas hotel room in January 2024, when she believed her relationship with Combs was on a break. Combs learned about it in June of that year, while looking at her text messages, she said. He felt like his "heart sank" upon the discovery Jane testified on Monday. Combs' lawyer Teny Geragos revisited the incident while cross-examining Jane on Thursday. "Mr Combs again started saying, 'I can't believe you went outside of us, I can't believe you went to another man's freak off,'" Geragos said, recounting the incident. Jane responded, "Yes." Neither Jane nor any lawyers uttered the name of the other high-profile rapper in open court. On Thursday, Geragos said the rapper was "very close with Mr. Combs" and was "an icon in the music industry." Combs and the other rapper "had an ongoing personal and professional relationship," Geragos said. Jurors were asked about their knowledge of a list of other celebrities who had some connection to the trial. Prosecutors haven't accused any of them of wrongdoing in the case. Prosecutors have accused Combs of sex trafficking and racketeering, saying he coerced women into participating in elaborate, drug-fueled sexual performances called "freak offs" with other men while he watched. Jane called them "hotel nights." Combs' attorneys have said that his relationships were consensual and that the sex was part of a "swinger lifestyle." The January 2024 incident in Las Vegas indicates that at least one other celebrity hosted a sex performance, which Jane understood Combs saw as a "lifestyle." Jane said she was invited on the trip while speaking to a friend who is the rapper's cousin. The group was going to Las Vegas to celebrate the birthday of the rapper's girlfriend, and she joined them on his private plane, she said. After they landed, the group went out to play and to a celebratory dinner, she said. To Jane's surprise, another person at the dinner was a man named Antoine, with whom she had sex during Combs-arranged freak offs, she said. After a post-dinner trip to a strip club, the unnamed rapper invited Jane to a hotel room, she said. There, she saw Antoine having sex with another woman on a bed while a small group of people watched, she said. The rapper's girlfriend was also present at the sexual performance, she said. "I remember I walked in and Antoine was having sex with a woman, and everybody was watching," she testified. Jane said she and the rapper engaged in "a little flirtatious banter" and that she left after 20 minutes. "He said something along the lines of that that he thought I was beautiful, and he always wanted to blank me," Jane said Thursday, censoring herself. Jane said she and Combs were "on a break" and it was "unnecessary" to tell him about the incident. Combs learned about anyway it in June of that year, she said. The two were spending time with each other again and had invited Antoine to her home for another sexual performance. Jane testified that the two had gotten into a heated argument with each other earlier, yelling and throwing objects at each other, and that Combs physically beat her multiple times. "A woman's power does not override a man's," Jane testified Thursday. After that fight, Combs saw text messages on her phone referencing the Las Vegas sex performance involving the other rapper, she said. As Antoine was arriving, Jane told Combs about the event, she said. He felt betrayed, as Jane described it. "I feel like his heart sank. And he just was like 'I can't believe what you're telling me right now,'" Jane said. "Like, 'Do you have this porn star having something over on me? Did you just cheat on me? Did you just slip away from us?" Combs pulled her into the bathroom and handed her a pill of ecstasy, she said. "I remember him opening his hand with a pill in it, and he said take this fucking pill. Take this fucking pill. You're not going to ruin my fucking night," she said, quoting Combs. Jane said that after she had sex with Antoine while Combs watched, Combs remained emotionally distant. She said the moments after freak offs were when she and Combs could "connect" and "cuddle" with each other. But that night, Combs remained upset about the Las Vegas sex performance and considered it cheating. "He just said, like, 'I can't believe you cheated on me, I can't believe you went outside of us,'" she said. Jane said Combs believed it was a violation within the "lifestyle" for her to attend another man's sex performance. "I understood that he was trying to reference that we were part of some sort of lifestyle and that I betrayed him by being a part of someone else's lifestyle moment, this porn type of thing," she testified Monday. Read the original article on Business Insider