
George Foreman and the art of the comeback
But Foreman came to embody a famous quote by another George — writer George Eliot: 'It's never too late to become who you might have been.'
That's something to remember as this nation, under the control of a lawless convicted felon president, navigates its most difficult and uncertain period in modern times.
Get The Gavel
A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Enter Email
Sign Up
What attracted people to Foreman was his comeback story. When many had forgotten about him, he returned to the boxing ring in his late 30s and, at 45, became the oldest person to win the heavyweight championship when he
Advertisement
By that point Foreman had found religion and a ministry in his native Texas. He was a man transformed. His menacing demeanor, which could intimidate opponents before he ever threw a punch, had been replaced by an ever-present smile.
For many, he was best known as the affable pitchman of what became the ubiquitous George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine — the George Foreman grill — which sold millions and made Foreman a wealthy man.
In interviews he was self-effacing. When Foreman, a father of 12, was
Foreman hosted 'Saturday Night Live,' was a popular guest on
Advertisement
By refusing to be trapped in the faded memories of his earlier years, Foreman reinvented himself as something greater. In his book, 'George Foreman's Guide to Life: How to Get Up Off the Canvas When Life Knocks You Down,' he wrote, 'Who you take advice from says a lot about who you are. I have been a few different people in my life, but I now have a person who I respect and trust: me. And until you reach that place in life you are at the mercy of fate.'
Foreman's life is a reminder that even our lowest moments cannot last forever. Along the way, he became something that now seems quaint because it no longer exists — a universally beloved public figure. In these acrimonious times, even Dolly Parton, as close to a secular saint as we have, has been targeted by conservatives because of her support of the LGBTQ community.
But President
Foreman steered clear of politics, making it easier to avoid the pitfalls of ideologies. He was equally comfortable on the Christian Broadcasting Network and 'Late Night with David Letterman.'
But it's Foreman's comeback and reinvention that will continue to loom as large as he once did over his opponents in the ring. By spurning others' definitions of who he should be, he was freed to reinvent himself as he saw fit. From a kid who grew up hard in Houston to a two-time heavyweight champion to a beloved pitchman, Foreman accepted no arbitrary limitations.
Advertisement
To move beyond the darkness, one has to be courageous enough to meet the moment and see in ourselves what others cannot. Fear can be paralyzing. But what's worse is the late realization that we could have done more to change not just the narrative, but lives directly impacted. As Foreman said, anything less leaves us at 'the mercy of fate.'
In this dangerous and fraught time, we can still work toward a just and better world — but only if we recognize that it's not too late for this nation to become what it always should have been.
Renée Graham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
31 minutes ago
- CBS News
Instead of dating apps, the LGBTQ community in South Jersey is turning to matchmaking services
Dating apps and websites are still a popular way for the LGBTQ community to meet potential partners, but the dating landscape is changing, and many people are now looking for different ways to find love. Pam and Staci Wixted are settling into motherhood. Their 1-year-old, Carter, keeps them busy, and he added more love to their home in South Jersey. "I'm very grateful for the fact our son can now grow up in a world that will respect, protect, and provide dignity to relationships and families like this," Pam Wixted said. Pam and Staci both came out after college, and they turned to dating apps to find relationships. It's also where they eventually found each other. "I feel like in the LGBTQ community, trying to meet someone and find a genuine relationship was very difficult at that time," Pam Wixted said. "For me, it was a way to be myself and meet people that were like-minded, and it was a safe way to talk to them because I never tried it before, it was something new for me," Staci Wixted said. That was seven years ago. Pam and Staci got married in 2021 and credit the app Tinder for finding love, but dating in 2025 has changed a bit. "Now it seems like people are moving from the apps and more towards things like matchmaking," Pam Wixted said. Wade Kyle, who calls himself The Magical Matchmaker, is based in New York, Philadelphia and Boston. "I call myself like a personal Cupid or a headhunter for love, I'm there with them through the entire process," Kyle said. Kyle helps forge connections in the LGBTQ community through his matchmaking service. He said people are reaching out to him to find more meaningful connections. "What I'm seeing is that people are really over the dating apps, they're over the superficial swiping," he said. Instead, Kyle said singles are having better luck finding a partner by joining a softball, bowling or running club. It is a common interest, and it can foster an authentic in-person connection. "I guess I would say I'm firing on all cylinders," said Greg Skiendzielewski, who is looking for a serious relationship. Skiendzielewski has turned to Kyle to help find his match. He's putting himself out there, beyond the apps, to find love. "I believe in it, I believe in love, and I believe that it will find me," Skiendzielewski said.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Blake Lively's Legal Team Speaks Out As Judge Dismisses Justin Baldoni's Lawsuit Against Her
A judge has thrown out Justin Baldoni's defamation lawsuit against his former co-star Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds. Last year, Baldoni and Lively appeared in the big-screen adaptation of the novel It Ends With Us, on which he also served as director. Around the time of the film's release, rumours began to crop up suggesting there had been some behind-the-scenes drama on the set of the film, when it was spotted that none of the cast was following Baldoni back on Instagram. The film's leads also seemingly avoided one another at the premiere, and did no joint interviews together while promoting the movie. Months later, Lively filed a legal complaint against Baldoni and his production company, accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of their film, and a subsequent effort to deliberately 'destroy' her reputation. Baldoni then retaliated with a lawsuit of his own, accusing Lively, her husband and her publicist of defamation and extortion. He also claimed in a defamation suit that the New York Times had falsely reported that he had created a smear campaign against Lively. On Monday evening, court documents obtained by HuffPost revealed that a judge had dismissed Baldoni's lawsuit, arguing that Lively had relied on 'legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions' rather than extortion. The judge also said that Lively's statements accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment are not considered defamation because they were made in a California Civil Rights Department complaint. Lively's legal team said in a statement: 'Today's opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times. 'As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.' Baldoni's team previously made an attempt to subpoena Lively's friend Taylor Swift as part of the court case, though this was eventually withdrawn. Ryan Reynolds Makes Light Of Ongoing Legal Drama During Saturday Night Live Special Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants Stars Jump To Blake Lively's Defence After Her Accusations Against Justin Baldoni This Is How Taylor Swift Wound Up Being Dragged Into Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni's Legal Drama
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lady Gaga Praises Queer Music Pioneer Carl Bean in Docu Clip: ‘Anthems Unify People'
Lady Gaga honors queer music icon Carl Bean and the legacy of his 1977 anthem, 'I Was Born This Way' in an exclusive clip from the upcoming documentary I Was Born This Way. In the film, Gaga, Questlove, and Billy Porter are among those who reflect on the song's powerful impact on the LGBTQ community. 'This song is actually the music equivalent of the Giving Tree,' says Questlove, spinning the track on vinyl. More from Rolling Stone Addison Rae's Pop Queen Dreams Are Massive, and Just Out of Reach Timex's New 'Wednesday' Watch Collab Is Worth a Double Round of Snaps How the Director and Stars of 'Pavements' Brought Many Stephen Malkmuses to Life The clip opens with the chart success the song, released on Motown, had in the United States, climbing to Number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, and how it became an 'immediate anthem for the gay community,' embraced by house DJs worldwide. Gaga — who titled her sophomore album after her own Bean-influenced LGBTQ-celebrating anthem, 'Born This Way' — reflects on Bean's legacy. 'This was so much more than just a hit song. When that song stopped charting, they didn't stop playing that song in clubs,' she says. 'And the movement didn't stop.' In the clip, Questlove adds that the track was 'beyond a hit' and one that inspired hope and'revolution.' 'It's an anthem,' he says. 'And anthems never die.' 'Anthems unify people. And they help us to celebrate,' adds Gaga. 'It's people coming together to say, 'This is what we believe in. This is what we care about. We are louder. We are stronger. And we can do it together.'' Bean would eventually leave the music industry, founding the Minority AIDS Project to help underserved populations at the height of the AIDS epidemic and eventually, the first LGBTQ+ ministry called the Unity Fellowship Church. I Was Born This Way has been six years in the making and features Questlove, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Billy Porter as exec producers. Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard direct the film which will premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 5. 'This sequence in the film shows the enduring legacy of Bean's song, and the film demonstrates his lasting influence in so many other surprising ways,' Junge tells Rolling Stone. 'There are so many celebrity bio-docs these days, which I don't disparage — Sam and I have made them — but I think the real joy of documentary is when you are surprised by things you never realized are an important part of our world… hopefully that's what this film does.' 'Not only was his rendition of the song revelatory, but what he did over the decades with his activism for the LGBTQ+ community was both groundbreaking and heartfelt,' Pollard adds. Gaga has long credited Bean — who died in 2021 at age 77 but gave interviews for the film prior to his death — for inspiring Born This Way. Ahead of Pride Month in 2021, she wrote on Twitter: 'Born This Way, my song and album, were inspired by Carl Bean, a gay black religious activist who preached, sung and wrote about being 'Born This Way.' … Thank you for decades of relentless love, bravery, and a reason to sing. So we can all feel joy, because we deserve joy.' { pmcCnx({ settings: { plugins: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 1, }, pmcCnx: { singleAutoPlay: 'auto' } } }, playerId: "d762a038-c1a2-4e6c-969e-b2f1c9ec6f8a", mediaId: "0eb6519c-7563-415b-88a9-96e46cac48a4", }).render("connatix_player_0eb6519c-7563-415b-88a9-96e46cac48a4_1"); }); Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time