Becky Hill Brands Jack Whitehall a ‘Privately Educated Nepo Baby' After BRIT Awards Joke
'It's an eclectic mix of nominees this year, from the soaring vocals of the Wetherspoons Whitney Becky Hill, to the atmospheric house of Top Jaw [in reference to the Instagram channel] with decks, Fred Again..,' said Whitehall, introducing the nominees for the dance act category.
More from Billboard
How Lady Gaga Managed to Conjure the Past & Look to the Future on 'Mayhem'
Guns N' Roses Are Returning to India After 12 Years
Ne-Yo Says Having Four Girlfriends Is a 'Beautiful Thing'
Hill, who was born and raised in Bewdley, Worcestershire, called out the jibe via Instagram last night (Mar. 11). Posting to her stories, she shared a screenshot of a message pointing out the privileged backgrounds of various attendees at this year's BRITs.
It was highlighted that Charli XCX – who scooped five awards that night – attended the £38,319-a-year ($50,206) Bishop's Stortford College, while producer of the year winner A.G. Cook went to the £27,747-a-year King Alfred's School ($37,472). Abigail Morris, lead singer of The Last Dinner Party, is an alumnus of Bedales, which costs £52,075 ($67,351) a year. The post also stated that Whitehall was educated at The Dragon School in Oxford, which has annual fees of £52,000 ($67,254).
'Imagine being called a 'Wetherspoons Whitney' by some privately-educated nepo baby who has a TV show with daddy the showbiz agent on national TV,' wrote Hill. 'My parents worked so hard to provide a middle class life for me, even tho [sic] they couldn't afford it, no one gave me a leg up, I wasn't near London so I couldn't go to the BRIT School. So if you associate a Midlands accent with a Wetherspoons that says more about the silver spoon in your mouth, jolly ol' boy.'
In a subsequent post, she shared a selfie with a caption reading: 'Me and my working class attitude off to work today. Remember not to be out of touch today kids, even if ur [sic] daddy is rich. Shout out Jack Whitehall for the fuel to my fire.' Whitehall is yet to respond to her comments.
Last week (Mar. 12), Billboard UK reported on the disparity in the music industry between those educated at state schools and those from private institutions, highlighting a 2024 report from the non-profit organisation The Sutton Trust. Their research indicates that best-selling musicians are six times more likely to have been privately educated than educated at a state school, and that the former take up more than half of enrollment at prestigious music conservatoires such as London's The Royal Academy of Music (60%) and Royal College of Music (56%).
Hill, meanwhile, is scheduled to perform at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix at the iconic Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire in July. She released her second studio album Believe Me Now? last year, which peaked at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Zhu Yilong, Ni Ni on ‘Dongji Rescue' WWII Maritime Epic: ‘Humanism Doesn't Recognize National Boundaries'
Zhu Yilong trained extensively in free diving. Ni Ni built up her physique to look like a 1940s fisherwoman. And for co-director Fei Zhenxiang, the underwater epic about one of WWII's most harrowing rescue missions meant working in complete collaboration with his mentor. 'Dongji Rescue' dramatizes the real-life Lisbon Maru incident of October 1942, when Chinese fishermen rescued over 384 British prisoners of war after their transport ship was accidentally torpedoed by an American submarine. Co-directed by Cannes winner Guan Hu ('Black Dog,' 'The Eight Hundred') and Fei Zhenxiang, the film tells their story of rescue against the backdrop of wartime occupation. More from Variety China Box Office: 'Nobody' Climbs to No. 1 as Jackie Chan's 'The Shadow's Edge' Opens China Box Office: 'Dead to Rights' Stays No. 1, 'Dongji Rescue' Bows in Third 'Dongji Rescue' Star Kevin Lee on Playing a War Hero After a Decade as Chinese Cinema's Go-To Bad Guy: 'I'm Ready for More Than Just the Villain Role' Co-director Fei Zhenxiang explains the creative partnership with his collaborator. 'We have a teacher-student relationship — what Chinese people call 'master and apprentice.' So in creating the script, including filming and everything else, it was all completed together,' Fei says. This collaborative approach extends to the film's central challenge: balancing spectacular maritime action with intimate human drama. 'Because this is based on a real historical event, the event itself involved people against the sea, against heaven and earth,' Fei explains. 'So the story itself possesses this possibility of combining them together, because it flows naturally.' Lead actor Zhu Yilong, known for performances in Cannes selection 'Only the River Flows' and 'Lost in the Stars,' details the extensive preparation required for his role as fisherman Ah Bi. 'First, in terms of skills, we did thorough preparation beforehand, training in diving and free diving, and constantly matching the intensity of the entire filming process in terms of physical fitness,' he says. The psychological preparation proved equally demanding. 'Because this is based on a real historical event, before filming we looked at a lot of materials, then had extensive communication with the directors. The entire film crew also gave us a very good on-location filming environment. What we needed to do was make all preparations, then relax, and after entering the real environment, express all the real emotions we felt,' Zhu adds. When asked about how his previous internationally recognized work influences his role choices, Zhu emphasizes character-driven selection: 'I've always chosen works focusing on characters. For me, characters that can resonate with me, that I can feel have a real sense of existence, including their richness and character arc — if I can resonate with them, I will choose them.' The production faced significant technical challenges, with underwater sequences comprising over 40% of the runtime. The Imax format film utilized robotics for subsurface filming and demanded extensive breath-holding performances from cast members, with full-scale ship recreations constructed on location at Dongji Island. Ni Ni, who stars alongside Zhu as another island resident, Ah Hua, describes her comprehensive approach to embodying a 1940s fisherwoman. 'First, to get close to this character, I had to work out, because this fisherwoman's image requires a strong physique and a skin tone more suitable for that period,' she explains. The preparation extended beyond physical transformation. 'We would look up a lot of materials and pictures online, then watch documentaries. When the director brought all of us actors together on an island, we got to know each other, put on costumes and dressed up as fishermen, entered into the characters. We stood on the mountaintop and felt the resonance this island brought us,' she adds. Despite her diverse filmography spanning different eras and genres, Ni Ni finds common threads in her characters. 'Although they exist in different times or have different personalities, I think the essence is the same because they're all human. How we perceive the world, how we feel joy, anger, sorrow and happiness, how we feel the changes our surrounding environment brings to ourselves — it's all similar.' As the film prepares for its European release, with a London premiere that took place Aug. 15 marking the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, the cast emphasizes the story's universal appeal. 'What we want to convey to all audiences around the world in our film is humanism — it doesn't recognize national boundaries,' Zhu Yilong states. 'Conscience is humanity's final bottom line.' Ni Ni expands on the humanitarian themes: 'No matter what era we're in, we must revere and respect life — every life. This life doesn't recognize national boundaries or any gender. We must revere, cherish, and respect life, and we must also cherish peace.' Producer Liang Jing explains the timing and epic scale of the production: 'The scale exists because the filming difficulty is genuinely that challenging — it's not scale for scale's sake. This is a story between people. In terms of timing, it definitely has historical significance because Aug. 15 is the 80th anniversary of the victory against fascism worldwide, so its release in the U.K. is very meaningful.' 'Dongji Rescue' premieres in U.K. and Irish cinemas Aug. 22, with other European territories following from Aug. 29, distributed by Trinity CineAsia in partnership with Seventh Art Pictures. The film released in China Aug. 8. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in August 2025
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Prankster Banned For Life From Vegas Resort After Wild Justin Bieber Ruse
A Justin Bieber impersonator used his pop star-like look to his advantage over the weekend as he performed for a packed nightclub — and tricked the headlining DJ, Gryffin — at the Wynn Encore resort in Las Vegas. The doppelganger — whom Gryffin dubbed 'bustin jieber' in a social media post — showed up to the resort's XS Nightclub, dancing in sunglasses and a hoodie that showed off his tatted chest before the DJ learned that he wished to 'perform,' according to footage from the show shared by Gryffin. Related: 'Dark venue and loud music didn't help here...,' wrote Gryffin as the video showed him speaking to Dylan Desclos, the man he believed to be the singer. He recalled Desclos' 'team' telling him that the man wanted to perform 'Sorry,' the singer's 2015 smash hit. 'Little did i know i was about to be sorry...,'' wrote Gryffin as the video flashed to footage of Desclos on stage as the song played while fans screamed and recorded him from the crowd. Gryffin said he then got the 'worst news imaginable' when he learned that the man was a phony after the show. He went on to note in his hotel room that he thought the singer had 'put on a lot of weight' since his album 'SWAG' dropped last month. Michael Weaver, a spokesperson for the Wynn, later explained to media outlets that the man was 'granted access' to the XS stage following what the resort described as an 'elaborate and multi-step ruse by him and his advance team.' 'As soon as the error was recognized, he was removed from the resort and denied future entry,' Weaver wrote of the lifetime ban in a statement. Outside the nightclub, social media clips showed the man browsing several stores with 'security' guards and posing for selfies during his Vegas trip. Desclos, who is from France, has shared a number of videos over the years from publicappearances and showswhereheperforms as Bieber. Last year, he caught the attention of Bieber's wife, Hailey Bieber, after he was spotted on the train in his native country. 'I'm scared….,' she commented on a TikTok of the impersonator. Desclos' Instagram and TikTok pages appear to be down, but he's shared several posts about his Vegas appearance on X, formerly Twitter, in recent days. Desclos was not immediately available to respond to a HuffPost request for comment. Related... Library Book Returned After 82 Years With Hilarious Note Attached Paleontologists ID Ancient Whale That Looks More Like A Pokémon Than A Predator Swiss Driver Facing Up To $110,000 In Fines For Speeding
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Britney Spears Performs Off-Key Prince Cover In Messy Mansion Video, Sparking Concern
Britney Spears is making headlines again after sharing a bizarre new video, sparking more concerns about her health. The pop icon attempted to cover Prince's classic "Kiss" from inside her chaotic mansion, but her off-key vocals and strange delivery quickly set off alarm bells. Surrounded by clutter and dressed in a revealing outfit, Spears seemed unaware of how unsettling the performance appeared. The clip has sparked a flood of concern online, with many questioning what is going on behind the scenes. Britney Spears Flaunts Her Raw Vocals In New Video On August 19, Spears took to Instagram to share her raw vocals with her 41.8 million followers. The Princess of Pop posted a video that featured her singing a cover of Prince's song "Kiss" in her mansion. In the clip, Spears donned a brown crop top featuring polka dot designs and a plunging neckline. She paired it with white mini-shorts and black knee-high boots. The 43-year-old appeared to be having so much fun while singing the lyrics, although her tone appeared off-key at some moments. At one point in the video, Spears could be heard singing "I don't know who I am, oh, oh," while adjusting an ample ring light next to her camera. The messy living room, from scattered belongings to her puppy ambling through, added to the unfiltered feel of the clip. In the caption, the "Gimme More" singer praised herself, revealing that she sounded good behind the lens. "PSS Wise a**es, I do know who I am !!! I have eight different languages written on my neck ... these are my pjs, but I put these boots on to play with lighting ... not the most elegant look, but hey!!!," she added. Britney Spears Stuns Fans Again With Another Singing Video Another video shared hours later featured Spears in the same clothing. In the clip, the star traded her usual risqué dancing for an unexpected singing moment, belting out a tune while tidying up her home. Instead of twirls and sultry poses, Spears stood in her living room, microphone-free, letting her voice carry through the clip. "Messing around with lighting and cleaning my house like no tomorrow," she captioned the post. The performance wasn't smooth, and her voice wavered off-key at times, but she seemed to be enjoying herself while messing with her blonde hair. Spears Suffers A Wardrobe Malfunction The singing videos follow a wardrobe malfunction incident that Britney Spears suffered in an Instagram video shared on August 13. In the clip, the singer danced in a shiny gold mini dress and high heels while moving to Janet Jackson's song "Any Time, Any Place." She flipped her long blond hair, twirled, and showed off several dance moves, but at one point her dress slipped and briefly exposed her nipples. Spears quickly attempted to cover herself with her hands, but the moment was still caught on camera. Instead of deleting the clip, she creatively covered the mishap with yellow flower emojis and left the comments disabled. The video was captionless, leaving the moment's impact and rawness fully exposed. Britney Spears Claims She Has Adopted A Child Meanwhile, fans are still talking about Spears after she shockingly posted a video announcing that she had adopted a baby girl. In the July 12 clip, the pop star danced in a pink bodysuit and hinted at moving to Italy in her caption. "I want to let you guys know I adopted a beautiful baby girl!!! Her name is Lennon London Spears…Lennon today had a beautiful dress," she wrote. However, reports quickly confirmed that the claim wasn't true. TMZ explained that Spears had neither adopted a child nor a pet, and that the post was likely a joke. Viewers also noticed that the baby carrier in the background belonged to her collection of lifelike dolls, not a real infant. Fans React To Spears's Adoption Claims After Britney Spears' post, fans were divided over her claim. Some social media users speculated that the child might not be real at all, suggesting instead that Spears could be holding a hyperrealistic reborn doll, which are often used by people coping with loss or infertility. Per The Blast, one skeptical fan commented, "I don't know how adoption works in the US, but I don't think Britney is capable of caring for a child. It must be a lifelike doll she bought." Others, however, offered sympathy and support, pointing to her history with forced birth control and her past miscarriage. Many felt she deserved happiness after what she had endured. One user shared, "I feel bad that she was forced to have an IUD and was robbed of a lot of kids. Then she gets preggo and has a miscarriage. I feel so bad for her, so I am so happy she has a baby girl now." Solve the daily Crossword
