Latest news with #Mandingo
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Laraine Newman Dishes on Kissing O.J. Simpson During His Saturday Night Live Hosting Gig
Laraine Newman once locked lips with O.J. Simpson, and it was quite pleasant. During a Feb. 12 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the Saturday Night Live alum, 72, was joined by her fellow sketch show veterans, Cheri Oteri, Ana Gasteyer, Cecily Strong and Rachel Dratch and played a game of 'Work the Polls' with host Andy Cohen. When asked if athletes made "good" hosts on the iconic NBC show, the group agreed that they were great participants before Cohen asked if any of the comedians were on SNL when Simpson hosted. Related: What Does Bill Murray Do When He's Bored? He Texts His Former SNL Castmate, Says Laraine Newman (Exclusive) After timidly raising her hand and biting her nail, Newman revealed that Simpson was not only a "good" host but also a "good kisser." 'We did a parody of a movie that is so horrifyingly objectionable called, Mandingo,' she explained, before Cohen laughed and added that the 1975 film about a plantation owner's affair with a slave, "wouldn't play today!" In February 1978, the disgraced football player made his hosting debut in season 3 of Saturday Night Live with Ashford & Simpson. Related: NBC Looks Back at Saturday Night Live History in First Trailer for Peacock's SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night Years later in 1994, Simpson was put on trial for allegedly fatally stabbing his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Though he was acquitted of the double murders in October 1995, the former NFL star was deemed liable for the deaths in 1997 in a civil case brought by the two victims' families. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. On April 10, 2024, Simpson's family announced the controversial figure's death at 76 following a cancer diagnosis. "On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren," they wrote in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). "During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Laraine Newman Says Awkward Thing About O.J. Simpson Ahead Of 'SNL' Special
Laraine Newman not only didn't speak ill of dead football star O.J. Simpson, but she gushed over him on 'Watch What Happens Live' Tuesday. (Watch the video below.) Ahead of the 'Saturday Night Live' 50th anniversary special this weekend, several alums gathered with 'WWHL' host Andy Cohen. He asked them in a 'Work the Polls' segment, 'Do athletes make good 'SNL' hosts? Yes or no way?' 'Any of you there when O.J. hosted?' he continued. Newman sheepishly raised her hand. 'Was he a good host?' Cohen asked. 'And a good kisser,' Newman replied enthusiastically. Cohen confirmed with the OG 'SNL' trouper that she had indeed kissed Simpson. 'We did a parody of a movie that is so horrifyingly objectionable, 'Mandingo,'' she said of their working together in a February 1978 episode when Simpson was a guest host on the sketch comedy show. 'It wouldn't play today,' Cohen said. Newman also played a reporter distracted by Simpson's package in a locker room sketch during that same episode. Simpson's Hall of Fame career was already on the wane by the time of his 'SNL' appearance, but infamy awaited. He would be accused of the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. He was controversially acquitted in 1995 but later found civilly liable for their deaths. Simpson died last April from cancer at age 76. O.J. Simpson's Spot In BET Awards' 'In Memoriam' Reportedly Raises Eyebrows O.J. Simpson Estate Reverses Vow On Goldman Family Getting 'Zero' From $33 Million Payout L.A. Times' O.J. Simpson Obituary Mentions Trump In Wildly Incorrect Way
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘SNL' Alum Shocks With Confession About O.J. Simpson Episode
Saturday Night Live alum Laraine Newman made a stunning confession about the 1978 episode O.J. Simpson hosted. During her appearance Tuesday on Watch What Happens Live! With Andy Cohen, Newman volunteered a surprising takeaway from Simpson's episode. Simpson was a 'good host,' Newman agreed, but also 'a good kisser,' she recalled from performing with the late former football star. Simpson, who was infamously acquitted for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman in 1995, died of prostate cancer in April 2024. Pressed further about how Newman discovered Simpson's kissing abilities, she explained, 'We did a parody of a movie that is so horrifyingly objectionable called Mandingo.' Newman was an SNL cast member from its first episode in 1975, through 1980. Per Ultimate Classic Rock via Decider, the sketch in question was called Mandingo II, and involved Simpson's character 'making out with everyone from Laraine Newman's southern belle to Garrett Morris (in drag) as a fellow enslaved woman.' Cohen agreed with Newman that the sketch likely 'wouldn't play today.' Newman appeared on Cohen's show alongside fellow former cast members Cheri Oteri, Ana Gasteyer, Cecily Strong, and Rachel Dratch to promote the SNL's 50th anniversary special. Elsewhere in the sit-down, Cohen asked them to weigh in on 'some hot button SNL questions,' like their favorite SNL president (Dana Carvey was their loudest choice, though fans chose Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump) and their favorite 'Weekend Update' hosts. The comedians deferred to Cohen's audience's choice of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands rally in Burkina, Mali and Niger to cheer ECOWAS exit
Thousands of people rallied in junta-led Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali on Tuesday to back their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc, due to take effect Wednesday. The departure of these three founding members from the bloc has fractured the region and is leaving the ECOWAS grouping with an uncertain future. The three countries have teamed up to form a separate confederation called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). They had formally notified ECOWAS of their plan for an "immediate" withdrawal in January 2024, alleging the organisation's excessive dependence on France in particular. Paris has become the common enemy of the three juntas, which now favour partnerships with countries such as Russia, Turkey and Iran. However, ECOWAS required one-year's notice for the departure to be effective, a deadline that falls on Wednesday. In Niger, thousands of people led by members of the military regime gathered around a square in the capital Niamey on Tuesday before heading towards the nearby National Assembly. They chanted slogans hostile to French President Emmanuel Macron as well as other leaders in the region with whom Niger has strained relations, such as Benin, Nigeria and Ivory Coast. "On January 28, 2024 we announced our exit from ECOWAS with immediate effect. Many thought it was a joke, that we were going to go back on our decision," said Ibro Amadou Bacharou, private chief of staff of Niger's junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani. "This is ending today, there is nothing left between ECOWAS and us," he said. In Burkina Faso, thousands including Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo and other members of the government gathered in Ouagadougou's Nation square. - 'Down with ECOWAS' - "Long live AES, down with ECOWAS," one banner read. Another said: "Goodbye hand-tied ECOWAS, long live free AES." Some protesters also carried flags of the three Sahel countries or that of Russia. "To cut the cord of imperialism... this will not be done by the tender hands of a midwife, but by an axe," Ouedraogo said. In Mali, crowds rallied at Kurukanfuga, an emblematic area near the capital Bamako where the new constitution of the Mandingo empire was declared in the 13th century following a major victory. "ECOWAS has turned its back on the ideals of its founding fathers as well as pan-Africanism," said Samou Samuel Kone, one of the organisers, saying it had "become a hindrance for the development of member states". The AES trio are also set to release Wednesday their own common passports and have announced the creation of a 5,000-member unified army to fight jihadism. bur-bdi/pid/ach/js
