Hilary Duff Shuts Down "Disgusting" Child Sex Trafficking Accusations

Hilary Duff responded to the child sex trafficking conspiracy theory about her, calling the accusations "garbage" and "disgusting."

Hilary Duff has made it clear that she is appalled by the accusations that she is engaging in child sex trafficking with her own son. Over the weekend, a wild conspiracy theory spread after Hilary accidentally posted a photo of her 8-year-old son, Luca, fully nude. The actress promptly deleted the post once she was made aware, and later censored the same photo while showing her followers some family photos.

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"Someone pointed out on Instagram that I did a nude of him, which I did, so we covered that up with a sticker," she explained in the video. However, some Twitter users spun the situation into "proof" that Hilary was participating in child sex trafficking, and that by sharing the nude photo in the first place, she was sending out some kind of signal to predators. It's important to note that there is absolutely no evidence of these claims.

It didn't take long for Hilary's name to start trending due to this conspiracy theory, and finally, she had to address the allegations. "Everyone bored af right now I know," she tweeted, "but this is actually disgusting."

"Whoever dreamed this one up and put this garbage into the universe should take a break from their damn phone," she continued. "Maybe get a hobby." Her current husband, Matthew Koma, supported her statement, retweeting it and writing, "This."

Hilary and Matthew have a 1-year-old daughter, Banks Violet Bair, together, and she shares Luca with her ex-husband, Mike Comrie, a former Canadian hockey player.

Oprah Talks Sex Trafficking Allegations: "I Can’t Imagine An Uglier Accusation"

Oprah Winfrey penned an article for "O Magazine" where she addresses the rumors that she was arrested for sex trafficking and child pornography.

Theories, conspiracy or otherwise, tend not to need factual proof in order to become a hot topic on social media. If something is controversial, especially if it includes names of respected, famous figures, it takes only a few moments for it trend. That's exactly what happened to Oprah Winfrey back in March when she found herself as the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter after allegations that she'd been arrested for sex trafficking and child pornography ran rampant.

Recently, Oprah took to her own platform, O Magazine, to address the rumors that left her stunned. She said she was in bed lost in a book when she received a call about her name going viral. "I can’t and don’t want to imagine an uglier accusation," she wrote in her article. She said when she first read it, she was confused. "But I'm in my bed in my pj's and socks, and somehow #OprahArrested is a thing. My worst fear realized. Being slandered, accused of a crime I didn’t commit."

Oprah went on to pen how the false accusations triggered reminders of the abuse she suffered as a child. "Lies are like those lashes. As a young girl, I never got angry; whippings made me sad," she added. "The same is true today. Except the sadness isn’t for myself—it’s for what I see the world becoming. How easy it is to slice, destroy, cancel someone with vitriol. How easily people swallow and spread that vitriol with gleeful memes." She continued, "To paraphrase Genesis 50:20: What man intended for evil, God intended for good."

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R. Kelly Sex Trafficking Trial Date Pushed Back

R. Kelly’s New York trial for sex trafficking and racketeering has been delayed until September.

R. Kelly was expected to be on trial in New York in July but, because of the current state of the world, he will need to wait a few extra months.

As reported by Page Six, the disgraced singer’s trial for sex trafficking and racketeering charges has been pushed back until September 2020. As of right now, he is scheduled to be in court on September 29, but if the coronavirus outbreak does not improve before then and lockdown measures are still in place, his trial will obviously be delayed again.

Although the date was co-signed by Brooklyn Judge Ann Donnelly, one of Kelly’s legal representatives believes there is no chance that the trial actually begins that soon.

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“It’s impossible that that date is going to happen,” said Douglas Anton, a New Jersey-based attorney working with the singer.

The reason for keeping the new date so soon was strategic, as the Judge would like to see Kelly before he goes on trial in Chicago. In that trial, he is being charged with creating and owning several pieces of child pornography, as well as more.

R. Kelly has been filing motions to be granted an early release from prison during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the fact that his age puts in in an at-risk category. He was previously denied release.

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Oprah Winfrey Denies Rumors She Was Arrested For Sex Trafficking

Oprah Winfrey became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter after rumors surfaced that she was taken into custody for sex trafficking.

Someone has it in for Oprah Winfrey. The media mogul's name was reportedly trending on Tuesday (March 17) after QAnon, a far-right group launched a conspiracy theory that she was arrested on charges of sex trafficking. The message has been making the rounds on social media over the last week that states Oprah, Tom Hanks, Charles Barkley, Justin Trudeau, and a number of other Hollywood and political figures were recently taken into custody.

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According to the theory, all of these figures were named by Harvey Weinstein in his trial, and to cover up their involvement in sex trafficking, they've been detained for coronavirus links. The theory has been reportedly debunked by online sleuths, but as the internet goes, it didn't take long for the meme to circulate worldwide. Adding to the believability were photos that were supposed to be of Oprah's home being investigated by federal authorities.

After seeing that she was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter, Oprah hopped online to deny the allegations. "Just got a phone call that my name is trending. And being trolled for some awful FAKE thing. It’s NOT TRUE," Oprah Winfrey wrote. "Haven’t been raided, or arrested. Just sanitizing and self distancing with the rest of the world. Stay safe everybody."

Ava DuVernay criticized those that participated in spreading the rumor. "Trolls + bots began this disgusting rumor. Mean-spirited minds kept it going," she tweeted. "#Oprah has worked for decades on behalf of others. Given hundreds of millions to individuals + causes in need. Shared her own abuse as a child to help folks heal. Shame on all who participated in this." Check it out below.

Pornhub Responds To Petition Seeking To Shut Website Down

Pornhub has released a statement in response to a petition that seeks to shut down them down due to their failure to properly monitor for illegal content.

Pornhub has responded to a petition that calls for the website to be shut them down, claiming that they are inadequate at monitoring their content and thus allow and profit off of criminal videos. The petition was launched on Change.org by a non-profit organization called Exodus Cry that seeks to "combine prayer and practical ministry to see sex trafficking and slavery ended around the world." Exodus Cry has sought out to completely shut down Pornhub due to its inadequacy in moderating the content they share on their platform, allowing for footage of children as well as victims of sex trafficking and rape to be uploaded. The organization cites a recent case in which footage of a 15-year-old who was trafficked and raped was reportedly verified with a blue checkmark and cleared to be uploaded on the site, as evidence that Pornhub's moderation tactics are extremely incompetent.

While the petition is asking for donations to "fight against big porn," Exodus Cry's director of abolition, Laila Mickelwait, has clarified in a statement that these banning efforts do not apply to all porn. “I am talking about shutting a multi-million dollar company down who is profiting off of the rape, sex trafficking and assault of women and children," she stated. "It is not an extreme point of view to think that the largest and most popular porn website in the world should not be allowed to cash in on the trauma, exploitation, and rape of women and children.”

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Pornhub has released a statement regarding the petition, in which they explain the measures they are taking to properly assess the content they receive. "Pornhub has a steadfast commitment to eradicating and fighting any and all illegal content on the internet, including non-consensual content and child sexual abuse material," the website stated. "Any suggestion otherwise is categorically and factually inaccurate. While the wider tech community must continue to develop new methods to rid the internet of this horrific content, Pornhub is actively working to put in place state-of-the-art, comprehensive safeguards on its platform to combat this material."

"These actions include a robust system for flagging, reviewing and removing all illegal material, employing an extensive team of human moderators dedicated to manually reviewing all uploads to the site, and using a variety of digital fingerprinting solutions," the statement continues. "These include but are not limited to Microsoft’s PhotoDNA, a technology that aids in finding and removing known images of child exploitation, as well as Vobile, a state-of-the-art fingerprinting software that scans any new uploads for potential matches to unauthorized materials to protect against any banned video being re-uploaded to the platform. We are actively working on expanding our safety measures and adding new features and products to our platform to this end, as they become available. Furthermore, Pornhub will continue to work with law enforcement efforts and child protection non-profits in the goal of eliminating any and all illegal content across the internet."

"Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" Drops Trailer With Alexis Skyy, Scrappy, & More

"Love & Hip Hop" prepares for the premiere of it's ninth season that will hit small screens in just a few weeks on March 16.

The moguls responsible for Love & Hip Hop make sure that they keep their series running all year long like clockwork. We saw the conclusion of a controversial Love & Hip Hop Hollywood season last year and Love & Hip Hop Miami is currently on-air. On Monday (February 17), VH1 shared a teaser for the forthcoming season of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, and they're bringing back familiar faces with all new drama.

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Unbelievably, the ninth season of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta is set to hit small screens in just a few weeks. It looks as if Alexis Skyy is a key figure in the cast as she settles some scores with other cast members. The 30-second teaser also shows Alexis speaking on a panel about being an alleged victim of sex trafficking, so viewers can be prepared to learn more about the model's past.

Momma Dee and Scrappy are at odds once again, but this time it's because the rapper is trying to get his mother to give up alcohol. The scene cuts to someone on a gurney in a hospital, but it's unclear if Momma Dee is the blurred-out person being treated. "You gotta let that drinking all the way go," Scrappy says to his mother.

Sierra, who recently came forward about her daughter being involved in an altercation at school, is also seen in the clip crying as she says something about her fear of going to jail. Why she would face time is a storyline fans we'll have to wait for, and we're sure Love & Hip Hop Atlanta will make it as dramatic as possible.

Karlie Redd also makes a return after a few controversial seasons, and this time she's looking to crank things up. She can be heard in the teaser saying something about, "He had a prostitute in our bed." We can only imagine who and what that's about. Check out the drama-filled teaser trailer for Love & Hip Hop Atlanta below and tune in on March 16.

R. Kelly’s New York Trial Pushed Back

In a Brooklyn federal courtroom, R. Kelly appeared video chat when the judge revealed details surrounding his federal case in New York.

R. Kelly‘s world has been crumbling ever since Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly aired in 2019. Since then, the singer has been facing financial and legal problems while the people closest to him began to distance themselves. He’s not only facing charges in Chicago but the case of R. Kelly has crossed interstate lines as he’s also facing federal charges in New York and state charges in Minnesota.

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Kelly is currently incarcerated in Chicago but it appears as though his fear of flying has prevented him from physically appearing in court in New York and Minnesota. Appearing in a federal Brooklyn courtroom video chat, the judge in the case revealed that the scheduled trial date has been pushed back. According to PageSix, Judge Ann Donnelly revealed that they will need to get hundreds of potential jurors for the case. Kelly’s trial was supposed to start in May but because they expect to pre-screen 500 potential candidates, Donnelly pushed the case until July. Kelly’s Illinois trial begins in April which Donnelly stated also played a factor.

“We need to leave enough time to get our jury in place,” the judge said.

Kelly appeared on a screen wearing a short-sleeve, orange jail top and was mainly quiet and attentive throughout the hearing. He previously appeared in the Brooklyn federal court in December where he pleaded not guilty to a bribery charge related to his marriage to Aaliyah.

"Surviving Jeffrey Epstein" Gets Green Lit By Lifetime

Another Epstein-related series is on the way.

Following the success of Surviving R. Kelly, Lifetime has ordered a four-hour documentary series titled Surviving Jeffrey Epstein.

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According to Variety, the network made the announcement during the Television Critics Association winter press tour on Saturday.

Anne Sundberg and Ricki Stern will direct. The two have previously collaborated on 2010’s Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, 2007’s The Devil Came on Horseback and more. The series will be released through Emmy-winner Robert Friedman’s Bungalow Media + Entertainment. Shura Davidson and Gena McCarthy will executive produce. Christopher Mason, contributor for The New York Times and New York Magazine, is also attached.

In July 2019, Epstein was arrested on federal charges for sex trafficking minors. For Epstein’s numerous connections to higher-ups in Washington D.C., including the Clintons, the case gained widespread media attention.

Epstein died of an apparent suicide in his prison cell; however, his death has been the subject of popular conspiracy theories including murder.

Adam McKay is also working on a separate Epstein-related limited series for HBO. That series will be based on Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown’s book. All criminal charges were dropped on August 29, 2019, as his death eliminates the possibility he faces punishment.

Surviving Jeffrey Epstein is expected to air this summer.