Happy Pride month to a certain yellow sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea! On Saturday (June 13th), Nickelodeon seemed to confirm many folks' longtime suspicions that the character of Spongebob Squarepants from the series of the same name is, in fact, gay. Although they didn't explicitly state it, the network shared a post on Twitter celebrating Pride month, which included some photos of a few of their characters that are apart of the LGBTQ+ community. One of the photos depicted a rainbow-fied Spongebob smiling wide.
"Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month," the tweet read. The post also includes images of Schwoz Schwartz from Henry Danger and Korra from the Avatar spin-off show Legend of Korra. Fans have known for ages that Korra is bisexual, as it was explicitly written into the show itself. The character of Schwoz is played by actor Michael D. Cohen, who recently revealed himself to be a transgendered man.
Check out some of the excited reactions from Twitter users about Spongebob's unofficial coming out.
"It’s Always Sunny" Episodes Featuring Blackface Removed From Netflix
Episodes of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" have been removed from Netflix, at least two of which feature the characters doing blackface.
Netflix has removed some episodes of the outrageous sitcom, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia on the basis that they feature multiple characters doing blackface. Fans started to take notice earlier this week that the ninth episode of the sixth season titled "Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth" was no longer available for streaming on Netflix. In the episode, main characters Mac and Dee both wear blackface. However, some fans pointed out that it was strange how Netflix opted to take down this episode, but not the season nine episode, "The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 6," that also features characters doing blackface.
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"Surely Lethal Weapon 6 is actually worse than the first one?" one user asked, before explaining why he feels that taking these episodes off the streaming platform was contradictory to the nature of the show. "Thing is though, It’s Always Sunny is not racist. The characters are," he explained. "The entire joke of the show is that these are horrible, terrible people who suffer for their sins. When Mac and Dee do blackface, it’s not glorified at all. It’s heavily shunned by every other character."
Other echoed these sentiments about the show's intentions. "Netflix just pulled an episode of its always sunny in Philadelphia because Mac uses blackface in it," one user noted. "The problem is that the show is satire and is trying to show how ignorant the characters are for their actions. It's self-aware that the characters are terrible people."
"Netflix have deleted two episodes of its always sunny in philadelphia that include blackface. People don’t do their f*cking research," another user said. "The joke is that the characters in the show are such sh*tty people they are oblivious to their own racism. The racist characters ARE the joke."
According to Metro News, another user claimed that Netflix has now removed four episodes of It's Always Sunny in total from its catalogue.
Howard Stern Catches Heat For Doing Blackface & Saying N-Word In Resurfaced Skit
Howard Stern is under fire after a skit from 1993 in which he did blackface and used the N-word to mock Ted Danson resurfaced recently.
Howard Stern is the latest white celebrity to be called out for his past use of blackface, and in his case, he really talked the talk. An old clip from Howard’s 1993 “New Year’s Rotten Eve Pageant” resurfaced this week, which shows the radio host’s face painted black with exaggerated white lips. In the skit—which appears to be a spoof of Ted Danson’s notorious performance in blackface from earlier that year as then-girlfriend Whoopi Goldberg laughed along—Howard and his co-star play Ted and Whoopi, respectively. Howard makes a series of jokes, the punchline for each of them always including N-word, while he insists that it’s okay because “Whoopi wrote it.”
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The purpose of the skit seemed to be to mock Ted for trying to justify his actions in the original performance because Whoopi had given him the green light, but by doing so, Howard ended up engaging in the same behaviour he was trying to denounce. The video was originally posted by controversial filmmaker Tariq Nasheed, and made waves among the right-wing crowd, who took pleasure in seeing the anti-Trump host be exposed for racism. The clip was even retweeted by Donald Trump Jr.
Howard’s longtime employee Steve Grillo, who worked on the special, responded to the circulating video, insisting that Howard never uses this language off the air. He explained that, because the special aired on pay-per-view, they thought, “We’ve got the whole world watching—let’s push the limits. The leash was off and they were going to be rabid dogs.”
Netflix Adds New Genre: Black Lives Matter
Netflix adds Black Lives Matter to its list of genres.
Netflix has added Black Lives Matter to its collection of 24 genres. The change occurred after last Saturday when the iconic film The Help became the most streamed title on Netflix.
The BLM category is providing easier access to “powerful and complex narratives about the Black experience.”
“When we say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ we also mean ‘Black storytelling matters,'” said Netflix on Twitter. “With an understanding that our commitment to true, systemic change will take time – we’re starting by highlighting powerful and complex narratives about the Black experience. When you log onto Netflix today, you will see a carefully curated list of titles that only begin to tell the complex and layered stories about racial injustice and Blackness in America.”
Unlike the other genres on the service which are organized alphabetically, Black Lives Matter appears first on the genre list. The BLM category includes Malcolm X by Spike Lee, the series Dear White People, Ava DuVernay’s documentary on racial inequality 13th, When They See Us, Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight, and Michelle Obama’s documentary Becoming. The Help, which has received criticism for its “white savior narrative” is not featured in the BLM category.
It is unconfirmed as to whether the Black Lives Matter category will remain as its own genre or eventually become a subcategory under the larger Black Stories genre.
Candace Owens & Don Lemon Respond To Dave Chappelle’s Digs At Them In New Special
Candace Owens and Don Lemon both appeared to be fairly unbothered by Dave Chappelle calling them out in his new Netflix comedy special, "8:46."
Candace Owens and Don Lemon have both addressed what Dave Chappelle had to say about them in his new Netflix comedy special, "8:46," about George Floyd's murder and the subsequent protests, and neither of them are too upset about his comments. In his new special, which premiered at midnight on Friday (June 12th), the comedian discusses the police killing of George Floyd and everything that came after, all the while putting a few public figures on blast for how they've handled the situation. One of the targets of Dave's ire was right-wing pundit, Candace Owens, who sparked outrage recently after making disrespectful comments about George Floyd.
"Candace Owens, that rotten b*tch, she’s the worst. I can’t think of a worse way to make money. She’s the most articulate idiot I’ve ever seen in my f*cking life," Dave said, among other critiques he made about her. Candace heard that Dave had brought her up in his special, and insisted on Twitter that she wasn't offended at all.
"To every Democrat tweeting me the clip of #DaveChappelle insulting me: I’m not a leftist. I have a sense of humor & I think comedians SHOULD make fun of people," Candace tweeted. "Dave Chappelle is one of the greatest comedians of all time and I made it into one of his specials. That’s POWER!"
"We’ve arrived too suddenly into a culture where people can’t laugh at themselves, or want to restrain comedians," she continued. "I will never be a part of that culture. Dave Chappelle—you are legend and I’d love to meet you and challenge you to say any of that to my face! All love!"
Dave also went after Don Lemon in his special for publicly naming celebrities who had yet to speak out on George Floyd's death at the time. "Do you want to see a celebrity right now?” Dave asked, in response to Don's plea. “Does it matter about celebrity? No, this is the streets talking for themselves, they don’t need me right now…Why would anyone care what their favourite comedian thinks after they saw a police officer kneel on a man’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds?” Don responded to Dave's comments on-air, indicating that, "I actually agree with Dave Chappelle."
"I agree that I think the establishment has been a bit behind—and I consider myself part of the establishment because I am over 40 years old," Don said. "They think that part of the world that we created and what we did, maybe we didn't move fast enough and we weren't strong enough and so they are out there fighting...I think they're not only speaking to the white people in this country, but also to all of us in the establishment. I think it's a moment we should all be using our platform to do whatever we can."
Elsewhere in his Netflix special, Dave took aim at Fox News host Laura Ingraham for her hypocrisy in supporting Drew Brees speaking out on politics but telling LeBron James to "shut up and dribble" back in 2018.
Dave Chappelle Goes After Candace Owens, Don Lemon, & More In George Floyd Special
Dave Chappelle called out a number of public figures in his new Netflix stand up special, in which he discusses the recent police killing of George Floyd.
Dave Chappelle returned to the stand-up stage in a new surprise Netflix special about the recent police killing of George Floyd, subsequent protests against police brutality and systemic racism, and everything in between. The special aired without promo in the early hours of the morning on Friday (June 12th), and sees the comedian laying into the media for how they’ve handled the murder of George Floyd and begging America to get on board with these protests.
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Dave begins the special by describing why this police killing of a Black American in particular was the last straw. “When I watched that tape I understood this man knew he was going to die,” he said, noting that it took him a week to finally be able to watch the horrific footage. “People watched it, people filmed it and for some reason that I still don’t understand, all these f*cking police had their hands in their pockets. Who are you talking to? What are you signifying? That you can kneel on a man’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds and feel like you wouldn’t get the wrath of God? That is what is happening right now. It’s not for a single cop, it’s for all of it, f*cking all of it. I don’t mean to get heavy but we gotta say something.”
He goes on to ridicule CNN’s Don Lemon for famously calling out certain rich and powerful celebrities who hadn’t spoken out on this issue at the time. “[Lemon] says, ‘Where are all these celebrities? Why are you not talking?’ This n***a said, ‘Everybody.’ I was screaming at the TV, ‘I dare you to say me, n***a, I dare you!’ Has anyone ever listened to me doing comedy? Have I not ever said anything about these things before? So now all of a sudden this n***a expects me to step in front of the streets and talk over the work these people are doing as a celebrity.”
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“Answer me: Do you want to see a celebrity right now?” he continued. “Do we give a f*ck what Ja Rule thinks? Does it matter about celebrity? No, this is the streets talking for themselves, they don’t need me right now. I kept my mouth shut. And I’ll still keep my mouth shut. But don’t think my silence is complicit…Why would anyone care what their favourite comedian thinks after they saw a police officer kneel on a man’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds?”
Dave also ripped into the right-wing media by calling Fox News’ Laura Ingraham “a regular-ass white b*tch with a platform” and “a c*nt” for insisting Drew Brees has a right to his opinion about politics while telling LeBron James to “shut up and dribble” in 2018 for his activism. Next, Dave targeted Trump-supporting “free thinker” Candace Owens for her insensitive and disrespectful comments about George Floyd.
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“I’ve seen Candace Owens try to convince white America, ‘Don’t worry about it. He’s a criminal anyway,’” Dave says. “I don’t give a f*ck what this n***a did. I don’t care what this n***a did. Candace Owens, that rotten b*tch, she’s the worst. I can’t think of a worse way to make money. She’s the most articulate idiot I’ve ever seen in my f*cking life.” He goes on to drag her for suggesting that Black America had “chosen” Floyd to be their hero despite his past.
“‘Why does the black community make him a hero? Why did you choose him as a hero?’ We didn’t choose him; you did,” he tells Candace. “They killed him and that wasn’t right, so he’s the guy. We’re not desperate for heroes in the black community. Anyone who survives this nightmare is my god damn hero.” Watch the full special, titled “8:46,” below:
"The Sopranos" Creator David Chase Reveals What Happened To Tony In Finale
“The Sopranos” director David Chase may have revealed the show’s ending in a recently leaked interview.
David Chase, creator of the famed crime-drama The Sopranos, may have accidentally spoiled the television series’ finale in a recently leaked interview. While speaking with author Alan Sepinwall for Sepinwall’s book The Sopranos Sessions, the producer was asked if he had intended The Sopranos to continue past what is now the finale. Chase responded: “Yes, I think I had that death scene around two years before the end…”
The “death scene” that Chase referred to came in The Sopranos 2007 final episode “Made in America.” In the episode’s final sequence, main character Tony Soprano is eating dinner with his family as a hitman awaits him. Then, the screen fades to black, leaving the star’s fate unclear. While the outcome of this scene has been frequently debated by Sopranos fans, Chase appears to have spoiled the fun with his recently unearthed comment.
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“F - - k you guys,” Chase said to the interviewer after being called out on his slip-up. He then attempted to clarify the remark and re-open debate by saying “We all could be whacked in a diner. That was the point of the scene.”
The Sopranos prequel movie, “The Many Saints of Newark,” is scheduled to be released on March 12, 2021. In the meanwhile, you can enjoy streaming the series for free on HBO.
Aaron Paul Goes Full Jesse Pinkman In "Cringey" Celebrity Anti-Racism PSA
Aaron Paul channeled his "Breaking Bad" character Jesse Pinkman in a new celebrity anti-racism PSA, which many are deeming "cringey."
The celebrities have done it again. Following the dumpster fire that was the "Imagine" video, which saw a handful of celebrities singing John Lennon's famous tune in an attempt to "inspire" those suffering through the pandemic back in March, a similar effort has been made to squash racism. On Thursday (June 11th), a fairly random myriade of white celebrities including Aaron Paul, Sarah Paulson, Ke$ha, Bethanny Joy Lenz, Kristen Bell, Justin Theroux, Debra Messing, Mark Duplass, Bryce Dallas Howard, Julianne Moore, Piper Perabo, Stanley Tucci, and Ilana Glazer, participated in a PSA about anti-racism. In their melodramatic message, which was done in partnership with the NAACP, each star took responsibility for allowing racism to persist through microaggressions and vowed to put a stop to "hate" and police brutality.
While the intentions were good, many of the participants in the video, most of them actors, got dragged relentlessly for appearing to be putting on a performance, especially Aaron Paul. Many pointed out that, at the end of the video, Aaron concludes the message of the PSA with an intensity not unlike his character, Jesse Pinkman, in Breaking Bad.
However, Aaron wasn't the only one mocked for the "cringey" video.
Tucker Carlson At It Again, This Time Targets Elmo’s Anti-Racism Advocacy
Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson airs his grievances concerning the educational Standing Up to Racism Sesame Street skit.
Last Saturday, Elmo provided some insight on the Black Lives Matter movement with the Sesame Streeteducational special titled Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. “Racism is when people treat other people unfairly because of the way they look or the color of their skin. Not all streets are like Sesame Street. On Sesame Street, we all love and respect one another. Across the country, people of color, especially in the black community, are being treated unfairly because of how they look, their culture, race and who they are,” explained Elmo’s father, Louie. “They are sad and upset, and they have every right to be, Elmo. People are upset because racism is a huge problem in our country,” he continued.
Tucker Carlson played the skit and expressed his outrage at the fictional character on Fox News. “It’s a children’s show,” said Tucker. “Got that, Bobby? America is a very bad place and it’s your fault, so no matter what happens, no matter what they do to you when you grow up, you have no right to complain. That’s the message and it starts very young.”
“Everyone in the streets combating racism has Tucker “Chicken Heir” Carlson so mad he’s accusing Elmo of being Antifa ,” said U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in response to Carlson’s Fox News rant.
Carlson voiced his opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement during his news segment the day before as well: “This may be a lot of things, this moment we are living through, but it is definitely not about black lives and remember that when they come for you, and at this rate, they will.”
Russell Westbrook To Produce Series On Tulsa Race Massacre
The docuseries release will coincide with the 100th year anniversary of the massacre.
Houston Rockets NBA star Russell Westbrook is now adding producer to his list of job titles. The basketball player will produce an upcoming docuseries about the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.
Confirmed by the production company Blackfin, Westbrook, who once played for the Oklahoma City Thunder team, will serve as the executive producer of the series tentatively titled, Terror In Tulsa: The Rise And Fall Of Black Wall Street. Often described as “the single worst incident of racial violence in American history,” the Tulsa race massacre involved a white mob attacking residents and businesses in the predominantly Black Greenwood area of Tulsa, resulting in the death and displacement of over 10,000 residents, and the destruction of more than 35 square blocks of the district. At the time the wealthiest black community in the United States, it was known as the “Black Wall Street.”
Westbrook cites his time in Oklahoma while playing for their NBA team before moving to the Rockets in 2019 as opening his eyes to the state’s racial history.
He wrote in a tweet, “When I learned about the heartbreaking events that happened in Tulsa nearly 100 years ago, I knew this was a story I wanted to tell," he continued, "It's upsetting that the atrocities that transpired then, are still so relevant today. It's important we uncover the buried stories of African Americans in this country. We must amplify them now more than ever if we want to create change moving forward."
