“Because I was shot, I’ve been turned into some kind of villain, and he’s the victim. This has messed up my whole life. This whole situation in the industry is like a big boys’ club.”

–Megan Thee Stallion’s testimony in the assault trial of Tory Lanez

“This is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes.” –Greta Thunberg on Twitter trolling Andrew Tate after his arrest in Romania.

“The whole point of being creative is that you’re tapping into a time of reflecting society back to itself that it might not even be aware that it needs yet. That’s what the artist’s gift is.” –Danai Gurira in The Cut

“It’s been really healing for me to hear how many people have been affected by [my film Everything Everywhere All At Once]. So many daughters and mothers have been coming to me crying, saying, ‘I saw myself in the movie,’ or, ‘My relationship with my mother is just like that.’” -Stephanie Hsu In The New York Times

“I’m not a victim, and I’m not the damsel in distress. I’ve made my choices in my life. Some obviously were made for me, but I’ve always been able to find myself again.” –Pamela Anderson in Variety

Good News: 96 percent of women working in tech say their friends and families supported their choice to pursue careers in IT fields.

Bad News: 90 percent of women in tech have experienced microaggressions at work, and nearly 66 percent say they have been treated differently than their male colleagues.

STATS:

27: The percentage of 50-year-old women in Japan who never had children—the highest number in the developed world.

7000: The number of New York City nurses who walked off their jobs and went on strike in January 2023, advocating for safer working conditions, shorter hours, and more reasonable patient loads.

24: The percentage of U.S. employers’ bereavement leave policies that allow workers to take time off after having a miscarriage or a failed in vitro fertilization.

75: The percentage of surveyed Americans who say they are concerned that people who have abortions could be charged with a felony or go to jail.

PHOTOS: (GRETA THUNBERG) RAPH_PH, CC BY 2.0 VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS; (PAMELA ANDERSON ) 9EKIERAM1, CC BY-SA 3.0, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS; (MEGAN THEE STALLION) VALERIE

ALBERT, CC BY-SA 4.0 VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, Nurse Photo by Rusty Watson on Unsplash, Silhouette Photo by Denis Oliveira on Unsplash

SARAH MILLICAN

Why we love her: This British comic has been honing her overtly feminist, observational comedy craft since 2004, but her latest tour, Bobby Dazzler, really helped her level up in the U.S. this past spring. “I stopped buying women’s magazines a few months ago. It just feels like there’s nothing there for me. Why would I buy anything where the only time I ever see anybody who looks like me is underneath the word, ‘Before’”?

JENNY ZIGRINO

Why we love her: Whether she’s breaking down dating while fat or dishing about balls and bidets, Zigrino’s hot takes are pure hilarity. Checkout her special, Jen-Z, on Comedy Central’s YouTube page. Choice quote: [On a partner who thought she’d had an orgasm because she was wet.] “Dude, soup is wet, but just because it is on the stove,that doesn’t mean it is done cooking. Get back in there, chef.”

KARINDA DOBBINS

Why we love her: Dobbins takes audiences on an aspirational “trap yoga” journey, digs into lesbian weddings, and sends up hiking while Black. Find her comedy album, Black & Blue, wherever you stream. Choice quote: “We’re never going to have common sense gun laws so we’re going to have to make a smart gun with a psychiatrist Siri [in it who will] ask you a few questions before you are allowed to fire. ‘Do you live in your mother’s basement? Have you ever written a manifesto? Are you a white male aged 19 to 95? Is this the most intimate conversation you have ever had with a woman?’”

MAE MARTIN

Why we love them: Raised by hippies, this Canadian Comic breaks down the gender spectrum and calls out stand ups who just don’t get it. Find their special, SAP, on Netflix.

Choice quote: [Reflecting on a conversation with their dad about the night they were conceived.] “‘Yes, I remember it well,’ he said. ‘The moonlight shone over your mother’s bottom.’ I now know the position I was conceived in. I am horrified. No one wants to be conceived doggystyle. It is so bleak. You want to be conceived face-to-face, eye contact at the moment of ejaculation—not, like, biting the pillow.”

IRENE TU

Why we love her: This self-proclaimed “Beethoven of Cumming” will have you doubled over, even when she’s talking about eating babies or her favorite dictator. Her album, We’re Done Now, is available on iTunes. Choice quote: “Usually I go to the ladies room, but whenever I go in there, someone will always look at me, and then the sign, and then back at me as if I can’t read—drawings. We all saw the little triangle, that is a skirt, I know. I have worn a triangle before.”

PHOTOS: (SARAH MILLICAN) MATT CROCKETT; (IRENE TU) MATT MISISCO; (KARINDA DOBBINS) JENNIFER GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY; (JENNY ZIGRINO) STEPHAN JAHANSHAHI; (MAE MARTIN) JOSEPH SINCLAIR.

The controversial series is centered around the young, rising, Britney-esque popstar Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and, typical of a Levinson production, includes lots of sex, drugs, and out-of-pocket material directed against women. In the first scene, Jocelyn is being photographed and told to make faces for different concepts: doe eyes, laughing, pure sex, vulnerable, and emotional. This was already an indication of how the women are going to be depicted in the show.

Jocelyn, after losing her mother, is said to have gone through a psychotic break which immediately labeled her as a fragile character around her staff. Her managers describe her as a “young, beautiful, and damaged icon”, and when a horrifying scandal breaks out over the internet, everyone is worried about how she is going to react.

The way that mental illness gets exploited and romanticized through the show’s concept is offsetting to watch and to listen to (explicitly referring to the “mental illness is sexy” line…sigh).

Jocelyn’s character is focused on the vulnerability of women in the music industry rather than promoting their resilience. There is the floating idea that unattainable women, like Jocelyn, won’t have sex with men unless the woman is mentally ill. Jocelyn’s image needs to be a tease for men that can’t have her and an idol for women who want to be her. However, Jocelyn’s target audience is also geared towards tween, middle-school-aged girls. The Live Nation representative in charge of Jocelyn’s upcoming tour (Eli Roth) shows up and says how his 13-year-old daughter showed him the viral picture of Jocelyn with cum on her face.

Even though Levinson denied the rumors, with her image, her mental illness, and her target audience, Jocelyn seems to be a forced character trying to represent the rise and fall of Britney Spears.

Tesfaye comes into the picture as Tedros, a popular owner of a hot downtown L.A. club, and is shown in the teasers as this self-help guru/cult leader. His character immediately puts an uneasy feeling in viewers (with or without the rattail) and is expected to brainwash Jocelyn as she prepares for her tour. When Jocelyn’s best friend says that he seems “kind of rapey”, Jocelyn’s response was “I kinda like that about him.” The writing that Levinson gives to his female characters only puts them in a position to promote harmful and dangerous expectations about sex. Having a beautiful, young woman talk about how she is turned on by rape culture only gives men who watch the show more leverage about what they believe girls want. Soon after, Jocelyn is seen masturbating in her room and choking herself in order to have an orgasm.

In multiple interviews, Lily-Rose Depp mentions that she actually enjoys working on The Idol. The 23-year-old model and daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis actually lives a life that is quite the opposite of who she plays on screen. “My parents protected my brother [Jack] and me from [fame] as much as possible,” she tells ELLE. Depp does not own Twitter and only uses her Instagram to promote her upcoming brand events. She explains how she likes to stay out of the social media spotlight, but her role as Jocelyn has given her a reason to think about how aware the public eye is — and how hungry they are for something like a cum-shot scandal.

Even though the show is turning heads with negative reviews, HBO is sure that the ratings will start to skyrocket on Max as they expected with Euphoria, which has won 28 awards and is the second-most-watched show in HBO history. With a total of 913,000 viewers for The Idol’s first episode, trends in past HBO hit shows have created high (possibly unattainable) hopes for the growth of The Idol’s viewership.

The Idol is scheduled to release 5 more episodes on Max every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. The newest one, “Double Fantasy”, is out now.

Top photo by The Idol on Max.

BUST has been a home for many incredible stories over the years, and has held a special place in the hearts of many over the decades. (If you’re feeling sentimental, check out this retrospective we did for our 25th anniversary, where readers share their favorite moments about the magazine.) As time passes and the social landscape changes, BUST has continued to publish fresh and innovative features on the coolest feminists of today.

BUST, like boygenius, was formed independently by a trio of badass women. BUST started out as a homemade zine in 1993. The first few issues were photocopied, stapled together, and distributed by its three founders, Laurie Henzel, Debbie Stoller, and Marcela Karp.

In those 30 years, we’ve created a bi-annual craft fair, published several books, and have had over 10,000 subscribers as of 2018. For our 30th anniversary issue, we decided to celebrate with boygenuis, the indie-rock supergroup that’s taking the world by storm.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BUST Magazine (@bust_magazine)

boygenius is composed of indie-rock singer Julien Baker, viral folk sensation Phoebe Bridgers, and singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus. In our summer issue, released on June 1st, the trio discussed their rise to being one of the most influential feminist supergroups of the modern age. The members of the band talk with BUST about their blooming friendship, their (sometimes rabid) fanbase, and Kristen Stewart, who directed the band’s short film. They also discuss their debut studio album, The Record, which was released earlier this year on March 31st.

Dacus and Baker had previously been acquainted since they both performed together in Washington DC back in 2016, but after performing on the same bill in 2018, all three women got together to record a promotional single for the tour. They decided that they were having too much fun to stop, and later that year, they released their first official EP as boygenius. How did they land on their unique and discordant name? How did the COVID-19 epidemic affect their success? How do they feel about their adoring fans? And who the hell is Maxine? You’ll just have to pick up our newest issue to find out!

But boygenius isn’t the only thing we’re highlighting this summer. Here are some other cool things to look out for in the 2023 Summer issue.

Check out our feature on Malaysian film producer and screenwriter, Adele Lim. Lim talks with us about her new R-rated comedy, Joy Ride, which came out June 7th. Joy Ride is the first major studio film with an all Asian-American (and predominantly female) cast. The film is raunchy, delightful, and diverse. Lim was open with BUST about the real-life inspiration behind Joy Ride, Asian-American representation in media, and her lengthy list of credits (including Disney’s Raja and The Last Dragon, and Crazy Rich Asians). “We’re finding joy and reveling in our own messiness, just like any other white guy’s R-rated comedy.” Succinct, substantial, and chock-full of intersectional feminism, Adele Lim’s feature is a must-read.

But that’s not all the intersectionality we have to offer; check out the other pieces on writer and activist Rachel Cargle, and our feature on comedian and “cat daddy” Marc Maron.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Caren

This issue is also full of fun treats for those long hot summer days, like our recipe for grilled peaches, and DIY Balboa Bars. The only thing better than enjoying a cool homemade treat on a hot summer day is looking cool while you do it. Take a look through our ‘Looksee’ feature, where we list all the things we’re into this season, like this cutely packaged sunscreen, these size inclusive swimsuits, and unique sunnies to shield your eyes from the sun’s rays. There’s more cool attire featured throughout; our Get The Look section highlights several Malibu Barbie-themed accessories, like these Moxi roller skates, and this vintage polaroid film camera. But we’re just as comprehensive about our fashion coverage as we are with our anthropology.

This summer’s issue is also full of cool cultural pieces and historical topics, like the extensive feature on the lives of women in the rural mountains of Tibet. The story, written by Eleanor Moseman, details Moseman’s time spent with Tibetan villager Jamyang Tsomo and her family. It covers Tsomos daily chores, which include tending to yaks, harvesting barley, and looking after her family. Jamyang Tsomo’s story is a phenomenal glance into the lesser covered fierce women of the modern world. And she’s not the only cool cultural feature we have. This Summer’s issue also has an inside scoop on “one of the Middle Ages most fascinating figures,” visionary St. Hildegard of Bingen, written by noted historian Dr. Eleanor Janega.

So if you haven’t subscribed already, you’re definitely missing out. There’s something so special about receiving a physical print publication in the mail. It’s nostalgic, and reminiscent of the simpler bittersweet days of adolescence. Relieve the days of reading horoscopes aloud to your bestie and skimming the pages of a magazine for cute summer accessories. Alternatively, indulge your curiosity for knowledge by checking out our features on the historic town of Dublin, or the origins of Midsummer (the Scandinavian Pagan tradition, not the Ari Aster film!) And of course, as always, there’s way more!

We here at BUST are proud to provide a platform for everything; and our digital articles are no different. From updates on the new Barbie Movie, to abortion rights, and from Taylor Swift & Ice Spice collaborations, to coverage on an all girls robotics team in Afghanistan, there’s always an exciting online feature for you. Sounds enticing? Keep an eye out for us on your news feed, as well as on your local newsstands. Here’s to another 30 years. And 30 more after that!

Subscribe now to get your hands on this 30th Anniversary issue!

Top Image: Photo Credit: Ramona Rosales

Centered around the sex lives of four high-profile women living in Manhattan, Sex and the City, created by Darren Star and co-produced by Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie Bradshaw herself), ended up with 94 episodes over a six-season run, 2 movies, 2 television spin-offs, 18 awards, and too-many-to-count high fashion props chosen by the award-winning stylist, Patricia Field.

SATC celebrated its 25th anniversary on Tuesday, and the cast found creative ways to commemorate the milestone.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, and even Kim Cattrall showed small tokens of appreciation for their legendary roles through social media.

Kristin Davis, who plays Park Avenue princess Charlotte York-Goldenblatt, wrote on Instagram: “It is impossible to believe it has been 25 years! I consider myself the luckiest person in the world to be a part of this story that connects so many of us together. It has and continues to be a JOY!”

Cynthia Nixon, a.k.a. Miranda Hobbes, Esq., also shared a nostalgic piece on Instagram with photos of herself from season one of SATC and a recent photoshoot taken during the filming of And Just Like That…Part of the caption reads: “How it started how it’s going for Miranda Hobbes ”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cynthia Nixon (@cynthiaenixon)

As well as a recent photo of her and Davis captioned, “Here’s to 25 years of incredible friendship!”

And Sarah Jessica Parker who plays the quintessential New York City columnist and renowned shoe-a-holic, Carrie Bradshaw, shared her own memorable moment by posting a photo of her signature gold “Carrie” necklace saying, “It’s our silver anniversary but the memories will always be gold.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SJP (@sarahjessicaparker)

And even though Kim Cattrall is still keeping her distance from the show, our mother Samantha Jones still acknowledged the occasion by liking a tweet posted by the original author of the series, Candace Bushnell, as well as a fan-made appreciation tweet for Sam Jones.

The rest of the cast decided to show the hit series some love as well.

The official Instagram account for And Just Like That… made a “25 years of fabulous” post captioning the clips of the youthful and smiling quartet with: “And here’s to more fabulous years to come.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by And Just Like That… (@justlikethatmax)

In a video posted by HBO, Nixon, Parker, and Davis thanked all the fans for showing love and gratitude to them and the show for all these years. “We just want to say thank you for supporting us because that’s how come we’ve been able to do it for so long,” Davis said while hand-in-hand with Parker.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HBO (@hbo)

And Mario Cantone, who plays ours and Charlotte’s favorite wedding planner Anthony, also shared the trailer to And Just Like That… to celebrate “a happy 25” for SATC.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mario Cantone (@macantone)

The second season of the latest spin-off And Just Like That… will premiere on June 22 exclusively on Max and will continue to follow the provocative, gossip-filled lives of Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte (and this time with a word from Samantha).

Top photo by Martamenchini, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bella Ramsey (@bellaramsey)

Ramsey, who uses they/them pronouns, admitted that their decision to submit as an actress for this year’s Emmys came after a lot of deliberation, and some discomfort. “The categories at the moment feel extremely gendered with the language around them,” they said. And while they’re “uncomfortable” fitting into either a male or female lead-acting nomination, they decided to move forward in the female category because they deserve to see their hard work honored.

“I don’t want the limitations in terms of the language in the categories to be a reason that nonbinary actors like me can’t be celebrated,” Ramsey explained to Vanity Fair. “And it can open up a conversation about how it feels—as long as I’m aware of the fact that it’s not ideal, but also that finding alternatives is really complex.”

This is not a new discussion, Ramsey is the latest non-binary celebrity to voice concerns about the gendered categories of awards ceremonies. A few weeks ago, Liv Hewson of Yellowjackets withdrew their Emmy nomination because there are no categories for non-binary performers.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Liv Hewson (@liv.hewson)

“There’s no place for me in the acting categories,” Hewson told Variety. “It would be inaccurate for me to submit myself as an actress. It neither makes sense for me to be lumped in with the boys. It’s quite straightforward and not that loaded. I can’t submit myself for this because there’s no space for me.”

This movement seems to be in the zeitgeist. As more performers come forward and demand non-gendered categories, the pressure builds for institutions including the Academy Awards, The Emmys, The Tonys, and other arts and culture award ceremonies. According to Vanity Fair, celebrities like Emma Corrin (The Crown) and Asia Kate Dillon Billions, Orange Is the New Black) are calling for non-gendered performance categories.

And it really makes sense. Outside of lead and supporting performers, generally, award categories are not gendered. Academy Award categories like Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Director are not gendered– they simply celebrate the best talent. The only gendered categories in the Tonys are Best Actor/Actress in a Musical or Play and Best Featured Actor/Actress in a Musical or Play. There are 28 non-gendered Tony awards.

It’s possible that there was a time where these gendered categories helped to ensure that women were not being consistently snubbed. And it’s true that in non-gendered categories, men continue to dominate, while women are continually either excluded, or not awarded. In fact, according to a study by Medium, only 16% of ALL nominees since the beginning of the Academy Awards have been women– this number includes nominees for “best actress” and “best supporting actress.” Lack of recognition continues to be an issue for women. How can these institutions ensure women are represented without forcing non-binary performers to succumb to gendered nominations?

According to Vanity Fair, “The Film Academy is said to be researching the matter while allowing nominees to request gender-neutral wording on their awards; the Tonys more seriously considering imminent gender-neutral adjustments; and the Television Academy emphasizing the new option to adjust the language on an Emmy trophy or nomination certificate, from actor or actress to performer.”

“Eliminating two of the acting awards doesn’t sound like a movement in that direction,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent to Vanity Fair. “Award shows generally don’t want to lose acting categories. People are most excited about actors.”

While it would seem like a major change for these legacy institutions, the solution likely lies in expansion, not elimination. While this year’s awards season may go on as it always has, sooner or later these powerhouse institutions will have to come forward with a solution.

We have to agree with Liv Hewson here– “I very gently and respectfully ask that people get their gears turning a little.”

Top photo: courtesy of HBO

According to Good Morning America, HBO has confirmed that Samantha Jones will indeed be featured in the second season of And Just Like That…. In the beginning of season one, we learned that Samantha Jones moved to London to continue her career as a publicist. We also found out that Samantha and Carrie had a falling out.

“I told her because of what the book business is now, it just didn’t make sense for me to keep her on as a publicist. She said fine. Then she fired me as a friend,” said Carrie in an episode to explain the character’s absence. The spin-off series has received mixed reviews, but no matter how nostalgic it is to get the gang back together, it just isn’t the same without the show’s (arguably) most beloved character.

At the end of season one, Carrie was in Paris and we see her having a text conversation with Samantha. “Want to talk?,” Carrie texted Samantha. “Soon,” she responded. Carrie then went on to ask if the following night would work to meet for a cocktail and reconnect.

However, it seems like they won’t be meeting for that drink after all, they will reconnect via a telephone call. According to Variety, Kim will “appear in one scene” that she filmed in March without speaking to any of her former co-stars, including Sarah Jessica Parker. Variety states that Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Field styled Samantha for the scene, and we cannot wait to see how incredible she looks in her new life.

While we’re bummed we won’t get to see the gang back together on our screens, we’re happy enough that the Sex and the City universe will once again be complete, even if it’s just for a minute!

PS: If you’re missing Kim Cattrall like we are, check out this unforgettable vintage video of her scatting over the upright bass:

Top photo: Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Never Have I Ever Season 4 – Available June 8

Netflix’s most popular coming-of-age series is set for its fourth and final season starting June 8. Follow Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) around for the last time as she navigates through her confusing, sometimes cringe, but heartstopping moments in Mindy Kaling’s fan-favorite high school rom-com.

Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact – Available June 13

The Emmy award-winning comedian returns on June 13 with a new stand-up special coming to Netflix. Schumer intends on getting real about life after 40 which includes postpartum sex, secret insecurities, and discovering her “widow’s hump.” The self-produced show marks the third Netflix special under Schumer’s belt and is a highly anticipated act from one of Hollywood’s most unhinged icons.

Black Mirror Season 6 – Available June 15

Be prepared to escape reality on June 15 as Black Mirror finally releases its newest season exclusively on Netflix. This must-watch consists of five new psyche-thrilling adventures. Even creator Charlie Brooker said he “surprised himself” this time around. With a show full of recognizable talents including Salma Hayek, Ben Barnes, and even Michael Cera, Season 6 is sure to not disappoint.

Grown-ish Season 6 – Available June 28

Hulu’s Emmy-nominated spinoff is also set for part one of its final season to air on Freeform and Hulu on June 28. The college-based comedy will pick back up on the Cal U crew including Zoey (Yara Shahidi) and the rest of the Johnson family as they explore the pillars of every good tv show — sex, drugs, and long-distance relationships.

And Just Like That… Season 2 – Available June 22

HBO’s exclusive sequel featuring the iconic Sex and The City gals is back for another season (and still without our queen Samantha). Much like the original, the show still follows Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte through their lives as high-powered women in their 50s living in a Gen-Z-coded Manhattan. Tune in for new flings and lots of fashion inspo with another juicy season of And Just Like That… premiering on Max.

Check out a full list of what’s coming to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services all this June.

Top photo by Never Have I Ever on Netflix.

In real life, Catherine the Great was born Princess Sophie of Prussia in 1729 and managed to eventually steal the throne, becoming the longest-ruling empress of an entirely different country to which she had no actual claim. Hulu’s The Great toys with the historical details of this incredible tale, but there are a few things they pull straight from the history books. Here are five fascinating facts about Catherine the Great that The Great gets right:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Great (@thegreathulu)

She really did stage a coup and usurp her husband’s throne.

The real Catherine the Great did indeed successfully stage a bloodless coup and steal the throne from her husband Peter III. This is the major plotline of The Great’s first season, where the audience watches Catherine realize her husband is a certified idiot, and that she is much better suited as leader of Russia.

In real life, Peter III held his seat as Emperor for only six months before abdicating the throne to Catherine. Peter suspiciously died in jail eight days after the coup due to what was ruled a “hemorrhoidal colic,” but his sudden death birthed rumors of assassination. There is no proof Catherine knew about any plot to murder the former emperor.

Catherine the Great was known for her dedication to the arts, sciences, and philosophy.

The real empress’ own art collection was so expansive that it eventually became what is now the second largest art museum in the world, the State Hermitage Museum. During her reign, Catherine also commissioned many artistic and cultural projects, campaigned for a new and improved education system, and even kept in touch with the famous philosopher Voltaire. She also founded elementary schools, libraries, and other educational institutions. She was known at the time and remembered by historians as an enlightened leader.

The Great uses this fact often, as we see Fanning’s Catherine meeting resistance from nobles and advisors over her progressive ideals—especially her plans to abolish serfdom.

She inoculated herself with smallpox and encouraged the Russian people to do the same

Catherine was known to be an early proponent of inoculation against smallpox, just like viewers see in episode seven of the first season of The Great.

The real empress and her son were some of the first people in Russia to be inoculated against the disease, which involved making an incision on the arm and placing small amounts of smallpox pustules into the open wound. This exposes the person to the virus so their bodies can fight it off later. Her willingness to undergo the inoculation before the public was respected by many and likely inspired more Russians to get themselves inoculated, too.

Catherine the Great by Fedor Rokotov via Wikimedia Commons

There really was a rumor about her and a *ahem* horse, but it wasn’t quite how the show made it look.

Much like today, slut shaming was many peoples’ weapon of choice when attempting to discredit a powerful woman in the 18th century, and Catherine the Great was not immune. This was made even more complicated by the fact that Catherine, like just about every male ruler known in human history, was known for the many lovers she had throughout her life.

While there were tons of rumors about her sexual life throughout her reign, the one most prominently featured in The Great is the rumor that she had sex with a horse. We see Elle Fanning’s Catherine begrudgingly deal with this gossip during her efforts to seize the throne.

The real-life version of this rumor is that this sex act actually was the cause of her death, but it is just that: a rumor and an attempt to discredit the legacy of a formidable and influential woman. In actuality, Catherine died from a stroke in 1796.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Great (@thegreathulu)

She kind of invented the roller coaster?

In season two of The Great, Catherine hosts a science competition to symbolically and literally bring innovation and modernity to Russia. An early version of a roller coaster is presented during the competition, which resonates with the true origin story of the now popular amusement park ride.

In 18th century Russia, large ice slides that people would ride down in sleds were a major attraction. In 1784, the real Catherine the Great decided to build a wooden track with grooves and carts with fitted wheels, thus making the roller coaster possible without the icy Russian winter. She even had one built at her summer palace.

Catherine the Great lived a life larger than fiction. As one of history’s greatest rulers, and the longest-ruling empress of Russia, she is largely responsible for solidifying her country as a major, modern world power. Hulu’s The Great authentically captures all the grandeur of Catherine’s story with a modern twist. All seasons—including season three—are out now on Hulu! Huzzah!

Top Image Christopher Raphael/HULU

Tabitha Soren Interviewing Liz Phair 

MTV News was the perfect intersection between music and hard-hitting journalism. Their extensive coverage of independent, underground artists via innovative interviews helped usher in a wave of new artists into the mainstream. One of our favorite instances of this is Tabitha Soren’s interview with grungy DIY singer-songwriter Liz Phair, for her 1993 album Exile In Guyville. Most interviews at the time took place in quiet, professionally lit rooms, but this one took place in the chaotic land of Luna Park. While laying on the beaches of Coney Island in New York City, the two explore what it means to be a woman in the 90’s. In between lounging on the sand and riding rickety roller coasters, Soren and Phair discuss feminism, sexuality, losing your virginity, and the raw content of Phair’s self-distributed debut album. This is monumental; MTV News saw the importance in covering a feminist-centered artist that wrote realistic (and thus subversive) lyrics about sex, heartbreak, and the limitations of the patriarchy. When Soren asks, “Do you consider yourself a feminist? Post-feminist? Post-post feminist?” Phair promptly responds, “If labels matter I consider myself all of the above; all I care about is that women have a better life in the near future. That includes everything: legal, social, emotional, sexual… It’s all part of it.” 

Madonna Rocks The Vote

Rock The Vote is a non-profit political organization that aims to increase awareness about issues in youth culture via political action like voting and protesting (they even founded the first ever telephone voter’s registration system!).  According to their mission statement, the organization was created by Virgin Music executives Jeff Ayeroff, Beverly Lund, and Jordan Harris in an effort to advocate against censorship in popular music. It has since grown into a massive grassroots movement that has maintained its popularity since its inception. Rock The Vote’s first ever partnership was with MTV, and with a little help from Madonna draped in almost nothing but an American Flag, they aired their first PSA in 1990. 

“Dr King, Malcolm X, freedom of speech is as good as sex! …Don’t give up your freedom of speech, the power of the people is in our reach!” Madonna says, before “de-flagging” to reveal a scandalous red lingerie set. This was incredibly powerful imagery at the time, as Madonna was often mocked for being outspoken about sex and politics. A couple years later she would be eviscerated in the press for her album Erotica, and the accompanying book Sex. Voter turnout was a topic that was rarely ever applied to younger demographics before Rock The Vote, but with the aid of these PSAs, along with MTV News, Rock The Vote managed to involve generations of young adults to go out and vote. Madonna even reshared the 30-year old video during the 2020 election season, with the hashtags #vote2020, and #nationalvoterregistrationday. 

#Vote2020 leading up to Election Day and #NationalVoterRegistrationDay https://t.co/WWWEeqezoJ#jose #luis pic.twitter.com/Q8wwlLhawq

— Madonna (@Madonna) September 22, 2020

MTV News Unfiltered

MTV News Presents: MTV Unfiltered (often shortened to ...MTV Unfiltered, or …Unfiltered) was a reality news series hosted by MTV News anchors Serena Altschul and Alison Stewart, and has been described as a DIY approach to local news. The short-lived show was a news segment program that featured a series of calls, video clips, and interviews from real-life teens, and offered news coverage for small-town, community based issues. …MTV Unfiltered shone a light on issues major news networks weren’t covering, like oppressive dress codes, LGBTQIA+ cruising, getting cancer, celibacy, and suicide. One such segment started with a daring phone call; a Penn State college student demanded something be done about the sexist hazing traditions on campus, stating: “I absolutely believe that this is institutionalized sexual harassment on the part of the university’s administration.” 

MTV News Presents: MTV Unfiltered was groundbreakingly revolutionary for its time, and was pivotal in showcasing real-life issues that young women and teens everywhere were struggling with, and it’s all the more proof that MTV was always for and about youth culture. MTV News gave many important topics —including feminism— a larger platform through ...Unfiltered, and we think that’s pretty badass. Check out this archival clip uploaded by Jess Weiner, the Penn State student who contacted MTV about sexual harassment on her college’s campus. 

The “Choose or Lose“ Campaign 

In 1992, MTV launched a now-defunct political news campaign designed to encourage youth participation in democracy, called Choose or Lose. This was different from Rock The Vote, which was initially focused on eradicating censorship limitations. Choose or Lose was a recurring news special hosted by MTV News for several election years up until 2012, when the network decided to ditch the slogan in an effort to more accurately reflect the increased cynicism within youth culture. But in its heyday, the Choose Or Lose special was hosted by former MTV News anchor Tabitha Soren, and through specials, conferences, and mobile organizations, the campaign encouraged youth voter registration turn-out. Through these televised specials, young people were often encouraged to ask politicians questions, including Senator John Kerry. 

One of the more notable moments was the Enough is Enough special’s interview with Bill Clinton, which went on to make headlines in news outlets like Time Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune. Many have argued that MTV secured the youth vote for Clinton’s presidency, including the Baltimore Sun in 1992. Even Soren speculates that MTV’s Choose or Lose Campaign widened access to media regarding the political landscape while setting the foundations for the current cultural climate in her 2016 article for the New York Times, titled Hilary Clinton and the Ghosts of MTV.  Check out this #ThrowbackThursday post Tabitha Soren shared the night before election day in 2018. One comment on the post, which praises the MTV News’ correspondents for their impact on youth culture, reads “Y’all indoctrinated me as a 9 year old [into thinking] that voting was cool, sexy, queer-adjacent, and somehow related to liking Nirvana and REM. Job well done.”

Although it’s difficult to see past MTV’s current non-stop bombardment of Ridiculousness and Teen Mom reruns, the channel used to serve as a launchpad for progressive and cutting edge entertainment. Women’s rights were a hot-button issue that MTV News made an effort to cover, and these clips are essential in preserving the history of third-wave feminism. MTV News made a point to uplift unheard voices through political campaigns, PSAs, and the overall power of music, and even though we’re sad to see them go, their legacy will always remain. 

Top Photo Credit: Screenshot from Madonna’s Twitter: Rock The Vote PSA, circa 1990.

Comedian Dulcé Sloan is taking over as guest host this week on The Daily Show. Sloan is the fourth of the five Daily Show Correspondents’ that will be guest hosting while the program looks to secure a new permanent host.

Sloan started off her first show with the killer one liner, “I’m nervous…that I might crush this too hard” and then dove right into the show’s first segment, “Headlines.” Sloan covered a variety of topics, starting with professional basketball player Brittney Griner’s return to the United States. Griner has stated that she has decided to not travel for basketball anymore given the horrors she experienced after traveling to Russia for basketball and ending up in Russian prison. Apparently, people are upset that Griner has made the decision to cease traveling, and to those people, Sloan matter-of-factly-stated, “I know people are saying, “how could she never travel again?” And those people, are white.”

Sloan also tackled the controversy surrounding the new Netflix show Queen Cleopatra, and the decision to portray Cleopatra as a Black woman. Many people are arguing that Cleopatra was of Greek descent and was not of African descent. Sloan gifted us with two hilarious statements on this issue, first stating, “I didn’t hear you complaining when all of those Mummy movies were coming out” and then ending the conversation with “You can have Cleopatra, but then we get Jesus.” Obsessed.

Sloan ended her debut episode with an interview with drag legend (and winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15) Sasha Colby. Colby’s win was historic in multiple ways, as not only was she the first trans woman to win the show, but she was also the first Hawaiian queen to compete and take the crown. The two didn’t shy away from Colby’s legendary status, with Colby chiming in that she’s “mother” (she is) and the two joking about the “drag delusion” the other season 15 queens developed in thinking they could beat Colby. We love the energy.

Colby also gave an excellent response to Sloan’s question as to how her Hawaiian culture intersects with her transness, mentioning how gender fluidity is deeply embedded in many Indigenous cultures. She additionally discussed how she wants to be an example of a happy trans person in the media, and how the attack on trans bodies and the attack on reproductive justice are struggles that are intertwined. The whole convo was an example of true feminist solidarity.

Finally, Sloan was given her own drag name, Dulcé Colby, and it’s a name that sums up Sloan’s comedic genius and status as, dare we say, “mother.”

Be sure to check out the rest of Dulcé Sloan’s episodes of The Daily Show this week, airing on Comedy Central at 11 PM EST.

Top photo: Courtesy of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show

Renowned for expertly capturing the essence of the Regency era, Golda Rosheuvel has been celebrated for her elegant portrayal of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz on Bridgerton, Netflix’s record-breaking historical-romance series executive produced by Shonda Rhimes. When I catch up with her on vacation in Cyprus on Zoom, it’s a gorgeous day, and Rosheuvel, 53, is adorned in a chic black turban, radiating the same magnetic presence she commands on screen.

Not long before our chat, it was announced that an eight-episode limited series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, would be premiering in the spring of 2023 on Netflix, depicting the young monarch’s ascension and putting Rosheuvel’s character front and center. It was a shrewd move by producers, possibly capitalizing on the public’s interest in the British monarchy’s current power couple, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Like Meghan Markle, the real Queen Charlotte was also a multiethnic woman who married into the British royal family—a direct descendent from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a Black branch of the Portuguese royal house.

Genealogical research into Charlotte’s origins only helped heighten the attention already surrounding Rosheuvel’s portrayal of Queen Charlotte since Bridgerton premiered in 2020. The London-based actor, who now resides with her partner—playwright Shireen Mula—connects her childhood growing up in Guyana and the U.K. with a Guyanese priest father and a white British mother to her ability to resonate with audiences across cultures. “I’m a human being born to a beautiful white woman and a beautiful Black man, and to represent my biracial heritage is something that I’m proud of,” she says. “Coming from two human beings from different backgrounds is not talked about much.” Rosheuvel describes her upbringing as “one of music, storytelling, having lots of people over for dinner, and listening to my parents and their friends talk with laughter and language.” She goes on to explain that her vibrant, diverse community and home life enabled “a very easy transition into acting.” “Between ‘Action’ and ‘Cut’ is the most magical place for me,” she continues. “It feels so natural, alive, unique, and intimate.”

“Between ‘Action’ and ‘Cut’ is the most magical place for me. It feels so natural, alive, unique, and intimate.”

For Rosheuvel, sometimes life truly imitates art, even when her character lived two centuries ago. She says that her mother’s very genteel British background gave her deep insight into her role on Bridgerton. “I was brought up on afternoon teas and horseback riding and being dragged around England to visit manor houses, which is incredible now because that’s where we film,” she says. “Having that knowledge while playing a woman embroiled in this English countryside atmosphere and sensibility is thrilling. It’s great to celebrate that side of my heritage.”

“I was brought up on afternoon teas and horseback riding and being dragged around England to visit manor houses.”

Although her passion for acting began with her school’s drama productions, Rosheuvel’s versatile talents as a teen also included a wide range of sports, namely hockey, netball, swimming, and javelin. Now, she says, she’s grateful for her sporty background, since the strength she developed helps her manage the giant wigs she wears, sometimes for over 10 hours at a time, to play Queen Charlotte. “One of the wigs on Queen Charlotte broke the heaviness record,” she reveals. “There’s a beautiful story to that, so I won’t give too much away, but watch out for it.”

Photo by Chantel King. Stylist: Georgia Medley; Makeup: Kenneth Soh; Hair: Dionne Smith

Before she wraps up our chat to enjoy her holiday, Rosheuvel shares how, despite once being told by a director never to come out as LGBTQ+, she’s always stayed committed to preserving her authenticity. “To be able to stand and believe in yourself, even if it’s scary, is important,” she tells me. “Especially in the world we’re living in now—being authentic, truthful, kind, and generous to yourself will be reflected in your decisions.”

Top photo by Chantel King. Stylist: Georgia Medley; Makeup: Kenneth Soh; Hair: Dionne Smith

Liv Hewson, 27, the nonbinary actor who plays young Van Palmer in Showtime’s Yellowjackets, announced that they are withdrawing their submission for the Primetime Emmy Awards Ceremony in a recent interview with Variety. Hewson was originally set to campaign for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, but pulled their submission simply because there are no non-gendered category nonbinary actors.

“There’s no place for me in the acting categories,” Hewson said. “It would be inaccurate for me to submit myself as an actress. It neither makes sense for me to be lumped in with the boys. It’s quite straightforward and not that loaded. I can’t submit myself for this because there’s no space for me.” 

Hewson had top surgery in between filming the first and second season of Yellowjackets. Their coworkers, who are said to be incredibly encouraging, are supporting Hewson as they discuss their decision to withdraw. It’s got us all thinking: maybe it’s time for award ceremonies to update their programming. 

“It’s worth talking about,” Hewson stated. “And I very gently and respectfully ask that people get their gears turning a little.”

At the end of March, Yellowjacket’s Emmy campaigns were announced, with plenty of hopefuls in the hit Showtime series. Actresses Sophie Nélisse, Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress and Juliette Lewis are campaigning for Lead Actress in a Drama award. Cristinia Ricci is once again seeking a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for her role as Misty. A variety of other supporting actors were going for noms as well– including Lauren Ambrose, who plays the adult version of Van Palmer, Liv Hewson’s character. 

Hewson, along with several LGBTQ activists, believe that the performance arts awards should not be gendered. Especially when non-acting awards, like Outstanding Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Song are not awarded through gendered categories. 

“There is an implied fatalism there, which suggests that we’ve all agreed that equality is impossible. And that’s sad,” said Hewson. “We’re not going to start awarding ‘Best Female and Male Director,’ or ‘Female or Male Cinematographer’ because we all understand that implicitly would be insulting. You can keep things as they are right now — I just won’t be participating.”

Top photo from the Season 2 trailer of ‘Yellowjackets’ by Showtime

Sex And The City is one of many examples of media that was considered progressive for its time, but has since become dated and problematic. It’s clear from the season two trailer of And Just Like That… that the spinoff is no different. Sex And The City is known for very many things: fabulous outfits, quippy one liners, and the infamous “Carrie run.”  The new reboot of the series, And Just Like That… continues the legacy of the notorious HBO hit, with Carrie and (some) of her friends taking on new storylines, new relationships, and new Prada bags. 

But there is one glaringly obvious problem. Both Sex & The City and And Just Like That… have been constantly criticized for their lack of diversity, as well as for their mishandling of storylines that involve people of color. By looking at the season two trailer for And Just Like That…, it’s clear that the show is trying to rectify its actions in the worst way possible: with performative activism and virtue signaling. This has many people asking the question: how do you diversify a cast without contributing to tokenism?

The trailer was released Wednesday April 26. Shortly after the drop, Twitter was ablaze with criticism. This tweet from writer and producer B.A. Parker pointed out the strange dynamics of the trailer, which features several, seemingly random women of color. These women, who rarely speak, essentially serve the purpose of “yes men” to Carrie and her friends. (One of the first and only lines spoken by a black woman in the trailer is over exaggerated ebonics: “For real?!”) The post has nearly 60,000 likes, and over 6.4 million views. 

I still can’t get over each main character getting their own emotional support woman of color https://t.co/jIlcvbMM1d

— B.A. Parker (@aparkusfarce) April 26, 2023

Parker points out how this is clearly just a misguided response to the backlash the show received for its previous lack of diversity, where characters like Miranda’s law professor, Nya Wallace, was shoehorned in with minimal screen time and an underdeveloped storyline. Other users call out the show for being tone-deaf, considering that Sex and The City was never a show that featured, was associated with, or positively portrayed people of color. With this new, seemingly well-intentioned approach to diversity, they’re simply just contributing to the same problem that they’re aiming to rectify. And it seems forced, disingenuous, and out-of-character for them to do so now.  

the crazy thing is the show was always just 4 privileged white women being offensive and acting privileged but now they’re trying to make them super “progressive” which seems out of character if you’ve watched the show ?

— tia (@ladymarmaladea) April 27, 2023

But this is not the first time SATC has faced criticism for trying to respond to their utter disregard and mistreatment of non-white characters. Within the SATC universe, it’s very clear that people of color have always been an afterthought —or simply just not thought of at all. 

The original run of the show has been undeniably and overtly racist, and people are finally speaking up about it. TheTake has a full 22 minute video on all the things SATC got wrong: “In Sex and The City’s version of New York City, one of the most multicultural cities in the world, people of color are mostly absent or treated as set dressing. Most problematic is the number of people of color who are only shown in roles of servitude to the white characters.”

In season 6 of Sex & The City, Samatha “tries out” a black man. The role for Samantha’s suitor was actually turned down by actor Blair Underwood, who stated “I’m not interested in [contributing to the notion of tokenism and] black curiosity.” The episode was riddled with problematic narratives. These include (but are not limited to) the hypersexualization of black people, the criminalization of the black community (Samatha goes to an “urban” club for the first time, and is checked by security: an experience that is foreign to her). To top it all off, Samantha is painted as the hero after getting into a fight with an “Angry Black Woman”, mocking her by saying that, and I quote, “Get your big black ass out of my face! And your okra wasn’t ‘all that!’ ” 

It’s clear from this one episode alone, that many people don’t trust the showrunners to handle the topic of intersectionality. And it’s not like the idea of tokenism and performative activism are anything new. Social activism has been in a huge bloom since the early 2010s, so they have no excuse to continue to perpetuate this narrative of black sidekick. We’re tired of being background characters, we’re tired of not getting our own storylines, and we’re tired of only getting media representation if it’s in subordination to white women. It’s 2023, and we need to do way better. 

Top Photo Credit:  Screenshot from “And Just Like That…” Season 2 Trailer via HBO Studios

It’s a great feeling waking up knowing right-wing creep Tucker Carlson and misogynist Don Lemon are off our television screens. The two news commentators, who recently “parted ways” from their anchor positions, both have a storied history of saying some astonishingly awful things on air. While Carlson has said some incredibly dangerous and really strange things, we’d expect no less from a Fox News puppet. Don Lemon, however, managed to get away with more than a handful of spiteful and misogynistic comments through his career, even at the more respectable network of CNN. Here’s a rundown of their most… (ahem) memorable moments. 

Tucker Carlson

Anti-Immigrant Sentiments

 “The demographics in America [are changing] bewilderingly fast… without any real public debate on the subject. Carlson is well known for his racist, xenophobic and overall awful anti-immigrant sentiments. From his popular fear-mongering “caravan” terms, to suggesting that immigrants make the country “dirtier,” Carlson is anti-immigration, and really in turn, anti-diversity. His statements cost Fox News an advertiser– Pacific Life who released a statement that said they “strongly” disagree with Carlson’s statements. “Our customer base and our work force reflect the diversity of our great nation, something we take great pride in,” the company said. “We will not be advertising on Mr. Carlson’s show in the coming weeks as we evaluate our relationship with his program.” 

Last night, Tucker Carlson opened his show by saying immigration makes America “poorer, and dirtier, and more divided.”

An offensive, dehumanizing and racist statement.

That segment ended with an ad from @pacificlife. pic.twitter.com/ryjauzYloq

— jordan (@JordanUhl) December 14, 2018

Called White Supremacy a “Hoax”

On the August 6, 2019 edition of Tucker Carlson Tonight, the host claimed that white supremacy was “actually not a real problem in America.” His diatribe begins, “It’s not actually a real problem in America. The combined membership of every white supremacist organization would be able to fit inside of a college football stadium. I mean, seriously, this country where the average person is getting poorer, where the suicide rate is spiking– ‘white supremacy, that’s the problem’– this is a hoax.” He continues, “I’ve lived here 50 years, I’ve never met anybody– not one person– who ascribes to white supremacy. I don’t know a single person who thinks that’s a good idea.” Hate to say it Tucker, but the call is coming from inside the house. 

Climate Change Denial

According to an analysis by Public Citizen climate change denial claims were made in 86% of Fox News segments in the first part of 2019 alone. Tucker Carlson Tonight ran the most climate denial segments with 41 or approximately seven per month. He’s spewed some wild accusations, including his thought that climate change was a “liberal fabrication,” an astounding statement made in the fall of 2020 when the entire west coast was battling devastating wildfires. “In the hands of democratic politicians, climate change is like ‘systemic racism in the sky,’ you can’t see it, but rest assured it’s everywhere, and it’s deadly,” said Carlson on his show. “And like systemic racism, it’s your fault. The American middle class did it, they caused climate change. They ate too many hamburgers, they drove too many SVU’s, they had too many children.” 

Costing Fox News Nearly $800 Million Dollars in Voting Defamation Suit

Due to Carlson’s false claims of election fraud in 2020, the company Dominion Voting Systems, that creates and sells electronic voting hardware and software systems, sued Fox News for defamation, winning nearly $800 million dollars from the news channel. Fox is facing another voting machine defamation lawsuit due to Carlson’s lies– Smartmatic is seeking nearly $3 billion in damages. While the impact of Carlson’s bigotry was incredibly damaging, and fueled sentiments that led to the January 6 insurrection, we’re just happy to see ANYONE on the right face a consequence of their own actions. 

Most Iconic Moment: Encouraged Men to Tan Their Testes  

In one of the most iconic moments in Tucker Carlson history, Carlson encouraged men to go testicle tanning in order to solve the “masculinity crisis” in the country. In Carlson’s new documentary, The End of Man (eyeroll) Carlson introduces the idea of “testicle tanning” as a way to increase testosterone and make men more conservative, more masculine, and more tough. “It’s not going to work,” said urologist Dr. Rena Malik, who practices at the University of Maryland Medical Center to Business Insider. “There’s no empirical evidence that it works and it doesn’t make sense that it would work.” Sorry, buddy.

Don Lemon

Accused Commentator S.E. Cupp of having “Mommy Brain” 

Last fall, Don Lemon was (rightly) scrutinized for asking a guest if she had “mommy brain” because she lost track of a thought for a moment. Republican political commentator S.E. Cupp was talking with Lemon about the Republican party and Donald Trump. She was responding to one of Lemon’s questions when she cut herself off, losing track of what she was going to say. “Is it fair to say this because I’m not a mommy, but is it mommy brain?,” Lemon asked her, referring to a term that describes a foggy memory after giving birth to her child. She responded “No, Don I just forgot what I was going to say.” 

Thinks Women Should Get Paid Less Because People Are More Interested in Male Sports

Not even three months after his “mommy brain” comments, Lemon was back in the news, and not in a good way. He was heavily criticized for his on-screen comments about professional sports. He claimed, “if there is more interest in a man’s sports, [they will] put that on television because we live in a capitalist society and if people are interested in that, there will be more attention and more money paid.” Popularity doesn’t mean women athletes don’t deserve to be fairly and competitively compensated for skills– especially when it comes to women’s teams who are annihilating on a global scale, like the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team.

Said GOP Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley is “Past Her Prime”

In February, Don Lemon said that GOP Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley was “past her prime.” He starts the conversation criticizing Haley for making comments about Biden’s age, but then turns it around and makes the same comments about her. “Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry,” Lemon said. “A woman is in her prime in her 20s, 30s and maybe 40s,” he continued. His co-anchor asks, “prime for what?” and he responds “if you look up ‘when is a woman in her prime,’ it will say 20s, 30s and 40s.” He then walks it back saying, “not that I agree with that. So I think she needs to be careful when she says politicians aren’t in their prime.” His co-anchor again says, “we need to qualify this, are you talking about prime for childbearing or prime for being President?” Doubling down AGAIN, Lemon responds with, “Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are.” 

[

Asked Sexual Assault Victim Why She Didn’t “Bite The Dick” While Being Assaulted 

In an interview with Joan Tarshis, one of Bill Cosby’s many victims of rape and sexual assault, Don Lemon made some classic misogynistic victim-blaming comments. “You, you know there are ways not to perform oral sex if you didn’t want to,” Lemon tells Tarshis. “Meaning use of the teeth as a weapon,” he continues. After Tarshis says that she was stoned (Bill Cosby has admitted to giving his rape victims quaaludes in order to make the assault easier for him) and didn’t think of (basically) biting his penis in the moment she was being assaulted to stop the assault. Lemon finishes with “Yes, I had to ask.” Hmm.. no you didn’t, Don.

Are Better Choices Ahead? 

Who knows if CNN or Fox News will take this opportunity to find more appropriate talent for their news cast (doubtful) – but we think the American public deserves better.

Top photo: Photo of Don Lemon from CNN’s YouTube, photo of Tucker Carlson from Fox News’ Youtube.

The maker of Euphoria (aka the “Zendaya Show”) Sam Levinson is back with another raunchy, sex-filled show with an even more heightened sense of tension. The long-awaited fourth trailer (seriously– the first trailer was released nearly a year ago) for The Idol has dropped ahead of its official premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month; the show will then be released on HBO and HBO Max on June 4. 

The dynamic between up-and-coming popstar Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and Tedros, (The Weeknd’s Abel Tesfaye) at the heart of this show is controversial, and frankly, toxic. Tesfaye plays a nightclub owner with dubious motives. The Idol has led to critiques from the actual creators of the show– with one unnamed crew member calling it “torture porn.” 

In March, Rolling Stone published an investigative story about the production of The Idol. Thirteen unnamed members of the cast and crew shared insight on just how out of control the story had become. The original director, Amy Seimetz, was let go and Levinson took her place. With that change came a darker, more problematic approach to the subject matter. 

Tesfaye apparently took that opportunity to encourage a shift in the script because it was “leaning too much into a female perspective.” (Hmmm…) With Levinson behind the helm and Tesfaye by his side, the script took a more sexually explicit turn, living up to their tagline of being “the sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood.” The rewrites were categorically not from the female perspective. “It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show — and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better,” one crew member described in the report. 

The trailer, which is set to Brittany Spears’ Gimme More, opens with Troye Sivan asking Depp’s character, “when was the last truly fucking nasty, nasty bad pop girl?” The trailer then follows Joceyln as she meets Tedros and the two start the journey of making her a sex icon-slash-famous pop star. Based on the incredibly sexually-charged trailer, the show is sure to promise the most promiscuous of plot lines, outlining the slow unraveling of The Idol herself.

Toxic or not, Depp seems to be excited about the material. “I’m not interested in making anything puritanical,” she revealed in an interview with ELLE. “I’m not interested in making anything that doesn’t challenge me, or challenge other people, honestly.”

She later told People, “working with Sam is a true collaboration in every way – it matters to him, more than anything, not only what his actors think about the work, but how we feel performing it,” Depp said. “He hires people whose work he esteems and has always created an environment in which I felt seen, heard, and appreciated.”

Despite its precarious start, HBO reps are confident that the show is going to be well received. “The creators and producers of ‘The Idol’ have been working hard to create one of HBO’s most exciting and provocative original programs,” HBO told IndieWire. “The initial approach on the show and production of the early episodes, unfortunately, did not meet HBO standards so we chose to make a change. We look forward to sharing The Idol with audiences soon.”

Save the date: the premiere of The Idol is on June 4. We’ll see how well it can walk the line between “inspired smash hit” and downright exploitative storytelling. 

Top photo: screen grab from the “The Idol” Official Teaser #4 from HBO

Grease: Rise of The Pink Ladies is an upbeat take on the classic Grease franchise. With classic teen drama, elaborate ensemble performances, and catchy, expertly produced songs, it’s bound to be the hit show of the summer. Rise of The Pink Ladies focuses on a group of misfits that band together after being ostracized from Rydell High, all while adding context for the events and characters portrayed in the 1978 movie, Grease (which itself was based on a stage musical). Whether it’s nefarious rumors, ethnic differences, or something else entirely, characters Jane, Cynthia, Olivia, and Nancy have found solace in one another, all while fighting to change the oppressive social structure of their suburban 1950s high school. 

Rise of The Pink Ladies has already done better than previous attempts to revitalize the Grease franchise, like the made-for-TV musical Grease Live, which was released in 2016 to lukewarm reception. While Rise Of the Pink Ladies follows the same classic musical formula as the 1970s original, it tells Rydell High’s story from the angle of the outcasts, which is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in other iterations of Grease. Even Grease 2 tried to shift the focus by gender-switching the plot, but the sequel still “flopped with gusto.” Unlike Grease 2 however, it’s clear that the creators of Pink Ladies delicately handled the franchise, and put a large amount of effort into figuring out how to make it work for modern-day audiences. And as a bonus, it’s full of nods to the original 1978 classic. 

The cast is composed mostly of people of color, like the character Nancy Nakagawa, who is portrayed by Japanese actress Tricia Fukuhara. Marisa Davila is the Mexican-American actress who plays protagonist Jane Facciano, the half Puerto Rican, half-Italian “new girl.” Her storyline focuses mostly on her difficulty fitting in in a new school, especially after the rumors circulating around her relationship with her popular boyfriend, Buddy. In the first episode, we see her mother chiding Jane’s little sister for speaking Spanish, which was something “they left in New York.” This mirrors the real-life experience of many immigrants and people of color at the time, who felt pressured to hide their heritage to avoid discrimination. It’s a quick line, but it perfectly balances the need to address the issue at hand without being exorbitant or pedantic. Jane and her family also play a big part in the Grease franchise, but you’ll just have to watch to find out how!

Cheyenne Isabel Wells plays Latinx bombshell Olivia Valdovinos, whose character serves to dissect the tropes surrounding the oversexualization of Latina women. Olivia is constantly harassed by her peers for being “overly sexual,” a reputation that only exists as a result of the (potentially untrue) rumors surrounding her. Pink Ladies does a fantastic job at balancing the discussion of racial stereotypes without contributing to what’s aiming to criticize. This includes a storyline where Olivia gets reprimanded for wearing a revealing dress —the same one a white student was allowed to wear without incident. In a press interview, Wells stated, “Latina women in general are very sexualized because of their bodies and their body shapes… because her outfit is tight and she’s a little thicker, [teachers say] she’s in the wrong but not the other person.” 

Shanel Bailey’s character Hazel isn’t introduced until after the first episode, but she is one of the black students at Rydell High. Instead of using her as a token character or a vehicle to discuss racism, the show balances Hazel’s development while acknowledging the racism of the time period, which is something Bailey expressed appreciation for. “It’s not the only thing that we focus on and it’s not traumatic. I love that we get to see Hazel’s joy. I just want to see that girl smile and know that there are hardships out there but I want to see her dance.”

And there’s even more diversity: trans & non-binary actor Ari Notartomaso also gets to shine in the spotlight. Their character Cynthia struggles with their inability to be seen as “one of the boys,” and wants to become a T-Bird officially. But because of gender, Cynthia isn’t taken seriously, despite already being friends with the entire gang. (The “Greased Lightning”-esque musical number lead by Notartomaso is a perfect example of gender euphoria.)  The showrunners handle the subject matter with the delicacy and respect that it deserves, and have somehow managed to perfectly balance an archaic aesthetic with modern socio-political commentary. Unlike other modernized reboots, these issues are discussed overtly but not excessively, which is one of the main criticisms of “requel” shows like Gossip Girl and Velma.

If you’re a fan of musicals like Legally Blonde, Heathers, and Wicked, the music in Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies will definitely have you singing in the shower. The first (and arguably the grooviest) musical number in the show is a fun, modern-ish take on the classic titular hit “Grease.” The musical arrangement is fresh (and the recording is obviously way too clean and well -produced to be from the 50s), but the music still embodies the classic Grease vibes we all know and love. The drama can be heavy at times, but the show-runners balance this well with the musical aspects of the show. 

The costumes and sets are amazing, and it’s not just poodle skirts and kitten heels. The use of period-accurate saddle shoes, and Chevrolet Bel Airs, make all the promotional footage look like authentic photos from the 50s. And coupled with the outfits and atmosphere, you can tell a lot of care and love went into making this look incredible. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (@riseofthepinkladies)

All in all, there are too many good reasons to not give this show a try. You might be thinking “ugh, another musical set in high school?” but this is unlike any high school musical you’ve ever seen. Rise Of The Pink Ladies offers an effervescent and comprehensive take on the unsung heroes of Rydell High. And you’d be total square if you don’t flip your lid over these cool 1950s chicks. 

Top Photo Credit: Eduardo Araquel/Paramount+

Beef, A drama/comedy starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun came out on Netflix this weekend. While the show is decidedly binge-worthy, its’ premiere weekend has been clouded by some unfortunate revelations about another one of the show’s stars, David Choe.

In 2014, Choe, who once hosted the podcast DVDASA, attempted to make a joke in which he recounted a detailed and disgusting story of how he raped a Black woman. Choe’s account is nothing less than vile, and one of his co-hosts, Asa Akira, thought so too. Akira chimed in to say “Ew, you’re basically telling us that you’re a rapist now. And the only way to get your d*ck really hard– is rape.” To which Choe responded “Yeah,” and went on to refer himself as “a successful rapist.” 

A month after he told the story on his podcast, Choe made a statement and did the whole “blah blah no you don’t get it it was for my art” thing. In the same statement, he wrote, “I never thought I’d wake up one late afternoon and hear myself called a rapist. It sucks. Especially because I am not one. I am not a rapist.” 

I don’t know, people probably thought you were a rapist because you publicly bragged about being a rapist. Just a guess though. 

Choe issued a more in-depth statement in 2017, in which he stated in an Instagram caption, “Non-consensual sex is rape and it is never funny or appropriate to joke about. I was a sick person at the height of my mental illness, and have spent the last 3 years in mental health facilities healing myself and dedicating my life to helping and healing others through love and action. I do not believe in the things I have said although I take full ownership of saying them.”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by DAVID CHOE (@davidchoe)

So given all of this, many people are upset with how Netflix, and executive producers Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, are handling this breaking story. 

David Choe was hired on Beef partly because he is friends with Wong and Yeun, so, many are wondering why the two would hire him in the first place, as they surely knew about Choe’s problematic past. 

Reposting this again so you lot can get a grip. Both Steven Yeun AND Ali Wong are friends with David Choe. Friends. Buddies. Homies. Pals!

They knew. Stop acting like they didn’t know because you like them. https://t.co/bP77IgOdUI

— Clarkisha Kent (@IWriteAllDay_) April 17, 2023

Some are also mad that Wong and Yeun haven’t said anything since this story broke.

I’m extremely disappointed at how the executive producers of BEEF, which includes Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, have been handling the David Choe situation. The fact they’ve been close friends with him, cast him, and are now silent (or actively protecting) him is beyond angering.

— wells santo (wants a better alternative) (@WellsLucasSanto) April 17, 2023

However, some are worried that too much blame is being placed on Wong and Yeun, particularly Wong, as these stories often get twisted to place the blame on women. In other words, people are asking why we’re blaming Ali Wong for David Choe being a creep.

obviously david choe’s ability to keep working in hollywood after bragging about sexual assault is horrific. can we please address it without blaming a woman (Ali Wong) for a man’s actions???

— LESS LONELY on TOUR: TO, SF, SEA, PDX ? (@jestom) April 17, 2023

It’s true, women are often blamed for the bad actions of men. That being said, Wong and Yeun did serve as executive producers on the show, meaning it was in their job description to vet talent, uphold the brand image of their show, and in some ways, make sure the set is as safe an environment as possible. In true feminist fashion, the answer here is really “both/and.” While Wong and Yeun should not be blamed for Choe’s actions, as leaders on the set of Beef, they should be doing all they can now to publicly address this issue and decide on consequences for Choe. 

At the end of the day, the real issue here is how easy it seems to be for men to continue to have successful careers after they joke about, are accused of, or admit to rape and sexual assault.

Top photo: Screen grab from “BEEF | Official Trailer | Netflix” from @Netflix on YouTube

Karol G was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this weekend, and she did not disappoint. Along with her eclectic performances, Karol G also made a subtle statement against the popular photo-editing software, Photoshop. 

She appeared at the end of the five-minute sketch, “Spanish Class,” as the prima (cousin) of two new, Cuban-born students on their first day of Spanish class. Portrayed by SNL host Ana de Armas and castmate Marcello Hernandez, their excellent speaking skills outmatch their teacher before he rushes out of the classroom in embarrassment. Karol G steps in to assist in the classroom, playing a reggaeton-beat alphabet song that gets the class dancing.

During the skit, the Colombian singer/songwriter is seen wearing a black T-shirt with the word “Photoshop” crossed out in a large design. The statement comes a week after Karol G made a public announcement in reference to her GQ Mexico cover shoot, in which she claimed that the magazine photoshopped the singer’s body without her permission. 

In response to the unexpected Photoshop, Karol G posted a selfie showing her natural beauty along with the cover of the magazine, captioning a lengthy message about feeling “disrespected” from seeing her body and face being altered. “My face doesn’t look like that, my body doesn’t look like that, and I feel very happy and comfortable with how I look naturally,” wrote the singer. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by KAROL G (@karolg)

While she thanked GQ Mexico for the amazing opportunity, the “Tusa” singer expressed the compelling need to speak out against Photoshop. “Beyond feeling that it is disrespectful to me, it’s disrespectful to women who wake up every day looking to feel comfortable with themselves despite society’s stereotypes.” 

Karol G has received tremendous support after her message, including from Grammy-winning actress, Jamie Lee Curtis. 

“I’m so happy that @karolg is bringing awareness to an issue I have been concerned about for a long time,” wrote Curtis on Instagram, encouraging young people to continue disapproving of the editing application. “We are human beings. We are not AI and this genocide against what is naturally beautiful is alarming and needs to be talked about.” We love to see women uplifting each other. 

The reggaeton and Latin trap artist released her fourth studio album, Mañana Será Bonito, earlier this year in February, beautifully performing two tracks off the album, “MIENTRAS ME CURO DEL CORA” and “TUS GAFITAS” at her SNL appearance. 

Karol G is making a positive impact toward criticizing the overuse of Photoshop in favor of natural beauty, and we hope to see her back on SNL in the future!

Top photo: Screengrab from “Spanish Class – SNL” from @SaturdayNightLive on Youtube

Barbz, get ready. Nicki Minaj is flexing her talents on the small screen. She is set to lead and executive produce Amazon Freevee’s upcoming animated series, Lady Danger, based on Alex de Campi’s comics series from Dark Horse Comics. Talk about a girlboss!

Deadline exclusively reported the news that the Trinidadian-born and Queens-bred rapper/singer/songwriter is co-producing alongside hip-hop and rap icon, 50 Cent, under his G-Unit Films and Television Inc. production company. The rapper’s company is working jointly with Make Good Content and Starburns Industries in the production and animation of the show. Writer/director/producer Crystle Roberson, who has become a cinematic storyteller, has written the show along with co-producer Carlton Jordan.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent)

Lady Danger stems from the two-part comic book series of the same name written by Alex de Campi that debuted in 2015. The writer posted a Twitter thread with a deeper look into the behind-the-scenes creation of the show, including concept art for the character, ‘The Major’, which she believes is the role that Minaj will be taking. The casting roles are still so *hush*hush* that there hasn’t been a confirmation as to who Minaj is casted to play.  

For the morning crowd: my comic LADY DANGER is getting made into a series by 50 Cent (via his production company G-Unit) with Nicki Minaj exec producing and voicing one of the major characters. It’ll be on FreeVee. Here’s a little more about it, and what’s happening! pic.twitter.com/lbNd6BwYoF

— Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) April 13, 2023

The series is set in the year 2075, following a government field agent who was left for dead by her own team once she discovered a perilous secret. The agent resurrects as – the one and only – Lady Danger. While concealing her real identity, Lady Danger is an “afrofuturistic ass-kicking” Agent of B.O.O.T.I (Bureau of Organized Terrorism Intervention), where she fights against villains who are set to destroy the earth. In her Twitter thread, Alex de Campi states, “Lady Danger’s an over the top action/martial arts story about a superspy organization, B.O.O.T.I., that defends the hood (and sometimes the rest of America) against evil. All the big Federal agencies, of course, want to shut B.O.O.T.I. down bc it makes them look bad on the reg.” Combining Nicki Minaj with a futuristic America and butt-kicking moves in order to save the world only means one thing. She’s going to be a badass agent. 

This isn’t Nicki’s first rodeo with voice acting. The “Starships” singer has been growing her list of animation credits, appearing in an episode of The Cleveland Show and Steven Universe, voicing a mammoth in Ice Age: Continental Drift, as well as voicing in The Angry Birds Movie 2. She is proving herself to be as good of a voice actress as she is a rapper. 

Since the report of Minaj taking such a crucial role in the acting and production of Lady Danger, the paperback version of the comic has sold-out on Amazon. 

Paperback versions of the “Lady Danger” comic book are now sold-out on Amazon.

This comes after the announcement that Nicki Minaj will star and executive produce the new animated series. pic.twitter.com/5DhnePECF9

— ?? (@QCWorldwide) April 13, 2023

We can’t wait to see (and hear) Nicki Minaj kicking some straight up a** in this exciting new role, and further proving her multitude of talents.

Top photo: LightSpace Studios, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pop culture icon Kim Kardashian took to instagram to share her latest venture, co-starring in the upcoming season of American Horror Story alongside the oft-cast scream queen, Emma Roberts.  

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian)

This installation will be the 12th season of FX’s American Horror Story, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, AHS co-creator Ryan Murphy hand picked Kardashian to star. Murphy was so impressed with Kardashian’s well-received 2021 SNL hosting gig, that they started talking about creating a role just for her specifically for her. 

“Kim is among the biggest and brightest television stars in the world and we are thrilled to welcome her to the AHS family,” said Murphy “Emma and I are excited about collaborating with this true force in the culture. Halley Feiffer has written a fun, stylish and ultimately terrifying role especially for Kim, and this season is ambitious and unlike anything we have ever done.”

This isn’t Murphy’s first time casting a mega-star in the FX show. In the fifth season of the show, Lady Gaga brutally played the role of The Countess, for which she won a Golden Globe for her performance. 

“I’m not the type of girl who fits most molds,” Gaga said to Billboard. “That’s why working on American Horror Story with Ryan is a destiny. I wanted to create something extremely meaningful by exploring the art of darkness. The reason I love watching horror films, mysteries and documentaries about crime is that it somehow numbs me from the pain I experience in my own life. The terror of that suspends you, and you are able to forget about your own pain for a moment. It’s like a safe, psychological form of masochism.” 

She’s continuing to “explore the darkness” in her role as Harley Quinn in the upcoming Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux.

Murphy also has a knack for casting relatively unknown or underutilized actors and skyrocketing them to stardom, including actors like Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Cody Fern, Billie Lourde and several others. These actors star in several seasons of the show, across multiple roles, and even in other projects like Paulson’s role in Ratched. 

We think Kim is going to make an incredible addition to the star-studded cast, especially for this unique season titled Delicate, based (in part) from an upcoming novel from Danelle Valentine called Delicate Condition.  

Novelist Andrea Bartz described the book as the “feminist update to Rosemary’s Baby we all needed.”  According to the book’s description on Amazon, the story follows a woman who is told she has a miscarriage, and despite all the (male) doctors telling her she is no longer pregnant, she can feel something moving inside her, weakening her from the insight out. 

The novel’s tagline is “Her body is no longer her own,” so we’re hoping Murphy and crew will take this opportunity to talk about the abysmal state of abortion rights and women’s health care in this country. 

This is the first time American Horror Story will lean so greatly on source material. There’s another first for this season– it is written and run by a single writer, Halley Feiffer. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Danielle Valentine (@daniellevalentinebooks)

There has been no official premiere date released, the instagram teaser promises it will be out at some point this summer. 

Top photo: screengrab from the American Horror Story season 12 teaser as shared on Kim Kardashian’s instagram. 

WARNING SPOILERS FOR THE MANDOLORIAN SEASON 3 EPISODE 6

While the world seems to consistently be on fire these days (both figuratively and literally, *eye twitch*), pop culture has gifted us with a few things that have eased the stress and anxiety of being alive in the year 2023. For example, Baby Yoda, and Lizzo.

Luckily for us, the two teamed up for this weeks’ new episode of The Mandalorian, and they’ve quickly become our new favorite dynamic duo.

The “About Damn Time Singer” made an appearance as ‘The Duchess’ on this week’s episode. The Duchess is a wealthy elite who is married to ‘Captain Bombardier,’ played by Jack Black. Yes, that Jack Black. The intergalactic power couple rule the planet Plazir-15. Similarly to many Star Wars stories, Plazir-15 is dealing with a difficult transition from monarchy to democracy, and while Lizzo and Blacks’ characters are kind-hearted, they may not be giving their plants’ people the proper attention that they need.

Fans of the show (and fans of Lizzo) will be excited to see her interactions with Baby Yoda, (whose character name is actually Grogu, but he’ll always be Baby Yoda to us.)

For starters, Grogu uses the force to help Lizzo win at a game that appears to be a cool space version of bocce ball. Later on in this same episode, Lizzo then ‘Knights’ Grogu, and just as you would imagine, it was adorable. Something about Lizzo holding Grogu just gives us that warm feeling that everything is gonna be okay.

Lizzo fans might also remember that this isn’t the star’s first Mandalorian crossover. Two years ago for Halloween, Lizzo donned an iconic Baby Yoda costume to attend Spotify’s Ghost Town Halloween Party. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating)

Lizzo also adorably tweeted out the news that she’s in this weeks’ episode. Stating, “I’m in Star Wars YALL!” with an accompanying picture of the pop star (and Yitty founder) surrounded by all of her Baby Yoda merch.

I’m in Star Wars YALL! pic.twitter.com/2sieMKebmh

— FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) April 5, 2023

Fans were clearly elated to see Lizzo as well, with one fan Tweeting “JACK BLACK AND LIZZO WE WIN,” and another Tweeting, “Lizzo holding Grogu is so cute.” Cute may even be an understatement.

// the mandalorian spoilers #TheMandalorian //
–
–
–
JACK BLACK AND LIZZO WE WIN
pic.twitter.com/i0dUooKPfh

— sage⁵⁰¹ ? mando era (@ahsokasgoggles) April 5, 2023

#mandalorian spoilers

lizzo holding grogu is so cute pic.twitter.com/BZtvO7vq15

— day (@swandusik) April 5, 2023

While we know this role was a cameo, we secretly hope that Lizzo (and Jack Black) will come back for future episodes. 

You can watch new episodes of The Mandalorian on Wednesdays on Disney+.

Top image: Photo of Lizzo by Lauren Perlstein, Photo of Grogu: Screengrab from “The Mandalorian | Season 3 Official Trailer | Disney+” from @StarWars on YouTube

We had no doubt that Quinta Brunson would be an amazing Saturday Night Live host. Not only is she the creator and star of one of network TVs funniest comedies, Abbott Elementary, but Brunson has been making us laugh for years now. With her incredible performances in A Black Lady Sketch Show, viral memes, and her work on BuzzFeed Video, she will always hold a special place in the hearts of millennials and older Gen Z folk.

One sketch that landed particularly well was titled “Traffic Altercation.” The sketch starred Brunson and SNL cast member Mikey Day as the portrayed two drivers on a freeway. The sketch also featured appearances from cast members Chloe Fineman as Day’s teen daughter, and Ego Nwodim as Brusnon’s mother.

The sketch began with Day using huge, obnoxious hand gestures to signal to Brunson that she had cut him off in traffic. Then Brunson returns the favor, miming to Day, “Eat me.” Honestly, the best part of this sketch was watching Brunson and Day come up with ways to mime insults to each other, and they got pretty creative. A highlight was Brunson finding a way to mime “eat my butt” to Day. 

As per usual, Ego Nwodim was a delightful (and hilarious) addition to the sketch. At one point, Brunson mimes, “you are a giant puss” to Day, in which Day responds by miming, “What would your mother say if she saw you do that?” To which Brunson responds (still miming) “My mom told me to do it!” To which Nwodim pops in from the backseat miming “You white devil!” Sometimes the smallest moments are the funniest moments.

We weren’t the only ones who loved this sketch—fans found “Traffic Altercation” to be one of the best of the season. 

Brunson had many other stand out roles throughout Saturday’s episode, including playing a frustrated doctor delivering a baby, and a cocaine dealer who had to prove how “white” her cocaine is (which also gifted us with the iconic line, “This stuff here is so white, it takes its’ shoes and socks off on a plane.”)

We hope that Quinta Brunson gets to host again in the future, we could see her becoming a part of the five timers club (celebs who have hosted SNL five or more times) in no time!

Top image: Screen grab from “Traffic Altercation – SNL” from @SaturdayNightLive on YouTube

Hulu’s latest show,Tiny Beautiful Things, shares the hopeful story of one woman’s venture to find success as a writer–but we have to first watch as she climbs out of the pit of life she dug herself into. Kathryn Hahn stars as Clare Pierce. Her character is based on Cheryl Strayed, the real life author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things. Clare’s a mother struggling to focus her life and stay sane and sober as her marriage and career fall apart and her daughter turns against her. 

The story opens with a drunk Clare, returning from a coworker’s retirement party, breaking into her own home. When her scared husband finds her, we learn that she has been kicked out of their house, and has been sleeping at the retirement facility that she manages. Clare’s whole life is falling apart. She can barely stay sober enough to do her job, she’s in marriage counseling with a therapist she can’t stand, and her own teenage daughter is moving on without her.

Throughout the chaos, Clare has been obsessively reading an advice column, “Dear Sugar.” In quiet snippets of peace, we see Clare soaking up the column’s tender responses, she even writes into the column herself, commiserating with the columnist on the loss of their sister. The column seems to be the only thing going right in Clare’s life, a respite from the turmoil, and a moment to re-focus as she tries to take control of her own story. 

This is not to say that Clare’s struggles are just bad luck, or exist for some unscrupulous reason she has no part in– no, her life is falling apart in large part due to her decisions, her lack of decisions, her struggles grappling with the past and unwillingness to plan for the future. Clare is stuck in a mess of her own making, but she is thrown a lifeline just when she needs it the most. 

Hahn’s incredible acting chops are supported by a fantastic cast. Tanzyn Crawford plays her angsty teenage daughter, Quentin Plair plays her husband who is struggling to repair their relationship, an amazing Michaela Watkins as Amy, her bartender turned therapist, and Sarah Pidgeon who plays an extraordinarily complex younger version of Clare.

The show is beautifully written and directed, creating a hopeful scenario out of an impossibly messy story. We find out throughout the mini-series what fans of Strayed already know– Clare forges her path to a more purposeful future, step by step as she reminders herself she is always three things: “I am my mother’s daughter, I am my daughter’s mother, and I am an accomplished writer, even if I haven’t accomplished it yet.”

All eight episodes of Tiny Beautiful Things are being released exclusively on Hulu on Friday, April 7. 

All photos are still’s from the Hulu Original Tiny Beautiful Things, courtesy of Hulu.

“I’m hungover, but I’m fresh,” Bridget Everett assures me, adjusting her computer’s camera. We’re on Zoom, like most people nowadays, and she is joining me from her apartment on New York City’s Upper West Side, still riding the energetic high she’d experienced at a live theater performance the night before.

It’s difficult to describe Everett. If I were to take the professional route, I could say that she’s a singer, alt-cabaret provocateur, comedian, stage and screen actor, writer, and producer. But to capture the bawdy brilliance of this 50-year-old showbiz veteran as a person is much harder to do. So, I ask her how she would describe herself. “A small-town girl with the voice of an angel and big tits,” Everett offers. “I guess I’m multihyphenated because I had to be. I wasn’t trying to copy anyone because I didn’t see anyone like me, so I’ve done my own thing. Sometimes you have to write your own story.”

And that is exactly what she’s done.

Our chat is happening in anticipation of the second season of her HBO dramedy Somebody Somewhere, which will begin airing April 23. It’s a tender, semiautobiographical series that Everett is producing and starring in—literally embodying her commitment to creating her own story. “I didn’t know anyone would want to do a show about a middle-aged woman sleepwalking through life,” she says, “but it turns out people are interested.”

Somewhere is set in Everett’s sleepy hometown of Manhattan, KS, and she plays the lead role of Sam, a middle-aged woman who, after returning home to take care of her ailing sister, finds herself grappling with death, family dysfunction, and feeling directionless. The show isn’t flashy. Instead, it slowly and meticulously reveals the small and intimate moments of life that one might pass over. For fans who are able to enjoy the pace and let the writing do the work it’s meant to do, the experience can be surprisingly profound. 

Throughout Season One, audiences watched Sam start to tentatively take a chance on her dream to be a singer while also finding the courage to let in others who believe in her talent as well. This is just one of many shared threads between the actor and the main character she plays. “In my life, I’m a lot like Sam. I’m pretty fearful,” she explains. “I may not seem like that if you’ve seen my live shows, though. I’m a wild one in the room.”

Indeed, if the enigmatic Somebody Somewhere was your introduction to Everett’s work, it may surprise you to learn that much of her success over the last 15 years has revolved around her notoriously ribald live shows, which blur the line between vocal concert and standup comedy. Her alt-cabaret performances are infamously packed with revealing sequined costumes, bra-less bravado, bragging bits about her soft pussy, moments of motorboating audience members, and her mother’s favorite song—a rousing number called “What I Gotta Do to Get That Dick in My Mouth?” 

Photo: Allison Michael Orenstein, Hair: Rheanne White, Makeup: Theo Kogan

In fact, she’s performing later that night, and after we hop off our call, she plans to lie in the dark and mentally prepare. “For somebody who likes to stare at the ceiling and let the day slip by,” she says, laughing, “I’m actually kind of tits to the wall today.” 

Scrolling through Everett’s career highlights will take you a while; they’re extensive and include dozens of television shows and appearances (like Inside Amy Schumer and Lady Dynamite), a lengthy list of film roles (in indie gems like Fun Mom Dinner and Patty Cake$), and multiple albums, singles, and music videos. And yet, when asked what type of performance she’s drawn to the most, she returns to the stage. “The only reason I’ve had any of these opportunities is because of my live shows,” she says. “That’s where my heart is. But there’s something about doing Somebody Somewhere that’s taught me so much and challenged me in new ways, which is great when you’re somebody who doesn’t like to take a lot of risks.” 

“The only reason I’ve had any of these opportunities is because of my live shows. That’s where my heart is.” 

This common human experience of wanting to play it safe clearly coexists with an incredible confidence that Everett brazenly displays on stage, so I ask how she makes this contradiction work for her, and she nods emphatically. “The difference is that when I’m on stage, I’m in control,” she explains. “Even though there are people there, and they’re hearing intimate parts of my life, they’re still out there,” (she pushes her hands forward, creating distance), “even if I go out and we share a motorboat, y’know?”

She then alludes to one of the core experiences shared between herself and Sam. “But it’s different when I’m talking to a person, or even when I’m around friends. I always feel like I’m entering the room for the first time, even with my closest friends,” she says. “It’s hard for me to be myself because I think I’m too much of this or that. I always feel like I’m going to say the wrong thing, which may not make sense if you know me, but that’s how I ultimately feel.” 

This leads us to one of the deepest lessons that both Everett and Sam are learning throughout Season Two of Somebody Somewhere. “For Sam, and for me, there’s always a struggle in thinking that you’re enough or thinking that you’ve added value to a room. You can be the life of the party and make people laugh, but it doesn’t mean that you think that people care about you in a deeper way, and that’s a challenge. In live shows, I’m always trying to make people feel better and lift them out of themselves. But the truth is I want to do that for me, too. Season Two is about forgiveness, but for Sam, it will always be about feeling worthy of love and finding the best things about herself and believing in them.”

Everett is really proud of Season Two, as she should be. With the production team reaching more clarity on what the show is about after the success of the first season, Sam’s story arc is developing in beautiful ways. “Sam gets to be funnier this season as she’s waking up and having all of these exciting feelings,” says Everett. “With this season come the high highs as well as the low lows, and Sam is really discovering that. Because there is something great about living in the dark. You’re comfortable on your couch, and no one’s going to bother you. But it can get lonely. She realizes this, and she also realizes it’s a lot of work to be alive.” 

This kind of relatability is what Somebody Somewhere is comprised of, and much like Sam, singing is how Everett feels most understood. “When I’m singing,” she says, gesturing as if she’s pulling her heart wide open, “I feel like I’ve just cracked open my chest and said, ‘Here. Take a swim.’”

Top photo by Allison Michael Orenstein, Hair by Rheanne White, Makeup by Theo Kogan

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2023 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

As stated at the beginning of each episode, Swarm “is not a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional.” 

Show creators Donald Glover and Janine Nabers weren’t playing around about this. According to Nabers, “This story is 100 percent taken from real events and real internet rumors and real other things, true crimes that have happened between the years of 2016 and 2018.”

Here are 7 real-life events that inspired some of the darkest (and most thrilling) moments in Swarm, starring Dominique Fishback.

Warning: this report contains spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the series yet, don’t read on!

Someone really did bite Beyoncé

Screen Shot from CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/27/entertainment/tiffany-haddish-beyonce-party-bite/index.html

You might remember when the internet was set ablaze with #WhoBitBeyoncé trending on Twitter in 2018. Well that was because someone really did bite Beyoncé (allegedly.) According to comedian Tiffany Haddish, the whole thing went down at a party in Los Angeles, which was attended by Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z. Haddish stated that there was an actress at this party who was “doing the mostest.” Haddish went on to say, “[Beyoncé and Jay Z] went to the back of the room. I was like, ‘What just happened? And Beyoncé’s friend walked up and was like, ‘Can you believe this b**ch just bit Beyoncé?”

Haddish never confirmed who the actress was, but she did say that Beyoncé confirmed to her that she was bitten. I say it’s time we reopen this case.

Four women actually murdered someone who tried to help them

Screen Shot from New York Daily News. https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/strippers-kill-man-helped-change-flat-tire-police-article-1.3386937

A real life murder case is what inspired the stripper storyline in Swarm. In 2017, four strippers from Nashville and Memphis were charged with the first degree murder of Missouri resident Ralph Cross. The incident allegedly occurred after Cross invited the women inside his home to wait while he changed their tire. Of course, in the show, the strippers who looked guilty for murder were completely innocent, and were framed by Dre. 

A woman named Marissa Jackson really was reported to have committed suicide in 2016 after Beyoncé dropped Lemonade (although the news story turned out to be fake)

Screen Shot from LEad Stories. https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2016/04/woman-did-not-commit-suicide-over-beyonces-lemonade.html

Chloe Bailey’s character, Marissa Jackson, was based on a real person. Sort of. After Beyoncé surprise dropped her album Lemonade, a report came out that a woman named Marissa Jackson had committed suicide. The story said that Jackson couldn’t get over the fact that Beyoncé, who, for lack of a better term, is Beyoncé, could have been cheated on by anyone. I think we were all thinking that when the news broke in 2016, but, thankfully, no one actually ended their life over it. The story, which has since been taken down, was posted on a website called empireherald.com which is known for hoaxes, has been disproven.

Nabers confirmed that Bailey’s character was based on that internet hoax. “I’m from Houston, Texas, and my very best friend’s last name is Jackson. There was a lot of texting between Houstonians being like, “Yo, who is this Marissa Jackson? Is this a true story?” …and people were tweeting really horrible things about this woman who had killed herself and making fun of her,” she said in an interview with Shondaland. 

A man really did rush the stage at a Beyoncé concert

In 2018, a man rushed the stage at Beyoncé and Jay Z’s Atlanta show during their On the Run II tour. Knowing this, it can be assumed that one of the reasons that the main character Dre (who by this point in the show is going by the name Tony) becomes more masculine by the end of the show is to better align with the real life story. In fact, the fan who rushed the stage was even named Anthony, which ‘Tony’ is a nickname for!

Glover and Nabers clearly know how to pay attention to detail to make a show more engaging. Luckily, the couples’ backup dancers went after the fan and between the dancers and security, he was stopped before he could actually reach the stars. Jay Z and Beyoncé also decided not to press charges, stating that the man was clearly intoxicated.

There was really a cult that branded themselves in the name of “self-improvement”

Screen Shot from The Sun. https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/tv/1469044/the-vow-sex-cult-leader-brands-women/

The cult in Swarm, led by singer Billie Eilish who plays ‘Eva’ in the show, is inspired by a real cult. The cult in question is the NXIVM group, which was a sex cult and human trafficking ring disguised as a self help community. The group even branded themselves with the initials of the groups’ leader, sex offender Keith Raniere, a symbol which looks eerily similar to the one we see on Eilish and members of her cult on Swarm. Smallville actress Allison Mack was even a part of this cult, so that’s crazy. 

Solange really did fight Jay Z in an elevator

Screen Shot from iHeart. https://www.iheart.com/content/2022-05-04-today-in-hip-hop-history-solange-slaps-jay-z-in-an-elevator-with-beyonce/

At the beginning of episode three, we’re introduced to the character of Alice Dudley, a right wing fanatic who verbally attacks fictional singer Ni’jah on Twitter for not defending her husband after her sister attacks him in an elevator. This actually happened. In 2014 a video was leaked of Solange, Beyoncé’s real life sister, attacking Jay Z in an elevator. Though it’s never been confirmed what the two were fighting about, the incident did happen just before the news broke about Jay Z’s cheating scandal, which is suspicious timing. No one was seriously harmed in the incident, but it was a pop culture moment that broke the internet.

The Beyhive really has threatened murder over anti-Beyoncé comments 

Screen Shot from Barstool Sports. https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/206608/beyonce-fans-are-threatening-to-murder-chris-browns-girlfriend-for-making-a-joke-about-blue-ivy-having-bead-head-at-the-vmas

The Beyhive has proven time and time again that they will do anything for their Queen Bee, which has yielded both iconic and slightly terrifying results. For example, in 2014 the Beyhive collectively called out model Karrueche Tran for making an insensitive comment about Blue Ivy’s hair. Which makes sense, as Tran’s comment was racist. Black women have been at the butt of a joke for their natural hair for years. Threatening to murder her though (Which is something that some Bey fans did) is definitely taking things a step too far. 

The Beyhive also made headlines this year after they expressed outrage over Harry Styles’ album Harry’s House winning over Beyoncé’s Renaissance, with one fan screaming “Beyoncé should have won”, as Styles accepted his award. Mike Huckabee and Kid Rock have also been victims of verbal abuse by the Beyhive, but we’re willing to look the other way for those ones. (We do not condone bullying… most of the time).

beyoncé losing album of the year to taylor swift, beck, adele and now harry styles. that’s qwhite interesting pic.twitter.com/2BVillWk9D

— out of context the white lotus (@oocwhitelotus) February 6, 2023

harry styles really won album of the year over beyoncé i’m ctfu the grammys are so unserious? pic.twitter.com/UHqnc47U00

— ainos (@thecircleofbey) February 15, 2023

 I guess you could say that Glover and Naber’s Swarm is just another example of art imitating life, and given the darkly funny moments, excellent performances, and Beyoncé of it all, it’s art imitating life that we hope to get a season two of!

Top photo: Quantrell D. Colbert/Prime Video. Amazon Studios.

Donald Glover has another masterpiece on his hands with his new thriller series Swarm, created by both Glover and playwright Janine Nabers, streaming on Amazon Prime Video starting on March 17th.

The show stars newcomer Dominique Fishback (Judas And The Black Messiah) as Dre, a shy, neurotic young woman who is obsessed with the fictional pop-star “Ni’jah.” In the universe of Swarm, Ni’jah has a cult-like following of fans who are referred to as the “Killer Bees.” Ni’jah also surprise-dropped an album about her husband cheating on her, gave birth to twins, and headlined a flower power music festival. And although each episode begins with the disclaimer, we can’t quite put our finger on who, but Ni’jah reminds us of another pop icon. (Yes, she is inspired by Beyoncė.)

The show follows Dre’s growing obsession with pop-star Ni’jah, and how she turns to her parasocial relationship with the star in the face of grief. Throughout the series, we learn just how far Dre is willing to go to protect her fave (and it is very far). 

With this, the show offers a stellar commentary on how fandoms have evolved with social media, and addresses how race and the patriarchy play a role in both our daily lives, and in stan culture. As he has proven with Atlanta, if anyone can perfectly blend a dark comedy with important statements on systemic oppression, it’s Glover.

Glover’s signature dry humor and avant-garde style make this show a lot like a car crash in that way you can’t look away, but, in a good way. The shows’ humor and style, combined with the comedic timing and pacing of the series, make Swarm—with its  ability to be funny, meta, and terrifying—something that is really special.

As Dre, Fishback is hypnotic and truly frightening in this series. Throughout the show, you can see how Dre is driven further and further in her descent into madness, a trope we love when it comes to women in horror. 

Swarm also features a stellar performance from pop star and actress Chloe Bailey. We wouldn’t be surprised if Bailey or Fishback earn a Golden Globe nom from the series. 

Be sure to check out Swarm when it arrives on Amazon Prime Video on March 17th. It’s not only a series you won’t want to miss, but one you’ll also want to binge.

Top Photo from Swarm: Courtesy of Prime Video, © Amazon Content Services LLC

Yellowjackets, the Emmy-nominated psychological-thriller series, is officially returning to Showtime later this month for the long-anticipated second season. The story, inspired by Lord of the Flies, follows an all-girl group of high school soccer players who get stranded in the Canadian wilderness after their plane crashes on the way to nationals.

Not only do we get to see the horror and depravity (read: possible cannibalism) of survival play out over ten-episodes, we also follow the present day lives of the survivors, 25 years after the fact.

The official second-season trailer confirms that trauma and nightmares aren’t the only things the girls brought back to civilization. Supernatural and occult-like forces are still impacting the lives of the survivors, and in season two, they are facing the forces head on. 

(Spoilers ahead!)

Last season we met young Lottie (Courtney Eaton), a wealthy and talented player on the WHS Yellowjackets. Once stranded in the woods her medication supply starts to dwindle, and strange things begin to happen. She hears voices and has visions, she gets possessed at seances and has premonitions that keep coming true. 

By the end of the season, audiences (just about) confirmed that young Lottie was the “Antler Queen,” the group’s cult-like leader who kills bears and makes deadly sacrificial offerings in order to commune with the wilderness for a hope of survival. 

Adults Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), Misty (Christina Ricci), Natalie (Juliette Lewis), and Taissa (Tawny Cypress) led the present-day timeline throughout season one. The season two trailer reveals that they meet up with another adult survivor, Van (Lauren Ambrose), and start the journey to track down Lottie (Simone Russell, introduced in season two),  just to learn she is still up to her old tricks. 

Backed by Florence + The Machine’s haunting cover of No Doubt’s I’m Just a Girl, a teary adult Lottie tells the group, “I thought we left it [the darkness] there when we were rescued. But now I realize, we brought it back with us.”

The second season of Yellowjackets premieres on Friday, March 24 for Showtime subscribers and will air on the network on Sunday, March 26 at 9 p.m. EST.

Top Image: Kailey Schwerman/Showtime

These days, it seems that anything Bowen Yang touches turns into gold, and that’s exactly what happened this past weekend during the NBC’s Saturday Night Live.

One of SNL’s prerecorded sketches from this past weekend was titled “Straight Male Friend.” It was designed like a commercial for a new type of antidepressant, one where Yang walked audiences through all the benefits of having at least one straight male friend.

The sketch, written by Yang, as well as SNL writers Streeter Seidell and Alex English, began with Yang proclaiming, “Like most gay men, I have a lot of straight female friends, and I love my girlies, but they can be a lot, both financially and emotionally.” Yang is shown sitting amongst his girlfriends, who are played by fellow castmembers Heidi Gardner, Chloe Fineman, and Sarah Sherman. The sketch then cuts to Yang introducing his new friend who he states is “much less drama.” That of course being, his new straight male friend, played by this week’s host and tight-end for the Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Kelce. 

Kelce is then shown playing a video game, with his first line being, “What’s up? Yo watch me headshot this bitch.” “Amazing.” Yang responds, clapping. 

Yang states how having a straight male friend is a low stakes, low effort relationship that requires no emotional commitment, no financial investment, and “other than the occasional video game related outburst, no drama.”

Yang also comments on how casual these relationships can be, which he proves by telling Kelce, “Hey I might be moving to Europe for seven years.” To which Kelce hilariously responds, “Dope. Just hit me when you’re back.”

Yang’s chill, straightforward delivery helps to make this sketch hilarious. He explains that although his straight male friend and him may not have a deep bond, nor does his straight male friend doesn’t know his last name, their relationship has a certain beauty to it. 

Yang then jokes, “If you’re a gay man who needs a break, come discover the casual, low-effort friendship gay women have known about for years.” I can confirm it’s true, straight male friends are a well-kept secret of many queer women.

Yang’s last joke really puts the whole clip into perspective, as he states, “Straight male friend, available everywhere, except therapy.” And that’s the kicker, though a straight male friend may seem like the perfect no-drama friendship, there is always the possibility of a volcano of pent up emotions sitting just beneath his cool demeanor. Every rose has its thorns, as they say.

Yang has been producing hilarious sketches on the intricacies of straight/queer relationships and identities for years now, and we can’t wait to see what he does next!

Top Photo: Screen grab from “Straight Male Friend – SNL” from Saturday Night Live on YouTube

Ever since Trevor Noah stepped down as host of The Daily Show, the program’s been helmed by a rotating assortment of funny people. Comedian Sarah Silverman is the 4th, and based on The Daily Show’s current line-up, final female guest host. With hosts such as Silverman, Chelsea Handler, Wanda Sykes, and Leslie Jones, The Daily Show has been giving us a good dose of intersectional feminist content. 

Therefore, when The Daily Show invited me to a live taping of Sarah Silverman’s debut show on Monday, February 13th, I knew it was my duty as a rising feminist journalist to fly across the country and get an answer to the question many of us have been asking for years: What are the snacks like backstage? The answer is they’re pretty good. (I only had access to the tier 2 VIP snacks, the best snacks were reserved for the staff). 

After spending some time in a VIP lounge, we were ushered into the room where the magic happens, and after sitting through the funny-but-not-Sarah Silverman warm-up comedian, and a surprisingly hilarious pre-taped video by The Daily Show Correspondents on how to be a good audience member, it was time for the real show to begin. 

As one would expect, Sarah Silverman completely charmed the audience. From her bit on the first female mad scientist, to her iconic guest (and friend of BUST) Lizz Winstead, Sarah Silverman turned The Daily Show into her own little feminist utopia. 

Donning her iconic black suit, Silverman started off the show by stating “Now some of you might not know who I am so let me introduce myself in the most Daily Show-y way possible, using a right-wing talking head pundit montage.” And that she did, showing clips of right-wing leaders calling her a plethora of colorful names spanning from a “complete buffoon and aggressively unfunny” to a “witch,” and a “god-hating whore.” But hey, what feminist hasn’t been called a god-hating whore before, am I right? I take it as a compliment.

Silverman then moved onto Headlines, the first segment of The Daily Show. As we all know by now, Rihanna announced her pregnancy during her Super Bowl halftime performance, surrounded by her dancers all decked out in white. According to Silverman, “That’s right, Rihanna revealed she was pregnant by bringing along all of the sperm that didn’t make it… and of course the one that did.” Next, she discussed the recent news that more and more states are considering the legalization of child labor in industries such as mining and meat-packing. Silverman joked, “I’m sure this will surprise you but the lawmakers sponsoring these bills call themselves pro-life. Of course they are, if women aren’t forced to have babies, who’s gonna pack this goddamn meat.”

While Silverman was still backstage, we were shown a pre-recorded segment of Silverman’s newest character, Dr. Insidia, the worlds’ first female mad-scientist, and it was hysterical. The video was produced to honor the international day of women and girls’ in science. Silverman wanted us to remember Dr. Insidia’s important work such as putting Genghis Khan’s brain inside of a chimp, and making the state of Kentucky disappear for three years. Silverman later asked us in the studio audience how the video package turned out, and when we responded with thunderous applause, Silverman responded to us with “I’m fishing,” proving how skilled she is in keeping an audience engaged. 

Silverman’s debut episode ended with an interview with Lizz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show and founder of Abortion Access Front (or Abortion AF as she sometimes refers to it). As would be expected, Winstead was an incredible guest, bringing an informative but also humorous take to the current issues surrounding reproductive rights in the country. At times, the audience seemed more excited for Winstead than the host herself, and we get it, we also love Lizz! Though it might seem strange to some, Winstead explained that founding Abortion Access Front was in some ways a natural evolution from The Daily Show, as the organization is committed to continuing the struggle for reproductive rights with humor. On the recent Dobbs decision and the questions that arose on the state of abortion rights all over the country, Winstead responded “I wanted to give people an answer to that question.” Continuing on about her work with AAF, “It’s important to ask the people that live in the places and center the people who are most harmed all the time and they’ll give you the answers to help you be a better activist and make the world better.”

Silverman also had a successful night two, taking down Nikki Haley’s corny announcement that she’s running for President in 2024. Haley joked “I don’t put up with bullies, and when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels.” To which Silverman responded, “Um 1997 called it wants that joke back.” Silverman also made an amazing jab towards the US Army’s recent announcement on their low recruitment numbers, “If we don’t have a strong military, the balloons win!”

Be sure to tune in to Silverman’s last two shows on February 15th and 16th at 11 PM ET on Comedy Central!

Top photo: Courtesy of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show

Award-winning entertainer and Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph made history during the 2023 Super Bowl LVII this past Sunday with her performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” alongside American Sign Language performer Justina Miles. While millions of viewers were stunned by Ralph’s vocal prowess (and luxurious red jumpsuit), the song’s rich, powerful history is what solicited the most reactions. 

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a hymn, originally written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900. Commonly referred to as “The Black National Anthem,” the significance of the hymn lies in the way “Johnson’s lyrics eloquently captured the solemn yet hopeful appeal for the liberty of Black Americans” at the turn of the 20th century, according to the NAACP, which adopted “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as an unofficial Black anthem in 1917. The song was used “as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s.” 

The NFL has included “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before season opener games since the 2020 season, in response to protests in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The NFL’s decision to include the anthem has elicited controversy, including recent Twitter tirades by right-wing pundits Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who complained of “wokeness” at the biggest sporting event of the year. 

Though this is the third consecutive year the song has been a part of the Super Bowl pre-show, Ralph is the first Black woman to perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” on the field. It was performed outside the stadium at last year’s big game by Grammy-winning gospel duo Mary Mary, and the previous year by Alicia Keys in a pre-recorded video. Ralph’s performance of the anthem is especially significant, as it fell on the same day “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was first performed publicly, 123 years ago. On February 12, 1900, a choir of children that attended the segregated Stanton School, where James Weldon Johnson was principal, publicly performed the hymn for the first time ever in celebration of President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

It is no coincidence that I will be singing the Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing at the Super Bowl on the same date it was first publicly performed 123 years ago (February 12, 1900). Happy Black History Month! @nfl @rocnation @SavageXFenty

Tune in at 3pm/6pmEST. pic.twitter.com/1rPopQ9jtV

— sheryl lee ralph (@thesherylralph) February 12, 2023

 “The blessings have been amazing, including this one, singing in front of millions of people,” the former Dreamgirls star told The Washington Post. “It’s just really neat. What an exciting time to be me!” Ralph’s Super Bowl performance follows her recent Emmy win for her role in Abbott Elementary, making her the first Black woman in 35 years to win the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series award. She was the subject of awe and admiration for her moving acceptance speech, in which she sang a verse from the 1993 jazz song, “Endangered Species.”

Photo: Screengrab from YouTube

Last night was a big night in America. Not only was it the Puppy Bowl, but Rihanna gifted us with an amazing 13-minute long comeback concert (which was weirdly interrupted by a football game). As soon as Rihanna came out on stage in her iconic Jonathan Anderson-designed all-red outfit, everyone watching was all thinking the same thing, though we were simultaneously all too afraid to ask: Is Rihanna pregnant?

Luckily for us, several brave Twitter users took one for the team to try to solve this mystery. One fan tweeted “Me trying to figure out if Rihanna is pregnant or not” followed by that famous video of Bad Bunny suspiciously drinking wine. Another tweeted, “Everybody tryna see if Rihanna pregnant again.” 

Me trying to figure out if Rihanna is pregnant or not
pic.twitter.com/MIvlJVi9cS

— ♡ Aaliyah ♡ (@Abookishdiaries) February 13, 2023

Everybody tryna see if Rihanna pregnant again pic.twitter.com/MEUgbSiN15

— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) February 13, 2023

Thankfully, Rihanna’s representatives confirmed Sunday night that yes indeed, the “Umbrella” singer is pregnant with her second child! 

Rihanna didn’t introduce a new song during her Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show performance but she did introduce a new pregnancy.https://t.co/T4wNlEXiwv

— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) February 13, 2023

Turns out in the end there was no need for our confusion, as the singer did in fact start off her performance with a camera zoom down to her rubbing her belly, which somehow we all collectively missed. We were all too excited to see Rihanna grace the stage again to pay attention to her subtle gestures!

Media/pop culture literacy is really, really bad, if we can see someone do this and then sincerely ask if they’re trying to tell us something. pic.twitter.com/6vN736Kyrw

— Kimberly Nicole Foster (@KimberlyNFoster) February 13, 2023

Rihanna also hinted at her announcement during a recent interview with TV host Nate Burleson, stating (in reference to her halftime performance), “I’m thinking about bringing someone, I’m not sure.”

As you would have expected, Rihanna gave us an amazing show. Though she may not have been able to give us the same level of dancing that we have seen in previous halftime shows from artists like Beyonce or Shakira & J-Lo, Rihanna still very much delivered with sharp movements, grand spectacles, elevated platforms, and a crew of very talented dancers all wearing coordinating outfits to hers. Not to mention, every song that Rihanna performed was a hit, and she had so many more hits that she couldn’t even fit into the 13 minute set, which is impressive in and of itself. Another greatest hit of her halftime show was her nod to her cosmetic company, Fenty beauty, as she appeared to apply her Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder as she transitioned from “Pour it Up” to “All of the Lights.”

Rihanna’s performance also marked the first time the Super Bowl has had a pregnant halftime show performer, and just like peanut butter and jelly, Rihanna and making history are two things that just go together.

Top Photo: Screesnhot from NFL on YouTube

The Daily Show should really win some sort of award for how many iconic guest hosts they’re giving us. First up was Leslie Jones, folllowed by Wanda Sykes, and the amazing lineup continued this week with guest host Chelsea Handler!

Handler began her first show on Monday by stating, “This is where I get to spend a week talking shit about all the whack jobs and hot messes out there, but I do it sitting behind a desk because I’m a professional.” And so far, she has delivered on that promise and gifted us some professional-level shit-talking. 

Handler started the Headlines portion of the show by discussing the recent controversy around the Chinese spy balloon that floated through the skies last weekend. The balloon has been described as being as large as three school buses, and Handler joked, “And for the rich people out there who don’t know what a bus is, they’re those big yellow vehicles that bring all of Matt Gaetz’s girlfriends to school.” Handler also provided some tips to China on how they could improve next time and make sure the balloon avoided our gaze, stating, “If you’re gonna make it white, at least write “the moon” on it.”

Handler had many other great bits during her first episode. Following her discussion on the spy balloon by talking about congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green’s recent statements about her unhappiness working as a congresswoman. Green made a public complaint on how people come up to her on the street and accost her with false information they read on the internet. Handler commented on Green’s remarks by stating what we all were thinking, “Well if that’s not the pot calling the kettle QAnon.”

Another greatest hit from the episode includes an incredible bit from Daily Show correspondent Dulcé Sloan on the record temperatures being experienced by those in the US northeast over the weekend. Sloan pretended to be in bed after Handler had asked her to go to the top of a mountain in the northeast to report on the record temps. Sloan responded to Handler by saying there was no need for her to go outside when she could just ask her Uber Eats driver, then proceeded to “text her Uber Eats driver”, “What’s up with that mountain is it cold as shit?”

Next, Handler interviewed Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock. The two discussed his new children’s book Put Your Shoes on and Get Ready, and Handler jokingly asked, “Did you write a children’s book so Herschel Walker would be able to read it?” They then went on to discuss the importance of voting rights and bipartisanship. Warnock noted how important it is to try to find common ground in order to “get the work done.”

Handler’s second show was equally delightful, partly because she started off with a brutal (and hilarious) roast of Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson. Carlson recently complained on his TV show that Biden was appointing too many Black women to federal judge positions. Handler responded to his racist and sexist complaint by stating, “I wish Tucker Carlson would go back to talking about which M&Ms he likes to fuck.” That wasn’t the only jab Handler made at Carlson, as she also went on to say, “Maybe if your inbred fingers could work a calculator, you would see that the reason that Biden is nominating so many Black women is to make up for men having a 200-year head start. Even after Biden’s appointments, there are only 44 Black women serving as federal judges out of 784,” and ended her roast with a grand finale one-liner “And this raises a more important question Tucker, which is why are you always such a whiny little bitch.”

Handler then moved on to more hilarious commentaries, including one on the recent controversy surrounding the new Skims micro-bikini. Skims is a shapewear brand developed by Kim Kardashian, and her newest product, a micro-bikini said to have been made for any body, can barely cover the size of a Trader Joe’s tortilla chip. After Handler’s roast of the bikini, she ends the segment with “Anyway, I bought one.”

Handler then brought out fellow comedians Sam Jay, Matteo Lane, and Larry Owens to cover some more trending headlines. The group discussed Leonardo DiCaprio’s newest way-too-young-girlfriend. Matteo Lane imagined a phone call between the two of them, chiming in, “He’s on set, he’s dealing with agents, he’s in some movie, and then he’s like how’s your day, and she’s like “ugh my lockermate’s the worst.” Another headline discussed was the 9-year-old prodigy, David Balogun, who made the news for graduating high school 9 years early. In this story, Handler hilariously commented, “This kid is annoying the shit out of me.”

Handler closed out her second show with an interview with model and body-positive influencer Ashley Graham. The two discussed normalizing breastfeeding in public, including on Instagram, and the importance of not telling people how to parent, or how they should be feeding their kids. 

Handler’s first two shows were a huge success in our book, and we’re so excited to see who she will be shit-talking (in a professional manner) next! You can catch Handler’s last two shows on February 8th and 9th on Comedy Central at 11 PM ET. Be sure to also tune in next week to watch comedian Sarah Silverman helm the famous desk.

Top Photo: Comedy Central’s The Daily Show

While most of us can relate to having an irrationally large interest in Beyoncé (like how could you not), Dre’s obsession soon leads her down a dark path. Being a famous celebrity himself after his rap career took off under his stage name Childish Gambino, Glover has definitely had some experience with a wide range of fans. Swarm is not setting itself up to be a lighthearted show about a girl who looks up to a superstar but rather tells the dark and twisted tale of a fan who pushes it too far. 

Courtesy of Amazon Studios

Co-creator Janine Nabers told Vanity Fair that they are interested in focusing on the “antihero” with this show as they portray it “through the lens of a Black, modern-day woman.” 

Just a couple of days ago on February 1, Beyoncé announced her long-awaited Renaissance World Tour that will be taking place this year. While this announcement has definitely ignited some of her fans into a frenzy over getting tickets, we are hoping nobody goes as far as Dre when it comes to being celebrity obsessed. However, we are seeing some jokes (hopefully) that are embodying the same energy we can expect from Fishback’s character this season. 

If I can’t see Beyoncè, then nobody else can either ?

pic.twitter.com/uDjvqvdz17

— KWAJO- Social Housing (@KwajoHousing) February 3, 2023

Providing us with a new insight into celebrity obsessions we are eagerly anticipating the release of this show as we are expecting it to be nothing short of captivating. Glover himself described the show to Vanity Fair as being “a strange one” which has only gotten us even more excited to watch the series unfold on March 10.

Top image via Amazon Studios

Folks, we have an update! Minx has been officially picked up by Starz. The news was announced earlier this month in an Instagram post by one of the starring actors, Jake Johnson. “Excited to announce that @starz picked up Minx! More details about when season one and season two will be streaming to come! We’re all fired up for everyone to see S2 & beyond.” 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by jake johnson (@mrjakejohnson)

The first season of the show ran on HBO, to mixed reviews. The second season was already in production when the announcement came down that it was cancelled. The fact that this season will now be completed and aired is great news to fans.

Creator and showrunner Ellen Rapoport said in a statement.“I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining the Starz family, and for the opportunity to introduce Minx to a brand new audience…We’ve found the perfect home. Our writers, cast, and crew have created something truly special in season two, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.” 

Set in the 70s, Joyce Prigger (played by Ophelia Lovibond) leads a feminist revolution in the world of publishing. Her vision is to bring topics of equal rights, fair wages, and female struggles to light at a time when men refuse to give women a voice. She is only able to achieves her goal of creating one of the first feminist magazines with the help of Doug (played by Jake Johnson), a publisher that will only financially support her work if she incorporates full male nudity. 

The show’s revival is great news for the cast, crew, and fans alike. One of Starz’s parent companies, Lionsgate, actually produced Minx during its first season and now it’s second. The show was recently canceled by its previous streaming service, HBO Max, after just one season despite production of season two being nearly complete. Minx was one of many shows that were canceled weeks after the sudden merger of HBO Max and Discovery Plus, leaving fans boiling. 

But with this anticipated announcement, fans wait patiently for more info. But there is one question we need an answer to: when will the trailer be released? As we wait for further details to be revealed, we can rejoice that a series centering around female empowerment is getting the second season it deserves. 

Top Image HBO Max 

Natasha Lyonne was a recent guest on The Drew Barrymore Show and it’s already the best thing that’s happened this week! 

Lyonne was there to promote her brand new show Poker Face, streaming Thursdays on Peacock. She is both executive producer and the star of the mystery-of-the-week thriller, written and created by Glass Onion’s Rian Johnson. Maya Rudolph serves as co-executive producer, and Barrymore asked Lyonne about her longtime friendship with the comedian and actress. Lyonne shared it had sparked twenty years earlier from a “fifty block” walk through New York City after a chance meeting at a fashion event. The two have been close ever since, and if their friendship is as good as the show they made together, they’ll be friends ‘til the end. 

One of the most memorable moments from The Drew Barrymore Show interview was when the titular host and guest, Lyonne, gushed over mutual friend, Aubrey Plaza. Barrymore called herself Plaza’s “mommy” and Lyonne quipped back by saying that makes her “the daddy.” This quite literally brought Barrymore to her knees, and the two shared a hilariously sweet moment that we will be replaying in our head every time we need a little mental break. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by The Drew Barrymore Show (@thedrewbarrymoreshow)

The two then went on to discuss Lyonne’s iconic role in American Pie and the actress dished that she had turned the role down more than once before eventually accepting it. “I just sort of saw it on paper and I didn’t identify with this sort of, like, very white, very normal high school experience of ‘Oh, we’re gonna lose our virginity!’ I was like ‘Honey, it already happened,’” she explained. Barrymore asked Lyonne if she would be down for a reboot of the 1999 film and Lyonne said, “Listen, now I’m at an age where anywhere Jennifer Coolidge goes, I go.” 

Throughout the show, Barrymore and Lyonne played a game where they looked at zoomed-in photos of an actor’s face and had to guess who it was. When they had pieced the puzzle together (it was Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny) the two had the golden strike of genius to reboot Cagney & Lacey, the classic woman-led police procedural drama from the ‘80s. With squeals of excitement (ours included) the two were giddy at the idea. Lyonne shared that she’s actually worked with Tyne Daley, the actress who plays Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the original, and that she still uses her holster from the show to carry her phone and personal belongings like a purse. “It’s pretty sick,” chimed Lyonne. 

All in all, we would like to start a petition to get that reboot in the works yesterday, and, while we’re making wishes, let’s get Natasha Lyonne and Drew Barrymore together in a room whenever possible–the country needs it. 

Check out the The Drew Barrymore Show’s website for local air times, and watch Poker Face on Peacock now!

Top photo: screen grab from YouTube

Lisa Loring, most well-known for being the first actress to play Wednesday Addams on The Addams Family TV series, died at the age of 64 on Saturday. According to a statement given to CNN by agent Chris Carbaugh, she passed away surrounded by family. Loring’s good friend Laurie Jacobson announced her death on Facebook, stating that she suffered a “massive stroke brought on by smoking and high blood pressure” and had been on life support for 3 days. Jacobson wrote that Lisa Loring is “embedded in the tapestry that is pop culture and in our hearts as Wednesday Addams.” 

Fans and fellow celebrities took to social media to mourn the iconic actress and celebrate her cultural impact, such as the rock band Garbage, who thanked Loring for “making weird girls seem so cool.”  

Farewell lifelong muse. I loved you well. You were the OG.
Thank you Lisa Loring for making weird girls seem so cool. ? pic.twitter.com/xFFO87s7Bs

— Garbage (@garbage) January 30, 2023

At just six years old, Loring was cast as Wednesday in the original The Addams Family sitcom, which ran from 1964 to 1966. She reprised the role in the 1977 television movie Halloween with the New Addams Family. Her morbid, deadpan delivery set the standard for all future iterations of Wednesday Addams, who had previously only been depicted in Charles Addams’ New Yorker cartoons and had not yet been given a name. Christina Ricci’s arguably most popular portrayal of Wednesday in the 1991 and 1993 films The Addams Family and Addams Family Values bore an uncanny resemblance to Loring’s character, both in style and attitude. 

 Most recently, Lisa Loring served as inspiration for Jenna Ortega’s appearance as Wednesday in the 2022 Netflix series of the same name, particularly in the dancing scene that went viral. Season two, episode 29 of the original The Addams Family series includes a scene where Wednesday (Loring) teaches Lurch (Ted Cassidy), the family’s butler, how to perform the 1960s dance trend “The Drew.”

Thanks to Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse’s Rich Man’s Frug, Lisa Loring, Lene Lovich, Denis Lavant, and archival footage of goths dancing in clubs in the 80’s. Helped me out on this one. https://t.co/zlxlv1JUW4

— Jenna Ortega (@jennaortega) November 25, 2022

Ortega choreographed the dance sequence herself and stated that in addition to goth icons such as Siouxsie Sioux, she drew inspiration from that scene. The current Wednesday star included Loring in her list of thank-yous regarding the now-iconic dance scene on Twitter, and told Jimmy Fallon that she intentionally paid homage to Lisa Loring in the choreography. 

Following The Addams Family’s two-season run, Lisa Loring went on to appear in such series as The Pruitts of Southampton, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Fantasy Island, Barnaby Jones, and As The World Turns. She also appeared in the genre movies Savage Harbor and Blood Frenzy later on in the 1980s, and under the name “Maxine Factor,” worked as a makeup artist on adult films. 

Lisa Loring is survived by her two daughters, Marianne and Vanessa, as well as grandchildren Emiliana and Charles. 

Top Photo: Screengrab from YouTube

Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones originally wrote The 1619 Project for the New York Times and had it published back in 2019. Later it became a podcast, and a book, and in 2020, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for the project.

Now the work has been turned into a docuseries, The 1619 Project, which launched on Hulu on January 26, 2023. The series “seeks to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative,” according to the show’s description on Hulu. 

The 1619 Project brings a cinematic flair to this essential content. While the show might not feel as action-packed as the stuff you usually binge-watch on a Thursday night, it still manages to be both captivating and informative. The series sets out to reteach the important subject of America’s history, specifically how Black Americans so greatly impacted this country, with a main focus on the history of slavery and how its continuing legacy impacts America. As both the NYT pieces, podcast, and book, the series challenges the narrative of American history that most of us were taught in school—and this is crucial.

Early on in the first episode, Nikole explains why her father was so proud of his American flag despite how wrong this country has treated Black Americans throughout its history. He knew [their] contributions to building the richest and most powerful nation in the world were undeniable and that no people had a greater claim to the American flag than [they] do,” she said. That is the essential message behind The 1619 Project.

The show is successful both as a technical tool to reteach the history of the United States as well as in being a work of art that meshes beautifully with the narration by Hannah-Jones. This show could not only be effective as an aid in school history lessons but also as a way to deepen everyone’s understanding, or misunderstanding, of the significance Black Americans have had in American history. We strongly encourage everyone to read or watch The 1619 Project if you have not done so already, because even if you feel you already know this country’s history there is still a lot you can gain from this work. Hannah-Jones provides an essential perspective you can’t get anywhere else.

Photo by Patti Perret/Hulu

Last week, comedian Leslie Jones commanded The Daily Show desk, receiving rave reviews and giving us iconic lines such as  “Men! Why are you so mad? You need to calm your ass the fuck down!” So far, comedian Wanda Sykes has proven to be a worthy successor, with her first two shows airing on January 23rd and January 24th.

Sykes began her first show by reminding us of her signature wit and charm, stating “My wife asked me to unload the dishwasher and I needed an out, so I’m so happy to be here.” She went on to provide us with the headlines of the day, a classic bit on The Daily Show. Some highlights include her jokes about the FBI finding more classified documents in a private residence of President Joe Biden. Sykes chimed in stating that Biden needs to stop hoarding these documents and employ the Marie Kondo technique, as Sykes puts it, “This list of spies does not spark joy.” On the classified documents, Sykes also stated, “this does not bother me at all, the man has been in public office for 238 years” alluding to the fact that any found documents would probably be irrelevant by this point. Sykes’ guest for the night was comedian and her co-star on the Netflix sitcom The Upshaws, Mike Epps. The two had a lively conversation about what it’s like to travel the country and perform stand-up.

Sykes’ continued to be hilarious throughout her second show, starting the night off with “I thought we covered all the news yesterday but turns out, there’s more.” Sykes once again started by presenting the day’s headlines, first discussing the recent Academy Award nominations. Sykes gave a shout-out to Michelle Yeoh, who has been nominated for her leading role in the critically acclaimed film, Everything Everywhere All at Once, making her the first Asian best actress nominee. Sykes then discussed the bad news about the nominations, that no women had been nominated in the best director category this year. Sykes joked, “But remember they gave [the Academy Award for best director] to Jane Campion last year, so I guess this year they thought, “Eh that should hold you broads for the next 50 years.””

Some of Sykes other greatest hits of the episode included her discussion of the recent senate hearing concerning Ticketmaster after the ticketing website majorly fumbled ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s: The Eras tour. On the negative fan reaction to Ticketmaster, Sykes stated, “It’s about time someone held Ticketmaster accountable, and the Swifties are the only ones who can get this done, they’re the most politically organized group in America.” 

Sykes also provided some much-needed jokes on George Santos, the now disgraced representative from New York, who has been exposed for telling lies about his past. Given that even more about Santos’ past has come to fruition over the past few weeks, Sykes joked, “It’s been a bad week for George Santos, or as he calls it, a good week.”

Sykes ended her second show with guest Katha Pollitt, an award-winning columnist for The Nation, esteemed feminist, and author of many books including her latest, Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights. The two had a thoughtful discussion on the state of abortion rights in the United States. Pollitt provided us some slightly reassuring insight on the devastating Dobbs decision, stating “Dobbs has woken up pro-choicers in the most amazing way. ” 

So far, Wanda Sykes has made The Daily Show her own (in the best way) and lived up to the expectations set by previous guest host, Leslie Jones. Sykes has been addressing issues that matter, while also providing us comfort with her take-no-shit sense of humor. You can catch Sykes’ last two shows on January 25th and January 26th at 11 PM ET on Comedy Central. Some of the upcoming guest hosts you can expect to see on The Daily Show include DL Hughley, Chelsea Handler, and Sarah Silverman.

Top photo: The Daily Show on YouTube

“The mystery genre has been done,” “The detective trope is tired,” “We’ve seen every twist a million times before.” If you listen to any TV critics lately, they’re likely to spout opinions like this.

But for Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne, that’s just bullshit. And they’re here to prove it. 

The creative mind behind smash hit films Knives Out and Glass Onion is making his TV debut with Poker Face, starring and executive produced by Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll, Orange is the New Black). Johnson has already proven his mastery of writing loveable detective characters and a tantalizing mystery, and Poker Face is yet another example. Premiering tomorrow, January 26th, the show follows Charlie Cale (Lyonne), a casino cocktail waitress with a knack for sniffing out lies and a propensity for getting to the bottom of things. 

She hits the road with some urgency, making pit stops and working gig jobs before bouncing along to a new American nook. Would she choose to be on the run if she didn’t have to be? Probably not, but as she says in the show’s trailer, “I’ve got wolves on my fender, I gotta keep moving.” The fender in reference is that of Charlie’s ‘69 Plymouth Barracuda, the only thing that seems to be a constant in her life. That, and her almost–emphasis on the “almost”–supernatural ability to tell when someone is lying, whether she wants to know or not. 

Johnson has done something different with this story than we’ve seen from him before. Poker Face is nothing like Knives Out or Glass Onion–there’s no campy flair, extravagant costuming, or luxurious setting. Instead, it’s a more grounded version of the typical detective-led mystery and follows a pretty regular woman doing pretty regular blue collar jobs. Sure, she’s on the run and it seems like everywhere she goes, murder follows, but hey, this world loves to keep a good woman down, doesn’t it? 

Natasha Lyonne in “Poker Face.” Photo courtesy of Peacock.

Charlie Cale is as down-to-earth as they come, and while hers is a classic detective’s tale, Charlie is no detective. Not by her definition or anyone else’s. She’s more like a good samaritan–the best samaritan–and a prime example of how life sometimes chooses for us, not the other way around. But Charlie always rises to the occasion, and tackles the challenges thrust into her headlights with compassion and conviction. Lyonne is dazzling in the starring role, and brings a mellow, no-nonsense charm to her character that makes her easy to root for–like a best friend you didn’t know existed until now. And she’s exactly the best friend you’d want solving your murder, knock on wood. 

The show is made up of ten stand-alone murder mystery stories–so after the first episode, viewers can technically watch them in random order if they want–and each one is loaded with celebrity guest-stars. Adrien Brody, Ellen Barkin, Chloë Sevigny, Dascha Polanco, Jameela Jamil, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Luis Guzmán, Nick Nolte, Judith Light, Tim Meadows, and many, many more all make appearances throughout this first season. Both Charlie Cale and Natasha Lyonne hold their own against this hefty roster of guest-talent. 

Emmy-nominated and universally loved, Lyonne is no stranger to success, and Poker Face is yet another reminder why. If she weren’t already the main character, she would surely steal the show. The actress seems to bring a lot of herself in the characters she portrays, but it feels especially so with Charlie Cale. There’s a sincere goodness to Cale that is inherent in Lyonne’s personality as well, and we should know, she’s graced our cover twice.  

An achievement of the show is the way each episode is such a lived-in, complete, little world. A lot of this is thanks to the detailed and ambitious writing, and brought to life by the remarkable talent of the show’s production designer, Judy Rhee. Having worked on Season Four of Better Call Saul and Season Two of Jessica Jones, Rhee is no stranger to the kind of set design that feels as authentic and layered as real life. That layered setting, and the way most of the episodes get around fifteen minutes in before our favorite unwitting gumshoe, Charlie, even arrives, makes these stories feel ongoing. Like they’d be unfolding whether the audience were privy to watch or not, and everyone involved, except for the murderer, is lucky Charlie happened to show up.

Natasha Lyonne and Dascha Polanco in “Poker Face.” Photo courtesy of Peacock

Poker Face takes the quintessential detective show formula and spins it around a bit. It’s fresh, entertaining, and takes a genre usually filled with outlandish, over the top caricatures and tropes and swaps them for more realistic, typical American characters. According to Johnson in a conversation with Peacock, the show was born from a dinner party conversation between himself and Lyonne about a shared love of the classic detective shows from their childhood. True to that inspiration, the show pays homage to a different era of TV. A time when you were joining a beloved character as they went on new adventures each week, and each episode ended with a satisfying resolution. All in all, Johnson and Lyonne have made something special with Poker Face, and there’s no doubt it will be well-received by couch-sleuths and TV-fanatics alike. 

The first four episodes of Poker Face will be available to stream on Peacock tomorrow, January 26th, followed by a new episode each Thursday after that. If you need a fix between episodes, you can text or call Charlie Cale’s advice hotline at 1-866-NOBLSHT. No, seriously, do it. And watch the trailer now:

Top photo from “Poker Face” courtesy of Peacock 

Chelsea Handler is kind of on a roll right now. She just hosted the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards, released a Netflix special called Revolution last month, is set to guest host upcoming episodes of The Daily Show (with rumors of her becoming the full time host) and announced a new tour this week!

The comedian’s first time hosting the Critics Choice Awards went swimmingly. She started the show off with a bang in a fiery-hued dress and a sharpened pen to match, then eased into her monologue with the topic of abortion rights when she joked, “I’m just happy to be here tonight supporting the critics’ right to choose. At least someone has a choice…unless they’re a female critic and then it depends on what state they live in.” 

Much of the rest of her monologue focused on giving praises to just a few of the many notable women there. Viola Davis, Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett, Niecy Nash-Betts, and Michelle Pfeiffer all had the spotlight on them during Handler’s speech, and everyone looked to be in great spirits.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler)

By all accounts, Handler smashed her hosting gig for this year’s Critics Choice Awards, and she’s not stopping there. The comedian is still getting a lot of buzz for her upcoming role as guest host of The Daily Show, even mentioning on The View  that she was “open” to the role becoming a full-time position.

Late-night television is a historically toxic boy’s club, so it would be a huge breath of fresh air to have another woman chipping away at that white-men-named-Jimmy-ceiling. 

Another win for the comedian: Handler’s latest Netflix special Revolution just came out this past December and is getting good reviews. 

Her special seems like the perfect culmination of a public journey of awareness following the Trump election. The comedian has been very vocal about her disdain for the former President and has built a body of work dedicated to unpacking the social sludge (and we’re talking nasty, putrid, gurgly sludge) that led to his election. From her 2016 four-part series titled Chelsea Does, to her 2019 documentary Hello, Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea, to this most recent special, it feels like we’ve been watching the comedian consistently level-up and reckon with her own privilege over the past few years. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler)

Revolution, which is streaming now on Netflix, gives us a glimpse into what’s to come from Handler, and it’s good. It seems the comedian has hit that sweet spot of funny and poignant–guiding her audiences to a new understanding of the way the world can be unfair while still making us laugh. And she just announced the Little Big Bitch tour on her Instagram this week! 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler)

We are looking forward to seeing what else Handler has up her sleeve for the near future. Watch her latest special now on Netflix, catch her hosting a few (and maybe more?) upcoming episodes of The Daily Show, and visit her website for upcoming tour dates and tix!

Top image from Instagram @chelseahandler Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC, Hair by: @benskervin, Makeup by @miajonesmua, Styling by @molly_levin

Trevor Noah, the former host of The Daily Show, held his last show on December 8th, 2022. In his absence, the show has recruited some of our favorite celebs to guest host until a permanent host is found. On Tuesday, that guest host was none other than former SNL cast member and comedy legend, Leslie Jones. Jones hosted three nights of the show, January 17th, 18th, and 19th.

In her debut episode, Jones was brilliant and fit perfectly into The Daily Show’s mold of being funny, sharp, and politically aware. Jones started by poking fun at the recent news that some classified documents had been found in one of President Biden’s private offices. While completely different in context, former President Trump had a similar scandal that resulted in the FBI conducting a search on Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home (12 documents were found in one of Biden’s private residences while over 11,000 classified documents were found across Trump’s private residences.) On the ridiculous nature of this issue happening twice, Jones stated what we all have been thinking, “who is guarding these documents?”

As her Daily Show debut took place one day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jones also blessed us with a street interview in NYC, where she went around asking New Yorkers what their favorite MLK quotes were. Unfortunately, many of her interviewees could not think of a quote or only knew the first few words of King’s famous “I Have A Dream” Speech. She then asked them to continue with more of the speech, and when they couldn’t, she hilariously commented, “I have a dream that one day white people will know what’s in that speech.”

The latter half of Jones’ second show (January 18th) was dedicated to reproductive rights, where she interviewed the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood, Alexis McGill Johnson. Referring to Planned Parenthood, Jones shared, “You would not know how much they saved my life, so much that I have them in my trust [fund]”. Jones had a powerful conversation with Johnson about how she wished more people would realize how helpful Planned Parenthood is to not only women, but men too. Johnson chimed in by stating, “Stigma around sexual reproductive healthcare affects everybody.”

Jones began her final episode by stating, “I’m Leslie Jones and this is my last night making this desk my bitch”, and she delivered on that promise. Some of her greatest hits of her (too short) half an hour included her calling out ESPN host Stephen A. Smith for insulting Rihanna on national TV. She pointedly stated, “You know what Stephen A. Smith, you need to act like your hairline and back the fuck off.” She also made an incredible dig at the US government in regard to the news that we have reached our debt ceiling. Jones said to find the money we need, we might have to go to, “Extraordinary measures like taxing the rich… or not going to war all the time.”

Jones then dove into the main topic of this episode: Men. Over the past few years, the US has seen a rise in male anger, which has resulted in a growing number of vocal misogynists online. Jones, once again, addressed the elephant in the room, asking, “Men! Why are you so mad? You need to calm your ass the fuck down!” and I couldn’t agree more. 

Loneliness has also been on the rise for men, as Jones shared a statistic that 15% of men in the US have reported having no close friends. She then went on to address the ever-growing problem of men refusing to go to therapy, making a hysterical commentary that men treat therapy like Nick Cannon treats condoms, “They’re here to help you Nick, why won’t you use them?”

Jones’ stint on The Daily Show is proof that we need more Leslie Jones content. Jones will embark on her newest comedy tour starting January 28th in Highland, California. You can find a tour date near you and purchase tickets here. 

The Daily Show will continue their guest host lineup with Wanda Sykes taking over the desk starting on January 23rd. Some of the other slated guest hosts include DL Hughley, Chelsea Handler, and Sarah Silverman.

Top Photo: The Daily Show on YouTube

This past December, Netflix canceled production for a third season of one of its popular shows Warrior Nun. Created by Simon Barry, this fantasy drama stars the character Ava Silva, played by Alba Baptista, and follows her journey after she wakes up from a coma and discovers she has supernatural powers. 

To those of you who aren’t familiar with the show, you might be wondering why it’s so disappointing Netflix discontinued this series. I’m sure we’ve all had shows before we wished lasted for a couple more seasons, but the cancellation of Warrior Nun was so devastating to fans largely because it has now become typical of Netflix to cancel its shows that highlight LGBTQ+ relationships. They’ve done this before with popular shows such as The Winx Saga, GLOW, and Uncoupled. Warrior Nun had also been doing really well fresh off the release of its second season which has led fans to decide that Netflix has made a mistake that needs to be fixed. 

Both #SaveWarriorNun and #CancelNetflix started trending on Twitter very soon after the news was released about the cancellation of the show. The show also left off on quite the cliffhanger which has only enraged fans even more after discovering it won’t be coming back for another season.  

And yet this is exactly what you did to Warrior Nun, you have learned nothing. You cancelled it on a cliff hanger instead of completing the story. If you can not give us S3 then let someone else have it.
NETFLIX CORRECT YOUR MISTAKE#SaveWarriorNun #WarriorNun pic.twitter.com/WJwFRrUSas

— Just Joe (@standiscrackers) January 17, 2023

Many fans are pleading on Twitter for Netflix to bring the show back or to at least sell it to another platform that can finish it off. Over 109,000 people have signed an online petition titled “Renew Warrior Nun for Season 3” which we could hope to potentially see some traction from. Alba Baptista shared on Twitter after the cancellation was finalized that she would be “forever grateful” to the fans of her show and that “it was all for you.” 

Working on Warrior Nun was a very special chapter of my life. Thank you to the cast and crew for giving everything they had. Thank you to the fans that loved and supported us.
I see you and I love you.
It was all for you.

I’m forever grateful.

— Alba Baptista (@albabaptista_) December 14, 2022

Top Image:  Manolo Pavón/Netflix © 2022

Academy award-winning actress and everyone’s favorite ABBA-singing hotel owner, Meryl Streep, is joining the star-studded cast of Hulu‘s Only Murders in the Building season 3!

On Tuesday the star of the cast, Selena Gomez, posted a reel on Instagram featuring herself along with co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short. The video shows the now beloved trio sitting together on a couch in the midst of filming. The video also, included some new surprise cast announcements. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)

Gomez first reveals that star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and general icon, Andrea Martin, will be returning in the upcoming season. Then, Gomez goes on to show that not only is Martin returning, but America’s sweetheart, Paul Rudd, will be rejoining the cast for season 3. After Gomez remarks, “it can’t get better than this”, Rudd chimes in, stating, “well, I do think it could get a little bit better.” Next comes the best part.

Meryl Streep, who had been hiding behind the couch that was being sat on by the rest of the cast, hilariously pops in and asks if anyone needs anything, offering Steve Martin a pillow in the process. Martin Short responds, “just the tea I asked for a half an hour ago”. Only Murders in the Building confirmed the new cast addition with an Instagram post of their own featuring Gomez, Martin, Short, Rudd, and Streep. Their caption read: “Meryl Streep joins Only Murders in the Building Season 3!”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Only Murders in the Building (@onlymurdershulu)

Gomez ends the video by silently screaming into the camera, showing her shock and excitement that Streep is right behind her, and bringing back Alex Russo (her famous character from Wizards of Waverly Place) levels of relatability.

Only Murders in the Building follows three true crime-obsessed strangers (played by Gomez, Martin, and Short) who find themselves caught up in a true crime mystery of their own. We’re so excited to tune into season 3 when it finally comes out!

Top photo: @onlymurdershulu on Instagram

Let’s just get one thing clear: Velma is not the same old Scooby-Doo we know and love from our childhoods. With Mindy Kaling starring as the voice actor for Velma, this show is directed toward the now-adult audience who grew up watching Scooby-Doo. The show was written by Charlie Grandy, and despite starring a lot of great actors like Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson, and Constance Wu, the show seems to fall far short of expectations.  

Velma is set to tell the character’s origin story and the events that led to the creation of the Mystery Gang, but just to reiterate, unlike Scooby-Doo, this is no longer a children’s show (at all). Velma contains violence, nudity, sexual content, and swearing, all of which sheds a much different light on our beloved childhood characters. There are also some rather questionable choices made in the creation of this show, one of them being the opening scene which sexualizes naked high school girls showering in their locker room.

When it comes down to it there aren’t many similarities from the original Scooby-Doo other than the characters and the shared premise of solving mysteries (and the animation of course). The humor in the show fails to land. It makes some jokes that seem to be geared toward Gen-Z, but then completely misses the mark. This tweet depicts a perfect example of the tone-deaf jokes in this show. 

not a joke!!!! pic.twitter.com/RFG51D2P2W

— Stuart Gipp (@Stupacabra) January 12, 2023

Since the release of the first two episodes of Velma on January 12, 2023, the show has been receiving brutal backlash on Twitter with comments mostly focused on how problematic the show is, and placing the responsibility for that squarely on the shoulders of executive producer and showrunner Mindy Kaling. Kaling is being criticized on Twitter for the way that the diversity on the show comes across as insensitive through the use of patronizing stereotypes. Viewers are not only upset with her for forcing her own experience into what should have been the experience of Velma, but are also annoyed that Kaling is seemingly unable to portray Indian girls as anything other than nerds. Her own continued trope of the Indian “loser” girl that we’ve seen from her many times before (see Never Have I Ever; The Sex Lives of College Girls) is beyond tired and people are rightfully critical of it: 

No, apparently it’s just mindy kaling projecting through an established character pic.twitter.com/Y0CRpAL0UH

— ????? ????̀?? (@antisocial_yana) January 13, 2023

While yes, it’s 2023, and diversity in shows is not only something we want but something we expect, viewers are claiming this show not only fails to do its diverse cast justice but instead makes a mockery of what could’ve been a great show. Twitter has not yet ceased its fire directed at Mindy Kaling for ruining what could have been a great spin-off.  

Velma is… extremely not good.

It reads like a right-wing YouTuber’s clumsy understanding of what a “diverse” show is.

Which, given that its showrunner is Mindy Kaling, who has faced criticism for transphobia and once described herself as “way conservative”, kind of makes sense pic.twitter.com/LI4wO1e8pN

— Bad Writing Takes ?️?️‍? (@BadWritingTakes) January 12, 2023

While it is always hard to do a successful reboot, especially of an all-time favorite show like Scooby-Doo, Velma has so far done a seemingly terrible job. With an incredibly low score of 50% on Rotten Tomatoes and an even lower 8% audience score, Velma will have to make a lot of improvements in order to win its audience back throughout the rest of its season (we wish it good luck with that).  

Top Image from HBO Max

Last month, much to fans dismay, HBO canceled their popular series, Minx, about a young woman trying to start a feminist magazine (sound familiar?). But as a person who watches way too much TV and loves the classic girl boss trope, I can tell you that I’m beginning to get used to saying goodbye to my favorite female-led shows way before their time. Even though actresses and writers share their talent, heart, and ever-changing stories to create series that address female struggle, race, class, and queerness that many fans can relate to, many of these shows don’t last as long as they should. Women are finally getting greater representation in TV, both in front of and behind the scenes— according to a recent report, women made up 63.1% of television staff writers, and 42% of streaming programs identified a sole female protagonist, in the 2019- 2020 season. Yet, it is disheartening how often shows that offer so much to their audiences are canceled after only a few seasons (sometimes only one!). The result of a combination of low ratings and bad timing, their stories are cut short leaving fans with unanswered questions. Here are some shows that didn’t make it to their final curtain call. 

 GLOW:

Alison Brie stars in this three-season show which told the story of an undiscovered actress in 1980s Los Angeles who joins a bedazzled women’s wrestling group. Working alongside other Hollywood misfits, they make their mark in the land of stars. 

The show was picked up by Netflix back in 2017 for its 3rd and 4th season. To the surprise of its leading actresses and critics, Netflix will not be renewing GLOW for its 5th and final season. From episode 1, you notice that each character has their own unique story to tell, with many of them centering around LGBTQ+ identities and other struggles of marginalized people. Brie spoke to Decider about the show not being renewed by Netflix. “it will forever live on as, like, this great thing. I loved working on it — maybe more than anything I’ve worked on! — and I miss it a lot. But I feel very grateful for the time I had on the show.”

 Minx: 

Taking place in the ‘70s, the ambitious Joyce Prigger (played by Ophelia Lovibond) strives to create one of the first female-focused magazines with a feminist twist. With the financial support of Doug, a sleazy publisher (played by Jake Johnson), the idea changes to one of a feminist publication that will discuss issues surrounding women’s oppression, while also displaying full male nudity. When the new magazine, now titled Minx, is published, it grabs the attention of the community, in both positive and negative ways. With such an outspoken magazine, problems occur leaving the future of the publication at risk.  

HBO Max canceled Minx while filming season 2, which left fans and critics amazed by the sudden change. Minx was one of many shows that got the kibosh during the merger of HBO Max and Discovery Plus. Star Johnson took to social media to plead for Minx to be picked up by another streaming service. “From what I am hearing S1 & S2 (and hopefully S3) will find a new home, the question is where… We appreciate all the online support. We love making the show and hope to continue to. It’s a crazy business & that’s partly what’s so additive [sic] about it.”.  

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by jake johnson (@mrjakejohnson)

 Good Girls: 

Good Girls aired in NBC’s Sunday night lineup from 2018-2021, telling the story of three moms overcoming their financial issues via money laundering and robbery. Putting everything on the line to take back their lives, problems get in the way of the main characters. After robbing a local store, the moms notice that the money actually belonged to a gang who they will soon work for. Gang leader, Rio, orders Beth (played by Christina Hendricks) to start making deliveries taking her young kids along for the ride; and this is just the start of a new life of crime for this suburban mom. Christina Hendricks, Rhetta, and Mae Whitman continued the show for four seasons before it was canceled in 2021. With limited programs that focus on working moms taking on real-world problems, it was unfortunate that the show had to end. 

 My So-Called Life: 

In the ’90s, teenager Angela Chase (played by Claire Danes) goes through high school surrounded by drugs, alcohol, and conversations about sexual orientation. In the season one finale that ended with a cliffhanger, Jordan (played by Jared Leto) works to win back Angela after a drunk night with her close friend Rayanne (played by A. J. Langer), leaving Angela and Rayanne’s friendship on the line. 

ABC canceled the show due to low ratings—it was airing up against Friends (1994), Martin (1992), and Mad About You (1992) during that time. Fans and critics were still stunned that My So-Called Life was canceled, and ABC made an effort to boost ratings by airing it on MTV. There was even a petition released by fans calling for season 2 to start production, but when the time came, Danes was no longer interested and had moved on to bigger roles, including starring in Romeo and Juliet (1996). Unfortunately, we will never know if Angela got back together with Jordan, if Ricky found a place of his own, or if Angela’s dad had an affair.

 Freaks and Geeks: 

After failing to receive high enough ratings, NBC canceled this coming-of-age show after its first season. Lindsay Weir (played by Linda Cardellini) turns from geek to freak with her annoying freshman brother Sam Weir (played by John Francis Daley) just being a geek. A couple of kids click within their groups, with some going to comic conventions (geeks) or delving into the punk style of music (freaks). Creating ‘80s nostalgia while set at a Michigan high school from the ‘90s, Judd Apatow (creator of the show) gives his audience a bird’s eye view of drug addiction, dating, and puberty. 

In recent years, Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000) has gained much traction, blowing up on TikTok from 2020 to now. Fans pulling clips from Youtube and reposting to the social media platforms led to fans discovering full episodes on Hulu. We all remember the time when we wanted to try an uncommon hair-do like Daniel, or change our identity because we like a boy just like Sam, or closed ourselves off from others by acting like the “tough girl” and having a hard time fitting in. The show gives audiences the pleasure of reminiscing about old high school days and showing us that we weren’t all that different from who we are now. 

With such an interesting starting point and relatable characters and subject matter, fans from the ‘90s through today are still disappointed that the show was prematurely canceled.

 The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: 

This was one of the many shows that Netflix and other platforms canceled due to the pandemic. With only four seasons, referred to as “parts” by the show’s creator, actress Kiernan Shipka stars as Sabrina Spellman in this coming-of-age show adapted from the 1996-2003 series Sabrina The Teenage Witch in which she battles half angels, dark magic, and evil forces. 

Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa confirmed that part five was already in the works and that the story would have centered on a war between the witches, but did not gain enough traction to move to filming. 

Thank you for all the love, #sabrinanetflix fans. Part Four is our best yet and Part Five, “Witch War,” would’ve been AMAZING. To be continued in the pages of #CAOS comic book… ?????‍? pic.twitter.com/wNvTfxYNfX

— RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) July 10, 2020

 At the end of the day, viewers crave any cliffhanger, but only if we know that the show will return. With the uptick in female representation in the TV industry, it’s clear that audiences want to see stories about outspoken female rebels, moms taking back their lives financially, and women inventing a feminist revolution through a magazine. All we can hope for is that future shows we fall in love with don’t get canceled too soon. I’m looking at you, Minx.

Top Image: screengrab from GLOW Netflix 

We’ve been seeing a whole lot of Wednesday Addams’ creepy, yet cute, on-screen looks since the release of Netflix’s Wednesday in late November, but Jenna Ortega wasn’t the first to bring an “every day is Halloween” vibe to a beloved character. Goth is a music-based subculture derived from punk rock that became big in the ‘80s thanks to artists like Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, and Joy Division, but the accompanying look (think big hair, big shoes, big eyeliner, and lots of black and fishnet) has been evolving since the beginnings of pop culture. Read on for a list of gothic girls in TV and film that have been enchanting audiences from the early 1900s through today. 

Theda Bara in Cleopatra (1917)

Photo Credit: Fox Film Corporation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Theda-bara-cleopatra.jpgPerhaps the first to embody the “vamp” – an often darkly-dressed seductress who uses her femininity and sex appeal as a weapon – archetype, Theda Bara was a silent film star known for playing dark and sultry “femme fatale” roles. Starring in more than forty films between the years of 1914 and 1926, Theda Bara’s persona, propped up by studios at the time, was a fictitious one of an Egyptian woman interested in the occult.

Maila Nurmi as Vampira in The Vampira Show (1954-55)

Maila Nurmi brought to life her iconic vampire persona after getting noticed by program director Hunt Stromberg in 1954, when he was searching for a way to sex up his channel’s late-night horror screenings. She began appearing as Vampira whenever she left the house, and quickly rose to celebrity status as a result. The Vampira Show was canceled after just eight months on the air, as Nurmi had no desire to sign over the ownership of her character.

Carolyn Jones as Morticia Addams in The Addams Family (1964-1966)

Photo Credit: ABC Television, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carolyn_Jones_John_Astin_The_Addams_Family_1964.JPGThe Addams Family’s leading lady, always clad in a long, simple black gown with a plunging neckline, was played by Carolyn Jones in the original television adaptation of the franchise, though the role has since been reprised by the likes of Anjelica Huston and Catherine Zeta-Jones. She is a skilled musician and caring mother to children and plants alike and has a disdain for the pleasant and cheery.

Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster in The Munsters (1964-66)

Photo Credit: Unknown Author, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yvonne_de_Carlo_in_1964.jpgWhen the first Munsters’ matriarch was scrapped after the pilot episode due to resembling Morticia Addams a bit too much, Yvonne De Carlo’s character was born. Lily is a reasonable yet fiery-tempered vampire housewife who, while stunning with her black and white hair and elegant gothic dress, works as a welder, a fashion model, and a beautician throughout the course of The Munsters.

Cassandra Peterson as Elvira in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988)

Cassandra Peterson’s darkly inclined “valley girl” persona – with a big attitude and the bosom to match – got her start as the host of Elvira’s Movie Macabre, a weekly B-movie presentation. Her carefully curated aesthetic, charm, and twisted sense of humor won her enough popularity to star in her own film in 1988. This was only the start of her ongoing career, which has included countless cameos, voice-acting roles, reprises of Movie Macabre, and appearances on reality shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race. Elvira’s unique combination of campy glam and funeral chic solidified her as one of the most legendary goth girls in entertainment history.

Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice (1988)

Photo Credit: Screengrab from YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuuqzkZ5MtY&t=26sWinona Ryder’s reputation as a gothic icon began in 1988 with her starring role in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, in which she plays the morose and darkly-inclined teenager Lydia Deetz. In the film, she serves classic romantic goth looks while delivering memorable quotes, such as “I, myself, am strange and unusual” and “my whole life is a dark room,” still seen on T-shirts and in social media bios to this day.

Fairuza Balk as Nancy Downs in The Craft (1996)

Photo Credit: Screengrab from YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfFL3vTABxcFairuza Balk was hugely influential for baby goths in the ‘90s in her role as the main antagonist of The Craft. Sassy, bitter, and a powerful witch, the character of Nancy popularized the look that combines goth and grunge, with dark lipstick, spiked chokers, oversized leather jackets, and plaid skirts, and inspired a generation of witchy outcasts.

Pauley Perrette as Abby Sciuto in NCIS (2003-2018)

Photo Credit: Screengrab from YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZvWkM38KvwNCIS’s Abby perfectly embodied early ‘00s casual perky goth by combining spikes and skulls with pigtails and the occasional splash of color. Pauley Perrette played the forensic scientist whose bubbly personality and spooky looks made her one of the most popular actresses on primetime television until her departure from the show in 2018.

Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Rooney Mara brought an androgynous, cyber-goth sensibility, complete with piercings and a partially shaved head, to her breakout role in the 2011 thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in which she played brilliant yet antisocial computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. In the subsequent film, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, the role of Salander was given to actress Claire Foy.

Natasia Demetriou as Nadja in What We Do in the Shadows (2019-) 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by What We Do in the Shadows (@theshadowsfx)

 In FX’s TV adaptation of the hit 2014 film of the same name, comedian and writer Natasia Demetriou plays Nadja, a friendly and nurturing (and extremely horny) 500-year-old Romanian vampire who is always dressed to the nines in extravagant gothic glam.

Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in Wednesday (2022-)

Photo Credit: VLAD CIOPLEA/NETFLIXThe Addams Family’s youngest daughter has been winning over audiences with her dry, morbid sense of humor since the ‘30s, but Jenna Ortega’s portrayal of Wednesday in the new Netflix original series puts a delightfully modern spin on the character. Though her fashion sense is much more aligned with contemporary goth trends, the latest iteration of Wednesday pays homage to black-and-fishnet clad icons of yore, such as the legendary Siouxsie Sioux, known for rocking over-the-top Cleopatra-esque eyeliner and black hair teased to the sky back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Film buffs and fashionistas alike have been suckers for a spooky queen for the greater part of the last century, and who can blame them? There’s no indication that Goth will ever go out of style – it’ll only continue to evolve, as evidenced by the wild popularity of Wednesday and the presence of ‘80s and ‘90s inspired dark fashion trends on our “For You” pages (Do the mini skirt and striped arm-warmer clad “E-girls” of TikTok count as Goth? Argue amongst yourselves!)

Top Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Social media was abuzz following Lizzo’s performance on Saturday Night Live’s final episode of the year, during which she performed “Break Up Twice” off her latest album Special. While going viral for a jaw-dropping performance isn’t new, the Grammy-winning songstress pulled off something particularly poignant this time. In front of a blue backdrop, donning a white slip dress while sitting on a bed, the 34-year-old pop sensation re-created the famous painting Blue Monday by the late Black artist Annie Lee.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating)

Annie Lee (1935-2014) was an artist famous for her expressive use of body language and movement in her work to illustrate everyday moments in African-American life. Blue Monday is Lee’s most famous painting and only self-portrait. A deliberate stylistic choice present in Blue Monday along with the rest of Lee’s paintings is the absence of faces. This allows the body language of the figures to do the storytelling while creating an opportunity for the viewer to project themselves or others onto the painting. The piece depicts a tired-looking Black woman slumped over as she seemingly struggles to get out of bed in the morning – inspired by Lee’s work at a railroad job. 

Many of Annie Lee’s pieces feature women at the forefront; the artist told the Chicago Tribune in 1997, “I think my paintings connect me to women. I know that how I feel is the way a lot of women feel.” This quote, in the context of the exhausted female figure in Blue Monday, brings to mind the “strong Black woman” archetype – the damaging expectation for Black women to remain resilient and persevere through being overworked and abused. While Lizzo did not explicitly state why Blue Monday inspired her vision for the performance, the iconic singer’s choice to pay homage to Lee’s masterpiece created a moving display that combines the cross-generational creative power of two Black female innovators; it’s no surprise that viewers quickly took to social media to express their adoration. In the above Instagram post, the second slide includes a tweet which reads, “Uniquely Black in America @lizzo is unapologetic about her place in the cultural zeitgeist. This hung in every Black household at the turn of the 21st century. It fully encapsulates our mood today. We are beyond tired. #snl” 

The amazing Lizzo paid homage to one of our great artists Annie Lee and her Blue Monday. Annie Lee was Chief clerk at a railroad to pay bills. Blue Monday possibly her most famous work, and her only self portrait. Say her name!!! #AnnieLee #BLACKARTIST pic.twitter.com/ADXk60hFK3

— Sonari (he/him) (@Sonari) December 18, 2022

Lizzo’s homage to Annie Lee’s ‘Blue Monday’ is gonna live rent free in my mind for awhile!

— Shelton Boyd-Griffith (@flyrebel) December 18, 2022

Lizzo took the SNL stage for the third time in her career, following indie rock group the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ last-minute cancellation of their scheduled appearance due to illness. In addition to “Break Up Twice”, she performed a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Someday at Christmas”. Watch her stunning performance below. 

Photo, top: Screenshot from YouTube

Winter has come at last! And here at BUST, we’re delivering tons of inspiring articles to cozy up with for reading season! Legendary screen siren and Wednesday actor Christina Ricci is on our cover! Plus, we’ve got interviews with the nonbinary creator and star of HBO’s Sort Of, Bilal Baig; iconic designer Betsey Johnson; and some incredible women from the Black Panther Party! Inside, we also explain how to become an “abortion doula,” how to take full advantage of the cold water swimming trend, how to make the best vegan ramen evs, and so much more! Subscribe today to get our current issue. 

AND GET READY FOR EVEN MORE TASTY TIDBITS, INCLUDING:

• Native American Drag Queens
• Down Syndrome Activist and Actor Lily D. Moore • How to Create Your Own Artist’s Retreat
• Sustainably Packaged Beauty Products
• The Best Suitcases on the Market
• Tons of Music, Book, and Movie Reviews
• and More! 

Dolce and Gabbana Dress; Piers Atkinson Headpiece; Gold Band Ring: Ricci’s Own.

Here are a few choice quotes from our feature interview with Christina Ricci, conducted by Eliza C. Thompson:

On Filming the new season of Yellowjackets and hanging with her female costars

‘We consider ourselves very lucky to have a group of women like this. That is something we’re really proud of. We have dinners and we talk about what we think is gonna happen [in the next Yellowjackets script] and what we hope is gonna happen and what we’re afraid is gonna happen. All that stuff. Every script that comes out is better than the last one. They’re really good, and I think we’re all feeling really excited more than anything else.”

On the tabloid rumors surrounding her divorce from James Heerdegen in 2020.

“When Iwas younger, there used to be paparazzi everywhere and, you know, websites like Perez Hilton. I’m sure that still exists, but it was really popular at the time. The attention [from the tabloids] wasn’t shocking. What happened in reality was way more disturbing than anything that could have been written in a tabloid. Like, I was actually dealing with real things. So, anything that someone wrote in a tabloid was, for me, almost inconsequential.”

On how she deals with anxiety

“Usually, [anxiety] makes me wake up at around 5:00 a.m. every day and I spend that time just doing this—it’s not really a meditation—but it’s something someone taught me a long time ago where I basically walk myself through the day, and I decide in advance how I’m going to manage any situation that could happen. How I’m gonna feel, how I’m gonna react. By doing that and then going through my whole day, it actually makes me feel more able to get up and go.”

On her new baby, Cleao, and son Freddie

“My free time is pretty much just taking over for the nanny. Honestly, my biggest hobby right now is creating delicious soft foods for my baby. I’m just like, ‘Oh my God, I can make savory French toast.’ That’s what I do now in my downtime: experiment with making extremely soft but palatable finger foods for my baby. {Freddie] loves Cleo so much. It’s really, really adorable. When he was off from school, he would go with the baby and our nanny to Cleo’s baby classes and, like, help with all the babies. He helps with her so much. He helps me when I bathe her and he always has to see her when she wakes up in the morning and then he always has to kiss her goodnight when she goes down. And I’ll pay him to watch her for, like, 20 minutes at a time.”

Dress: Fendi; Pamela Love Necklaces

Christina Rici photographed By Emily Shur

Styling By Turner // Makeup By Allan Avendano

Hair By Brian Fisher // Nails By Jolene Brodeur

The smash hit Sort Of made history last year as the first TV series to center a non-binary character. Here, its co-creator and star, Bilal Baig, discusses how the show came into being, the influence of their South Asian culture, and what “queerness” means to them

Bilal Baig is having a capital-M Moment. The 28-year-old transfeminine writer and actor has scored big success with the debut of their CBC/HBO Max dramedy, Sort Of, where Baig is co-creator (with Fab Filippo, Queer as Folk), co-writer, showrunner, executive producer, and star.

The show centers on Sabi Mehboob, a genderqueer, Pakistani-Canadian millennial who works as a nanny by day and a bartender by night in Toronto. They deal with family pressures, dating while trans, unexpected opportunities and disasters, and the dysfunctional family for which they nanny. Sort Of is hilarious, moving, relatable, and very, very queer. And after a hugely popular debut, Season Two was released on December 1 on HBO Max.

I chat over the phone with Baig from Toronto, where they’ve lived and worked for the last six years. Baig speaks gently, taking their time to get to the heart of each topic, and over the course of an hour, our conversation flows easily. 

Baig grew up in a suburb of Toronto, the child of Pakistani immigrants. In their younger days, they took their identity at face value. “I didn’t spend a lot of time reconciling my sexuality and gender identity with my faith and my skin color and cultural upbringing,” they say. “It just all ended up existing together, and you just move through the world and you figure out whatever you need to figure out.” 

U3 TORONTO PANTS; REMARK BY LAUREN TOP; SHOES: COURTESY OF VANESSA MAGIC; BELT AND JEWELRY: STYLIST’S OWN

Figuring it out took time, however. “I grew up in a big family with big personalities and lots of tempers. I’m the third kid out of four,” Baig says. “I couldn’t figure out how to stand out in the family. I discovered that I actually enjoyed being quieter and observing people, paying attention.” Cultivating that power of observation paid off. “It was great to grow up in a family that was so dynamic, because it gave me a sense of how different human beings can be when they’re forced to live together. [It was] one of the things that helped me as I determined for myself [that] storytelling is the way I want to go in the world.”

Baig pursued storytelling in theater school, where big discussions about identity were just beginning to pop up. “I grew up in the late ’90s, early 2000s. I was just seeing a lot of mostly whiteness and cis-ness and straightness, and I assumed that that was the norm.” That assumption didn’t last long, however, as Baig learned to find their voice. “I would center myself in my own stories. For a while now I’ve been curious about building a world that feels reflective of the kinds of worlds and spaces that I’m a part of. A real multiplicity of identities and ages and genders and colors.” 

“What if the lead of a series is somebody like myself?”

“I was in a lot of circumstances where I was working intimately with people who are quite different from me and I was thrilled by that. I’m kind of twistedly into that, in spite of the hurdles,” Baig explains about their time at school. It was their theater work in Toronto that led to an auspicious meeting with fellow actor Fab Filippo, who asked if Baig was interested in television. “I really wasn’t; I found it quite terrifying! But I think life, especially as an artist, will take you wherever it wants to.” The two began working out ideas. “We were both tickled by, ‘What if the lead of a series is somebody like myself?’ We hadn’t seen a brown and trans nonbinary millennial, working multiple jobs.” In developing the show, they found a lot of humor together. “We were able to make each other laugh, especially when we were just sharing life stories back and forth. Some of Sort Of is true from my life, some of it is true from his life, and we just kind of smashed these things together.” 

Sort Of is full of queer humor. “This thing about queerness, when it’s not attached to specific identity, [is] to be a little abstract or weird, or be drawn to things that feel atypical, or just outside the boundaries,” they explain. I can hear the smile in Baig’s voice as they proudly recount how the show is resonating. “I’ve got a lot of amazing queer trans friends and they think that the first season of the show felt like a nice hug from a cool queer friend.” 

INWARD CLOTHING TOP; ARMED JEWELRY NECKLACE AND RINGS; BRACELETS: BAIG’S OWN.

“I try not to freak out a lot, or all the time.”

But Sort Of received accolades from far more than Baig’s circle of friends. The show was nominated for Outstanding New TV Series for the GLAAD Media Awards and won a coveted Peabody Award. The show swept the 10th Canadian Screen Awards, nominated in 14 categories with 3 wins. This was despite Baig refusing to submit for consideration due to the binary nature of the Best Actor and Best Actress categories (something the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television has changed for the future). “In our first season, to achieve something like that—these are big, big recognitions. It’s major. I try not to freak out a lot, or all the time,” they say with a wry chuckle. 

One of the most interesting relationships in the series, which draws from Baig’s own experience, is that of Sabi and their mom, Raffo, as Raffo struggles to accept her genderqueer child. What’s striking, though, is that the mother is presented neither as a hero nor as a villain. “That was pretty intentional,” Baig confirms. “This character is not an exact representation of my mom. But one thing that felt really powerful for us was to present this relationship between mother and queer trans child in a nonantagonistic way—but it’s [also] not cheery and perfect. It’s a big, big turn on for me to watch human beings in their fullness, which includes the good and bad and pure and evil and right and wrong.” 

Baig makes sure the character of Sabi is seen the way they want to be seen. “It helped that there were other South Asian writers in the room. It became about letting the culture be a character in this show, not the thing that Sabi is running away from,” Baig explains. “One of the things I love is the way in which [Sabi] just exists. They’re wearing bangles all the time. There’s a total mixture of who they are, which includes the South Asian heritage as well as their queerness.”

“I had a real fun time collabing on [Sabi’s look] with the wardrobe department,” Baig says, laughing. “Sabi’s a thrifter. Asian culture is so embracing of colors and patterns and shininess and vibrancy. There are a couple of pieces in our wardrobe that are completely South Asian, but they’re chopped up and either turned into crops or they’re paired with a belt and chunky boots. There’s a fluidity in the wardrobe.”

U3 TORONTO PANTS; REMARK BY LAUREN TOP; SHOES: COURTESY OF VANESSA MAGIC; BELT AND JEWELRY: STYLIST’S OWN

“For some people, there’s an immediate discomfort in seeing my face at the center of something.”

 Considering the world we live in, I ask whether there has been any backlash to the show. “My friends tell me not to read the comments when trailers of the show are posted, and I know, for some people, there’s an immediate discomfort in seeing my face at the center of something,” Baig explains. “I know it’s meant a lot for queer and trans South Asian, specifically Muslim, people, but I don’t think our world is completely in the place it needs to be to celebrate a story like this. I think there’s still a lot of hateful rhetoric out there, but I don’t let it reach me. And I’m trying not to do that terrible thing where I Google and find out for myself.” 

Season Two of Sort Of promises to be full of surprises. Guest stars will include Amanda Brugel (The Handmaid’s Tale), Raymond Cham Jr. (The Big Leap), and queer comedy legend Scott Thompson (Kids in the Hall). What will audiences take away from the season? Baig turns the question over with their trademark thoughtfulness. “It’d be awesome if this season allowed audiences to reflect on love. I feel like it’s an extension of the idea of being seen. If you start to feel that way in this world, then what does it mean to accept and receive love?” 

By Phoenix Leigh // Photos by Kate Dockeray // styling by Mars Alexander // hair by Maxine Power // makeup by Olive Grey 

Caption for first image: INWARD CLOTHING TOP; ARMED JEWELRY NECKLACE AND RINGS; BRACELETS: BAIG’S OWN.

The Cramps. Black tulle. Dope cello solos of “Paint It Black” on the roof. What’s not to love?

Nevertheless, many adults are not into the new Wednesday show on Netflix, partially directed by Tim Burton, because of the teen rom-com angles but in my opinion, that’s low-key the whole point. The eight-episode first season is one filled with teenage angst with a heaping dollop of macabre feminist flair.

First off, the cast: perfection. There were hesitations swirling the internet when it was announced that Luis Guzman was to play Gomez, but his portrayal of the Addams family father couldn’t have been more spot-on. His tender and unflinching love for his “little storm cloud” is deeply endearing, especially when Wednesday recounts the ways he’s taught her to fend for herself in a world of treachery. Catherine Zeta-Jones kills it as matriarch Morticia with her signature black bell-sleeve gown and porcelain skin. The parental pair, although dark in spirit, provide a handful of lessons to be learned in unconditional love for your child. They meet Wednesday where she is, choosing paths and actions out of respect for the way she sees the world without undermining or belittling her, allowing her to flourish in her way which in this case means saving a whole school from evil. No biggie. Then we have Christina Ricci, as the Nevermore’s first “normie” teacher Mrs. Thornhill, whose ties to Wednesday are especially close as she played the Addams daughter in the 1991 movie The Addams Family. Nevermore Academy’s head honcho, Principal Larissa Weems, is dazzlingly played by Gwendoline Christie who you can more read more about in Bust’s May/June 2019 issue.

Yes, it’s a teen drama-comedy. Yes, it has relationship drama and friend trouble. Yes, they do indeed go to Prom and do all they can to not become their parents. But let’s be real and not act like we didn’t expect all of this prior to the show debuting, when Netflix has been picking up teen-angled otherworldly spoofs for years (some of which originally premiered on the CW) like Riverdale, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and Fate: The Winx Saga. And it’s fabulous. We love it. Here’s why:

Outcasts and weirdos will never not appreciate being represented on TV. As a (not so) former teenage goth girl whose iPod was loaded with the likes of Avril Lavigne, Hole, Liz Phair, and Garbage, I found solace in characters whose hair was blue and whose boot soles were three inches thick. Perfect for stomping on hearts and kicking down the door of the Patriarchy. No matter how much you stand by the idea of being a lone wolf and liking it that way when you’re in the thralls of teenagehood, it’s undeniable that seeing yourself reflected in some form of media is comforting and inspiring which is deeply important at a time of such acute uncertainty.

Secondly, I am not innocent of groaning at the cheesy woke-esque lines in modern teenage TV shows, as it often feels like a fairly obvious stretch to a specific demographic like middle-aged political figures using TikTok dance trends to appeal to new and young voters. It’s a fine line between the cringe of Regina George’s mom and the cool of Lorelai Gilmore. Wednesday, however, has hit the nail in the coffin when it comes to culturally relatable one-liners in subtle but “damn that was good” ways. With quotes from Morticia such as, “men like you have no idea what it feels like to not be believed,” when confronting the mayor about covering up classmate’s Garrett’s intentions to harm Nevermore students, and queen bee Bianca’s line in reference to her mother, “fire tests gold, suffering tests a woman,” the tone of feminism is not missed and is fluid enough that it feels authentic rather than decorative.

Third, the cinematography is cool as hell. Color and lighting carry a ton of weight when it comes to tone in movies and TV, Wednesday included. The use of dark colors and creative angles gives the show an extra layer of dismal, witchy, disturbing goodness. There’s no way we can’t talk about the Prom dance scene. Jenna Ortega’s self-choreographed routine from episode 4 “Woe What a Night” was immediately iconic. The straight-on camera angle of Wednesday’s lowered face and piercing eyes accentuates the confident abnormality of the character, further driving the point of creepy crawly with a from-above camera angle that captures a quick snap back of the neck that had me screaming in a good way. In an interview with Netflix, Ortega admits she felt quite self-conscious about this scene due to not being a dancer or choreographer.

In a tweet regarding the dance to The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck”, she says her inspiration for the dance came from watching videos of goths dancing in clubs in the 80s. Again, love.

Thanks to Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse’s Rich Man’s Frug, Lisa Loring, Lene Lovich, Denis Lavant, and archival footage of goths dancing in clubs in the 80’s. Helped me out on this one. https://t.co/zlxlv1JUW4

— Jenna Ortega (@jennaortega) November 25, 2022

*****Spoiler alert ahead*****

“Murder, monsters, mayhem. What fun!” But what’s next? Everyone is asking the question, will there be a second season? While nobody from the cast or crew has confirmed a follow-up season of Wednesday, there are some major suggestions in the last episode as well as some easter eggs in interviews with cast members. In an interview with Digital Spy, Gwendoline Christie speaks on the seeming end to her character Principal Weems, “I feel like Larissa Weems would not really be prepared to entertain or be dominated by anything as commonplace as death.” Hmm, noted. That suggestion, the cliffhanger ending of season one, and co-creator and executive producer Alfred Gough’s comment that he and co-showrunner Miles Millar are “discussing it” in an interview with Daily Mail all point to the definite possibility of more Wednesday to come.

For more Wednesday reads, check out our interview the latest Bust cover girl Christina Ricci in Bust’s Winter 2022 issue. Subscribe today!

Photos credit: Netflix

Hair swinging, air guitar, teenage rage. The first shot of Amazon’s new TV series High School (2022) consists of two identical girls headbanging together, immersed in their own world, symbiotically connected through their joy. The scene abruptly ends with the two twin sisters entering a new world, but this time not together, as they are about to enter their own separate lives as high school students.

Based on the New York Times-best-selling memoir by musicians Tegan and Sara Quin, High School is 8-episode series that follows the two twin sisters at the beginning of their new lives as teenagers in high school. It depicts how the Canadian band, Tegan and Sara, first started playing and writing music together in their basement as young adults. They have since released ten critically acclaimed studio albums and received a Grammy nomination in 2012 for their live album Get Along. Sara and Tegan are portrayed by actors Railey and Seazynn Gilliland, who were discovered on TikTok. 

High School takes place in 1995 when Tegan and Sara are fifteen years old. The aesthetic of the series bears the mark of the ‘90s grunge. Living in a suburb of Calgary, Alberta, with their mom, Simone (Colbie Smoulders), and their stepdad, Patrick (Kyle Bornheimer), Tegan and Sara spend their days listening to rock music, fighting with their mom, and hanging out with their friends. We follow the twins as they navigate through the brutal hierarchy system in high school while making new friends, and attempting to stay connected to old friends– all while trying to find themselves in this new stage of life. They struggle with finding an identity just as any other teenager, but with twins, the journey is a bit harder: how do you find yourself when you’ve always relied on your sister to complete you?

Tegan and Sara have been close their entire life, but as high school approaches, they are starting to figure out life without being instantly connected. Tegan is struggling to create relationships without her sister, while Sara is having a hard time realizing that she and her sister’s relationship is not something to take for granted. The parallels between the two sisters and the rest of their immediate circle of acquaintances are shown visually, often showing the same scene from different sets of eyes. The subtle way of revealing the character’s vulnerability and thoughts gives the viewer a different perspective on each character throughout the eight episodes. The series does a remarkable job of showing those little moments where you feel like you get a glimpse of the person’s most vulnerable emotions. 

Railey and Seazynn Gilliland star in High School. Credit Michelle Faye/Amazon Freevee

High School is a glimpse into the lives of teenagers in the mid-90s. It’s a beautifully written show about the harsh reality of being a teenager; trying to fit in, and trying to stand out simultaneously. Discovering your sexuality as well as accepting it. Attempting to separate from your twin sister during a period when you may need her more than ever. Tegan and Sara’s journeys are merged into each other through their love for one another, and we see them reconnecting through their mutual love of music. The bond of a twin is difficult to imagine for people without one themselves, but High School is an honest view of teenage life and what it feels like to always have someone by your side– for better or for worse.

All eight episodes of season one of High School are streaming now on Amazon Freevee.

Photos by Michelle Faye/Amazon Freevee

I love a good queer period drama. Carol is my favorite Christmas movie. Gentleman Jack sent me on a deep dive through the Anne Lister Diaries on Audible.  I’ll even go for a screening of If These Walls Could Talk 2. The stomach-twisting stress of the closet of generations past usually leaves me with an affirming sense of relief. My queer family can move through the world not only safely, but seen.    

As my streaming service algorithms predicted, when queer applause exploded for Prime’s reimagining of A League of Their Own I was on board. Set in the middle of World War II, the series follows the creation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.  The main plot lines trace the queer characters as they navigate their own identities and relationships within the systemically homophobic, racist boundaries of the 1940s American Mid-West.  I eagerly settled into the series, anticipating the smug gratitude that comes with the distance of modernity. But Abbi Jacobson’s reimagined series left me feeling something else. Watching the characters navigate the realities of queer life in 1943 is chilling.  Same-sex attraction would be considered a serious mental illness for another three decades making involuntary commitment and lobotomy –  the surgical severing of the frontal lobe of the brain – a constant fear. State legislatures passed laws, empowering local police to arrest openly queer and trans people, raid queer friendly establishments, and harrass and intimidate “suspected degenerents.” This violent, carceral element compounded the social and political ostracization of queer and trans people for decades.  

Throughout the season the queer characters speak frankly about self-enforced “rules” to avoid outing- flirt with men to appear straight, never engage in public affection, and avoid any bar that welcomes you.  Living an authentic queer or trans life has rarely been simple, but the cost of outing and the corresponding weight of the closet is determined by the force behind the fall-out. Throughout the 1940s, 50s, and 60s government-led attacks on queer and transgender people destroyed lives. Stonewall for instance, was a literal riot with drag and trans legends like Stormé Delarverie and Marsha P. Johnson at the helm. Thousands of LGBTQ civil servants were branded as national security risks and forced out of government careers. The FBI infiltrated and monitored the early gay rights organizations of the 1950s, including the Mattachine Society–an early secret organization for LGBT activists. Police entrapment and prosecution under anti-sodomy laws through the 1970s left many queer people feeling hunted and dehumanized.  Beyond anti-sex laws, powerful censorship policies silenced queer media and publication houses and erased queer characters from films. Television stations aired jaw-dropping public service announcements designed to cement the villanization of queer people, particularly gay men.    

I know this history, but the final episodes of the season still exposed a nerve that I struggled to name. Then, this past August, a teacher in my homestate of Oklahoma, faced termination, and was later forced to resign, because she provided her students access to books by writers like Zora Neal Hurston, poet Maya Angelou, and Kurt Vonnegut.

 The books defied a new state law–House Bill 1775, a new law banning critical race theory in the state. Thinking about the transformative impact these writers had on me at 17, it hit me: Jacobson’s portrayal of lesbianism in the 1940’s – the weight of the closet, unrequited and forbidden love, and general demonization of one’s personhood, does not feel safely settled in the past.  

In the past two decades, advances in Congress and the courts have fundamentally changed queer people’s relationship with the government and with each other. Passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr., Hate Crime Prevention Act in 2009, codified the terms sexuality and gender identity for the first time in federal statute, signaling a national commitment to ending hate based violence. Over the course of two decades, the Supreme Court overturned anti-gay sodomy laws, and in 2015, gay marriage was recognized as a Constitutional right across the US. For my generation, coming out may cost us friends, roommates, or faith communities, but these threats don’t seem to be largely sanctioned by the government. But that might not actually be the case. Victor Madrigal-Borloz, a UN Independent Expert has warned the Biden administration that human rights of LGBTQ people are being deliberely underminded by some state governments, and to tighten up. 

 In June of 2021 Florida governor Ron Desantis signed a bill barring transgender girls from playing on public sports teams with cis-gender females. In August Florida Gov. DeSantis’s relied on a 75 year old court case to threaten a popular drag brunch restaurant. This past June republican, Texas representative Bryan Slaton announced plans to ban children from drag shows.  

 The upending of civil rights isn’t just relegated to the queer community. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ban of Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion state legislatures have wasted no time in restricting reproductive and healthcare rights. The state of Florida is being accused of using a third-party digital app to track female-athletes’ periods.

With well-funded, stunningly popular ideologues at the helm and acquiescence from party leadership, the MAGA movement is pedaling a 1930s style anti-knowledge, anti-woman, anti-LGBTQ platform that reeks of ambition and dangerous scape-goating. Need help sorting the real from the fke? This guide to media literacy is a good place to start. We must find new ways to respond to exclusionary rhetoric and to hold persistent pushers of division accountable at the ballot box, in the pew, and at the dinner table. Many women are using female past times like knitting and needlework or baking as a form of protest.  Operation Save Abortion has plenty of resources and tips on actionable steps to take to protect reproductive rights. Black, trans-led collective, For the Gworls throws parties to fundraise for Black, transgender people. 

Now is the time to re-center our humanity through unrelentless authenticity and radical empathy for ourselves. We have the lessons of history and human rights activists, but we are the makers of the future.

header: screenshot from youtube 

For most people, autumn is representative of change, whether that be with moving into a new place, transferring schools, or starting a new job. These changes, while positive, can be difficult sometimes. To make your transition into the new season (literally and figuratively) as comfortable as possible, we’ve compiled a list of cozy 90s TV episodes to give you that dose of nostalgic charm.

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1 E7 “Angel”

If you’re looking for a binge-able show to get you in a spooky mood, Buffy is a perfect pick. This teen vampire drama centers around 17-year-old Buffy, played by Sarah Michelle Prinze, who is the chosen slayer that’s tasked with clearing the world of the walking dead. From cheesy one-liners such as “I’m the thing that monsters have nightmares about. And right now, you and I are gonna show ‘em why.” to badass stage fights, Buffy’s an easy heroine to root for. Although her ultimate goal is to destroy the vampires, one not-so-evil bad boy has caught her attention. In episode seven of the first season, viewers get the first insight into the character arc of Angel (David Boreanaz), a once ruthless killer who has been cursed with having a soul, changing his perspective on evil versus good. This episode truly captures Buffy’s struggle between wanting to live her teenage life and fulfilling her responsibility as the slayer, making human problems seem much chiller in comparison.

2. Felicity S2 E2 “The List”

Keri Russell plays the main character Felicity Porter in the hit show Felicity, centering on her move from her hometown to New York City following high school graduation. When it comes to a young adult coming of age, this show has it all: toiled romance, self-discovery, and a dramatic haircut. Potentially the most talked about episode of the decade, episode two of the second season of Felicity is a big mood. When her boyfriend, Ben (Scott Speedman), starts acting cold and aloof, Felicity consults advice from a magazine column on how to win him back. After determining he’s pulling away as a result of commitment fear, she decides to focus on her own needs and cut the relationship off. Then, like all bad bitches who feel boxed in, she chops off her hair to signify a new beginning. This episode was a huge shock to viewers, as women cutting their hair short was not a widely accepted norm at the time. The actress received a ton of negative feedback including actual death threats, but nevertheless, she has been openly proud of the moment since the start. The fierce feminist moment inspires major validation to anyone who’s the thralls of a big change.

 3. Sabrina the Teenage Witch S3 E18 “Sabrina the Teenage Writer”

Sabrina the Teenage Witch was a high school favorite among many young witches due to the quick wit and loveable awkwardness of the main character Sabrina, played by Melissa Joan Hart. In this episode, Sabrina is falling behind in her creative writing class so her aunts Hilda (Caroline Rhea) and Zelda (Beth Broderick) suggest she tap into the poetic side of the writing experience by using an old-school typewriter for inspiration. What she doesn’t realize is this typewriter has magical abilities to turn her characters into reality.  Soon enough, these characters cause chaos throughout the school, requiring her and her aunts to band together to destroy the vivid characters she’s brought to life.

4. Dawson’s Creek S2 E21 “Ch..Ch..Changes”

In many ways, the season of autumn is representative of change: changing seasons, starting school, and turning over a new leaf. This episode of Dawson’s Creek is as wonderfully dramatic as it is packed with talk of big, life-altering changes. When Pacey’s on-again-off-again girlfriend Andie (Meredith McPhee) has a sudden appearance from her absent father, they face their relationship’s biggest conflict. Andie’s dad, played by David Coleman Duke, has shown up to take her away from the Creek. When it seems she’s going to have to leave after all, Pacey takes her to their spot at the docks for one last dance before she leaves. Between the parental versus child angst and the forbidden teen romance, your fall angst cup is sure to overflow.

5. Charmed S1 E1 “Something Wicca This Way Comes”

Okay, so first off, the title of this first episode alone is enough to make you want to break out the cinnamon-scented broomsticks and light a circle of white candles. Following the death of their grandmother, the sisters gather at the home they’ve inherited. The Victorian-style home sits on a small hill covered in fallen leaves, giving strong autumn vibes and instantly transports you to this witchy world. While exploring their new crib, they come upon the Book of Shadows stowed away in the home’s attic. Upon reading the first page aloud, each woman unlocks their own unique magical ability and harnesses the powers passed down to them through generations of witches. After this first episode, you’ll be chopping your hair into a bob, donning black satin dresses, and summoning spirits all day long.

6. My So-Called Life E1 S1 “Pilot”

The short-lived but much-adored creation of My So-Called Life hit us with another great pilot episode from the decade of flannel shirts and baggy pants. In this first episode, we’re introduced to the main character Angela Chase, played by Claire Danes, who is in the thralls of teenagehood. We watch her dye her hair red, pull away from childhood friends, act out in class, and start hanging with the interesting but troubled Rayanne Graff (A.J. Langer). By the end of this first look into Angela’s life, you’ll be breaking out the overalls, choker necklaces, and Doc Martens.

7. Saved By the Bell S3 E26 “Mystery Weekend”

Halloween spook is the perfect compliment to a heaping dose of ’90s teenage nostalgia. This episode begins with main character Lisa, played by Lark Voorhies, winning a radio contest for a weekend getaway at a murder mystery party. Things take a turn when people start disappearing throughout the giant mansion they’re all stuck in. This episode gives major Clue vibes for a surprisingly spooky and fun watch.

8. Friends S8 E10 “The One With Monica’s Boots”

Needless to say, Friends is a go-to watch when you’re in the mood for some ’90s nostalgia. There are a handful of great episodes to binge to get you into the fall mindset, from season four’s Thanksgiving episode to season two’s football in the park mishap. In “The One With Monica’s Boots”, Monica perfectly encapsulates the determined frustration over buying a pair of adorable new boots that turn out to be wickedly uncomfortable. 

9. That ’70s Show S1 E21 “Water Tower”

As a girl from Wisconsin myself, there are few shows that perfectly represent the bored angst of midwestern fall as well as That ’70s Show has. In this particular episode, the crew takes to climbing onto and vandalizing a water tower to kill time when Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) takes a dive off the edge, starting off a running gag throughout the show. Later in the episode, Eric (Topher Grace) walks in on his parents having sex and is completely traumatized. He unexpectedly receives comfort from his snobby older sister as a perfect representation of siblings being there for each other through the weird and the gross no matter how old they get. Fall feels come in hot with this episode with the back-to-school angst, brown-toned sweaters, and a carefree teenager mentality.

10. Boy Meets World S2 E7 “Wake Up, Little Cory”

Episode seven of the second season of Boy Meets World is a great representation of what can go wrong when rumors aren’t shut down in high school. When working on a class project surrounding the idea of love and sex, Topanga (Danielle Fishel) and Cory (Ben Savage) accidentally fall asleep at school while finishing their documentary. Word gets out, and Cory is hailed as a god for sealing a deal that never actually happened. Noticing how much praise he gets from his peers, Cory goes along with the lie and claims that he and Topanga did indeed sleep together. Topanga’s disappointed and hurt by his lies in a deep way, giving the audience a great example of the hurt that can be caused by a friend’s actions. Slightly dramatic, majorly sweet, and a whole lot of adolescent angst make this a wonderful fall watch.

Top photo by KoolShooters on Pexels

Beth Ditto is a bit nervous. This might sound unusual for a woman known for fronting one of the world’s preeminent indie-rock bands—and who has also posed nude for multiple magazine covers—but in her defense, she’s a little out of practice when it comes to speaking to the press. By the time we set a date to discuss her role in the upcoming FOX drama Monarch, the show’s premiere has been delayed for nearly a full year because of the COVID pandemic, and live music has only recently become a possibility again. 

“I was grasping at straws,” the 41-year-old says of being effectively unemployed for the past two years. “I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll open a daycare.’ I was really, really thinking of what I was gonna do, because music was gonna be over—I was really that afraid.”

These statements aren’t totally shocking in the grander scheme of everything awful that humanity has experienced since 2020, but it’s still somewhat surprising to hear a person known for her brash confidence express such uncertainty about her life’s work. “We were all shaking in our boots,” she recalls. “Is this the end of touring? How long is this gonna last? What are we gonna do?”

Ditto, whose government name is Mary Beth Patterson, is best known as the lead singer of Gossip, the punk band she formed in 1999 with friends from her home state of Arkansas after they’d all moved to Olympia, Washington—the city known for birthing the riot grrrl movement. The group rose to prominence in the mid-aughts at the height of what TikTok now calls the “indie sleaze” era: the Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, yes, but also skinny jeans, American Apparel disco pants, and thick, artfully smudged black eyeliner.

Gossip is not really what we’re here to talk about, though—at least not yet. Some fans may not realize that Ditto is also an actor, and she’s about to appear in what’s arguably her splashiest project to date. She has a starring role in Monarch, which is about a country music dynasty led by matriarch Dottie Roman (Susan Sarandon) and her husband, Albie Roman (Trace Adkins). Ditto plays one of their daughters, Gigi, whom Dottie describes as a “wild card” in one teaser. It promises to be a deliciously soapy drama in the vein of Empire and Nashville with an old-fashioned Dallas twist. Monarch isn’t Ditto’s first acting gig, but it’s certainly her most high-profile one—and she’s not ashamed to admit that she wanted it badly. “Gigi’s description was ‘a fat lesbian country singer,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I really want this part,’” Ditto says. ‘I rarely feel that way, but I was like, ‘I was made for this!’ Like, please give me this.”

She auditioned four different times before being told she hadn’t made the cut, but then fate intervened. “They came back in the next couple days and were like, ‘Actually, you did get it…and you have to be on a plane in two weeks.”

Ditto jokes that she’s only been acting “for 20 minutes,” but she brought a much-needed dash of the South to the production, which mostly filmed in Atlanta but is otherwise very Hollywood. “There are only two Southerners on the show, me and Trace Adkins,” she explains in her charming drawl. “I was always trying to sneak in with the writers, like, ‘This is a good colloquialism, try this!’ Trying to make it more Southern.”

Though her professional music experience was gained in the indie and punk scenes, Ditto still channeled her Southern upbringing to bring Gigi to life. Country is “something I love,” she says. “It’s something I grew up with, [going to] honky tonks and the VFW with my dad…. But I don’t really understand it. I think that’s why it’s fun to be a part of this, because everything’s a learning curve.”

The music industry portrayed in Monarch, however, is a far cry from the version Ditto is familiar with from her early days in the scrappy punk scene. The Romans live in a world where radio hits are still a thing, the only acceptable image is perfection, and presumably no one but Gigi has heard of Siouxsie Sioux. 

“We were radical feminist queers,” she says of Gossip’s beginnings. “No one’s goal was to become famous. Our goal was to pay our rent, and that’s an absolute truth.

While the band often appeared in roundups alongside the Strokes and other ingenues of the era, they never quite fit in with this scene, for a multitude of reasons. First, there was the music, which defied easy categorization thanks to Ditto’s gospel-tinged, bluesy vocals and the band’s disco-inflected beats. Secondly, they were unapologetically queer in the period just before major, mainstream pop stars started blithely discussing bisexuality and nonbinary pronouns on Instagram. (“Standing in the Way of Control,” from Gossip’s 2006 album of the same name, was a pointed response to the George W. Bush-era Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have federally prohibited unions between non-heterosexual couples.)

But more than anything else, there was the revolutionary way in which Ditto embraced her body on-stage and off, while surrounded by waifish pop stars baring their perfectly toned abs in low-rise jeans. Years before the phrase “body positivity” permeated the pop culture lexicon, there was Ditto, dancing on stage in a bustier, posing naked on a 2007 NME cover, and starting her own plus-size clothing line. She was a singular icon who could belt with the best of them in between friend dates with Kate Moss—and then Gossip just stopped.

 The band didn’t officially split until 2016, but Gossip stopped releasing new music in 2012, leaving a big hole where their danceable anthems used to be. Ditto dropped an excellent, glam-influenced solo album, Fake Sugar, in 2017, but otherwise, fans had to rely on old YouTube videos and weathered LPs for a fix.

Her personal life also underwent some major changes during Gossip’s hiatus. In 2018, she split from her wife, Kristin Ogata, after more than a decade together. She then started dating Teddy Kwo, a transgender musician who played bass in her band. Ditto and Kwo are still happily together, but she’s been open about the fact that it was sometimes a shock to move in the world as part of a couple that to outside observers looked traditionally heterosexual. “You forget what it’s like to be straight and for people to treat you like a straight person,” Ditto said in 2021 on the Homo Sapiens podcast. “You’re like, ‘Oh wow, this is, like, instant ease.’”

This was also the period when Ditto began acting. Her first screen appearance came in 2018’s Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, a dramedy directed by Gus Van Sant that also starred Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, and Carrie Brownstein. She played Reba, a woman whom Phoenix’s character, John Callahan, meets in AA; Reba helps him learn how to see his life from a different perspective. “They needed a, quote-unquote, big, fat, redneck woman,” she recalls. “And I was like, ‘Oh, I can play that. I know those people.’ I just pretended to be my aunt the whole time. And it worked!”

After that, Showtime tapped her for On Becoming a God in Central Florida, a dark comedy series led by Kirsten Dunst as Krystal Stubbs. Ditto starred as Bets Gomes, the wife of Krystal’s boss. The show flew under the radar when it debuted in 2019, but it was critically acclaimed and renewed for a second season. One year later, though, the network reversed the renewal because of the pandemic.

Gossip was also supposed to reunite around this time. The band got back together for a series of European shows in 2019, with hints that more dates—and possibly new songs—were coming soon, but, well, you know what happened next. Now, however, they’re finally ready to give things another shot.

“There’s a new Gossip record,” Ditto reveals, excitement sparkling in her voice. “It’s almost finished, and everything feels really good.” She has “no idea” when it’s going to come out, but fans can at least take comfort in knowing that it exists. And Gossip is also “definitely” going on tour, which is something Ditto legitimately worried would never happen again. That’s how the daycare idea came about—she’d spent much of the pandemic babysitting her nieces and her friends’ children, and she loves kids enough that she wouldn’t have minded veering in a very different direction from her former life as a dance-punk provocateur. 

“When [the Monarch] part came through, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m just gonna try really, really hard to get it, because [babysitting] is the only option I have right now,’” she says, laughing.

 Ditto’s career is full of moments in which she seems to have asked herself, “Well, why not?” before plunging forward into fields where she has no formal training but is still able to go pro with surprising speed. “What Would Beth Ditto Do” was literally the title of an advice column she wrote for The Guardian from 2007 to 2008, and it’s a motto we could all live by. Take fashion, for example: no one could have guessed that a person who looks like Ditto would become a muse for Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier, then go on to design her own plus-size fashion line covered in the pages of Vogue, but Ditto wanted to do it, so she did.

Fashion, however, is one area where Ditto seems ready to hang up her sequined hat. “I had fun doing it…and it was really hard,” she says of her clothing line. “I feel like now there are so many people who are better at it and who know what they’re doing and can actually manage a business…. I loved doing it, but I just feel like there are things I’m way more passionate about.

”The landscape has also drastically changed, with celebrities like Lizzo starting their own shapewear lines for “every body” and Sports Illustrated tapping a curve model for the cover of its swimsuit issue. No one would say that the battle for fat acceptance is won, but it’s certainly in a much different place than it was 10 years ago. “I’ve come to a place where body positivity, fat positivity, and the activism of it is beyond fashion to me,” Ditto says. “I think it’s because of my age. It’s something else for me personally, and I’m really glad to see people take over and do all these really rad things—and doing it better than I ever could, so that’s great.”

She hasn’t fully set aside her interest in making things, but now she just does it for herself. “I love to sew,” she explains, describing what she does on her increasingly few days off. “I’m very, very crafty. I love anything from crochet to knitting to punch needle to weaving—anything that has to do with a string, I’m there, I love it. I have a Cricut [electronic craft cutting] machine, I love that thing. So, I have a pretty banging craft room and I spend a lot of time in there.” Ditto also confesses that one of her greatest pleasures in life is the decidedly unpunk pastime of doing laundry at home in Portland, OR, where she lives with Kwo. “I’m just like, ‘Look at this organization,’” she says, laughing. “I really like to be like, ‘Mmm, all the pillowcases have been done today.’ I take a lot of pride in my house.”

It’s funny to imagine this glam-rocker-turned-actor sighing happily while doing something as domestic as folding sheets, but after years on the road, followed by the trauma of the pandemic, can you blame her for wanting to savor the simple things? The key word here is still “pride”—in yourself, your body, your work, and everything else. No matter how much changes, the answer to the question “What would Beth Ditto do?” remains the same: just be yourself.

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Fall 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

Photos by Christopher Dibble // Styling by Stone Jarboe // Hair by Blaine Provancha // Makeup by Annah Yevelenko. Dress: Elizabeth Dye, earrings: Max Saltzberg Estate, ring: vintage. 

Barbie Ferreira has announced via Instagram that she will not be returning for season three of Euphoria, and as the queen Maddy Perez once said, “bitch, you better be joking.” The high-stakes drama series on HBO created and written by Sam Levinson aired its second season this past January, and ever since fans have been hungry for more. Although the show mainly follows Rue, a teenage girl struggling with a drug addiction, the character Katherine “Kat” Hernandez (played by Ferreira), has always been a fan favorite. 

Barbie Ferreira will not return for the third season of HBO’s ‘Euphoria.’ pic.twitter.com/7MzN03xOGY

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 24, 2022

After rumors surfaced about tension between Ferreira and Levinson during the production of the second season, the actress said farewell to the series and made her departure public on her Instagram story. According to Variety, she wrote, “After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye. I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today. I put all my care and love into her and I hope you guys could feel it. Love you Katherine Hernandez.”

According to rumors, Ferreira’s departure from the popular show has been a long time coming. Vulture reported that on January 19 an anonymous tip was sent to Deuxmoi (a popular Instagram celebrity gossip account) claiming that Ferreira and Levinson had argued over Kat’s storyline going forward and, as a result, this led to “a severe reduction in screen time.” As fans began talking about the toxic work environment on Twitter, HBO shut down the rumors. According to Variety, HBO refuted this claim with the following statement, “The well-being of cast and crew on our productions is always a top priority. The production was in full compliance with all safety guidelines and guild protocols… We maintain an open line of communication with all the guilds, including SAG-AFTRA. There were never any formal inquiries raised.”

Since her announcement, fans have been expressing their sadness about Ferreira’s exit on social media. During her time on Euphoria, Ferreira portrayed a young woman who came into her own in the most spectacular way in the first season and plummeted emotionally and socially in the second. When we are introduced to Hernandez in the first season, she starts out as an insecure high schooler who struggles with body dysmorphia. However, as the season goes on, we watch her blossom and fall in love with herself as she embraces body positivity. She begins exploring her body and sexuality both online and off, and eventually starts dating Ethan Daley, her classmate turned boyfriend. In the second season, Hernandez becomes self-absorbed and cruel, and not like the character we once knew. Fans have been expressing their dismay over Hernandez’ character arc on Twitter. 

Yup, pretty sure those ‘rumors’ about Barbie Ferreira & Sam Levinson’s beef weren’t rumors after all.

I feel like there’s going to be a tell-all in the near future about what went on behind the scenes of ‘Euphoria’ & it’s going to be brutal. https://t.co/CC0zMmorXM

— Sha Hartley (@shahartley) August 24, 2022

Barbie Ferreira just announced that she’s leaving Euphoria THIS CANT BE ?? pic.twitter.com/tqv4XRqhee

— Romar Lucena (@romarlucena) August 24, 2022

So far, all other main cast members, including Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, and Alexa Demie will be returning for the third season. Ferreira was recently in Jordan Peele’s new movie, Nope, and just announced on her Instagram that she will be in the upcoming thriller House of Spoils alongside Ariana DeBose. We can’t wait to see what she does next. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by barbie ferreira (@barbieferreira)

 Header photo by Condé Nast (through Vogue Taiwan) via Wikimedia Commons

Sitting across from actor Sam Richardson is undeniably delightful. We’re in a crowded diner tucked between storybook homes and raspberry-colored bougainvilleas in the Hollywood Hills and we immediately bond over our mutual love of the ’80s cartoon Jem and break into its theme song. “To deny your inner nerd is to deny happiness,” he says.

Richardson is warm, and he smiles like he means it. He can also do unspeakable things with his body. “I have hypermobility. I did martial arts as a kid so I can still do a jumping toe-touch and the splits,” he tells me, referring to an incredible performance he delivered on the show Lip Sync Battle in 2016.

“I’m on TV, I’m a movie actor? It’s crazy to me. But if you’re too enamored it becomes too precious,” he warns. “You have to accept this as reality, but at the same time you have to revere and appreciate it.”

Despite over a decade in Hollywood, the 38-year-old somehow doesn’t seem jaded at all by the trappings ofTinseltown. (“I can see Hogwarts Castle from my kitchen!,” he exclaims when describing his home’s proximity to theHarry Potter theme park.) Perhaps best known for his role as Richard Splett on HBO’s Veep, Richardson has also become a go-to guy in plenty of other comedy projects, from his stints on Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, BoJack Horseman, and Ted Lasso to co-creating and co-starring in Comedy Central’s Detroiters to big-screen work in the upcoming Hocus Pocus 2. (Yes! There’s going to be a sequel this fall!)

“It’s as if I had written it myself,” Richardson tells me about his role inHocus Pocus 2, noting that the original was one of his favorite movies as a kid. “To participate as a professional and a fan, there’s no better way.” But working with an iconic cast including Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy can rattle anyone’s cage. “I think imposter syndrome is a very important part of doing anything,” he admits. “However, it’s important to get ahold of it because you need to be able to check yourself, like, ‘Am I supposed to be here? Ok yes, I am.’”

Growing up in Detroit and Ghana helped spark Richardson’s love of playing make believe. “We were so limited in what we would get to see out there,” he tells me of the few channels available to him in West Africa in the early ’90s. “When I lived in Ghana, my dad would come back and forth while my mom and I were there. He would send me VHS tapes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, and He-Man.” These cartoon care packages were the seed that inspired Richardson to follow his dreams all the way to Hollywood.

His most recent series is the macabre Apple+ murder mystery/romcom, The Afterparty. Each episode takes place on the same night of a high school reunion but is told from a different character’s perspective. Richardson plays a quirky escape room designer who finds himself reeling in regret over an unrequited love. However, the real Richardson is now relishing all the risks he took early on to get where he is today. “Am I in the dream? Am I gonna wake up?” he asks, still in awe that his plan to make it as an actor actually worked. “I get to live in the Hollywood Hills, I’m on TV, I’m a movie actor? It’s crazy to me. But if you’re too enamored it becomes too precious,” he warns. “You have to accept this as reality, but at the same time you have to revere and appreciate it.”

A key element to his success, it seems, is Richardson’s rejection of the standard saltiness that seems to come after a few years in showbiz. “When everything outside of you is something to resent, then the only place left to turn is inside. Either you’re going to be the light that pulls you out or you’re going to go even deeper inside,” he tells me. “When your curiosity for the world is dimmed, you’re just going through the motions.” As he says this, he accidentally knocks over the carafe of cutlery on our table and an onslaught of puns ensue. “Silver where?” he exclaims with a smirk. He just couldn’t resist. – Kelly Kathleen

Photos: Amanda Lopez

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Summer 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

Hulu announced on Monday that they would not be showing any Democratic midterm ads that contain “sensitive” themes, including abortion and gun control. On Wednesday, they announced a reversal of the controversial policy. This ban would have prevented candidates from sharing their stances on some of the most important issues in our current political landscape on Hulu, which is a prime platform to reach young voters as evidenced by the user statistics, which reveal that 37% of the subscribers are Millenials, and 17% are Gen Z. Democrats were furious about this censorship, and #BoycottHulu quickly started trending on Twitter. Although the ban was on any content containing these themes regardless of the stance, the ads that Hulu went under fire for rejecting were from Democratic organizations and candidates and expressed pro-choice and pro-gun control ideologies.  

BREAKING: @Hulu is REJECTING our ads calling out GOP attacks on abortion access and gun safety. Their shady policies amount to outrageous political censorship.

Americans deserve to know the truth about these issues, and Hulu has no right to block it. https://t.co/xEfpgASoBU

— Senate Democrats (@dscc) July 25, 2022

 The executive directors of The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Democratic Governors Association released the following statement after Hulu refused to run their joint ads on abortions and guns: “Hulu’s censorship of the truth is outrageous, offensive, and another step down a dangerous path for our country.” Congressional candidate Suraj Patel’s recent ad campaign was created to target young people binging TV shows on streaming platforms and focus on hot-button issues, but a Hulu representative was reported to have told Patel that there was an “unwritten policy” against showing sensitive ads, preventing them from running on the platform.

On Wednesday morning, a representative from Hulu’s parent company Disney shared the following statement: “After a thorough review of ad policies across its linear networks and streaming platforms over the last few months, Disney is now aligning Hulu’s political advertising policies to be consistent with the Company’s general entertainment and sports cable networks and ESPN+. Hulu will now accept candidate and issue advertisements covering a wide spectrum of policy positions, but reserves the right to request edits or alternative creative, in alignment with industry standards.” In short, they are rolling back the policy of censoring political ads that address hot-button topics and will allow these ads to run in their original form, as long as they follow cable standards. This quick turnaround follows intense backlash from Hulu’s patrons, including the aforementioned Twitter campaign and disparaging remarks from party leaders. 

Disney recently spoke out against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill after receiving backlash for staying silent on a bill doing harm in a state where they do so much of their business. Governor Ron DeSantis, a champion of the bill, threatened to punish Disney for their stance by taking away their ability to control the land around their properties, doing away with the special district that the corporation has functioned in since 1967. Corporations are now facing the reality that nothing will please everyone, but Disney’s continued success in spite of losing the right’s support proves that acting ethically, even if that polarizes some audience members, is the best business model. Disney has also announced that the new, ad-reliant tier of their streaming service Disney+ will not run political ads from either side of the aisle (they will also exclude ads for alcohol and rival streaming services). Since Disney announced that Hulu will be reversing the ad policy, discourse about censorship in the media has died down on Twitter. For Patel, this is a huge step towards being able to share authentic ads with his voters. In a conversation with Jezebel, the candidate articulated the debacle perfectly: “If you don’t talk about the biggest issues of the day, in my opinion—in this current period, it’s about abortion, climate change, and saving our democracy—then you’re going to sound out of touch.”

Top photo, colllage: Background photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash; Hulu logo from The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) are former high school friends from Miami who have recently reconnected. Shawna has bars, evidenced by minor early success, but hasn’t quite found that je ne sais quoi that sets her apart from the rest, plus some of her rhymes aren’t all of that (on one episode she writes a rap about student loans). Mia, on the other hand, is a single mother with a boisterous personality that she combines with sex appeal to survive everyday life. With Shawna just moving back home, it’s clear the two friends aren’t the closest they’ve ever been, and have morphed into completely different women. 

Much like with Los Angeles in Insecure, the city of Miami is the unofficial co-star of Rap Sh!t, from B-roll visuals, to musical selection (Trick Daddy’s “Take it to the House” is featured in episode one), and city native Kid Fury who writes for the show, Miami’s influence is all up and through the episodic series. The show is in part based on the life of hip-hop duo The City Girls, (who also executive produce). 

Jonica Booth appears as Chastity, the duo’s friend and wannabe music manager, who might not be as slick as she thinks she is. Former BUST boy du jour Jaboukie White-Young makes appearances as Shawna’s ex-producer who has blown up by selling out (basically), as does DomiNque Perry (Tasha on Insecure) who plays one of Mia’s homegirls, and who just doesn’t get Shawna and Mia’s rekindled friendship. 

The typical Issa Rae influence is there, as evidenced in Shawna’s awkward Black girl personality, a propensity to poke fun at current pop culture happenings. Shawna’s insistence to wear African-inspired tribal masks over her face while rapping, seems like a dig at female rapper Leikeli47, for instance. Many scenes are shot to look like an IG-live, Facetime, or TikTok video—which is clever cinematic device, considering the generation this show is for and about. 

As the series goes on we see the two tackle misogyny both from the industry and those around them. Mia, for example, is an online sex worker and faces discrimination accordingly. Shawna’s long-distance bae Cliff, played by Devon Terrell (Barry). is less than thrilled with the changes Shawna is making, especially with him being in law school and all. 

This might seem like a light-hearted show about two former friends faking it til they make it, and it is. 

At the core though, Rap Sh!t is really about two women in a big city who are trying to figure their shit out, and “make it”–whatever that means to them. 

Rap Sh!t is streaming on HBOMax now. 

Top photograph by Alicia Vera/HBO Max

On June 8, 2010, Pretty Little Liars premiered on ABC Family. It featured 4 teens, Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer, being stalked by an anonymous figure going by “A”, who appeared after their 5th member, Alison, mysteriously disappears. The show ran for 7 seasons and spun off into 3 series based on the characters and plots of PLL. Most recently, HBO announced that Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin will be launching on the streaming platform on July 28. Original Sin will feature a new generation of liars growing up in a new Pennsylvania town, trading out the fictional Rosewood for a real-life coal town. So, how is it tied into the PLL universe with no original characters and a different location? The original series’ notorious villain A is back, and has set their sights on a group of 5 high schoolers. Fans of the original series and new viewers alike are gearing for the 28th by brushing up on their Rosewood lore and grabbing their black hoodies out of storage. As we rewatch, we’re reminded of all of the moments in the original series that have not withstood the test of time. Before you sit down for your marathon viewing, here are 5 times that Pretty Little Liars was problematic as hell. Huge spoilers ahead.

1. Rooting For Ezria

In the first episode, Aria, another one of the protagonists, meets a mysterious man named Ezra in a bar and hooks up with him in the bathroom. The next day, in a turn of events, it’s revealed he is her new high school English teacher. They go on to date off and on for 7 seasons and even get married, despite the fact that they met when he was 25 and she was 16. As you would imagine, Aria’s parents condemned this relationship. They had been sneaking around for a few seasons before her parents uncovered their relationship, letting the audience fall in love with them together before a reasonable adult could point out what a remarkable creep Ezra was. It’s been proven again and again that nothing is hotter to a young adult audience than misunderstood love finding its way in a disapproving world. This is where maybe the biggest issue comes in; the audience (primarily made up of teenage girls) was rooting for them and hated her parents for not understanding their passionate, forbidden love story. Ezra was not a sex symbol, he was a sex criminal. Ezra also secretly dated Aria’s missing friend Alison before her disappearance and was surveilling Aria because he was writing a book about her without her knowing, meaning that he knew exactly who (and how old) she was when they met in that bar. He continues surveilling her and her friends throughout their on and off relationship, and somehow gets forgiven when Aria finds his hidden cameras. When your audience lands in such an impressionable demographic, you have a responsibility to not display student-teacher love as the highest and most natural form of intimacy.

2. Bury Your Gays

This trope refers to the practice of killing off queer characters in media at much higher rates than their straight counterparts. When creators view their queer characters as expendable, the surviving characters reflect that value. Although there have been an almost equal amount of deaths between queer and straight characters on PLL, this is remarkably skewed when you realize how many fewer queer than straight characters the series had at any given time. Emily, one of the core group of friends that the show centers around, is a lesbian whose girlfriends tend to meet gruesome ends. Her first girlfriend we met, Maya, and one of her last partners, Sara Harvey, were both brutally murdered. Shana Fring, an old fling of Emily’s girlfriend Paige, met a similar end. And Charlotte Drake? Well, she deserves her own bullet point.

3. The Only Non-Cis Character Is Literally “A”

Yikes. During what appeared to be a mad shuffle to find “big A,” it was revealed that the formerly missing Alison DiLaurentis had a sibling that she and the audience didn’t know about: a trans woman named Charlotte Drake, who we had met while claiming to not be related to the DiLaurentis family and going by CeCe. Alison met CeCe when she was dating Jason, Ali’s brother. We later learned that this made Jason her brother as well, but the creators never seemed to find time to contend with that detail. The reveal that A was trans would sit very differently if the show had other trans characters, but Charlotte was the first and last one they introduced. Because there is a dangerous idea that trans people are deceptive, it was a harmful and really loaded choice on the part of the creators to make one of the greatest villains, the ultimate “A,” the master of deception who had lived to fool the protagonists for 7 seasons, a trans woman. Although this choice was likely not deliberate and malicious transphobia, the harm of affirming a stereotype like this on a show that was reaching so many young people is huge.

4. Hefty Hanna

Hanna, another one of the liars, struggles with insecurities about her weight in flashbacks to when Alison was in Rosewood. Alison, notorious for being a mean girl to even her closest friends, makes constant comments on Hanna’s weight and gives her the nickname“Hefty Hanna.” Ali encourages Hanna to binge and purge, leading her to develop bulimia. We never really see her recover from it, it just appears to make her more conventionally attractive and then go away. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, or ANAD, states on their website that “35-57% of adolescent girls engage in crash dieting, fasting, self-induced vomiting, diet pills, or laxatives”. When your target demographic is the same group most likely to suffer from disordered eating, it’s unwise to represent purging as a way to lose weight without any real consequences. 

5. Forgiveness For Alison

After years of bullying, manipulating, ruining the lives of, and actually blinding anyone who crossed her path (not to mention faking her death and opening her friends up to the wrath of “A”), she comes back and eventually most people are just okay with her. From an audience perspective, it was hard to believe that she had truly changed and been redeemed, mostly because she only appeared to be sorry towards people she needed something from. The writers portrayed her evil to run so deep, so far beyond the typical high school mean girl, that her redemption would have required really radical change and true regret, which we just didn’t see after her return. The holdouts, including Jenna who was blinded by a “prank” pulled off by Alison before she went missing, are demonized. After she returns, Ali asks her friends to lay their lives on the line for her again and again and they do it without question. What message does this send to viewers whose love maps are in the middle of developing? Forgiveness is a good thing, but demonizing a character for holding a grudge against the person who blinded them is not. This show had a bizarre attitude towards boundaries at every turn.

So, what does this mean for the impending premiere of Original Sin? The streaming series has huge shoes to fill, spinning off a cult classic with a fanbase that has stayed loyal even since the show went off the air in 2017. Because the original series had so many habits that sit extremely poorly with your average 2022 viewer, Original Sin faces the challenge of finding a new, more conscientious tone while staying true to the lovable campiness of the 2010 series. Check out the first two episodes on July 28, only on HBO.

Abbi Jacobson, best known as one of the two broads on Broad City, is co-creating a new TV series,A League of Their Own,, based on the 1990s baseball film of the same name. Amazon Prime released the trailer this week. Spoiler Alert: It’s queer and inclusive!  

The original film featuring Geena Davis, Madonna, and Tom Hanks was directed by Penny Marshall and took place in the 1940s when the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was established in response to the World War II draft that pulled millions of men from American soil. It was a time for women to showcase their athletic ability and determination. Unfortunately, it was also a very racist era. Jacobson and her creative partner Will Graham plan to tackle this issue by putting a spotlight on some of the sensational Black players like Toni Stone, Mamie Johnson, and Connie Morgan who disrupted the game by playing in the Black men’s league. 

 The 2022 version also explores how the AAGPBL was a place for queer women to come together to build community in a safe environment.  

 In an interview with EW, Graham said, “the most exciting part was that in a lot of pre-Stonewall stories, you don’t get to hear a lot of period queer stories that have a happy ending. For the most part, someone invents something really remarkable, and then they get murdered or something horrible happens to them. Here, this is a story about people who maybe didn’t fall in love with the people the world wanted them to, but they had a dream, and they found a way to fall in love and do the thing they wanted to do. That’s as heroic and amazing and still as relevant now as it was in 1992 or in 1942.”

The series premieres on Amazon Prime August 12. Until then, you can check out the Netflix documentary of the real-life lesbian couple that met while playing in the league. 

Or you can watch the original film here. It is, after all, the season of queer love, and we deserve more gay entertainment that doesn’t end in tragedy! 

 Top photo: Screenshot from YouTube. 

In her 2020 Netflix standup special 3 in the Morning, comedian Sam Jay tells a story about taking ‘shrooms and going to The British Museum. “I walked in and I was, like, ‘Holy shit!’” she says. “Because it was wing, after wing, after wing of stuff and…I was, like, ‘Wow! White people stole all this shit! Stole so much shit! That’s crazy. They stole everything in this motherfucker.’ The audacity! That’s the real word to describe white people. Not racist. Audacious.” Like any comedian worth their salt, Jay is not afraid to “go there.” And in fact, her act is full of stuff we’ve all been been privy to in our private group chats, but Jay makes that discourse public.

After four years spent as a writer on Saturday Night Live while developing her standup career, the writer-turned-actor is now putting her stank on Bust Down, her new show being produced by Lorne Michaels on Peacock. A dark buddy comedy set in Gary, IN, the series follows four friends working dead-end jobs at a casino. Created with fellow comedians Chris Redd, Langston Kerman, and Jak Knight, the show manages to remain light and screwball-y, while also tackling important issues like sexual molestation, infidelity, homelessness, and colorism.

“We just wanted to make something really silly and we didn’t want to think about anything besides the jokes and what was making us laugh at the time,” says Jay of developing Bust Down. “It’s really a labor of love done with my closest friends in comedy for the last five years.”

Though she started off as a writer, Jay is just as comfortable on screen as she is behind the scenes and she likely has SNL to thank for that. “I feel like [working there] made me a better comic—a better artist overall,” she says. “When you’re working there, you’re writing, but you’re also producing your own sketches and doing a lot of the behind-the-camera work for what’s going to eventually be seen in front of the camera.”

PHOTO: SCHAUN CHAMPION; SACAI JACKET

In 2018, while on BUST’s podcast, Poptarts, the 40-year-old became the first guest in the show’s history to proclaim herself not a feminist. But despite not wanting to politically align herself with any one cause or movement, it’s clear to anyone who has seen an episode of her HBO late-night talk show, PAUSE, that personal and creative freedom are important to Jay. Produced with Prentice Penny of Insecure fame, her half-hour late-night show ditches the desk in favor of an intimate house-party setting where Jay delivers a thematic monologue to a small group of up-and-coming comedian friends. Episode topics range from an examination of the racial slur “coon” to our obsession with gossip and celebrities to Black conservatives to pregnant studs (aka Black, masculine lesbians).

Now that the second season has premiered, Jay tells me she is eager to dive deeper, not just on the show, but with her career as a whole. “I talk about my brother going to jail, my fear of death, and losing my mother young,” she says of her new, ongoing mission to share more of herself than ever before. “I’m getting more personal and more nuanced with the conversations I’m having while still leaving it open for everyone to find themselves in it, too.” –Niesha Davis

Season two of PAUSE with Sam Jay is streaming now. 

header photo:  SCHAUN CHAMPION, GROOMING BY CLAUDIA LAKE; STYLED BY TYSHA AMPADU FOR THESTYLEHICLUB NY; CASABLANCA SHIRT; WARBY PARKER GLASSES

As a writing professional and former sex worker, Minx piqued my interest. A show about two communities that interest me? Sign me up!

Set in 1971, we meet Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond), an idealist and writer, as she is giving a presentation of her feminist magazine, The Matriarchy Awakens, to a bunch of male 1970’s magazine executives at a magazine pitch convention. She’s serious about her stuff, urging them to be on the “right side of history” and these men are… just not interested. One even points at the woman on the cover of her magazine mockup  and asks, “Why is she so angry?”

She leaves the convention defeated, but with one surprise ally: Doug Renetti (Jake Johnson of New Girl fame), a non-sleazy porn publisher who mostly believes in her vision, and wants to fund it, with a few small tweaks—a centerfold and lots of dick pics paired with the brainy articles. The first few episodes find Joyce, ever the entitled white woman, pushing back hard on this, constantly lecturing and talking down to her fellow co-workers, and even the women she claims she wants to help, like her housewife sister (Lennon Parham), who she eventually ends up enlisting in her efforts. 

Other characters rounding out the ensemble include Bambi (Jessica Lowe) a nude model who frequently works with Doug and who has been appointed to help get Joyce’s magazine up and running. She plays the role of 1970’s bimbo with a heart of gold, and, over time, discovers she’s got ideas, too. 

What I really enjoyed from the three episodes I was sent to review was the commentary on internalized sexism that can often exist in feminist movements. It’s clear Joyce has studied “the greats”: Beauvoir, Wolf, Friedan, Nin—but she doesn’t seem to know how to connect or translate these academic thoughts and ideas to a more accessible tone or viewpoint that women might actually want to read. Plus, she seems to be a prude—a judgmental one at that.

Minx also tackles double standards, racism and stereotypes (on arriving at Doug’s office for the first time, Joyce sees Tina (Idara Victor) Doug’s right-hand woman, not secretary, sitting in the meeting, and asks her to get her some tea), along with changing ethics in the thick of the women’s lib and civil rights movement of the early 1970’s.

For better or worse, the series also gave me some serious flashbacks to all of the issues of censorship I had to deal with when I was working as a magazine editor in China.  I love a good period piece ,and the costuming and styling was spot — it very much gave The Deuce  vibes, but without all of the seediness, which is cool if not terribly realistic for a show that is set smack dab in the middle of 1970’s porn valley. I guess only time, and more episodes, will tell. Either way, I’ll be watching. 

Minx is streaming now on HBOMax

photos: Katrina Marcinowski

Four days ago, comedian and talk show host Trevor Noah devoted a ten-minute segment on The Daily Show to defend Kim Kardashian. Noah emphasized the concerns we should all have about Kanye’s behaviors toward Kim, calling out victim-blaming, and how the public constantly ignores women in need until it’s too late.

Unpacking the Kim-Kanye-Pete situation and the harassment many women face when trying to leave a relationship. pic.twitter.com/qF3cfiYL9R

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) March 16, 2022

On Wednesday, Kanye was banned from Instagram for 24 hours for using racial slurs against Noah for his segment on Kim. Using a play on words, Kanye had captioned a screenshot of Noah with the repeated phrase “Koon baya my lord” referring to Kumbaya, My Lord, a gospel song with African roots, effectively calling Noah a racial traitor for speaking out on Kim’s behalf. This, just hours after he ​​posted that he was “really concerned” Pete Davidson would get Kim “hooked on drugs.”

Kanye has been repeatedly expressing publicly that he wants Kim back, captioning Instagram posts and texting her nonstop— but his public behavior has grown more and more aggressive and abusive toward Kim. Ultimately, Kanye’s messages have grown threatening and with such a big fan base, even idle threats can be very dangerous, especially against public figures.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at the Met Gala in 2019, Photo courtesy of Cosmopolitan UK via Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

In case you lost Internet access eight years ago and are just now getting it back, here’s the story:  reality TV star Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West got married in 2014, and now have four children together, though they’ve known each other for almost 20 years. The pair have been something of a power couple for a while, but there were reports late last year that their relationship was on the rocks, citing a “big fight” between them in December. After seven years of marriage, Kim split with Kanye in January of 2021 and officially divorced him just this month.

But then, after Kim started dating Pete Davidson in October of 2021, nearly ten months after she split from Kanye, the rapper became more and more belligerent. Kim even had to ask that he stop posting targeted messages on Instagram and mentioning Pete publicly because she was afraid someone would try to hurt Davidson. More recently, Pete has been contacting Kanye directly, asking him to leave Kim alone. To read all of the leaked texts from the Pete-Kanye discourse, look here. 

But Kanye’s harassment recently took a turn to something more serious. In a new claymation music video from Kanye West and “The Game,” for their song “Eazy”, Kanye’s clay character kidnaps, buries, and decapitates a Pete Davidson look-alike. The song itself has the infamous lyric “God saved me from that crash / Just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s ass.” And if that wasn’t enough, in an alternate animated video for the song, a red monkey (the symbol for the album cover) beats up a blurred-out version of Pete Davidson. 

Screenshot from Youtube

As Noah points out, art is therapy, but “therapy is also therapy.” Even though Kim is known as someone who loves attention and publicity, Noah makes it clear that this doesn’t mean she’s safe from being harassed by Kanye. “If Kim cannot escape this…then what chance do normal women have?” Noah said. Although anyone following this story can see that what’s happening between Kim and Kanye is a terrible situation, Noah has a personal connection to the impacts of domestic abuse and violence through his own parents’ story. Noah only alludes to it in the video, mentioning that his mother was shot by her spouse, and that before it happened, everyone chose to ignore the signs. “One of the things I found most interesting was how often people told my mom she was overreacting.” 1 in 3 women have experienced intimate partner violence, and according to an article published by Health and Human Services in their Violence and Victims Journal, emotional abuse is the most common type of interpersonal violence—48% of women report having experienced psychological aggression. Ultimately, the story of Noah’s parents is an even more tragic one. 

Noah’s biological parents got divorced when he was young, but his mother’s next husband, Noah’s stepfather, was abusive. He once beat Noah’s mother with scrap bicycle frames, and that kind of abuse became a regular occurrence. In 1996, Noah’s mother left him for good but in his rage, he tracked her down and shot her in the face. He then went off in search of Noah, intending to shoot him as well, leaving Noah’s mother for dead. Thankfully, he never found Noah, Noah’s mother survived, and eventually, Noah’s abusive stepfather ended up in prison. Noah spoke out as someone who experienced what happens when the harassment escalates and gave a serious tone to an issue that is played up for entertainment in the tabloids. 

Just hours ago, Pete Davidson canceled his trip on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin flight into space, opting to stay earthbound. Many believe this is because of Davidson’s concern for Kim and the harassment she is facing from Kanye. A once-in-a-lifetime chance, and he canceled the trip. Perhaps it is time for us to take these issues more seriously—how long will it take before we think it’s gone too far and do something about it?

Top image: Screenshot from Twitter

Reservation Dogs’ Devery Jacobs will never be “The perfect Mohawk woman”

When Devery Jacobs graduated high school, she was at a crossroads. She had explored her love of acting both in school and through local community productions, but she wasn’t sure she could seriously pursue it. Jacobs, who grew up in the Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory in Quebec, knew parts for Indigenous actors were extremely limited. “It was a time when all of the roles for Indigenous women were stereotypical Pocahontas-type parts,” she says from her home in Los Angeles.

“I remember telling my agent, ‘If I’m going to have a sex scene, it can’t be in buckskin.’” 

In 2013, she landed her first leading role, in the independent film Rhymes for Young Ghouls, written and directed by Mi’kmaq filmmaker Jeff Barnaby. That experience, she says, changed everything. “It was the first time I’d seen a character that was reflective of my community,” Jacobs says. “It just proved that our stories are worthy and valid, and I’ve been finding ways through my storytelling to support Indigenous people ever since.”

Now, at 28, Jacobs is starring as Elora Danan in the FX on Hulu comedy Reservation Dogs, which centers around four Indigenous teens who bring mischief to their rural Oklahoma town. The series was created by Indigenous storytellers Sterlin Harjo, who is also the showrunner, and Taika Waititi, who is best known for writing What We Do in the Shadows (the movie and TV show) and Jojo Rabbit. Reservation Dogs is also breaking barriers with its entirely Indigenous writing staff and directing team, and a mostly Indigenous crew. “The fact that Reservation Dogs exists is astounding,” Jacobs says. “I never thought we’d be able to achieve something like this.”

Jacobs, however, also admits she couldn’t be more different from her character, who steals a delivery truck in the show’s first episode. “She’s way more badass than I could ever be,” says Jacobs. “I grew up as a people pleaser. I wanted to be the perfect Mohawk woman, but it never felt right.” 

According to Jacobs, that compulsion to please others finally subsided when she moved to the city of Montreal and “stepped into her queerness.” “I felt like queerness was not a Native thing. I would have really benefitted from a femme, queer, Indigenous woman who was open and proud [on TV],” she says. “That’s why I’m so open and honest about it. It’s so desperately needed.” 

Reservation Dogs also touches on the subject of suicide in the Indigenous population, which is especially prevalent among LGBTQ youth. “I want to stress how important you are, how loved you are,” says Jacobs about the cultural impact she hopes her show has on queer young people growing up the way she did. “Back in the day, pre-colonization, you’d be considered sacred. There’s a whole community of us waiting for you.” 

In Season Two of Reservation Dogs—coming out this spring—Jacobs will step into an additional role as a writer. She also has a slew of other projects in the works, including producing and acting in an independent feature film about cheerleaders, which brought her back to her roots as a competitive gymnast, and voicing the “bubbly and silly” character Alasie in ARK: The Animated Series, which also stars Elliot Page, David Tennant, and Russell Crowe. Due to the pandemic, Jacobs says she mostly recorded her part at home in a closet, a fact she shares with more than a hint of irony. “There’s probably a joke in there somewhere.” 

photographed by Erica Génécé

Top & skirt: SpaBoy X 100% Silk; Earrings: Niio Perkins 

styled by Chad Burton, makeup: Aya Tariq, hair by Deyah Cass Adore

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Spring 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

Over the past decade, we’ve been seeing a boom in television programming made by women, for women. During the 2019-2020 television season, women comprised 45% of major characters on broadcast, cable and streaming programs, while a historically high number of women have been credited as creators, directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors, and directors of photography on streaming programs in the United States. As a result, audiences have been seeing an uptick in television that centers the female experience. In short, feminist television is having a moment, and it’s certainly been a long time coming.

There is no one concrete definition of feminist television; rather, what defines a show as feminist can be attributed to several important factors. For example, most of today’s feminist television shows have several things in common – they have a female protagonist, pass the Bechdel test, have a majority of female writers and creators behind the scenes, and storylines focused on character growth and self-reflection rather than romance or serving the interests of male characters, to name a few. Essentially, feminist television shows tell stories that showcase any and all aspects of the female experience, unrestricted by how they might be viewed through the male gaze. The female experience as it is understood globally has also grown broader with the inclusion of trans and nonbinary experiences under the feminine umbrella as well, thus calling for more inclusion of not just cisgender women, but trans women and nonbinary people with female experiences on these writing and creative teams. This then translates into a wider variety of female characters and stories on screen, which allows for greater female representation.

Television has long been a vehicle for cultural criticism, with its early twenty-first century “golden age” centered around the archetype of the “problematic man.” Just as in real life, male television characters – such as Tony Soprano of The Sopranos, Walter White of Breaking Bad, and Don Draper of Mad Men – were allowed to be complicated, morally gray, and deeply interesting on their own as they navigated topical themes such as mental health, toxic masculinity, power and corruption, and economic downfall. Female characters, on the other hand, were often written shallowly or one-sidedly, reduced to props or used to further progress the man’s hero journey. This pattern mirrors the tired (and misogynistic) idea that a woman has to just be one thing – a housewife, an accomplice, a sexual object, a sounding board, a mirror for the protagonist to use for his own gain. They were also often white, and conventionally attractive.

Thankfully, the tide has been shifting in recent years, most notably with the emergence of woman-centered stories with mixed gender or majority-female creative teams. Jenji Kohan’s Orange is the New Black is one notable example, having received critical acclaim upon its release in 2013 for its honest and varied approach to telling the stories of black and brown incarcerated women, thereby highlighting the injustices within the American criminal justice system. When I first began watching OITNB on Netflix, I had no knowledge of what it might be like to be an incarcerated woman of color, and no vehicle for even beginning to understand that experience; the show functioned as a way for me to spark that interest and initiate that understanding. 

Though my interest in feminism wasn’t spawned from watching television (rather, from 2013-era pro-choice Tumblr sites), watching television and identifying with feminist characters has deeply influenced my feminist identity, and broadened my horizons when it comes to seeing and understanding female stories. It began with Glee, my favorite show as a teenager – a 2009 coming-of-age musical dramedy that broke barriers on how stories of sexual, racial, and gender identities were told on television. I particularly identified with Lea Michele’s Rachel Berry, a relentless diva with dreams of a Broadway career. Rachel Berry was probably not a feminist – she cared more about herself and her individual struggles more than understanding anybody else’s – but her determination, drive, and fearlessness inspired me to chase my own dreams, regardless of what stood in my way. Like Rachel, I was a singer – but I had never taken my love for it seriously (ironically, I was a very practical child who always knew musical dreams were unreasonable). Watching Rachel star in her high-school Glee club inspired me to join my own school’s choir – which led to me pursuing choir in college and beyond. To this day, singing remains a hobby of mine that provides unparalleled joy – and I never would have pursued it if not for Rachel Berry’s influence on me. 

via GIPHY

Though a television show does not have to break barriers or make a grand declaration against oppression in order to be considered feminist (think lighthearted comedies like Tuca and Bertie and Broad City, for example), OITNB is a shining example of what feminist television often seeks to achieve: through telling these woman-centered stories, the writers are bringing light to larger issues relevant to the fight against intersectional oppression. Hand-in-hand with relatability goes representation. When we widen the amount of representation being shown on screen, a larger audience is able to relate, which makes certain shows more accessible and thereby more successful. According to a 2021 study performed by ViacomCBS that surveyed over 15,000 people, 85% of respondents agreed that representation has an impact on the real world by influencing people’s perceptions on complex identities, thereby leading to a better understanding of these identities. When it comes to specifically female representation, a 2017 study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media found that 90% of women globally feel that women role models in television and film are important; while 61% found that female role models in the media have been influential in their lives. 

For me, that role model was Dr. Callie Torres, played by Sara Ramirez, on Grey’s Anatomy – a Latina-Irish “Ortho Goddess.” I was the type of girl who felt invisible when it came to racial representation; as a child I would watch the Disney channel, where I, despite not being Middle Eastern, identified primarily with Princess Jasmine from Aladdin because she was the only princess with skin that didn’t look like the surface of a pearl. Seeing not just a Latina character on screen, but one that identified as half-Irish like me, was monumental. So, this isn’t just a niche thing, I thought to myself as I watched her bop around the OR, holding bone saws and scalpels and being a general badass, there are other people like me. It opened up a whole new sense of understanding myself and what I could be capable of. Looking back from a time where such representation is becoming more common, it almost feels ridiculous that such a simple thought could be so emotionally moving.

Callie Torres(Sara Ramirez) of Grey’s Anatomy

As I grew older, other characters in my favorite shows provided kinship and understanding of different female experiences– I watched Diane Nguyen (played controversially by Alison Brie) of BoJack Horseman, a feminist writer not unlike myself, struggle with independence and racial identity as she figured out her life. Rachel Bloom’s Rebecca Bunch in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend highlighted the importance of seeking help for mental health issues and pursuing your passions regardless of outside expectations. And Aidy Bryant’s Annie in Shrill shone a light on searching for love, sex, and understanding as a plus-sized woman. Though I couldn’t identify exactly with all of these women, I could still take a small piece of their stories – Diane’s search for clarity in her racial identity and fraught path towards career success as a writer; Rebecca’s desire for love and understanding amongst the creation of her new life; Annie’s journey in learning to stand up for herself and what she deserves from her relationships – and relate it to my own journey as a woman. In addition, I understood and enjoyed the stories their characters lived through. And as a result, my horizons as a woman and a feminist were broadened. 

I am a feminist. To me, that goes beyond simply believing in women’s equality as a response to male supremacy – that feels like too low of a bar – and further into understanding the equality of women across the spectrum of gender, sexuality, and race. There is no one universal female experience – rather, womanhood looks different for everybody, and no one person has the right to define what womanhood might mean for somebody else. All womanhoods are created equally and have the right to be showcased, publicly and joyfully – both in television and real life. 

Top photo by Koolshooters on Pexels.com

“How do you really feel about being first lady?” 

As a deep violin strikes in the background, we see Viola Davis pose for photographs as Michelle Obama and Gillian Anderson clip her hair back in front of a mirror as Eleanor Roosevelt. A quick cut takes us to Davis with boxing gloves on jabbing a punching bag. The music picks up and we get glimpses of these ‘perfect’ first ladies feeling rage, ferocity, and messiness. 

This is how the trailer for The First Lady – an upcoming Showtime anthology series, premiering April 7, begins. The show pulls back the curtain on the pressures and realities of being a First Lady. 

Oscar winner, Viola Davis, transforms into Michelle Obama. In the second clip of the trailer, she vulnerably lies on a couch, telling her husband, President Barack Obama, “In four years, I don’t wanna look back and think, what did I become living in that house?”

Alongside Davis, we get  Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, who played an incredible Margaret Thatcher on The Crown and Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford. According to the Hollywood Reporter, this will be Pfeiffer’s first series regular role since the beginning of her career. With three award winning actresses playing three historic first ladies, the women are sure to do these important roles justice.

Twitter is blowing up over the impeccable casting and enticing plot lines.

Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson!!!!
“The First Lady” is gonna be AMAZING. pic.twitter.com/D98CiV5DeG

— Lynx ? (@LustrousLynx) February 20, 2022

From Martin Sheen on The West Wing to Harrison Ford in Air Force One, we’ve seen many actors playing POTUS. While we’ve recently gotten a few more shows featuring female leads (Dahvi Waller’s Miss America and Greena Davis’ Commander In Chief), representation is still slim. Now, we finally get a series showcasing the women of the white house. 

 Some TV critics have said it has the potential to become America’s version of The Crown, which makes sense given that The First Lady, much like the queen, has been a largely symbolic position – setting up fundraisers and doing press. Yet, some first ladies like Obama, Roosevelt, and Ford have done their part to shake this stereotype up and use their platform to affect real change. In 2014, Obama launched the Reach Higher Initiative to help more students in America graduate from four-year universities.

I’m so excited to watch @Showtime‘s THE FIRST LADY, which stars Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt.

Gary Levine says it could be “The American version of THE CROWN.” #TCA21

— saloni gajjar (@saloni_g) August 24, 2021

The trailer splices dramatic shots of the First Ladies – Pfeiffer poses regally in a light blue gown, Anderson breaks down sobbing next to her husband. Forever-FLOTUS Michelle Obama pushes back against being branded as a “Black Martha Stewart” in one clip.

Be sure to tune in come April 7 for this groundbreaking series that reframes American leadership and tells the story of politics and power from the women who have been so long relegated to stay behind the scenes. It’s their time to shine.

Header Photo By Jackson Lee Davis

Linda Evangelista recently came clean about why she’s been in seclusion for the past five years: bad plastic surgery. The 56-year-old supermodel and actress came forward about a “fat-freezing” treatment she received that left her “brutally disfigured,” the star told People.

She is far from alone. On February 3rd, Lifetime premiered its new show, My Killer Body with K. Michelle. The 8-episode series, described as taking a “deep dive into the darker side of achieving physical perfection, follows actress-singer turned reality TV star K. Michelle, as she meets with women and men across the country experiencing complications from botched plastic surgery.

The singer is one of the first celebrities to come forward with her plastic surgery troubles and has publicly chronicled her life-threatening experiences on social media since 2018.  Now, as the host of My Killer Body, K. Michelle meets with women from across the country to hear their stories and offer support on their journey to recovery. Each episode will feature two people who are grappling with their health after botched cosmetic procedures, and K. Michelle’s ongoing recovery story. 

The R&B singer rose to fame after a two-season stint on VH1’s  Love and Hip Hop Atlanta,  produced by veteran media mogul Mona Scott Young. The franchise, known for its high drama and big names, has launched other superstars like Cardi B and Somaya Reece of  Slim Tea fame.  Six years prior to joining the Love and Hip Hop Atlanta cast in 2018, K. Michelle underwent silicone butt injections. The outcome was great, and the singer was a hit on social media. However, she began to experience migraines, tiredness, and leg cramps. Doctors thought it could be lupus but it turned out to be her injections. 

In the premiere episode of My Killer Body, aptly titled “Suffering in Silence,” we meet two women named Que and Sung. Both women are anxious to share their stories and get help. Que, a 42-year old nurse and single mother, secretly underwent silicone injections in her buttocks in an attempt to solidify the affections of her cheating former boyfriend. In her confessional she tearfully recalled the moment she decided to undergo the two rounds of silicone injections that would forever change her life.  “I used to say [to him] the way I see you look at these other girls out on the street, you don’t look at me like that.” A Harvard study on “Why Beauty Matters” revealed that when you look better, you’re paid better. This isn’t true for just models and actors, but on social media and in the traditional workforce. With so much riding on looks it’s no wonder women are willing to die for perfection. Similar to K. Michelle, Que began experiencing complications from her 2010 silicone injections several years later. “Before I got the injections, I was always going out having fun,” she said.  “Ever since I got the injections I don’t party as much. I don’t go out as much anymore. I’m in pain.” 

What was intended to be a confidence booster, and possible revenge body, quickly turned into a nightmare. Now, she’s plagued by incessant itching on her butt, and intolerable pain in her legs. After learning about the story of Apryl Michelle Brown, Que recently made the decision to focus on her health and begin her recovery journey. Brown, a woman who almost died during her quest for a curvier posterior, lost her limbs. 

“Ever since I got the injections I don’t party as much. I don’t go out as much anymore. I’m in pain.” 

 62% of women said they follow beauty influencers on social media. Viewers don’t always know what has gone into taking a great photo or image, and it’s often hard to separate fact from fiction. “[This is why] I talk to women and let them know that the girls you see are sick,” K. Michelle said in an interview with Atlanta Black Star.

Sung is a 29-year-old married mother of two. Prior to her tummy tuck gone wrong, she’d been described as “bubbly and quirky” by her husband. Sung reminisced on the simple things she enjoyed doing with her kids prior to having plastic surgery. Simple things like playing with them and going on vacation. Those simple activities were stolen from her after her surgery. Sung’s journey into cosmetic surgery initially stemmed from an insecurity with her stubborn baby weight. After scouring social media for a surgeon to assist her with a “mommy makeover,” she quickly found a doctor and sent over some  “wish” pictures of her desired body. Just like that, she was booked and hopeful she’d get a return on her investment.

On the premiere episode, she shared her story with K. Michelle.“I ended up getting a mommy makeover to feel like myself again,” she said. “[But] I came out looking ten times worse than when I went in…my whole stomach fell apart.” 

The Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Society reported that over 40,320 butt augmentations were performed in the United States in 2020 alone. Additionally, The Journal of American Society of Plastic Surgeons, listed the mortality rate for the increasingly popular Brazilian Butt Lift, as having a ratio of 1:15-20,000.  These statistics still do nothing to deter patients from risking their lives in efforts to achieve the coveted apple bottom shape that has come to define a beauty standard popularized by celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Cardi B, and Niki Minaj. Whether we like it or not, looks matter and social media plays a huge role in shaping our images of beauty. 

In 2017, K. Michelle made an appearance on  The Real, where he revealed her reasons for wanting a Brazilian Butt Lift. “I’ve always been curvy. It wasn’t enough. I’m having trouble with men right now, maybe if I had a huge butt, I’ll get even bigger love.” 

During the early 2000s, beauty trends were shifting away from the uber-skinny size 0 aesthetic made popular by stars like  Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan; into the more curvaceous look that is making Instagram models sought after by popular brands.  

“I came out looking ten times worse than when I went it…my whole stomach fell apart.” 

Black women may be shaking their heads at the sudden dogged desire for a quintessential Black Body aesthetic.  Considering the fact that women of color, Black women especially, have been historically stereotyped as oversexualized, fat, or even freakish (i.e. Sarah Baartman). Baartman, an African woman from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, possessed a sizable derriere that garnered alot of attention and not positively. Her steatopygic aesthetic became the fascination of a 19^thcentury freakshow, in which she was objectified and prodded because of it. She was also the inspiration behind Kim Kardashian West’s infamous Paper Magazine shoot. The controversial shoot ,which critics called a major cultural appropriation, prominently displayed the reality star’s heavily oiled and bare bottom across the internet. While this move may have garnered her a sizable paycheck, many Black women, continue to feel the brunt of marginalization in society when it comes them showcasing their attributes in the same way. Even still, some Black women still crave the curvy body type they feel they should have naturally. With butt augmentations ranging anywhere between $4,000 and $6,000, surgery seems to provide quick results. However, consumers must remain knowledgeable on the possible dangers of the procedure. 

On My Killer Body with K. Michelle, the women not only have an advocate in a very empathetic and nurturing K. Michelle, but with Dr. Adam J. Rubenstein. Rubenstein is the featured plastic surgeon on the show and often takes the position of the caring reconstruction artist.The show draws you in with various cautionary tales, and K. Michelle is there every step of the way to offer encouragement, as well as some sympathetic tears. With one horror story laid out after another– these men and women will need it.

You can catch My Killer Body with K. Michelle on Lifetime on Thursdays at 9 pm ET.  

 Top Photo courtesy of Lifetime.

Single Drunk Female, Freeform’s new television series about sobriety written by Simone Finch (The Connors, Homeland) starring Sofia Black D’Elia (Your Honor, The Mick) stars D’Elia as a 20-something irreverent drunk named Samantha Fink, who is clueless to the feelings of others, and out of touch with her own. We quickly learn that much of this dissociation is a result of her unchecked alcoholism, along with a tenuous relationship with her overbearing mother, and unresolved grief surrounding her dad’s death from cancer. Did we mention that her ex-best friend Brit (Sasha Campere) is also marrying her ex-boyfriend Joel (Charlie Hall)? Yeah, that too. We learn all of this pretty early on, as Finch begins to peel back the layers of Samantha’s journey into sobriety. 

SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE – Freeform’s “Single Drunk Female” stars Ally Sheedy as Carol Fink, Rebecca Henderson as Olivia Elliot, Sasha Compere as Brit Monclair, Sofia Black-D’Elia as Samantha Fink, Lily Mae Harrington as Felicia O’Brien, and Garrick Bernard as James Chambers

The series, which is being labeled a dramedy, premiered January 20th on Freeform. In the season opener we meet a young raven haired Sam, as she plods down the glass filled corridors of her New York City high rise office, that could easily be any media company (think Mashable or Vox), taking swigs of vodka from her water bottle as she saunters in to her meeting, slamming her body into the door to open it. Sam greets her boss Nathaniel, played by the hilarious John Glaser (Hustler’s, Bob’s Burgers) with a firm “what’s up?” and mentions how unprofessional everyone is for being late.

She’s quickly informed that the meeting actually ended ten minutes ago; which sends her into a tirade of who is jealous of her, who has it out for her, and what the patriarchy is doing. Sam is quickly silenced when her boss states the obvious: “you’re drunk.” 

Instead of taking responsibility, she tries to avoid it and winds up getting into a highly comical, yet cringy, scuffle with him over a phone, resulting in Sam assaulting her now-former boss, a move that of course, gets her into legal trouble. 

Suddenly, Sam’s most pressing issue is avoiding jail time, which she seems to serendipitously sidestep a few times. A feat her snarky probation officer Gail (Madison Shepard) likes to remind her of. The most reasonable choice for Sam to rebuild her life, is to ditch her delusions of grandeur, and return back home to her “smother” Carol, played brilliantly by 80’s icon Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club, X Men Apocalypse). 

You’d think that losing your New York City writing job and returning home to live, would be enough to springboard one into a life of sobriety or for a dramatic teaching moment about the pitfalls of alcoholism, like in the tumultuous loop of addiction displayed in Lady Gaga’s rendition of A Star is Born.  However, Finch’s new series, which draws upon her own struggle with addiction, takes a deeper look at the succession of events that cause those suffering with addiction to end up where they are; and what it’s like to climb their way out. 

In a Television Critics Association Panel (TCA) Finch  talked about how the series was ten years in the making. “I started writing this in 2012 before I got sober. I got sober and I realized it was about a girl getting sober,” said Finch in an interview with Deadline, who is now seven years and eight months sober, adding, “I called it a living script as it sort of evolved as I got more sober. 

Finch also shared that she wanted the series to be about sobriety. Some of the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous are rooted in altruistic pursuits like responsibility, awareness, and discipline. For those of us not indoctrinated into the twelve step culture, Sam’s sobriety may look alot like trying to cope in a world that is concerned about its bottom line, and not necessarily your feelings. Or just adulting. At times I found Finch’s need to dramatize normalcy somewhat predictable until around the eighth episode, when Sam’s love interest James, (Garrick Bernard) unexpectedly relapses, along with a few other surprises. But that’s sobriety, and Finch shows it well. The show succeeds most at amplifying normalcy and with the strong depictions of community most of us are looking for. By the sixth episode, you not only find Sam’s metamorphosis endearing, but begin to question your own relationship with alcohol. For a moment, I know I did. 

Pulling it together and adulting for her own good isn’t the easiest thing for Samantha to do. She has to payback Brit for the damage she caused to her wedding van although she’s penniless. She has to apologize for taking her other bestie Felicia (Lily Mae Harrington) for granted, and tossing her into the drinking buddy category, instead of true BFF. Which is a no-no.At least she doesn’t need to forge her journey to becoming a good person alone. Her biggest supporter is found by way of her wry, and overachieving sponsor Olivia (Rebecca Henderson,) and her long suffering wife Stephanie (Madeline Wise).   

Throughout each episode Olivia seems to magically appear at all times–especially when Sam needs her the most. Sobriety calls for her to walk away from triggering circumstances, humbling herself while working in retail, paying her debts and making amends.

This series is timely, especially in the age of COVID-19 when so many people are rethinking their drinking habits and also looking to get sober. Watching Sam’s transformation over her year of sobriety, is inspiring. The bigger lesson centered around showing up as your authentic self, and finding love in all the right places.

Sam isn’t the most likable character at times, but fans will be drawn to her humanity and vulnerability.  Viewers will have to tune in to see if she has the courage to stay on track and work her program. Although Single Drunk Female didn’t chronicle the darker sides of addiction, it did a good job of capturing all the feel goods of friendship and starting over. The only drawback is that it wrapped up things a little too neatly. For instance, Sam quickly recovers her friendship with ex-bff Brit (which was a big forgive), successfully sidesteps her triggers, and becomes the home team favorite all before the credits roll. This is the stuff Hollywood thrives on– but it felt a bit too quick for me.

Overall, I couldn’t stop watching because the writing is hilarious. Each episode is filled with beautifully flawed characters that will have you laughing and crying at the same time.

This one is definitely binge worthy.

 Want more? Watch Single Drunk Female Thursdays 10:30/9:30c on Freeform. 

Photos: Courtesy of (Freeform/Koury Angelo) 

PEN15, the Hulu comedy series about two best friends navigating the ups and downs of middle school, will not be returning for a third season. Creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, who are both in their early thirties, play 13-year-old fictionalized versions of themselves. Witnessing and (often reliving) the trials and tribulations of 7th grade through the eyes of two adults was hilarious, heartbreaking, and ultimately cathartic. When I found out PEN15’s second season was its last, I felt like I arrived at school after summer break and found out my crush moved away– I was gutted. Fortunately, the show coming to an end was not forced on them by Hulu, or because of delays caused by Covid-19, but a careful and thoughtful decision made by Erskine and Konkle.

“When we first talked about making the show 10 years ago, we talked about it in three chapters. And even though [these episodes] are called [Season] 2B, this feels like a third season to us,” Konkle said as reported by IndieWire. “It feels like we did it. For now,” Konkle continued. “The other part of it is, we’ve learned that showrunning, acting, producing, it’s all the most creatively fulfilling experience I could ever imagine in my entire life and, like, a recipe for burning out.”

Although I am bummed that PEN15 is over, I am pleased to say there are plenty of brilliant shows that give me my coming-of-age fix. Teen TV shows are on another level right now. I was recently re-watching The O.C., a teen drama series from the early 2000s that showcases wealthy, white teens living in Orange County, California, and I realized how differently teens are portrayed now compared to 20 years ago. The teen shows I grew up on were mostly sexist, heteronormative, and white-centered. Though TV shows still fail to represent the diverse landscape of the US population, diverse representation on TV has seen an increase within the last decade. According to UCLA College of Social Sciences 2021 Hollywood Diversity Report, there has been a “steady increase in overall cast diversity across all three platform types [broadcast, cable, and digital TV].” Scripted TV shows with over a 50% minority cast share from 2011 to 2020 increased in broadcast TV from 2% to 32.1%, in cable TV from 8.4% to 28.1%, and digital TV from 9.1% to 26.8%. 

Even though I am approaching 32 years on this planet, and technically a grown-ass adult, I feel a kindred spirit watching these teen-centered shows. Modern day coming-of-age shows focus more on female friendships, diverse family life, and honest portrayals of puberty and sex. Watching these shows make me feel less alone, help me process my adolescence, and make me feel so seen. They remind me of how far I have come, and how far I still have yet to go. No matter our age, we are hopefully always growing, learning, and trying to understand ourselves and the world around us– it makes me wonder if we ever really stop coming-of-age. With that, here are 10 shows that serve up incredible, beautifully awkward, teenage-angsty, super sex positive, hilariously cringe and heartwarming coming-of-age stories that are returning for another season (with some exceptions), so get ready to get your binge on. 

1. Sex Education: Renewed for Season 4

Screenshot from YouTube

If you haven’t already started watching UK comedy-drama Sex Education, get to it mate! It’s feel-good, bingeable and heartbreakingly honest. Supported by a diverse ensemble cast of teenagers, Sex Education serves up inclusivity, badass feminist characters (hello Maeve Wiley), and a skillful and nuanced approach to important themes like sexual harassment. Set in a fictional rural English town called Moordale, the story centers around insecure teenager Otis (Asa Butterfield) whose wealth of knowledge about sex (thanks to his sex therapist mother, played by the brilliant Gillian Anderson) leads him to start an underground sex therapy clinic to help his fellow high school students as they move through their sexual misadventures and growing pains. Streaming on Netflix.

2. Naomi: Season 1 currently airing

Screenshot from YouTube

From the critically acclaimed Ava DuVernay (Queen Sugar, When They See Us) and writer and producer Jill Blankenship (Arrow), comes the new teen superhero drama series, Naomi. Based on DC comic books of the same name, this coming-of-age story follows the cool, confident, and comic book-loving Naomi McDuffie (Kaci Walfall), a Black 17-year-old girl living in the small town of Port Oswego in the Pacific Northwest. After a supernatural event jolts her town, Naomi sets on a journey to figure out its genesis. Along the way, she begins to unravel her past and uncover her hidden destiny. Naomi has always been a fan of comic books, Superman in particular, but she never would have guessed that she may have superpowers herself. We don’t know if the show has been renewed yet, but we are crossing our fingers! Watch on The CW on Tuesdays at 9 | 8c. Streaming on The CW app or website on Wednesdays. 

3. Reservation Dogs: Renewed for Season 2

Screenshot from YouTube

We can’t talk about representation without talking about FX’s half hour dark comedy Reservation Dogs. Co-created and executive produced by Academy Award-winning writer, director, and actor Taika Waititi and the Seminole and Muscogee Creek award-winning filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, Reservation Dogs follows four Indigenous-teenagers living on reservation in rural Oklahoma. After their friend Daniel died a year prior, the rebellious teens steal, scavenge and save in hopes of leaving their reservation and moving to the “exotic land” of California, a dream Daniel once had. This breakout series is a major first in Indigenous representation as all the writers, directors, and series regulars are Indigenous. The foursome includes Bear, portrayed by Oji-Cree First Nations Canadian actor D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai; Elora Danan, played by Devery Jacobs who was born and raised in Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory in Quebec; Cheese, played by Creek-Seminole and Caddo newcomer Lane Factor; and Willie Jack, portrayed by breakout star Paulina Jewel Alexis, a Stoney tribe member of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation in Alberta, Canada. Reservation Dogs nabbed a 2022 Golden Globe nomination for Best TV Series. Don’t sleep on this one! Streaming on Hulu. 

4. Never Have I Ever: Renewed for Season 3

Screenshot from YouTube

 Co-created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher (Brooklyn 99, The Mindy Project, 30 Rock), teen comedy Never Have I Ever centers on Indian-American teenager Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) who is grieving the sudden death of her father while navigating high school, her Indian-American identity, and her relationships with her friends, foes, and her mother Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan). Not only does Never Have I Ever give insight into the Indian immigrant and first-generation Indian-American experience, but when Devi’s seemingly perfect older cousin Kamala (Richa Moorjani) moves from India to live with them to get her PhD, audiences are also exposed to the experience of being a non-immigrant visitor. The show has received high praise for its focus on female relationships, its South Asian representation, and its ability to offer different perspectives of a shared background. Streaming on Netflix.

5. The Sex Lives of College Girls: Renewed for Season 2

Screenshot from YouTube

Mindy Kaling has really been banging ‘em out lately, and I’m not mad about it. Co-created by Kaling and Justin Noble (Never Have I Ever), The Sex Lives of College Girls is about, well, that. The story centers around four 18-year old college freshman roomies at New England’s elite (and fictional) Essex College, navigating love, friendships, and you guessed it, sex. The dorm-mates include booksmart and ambitious Kimberly Finkle (Pauline Chalamet- yes, Timothée Chalamet’s sis); confident comedy nerd Bela Malhorta (Amrit Kaur); bold and athletic Whitney Chase (Alyah Chanelle Scott); and wealthy and preppy Leighton Murray (Reneé Rapp). In my opinion though, the breakout star of the series is the dynamic, witty, and fearless character of Jocelyn, portrayed by actress, influencer, and disability advocate Lauren ‘Lolo’ Spencer (Give Me Liberty). Audiences rarely get to see authentic disability representation in Hollywood, especially ones that showcase the character’s body-confidence, sexuality, joy, and humanity. Thankfully the show has been renewed for a second season! Streaming on HBO Max. 

6. Big Mouth: Renewed for Season 6

Screenshot from YouTube 

Comedy kings and real life besties Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg co-created the clever and heartfelt animated series Big Mouth. The show masterfully rides the wave of raunchy and wholesome as it deep dives into the horrors and marvels of puberty. The show is loosely based on Kroll’s life, and perhaps for that very reason the series so skillfully captures the reality of being a pubescent teen. The cringe-y content is served up by a painfully funny group of artists, like the raw, Emmy award-winning writing talent of Patti Harrison, Jaboukie Young-White and Ayo Edibiri, making it a gut-busting and deeply cathartic watch. After Jenny Slate stepped down from the role of Missy in 2020 (because Missy is Black, and well, Slate is not) Edibiri took over as Missy’s new voice actor. The transition elevated both the character and the show. Streaming on Netflix.

7. Derry Girls: Season 3 Coming Soon…

Screenshot from YouTube

Okay I lied to you all. The critically acclaimed comedy Derry Girls is not renewed for another season. Sad. Creator and writer Lisa McGee said it was always the plan to end the show after three seasons. Set in Northern Ireland in the mid-1990’s, when the area was gripped by political violence (known as the Troubles), this comedic series follows five teenagers who attend an all-girls (with one exception) Catholic school. The series showcases melodramatic dreamer Erin Quinn (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) and her ragtag group of friends including rule-following and booksmart Clare (Nicola Coughlan); foul-mouthed and fearless Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell); straightforward and unique Orla (Louisa Harland); and the always dependable and soft-spoken James (Dylan Llewellyn) as they navigate teen angst amidst sectarian violence. The show is loosely based on McGee’s life, and because McGee has lived these experiences herself, the show has been praised for its authenticity and its ability to serve heavy history with humor and lightness. Season two of Derry Girls is currently streaming on Netflix. Though the release date for season three has not been announced yet, filming wrapped in late December 2021. I’m crossing my fingers for a 2022 arrival! Streaming on Netflix. 

8. Euphoria: Season 3 TBD…???

Screenshot from YouTube

Sex. Drugs. Social Media. HBO’s groundbreaking and steamy series Euphoria gives you all the Gen-Z drama with a “viewer discretion is advised” warning label. Based on an Israeli miniseries of the same name, the show centers around a group of high schoolers navigating issues like trauma, addiction, and the hardships of growing up. The show is led by Zendaya, who won an Emmy for her portrayal of troubled teen Rue. The series is brought to life by an ensemble cast of epic talent including Sydney Sweeney, Nika King, and Barbie Ferreira. The season two premiere just dropped and the rest of the episodes will be trickling in every Sunday. Although the show has not been renewed for a third season yet, Euphoria broke records with the largest viewership (2.4 million!) of any HBO Max premiere to date, so it sounds like the series might not be going anywhere. Streaming on HBO Max.

9. The Baby-Sitter’s Club: Season 3 also TBD…???

Screenshot from YouTube

Based on the best-selling book series by Ann M. Martin, tween dramedy The Baby-Sitter’s Club follows five middle-schoolers navigating friendship, and their babysitting business. Creator, showrunner, and executive producer Rachel Shukert, who previously wrote for acclaimed shows like GLOW and Supergirl, has received praise for remaining true to the source material while including issues that The Baby-Sitter’s Club may face today. When fierce fashionista Claudia (Momona Tamada) discovers her grandmother was once held in a Japanese internment camp, Claudia and her sister Janine (Aya Furukawa) dive into conversation about oppression. When the timid Mary Anne (Malia Baker) witnesses the transgender child she is babysitting being misgendered, she steps in, uses her voice, and advocates for the child. Season one was nominated for seven Daytime Emmy Awards, and with season two receiving high marks as well, word on the street is that there is a good chance this show will be renewed for a third season. Streaming on Netflix.

10. We Are Lady Parts: Renewed for Season 2

Screenshot from YouTube

Last but absolutely not least I am pleased to bring you my new favorite show, We Are Lady Parts. Creator Nida Manzoor (who previously directed episodes for Doctor Who and Enterprice), is the writer and director of this British sitcom about an all-female, all Muslim punk band and their mission to make it in the music business while staying true to themselves and not selling out. The show itself is trying to do the same by being gutsy, and unapologetic. It doesn’t try to cater to a Western audience by teaching them what it means to be Muslim. Conversely, it doesn’t try to bear the burden of representing an entire religious group. Manzoor shows a nuanced (and underrepresented) kind of Muslim woman: the feminist kind, the queer kind, the punk kind. And yes, okay, I am cheating a little bit by adding this show to this particular list, as the characters are roughly in their late twenties, but hey like I said before, do we ever stop coming-of-age? Streaming on Peacock TV.

header: image courtesy of Hulu

Stand up comedian Bridget Everett might not be the first person you’d think to cast as the lead in a low-key, emotionally charged dramedy, but it’s clear the writers (Hannah Bos of HBO’s High Maintenance and Paul Thureen of Driveways) could have had no one else in mind when they created Somebody Somewhere. The 7-episode HBO series debuts this Sunday, January 16th.

Everett—best known for her bawdy stand-up performances featuring numbers like “Pull them Up (Tittles)” and “What I Gotta Do (To Get That Dick in My Mouth)”—was a regular on the series Inside with Amy Schumer, and starred as Barb in the 2017 movie Patti Cake$, along with small parts in other films. She’s also frequently a hit on the late-night circuit. 

In Somebody Somewhere, she plays Sam Miller, a woman who, reeling from the recent death of her sister, finds herself back in the midwestern town of Manhattan, Kansas, where she grew up, and where she is surrounded by all the same family drama and dysfunction of her childhood. (Everett herself hails from Manhattan, Kansas, and the show is semi-autobiographical). Sam seems trapped and alone, and even exhibits a measure of that most un-Bridget-Everett-like quality: insecurity. She’s emotionally raw, breaking down in tears while scoring SAT essays in her cold, fluorescent-lit workplace.

But when she reconnects with Joel, an old schoolmate (brilliantly played by Jeff Hiller), who confesses to having been in awe of her back in the day, it lights a spark. In the first episode, directed by Jay Duplass, the two bond over their disdain for a fellow classmate who has just written and self-published a book (hilariously titled Showgirls), that threatens to tell all about their most embarrassing high school years, when they were both in the school choir. And when Joel invites her to an event he organizes at a local church (located in that depressing, modern symbol of American decay, the abandoned shopping mall), she takes a risk and shows up.

There she is introduced to an assortment of people who stray far afield from the typical idea of a “Midwestern type”—although that may be more of a surprise for those of us watching from the coasts who are utterly unfamiliar with life in the region than it will be for anyone who actually grew up there. Even NYC’s own downtown performance-scene regular Murray Hill is there. (“I like to perform in Manhattan, NYC, and here in Manhattan, Kansas. Two Manhattans. Just like what I had for breakfast this morning!”, he quips.) It’s a neon-lit escape from the drab plains of her life; more nightclub than church. Filled with a community of diverse, creative, non-mainstream folks, it promises to offer Sam some sort of rebirth.   

Somebody Somewhere is by turns funny and poignant, and will make viewers reconsider not only their stereotyped notion about life in a small midwestern town, but also their preconceived ideas about Everett’s range as a performer. She’s the kind of person you just can’t take your eyes off of, and Somebody Somewhere is poised to—finally—turn her into a really huge star.

Photos by Chuck Hodes/HBO

In the aftermath of America’s reckoning over police brutality, TV cops aren’t quite the uncomplicated heroes they used to be. There is one fictional officer, however, who remains unscathed: Elliot Stabler, the gruff-but-lovable NYPD detective originated by Christopher Meloni on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. 

Meloni, 60, famously left SVU in 2011 after 12 seasons. But in 2021, he dusted off his badge and revived the role for Law & Order: Organized Crime, a spinoff now in its second season centered around Stabler and his quest to find his wife’s murderer. “They put a lot of effort, focus, time, energy, and money into making my [re]introduction right,” the Washington, D.C.-born actor says of his return to the Law & Order world. “On top of that, they opened it up with me being back home on SVU, which meant I got to play again in the sandbox with Mariska and Ice-T and some of the new guys over there. I had a lot of scenes with Mariska and that made it pleasant.” 

He is of course referring to co-star Mariska Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson, Stabler’s partner in crime solving for over a decade. Though the sexual tension between the pair has always been off-the-charts, they’ve never shared so much as a kiss on screen—a fact that self-proclaimed “Bensler” shippers would love to see rectified. 

The real-life Hargitay and Meloni are both happily married to other people, but they still love to tease fans with flirtatious social-media posts. After all these years, though, Meloni isn’t sure he wants their characters’ platonic love to become romantic. (And he definitely won’t say if it ever does.) “I’m all over the map on that one,” he muses on the consummation question. “Whatever happens, I just want it to be organic and earned, if that makes sense. That’s deep actor-speak I just gave you, but it’s the only way to express my feelings about it.” 

For those who’ve only seen Meloni play Stabler (or in his other iconic role as Chris Keller on HBO’s Oz), it might come as a surprise that he’s also done plenty of comedic work. He played shell-shocked camp chef Gene in Wet Hot American Summer (2001) and Julia Roberts’ Annapurna-obsessed fiancé in Runaway Bride (1999), among other goofy roles, and he loves it when people on the street recognize him for those parts. “It always warms my heart,” he says sincerely. “They get extra credit.” 

Over the past year or so, he’s also become famous for something else: his shapely, extremely perky rear end. The Internet promptly anointed him a “zaddy,” (a word he’d never heard till it was being used to describe him) when a photo of Meloni from behind went viral back in April, causing a national thirst frenzy. A lesser man might have been baffled, or even annoyed, but Meloni is proud to bear the title. He works hard for that body, and career-wise, he knows it means he’s come a long way from the $40 a night he used to make as a bouncer at N.Y.C. club Kenny’s Castaways. “I’m humbled and honored and full of grace,” he says, at being anointed the king of cake. 

He’s also not afraid to call himself a feminist, citing Sally Yates and the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg as particular heroes. “Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to achieve whatever it is within themselves to achieve,” he declares, then adds a dash of that signature Meloni charm to lighten the mood. “What if I’d been really dodgy with that equality question?” he asks, laughing. “Wouldn’t that have been uncomfortable?” –Eliza C. Thompson

photographed by Jason Rodgers

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Winter 2021/2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

I have to say, when I first got the word of Harlem, a new ten-episode Prime Video series about a group of four Black gal-pals in Harlem, starring Megan Good I wasn’t exactly blown away by the premise. I lived in New York, on and off for about three years from 2009-2013. Since then, the city has gentrified rapidly. In Harlem alone, the number of Black residents in the neighborhood once known as an epicenter of Black-American culture, has seen a steadily declining population of Black residents over the years. The 2020 US census reports a decrease of upwards of 10,000 Black people in the neighborhood, with a simultaneous increase of over white 18,000 residents that same year.

As a Black-American woman who has spent much of her adult life outside of the states, the idea of yet another show about women in the big city, trying to have it all, and figure it out, felt a bit…done before. Series creator Tracy Oliver, another former New Yorker who seems to practically specialize in writing fun and relatable Black women characters, call the series a love letter to Black women and Harlem, and citing her time spent in Harlem as her most magical memories. “[Harlem] has been such an impactful, and influential neighborhood for Black people that I wanted to like, do something that showed it some love. And at the time, there was nothing set there…and I was like, ‘why are we ignoring Harlem?’”

Despite my preconceived notions on the series and what Harlem the neighborhood has become, I decided to give it a-go—#fortheculture. Besides, the last season of Insecure is upon us. 

After having spent four years living in China, my ears perked up upon hearing Camille’s (Megan Good) opening monologue/ lecture on the Mosuo tribe, a small ethnic group in Yunnan China that operate on a matrilineal society. (i.e. the women run shit, including their romantic relationships.) An adjunct at Columbia University, Camille’s lectures set the tone for each episode.

Camille admires the independent and take-charge attitude of the Mosuo women, yet still wants the comfort of a man, nonetheless. Both brilliant and beautiful, she somehow has a case of the “coochie cobwebs” since ending her last relationship with her ex, Ian (Tyler Lepley)—four years ago.

Her other three pals include: fashion designer Quinn (Grace Byers,) struggling singer Angie (Shoniqua Shandai,) and Tye (Jerrie Johnson,) a lesbian who owns a tech start-up for Black, queer singles.

All the ladies are unsure of self in some way: Quinn is thirsty for a man and eager to stop relying on her rich parents. Camille is hung up on her ex, and not where she wants to be in her academic career. Additionally, she is thrown a curveball when a new head of the department, Dr. Elise Pruitt (Whoopi Goldberg) is less than impressed with her lack of real-world hard-in-the-paint activism. A few years ago, Angie had a record deal that went nowhere, and refuses to get a job today, in the name of “art,” making her Quinn’s unofficial living-roomie. Their dynamic is giving Joan and Lynn from Girlfriends, but this time one is dark skin. Probably unsurprisingly, Tye, the friend group’s resident lesbian, seems to have it mostly together, but even her self-confidence is tested when she gets romantically involved with a white lesbian. After all, how can she proclaim to #loveusforreal, but not have a love life that reflects that?

Many of the plots and themes of the series might feel well-trodden, and that’s because they are. Which one of us hasn’t felt unlucky in love or as if they aren’t on the right career path? There’s a reason we keep coming back to these topics again and again, and that’s because they are relatable. There’s a heavy dose of 90’s nostalgia all up and through this series from the themes and plot to the cast. Jasmine Guy and her Barbadian accent appear as Quinn’s judgmental mother, and Megan Good’s old Cousin Skeeter co-star Robert Ri’chard, blesses us with some shirt-less scenes.

While it’s true Harlem is not breaking new ground, it’s a fun and funny light-hearted show for, by, and about ambitious Black women in the big apple. Harlem is a show that is giving Black women what we’ve always wanted: series that show us in all of our sometimes chaotic, sometimes hum-drum glory. Harlem is also giving the world something else as well: another viewpoint of modern African American women told through the Black-American woman’s eyes.

Header: screenshot from youtube 

Middle and bottom photos: Prime video/Amazon Studios 

The season three finale of HBO’s Emmy-winning series Succession boasted the series highest viewership yet, with 1.7 million viewers on the day-of-air. The highly anticipated season finale ‘All The Bells Say’ was a masterful conclusion that shocked viewers.

If you’ve missed the show, here’s a quick recap. For three seasons, we have watched Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin), and Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) ruthlessly duke it out to become the next CEO of their father Logan’s (Brian Cox) fictional Fox News-esque media company, Waystar Royco. In the finale, the toxic patriarch, Logan Roy goes behind the backs of his grown children and brokers a deal to sell Waystar to the tech startup Gojo and its young CEO Lukas Mattson (Alexander Skarsgard) instead of passing the company down to one of his kids as he’s promised he would do from the beginning of the series.

In season one, Shiv is by far the most grounded member of the Roy clan. She’s our beacon of progressive ideals in a conservative, patriarchal family full of entitled men. Instead of following in her father’s footsteps and working for Waystar like her brothers, she treads her own path in the political world. She works as an adviser to a Bernie Sanders like character, Senator Gil Eavis. Unlike her power-hungry brothers, she actively tries to identify as an individual rather than as a ‘Roy.’ 

But in the beginning of season two, Logan tells Shiv that she is his choice for successor and she is enticed into the world of Waystar. Vox tracks Shiv’s transformation through her changing wardrobe and hair. In season one, Shiv has long, wavy locks. She wears inexpensive cardigans and loose patterned clothing. In seasons two and three, she sports a blunt bob and wears fancy blazers and power suits. Shiv signifies through her style that she will be vying for power like her brothers. And vye for power she does. 

By season three, Shiv has become the most cunning and ruthless Roy. It is clear that she will step on whoever she has to in order to get to the top. She cheats on her husband Tom and uses him as a bargaining chip with her father. She weaponizes her womanhood in order to help Waystar get out of sexual abuse allegations and she turns against her own brother by releasing private details about his addiction. 

Shiv becomes the woman that she thinks she must be in order to succeed in the merciless world of Waystar Royco. But even when she shows the fiery ambition that the world demands of her, she is drowned out by the men in power. 

In episode 3 of the latest season, ‘The Disruption,’ Kendall literally drowns out Shiv’s speech at a Waystar convention by blasting the song “Rape Me” by Nirvana. All Shiv can do is stagger off of the stage, humiliated. In episode 5, Karl, a high-up at Waystar comes on stage at the shareholder meeting as Shiv’s video is playing and cuts her off by beginning his own speech. In episode 6, ‘What It Takes,’ Roman and Logan team up at the presidential convention to push out Shiv’s candidate. They disregard her political opinions entirely, even though she has expertise in politics. 

The only time Shiv is treated with as much importance as the men is when she is being used for her gender.

In the beginning of season three, Waystar is facing a #metoo crisis in their cruises department. Shiv suddenly becomes a valuable asset in the family business. At one point in season three Kendall says curtly that post #metoo “girls are worth double.” Logan and Kendall fight for female credibility to bolster their competing companies. When Shiv declines to join Kendall in his rival company he shouts at her “It’s only your teats that give you any value.” 

These lines take on a comedic tone, but there is truth and seriousness at their surface. Kendall’s comments speak to the way in which women can only succeed in the male dominated business world when they are proxies for male power. When Logan must temporarily step down as CEO after the sexual assault scandal, Shiv is named President and Gerri Kellman, the only other woman executive in the company is named interim CEO. 

In 2021, women in corporate America continue to face a broken rung at the first step up to manager. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 86 women are promoted. As a result, less women end up in the C-suite. A Wall Street Journal study found that while women hold executive positions, almost all of the roles that are feeders to the CEO job are dominated by men. Women often end up as head of human resources, legal, or other administrative departments. While these roles are important, they do not directly generate profit for companies and it is the roles that manage profits and losses that lead to the CEO position.

While the number of women CEOs in the United States top 3,000 companies has more than doubled in the last ten years, it is still less than 6%. On average, women still only make 80% of a man’s earnings.

While Shiv’s character is fictional, many say that Succession is loosely based on the Murdoch family. Elisabeth Murdoch is also the only daughter. She ultimately started her own media company, whereas the Murdoch brothers rose to the top to try to take over their dad as CEO.

By season three, it is easy to hate Shiv Roy – with her crisp, conformist pantsuits and her reactive snipes, but I think we should take a moment to consider why she felt she had to become this person who we now all love to hate. As a woman, I can empathize with what it feels like to constantly lose in a room full of men.

In a surprise twist at the end of Sunday’s finale, it is revealed that Shiv’s husband, Tom, let Logan in on the siblings’ plan to take over. Shiv was not only slighted by her father, but she was also duped by her own husband. While most of the characters on Succession are beaten down, the women’s portions feel worse because they are specially seasoned with sexism and misogyny. 

At the end of the episode, it is clear that Shiv knows what Tom has done. We end the episode on a close-up of Shiv’s face – her eyes narrow, her grimace widens, her cheeks flush red. She knows. And she is mad. I love this ending because her rage feels like a revolution in a room full of grey-suited men who have royally screwed her over. She wants revenge. And there is nothing more threatening and powerful than an angry woman who knows what she wants.

Header: Eva Rinaldi, Creative Commons

Middle and Bottom Photos: screenshots from youtube

HBO’s charming series, Love Life, first premiered in May 2020 as a scripted anthology series, following one character’s quest for love in New York City. The show came at a perfect time during the quarantine, offering much needed levity. Season two shakes up the classic rom-com roles and may just be changing the entire genre.

Season one followed the romantic entanglements of Anna Kendrick’s Darby. I enjoyed following Darby through her chaotic nights in New York City, awkward first dates, and messy debriefs with her roommates. While I related to Darby, the plot felt all too familiar: a 20-something white woman hopelessly looking for love.

Last month season two dropped. This season used the same ‘romance-per-episode’ structure, but instead we follow a young Black man. Enter: Marcus Wadkins (William Jackson Harper.) If season one gave us predictable, bland tropes, season two was full of surprises at every turn that genuinely got me thinking about gender, race, and love. While the show is lighthearted, I admired its dedication to contending with the very real struggles of dating as a Black man.

According to a 2020 study from National Research Group (NRG), two in three Black Americans feel that they don’t see their stories represented on the screen. While the study shows that there has been significant progress in Black representation in media since the 60s, it also shows that there are still many barriers to accurate representation of minorities in TV and movies. A 2017 report by Color of Change Hollywood found that only 4.8% of TV writers are Black.

How can we have authentic depictions of Black characters without Black people writing the stories? On this season of Love Life, a Black writer, Rachelle Williams, was brought on to co show run with Sam Boyd and Bridget Bedard. 

It is clear from the beginning of the season that Marcus is extremely aware of his Blackness in a yuppie, mostly white world. We first meet him in 2016 at Darby’s wedding reception where he and Mia Hines (Jessica Williams) are some of the only Black guests. They immediately bond, but when Marcus points out his white wife Emily (Maya Kazan) to Mia, he is left feeling judged and questioning his attraction to white women. Even with a light tone, the show begs us to ask serious questions about the role of race in relationships. 

In the premiere, we see that Marcus’ marriage has fallen into an unexciting rut, but his encounter with Mia brings to light a bigger issue that he can no longer ignore – his white wife’s inability to understand him as a Black man. While he never physically cheats on Emily, Marcus’ emotional relationship with Mia quickly leads to his marriage imploding. 

Soon enough, Marcus finds himself as a single ‘30-something’ propelled back into the cesspool of hook-up culture. It is in this chaotic whirlwind of hook-ups that we see Marcus for who he really is: a lost, unsure divorcee trying to find himself for the first time. 

Marcus doesn’t fall into the stereotypical depictions of Black men on screen (aggressive, angry, emotionally unavailable.) Instead, Harper adds elements of his anxious, awkward, but charming character, Chidi Anagonye on The Good Place, to his portrayal of Marcus in Love Life. 

It is clear that Marcus is not the smoothest guy in the room. He can be stubborn and hot-tempered. He makes some terrible decisions, but you root for him anyway because he is self-aware and he tries to be better. 

Black rom-coms have been on the decline since the early 2000s. Love Life is also evolving the genre by focusing entirely on Black people. The few white people who do show up in this season are peripheral characters. 

I’d argue that Mia (Williams) is the real star of the season, which is integral in changing not only our perception of race in rom-coms, but also our perception of gender. In 2020, less than 6% of Black female TV characters were shown in a romantic relationship. Black women are the least likely of any race to be shown as the love interest in a TV series. 

Mia is not only depicted as Marcus’ object of desire, but she is also portrayed as a force herself. She is a tall, beautiful, NYC working woman who is clearly used to keeping men on their toes. In one episode it is revealed that she is dating the basketball player, Amar’e Stoudemire. 

In the beginning of the series, Mia resists vulnerability. In one episode we find out that she is the daughter of a young mother and a largely absent father and has taken on the role of caretaker in her family. But over time she lets down her guard with Marcus.

Mia and Marcus have clear chemistry from their first meeting. What starts as a flirty friendship blossoms into an authentic love story because of their willingness to be vulnerable with one another. 

Because Marcus, a man, is the one searching for a love interest and Mia, a woman, is a full, complex character herself, their relationship feels real and whole. Mia is neither Marcus’ possession nor his savior. She is simply his shining counterpart which makes their love story a refreshing tale of two equals.

header: screenshot from youtube 

Like many Black girls who grew up in the 1990s, Quinta Brunson’s first introduction to sketch comedy was via the groundbreaking TV series, In Living Color. “When I was younger, In Living Color was very big in my household,” she says. “I think before I knew I was in love with that format and style of comedy, it was just a huge inspiration for how I saw comedy and how I saw it moving forward and being a big part of what I enjoy.”

A social media success story, the 31-year-old Philadelphia native first started gaining attention in 2014, with a series of comedic skits on Instagram entitled, “The Girl Who’s Never Been on a Nice Date.” In them, Brunson’s character is a 20-something who can’t help but marvel at her date’s perceived financial stability, evidenced by his purchase of things like bottled water and movie theater snacks. “He got money,” the tag line she whispers at some point in each of the short-form videos, helped the hilariously relatable character go viral on Instagram, before going viral was really a thing. 

After parlaying her early online success into a video producer job at Buzzfeed, Brunson left the Internet-media company in 2018 to focus on more acting, writing, and producing away from the social-media landscape. 

Then in 2019, she made history as a founding cast member on HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, the first American sketch comedy series directed, produced, and starring Black women. Despite going to all-Black schools as a child, she says it was still not lost on her how rare it was to be working alongside all these other Black women in Hollywood. “Once we were on the set and it was happening, I was like, whoa! I probably never would have gotten to work with Ashley [Nicole Black] or Gabrielle [Dennis] at any other point, because we would have been going out for the same roles.” 

The daughter of a schoolteacher, Brunson says the idea for her new ABC series, Abbott Elementary, was three years in the making. It was around the time of her mother’s retirement from the profession that she started to reflect on her mother’s career and on being the child of an educator.

“I thought about how much of my mom’s life was dedicated to that work,” she says, “and all of the amazing teachers I had who cared a lot. It felt like a rich story to tell.” 

The show centers on Janine, played by Brunson, a new, optimistic teacher at an underfunded Philadelphia public school. Shot mockumentary style, in the vein of Parks and Recreation and The Office, the half-hour comedy follows teachers trying to make a difference despite systemic obstacles. Slated for a December premiere, the show’s supporting cast includes Broadway and film vet Sheryl Lee Ralph (Dreamgirls, Moesha) and Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates Chris). 

Though executive producing and starring in her own series is a big deal, Brunson, the youngest of five, is not one to rest on her laurels. In fact, she also just released a collection of essays, She Memes Well, this past summer. But now that the holidays are here, she says she’s actually looking forward to some down time in front of the tube. “My favorite thing to do is to watch Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movies,” she says of her guilty pleasure. “I keep the TV on and do not change the channel from those. A lot of them are horrible…but I love them all.” –niesha davis

 Photos by Amanda Lopez 

Stylist: Janice Angelicar; Hair: Moira Frazier; MakeUp: Renée Loiz for Exclusive Artists using Live Tinted; suit set: Megan Renee; top: Ciara Chyanne; earrings: Mahrukh Akuly

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today! 

Sex and the City is returning to TV screens, so pull out your stilettos and mix up some martinis. In a teaser trailer released last week, HBO Max announced that the show’s new spinoff, And Just Like That…, will premiere its first two episodes on December 9. 

The 10-episode series will reunite us with Manhattan’s most fabulous friends: Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda (alas, minus Kim Cattrall as Samantha). We’ll also be introduced to a new friend, Lisa Wexley, played by Nicole Ari Parker, who is one of four women of color joining the series. Picking up 17 years after the original series ended, And Just Like That… will find the ladies navigating love, loss, and, of course, fashion – this time, in their 50s. 

Given Hollywood’s tendency to sideline stories of middle-aged or, god forbid, senior women, And Just Like That… feels like a major breakthrough for the representation of older women on screen. In the trailer alone, we see our protagonists sporting some very funky outfits, living it up at a concert, boozin’ at brunch and, simply put, having lives!? Turns out, middle-aged women are capable of fun!

But off screen, the misogynistic cracks are already showing. In a Vogue interview earlier this month, Sarah Jessica Parker revealed that she and co-stars Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis have already received criticism about their looks in the reboot series…simply because they’ve gotten older. 

“There’s so much misogynist chatter in response to us that would never. Happen. About. A. Man,” Parker told Vogue. “Gray hair, gray hair, gray hair. Does she have gray hair?”

In the original series, our protagonists were in the TV industry “sweet spot” of their mid-30s: old enough to have “serious” storylines but still young enough to be flirty and wild. Studies have shown that female television characters are consistently portrayed as younger than their male counterparts. In fact, one analysis of 2014-2015 TV shows found that most female characters were in their 20s and 30s (60%), whereas male characters tended to be in their 30s and 40s (55%).

If you’re a woman aged 50 or up, you can really kiss screen time goodbye. The Ageless Test study, released last year by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, analyzed 2019’s top-grossing films from the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany to investigate the types of roles that exist for women 50 and older. 

To meet the study’s criteria for “meaningful” representation, a film had to have at least one female character over 50 who was integral enough to the plot that her removal would have noticeable effects. This character also had to be presented in humanizing ways and not be based upon age-related stereotypes. The results, as you can probably imagine, were…not great.

Most strikingly, no women over 50 were cast in leading roles in 2019’s top films. None! And when older women did get screen time, it was to play into reductive stereotypes: stubborn (33%), unattractive (17%), grumpy (32%), and unfashionable (18%). 

The study also found that among all characters over age 50, 75% were male and only 25% were female. As Parker so perfectly put it, “I’m sitting with Andy Cohen, and he has a full head of gray hair, and he’s exquisite. Why is it OK for him? I don’t know what to tell you people!”

The criticism Parker has already received for daring to have aged is not only disrespectful to the queen of fictional NYC, Carrie Bradshaw, but reflective of a bias running so much deeper than Sex and the City. Besides showing an obvious double standard between portrayals of men and women, Parker’s experience of ageism is symptomatic of the way our entire culture devalues women above a certain (40ish) age. 

By failing to show older women on screen, the entertainment industry tells us that they don’t matter. It’s difficult to feel empowered or accepted if you can’t see yourself in the media you consume. Women over 50 make up 20% of the U.S. population yet are only given 8% of total screen time. It’s as if, once your youthful looks are gone, you become totally disposable. 

In fact, many other female stars have been vocal about the poor treatment of “older” women in the industry. 

“I feel physically incredible. So it’s weird that it’s all of a sudden getting telegraphed in a way that’s like, ‘You look amazing for your age,’” Jennifer Aniston told InStyle. “I think we need to establish some etiquette around that dialogue and verbiage.” 

Meanwhile, in a 2015 interview, Maggie Gyllenhaal revealed she was deemed “too old” to play the love interest of a 55-year-old actor, despite being only 37 at the time of the production. 

This lack of representation is even more pronounced for women of color. Black girls and women are 6.5% of the US population but, as the Geena Davis Institute found, they’ve comprised only 3.7% of lead roles in the 100 top-grossing films of the last decade. 

Kristin Davis, like Parker, expressed her frustration with the SATC reboot’s critics. 

“People are like, ‘Why should they come back?’ and it really bugs me,” she said in Bustle.  “For me that is so indicative of our reluctance to sit and watch women’s lives develop over time.” 

As Nixon explains it, the spinoff is not here to accommodate Hollywood’s ageism: “We’re not including, like, a 21-year-old niece,” she told Bustle. “I think it’s revolutionary to do a show about middle-aged women, with their aging lady bodies.” That just might be the best path forward: sticking it to the industry by showing gray-haired women no holds barred, living their best lives without age as a character trait.

Check out the And Just Like That… teaser below, and make sure to tune into HBO Max on December 9 for the first two episodes!

Top Photo: Screenshot from YouTube 

On Saturday night, Cecily strong slammed the recent ban on abortions in Texas in a sketch for Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” dressed as “Goober the Clown.” She used the sketch to give a powerful speech about abortion by revealing that Goober had an abortion the day before her 23rd birthday.  “I really don’t [want to talk about abortions],” Goober says, but she feels compelled to because “people keep bringing it up.” Noticing that abortion is a “rough subject,” Goober tells the host, Colin Jost, “we’re going to do fun clown stuff to make it more palatable” as her bow tie spins round in a circle. 

Never diverging from her clown persona, Goober made balloon animals to bring a humorous take on her delivery. “I wish I didn’t have to do this because my abortion at 23 is my own personal clown business. But that’s all some people in this country wanna discuss all the time even though clown abortion was legalized in Clown v. Wade in 1973!” 

Strong’s approach towards the difficult subject is careful yet raw as she alludes to real-life events through her clown persona. The “Clown v. Wade” discussion that Goober mentions refers to the 1973 Roe v. Wade Act in which the court ruled the protection of a person’s liberty to choose whether to have an abortion in the US. This act has long appeared in abortion discussions since it passed in 1973, and Goober playfully reveals how tiresome it is for people to fight for their right to have an abortion.

“Did you know that one in three clowns will have an abortion in her lifetime?” she asks Jost. 

“You don’t, because they don’t tell you. They don’t even know how to talk to other clowns about it, because when they do talk about it, if you were a clown who wasn’t the victim of something sad like clown-cest, they think your clown abortion wasn’t a ‘righteous clown abortion,’” Strong says, continuing to discuss serious facts about abortion through her fun-loving clown persona.

At one point Jost neglects the clown character by saying “You don’t have to do this Cecily.” To which Strong quickly recovers her character by replying, “Who’s Cecily? I’m Goober!” The slip in persona suggests that this sketch is perhaps autobiographical of Strong’s own experiences with abortion as Jost senses how difficult it may be for Strong to talk about the sensitive topic. Thus, fans have saluted Strong for delivering information about abortions in such a personal way.

Laughing through the pain of the difficult subject, Goober reminds the audience to keep laughing, saying: “Laugh! I need it! I need you to laugh so hard, like the way I laughed when the doctor asked if I got pregnant on my way over to the clinic because I wasn’t very far along.” Explaining her love for the joke, Goober says: “Not like a funny-haha joke, but like, in a funny, you’re not an awful person and your life isn’t over joke. A-honka honka!” 

“And in the waiting room, they had a little guest book where all the clowns could write their clown abortion story for the next clown to read it so she wouldn’t feel so alone. AWOOGA!” Goober adds. 

 “And then years later you’ll be at a dinner with a big group of clowns and one clown will go out on a limb and say she’s had an abortion and then like eight other clowns say they’ve had an abortion too because that’s how common it is. And then everyone’s excited and relieved to be talking about it, that it’s like WOW, we kept this secret for so long despite being so grateful it happened.” Strong uses her clown discourse to reveal that many people have abortions and that they have them for important reasons. 

In response, Jost asks, “So wait, are clowns really women?” 

“Excuse me,” Goober replies. “Wow ok, Colin Jost thinks women are clowns, cool.” Her response sends the audience into fits of laughter as Goober dodges the revelation of her clown metaphor.

Strong uses her humorous irony to remind viewers that abortion is not a laughing matter, and that the court in charge of the Texan laws on abortion need to realize this. She also uses laughter to overcome the pain of such a sensitive topic. 

Goober continues with her abortion narrative, telling Jost that she wants to “speak [her] truth” after inhaling helium from a balloon:  “I know I wouldn’t be a clown on TV here today if it weren’t for the abortion I had the day before my 23rd birthday.” 

“Clowns have been helping each other end their pregnancies since the caves. It’s going to happen so it ought to be safe, legal and accessible. Not back to the alley. The last thing anyone wants is a bunch of dead clowns in a dark alley.” 

Strong has received a plethora of support from fans who are grateful to the comedian for so carefully speaking out about abortion rights. Among the supporters is reproductive rights activist, Renee Bracey Sherman. 

This is wonderful, joyful, and powerful.

For some people, sharing our abortion stories isn’t the easiest thing—especially over and over and over again. I appreciate the humor and truth that she conveys about her abortion story and journey.

Thank you Cecily Strong. https://t.co/QzWKqPWBL3

— Renee Bracey Sherman (@RBraceySherman) November 7, 2021

Cecily Strong as Goober the clown had me all kinds of emotional.
Powerful.
Women deserve better. The shame and stigma can’t stand.#SNL
#cecilystrong pic.twitter.com/JXlBtUSZXH

— Miranda Pretty (her/she) (@Mirnahemmer) November 7, 2021

According to CMI, “Comedy can introduce people, social issues and, new norms in non-threatening and “non-othering” ways that encourage identification and connection, rather than alienation.” Thus, we can see why Strong’s comedic approach towards discussions about abortions has received so much praise. 

Top photo: Screenshot from SNL video

After building up a cult following over the last 15 years, Nickelodeon’s Avatar the Last Airbender is set for a live-action adaptation via Netflix, set to start production next month in Vancouver. While released back in 2005 for a three-season run, the Avatar series has seen spin-offs with Nickelodeon’s The Legend of Korra and the highly-scrutinized live-action film adaptation, The Last Airbender. The latest series has increased focus on authenticity to the characters’ culture, strengthened by a new cast of Asian and Indigenous backgrounds.

Writer and producer Albert Kim, known for his work on Sleepy Hollow and Nikita, serves as showrunner and executive producer for the new series. In regards to the show’s emphasis on representation, Kim stresses, “This was a chance to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as living, breathing people. Not just in a cartoon, but in a world that truly exists, very similar to the one we live in.”

The show released the main cast back in August. Filipino actor Gordon Cormier, who was launched into mainstream attention from his role in 2020’s The Stand, was cast as Avatar protagonist Aang, master of all four elements. Canadian Mohawk actress Kiawentiio is set to play waterbender Katara, alongside Cherokee actor Ian Ousley as her sarcastic brother Sokka. The final member of the core four, firebender Zuko, is played by PEN15’s Dallas Liu. 

On November 3rd, actor and producer Daniel Dae Kim was announced as Fire Lord Ozai, the ruthless leader of the Fire Nation and father of Prince Zuko. Daniel Dae Kim is no stranger to Hollywood after serving as a regular cast member on ABC’s Lost, CBS’s reboot of Hawaii-Five-0, and executive producer of The Good Doctor. Before his role in the Netflix adaptation, Kim voiced both General Fong and Hiroshi Sato in the Last Airbender franchise.  

 Netflix’s Avatar series comes nearly twelve years after the live-action film from M. Night Shyamalan. The Last Airbender has a whopping 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes and was received poorly by die-hard fans for missing plot elements from the original story and misrepresenting the characters we all know and love. However, the biggest fault of this adaptation was its whitewashing of a narrative so ingrained with Asian mythology and culture. According to Shyamalan, “This movie, and then the three movies, will be the most culturally diverse tentpole movies ever released, period.” The sequels were canceled shortly after the film’s debut.

Netflix’s Avatar the Last Airbender is set to release in 2022. Until then, we’ll all just have to binge-watch the original series that quite literally formed our childhoods.

Top Photo: Screenshot / YouTube

PEN15 is back to fulfill all your Y2K nostalgia with the second half of its second season. And have no fear: it’s loaded with plenty of awkward tween romance, shady AIM chat rooms, and embarrassing bodily changes. 

The Hulu original series premiered in 2019 with rave reviews, immediately establishing itself as the number one TV cringefest. It depicts the early-2000s middle school experience as it really was for series creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle. Both 31 at the start of the series, Erskine and Konkle play their 13-year-old middle school selves, with a supporting cast of actual 13-year-olds. Needless to say, hilarity ensues. 

Both social outcasts, tweenage Maya and Anna struggle through hopeless crushes, spars with parents, and budding sexuality. Turns out, the embarrassments of seventh grade spare no one, and PEN15 perfectly captures all the identity crises, social pressures, and, of course, angst of adolescence. 

The first half of PEN15’s second season left Maya and Anna really going through it. Anna, still reeling from her parents’ separation, was told she’d have to choose between living with her mom or dad. Meanwhile, Maya was in the throes of some major heartbreak after getting dumped by her boyfriend, Gabe. 

A trailer for season two, part two was released on Wednesday and indicates some big changes on the horizon for our wallflower protagonists. Steve, Anna’s theater techie crush, makes their budding relationship boyfriend-girlfriend official. And just as Maya’s starting to feel like a third wheel to the theater kids, salvation arrives. That’s right: Maya finds a high school guy. Now, with both of the besties all cuffed up, the rest of the season will cover the ups and downs of first love. 

Of course, the story doesn’t stop there; Maya and Anna will also face some dicey family drama, with Anna forced to mediate for her increasingly immature, feuding parents. Maya, on the other hand, must deal with her overbearing mother and try not to be too jealous of her brother’s snazzy new flip phone. 

PEN15 returns to Hulu with six new episodes on December 3 to conclude its second season. The first eight episodes are already on Hulu, so what are you waiting for? Hunker down this holiday season and get caught up on all the striped shirt, gel pen, and  Nokia phone magic of PEN15 because more is on the way! For a first look into what’s next, check out the new trailer here:

Top Image: Screenshot from YouTube 

Ruby Rose, Australian model, television presenter, and actor, has come forward with allegations of abusive and dangerous working conditions during their time on The CW’s Batwoman. Rose, who goes by she/they, originally played Kate Kane for the duration of the pilot season; however, she departed from the show after the Season One finale in May 2020. Shortly after, Ruby Rose was replaced by actress Javicia Leslie, who would go on to transform the role of Ryan Wilder as the first bisexual Batwoman. Leslie has appeared as a series regular on shows like God Friended Me, Carl Weber’s The Family Business, and The Flash. In a slew of Instagram stories, Rose shared their experience and reasoning behind such an early exit from the show:

“They ruined Kate Kane and they destroyed Batwoman, not me. I followed orders, and if I wanted to stay I was going to have to sign my rights away. Any threats, any bullying tactics, or blackmail will not make me stand down.”

Ruby Rose has came out with various statements exposing the terrible working conditions behind-the-scenes on The CW’s #Batwoman series. pic.twitter.com/CiiQe6EqZB

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 20, 2021

In September 2019, Ruby Rose revealed that they had sustained an emergency spinal injury during an on-set stunt gone wrong. After this incident, the former Orange Is the New Black star announced that she would be reducing her future stunt work with concerns surrounding producer negligence. Flash forward to March 2020 when Batwoman production assistant Amanda Smith was left paralyzed after a severe spinal injury on set, Rose stressed how set safety was further compromised amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. A crew member got third-degree burns all over his body, two stuntmen died, and Rose was cut so close to her eye that she nearly went blind.

The former Australian Next Top Model host also expressed that Batwoman co-star Dougray Scott was verbally and physically abusive to women on set, allegedly “hurting a female stunt double,” and “yelling like a little bitch at women.” Scott, who played Colonel Jacob Kane, exited the series after Season two. 

After departing from the show, Rose initially said that the coronavirus pandemic had been a significant factor in her leaving. Only recently had her experience with harassment and abuse been publicized. Since her recent social media tell-all, Warner Brothers has publicly defended Scott and condemned  comments as “revisionist history.” While Ruby Rose has expressed their departure from the show to be entirely voluntary, Warner Bros. has come forward stating that they decided not to renew her contract on the basis of poor work ethic and behavior. Batwoman Production Assistant Alexander J. Baxter went as far as to call her a “dictator,” revealing Rose to be a nightmare for the other cast and crew.

As Batwoman Season Three premiered on October 13th, the back and forth debate on the Ruby Rose fiasco has made many of us question the safety protocols of Hollywood film and television sets. Just last week, actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his latest project, Rust. Other productions are taking this as a warning for their own safety measures, with producers of televison showThe Rookie enacting stricter precautions with their props, eliminating all live weapons from set. Going beyond Hollywood, on Saturday California State Senator Dave Cortese introduced future legislation to ban “live” guns on movie sets. Ruby Rose’s concerns while on the set of Batwoman seem to be a constant threat many cast and crew experience in their careers. Will any of these incidents hold weight in changing the future of the Hollywood system? Only time will tell.

Top Photo: Screenshot / YouTube

Monica Raymund is back as Jackie Quinones for season two of Starz’s Hightown. Created by Rebecca Cutter (Gotham) Hightown is set against the backdrop of the Cape Cod Massachusetts opioid crisis. When the series begins, Raymund’s character Jackie, is a hard-partying National Marine Fisheries Service agent with a thing for too much alcohol and toxic women. After a one-night stand in season one, Jackie finds the body of a murdered woman. Desperate to find out who did it, the special agent is almost engulfed in the investigation as she also grapples with her addiction.

In an interview with BUST, the crime-drama star discusses the complexities of her character Jackie, how the landscape for Latina and queer actors has changed over her career, her recent turn directing for shows like Law and Order: Organized Crime, and what’s next for Jackie and the world of Hightown.  

BUST: What initially attracted you to this role?

Monica Raymund: I was really attracted to the story and how Jackie was moving through the world, trying to fill her void. I found her to be this hero leading the charge of this dark crime drama, but she also had so much darkness and messiness about her. As much as she was on the journey of solving this crime she was also on the journey of solving herself. And I really loved that complexity that came with the role, and also just being able to play a character of a female-led show, where usually that space is inhabited by a male.

It was just a wonderful opportunity for me to represent myself, to represent a woman, a Latina woman in the Queer community. But that’s not all the show is about. It’s about the story, the crime, and the other characters in the world. Instead of it being about the color of her skin or her sexual preference.

B:  Your character spent much of season one battling her sobriety and getting kind of obsessed over tracking down the killer of this murder victim. Where is Jackie at the beginning of season two?

MR: In Season two, [Jackie] starts the season a little bit more cleaned up with a little bit of sobriety under her belt. We see her now working for the police department in Cape Cod. She’s starting Season two off on the right foot.

B: In a lot of ways, Jackie is very mysterious and not a lot has been revealed about her past. Do viewers get to know more about her background in season two?

MR: Yeah, in season two you get introduced to her father. The father comes back into the picture, and we see their relationship and how tenuous it was. We see how her dad sort of is a trigger for some of her trauma. Things gets a little messy and a little squirrely when he’s around.

B: Previously you played paramedic-turned firefighter, Gabriela Dawson on Chicago Fire for six seasons and now you’re playing a cop. Was it intentional to play these “tougher” type roles?

Yes and No. It’s intentional for me to be playing strong, dynamic, and complex characters characters — characters who have very difficult challenges and face adversity and overcome it. That’s very interesting to me as a storyteller.

And also I think there’s a sense of me just naturally being a little bit more stubborn because I myself am a little bit of a tough, broad. So I think both of those things are true. Like Monica’s thoughts are the character’s thoughts, right? Like as much as my natural self is coming through, it’s as much me curating the career that I want to walk.

B: Like your character, you identify as a queer woman. How has the landscape for queer actors changed over the course of your career?

 MR: The landscape has changed drastically. The market right now is just booming with stories that are very inclusive, where you see the intersectionality of culture, of identity, communities of race. We’ve created space for ourselves to be a part of the cultural shift that’s happening. I think it’s essential because the world watches television, and the world wants to see what is reflected as much as they want to escape. They also want to relate. And I think that being able to be a part of a story that embraces the queer community is essential. It’s essential to being a part of the change that I want to see.

B: You participated in NBC’s Female Forward Directing Program. How was the experience for you?

MR: NBC Female Forward, it’s a wonderful program that guarantees candidates shadowing a couple of episodes on a TV show, and then guaranteeing them an episode to direct. So if you get accepted into the program, you are guaranteed to direct an episode of television show, wherever they choose to fit you. The program is not only exceptional in that regard, but also it’s really about the educational aspects that they provide. Something that’s really difficult for up-and-coming directors to have is access and Female Forward Program and NBC, granted me access to some of the best directors in the business, other actors and producers.

B: As an artform, how is directing different from acting?

MR: Directing gives me more access to collaborating with more artists. First of all, they’re very different art forms, extremely different parts of the brain. Acting also you’re a little bit limited in terms of who you get to collaborate with. You collaborate with the other actors, sometimes the writers, sometimes the directors, but that’s sort of where your wheelhouse is. As a director, I’m collaborating with everybody in every aspect of the production: department heads, production design, hair and makeup, wardrobe, cinematography, the camera department. The writers, the creator, the showrunner. I get direct access to the showrunner. I get to ask questions about how the story needs to be seen and told, and that kind of collaboration just really feeds my soul because I got into this business to work with other people. And directing really offers that opportunity for me. I like to be surrounded by very smart and artistic people. And I hope to be surrounded by people who are smarter than I am, so that I can follow and do a good job. And so directing puts me in a position to be surrounded by really experienced artists who I get to work with.

 B: Outside of the program, who else have you directed for?

MR: Yeah, just a few days ago I wrapped on a Law and Order: Organized Crime episode, and before that I was in Nova Scotia, and I directed the series finale of The Sinner for USA Network. And then I’ve directed a bunch of Law and Order SVU. And then Hightown.

B: What can people look forward to this season on Hightown?

MR: Well, there’s some sexy-love, romantic stuff going on- on the side for various characters. I would say dangerous love is happening, as well as dangerous murder. We are introduced to Luis Guzman, who joins our cast as Frankie’s cousin Jorge. And we see Luis and Frankie, they’re now sort of running the joint running the operation, and they’re starting to take over the territory. So it’s gonna get pretty, pretty nasty and bloody. You’re going to see some real loyalty being explored here. Loyalty between Ray and Jackie, between Ray and Rene. But there’s also a loyalty issue between Rene and Frankie. So a lot of people are sort of being loyal and also two-timing that loyalty. Who’s telling the truth and who’s lying to your face? Are you sleeping next to the enemy? Those are some big questions this season.   

 Watch season two of Hightown on Starz now. 

Top photo by: Shane McCauley

After the success of the Emmy-winning series WandaVision, Marvel Studios is developing a spinoff for Disney+. According to Deadline, the spinoff will center on the character Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), and will be available on streaming and in movies “under a larger deal she has made with the studio.” The spinoff is set to be a dark comedy.

WandaVision, created by Jac Shaeffer for Disney+, is a gender-bending series that begins weeks after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The show follows protagonist Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Agatha Harkness, a Salem witch, who is Wanda’s neighbor-turned antagonist. Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) are supporting characters in the show. The show is set in suburban Westview, NJ. Taking us on their emotional journeys, Wanda and Agatha lose loved ones, and throughout the series we watch them gain more strength and eventually learn to carry on without those they’ve lost. Meanwhile, Monica and Darcy kick ass when they rebel against their male boss for refusing to listen to them, by figuring out how to enter the hex. As the series progresses we see the strength of each woman as they conquer every challenge they face, proving that anyone can overcome life’s hurdles. As a show about powerful women, we couldn’t be more excited to see what the spinoff has to offer.

Agatha Harkness is a fan-favorite breakout character and playing the role earned Hahn her second Emmy nomination. Shaeffer will be returning as writer and EP for the spinoff. “If the show moves forward at the streamer, it would be the first project Schaeffer has in development since the writer signed her overall deal with Marvel Studios and 20th Century Television back in May,” writes Collider.

Marvel Studios haven’t confirmed the news of the spinoff thus far, but there’s no denying how much we hope that the show pulls through. 

Top photo: @Disney All Rights Reserved

Good news for Shondaland-lovers : Netflix has revealed the first images for Bridgerton’s second season and it is about to be full of plot twists. Bad news, it will not include fan favorite Duke Of Hastings(Regé-Jean Page.) Following the adaptation of Julia Quinn’s book, The Duke And I for the first season, the second one will be based on the author’s second novel, The Viscount Who Loved Me. 

The second season will still be based in 1800’s United Kingdom but this time, will follow Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) as he tries to find the perfect spouse and meets his love interest, the challenging Kate Sharma (Sex Education’s Simone Ashley). Considering the first images released by Netflix, their relationship will be off a rocky start. 

On September 25, Netflix released a one minute long first look into the second season showcasing a heated discussion between newest lady Kate and the charming Anthony. Kate seems to be reproaching Anthony’s wife’s criterias. In the middle of the Bridergtons and the Featheringtons families, a few new characters will be introduced such as the Sharma family, Kate’s family. Edwina (Charithra Chandran), Kate’s sister, who was originally set to marry Anthony, and Sharma the Lady Matriarch are joining the casting. 

During Netflix’s TUDUM panel, Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington) was asked to describe season two as if she was Lady Wisthledown, and in the word of Ton’s most famous gossiper she said : “Dearest gentle reader, the biggest rake in London is about to met his match in more ways than one.” 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Une publication partagée par shondaland tv (@shondaland)

In January 2021, on Shondaland’s instagram account a post was shared where Lady Whistledown (The fictional town’s gossip writer) announced the return of the serie for a second season. The production was set to start in April 2021 but was delayed due to COVID. Although there is no release date yet, the new season is set to be available in Spring 2022. 

Top Photo: Screenshot from YouTube 

Momona Tamada is a Canadian actor and dancer, whose first self-tape audition snagged her the role of Young Lara Jean in To All the Boys I Loved Before: PS I Still Love You, the sequel to Netflix’s smash hit. When Netflix rebooted The Baby-Sitter’s Club, from the popular book series by Ann M. Martin, Tamada landed the role of Claudia Kishi, the Vice President of the Club and its resident fashion icon.

The first season of The Baby-Sitter’s Club is seamlessly modernized, funny, and like the progressive book series doesn’t shy away from including topical storylines involving trans children and wealth inequality. Season two joins the girls as summer’s ending, and we see the effects of some pretty big changes that were set in motion at the end of season one. The girls are a little more grown up, the struggles get a bit more real, and Claudia gets a major arc this season. 

BUST sat down with Momona Tamada,15, to talk personal growth, and her hopes for Claudia’s future. 

BUST: Were you a fan of the books or did you hear about it through the show?

MOMONA TAMADA: I grew up reading them and then after I booked the role we ordered a bunch of books and I started re-reading them and taking notes on who Claudia was as a character and really understanding how she would go about her life.

B: Which character did you most identify with when you were reading the books? Has that changed since playing Claudia?

MT: When I was younger I was very shy and very kind of closed up, a lot more similar to a season one Mary Anne I would say. As I got older I think I transitioned into more of a Claudia/Stacy/Dawn type person. I would say now I’m similar to Stacy, but also Claudia. Those are the two I kind of switch between, because I share a lot of the same interests and personality traits as both of them. 

B: Do you feel like acting has brought you out of your shell? 

MT: Oh 100%. Dance also did bring me out of my shell, but that was only when I was on stage, I was able to be a different person. Being on set and interacting with other people has helped me become more of an outgoing person and lose a little bit of that shy person I was, for sure. 

Is fashion big for you? Is that your favorite form of self-expression?

MT: I always liked fashion but I never got super into it until BSC. Until I saw all the amazing outfits I got to wear, it really opened my mind a lot more to fashion. Now I definitely find a lot of joy in making outfits and shopping, but I’m not sure I’d say it’s my favorite form of self-expression. I am a dancer, I’ve been a dancer all my life, so I’ve learned how to express myself that way, and also through acting. 

B: Who are your biggest fashion influences?

MT: Oh man. I would say Claudia is definitely one of my style icons for sure. Growing up I definitely looked up to the people around me. My mom, and my dad. He grew up in Tokyo so he definitely has this whole different perspective on fashion, and that’s something that we talk about a lot. And I didn’t know he liked it until I booked this role. 

B: Did you get into acting through dance?

MT: I actually initially auditioned into an agency to perform as a background dancer in TV and film. Then one day my agent was like, “Do you wanna just try acting? I’m gonna just send you to an acting audition.” I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I do. I always really did not like musical theater, and I was just so shy that I could never ever do it. Now ending up in acting I’m like, that’s kinda funny how it all worked out.

B: On BSC, what are your favorite scenes to film? 

MT: All the girls in Claudia’s room. I really feel like we’re able to be ourselves and working with all the girls is just so much fun. But then also I would say, you know some of the more challenging scenes I had this season, I got to work with Malia on one of them, and that was definitely very difficult. It was something that I hadn’t really done before on camera, but that was really fun. 

B: Have you ever been a babysitter? 

MT: Oh yes, I have. Growing up, there were these two kids that my mom always watched, we lived really close to a school and we would babysit them all the time. But once I got old enough to babysit for others by myself, I actually got to babysit them once again. Babysitting is just something I really love, and I’m so glad I get to babysit in a show!

B: What’s your babysitting style? 

MT: I’m not very strict, I think I’m very fun. Kind of Claudia-like when it comes to babysitting. But obviously I’ll be as strict as I need to, if there’s anything dangerous happening, like any good babysitter does, you know?

B: I know you like to bake, did you try any of the quarantine fad foods? 

MT: I made that cloud bread. It wasn’t very good, it kind of just tasted like eggs. It wasn’t amazing.

B: Did you make Tik Tok pasta?

MT: I did. It was so good. I made it with my mom and we have it all the time now. It’s so easy and so yummy. 

B: When you think about later seasons, where do you see Claudia going?

MT: Especially after how this season ended, it would just be interesting to see how she continues to grow her relationship with her sister, and see how she deals with problems due to what happened in season two. Watching her grow in any way is so interesting. I’m not sure if you noticed but Claudia’s style is a little bit different in season two, I think the silhouettes of her outfits are different. I think it’s interesting to see how she grows with her fashion sense and her interests. 

Season two of The Baby-sitter’s Club comes out October 11 on Netflix. 

Photos: Jonny Marlow

Michaela Coel continues to get her flowers, nabbing her first-ever Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for I May Destroy You, this past Sunday. 

Coel, who created, wrote, co-directed, and starred in the 12-episode sexual assault drama, is the first Black woman to ever win in this category. She even received a congratulatory stamp of approval from the queen of TV herself, Shonda Rhimes: 

Yes!!!! @MichaelaCoel won! More than well-deserved!!!!!

— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) September 20, 2021

In I May Destroy You, Coel plays Arabella, a London-based writer whose life is upended after she is drugged and raped at a popular nightclub. Coel based the show around her own experiences with sexual assault, creating a riveting and unflinchingly honest look into the enduring effects of sexual trauma.

“I just wrote a little something, for writers, really,” Coel began her acceptance speech. She continued with a moving address to marginalized storytellers everywhere. 

“Write the tale that scares you, that makes you feel uncertain, that isn’t comfortable. I dare you,” Coel stated.

“In a world that entices us to browse through the lives of others to help us better determine how we feel about ourselves, and to in turn feel the need to be constantly visible, for visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success—do not be afraid to disappear. From it. From us. For a while. And see what comes to you in the silence.”

Coel concluded her speech, “I dedicate this story to every single survivor of sexual assault. Thank you.”

Coel’s award comes after the series was noticeably snubbed at this year’s Golden Globes, despite receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews since it premiered last June. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s failure to recognize the series led to criticisms of the HFPA’s completely white body of members and calls for new diversity initiatives within the association.

I May Destroy You’s Globes snub also raised questions about who receives a platform to explore stories of sexual assault. Are these narratives only palatable to the Hollywood establishment when told by white women?  

In reality, women of color are more likely to be assaulted than white women, yet representations of sexual assault onscreen often fail to tell their stories. Promising Young Woman, a film that also discusses sexual assault but with (shocker!) a white protagonist, was as lauded at the 2021 Globes as I May Destroy You was ignored. 

Coel’s was the rare speech that captures the change-making possibilities of major award shows. While there is still a lot (like, a lot) to be done to dismantle Hollywood’s hegemonic structure, her speech offered a direct appeal to the industry’s underrepresented and unacknowledged voices.

What’s next for the Chewing Gum creator? Short answer: a lot. She released her first book, Misfits: A Personal Manifesto, earlier this month. She’s also been tapped for the ensemble cast of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the much-anticipated sequel to Marvel’s 2018 Black Panther, which is set to release next July. 

Check out Coel’s full acceptance speech here, and go stream I May Destroy You on HBO Max right. damn. now. 

 Top Photo: Screenshot via YouTube 

More From BUST

Michaela Coel’s first book, “Misfits: A Personal Manifesto,” is an emotional dive into her experiences of racism and sexism as a Black British woman. 

No One Knows Who Michaela Coel Has Been Cast As in The Black Panther Sequel, But Twitter Has Some Theories

Ava DuVernay And Shonda Rhimes Among The First To Support NBC’s Cancellation Of The Golden Globe Award

If you’ve ever seen even one of Leslie Jordan’s viral Instagram videos, you can imagine what an absolute blast it is to talk to him on the phone. He spins yarns like a Tennessee grandma on her third mint julep, even when making small talk about the weather. “We were told when we were kids that if the sun comes out when it’s raining, that means the devil’s beatin’ his wife,” he recalls.

The Chattanooga-raised actor, singer, and writer, 66, has had a solid career in TV and film since the late ’80s, popping up in everything from Pee-wee’s Playhouse to Star Trek: Voyager to Will & Grace, the latter of which earned him an Emmy. But in 2020, he experienced an unexpected surge of fame after he started posting videos of himself going stir crazy in lockdown. “Well, shit,” he began, in that unmistakable drawl. “How y’all doing?” 

A year later, Jordan is doing very well, thank you very much, having parlayed his Instagram stardom into a new memoir, How Y’all Doing? Misadventures and Mischief From a Life Well Lived, and a gospel album, Company’s Comin’, with guest appearances from Dolly Parton, Brandi Carlile, Eddie Vedder, and more. He also has a starring role in the Fox sitcom Call Me Kat, recently renewed for a second season. “Everything’s good,” he muses.

“I don’t have any problems. So that’s the end of the interview. Bye-bye!”

That may be true now, but his life wasn’t always rosy. His father, a career army man, died in a plane crash when Jordan was just 11. He was also raised in the Southern Baptist church—a tough place to be as a young gay man. “I quit going to church when the whole gay thing came up,” says Jordan. “I thought, ‘This is just not working for me.’” 

He retained his love for the hymns, though, which he believes can resonate with listeners no matter what their religious background. As a friend advised him when he returned to church with his mother once as an adult, “Leave whatever doesn’t resonate with you under the pew in front of you.” Of that visit, Jordan quips, “I left a lot of stuff under the pew. That pew was packed!” 

The seats at the Grand Ole Opry were also packed this past May, when Jordan made his Opry debut wearing a custom turquoise Nudie-style suit. “It was in memory of [my dad],” he says of his performance. “I could barely get through it. My mother cried so much they had to take her out! That was the best night of my life—and I’ve had some good nights.” 

Photos: Elizabeth Weinberg 

Grooming: Sonia Lee @ Exclusive Artists 

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Fall 2021 print edition. Subscribe today!

The CW’s Charmed reboot has found a new lead for its fourth season. Australian actress Lucy Barrett, best known for her recurring role in the Duplass brothers’ web series, Co-Ed, will join the series in place of Madeleine Mantock, who exited the cast at the end of last season. 

The series follows a trio of sisters, better known as “The Charmed Ones” who use their witchy powers to protect the innocent from creatures of darkness in their quaint Michigan town. 

Beware…

Charmed’s season three finale saw Mantock’s character, eldest sister Macy, sacrifice herself to save the world from the Whispering Evil, a formless, parasitic monster. Now, with the two surviving sisters still grieving, the surprising arrival of Barrett’s character (name not yet known) will transform the trio forever.

Showrunners are keeping the details of Barrett’s character under wraps but did reveal in a recent statement that the character will be “An artist, with a wild, unpredictable love for life and a one-of-a-kind view of the world…fun, irreverent, impulsive, strong-willed, and will bring a brand-new energy to the Power of Three.”  

As a mysterious new enemy threatens the sisters and their allies, Barrett’s character may be just the savior they need.

Barrett is repped by AKA Talent Agency and Active Artists Management. Before she becomes the “Charmed One” in season four (set to premiere next year), check her out in the comedy series Offspring on Netflix, which follows the lackluster love life of a mid-thirties obstetrician. You can also see her caught in a love web on The Wrong Girl, a drama about the backstage antics of a morning TV show, now streaming on Peacock Premium.

Top Photo: Screenshot via YouTube 

More from BUST

Supernatural Sculptor Lauren Fensterstock Takes Us Inside Her Monochrome Fantasy World On BUST’s “PopTarts” Podcast

Bridget Regan To Play Toxic Temptress Poison Ivy On Season 3 Of The CW’s Batwoman

4 Witchy Books To Look Out For This Spring 

Inspired by the launch of the Voyager Golden Record in 1977, Ilana Glazer (Broad City) creates her own snapshot of humanity with Ilana Glazer Presents Comedy on Earth NYC 2020-2021. With the help of her artificially intelligent assistant VAL 420, Glazer hosts a one hour comedy time capsule, hoping to share a piece of human existence with “extraterrestrials” and to remind ourselves of all we’ve come through. As Glazer says, “If we didn’t record it, you wouldn’t believe it.”

Ilana Glazer Presents Comedy on Earth: NYC 2020-2021 encapsulates (if you’ll pardon the pun) the first pandemic year and the ways it changed comedy in New York City, from adapting to stand up shows over Zoom, to the eventual return of live (outdoor) shows. It features stand up sets by Petey DeAbreu, Alison Leiby, Larry Owens, and Sydnee Washington, as well as interviews with the comedians about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on their lives and how they handled not being able to perform comedy in real life. 

The sketches throughout Comedy on Earth are a major highlight. Following the 1977 Voyager mission throughline with colorful, retro costumes and appearances by many of the comedians featured in Ilana Glazer Presents Tight Five, which debuted on Comedy Central Stand-Up’s Youtube channel earlier this year. It’s fun to see Ilana Glazer comedy faves like Marie Faustin, Kristen Buckels & Lacey Jeka, and Alex English step out of stand up and put on their acting hats.

Comedy on Earth does what comedy does best: helps us make peace with, or at least stomach, the hard, bad, sometimes devastating parts of being alive. It’s been rough lately, and Glazer and her fart-joke-loving AI companion guide us through a hopeful, celebratory love letter to comedians, New York City, and the resiliency of both.

In addition to curating comedy specials with up-and-coming comedians, the 34-year old actor and producer branched out this past year, starring in the horror film False Positive. It was also announced this week that Glazer would co-host the livestream of the 2021 Met Gala with Keke Palmer.

 Comedy on Earth is produced by Glazer’s production company Starrpix and premieres tonight, September 10th, at 11:00 PM ET/PT on Comedy Central.

Top Photo: Screenshot from YouTube

After much teasing, the release date for the final season of Issa Rae’s comedy Insecure has been revealed in a new trailer. Based off of Issa Rae’s critically acclaimed web-series, Awkward Black Girl, viewers have followed the fictional Issa Dee, a late 20’s Black woman coming-of-age in Los Angeles. 

In the trailer, Issa has one of her trademark mirror chats with her internal self via her reflection, “Wow, Issa, you were so simple then,” she says, reminding herself just how far she’s come. 

Five seasons later Issa has gotten her shit together and is claiming a happy and drama-free life as she enters her next chapter. Season four ended in a cliffhanger. Just as it seemed Issa and  Lawrence (Jay Ellis) found themselves back to one another, his ex pops up pregnant. And to make matters worst, her and bestie Molly are on the outs again, this time for good? Issa’s main crew is back to finish the series out strong: Molly (Yvonne Orji,) Jay Ellis’ Laurence, Kelli (Natasha Rothwell), Tiffany (Amanda Seales), and Sequoia (Courtney Taylor).

Since premiering in 2016, Insecure has racked a bevy of awards including: three NAACP awards and six primetime Emmy nominations.   

So willl Issa and Molly make up and ditch their man drama? Find out on October 24th on HBO. 

Another beloved DC Comics character will hit the CW this fall. Poison Ivy, Batman’s toxic, eco-terrorist enemy, will be portrayed by Bridget Regan on Batwoman’s upcoming third season.

This won’t be Regan’s first time in the villain seat. She’s best known for playing the cunning drug lord Rose Solano (alias Sin Rostro) on Jane the Virgin for five seasons. Regan has also held recurring roles on TNT’s The Last Ship and Spectrum Originals’ Paradise Lost.

Poison Ivy’s arrival was teased in Batwoman’s season two finale earlier this summer, but it’s still unclear just how she’ll fit into Gotham’s criminal underworld. Poison Ivy, once known as Pamela Isley, was a botany student at Gotham University with a life’s mission of saving the planet. That is, until an evil professor injected her with plant toxins for his rogue experiments. Now, she threatens to release her lethal spores across Gotham if her environmental demands aren’t met.

Unlike her peers Harley Quinn and Catwoman, Poison Ivy has been mostly absent from the silver screen since Uma Thurman famously portrayed her in 1997’s Batman and Robin. The character was periodically featured on Fox’s Gotham but was notably shut out of last year’s Birds of Prey, which saw a scorned Harley Quinn fight Gotham’s reigning crime lord with a posse of femme fatales. Now, Harley’s motorcycle-riding, karate-kicking friend, Black Canary, is getting her own feature spinoff at HBO Max.

Regan’s recurring role as this iconic comic foe is poised to bring Poison Ivy front and center and, perhaps, make Gotham just a bit greener. Batwoman season three will premiere on Oct.13 on the CW.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore (Creative Commons Attribution) 

More from BUST

DC Won’t Let Batman Go Down On Catwoman Because “Heroes Don’t Do That”

Jameela Jamil Is Set To Star As Villain Titania In “She-Hulk,” A New Marvel Series Coming To Disney+

Nicole Kang of “Batwoman” Talks Superheroes, Quarantine, Asian Representation, And BLM Solidarity: BUST Interview

The original Gossip Girl filled the early 2000s teens and young adults with yearnings for sprawling skylines, the temptations of big city living, and the privileges of old money. The Gossip Girl reboot once again launches us into a world of high school drama, betrayal, forbidden love affairs, and an insider look at the lives of Upper East Side elite but with a 2021 glow up. Rather than centering around frenemies Blair Waldorf and Serena Vanderwoodson, this reboot throws the spotlight on high school junior and affluent social media influencer, Julien Calloway (Jordan Alexander), and her half-sister, high school freshman and activist in the making, Zoya Lott (Whitney Peak).

The Gossip Girl Reboot boasts a pretty diverse cast with the characters hailing from all different racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities. In the main cast alone, there is pansexual play boy, a “bitchy” lesbian, a queer/questioning boy with a pink buzzcut, and a transwoman with killer style. This is really exciting, especially when you consider the all white main cast of its 2007 predecessor. Backlash for this choice in casting was definitely heard and there has been an obvious and mostly successful effort at fixing past mistakes with the reboot.  It was this diversity that drew me to watch the reboot in the first palace. That being said, as entertaining as the show is, it misses the mark in some major ways. 

Screenshot Via HBO Max

Other diversity points aside, the reboot really missed an opportunity to cast either a brown skinned or dark skinned actress in a leading role. The show explicitly makes Zoya fully Black while Julien is mixed white and Black. The pair share a Black mother but Julien’s father is white and Zoya’s is Black. Zoya is canonically fully Black and yet is played by someone of mixed race (Whitney Peak is Ugandan and white Canadian). Historically, due to colorist beauty standards,  in TV and movies mixed race Black women have been chosen over Black women to act as fully Black characters. Mixed race actresses Zendaya, Yara Shahidi, and Amadla Steinberg are common casting choices for characters made to be young Black women. They are often cast alongside fully Black families and usually every other member of their family ranges from brown skin to dark skin. This reinforces the colorist idea that, in order to be considered beautiful (and worthy of the lead role) Black women need to have European features i.e. a looser curl pattern, lighter skin, and a slim nose. Julien is also played by a mixed race actress but that makes sense because her character is canonical biracial. 

There is no reason why a Black actress who reflects fully Black beauty with dark skin and African features couldn’t have been cast as Zoya. By making casting choices that play into colorism, the Gossip Girl reboot is continuing and upholding a legacy of Black women’s beauty being limited to features deemed “white” enough. Upon further investigation, I also found that Monet (Savannah Lee Smith), a friend of Julien’s who also acts as her publicist, is played by a mixed race actress. Monet’s parents have yet to be revealed and her character may also be intended to be mixed, which is fine. However, the fact that there are three Black women in the main cast of eight, and all are played by mixed race women makes me question whether the diversity on this show is legitimate or surface level and performative.

Screenshot Via HBO Max

The show is hyperaware, as many in 2021 are, of cancel culture and trying to flex it’s woke muscles so it isn’t ridiculed as so many past shows of the early 2000s were for being problematic. This fear is how we ended up with lines like “private school teachers get paid substantially less than public school ones. It’s criminal how little they make. Less than customer service representatives, executive assistants, retail salespeople,” which reads like something out of an afterschool special. Being associated with the legacy of the OG Gossip Girl comes both with name recognition and a shady history. 

The show attempts to counteract past complaints by pumping up the diversity and inclusion this generation is known for. Unfortunately, the dialogue makes the characters sometimes seem like three millenials stacked on top of each other in a trench coat. It’s all name-dropping and references to the pandemic and throwing in random words 300-year-olds think teens use. Spoiler: they don’t. No one uses “unsubscribe” as an attempting-to-be-witty one liner, and I pray that it never catches on.

But the real problem is that the reboot wants to keep the conniving rich people doing terrible things to each other while making them weirdly self aware. It doesn’t make the characters empathizable, it just confuses the audience and gives them emotional whiplash. The problematic shit wasn’t taken out, they just think that if they have a girl with a buzz cut pointing out that it’s not politically correct then they can get away with doing it anyway. Any attempt the show makes at being morally above comes off as forced, insincere, and preachy. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Gossip Girl (@gossipgirl)

One of the most glaringly obvious and painful examples of this performative wokeness is Julien’s “I Am a Bully Speech” in episode 4. Julien decides, after a day of trying to sabotage Zoya’s birthday, to share a video on a huge projector at Zoya’s birthday party of Zoya vandalizing her old school. The video spirals into Zoya being traumatically bullied and called a “mother killer” by a group of girls, ultimately ending with Zoya setting a fire after being locked in a room (it’s a lot). Julien, who hadn’t seen the second part of the video, immediately realizes the error of her ways and makes the following speech: 

“Hey everyone. I know that video was traumatic. You’re probably wondering why I played it. I’m wondering that too… I didn’t know she was being bullied but I guess when you’re a bully yourself you don’t see that. Since I can’t turn back the clock, the very least I can do is tell the truth. I’m a bully. And whether I do it to your face or through your phone without you realizing, it’s the same thing… But never again. Take out your phones. Do it, hit record. I am a bully. I bully my sister, I bully my friends, my fans and I’m never gonna do it again so long as I live. You have this video. Dubsmash it, DeuxMoi it. Gossip Girl it for all its worth. Now how about we put this pain behind us and bow down to the princess. She’s why you’re all here. Z, I love you.”

This is supposedly meant to make up for what she did and has been doing up until literal seconds beforehand. Not everyone gets immediate forgiveness if they ever get it at all. Acknowledging that you fucked up isn’t a cure all. The only thing that could possibly explain this speech would be that maybe the writers wanted to teach a lesson to young viewers. Showing kids that bullying is inexcusable is important but I must remind you that this isn’t aimed at kids. Gossip Girl has shown full frontal nudity, a student performing oral on a teacher, and minors doing hard drugs. This is a show about teenagers for adults and rated TV-MA. I’m sure that there are some teens bingeing this show on their family’s HBO Max account, but even if they are, the “I Am A Bully” speech was so silly. In no world would people pat Jullien on the back for that shitty apology. She did a terrible thing, acknowledged it 15 seconds later, and pinky promised that she learned her lesson. 

Screenshot Via HBO Max

Rather than Julien telling us that what she did was wrong, we could have figured that out for ourselves.  A better way to make this scene more believable would have been showing the fallout and having Julien face consequences for being a bad person. She’s an Instagram influencer, she should have lost followers and been cancelled. Instead, not only was she praised for her “bravery,” she actually GAINED followers.

As clueless as the show seems at times, the writers do actually know how to broach controversial topics in a way that doesn’t sound like a PSA. They did it wonderfully with the “love” story between Rafa (Jason Gotay), a teacher at the school, and Max (Thomas Doherty), his flirty socialite student, and it turned out to be one of the best parts of the show. 

Rafa and Max are both hot, played by adult actors, and have incredible chemistry and sexual tension. Hollywood loves a good student-teacher fantasy evidenced by shows like Pretty Little Liars, Riverdale, and the original Gossip Girl.  Audiences often find themselves pulled in by this titillating if extremely problematic trope, yet things like laws and abuse of power and predatory behavior linger in the back of their mind. The Gossip Girl reboot seemed to understand this very well.

The thing that sets the Gossip Girl reboot apart is how they resolved this plotline. Max and Rafa didn’t run off into the sunset, instead, Rafa is revealed to have had sexual relationships with several other students in the past. Far from being the charming man who couldn’t help but fall for Max’s advances, Rafa turned out to be a repeat offender. This is far more realistic than other examples of the trope. The tea is, if your high school teacher is trying to fuck you, they are probably a predator and you may not be their first victim. 

Screenshot via Youtube

The reboot managed to give us everything we actually want from a student-teacher love story: tension, forbidden romance, hot sex, and moral comupance. We get an edge-of-your-seat scandalous love story wherein the story comes to a dramatic (and arguably more entertaining) end when it is revealed that Rafa “I don’t fuck my students” Capparos does, in fact, fuck his students. A lot.

But the villain didn’t give a speech about the dangers of talking to strangers and they didn’t turn this into an after school special. They let the story speak for itself and didn’t try to spoon feed us. This reboot needs to take notes from itself because it is capable of some really great things.  They need to educate themselves on the nuances of race and representation and trust that their audience doesn’t need to have everything spelled out for them. I know it saves time to just have the characters throw out half baked apologies, and it’s easier to just go along with current backwards beauty ideals, but it is certainly worth the effort to commit to being groundbreaking.

Top Image: Screenshot Via Youtube

More From BUST

 Everything You Need to Know About the Sex and the City Reboot

 The “iCarly” Reboot Sucked For The First 5 Minutes—Then It Quickly Became The Show We Used To Know And Lov

 Holy shit, holy shit, holy f’in shit—”We are Lady Parts” is phenomena

“Ex-Rated” brings former lovers back together again to tell each other just how bad they are at just about everything. How romantic! Hosted by Andy Cohen, this show is not afraid to hit below the belt, having contestants rate old flames on categories like penis size, personality, and skills in the bedroom. While the topics can make for some awkward comedy, everything is done in good fun and for the sake of personal development. “Ex-Rated” aims to “challenge adult singles of all ages and backgrounds to face raw, candid feedback on everything from their personality to sexual prowess and relationship skills in order to find out where they went wrong and how they can improve,” says Peacock in a press release for the show. 

EX-RATED — “The One-Hit Wonder” Episode 108 — Pictured: (l-r) Shannon Boodram, Andy Cohen — (Photo by: Richie Knapp/Peacock)

Host Andy Cohen teams up with sex educator Shan Boodram, to coach the contestants through this hilariously raunchy dating game show. Boodram is a certified intimacy educator, dating coach and relationship expert with over 15 years of experience as a sexologist. She is also the author of a best selling book called “The Game of Desire,” and the host and executive producer of Quibi’s #1 daily show, “Sexology with Shan Boodram.” Using her expert knowledge and funny relatability, Shan Boodram advises contestants how to have a relationship glow-up, and hopefully leave the show with some ideas on how they can improve as a romantic partner.

Whether we are watching contestants get critiqued on their oral techniques or learning how to advocate for what they want in the bedroom, this show is sure to be your next not so guilty pleasure. Catch the eight episode season of Ex-Rated on Peacock Thursday, August 12th!

But first, a sneak peak:

Top Photo: EX-RATED — Pictured: Andy Cohen, “Ex-Rated” Key Art — (Photo by: Peacock)

Good news and bad news y’all. It seems like Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the crew are coming back to our screens—in 2022 that is. Yep, everyone’s favorite 1980’s themed, paranormal TV show Stranger Things is heading back to Netflix next year.

A trailer was released last year featuring an imprisoned Hopper (David Harbour) somewhere in the USSR, at least letting fans know that El’s surrogate dad isn’t a total gone-er, following season three’s explosive ending. The latest 30-second teaser combines a bunch of clips from seasons-pasts, along with some new scenes that give just the slightest heads up to what’s in store, including a shot of Eleven being dragged somewhere by two agent-looking dudes.

Filming for the fourth season originally shut down in March of 2020 because of, *gestures vaguely, * but a few months later in September, production started up again. A premiere date hasn’t been set, but what we do know is that new characters have been added including Nightmare on Elm Steet’s Robert Englund and Grace Van Dien as Chrissy, a cheerleader and popular girl at the kid’s high school, with a secret.

Are you ready to have your world turned upside down again?

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore 

As Psychology Today puts it, “​​celebrity in America has always given us an outlet for our imagination, just as the gods and demigods of ancient Greece and Rome once did.” We tend to dissect the publicised events of a celebrity’s life through the lens of hindsight, constructing our own tenuous mythology. July 23rd marked ten years since Amy Winehouse’s death at only 27 by alcohol poisoning, and in that time her narrative has been cobbled together from disturbing anecdotes and paparazzi pictures to create a purely tragic figure: her husband used her and hooked her onto drugs, and her family showed little support while she was gripped by severe addiction and an eating disorder. The complexities of both her and her life down into the neat, simplistic moulds of musical legend and media casualty: a myth of equal parts talent, tragedy and trainwreck. 

This narrative was arguably cemented by Asif Kapadia’s Oscar winning 2015 biopic “Amy.”.  There’s a sense that the filmmakers are framing Amy’s life as an inevitable tragedy from childhood: a firecracker personality masking a fragile psyche, which splintered and ultimately cracked under the external forces of drugs, media attention, and emotional isolation. 

“Reclaiming Amy,” counters this with a personal, touching and unsensational story. Amy’s mother, Janis narrates the documentary, and expresses her fear of losing her daughter’s memory to the ‘caricature’ that “Amy” presented to the world. She laments how misleadingly passive Amy comes across, particularly in its claims that her father was a parasite of her spotlight, and pushed her to keep performing despite her fragile mental health. Here, her parents and close friends disclose events that took place behind the camera, and we are reminded that the public’s need to find someone to blame might sometimes, simply be redundant. Janis explains that it was in fact a physical inability to intervene due to her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis that limited her ability to help her daughter: “I could only watch and wait.” While Mitch admits to enjoying the spotlight, he says that this did not make him an unloving father who didn’t try to help Amy as much as he could. Every person in the documentary agrees, the power of addiction, paired with the crackling single-mindedness that made Amy both a singular talent and self-destructive, was to blame. 

While “Amy” somewhat glamorises the toxic, drug-addled and often cruel relationship with her husband Blake Fielder-Civil as the centre-piece of her life, “Reclaiming Amy” doesn’t feel the need to dwell too much on it. To the surprise of many, the documentary reveals that there were in fact periods of joy in her life and career. The raw adoration her parents have for her is palpable when they watch home videos of her: some of Amy as a cheeky little girl, another of her affectionately teasing Mitch while they sing a duet together. Most surprisingly, one of Amy’s close friends, Catriona, reveals the intensely romantic nature of their relationship, something that remained hidden from the public due, she says, to Amy’s fear of confronting her own sexuality. Regardless of this though, Reclaiming Amy reframes the myth of the star who wrote moody love songs and was loved by no one. As Catriona says while holding back tears: “perhaps people don’t realise there were other relationships in her life where people really did love her, and would’ve done anything in their power to make her happy.”

Watch “Reclaiming Amy” trailer here

Top image: Screenshot from YouTube

Middle image: Screenshot from YouTube, Amy accepting the grammy for ‘record of the year’ alongside her mother, 2008 

https://bust.com/entertainment/198364-lucy-liu-bill-murray-charlie-s-angels-clash.html

https://bust.com/music/198358-lil-nas-x-releases-music-video-for-industry-baby-fights-to-end-cash-bail-and-mass-incarceration.html

https://bust.com/entertainment/218-poptarts/198357-jessica-hopper-the-first-collection-of-criticism-by-a-living-female-rock-critic-poptarts-podcast.html

Karrueche Tran broke the glass ceiling for Asian American and Pacific Islander actors with her recent award win last Sunday. The 37-year-old took home the Emmy for outstanding performance by a leading actress in a daytime fiction program, becoming the first AAPI leading actress to win an Emmy at either the Daytime or Primetime awards. 

The Los Angeles native snagged the trophy she did so for her role in POPSTAR TV’s digital drama The Bay. Tran plays Vivian Johnson-Garrett, one of the wealthy residents of the fictional Bay City a town cursed with scandal, betrayal, and heartbreak that entangles all those within its borders. 

Originally premiering in 2010, The Bay has swept up 19 total Emmy awards— including 4 wins for outstanding digital daytime drama series. Tran herself has also collected two of those wins for her work producing the show in 2016 and  2017. 

Tran, who is Black-American and Vietnamese, spoke about her win on her Instagram Tran expressing, “to be a representation of a community that is so often overlooked and underappreciated brings me to tears.” Tran wasn’t the only one to make Emmy history at Sunday’s award show. Jodi Long became the first AAPI winner of the supporting actress category for her role in the Netflix series Dash & Lily. 

Top Photo Credit: Screenshot via Youtube

Emmy nominations are in, and it’s history in the making. Mj Rodriguez, who portrays Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista in the critically-acclaimed FX show Pose, became the first openly trans woman to be nominated in the award show’s leading actress category. 

The nomination gives Rodriguez deserving recognition for her acclaimed role as Blanca Evangelista, a trans woman, nurse, and manicurist living with HIV/AIDS, who forms her own drag house in 1980’s New York. Pose, which depicts the city’s underground ball culture of the time and the people who brought it to life, was heralded by critics and audiences alike for its aesthetic appeal—glimmering costumes, gorgeous set designs—and compelling look into Black and Latinx ballroom culture of yesterday. 

The show—which finished its third and final season last month—is not unfamiliar with making history and breaking records. Billy Porter (who portrays Pray Tell) became the first openly gay Black man to be nominated for and win in a leading acting category in the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards. The show also broke records for the number of openly transgender cast members in TV history: five in series regular roles. 

Speaking to Variety about the historicness of her nomination, Rodriguez said, “I feel like love is finally being seen and being expressed…A moment like this extends and opens and elongates the possibilities of what’s going to happen.”  

Besides at the Emmy’s airing in September, catch Rodriguez in the new scripted podcast Hot White Heist currently available to stream on Audible.  

Top Photo Credit: Screenshot from Youtube

Set in Worcester, Massachusetts, Allison (Emmy winner Annie Murphy of Schitt’s Creek) is a childless, 30-something, who longs to get out of the small, stifling life she has with her cable-guy husband Kevin (Eric Petersen). You wouldn’t know the premise is that grim though as the show welcomes viewers into Allison’s home with a familiar scene straight out of sitcoms-past: Kevin plays beer pong in the brightly lit living room while his friends joke along. 

Allison walks in holding a basket of laundry before getting hit by a flying ping pong ball. It’s the kind of dumb, physical comedy at the expense of female characters we have all become used to in sitcoms. After a few more jokes and dirty dishes tossed her way, she heads back into the kitchen, and viewers enter an entirely different world. This time in the style of a single-camera drama meant to highlight the somber and unfulfilling reality of Allison’s life away from the laugh track. Without the studio lights, we can see how small and dirty the home is. Setting the laundry basket down, she smashes the beer mug her husband tossed at her on the counter in a moment of visceral rage and frustration at the dismissive way she was treated in the living room. 

A dark comedy, the show satirizes the misogynistic tropes of 2000’s sitcoms (think Kevin Can Wait and The King of Queens). Murphy as the beautiful wife of a decidedly worse-looking yet goofy, supposedly loveable husband. The sharp style switch between sitcom and drama is meant to highlight the frequent lack of agency of female characters in these shows. 

Ultimately, however, the mix of the two styles is an idea more interesting in concept than in actuality. At times the drama side of the show sucks up so much air, that the sitcom side feels mostly like an annoyance. But when the two do effectively work together we see the easy jokes made at the expense of Allison in the sitcom become painful as we contextualize them in the drama’s troubling depiction of Allison’s internal world. It also leads into the most interesting element of the show: its critique of real-life gender dynamics, that of a wife who has been sold domestic bliss, only to discover domestic hell. 

Photos: courtesy of AMC, Christine Ramage  

Five seconds into episode one of the iCarly reboot, Spencer is naked. A good start, in my opinion. Ten seconds in, and I’m getting all of the rushes of dopamine that come with reliving the best part of your childhood. Fifteen seconds in, and I’m worried. The pacing is off, the dialogue seems forced, and although I’m still watching the characters I used to know and love, they seem… out of practice. It didn’t feel like the reboot of a show that ran for five years; it felt like a dress rehearsal for a highschool play.

This was a shocking development considering all of the high praise it had received from basically the entire internet. I was disappointed and seriously questioning the taste of the nostalgia junkies of Twitter. But just as I was about ready to admit defeat, suddenly the show jumps one month ahead, and we are introduced to Harper. 

Carly’s roommate, Harper, is hilarious, stylish, hot, Black, and pansexual! According to a conversation she has with Carly, Harper has dated and slept with “cute guys, hot girls, [and] ridiculously gorgeous non-binary lawyers who got [her] name tattooed on their thigh.” She was cracking jokes about furries and kink-shaming and working minimum wage. She’s a character straight out of 2021, and I was eating it up. It’s not hard to guess why this character quickly became my favorite, seeing as she was full of one-liners, iconic fashion moments, and more than a few sarcastic remarks. Now THIS is what I’d signed up for.

Screenshot via Paramount+

Following Harper’s introduction, it seemed as if the show was going to be solely held up by her sassy-Black-friend-ness, but somewhere within that month-long time jump, the original cast rediscovered their ability to act. It seemed as if that first tragically awkward five minutes of the show was just allowing Carly, Freddie, and Spencer to get warmed up, because after that, they were just as funny as I remembered them to be, if not more.

Spencer is now fabulously wealthy (although he already seemed pretty rich to my childhood self); Carly is pretty much the same, but with the addition of some killer eyebrows and well-placed swearing; and Freddie is twice divorced, a failure in his chosen career, and now once again living with his mom. Okay, the last one was kind of a downer, but at least he has a tech savvy, mixed-race adopted step-daughter named Millicent now.

Another thing to note is that almost every new character that has been introduced to the show so far has been a person of color. When I first saw the promotional shoots, I was initially concerned that the new POC characters would be obviously ghost written by white guilt and tokenism. However, it didn’t feel like the creators of this reboot were pandering or using them to accessorize a white cast at all. These characters actually felt necessary and real and make the show even more worth watching.

The two Black actresses that have been added to the main cast—Laci Mosley playing Harper, and Jaidyn Triplett playing Millicent— have really brought in their own unique humor that isn’t just trying to replace Sam—who is, apparently, off “following her bliss” with a biker gang. In fact, the show didn’t come off like it was trying hard at all and was able to seamlessly blend the classic iCarly charm of the original iteration with what we would normally laugh at in 2021. 

Me watching Me watching
iCarly (2011) iCarly (2021)
at 8 at 18 pic.twitter.com/stWpYKTMwd

— Ayo?? (@AyoAjayi1905) June 19, 2021

Something this show does really well is incorporate millennial and Gen-Z culture into the jokes without coming off like they are written by Baby Boomers. It feels like every show right now is desperately trying to latch onto the success of internet humor, and failing miserably, often mistaking dabbing and terms like “fleek” as modern inventions rather than trends that fell out of vogue years ago.

The iCarly reboot, on the other hand, is self aware and current. It knows it’s audience! It’s not trying to cater to the up-and-coming generation, and it isn’t trying to be dark and edgy, and that is why it’s so successful. When making this reboot, they knew we wanted nostalgia and they were smart enough to have iCarly grow up right along with us, rather than trying to remake what was already great to begin with.

The iCarly reboot is currently only available on Paramount+ but definitely worth the month-long free trial or even a paid subscription if you’re interested in revisiting some of your old Nickelodeon favorites. I, for one, will be shamelessly tuning in for each new episode of this reboot and dreading the impending end of my 30-day free trial.

Top Photo: screenshot via Paramount+

More from BUST

Holy Shit, Holy Shit, Holy F’in Shit—”We Are Lady Parts” Is Phenomenal!

Everything You Need to Know About the Sex and the City Reboot

Janet Mock Gave Hollywood The Long Overdue Read It Deserves At The “Pose” Season Three Premier

Known for her role as Tahani Al-Jamil on the comedy series The Good Place, Jamil will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as villain Titania, a woman with superhuman strength and the main rival of She-Hulk in the comics.

Tatiana Maslany, known for her role as Sarah Manning (and, well, a lot of people) on Orphan Black, will play Jennifer Warner, a lawyer who becomes She-Hulk after receiving a blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner (He-Hulk, if you will). Unlike her cousin, however, Jennifer is able to maintain control while hulking out.

Kevin Feige, executive producer and president of Marvel Studios, describes the series as “a half-hour legal comedy,” according to Hypebeast. It will feature appearances from Renee Elise Goldberry, Tim Roth, Ginger Gonzaga, and Mark Ruffalo, as Bruce Banner.

She-Hulk is set to be released sometime in 2022.

Top Photo Credit: aitchisons from United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

More from BUST

DC Won’t Let Batman Go Down On Catwoman Because “Heroes Don’t Do That”

Issa Rae To Play Spider-Woman In Upcoming Marvel Film, And We’re Here For It

“Wandavision” Is About Love, Family, And Grief. It’s Also About Powerful Women.

Justin Halpern, co-creator and executive producer of the HBO animated DC series Harley Quinn, has inadvertently caused an uproar on social media, after revealing to Variety that DC forced him to cut a scene from season three, in which Batman gives oral sex to Catwoman, because, apparently, “heroes don’t do that.” 

Halpern explained their reasoning, saying, “We had a moment where Batman was going down on Catwoman. And DC was like, ‘You can’t do that. You absolutely cannot do that.’ They’re like, ‘Heroes don’t do that.’ So, we said, ‘Are you saying heroes are just selfish lovers?’ They were like, ‘No, it’s that we sell consumer toys for heroes. It’s hard to sell a toy if Batman is also going down on someone.’” The comments were made as part of Halpern’s wider point that he enjoyed working on a series with villains as the central characters, precisely because you have the freedom to be much more risqué.  

I JUST DON’T THINK BATMAN WOULD DO THAT pic.twitter.com/TIHDQTPbcU

— Adam Lance Garcia (@AdamLanceGarcia) June 15, 2021

While DC executives felt their blunt explanation was sufficient, many within the fandom have found it bizarre that a series as chaotically gratuitous in terms of violence, language and sex (Harley Quinn has previously had sex with Poison Ivy), have equated limiting Batman’s sexual exploration to being ultra-marketable. Surely, some think, making Batman a selfish lover is a far less palatable fact?

So DJ Khaled was Batman this whole time… pic.twitter.com/0vZXr9OHRZ

— The Summer of Frank (@thoughthaver69) June 14, 2021

Ambiguity still remains as to whether DC objected so strongly because such an act of sexual selflessness would tarnish Batman’s hyper-masculine image in the eyes of male fans, or whether they are considering their younger audience, despite this particular series very clearly catering to adults. Fans have taken to Twitter to mock DC’s reasoning, with many joking that DJ Khaled has been revealed as the new Batman; referencing the producer’s infamous comments from a 2015 Breakfast Club interview, in which he described his vehement refusal to go down on his wife. 

No wonder villains and anti-heroes have been slowly taking over the superhero universe when they’re so much more fun.

Top image: screenshot from YouTube 

More from BUST

DJ Khaled, Oral Sex, And The Orgasm Gap

From “Killing Eve” to “I May Destroy You,” These 8 Women-Led Shows Should Be On Your Watchlist

DC Comics’ Latest Event Showed The Necessity Of Diversity In Superhero Media

“We Are Lady Parts,” written and directed by Nida Manzoor, is a hilarious British TV show about an all-girl, Muslim punk band. It’s fronted and supported by a cast of sexy as hell people of color of various genders, skin tones, and ways of presenting themselves, and if you don’t fall in love with every character in this show you’re insane (or incredibly picky which is fine too). And while this is technically a review of the show, it’s also me fangirling all over it to convince you that  YOU MUST WATCH THIS. 

“We Are Lady Parts” introduces us to Saira, the commitment-phobe lead singer/guitarist whose one true love is her band; Ayesha, the angry, deliciously punk, over-the-top-eyeliner-wearing drummer girl of my dreams; Bisma, the hilariously opinionated bassist, wife, mother, and fantastically gorey feminist comic artist; and Momtaz, the niqab-rocking, no-shits-giving band manager who is perpetually haloed in a cloud of vape and badassery. 

The women are trying to succeed with their band, Lady Parts, and are looking for a guitarist to take them over the edge. Enter Amina, a microbiology Ph.D. student who is held captive by her stage fright which makes her prone to throwing up and shitting herself… but who is also actually a really amazing guitarist (pinky swear). Using Ayesha’s borderline illegally gorgeous brother, Asan, as a romantic bargaining chip, the ladies of Lady Parts attempt to get Amina to join the band. Now I can’t tell you how the date went or what happened after that (you’ll have to watch for yourself) but I can tell you that you will become obsessed, binge it all the way through, and join me in waiting miserably for the next season. I must warn you that there is a random bit in episode one where our main character is singing and puppets get involved. DO NOT ABANDON SHIP. It never comes up again and the rest of the show is decidedly less cringe-y, trust me.

Just six episodes long, “We Are Lady Parts” is packed with enough heartwarming sisterhood, shockingly good girl punk music, and witty, riot-grrrl-esque modern Muslim women to keep you hooked. It’s seriously good and only available on Peacock with a premium subscription. No offense meant to PeacockTV, but if this was on Netflix you would have already seen it by now and be just as uncontainably obsessed with it as I am. This is not a sponsored review so I’ll just say this: Get that 7-day free trial on Peacock if only for this. Hell, maybe you’ll find some other good stuff to watch and decide to stick it out for an actual paid membership. But if the subscription is the only thing holding you back, don’t let it. I desperately need this show to get renewed. 

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal 

More From Bust

 “The Bold Type’s” Aisha Dee Speaks Out on Show’s Diversity Issues Behind the Camera and New Season’s Problematic Narrative

 MuslimGirl.Com Founder, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, Is Running For Congress

Everything You Need to Know About the Sex and the City Reboot

In the age of streamers like Hulu and Netflix, it can feel torturous to actually have to watch a show — especially one as twisty and thrilling as Freeform’s Cruel Summer — in week-by-week installments. Harley Quinn Smith, who plays one of the show’s most surprisingly divisive characters, understands the frustration.

“We learned about how the show was ending as we shot each episode,” the 21-year-old tells BUST. “Everything that the audience is feeling now is what we felt like a few months ago while we were filming.”

There are a lot of ways to describe Cruel Summer: It’s a bit of a psychological thriller, mystery, and dark coming-of-age drama all in one. At the center of everything is Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia), an awkward teenager who covets everything about golden girl Kate Wallis’ (Olivia Holt) life. When Kate is kidnapped, Jeanette somehow slips into her place, taking over her relationships with her boyfriend and best friends. Fast-forward one year and Kate, traumatized and alone, is found alive — and convinced Jeanette witnessed her abduction. The show flashes between multiple points of view and three different timelines, slowly revealing the complicated, nuanced truth and, ultimately, highlighting the ways in which the world fails and demonizes teenage girls.

Smith plays Mallory Higgins, Jeanette’s offbeat, bold best friend who goes on to form a serendipitous, unexpected friendship with Kate. “Mallory’s the type of character I’ve been looking for since I started acting… I think she’s so cool and badass,” Smith says. “She only has two friends and then later, only one friend, but she’s still happy and she’s confident and she’s not concerned about what other people think of her. And I think that’s a really cool attribute.”

Maybe it’s because of her sudden bond with and allegiance to Kate, or maybe it’s her somewhat abrasive personality. Maybe it’s because, as Cruel Summer shows us, people are quick to villainize and question flawed teen girls. But for some reason, Mallory is the show’s most polarizing character — just check out the #CruelSummer tag on Twitter. “Mallory calling Kate her favorite person… I don’t trust her,” one person wrote. Another tweeted that Mallory is more of a clear villain than Jeanette. 

Smith, though, has a fierce love for and appreciation of her character. “When I see things like, ‘I don’t like Mallory, I don’t trust Mallory,’ I want to respond and be like, ‘Hey, don’t say that,’” she tells BUST. “I just feel so defensive of Mallory. I think she’s a good person with good intentions.”

By Kelsey Hale

And then there’s her connection with Kate, which Smith describes as “really genuine and really beautiful.” When Mallory and Kate first run into each other outside a therapist’s office, Mallory doesn’t expect to find a friend; she doesn’t even expect to find someone she likes. But she soon becomes one of the only people who’s there for Kate as she works through her trauma and loneliness. And she’s also honest with Kate — in one episode, she even admits that she used to dislike her, and that she seriously misjudged her. That’s one moment, Smith says, that really shows how much Kate means to Mallory.

“That’s kind of the only time that Mallory admits to really being wrong about something,” she explains. “And Mallory for sure does not often or easily admit defeat, but when she gets to know [Kate], I think she figures out, ‘Oh, this girl is my soulmate in a way.’” When I mention that I’d kind of love to see Mallory and Kate get together down the line, Smith laughs and lowers her voice. “Same,” she says. 

Although Smith is staunchly on Team Kate over Team Jeanette, she points out that it’s possible to feel for both characters. Neither one fits neatly into a box, which is one reason Cruel Summer is such a fresh take on the YA thriller genre. “It doesn’t have to be the mean one or the popular one or the nerdy one. They can all share those same personality traits,” Smith tells BUST. “You don’t have to stereotype teen girls.”

The Cruel Summer finale airs at 10:00 p.m. EST on Freeform. Watch all episodes on Hulu.

Header photo: Freeform

More from BUST

“Generation” Star Haley Sanchez Might Be Playing TV’s Most Realistic Teenager: BUST Interview

“The Bold Type’s” Aisha Dee Speaks Out on Show’s Diversity Issues Behind the Camera and New Season’s Problematic Narrative

Emily Arlook Talks All Things “Grown-ish” And The Importance Of Bi Rep: BUST Interview

After COVID, countless scandals and many questionable decisions, many fans think The Bachelor franchise has finally run its course. According to his Instagram, Chris Harrison officially stepped down from his role as host on Tuesday after defending the racist actions of a contestant during an interview in March with Rachel Lindsay, the first Black Bachelorette. Rachael Kirkconnell, the contestant Harrison defended, was facing backlash for the multiple Instagram posts that resurfaced including one from an Old South Antebellum party she attended at a plantation while in college.

In the March interview, Harrison stated, “Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018? Or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference.” This comment outraged fans because the actions of the contestant were just as wrong in 2018 as they are in 2021. 

Since the interview, Harrison has not attended any of the ceremonies or finales due to backlash, so his decision to step down is not of much shock to anyone. 

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that the franchise has been hit with allegations of seriously shocking behavior. In 2017, a sexual misconduct investigation was launched when a hookup occurred between Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson, during which Olympios was too intoxicated to give consent. The chilling part about this is that producers and cameramen watched and filmed as the incident occurred, with no one stepping in to help Olympios.  In 2019, Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss was accused of beating his pregnant wife after she refused to get an abortion. The actions of those behind and in front of the cameras over the years have been very disturbing. 

Not only have there been countless horrifying scandals, but the portrayal of gender stereotypes on the show is seriously tired, and problematic. The show pits women against each other for the sake of entertainment, and that is simply not okay. The entire premise of the show is outdated, and while they have poorly attempted to keep up with the times—casting more people of color and some people with different sexual preferences—it’s both too late and not enough. Maybe it’s time for The Bachelor to be put to bed.

Top Photo: Screenshot from YouTube

More from BUST:

Everything You Need To Know About The Sex And The City Reboot

Kate Winslet Refuses To Hide Her Body In Mare Of Easttown

The Obamas Team Up With Netflix To Release “We The People,” A New Educational Animated Show About Civic Issues   

Playing a person with mental illness in Orange Is the New Black, Uzo Aduba brought an emotional depth to the role that was both groundbreaking and unforgettable. Now, taking on the other side of the couch as a therapist in HBO’s In Treatment, we can expect nothing less. Here, she talks about the importance of casting Black women, the role that made her mother proud, and why she’s always wanted to be 40.

Eight years ago, Uzo Aduba debuted her career-making performance as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black. An immediate fan favorite, her tender portrayal of a Litchfield Prison inmate who was both incredibly loving and dangerously unpredictable won Aduba many accolades during the show’s seven seasons, including two Emmys and five SAG awards. In the years since, Aduba has tackled high-pressure roles like trailblazer Shirley Chisholm and The Wiz’s Glinda the Good Witch, a role immortalized on screen four decades ago by the legendary Lena Horne. And even in the shittiest of years—2020—a lot continued to go right for Aduba. In the last several months, she’s won her third Emmy, signed a multi-year production deal with CBS Studios, became a founding investor in Los Angeles’ first women’s soccer team, and completed two projects, which she says were the most challenging and rewarding of her career—In Treatment and Solos. But there was one other very special thing she did, something she’d been looking forward to for well over a decade, and all she had to do to achieve it was wake up. 

“I’ve wanted to be 40 since I was 25,” says Aduba. She celebrated her milestone birthday in February, and she’s telling me all about it via Zoom from the N.Y.C. hotel room she and her dog, Fenway, are calling home while she’s between apartments. “I’ve been looking forward to it. I always felt like the people I met who were 40 seemed solid, like it was an arrival of some kind. My 20-something self imagined it as the time when my life would come into focus.” 

It may be too early to tell if this new life stage lives up to her expectations, but so far, the prognosis is good. “You know how when you open a bottle of wine, you’re supposed to let it sit for a minute and breathe? I feel like I’m just in the breathing,” she says. “But I know that this is a really good bottle. I feel fearless and open and ready.” 

ROSETTA GETTY DRESS

That mental space seems to be reflected in Aduba’s recent choices. As many of us struggle to find some semblance of “normal” as the ruinous COVID-19 pandemic begins to wane, Aduba has already gifted us with two projects which, due to their focus on isolation, human connection, and mental health, couldn’t possibly be more timely. Both projects, she says, “were like being shot out of a cannon.” 

Leaving the comfort and safety of her Brooklyn apartment, Aduba traveled for work for the first time in months in October to shoot Solos in L.A. In Solos—an Amazon Studios limited anthology series—Aduba plays Sasha, a woman who, after 20 years of quarantining due to a deadly virus, is being urged to venture back out into the world by her Siri-like virtual assistant. Aduba is the only featured actor in the episode, which made it an ideal project to tackle during a pandemic. “Solos was the first thing I’ve ever done by myself entirely on television or otherwise,” she says, adding that she learned more than 30 pages of solo dialogue in less than two weeks for the role. 

“The assistant is trying to convince [Sasha] that it’s safe to go back out and she can’t be convinced because all this time locked away has blurred her reality. It’s about having to create a new reality for your life and purpose for your existence after being inside all these years and the fear and terror that sort of gets built up inside of that home that keeps you from being able to go out. I just thought it was interesting because she went inside to keep from getting sick and she was made sick, in a different way, by being inside.” Relatable. 

“I’m not sure I know a Black woman therapist, so to see this Black woman, who is excellent at her job, living in her community and helping a cross-section of people—that was really exciting.”

Following Solos, Aduba had only a couple of weeks off before jumping into filming In Treatment, a series that also presented a unique set of acting challenges. Most episodes of the HBO series portray therapy sessions between therapist and patient—just two people sitting and talking. Gabriel Byrne starred as Dr. Paul Weston in the first three seasons, from 2008 through 2010. For this reboot, which made its premiere on May 23, the show has been reimagined, with Aduba starring as Dr. Brooke Taylor, a therapist whose personal life is upended after the loss of her father.

Unfamiliar with the series’ format, Aduba says she was confused when she first saw the script. “When you pick up a TV or film script, so much of it is made up of stage direction and action,” she explains about her surprise at the amount of pure dialogue in the show. “I had to [watch] the old episodes because I was like, ‘They are still talking…what is this?’ That does not happen. That’s what I understand a play to read like.” Aduba would know—among many other stage credits, she’s starred in Godspell on Broadway and The Maids in London’s West End. “It changes the way you engage,” she says. “I realized how rare it is to stream complete thought or experience exclusively through words in film or television.”

OSCAR DE LA RENTA COAT

Aduba also saw great significance in HBO casting a Black woman in the role. “What an incredible moment of expression and invitation for our community to have a fresh look at what mental health means—what mental health looks like,” she says. “I’m not sure I know a Black woman therapist, so to see this Black woman, who is excellent at her job, living in her community and helping a cross-section of people—that was really exciting. I hope all people can see themselves in these stories, but I also hope one takeaway could be reconsidering who you go to for help,” says Aduba, who stresses the importance of representation. “Sometimes you have to see it to know it.” 

“I had experience with therapy, but I guess I had never really considered the job of the therapist,” explains Aduba. “I know my therapist has other patients, obviously, but I think it just never occurred to me that there’s a before and after, and an after, and an after. Before you sat there, someone else came in, and, after you leave, another person’s coming in. Each one [carries] whatever it is that they’ve come with—good or bad—and the therapist stands in support of their patients, for hours a day, every day.” 

A large part of Aduba’s relatability and believability in every role may stem from the fact that she could’ve taken so many different paths in life. Born Uzoamaka Aduba, the child of Nigerian immigrants and one of five siblings, she excelled in sports, academics, and the arts. She earned a track scholarship to Boston University where she studied classical music and was on her way to a career in opera when she realized she was enjoying the theater training aspect of her curriculum more than the singing. (She was, however, able to show off her pipes in 2015’s The Wiz Live!) In the days between auditioning for Orange is the New Black, and learning she got the part, she’d decided to quit acting and become a lawyer.

“My family was raised very proudly existing in, and displaying, our culture,” she says of growing up Nigerian American in Medfield, MA, a Boston suburb. When Aduba graduated from her majority-white high school, she asked that her family wear traditional Nigerian clothing to the ceremony. “That was something that was important to me,” explains Aduba. “I didn’t want us to blend in.” Instead, Aduba wanted to make a point to push back on the notion that her achievements were made possible only by the fact that she was born in the United States. “I wanted to express that it’s not all about leaving a place and settling here—that it wasn’t just about the gifts found here. There were a lot of foundational bricks that were taken from that home and used to build the life here that made it possible for me to graduate. Even in my career, I recognize the blessing in that. The work ethic and focus I have, and the encouragement and support I’ve received, came out of two places and two experiences.” 

Being part of a large family was another formative aspect of Aduba’s childhood. “Being one of five, the number one thing you learn is sharing. You also learn to bicker, then make up and reconcile quickly,” she explains. “I grew up in a house where I was told constantly, ‘This is who you have in this life, these people right here, each of you, all you have is each other.’ And that’s 1,001 percent true in the way we exist as a family. It only feels more true the older we all get. I was talking to my older sister this morning for two hours while I was walking Fenway. That’s who I lean on. I need them and they need me. I can’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t want to, and won’t do life without them. They’re my best friends.” 

“My mom is the biggest Shirley Chisholm fan. It doesn’t matter what else I do in life. I won in her mind.”

In September, Aduba won her third Emmy for her portrayal of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm in FX’s Mrs. America, the limited series about the war between conservatives and second-wave feminists. Chisholm was the first Black woman in Congress and the first to campaign for the top spot on the Democratic ticket, and her campaign for the presidency in 1972 is depicted in the series. Accepting her Emmy during the video-conference awards show, Aduba thanked her family, but gave a special shout-out to her mother, who she says was “over the moon” when she was cast as the Brooklyn-based congresswoman, the child of immigrants from Barbados and Guyana. 

“My mom is the biggest Shirley Chisholm fan,” Aduba explains. “It doesn’t matter what else I do in life. I won in her mind. She’s like, ‘My daughter got to play Shirley Chisholm!’” But the decision to accept the part wasn’t one Aduba took lightly. “I was very nervous—to not be nervous would be foolish. I had such admiration and respect and love for her already—for all she managed to conquer, forge, trailblaze, pioneer, create, stand up for, and represent. What made me consider it was just thinking of what she’d done for all of us. When you consider the blood, sweat, and tears that were laid down for you, you try to step into whatever the next calling is for your life. Not doing that, not trying, doesn’t sound like what the ancestors want for us!” 

Aduba also had to interrogate the need for Chisholm’s portrayal in a TV series and ask what, if anything, could be added to her story. “When playing a real-life person, you have to get to the ‘why’ of it,” she says. “Why play someone who is real when people can read a book about them, watch a documentary, or listen to their speeches? She’s so well documented already. I had to find what I was able to bring that was new.” 

As part of her research, Aduba watched the documentary Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed. “There were two moments in the doc that really captured me—in one, she was dancing. She had this lightness and brightness about her that you never saw in any other archival footage. And the second was at the very end, when she’s releasing her delegates and she’s backstage. I can’t remember what was said to her, or what she says, but I remember she just, like, collapsed into her hands, and burst into tears. I remember thinking, that is Shirley Chisholm. That is the woman we don’t know. That’s the woman who has not shown us the weight of what it took to get here. And that was the side of this woman that I became interested in playing and discovering. Because this is a woman who’s been in opposition with systems her entire life—systems that tried to limit the definition of who she is. I know what those tears are about because I have cried those tears. So, I was like, ‘Yes! I want to share in that story.’”

ST. JOHN KNITS DRESS AND EARRINGS; DAVID WEBB RING

From playing a literal feminist icon like Chisholm, to a member of an oft-overlooked population like women in prison, Aduba is intentional about the roles she takes on. “I think about how realistic a character is. I’m open to playing characters 180 degrees removed from myself to shine light on that experience if it feels truthful and honest. I’m mostly drawn to the ‘why.’ ‘Why does this person need to exist beyond the page?’ For me, it’s been very personal. I’m trying to tell the stories of the missing—the missing voices, faces, bodies, and places we’ve never experienced and never seen. Or maybe we’ve seen them, but not through a vessel like mine. That’s what drives me. There was too much road carved out by those who came before to not step into all of those crevices and all of that space. I want to create in that space and hold space until the next person comes behind me.”   

__________________

Interview by Sabrina Ford

PHOTOGRAPHED BY THE TYLER TWINS 
STYLING BY CRISTINA EHRLICH // MAKEUP BY Renee Garnes for Exclusive Artists using Pat McGrath 
HAIR BY NEAL FARINAH // Manicure by Mar y Soul using CHANEL Le Vernis
TAILORING: KAREN CHINCHILLA; ASSISTANT STYLIST and MARKET EDITOR: JARED DEPRIEST GILBERT.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

More from BUST 

Uzo Aduba — ‘I Don’t Know How Someone Can’t Be A Feminist’: BUST Interview (2016 Interview)

Women Won Big At The Emmys, Here Are BUST’s 10 Favorite Moments

Meet The Real-Life Women Of Hulu’s New “Mrs. America,” A Series About The ERA

One show that is set to make a highly-anticipated comeback is Sex and the City, which is set to appear on HBO’s streaming platform, HBOMax. As someone who has watched the series multiple times, I could not be more excited to see what the gang is up to in this hectic time. Along with the excitement that comes from this news, there are a lot of questions that need to be cleared up, so here is everything you need to know about the highly-anticipated Sex and the City reboot titled And Just Like That….

1. Sara Ramirez is set to play Che Diaz, a non-binary, queer podcast host.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by And Just Like That… (@justlikethatmax)

Known for their roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Madame Secretary, Sara Ramirez will be on the show as Che Diaz, a comedian and host of a podcast that Carrie Bradshaw makes many appearances on. They are going to be a breath of fresh air for the show that has been widely criticized for its lack of diversity on screen and some questionable episodes that are focused on sexuality (for example the Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl… episode from season 3 that held some controversial opinions on bisexuality). 

2. We have Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte, but sadly no Samantha. 

Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha, has not shied away from her criticisms of the show and the other leading ladies, so it is no shock that she is not returning to the reboot. We cannot imagine a Sex and the City without the outrageous and shocking commentary that Samantha adds to the show, but we are glad that the other three ladies are set to return. The show must go on. 

3. Most of the men are set to return. 

According to the And Just Like That… Instagram account, Chris Noth, Evan Handler and David Eigenberg are returning to the reboot to reprise their roles as the beloved husbands, Big, Harry and Steve. Among these men, Mario Cantone and Willie Garson are set to return as Anthony Marentino and Stanford Blatch. While it is unknown what state each relationship is in, we are more than excited for them to return.

4. According to Sara Jessica Parker, the show is going to be set in post-COVID New York. 

According to WWD, Parker told a group of reporters that the show was born in quarantine, through conversations about the shelter-in-place orders in New York, the social justice changes that were occurring nationwide, and how the women would deal with this. The women, now in their 50’s, are going to navigate 2021 and their ever-changing personal lives in the reboot. 

You can watch the teaser trailer here for the series below.

Top Photo: Screenshot via Youtube

More from BUST

Kate Winslet Refuses To Hide Her Body In Mare Of Easttown

Woman With A Plan: Actor/Writer/Director Natalie Morales Makes Media Made For US

Comedian Skye Townsend Discusses Her Big Break Starring In Season 2 Of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” And More: BUST Interview  

Kate Winslet has recently spoken out about her insistence that her “bulgy bit of belly” should not be cut from a sex scene in her TV series, Mare of Easttown, despite director Craig Zobel’s suggestion to edit out any unflattering angles. In an interview with The New York Times, the actor, 45, also spoke about sending back two posters in which she felt her face had been too airbrushed: “I’m like, guys, I know how many lines I have by the side of my eye, please put them all back.” 

In the show, Winslet plays police detective Mare Sheehan, who is investigating a murder in a small town in Pennsylvania while simultaneously grappling with her own family issues and past traumas.  In the same interview, Winslet admitted that this refusal to airbrush her body comes despite her belief that viewers will say “oh my God, how can she let herself look so unglamorous?” Yet her firmness stems from a desire not to allow fixation on beauty to interfere with the authenticity of her acting performance: “I guess that’s why people have connected with this character in the way that they have done, because there are clearly no filters. She’s a fully functioning, flawed woman with a body and a face that moves in a way that is synonymous with her age and her life and where she comes from. I think we’re starved of that a bit.” 

Winslet’s comments reflect the insidious lens through which older women on screen are viewed—born from the dominance of social media and its promotion of filtered beauty and youth. Has it given rise to intolerance for the depiction of realistic middle-aged bodies, simply because we have the resources to conceal perceived imperfections? Celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and the Kardashians, who have reached the forty and fifty thresholds in recent years, are praised for looking aggressively younger than their age. They are more powerful than ever, partly because of their almost supernatural ability to maintain glowing complexions and sculpted bodies, which they achieve through a combination of strict dieting, exercise, plastic surgery, and Photoshop. This is perfectly admirable in its own right, and yet does it drive a narrative that ‘normal’ middle-aged bodies are unsightly, unacceptable even? Are we only celebrating the bodies of women over thirty-five which seemingly defy nature, and reverse the effects of childbirth, everyday stresses, and aging? 

Winslet perhaps feels comfortable resisting the Hollywood standard today because she has been scrutinized for not conforming to a beauty ideal since the beginning of her acting career as a teenager. In February, she told The Guardian, “they would comment on my size…it tampers with your evolving impression of what’s beautiful, you know? I did feel very on my own.”

Though body inclusivity has come a long way since the late ’90s, there has also arisen the idea that, because of our resources, women can and therefore should look younger for longer. Likewise, social media is able to smooth over any existing wrinkle or imperfection. The sense is that a woman can proudly display her body for as long as she is able to sculpt and manipulate it against the evil forces of aging, and should then cover it up once that no longer works. Winslet’s own willingness to embrace her unaltered body on TV—and her fight to do so—suggests that we have not distanced ourselves as far from exclusionary beauty standards as we thought.

Top image: Michele K. Short/HBO

Former U.S. President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama are partnering with Netflix to produce a new animated show called We the People.

Doc McStuffins writer Chris Nee created the show, and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris has teamed up with the Obamas, Tonia Davis, and Priya Swaminathan to serve as the executive producers.

Ten episodes are set to air on July 4; however, a free prescreening of the show will be released on June 24 at the AFI DOCS film festival, Entertainment Weekly reported. The three-minute show aims to educate children about civic issues, such as taxes, immigration, women’s suffrage, and many more, in a musical, educational way similar to Schoolhouse Rock.

A press release praises the show as “an exuberant call to action for everyone to rethink civics as a living, breathing thing and to reframe their understanding of what government and citizenship mean in a modern world.”

According to Bustle, a variety of musicians are creating original songs for We The People. Some of these songs and artists include H.E.R. with “Change,” Brandi Carlile with “Speak Your Mind,” Cordae with “Taxes,” Bebe Rexha with “American Citizen,” KYLE with “Link Up,” and Lin Manuel-Miranda, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Daveed Diggs, and Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard with “Checks and Balances.” Moreover, Janelle Monae, Adam Lambert, Andra Day, and poet Amanda Gorman will be featured in the show. 

You can watch the trailer below.

Top photo: screenshot via YouTube

More from BUST

Dakota Johnson And Henry Golding To Star In Netflix Adaptation Of Jane Austen’s Persuasion

“The Umbrella Academy”: When Adoption Is The Unhappily Ever After

“Sex Education” Is The Inclusive, Feminist Show You Need To Watch

Skye Townsend’s got jokes, but her commitment to the craft of comedy is no laughing matter. From her meticulous way of crafting unforgettable characters, to her fundamental understanding of humor as a tool of survival, it’s no wonder she’s caught her big break as a core cast member on the groundbreaking, Emmy-nominated program that is HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show.

Los Angeles born and raised, Townsend’s had quite the untraditional introduction to the world of comedy. But, her years worth of producing viral Beyonce impressions, perfecting her improvisation while hosting star-studded red carpet events, and booking smaller acting gigs, have clearly prepared her to become the emerging star that she is today. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Skye about her experience filming the show, and a few other fun things she currently has in the works. I encourage any lover of comedy to truly soak up the wit-infused wisdom she has to offer. 

Tell me a bit about yourself before your current success. What was your foundation, and when did you realize comedy was for you?

Before I did the show, I grew up around comedy. That was always in my household. I was always around aunts and uncles who were really funny. I knew that I liked making people laugh, but I didn’t consider myself a real comedian because I didn’t have proper training. I didn’t go to improv school. I was actually doing music before I started acting. I was a songwriter, so I would work at record labels and work for artists at 17 years old. I liked it, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as acting. 

Eventually, I transitioned into acting, and I knew making people laugh was a different type of high. That’s when I knew I was really home. I used the internet to get my foot in the door. I was around a lot of connections but didn’t want to be “that girl.” I thought maybe I should try to use the internet. I used YouTube, Vine, and all of these platforms to get into [certain] rooms and, from that, began auditioning seriously as an actress.

A Black Lady Sketch Show saw wildfire success with its first season, and the significance of your booking a core role for season 2 can’t be understated. What about this show made you think you’d be a perfect fit, and did you have any concerns at all about joining a cast that had already developed a working chemistry?

I was hoping that if I came in, I would have the ability to be as strange as I am. What’s been really beautiful about the show is they allow us to pitch ideas. I love very quirky, unique, strange comedy. I love Mike Myers, and Austin Powers was one of my favorite movies. I [also] love Jim Carrey. So, when I came on I said, “Am I going to be allowed to be strange?” And they said, “If that’s who you are, we’ll allow you to shine.”

Black women are so many different types; there’s no box that they can put us in. I was a little nervous because people have bonds, and it feels like a family. I was praying that when I joined, there [would be] some type of new energy and that people [would] receive me well. They let me be the weirdo; I’m not mad at it!

Image Provided By @skyetownsend

Sketch comedy is a beast of its own, especially in terms of character development. As I hear it, you’ve been really hands-on this season, crafting highly detailed mood boards for every single one of your characters. Can you elaborate on your approach to building memorable characters?

I always try to pull inspiration from the people I know first and foremost. I think we always look at celebrities or our favorite talents for inspo, but at the end of the day we are surrounded by incredible characters with incredible quirks and unique things about them. 

When I create a character, I like to assign my body roles [from] head to toe. Whether my fingers or my eyes have a job for that character, or my posture is different, I really try to make sure that I’m involved head to toe, versus just changing my voice. It’s not as exciting to just hear a voice change if you’re not completely becoming the character. For me, mood boards help to let the people involved in the show into my brain and see what I had in mind when I read those words. It’s like them hopping in my brain for a second, the way that I see it. 

I really wanted to come on this [show] and be hands-on. It would be doing the work lazily if I just threw it all in their hands, and I had the opportunity to share. It was amazing that they allowed me to share my ideas. That was a really important part of the process for me to realize these people into entire human beings, versus a voice.

I love watching the outtakes at the end of every episode of you and the rest of the cast breaking character and improvising lines. I’m curious how much of your performance is scripted vs. improvised, and which character was the hardest to stay in character for?

A lot of it is scripted because the network has to approve what we’re doing. But once we get on set, we do a few takes as scripted and then the director says, “It’s time to have fun!” At that point anything goes. That’s the really exciting part on set. From that you’ll see sketches where a whole chunk was improvised, and people have no idea because it’s flowing so well. It’s really exciting to be able to run wild with comedy because if it goes in a different direction, a great comedian can meet you where you’re at. 

As far as the hardest character to stay in for me, it was definitely Nona Love. It was freezing. Everyone was in winter coats and hoodies, and I’d just have to shake it out and get into character. And Ashley was killing me as the fan. She committed so hard that day; she was screaming from the depths of her throat. I couldn’t stop laughing because I was on stage and it really felt like [having] fake fans. Ashley almost broke my character that day a few times because she committed so hard and made it so much fun.

You not only act, but you have a background in music as well. One of my favorite skits of yours this season is “Ya Nona Love To See It,” where your character serenades a crowd of fans with a song about air. “Air” is apparently the first original song from the show to be widely released on streaming platforms. What was the recording process like for “Air,” and do you plan on releasing more music of your own in the near future?

It’s really funny because the second I decided to walk away from music, it started to come back into acting in really strange ways, whether it was my own music or playing a singer on Lucifer. With “Air,” Robin had written the lyrics and [told me] just do your thing when you go to the studio; play with it. It was really fun because of course I’m used to recording music, but I was recording music in character. 

Nona doesn’t sing the way I do. Her voice is higher and squeakier; she’s more annoying. It was really weird recording a full song in character. For me, that was a very fun challenge because, down to the harmonies and the backgrounds, you’re not singing like yourself. But as soon as I got in the studio, I missed it so much. I really want to somehow dabble back into music, but I know I just have to pace myself and make sure that every project makes sense in the order it is in. I miss music all the time, I really do.

Perhaps my favorite thing about this show is how it positions Black women to be, say, and do almost anything they can imagine on-screen. Even behind the scenes, the show is very intentional about hiring Black women in any and every role on set you can think of. How has working in such an affirming environment impacted your perception of self in an industry such as yours?

When I report to set, I’m used to always having to cover my own back. I’m used to bringing my makeup bag, my flat iron, my edge control, [and] my brushes just in case I have an emergency. To know that I can report to set fully myself and that I was in good hands was the most incredible experience because I could show up with cornrows or with [my hair] half blow-dried, and they knew what to do. 

It takes so much off of an actress to show up and know that somebody is not going to panic when they touch your hair. That’s a horror story we’ve heard for years; how it’s still going on, I don’t know. It took off so much stress to know that our foundation would be matched properly, that our hair wasn’t going to break off [from heat damage].

It was amazing to be around Black women and to also be in a space where we embrace how different we all are. Ashley is very smart and political; she’s a reader. Robin is very Alpha; she’s a Leo. Gabrielle is this very serious performer who, in the corner, will be looking at her lines when she has a break. Lacey is this flexible, crazy gymnast who just wilds out. Me, I’m very quirky. When I’m not glammed up, I love being as in my body as I can. We see how unique we all are and just play to those strengths.

The past year or so has been especially tough for the Black community, as we continue demanding justice for Breonna Taylor and all of the other lives taken at the hands of police. I remember some of the relief I saw on my timeline when season 2 of the show was announced, with folks excited to have some way to escape the constant tragedy, if only for half an hour. How has it been for you navigating tragedy as a Black woman, while also actively bringing joy to others? 

One of my favorite quotes is from Carol Burnett, and she said, “Comedy is just tragedy plus time.” I think the most powerful, incredible, tapped-in people understand that humor is survival. It is finding a laugh despite anything. I think a misconception is that comedians are always happy; no. Comedians can be dark, they can be depressed, they can be sad. But we love joy enough to continue spreading it despite that. 

I think it’s important as a comedian No. 1 to say something, and No. 2 to use your platform properly once you get the attention from what you’ve said. On this show, we make jokes, but we make you think. Even Nona Love—she’s screaming for help and her fans can’t even hear it because they love her so much, and that’s a real thing. When I watched it I got goosebumps. It reminded me of Selena and gave me chills; they couldn’t hear her cries because the obsession was so deep. There’s stan culture; there’s obsession. 

I think with Black people getting an escape with this show, there’s enough “real” to know that there’s substance, but it’s not too heavy. And I think that’s a really wonderful balance because it’s not airhead comedy. You really have to sit for a second and digest some of the jokes, but sometimes we don’t want to see the trauma. Sometimes we don’t want to see that kind of pain. Sometimes we want to see somebody stub their toe and let that be as painful as it gets. 

It’s an honor to be on a show that makes things a little bit lighter and… to know that we’re part of the decompressing. But it’s still a responsibility to be aware of what’s going on despite being the funny ones. Funny people are not always happy, but we understand that our job is to pass on joy and hope that it comes back to us. By doing this show, a lot of the joy came back to me. It was really beautiful.

Screenshot from HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show: A Black Lady Roundtable”

Beyond A Black Lady Sketch Show, is there anything else in the works for you, Skye? Any last words of wisdom you want to leave us with?

Besides the show, I do have a podcast called Unpack ‘n Bounce Back. It’s a five-star podcast if I may say so myself! We created it over quarantine because my cousin and I just wanted to share our stories and do it in a way that felt so honest, authentic, and transparent [that] people kind of go, “Did they just say that?…I felt that!”

We just dropped the second season, and it’s been amazing. It really fills a side of me that I never really get to tap into. I [also] just shot a couple projects that I can’t talk about yet, but it’s been amazing to see the ball rolling after doing the show. I’m looking forward to giving people more of me in doses.

My best advice is very simple: do what you love. I think I’ve gotten so much love and compliments regarding the show where people say how much fun I looked like I was having, because I was. It’s so important to understand that we always have a choice in what we do in this life. If you hate your job, you can quit; you can figure it out. There’s always a way if you really put your mind to it.

I know that sounds corny. Sometimes it may take years to get to the position you want to be in. But if you really love what you do, you’ll fall so much in love with the work that when the wins come, you can’t even believe it because you love the work so much. That’s where I’m at—focused on the work. Whatever comes after that, whatever accolades, that’s a blessing. I love what I do so much that I’m just honored to do the work.

Top Image By Antoinette A. Brock

More from BUST

Leading Member of BuzzFeed’s “Cocoa Butter” Chantal Rochelle Talks Pushing The Culture Forward: Exclusive BUST Interview

YouTuber and Former Opera Singer Khadija Mbowe Speaks On Self Awareness, Creating Her Own Music Program, and More: BUST Interview

Singer-Songwriter and DJ Anabel Englund Speaks On The Making of Her Deluxxe Album, Messing With Magic: BUST Interview

Natalie Morales is learning how to be a master manipulator. Not in real life—IRL she’s an utter delight, with a great big laugh, a genuinely sunny disposition, and a passionate streak for everything from activism to animals. (She speculates her dog Taco was a Buddhist monk in a past life and her cat Axl was a gay porn star from Palm Springs who is “super pissed he’s a virgin and a eunuch in this life.”) But when we chat, the 36-year-old actor, writer, and director has just emerged from editing her second directorial feature, Plan B (coming soon to Hulu).

“Editing is manipulation. You’re manipulating not only how the movie goes, but also how the audience feels. That’s what a score does, that’s what sound does, that’s what cutting away at a certain time does,” she says. “The psychology of it is something I didn’t expect to be so intriguing.” That psychology also involves deciding how she wants to depict her female leads, and emphasizing the female gaze. Which is especially important now, since her latest film is breaking new ground.

Teen quest movies, particularly dude-centric ones, aren’t new (see: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Superbad, and 2019’s female-led Booksmart). But Plan B is rooted in a major social issue, which is one reason why Morales wanted so badly to make it. The high schoolers (played by Kuhoo Verma and Victoria Moroles) aren’t searching for the coolest party, but rather the morning-after pill, which isn’t available where they live because of the “conscience clause,” a law that allows pharmacists to deny contraception based on religious beliefs. “They have to get their asses to a Planned Parenthood across the state, and that journey is just as funny and just as raunchy but the quest behind it is a very real problem that impacts many, many people,” Morales says. 

Morales has spent her career shifting the pop culture landscape. First as an actor (Girls, Parks and Recreation, Santa Clarita Diet), often scooping up roles written for white women and, after penning a poignant 2017 essay for Amy Poehler’s website Smart Girls, coming out as queer and pushing for more LGBTQ visibility on-screen. She played Linda Cardellini’s love interest in season 2 of Dead to Me, and when she was cast as Abby in Mike Schur’s NBC sitcom Abby’s—becoming the first Cuban to lead a primetime network series since Desi Arnaz in I Love Lucy—they made the character bi. 

Now, she’s creating more opportunities behind the scenes. Morales made her feature directorial debut during the pandemic with Language Lessons, which she co-wrote and co-stars in with Mark Duplass (shot entirely over Zoom, the film features Morales as a Spanish teacher who connects with a recently widowed student). And she’s currently writing a movie for Universal with her “platonic soul mate” Cyrina Fiallo, whom she met in college in Florida, where the two bonded over feeling like outcasts in their hometown of Miami. “I remember us seeing each other across a stagecraft class. I was like, ‘Who’s that cool girl?’” Morales says with a laugh. 

Their bond certainly informed Morales’ direction of Plan B, which is ultimately a love letter to female friendship. “It’s one of the most fulfilling relationships in my life,” she says of Fiallo. “And what I know and love about having a best friend is what I’ve put on the screen.” –Lisa Butterworth

Photos: Tracy Nguyen
Stylist: Kimmy Erin
Hair And Makeup: Diana Ivanov

Top photo: Jumpsuit: Rachel Antonoff; Shoes: Kat Maconie; Earrings And Necklace: Sterling Forever
Bottom Photo: Farfalla Dress And Yellow Sweater: Rachel Antonoff; Rings And Earrings: Sterling Forever

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

More from BUST

“Pen15” Is The Must Watch Show That Tackles The Awkwardness Of Middle School From A Female Perspective

Netflix’s “Unbelievable” Is Worth The Watch

“Derry Girls” Is The New-To-Netflix TV Show You Should Be Watching

Rudolph, known for her work on SNL, Bridesmaids, and any comedy worth watching, will play Molly, whose life seems perfect until her husband suddenly leaves her with nothing but, uh, 87 billion dollars, which she uses to fund a non-profit, led by Sofia (Rodriguez).

Rodriguez is best known for her role as Blanca in the Ryan Murphy series, Pose. This announcement comes as Pose nears the end of its run, making Rodriguez one of the first stars from the popular and groundbreaking show to announce a new project, according to Them.

Rudolph, in the meantime, has been announced as the villain, Malvina Monroe, in Disenchanted, the upcoming sequel to Enchanted, the 2011 Disney movie starring Amy Adams.

No word yet on Loot’s release date, but fingers crossed that it’s soon.

Top photo credit: Michael Lavine

More from BUST

Our Lady J Gets Us Hyped For Pose Season 2 On BUST’s Poptarts Podcast

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Maya Rudolph, and Michaela Coel Are Among Variety’s Power Women of 2021 Comedian Special Honorees

You Didn’t See SNL’s Best Dan Levy Sketch, Lampooning Toxic Masculinity, Because It Was Cut For TIme. So Watch It Now!

Mother’s Day is May 9th, and all this weekend, major networks will be honoring their favorite TV moms with marathons and specials. Here are five TV moms that stand out to us as barrier-breaking women all on their own.

1. Tracee Ellis Ross as Dr. Rainbow Johnson in Black-ish

Dr. Johnson, who goes by Bow, is hell-bent on providing for her children more than her parents provided for her. As a successful anesthesiologist with a social media addiction, her efforts are certainly comedy fodder for the audience. Her views are very liberal, giving her children the space they need to become whoever they want, regardless of color. She takes pride in being Black and pushes her husband, Dre (Anthony Anderson), to do the same. Bow is a reminder that everyone should be who they want to be but cannot make it there alone. Mothers give us the help we need.

2. Connie Britton as Tami Taylor in Friday Night Lights

Tami’s role as a mother is not limited to her daughters. As the high school football coach’s wife in a small Texas town that reveres him as a priest of their athletic religion, Tami is a mother to every player on the team. She is also a guidance counselor and then a principal at West Dillon High, allowing her character to influence many young lives. Tami triumphs in establishing a school environment that does not always put football first, making sure everyone is accounted for and not left in the sport’s wake.

3. Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman in That ’70s Show

Kitty is not just a mother to Eric (Topher Grace) and Laurie (Lisa Robin Kelly and Christina Moore) but to the whole gang. She takes Hyde (Danny Masterson) in when his mom leaves him, she makes sure the neglected Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) is looked after, and she basically raises Fez (Wilmer Valderrama). Though both Donna (Laura Prepon) and Jackie’s (Mila Kunis) mothers are in the picture at one point or another, Kitty is truly everyone’s maternal figure and female role model. Though many of the roles she assumes as mother are appropriate for the time period but considered dated and unfair now, Kitty is the only one that can put Red (Kurtwood Smith) in his place, and that is an achievement anyone should hold with high pride. 

4. Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore in Gilmore Girls

Of all the women in the Gilmore family, Lorelai is indisputably the best. She raised Rory (Alexis Bledel) on her own as a single mom, started a flourishing business, and showed compassion to all of Stars Hollow’s eccentric characters. Her various love interests are good people. She continuously puts her personal life on hold for her daughter. That’s not necessarily what makes a good mother, but it provides space for Lorelai to show how much she cares about everyone around her. Her heart is bigger than her parents’ house.

5. Florence Henderson as Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch

Once one is able to see past the smoke and mirrors of sexism and outdated gender roles, any viewer can see the strength in Carol Brady. After her husband left her, she did what was expected of a single mom in the ‘70s—she provided for her children by remarrying. Carol found someone who could provide for both of their children and who could be a parental figure for her daughters. Her character has written-in shame because she is a divorcee, not a widow like her new husband, but she perseveres through the stigma and demands that she be treated right. Though she is shut down many times, she tries to teach her daughters that they can do anything a boy or a man can do—a progressive thought for the time period. She is a rock to both her children and stepchildren equally.

Top Photo: Creative Commons

Second Photo: Erik Melvin from Wikimedia Commons

Third Photo: Black Tied Dinner from Wikimedia Commons

Fourth Photo: From Youtube

Fifth Photo: Greg Hernandez from Wikimedia Commons

Sixth Photo: ABC Television from Wikimedia Commons

More from BUST

This Mother’s Day, Honor Mamas Everywhere By Supporting The National Bail Out

This Mother’s Day, You Can Support These Campaigns Aiming To Help Black Mothers

What To Watch on Mother’s Day—A Viewing Guide Compliments of BUST’s “Poptarts” Podcast

When called to speak at last week’s Pose season three premiere party, Janet Mock gave the Hollywood machine the long overdue reading it deserved. Over the weekend, reports surfaced that Mock —writer, director, and executive producer for the FX hit-series —offered the crowded venue of industry peers and collaborators a testimony to remember, citing unfair pay, a male-dominated writers room, and the exploitation of trans and queer representation as just a few of her grievances. 

The importance of a show like Pose can’t be overstated, and so the collective sadness among longtime fans came as no surprise when it was announced two months prior that the production would unfortunately be coming to an end after just three seasons. Originally set in the 1980s amid the backdrop of New York City’s underground ballroom scene, the hour-long drama follows a host of black and brown LGBTQIA+ characters as they foster a vibrant community in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Pose has especially done the work of amplifying trans visibility, and continues educating millions of viewers about ballroom history, homelessness, chosen family, sex work, and the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It’s a show that has forever changed the television landscape. However, as an integral member of all-things-Pose behind the scenes, Mock made it more than clear that actually laboring for a show that largely profits off of portraying lived experiences akin to her own wasn’t all that it seemed. 

“Why am I making $40,000 an episode? Huh?” she questioned the audience, according to Page Six. “I’m angry.” As she very well should be. It’s been estimated that TV executive producers in the U.S. make an average salary of about $90,000, with a typical salary range of $78,000 to $109,000. There’s no justification for Mock–who’s executive produced all three seasons of Pose, and has more than her fair share of writing and directing credits–to be making a tremendous amount less than her  industry peers. 

“Fuck Hollywood,” she went on, vocalizing a sentiment that so many marginalized folks who’ve taken on Tinseltown can surely empathize with. As game-changing of a show as Pose is, the industry has consistently failed to give its talent the praise they deserve. While Pose has been somewhat well received by majority-white awards ceremonies like the Emmys, it seems nonsensical that, for a show largely centering the BIPOC trans experience, the only cast member to be nominated and awarded for their role on the show is Billy Porter. Not to mention how the show has practically gone unnoticed at “respectable,” majority-Black award ceremonies like the BET Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. 

You’re telling me that a cis actor is the only one worth nominating or elevating on a show that centers the Black trans experience? Y’all playing in our faces yet again.

The Black trans women who work on #PoseFX deserve so much more recognition from the #Emmys2020 and beyond.

— Raquel Willis (@RaquelWillis_) July 28, 2020

Mock spoke directly to key cast members like Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Hailie Sahar, Angelica Ross, and leading lady, MJ Rodriguez, publicly acknowledging all of the hard work and vulnerability they’ve exhibited throughout the years–something Hollywood still has yet to do. Pioneers in their own right, especially as far as authentic, on-screen Black and brown trans representation goes, they’ll always be remembered by fans as the true heart and soul of Pose. 

“Does this make you uncomfortable?,” she challenged the audience. “It should. It should make you fucking shake in your motherfucking boots. This is speaking truth. This is what Pose is.” 

Mock then berated the series’ writing, expressing disappointment with how the first two episodes were written exclusively by men. “Who brought the girls in?,” she asked show creator Ryan Murphy. “I did. I wanted the girls to be there,” he replied; “the girls” in question being Mock herself, along with fellow writer-producer Our Lady J. 

As much as Hollywood would purport itself to be a beacon of diversity, staffing underrepresented writers remains an overwhelming rarity. In fact, Mock herself is the very first trans woman of color in history to be hired as a TV writer in Hollywood. She further admitted to feeding into the culture of competition often bred in spaces like this by apologizing to Our Lady J, according to E!. “I tried to shrink you to make myself bigger. Why couldn’t I just love you?” 

Mock’s testimony veered toward her personal life when she demanded that her current partner Angel Bismark Curiel, an actor on the show, stand up. “Today, I was gonna let [Angel] go,” she said. “I was gonna let you go, right, but what did I do? I fucked someone on the crew, right?”

It must’ve taken immense vulnerability for her to express this betrayal so publically. “Angel, Angel,” she continued. “I’m not losing you. You hear me? You are fucking important to me. I don’t want to live in a house alone. I want you. You motherfucker. Right there. That’s who I want. I’m getting what’s mine.” 

We can only speculate what her motive was, but this ultimately became the focal point of much of the current reporting around Mock’s speech, allowing the controversy surrounding her relationship to consume the importance of all that she’d said. Still, there is surely a conversation that should be had about the power dynamics at play here, and about how manipulative and coercive it can be for people to publically spotlight their partners in such a way. 

Once again directing her attention to the gatekeepers of the motion picture industry, she criticized their complacency. “It’s a show, but it means so much to everyone to ‘ensure that we enable black and brown trans women to make it’ because that sounds good,’” she mocked. “It makes you comfortable to talk like that because then I don’t scare you into facing the fucking truth. You all have stomped on us,” she continued, imploring us all to understand how exploitative it is for Hollywood to profit off of these stories without ever doing the actual work of supporting black and brown trans lives.

What a hell of a way to kick off Pose’s final season. The first two episodes premiered over the weekend as well, and I can honestly say they didn’t disappoint. It’s now 1994 in the Pose universe, a radically different world than where we first met these beloved characters. The HIV/AIDS crisis is generationally devastating the community, drug and alcohol addiction threatens to destroy entire chosen families, and the ballroom scene is rapidly devolving into cutthroat, money madness. 

Although it’ll be interesting to see how everything all comes together in the end, watching the show felt somewhat trivial after Mock’s emotional call to action. If Pose really is “truth” as Mock would say, the truth of the matter is that great storytelling and representation alone won’t save us. What does adequate visibility matter if productions like Pose aren’t actively pouring back into the very same communities and creators that they’re extracting from? 

As a successful trans rights activist long before Pose ever became the hit-show it is today, Janet Mock’s contributions to the larger, ongoing fight for equality will never be forgotten. I hope she has peace in knowing that, as far as Pose is concerned, she did what needed to be done, and I look forward to all of the ways that she’ll continue breathing life back into her community. 

“I fucked up, y’all. I forgot who the fuck I was,” she said. “They want me to come up here and pretend. I don’t need Hollywood, honey. You know why? Cuz I’m fucking free.” 

Top Image: A Screenshot From GLAAD X Pose Cast Interview Clip

More From BUST

Janet Mock Makes Historic Deal To Tell Underrepresented Stories on Netflix

 A Black Trans Woman Was Attacked, and Cis Women Need to Open Their Purses

Reclaiming The Lens: 10 Women Filmmakers Spearheading The New Wave In Black Cinema 

After four long years, the third season of Aziz Ansari’s offbeat comedy series Master of None is officially in the lineup for Netflix’s programming this May 23. Only this time, as opposed to following season one and two protagonist Dev (a semi-autobiographical character based on Ansari himself), the show will now revolve around Lena Waithe’s beloved character Denise. The trailer surfaced online yesterday afternoon, teasing fans of what’s to come. Denise and her spouse Alicia (Naomi Acki) sit at the dinner table, Denise having just asked a hypothetical question that’s all-too-familiar for couples who’ve been through hell and back together. “Let’s say we’re at a party; Maxwell’s playing. You don’t know me, I don’t know you, and I ask you out on a date. Would you say yes?” What follows in the silence before Alicia answers is a montage of images, illustrating the emotional highs and lows of their relationship. 

“Yes. I said yes then, I’d say yes now,” Alicia replies, not-so-convincingly. From staring at one another lovingly in the bathtub, to tearful, animated arguments; from the trailer’s warm, earthy color palette, to its intimate cinematography; this mere glimpse into Denise’s long-awaited character arc feels more than refreshing. At first a peripheral character, audiences fell in love with Denise’s storyline back in season two’s “Thanksgiving” episode, in which she navigates the complexities of the annual holiday season in a Black household, while also coming more and more into a queer identity.

Co-written by Waithe and Ansari, the episode remains a groundbreaking moment in Waithe’s career, as she became the first Black woman in history to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. Waithe has since gone on to become a complicated figure in the film and television world, to say the least. As the screenwriter for her debut feature film Queen & Slim (2019) and, more recently, as the executive producer of Amazon Prime’s Them (2021)—a dramatic horror series eerily derivative of Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017)—Waithe has maintained a tattered track record with audiences for writing and producing projects that amplify Black trauma narratives. 

But, to her credit, Waithe does exceedingly well when her work centers more-or-less average Black and queer folks who embark on journeys to locate the meaning and joy in their everyday lives, as with her writing for BET’s hit-series Twenties (2020) and as the executive producer for the Radha Blank-written and directed Netflix original film The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020). In what ultimately feels like a full circle moment, Waithe will surely be back in her element as the co-writer of this upcoming season of Master Of None: Moments In Love.

As far as representation is concerned, Denise and Alicia becoming the focus of the show explicitly subverts dominant portrayals of queer relationships in the media. Today’s programming is especially notorious for relegating queer Black characters to relationships involving white and other non-Black partners. From Rue and Jules (Euphoria) to Kelly and Yorkie (Black Mirror’s “San Junipero”), queer interracial romances have become the norm, making it increasignly rare that audiences get to indulge in authentic depictions of queer Black love. Not only that, but as one Twitter user points out, the queer Black characters in question are almost never dark-skinned, highlighting the rampant colorism of Hollywood’s writing and casting divisions.

@ all tv shows writers! If you have a black queer woman in your show they don’t have to be dating a white women and be light skinned! https://t.co/mi5f94TbsD

— Theyoncé (@muthamedusa_) March 29, 2020

This is the kind of on-screen romance that many of us have been waiting for, right? As two queer Black women in particular, it’ll be remarkably interesting witnessing Waithe and Acki play off of one another as their characters navigate human phenomena such as marriage and fertility. Still, one can’t help but wonder why exactly the creators chose this particular direction for the series. While Ansari’s physical absence from the latest trailer is strikingly apparent, his creative influence over the production becomes clear when he’s acknowledged in the credits not only as Waithe’s co-writer, but also as the director of the soon-approaching, five-episode season.

The show took a lengthy hiatus following accusations waged against Ansari at the height of Hollywood’s co-opting of the #MeToo movement in January 2018. It was reported that, “A woman with the pseudonym Grace accused the comedian of being overly aggressive with her on a date, telling The Atlantic that she felt Ansari ‘violated’ her, adding, ‘That that whole experience was actually horrible.’”

Ansari ultimately denied and apologized for the claims and, never having faced any serious criminal charges, has been spared his professional relationship with streaming giant Netflix. His accuser, on the other hand, was heavily gaslighted in the media and by fans, with many taking up in defense of Ansari and referring to the alleged incident as a “bad date,” rather than the violation of affirmative consent that many others have interpreted it to have been. 

In similar fashion, the season three trailer for Master of None has drummed up much debate among fans and foes over the implications of there even being a third season to anticipate at all, given the circumstances. One Twitter user in particular made an all-too-real prediction for season 3, ultimately asserting how Ansari not only has yet to be held accountable for his actions, but also is continuing to thrive in a system that has protected him—as a money-making, TV award-winning asset—at all costs. 

Season 3 of Master of None will start off with Lena’s character talking at length about consent after a fictional male comic is outed and then Aziz will win an Emmy for writing it and all the online feminists who thought coercion was totally not a big deal will all applaud it

— Fiona Applebum says Block Shaun King ? (@WrittenByHanna) April 21, 2021

All of Hollywood’s virtue signaling clearly has had no bearing on Netflix’s decision to move forward with the series, making the decision whether or not to watch this upcoming season all the more complicated. “Co-created by Ansari and Emmy Award-winner Alan Yang, Season 3 delivers an evolution of the series that remains tethered to previous seasons while breaking new storytelling ground of its own,” read Netflix’s season three synopsis. While Waithe (as Denise) will be the core of the series moving forward, Ansari’s looming presence is still largely felt, as a faceless, yet highly integral part of the creative process in the making of Moments In Love.

Will this season actually be an authentic exploration of Denise’s romantic life as a thirty-something-year-old queer Black woman—representation we desperately need on our TV screens? Or, does the series now read as more of a last-ditch attempt to hide behind the shield of diversity as a means of saving a profitable show that otherwise would have ceased to exist? In essence, the decision feels very exploitative, and these are ultimately the types of questions that potential viewers must reckon with in the weeks leading up to next month’s season premiere.

Top Image: Screenshot From Master of None Season 3 Trailer

More from BUST

Reclaiming The Lens: Here Are Ten Women Filmmakers Spearheading The New Wave In Black Cinema

HBO’s New Documentary “TINA” Mishandles Tina Turner’s Farewell To Life In The Public Eye

Does the US vs Billie Holiday Give Holiday’s Legacy The Justice It Deserves?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mindy Kaling, Kate McKinnon, Maya Rudolph, Sophia Vergara, and Michaela Coel will be honored during Variety’s “Power of Women: The Comedians Special.”

The television special will air on May 10, at 8 p.m. on Lifetime. Tina Fey will also present a tribute to honor legendary Gilda Radner’s legacy and work for Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit, a foundation for cancer patients. Additional appearances will include Aidy Bryant, Bowen Yang, Natasha Lyonne, Luis Balaguer, and Charlie Hall.

Former recipients of this honor include Cate Blanchett, Patti LuPone, Janelle Monae, Brie Larson, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Aniston, Laverne Cox, Jennifer Garner, Tiffany Haddish, Gigi Hadid, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Nicole Kidman, Blake Lively, Helen Mirren, and Natalie Portman.

“Variety’s Power of Women 2021 honors creative leaders in comedy who inspire us with their courage and originality and challenge us to transform a world desperately in need of positive change,” said Variety President and Group Publisher Michelle Sobrino-Stearns. “We are grateful to continue to work with Lifetime to make this special a reality and to be able to bring this iconic event for yet another year to a wider global audience.”

The tribute to Gilda Radner will highlight her contributions to comedy and her impact as one of Saturday Night Live’s original cast members. The tribute will also showcase the charitable work of her foundation, Gilda’s Club, which serves cancer patients and their friends, families, and caregivers. The foundation has multiple locations in the metro Detroit area with over 170 programs that give diagnoses and further support to their patients, such as support groups, educational lectures, and bereavement services.

“We are honored to continue our partnership with Variety to amplify the contributions of these talented artists,” said EVP and Head of Programming, Lifetime and LMN Amy Winter. “After a challenging year for everyone, we could all use a good laugh.”

More from BUST