• #DojaCatIsOverParty trended on Twitter over the weekend as circulating clips appeared to show the singer visiting allegedly racist chat rooms. 
• Twitter users accused Doja Cat of being anti-black and also resurfaced an old song of hers called “Dindu Nuffin,” which is a racist slur used to belittle black victims of police brutality. 
• She responded on Instagram Sunday, saying that while she was in chat rooms she should not have been in, she was never part of any racist dialogue. 
• Doja Cat also claimed that she wrote the controversial song about her own personal experiences in an attempt to reclaim the phrase but understands now that she should not have used the term in her music.
• After fans said they did not find her apology to be sincere, she explained her side of the story again on an Instagram Live.

Doja Cat Apologizes

Singer Doja Cat apologized after videos of her in allegedly racist chat rooms circulated on Twitter, prompting #DojaCatIsOverParty to trend throughout the weekend. 

The clips of Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini, better known as Doja Cat, first made their way onto Twitter on Friday. Fans say those chat rooms were for white supremacists, and that while in those rooms Doja Cat said the n-word, joked along with racist behavior, and made anti-black sentiments.

In addition to fans sharing those videos, many also talked about an old song Doja Cat wrote in 2015 called “Dindu Nuffin.” That phrase is a racial slur used to belittle black victims of police brutality. Doja Cat first issued her apology on Sunday night on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Doja Cat (@dojacat) on May 24, 2020 at 8:10pm PDT

“I’ve used public chat rooms to socialize since I was a child,” she wrote in the post. “I shouldn’t have been on some of those chat room sites, but I personally have never been involved in any racist conversations. I’m sorry to everyone that I offended.”

The singer also added that half of her family is from South Africa and that she is proud of where she comes from. She also addressed the controversial song, which some people claimed was written in response to the death of Sandra Bland. Doja Cat, however, said it was actually written with the intent to reclaim the phrase based on her relationship with it.

“It was in no way tied to anything outside of my own personal experience,” she explained. “It was written in response to people who often used that term to hurt me. I made an attempt to flip its meaning, but recognize that it was a bad decision to use the term in my music.”

“I understand my influence and impact and I’m taking this all very seriously,” she added.

Doja’s Instagram Live

After receiving backlash for that apology, with some finding it insincere, Doja Cat did an Instagram Live to further address the concerns. She admitted that her post, like many public apologies, was carefully crafted by her and her team. She went live so she could clear the air in her own words in real time. 

During the livestream, she showed that she had actually pre-recorded a bunch of apologies to share, but ultimately decided not to post them because they were obviously too diplomatic and did not feel genuine. 

She first addressed accusations of self-hate. She claimed that yes, sometimes she has been frustrated with her physical appearance, like her hair, but that does not mean she hates herself. She said she loves herself and everything about her, and regrets ever sharing negative thoughts on social media.

She then addressed her controversial old song, and the term she used in it.

“It shouldn’t be used. Period,” she said. ” I’m going to start with, I’m very sorry to anybody who has taken offense, to anybody who I have hurt, who I have hurt using this term.”

She also said she thinks that at its core, it is just a very bad song. She denied that the song was in any way related to Sandra Bland.

Doja Cat next addressed what happened in those chat rooms, which she claims were in no way for white supremacists.

“There are racist people who come in and out of the chat. They’re there. They happen and then they’re banned,” she explained.

Doja Cat said that like anywhere on the internet, racist people pop in and cause problems, and that maybe on TinyChat, it’s more common because there is less regulation. She claimed that as a mod herself, she has kicked people promoting this behavior out of chats. She maintained the chats she was in were not for white supremacists.

Regarding her use of the n-word in one of the videos, Doja Cat said she was drunk and not thinking at all. She said it had nothing to do with race-play, like some people had suggested. She also called out people who said she only dates white men, explaining that who she is attracted to and who she dates is none of their business. 

She closed her video by telling her fans she loved them and apologizing to them once more.

“I’m not perfect. But at the end of the day, I shouldn’t be doing dumb shit,” she said.

Old Clips Resurface

The clips that allegedly show Doja Cat in what many initially deemed racist chat rooms have been shared by multiple users and were a discussion thread on the messaging platform Lipstick Alley. Though that thread has now been deleted, one person wrote Doja Cat would joke along as people in the rooms made racist remarks.

Some videos just show her in the chat room, surrounded mainly by white men. In many, she talks about sexual acts. In one, she says the n-word. Many of the people in the room laugh in response. Some users said she stripped during these chats in front of allegedly racist men.

People on Twitter also accused Doja Cat of being anti-black. Some made claims that the singer only dates white men. Others pointed to a tweet Doja Cat has deleted that said “thinking about being Black can make any sensible person depressed.”

“Like just think about it wouldn’t being White make soo much more sense,” the tweet continued. “Life would have value.”

Because of this, many called out the singer’s behavior, saying things like, “that girl needs help.”

Many were not pleased with her first apology, which is likely what prompted the second. #OnlyKlans became a top trending topic on Monday morning, with many using it to further call out Doja Cat’s past actions. 

“Define ‘taking seriously’ @DojaCat,” another Twitter user wrote. “typing up a few words is not a sincere apology… Stop hiding behind a fucking screen.”

See what others are saying: (Complex) (Vulture) (The Independent)

Photo by Taylor Hill

• Kendall Jenner will pay $90,000 for her part in promoting the failed Fyre Festival in 2017.
• According to the lawsuit filed against her, she was paid $275,000 for an Instagram post, which was not properly labeled as a promotion and intentionally led people to believe Kanye West would be a festival performer. 
• The incident highlights just how influential the Kardashian/Jenner family is, especially on Instagram where they earn some of the highest amounts for sponsored posts. 

Kendall’s Role in the Fyre Festival 

Kendall Jenner has agreed to settle a lawsuit levied against her for her part in promoting the 2017 Fyre Festival.

That event, as you probably know by now, is notorious for being a total disaster. It promised a glamorous weekend in the Bahamas, calling it the “cultural experience of the decade.” Ticket packages ranged from $1,200 to over $100,000 and were supposed to give guests access to luxurious accommodations, gourmet food, and musical performances by acts like Migos and Blink 182.

Of course, none of that actually happened, and what we actually saw were stranded festival-goers eating sad cheese sandwiches in FEMA tents. 

Anyway, as far as how Jenner is related to all of this, she was actually one of the biggest names promoting the event on social media. Then, in August of 2019, she was sued in New York’s U.S. Bankruptcy Court by Gregory Messer — the trustee recovering money and assets for creditors who did business with the festival.

According to court documents, Jenner was paid $275,000 to post about the festival on her Instagram in January of 2017. That since-deleted post was captioned: “So hyped to announced my G.O.O.D. Music Family as the first headliners for @fyrefestival…Use my promo code KJONFYRE for the next 24 hours to get on the list for the artists and talents afterparty on Fyre Cay.”

The Settlement 

The lawsuit accused Jenner of intentionally leading the public to believe that Kanye West, who founded the G.O.O.D. music label, was set to perform at the event. “This conduct demonstrates a clear lack of good faith on Jenner’s part,” the suit stated. 

It also noted that she did not properly specify that her post was a paid promotion, which caused her to receive a warning from the Federal Trade Commission. 

Now, as part of a settlement agreement, Jenner will pay $90,000 for her role in promoting the event, less than half of what she earned for the post itself. She hasn’t made an official statement about the settlement, but she did talk about her involvement with the event in March of last year.

In an interview with The New York Times, she said: “You get reached out to by people to, whether it be to promote or help or whatever, and you never know how these things are going to turn out, sometimes it’s a risk.”

“I definitely do as much research as I can, but sometimes there isn’t much research you can do because it’s a starting brand and you kind of have to have faith in it and hope it will work out the way people say it will.” 

Jenner isn’t the only one who was hit with a lawsuit for connections to the festival. Claims were also filed against celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski, Migo, Pusha T, Blink-182, and Lil Yatchy.

As far as the brains behind the whole operation, Fyre Media founder Billy McFarland is currently serving out a 6-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud. He was also ordered to repay the $26 million he defrauded from investors.  

The Kardashian/ Jenner Influence 

The fact that Jenner was paid over a quarter-million dollars for a single Instagram post really highlights just how powerful the Kardashian/Jenner influence is. We see it all the time with their massively successful brands, but just to give you an understanding of how much their Instagram posts matter, take a look at Kylie Jenner’s recent influence on the sneaker market.

Footwear News reported that, the younger Jenner sister posted just four images to her Instagram this year that showed her wearing various pairs of Nike SB Dunks. According to the sneaker reseller Stockx, each time she wore a pair, the resale prices climbed by 30% to 50% while sales volume at least doubled, and in some cases, quadrupled.

Last weekend for instance, she posted a photo in a pair of sneakers that debuted in 2008. Those had been reselling for about $700, but prices rose to $1,100 about 48 hours after her post. On top of that, six pairs were sold within those same 48 hours, which is more sales than the sneaker had seen in the previous two months combined. 

View this post on Instagram

🤎☁️

A post shared by Kylie 🤍 (@kyliejenner) on May 16, 2020 at 3:42pm PDT

The site believes the “speed and magnitude” of increased demand for shoes she wears is attributable to “her power as an influencer and market mover.”

To be fair, Kylie is the highest earner of her family at the moment. She also topped Hopper HQ’s Instagram Rich List last year, with the site estimating that a sponsored post from Kylie costs about $1.2 million. 

But her family members weren’t too far behind, with Kim Kardashian at the #3 spot, Kendall at #13, and Khloe Kardashian at #14. According to that site’s estimate, a sponsored post from Kendall, who was also the highest-paid model of 2018, would cost around $611,000. Though the prices are steep, it shows that the responses for each post must be high enough for brands to consider these sponsorships a profitable move. 

See what others are saying: (EOnline) (Fox Business) (Refinery 29)  

• Ruby Rose is leaving her lead role in The CW’s Batwoman after one season.
• Some reports suggest the departure was amicable after reflecting on challenges during filming, but others wonder if the 2018 backlash over her casting was also taken into account. 
• At the time Rose was slammed for not being “gay enough” for the role and not being of Jewish descent like the comic book character, criticism that eventually caused her to delete her Twitter account. 
• The role will be recast, with producers still looking for an openly LGBTQ performer to join the team.

Rose Announces Departure 

Ruby Rose announced Tuesday that she will be leaving her role as the star of The CW’s Batwoman after just one season, news that came as a major shock to many. 

“This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles, ” Rose said in a statement two days after the season one finale. 

She also went on to express her appreciation and gratitude to specific team members who helped put the series together.

What Comes Next 

Like several other film and TV projects, Batwoman was forced to end its season early due to the coronavirus pandemic, finishing 20 of its 22 planned episodes. But back in January, the show secured a second season and was even set to anchor the network’s Sunday night lineup starting in early 2021.

So this departure was pretty shocking since a lead actor rarely leaves a role after just one season, especially with another one on lock. Naturally, many were immediately curious if the network was planning to keep the show alive. 

Then The CW, Warner Bros. TV, and Berlanti Productions issued a joint statement saying they “thank Ruby for her contributions to the success of our first season and wish her all the best.”

“The studio and network are firmly committed to Batwoman’s second season and long-term future, and we — along with the show’s talented creative team — look forward to sharing its new direction, including the casting of a new lead actress and member of the LGBTQ community, in the coming months,” the groups added.

As of now, there is no timeline for when a new actor could take on the lead role, and it’s unclear if Rose’s departure will be incorporated into the storyline. From all the DC TV shows that have come since Arrow’s start in 2012, none of the main leads have ever been recast. 

A parody account fooled fans into thinking that Amber Heard was in talks for the role, but those claims have since been deemed false. 

Reasons for Exit Unknown 

It’s not immediately clear what prompted Rose’s decision to exit. She suffered a back injury during filming, which left her at risk of being paralyzed and required emergency surgery. However, reports have suggested that her decision was unrelated. 

Other reports said the two sides mutually decided to part ways after reflecting on the season and its challenges. According to Deadline, Rose “was not happy, and the show’s team was not happy to a point where no one could see this going for another season. It was not a good fit.”

Whatever the case, Rose seems to have faced issues since joining the series in 2018. 

Batwoman made TV history as the first scripted live-action TV series to feature a lesbian superhero at the top of the call sheet. Still, there was controversy around Rose’s casting.

Some launched criticism in regards to her sexuality as the show was looking for an openly LGBTQ actress for the part. Critics began to accuse Rose of not being a lesbian since she has referred to herself as gender-fluid, which drew in remarks about her not being “gay enough” to play the role.

Others were upset about Rose not being Jewish like the character is in the comics. Some questioned Rose’s acting skills, and some brought up one of her tweets from 2013 that seemed to out another entertainer. Eventually, #RecastBatwoman began circulating with people calling for the role to go to lesser-known LGBTQ performers. 

All of the backlash prompted Rose to leave Twitter altogether and restrict comments on her Instagram page. In her final tweet, she called the remarks about her sexuality “ridiculous,” noting that she came out at the age of 12 and has faced the opposite criticism throughout her career.

Though none of this was addressed in her departure announcement, some say it wouldn’t be hard to imagine it playing some role in the decision to part ways. For now, it seems like there are plenty of fans who are sad to see her go. 

See what others are saying: (The Hollywood Reporter) (Deadline) (Forbes)