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Doja Cat Addresses Accusations of Past Racist Behavior

Published

8 months ago

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  • #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.

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“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.”

Screenshot via Twitter: @barbzbussy

“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)

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Kellyanne Conway Accused of Posting Topless Photo of Her Underage Daughter

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18 hours ago

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January 26, 2021

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  • A topless photo of Kellyanne Conway’s 16-year-old daughter Claudia was shared as a Fleet on the former Trump counselor’s Twitter page Monday.
  • Claudia later confirmed that the photo was of her but claimed she never sent it to anyone. She said she believes her mother made a copy of the photo after confiscating her phone in the past.
  • The incident sparked a new wave of concern for the teen, who has repeatedly accused her parents of abuse and unsuccessfully filed for emancipation last year.
  • Claudia changed her tone in a new statement Tuesday, suggesting that her mother would never post such a photo of her online, though some fear her comments may have been recorded by force.

Conway’s Account Posts Nude Photo

Kellyanne Conway, an ex-counselor to former President Donald Trump, is facing intense backlash after a topless photo of her underage daughter Claudia was shared on the elder Conway’s Twitter account Monday.

The photo was posted as Twitter Fleet, which is analogous to Instagram and Snapchat’s 24-hour stories features. It has since been deleted; however, before its removal, it was easily accessible to all of Twitter. Even now, it still exists in the form of screen captures.

After the photo was initially shared, Claudia took to TikTok to confirm that the picture was, in fact, of her.

“The picture’s from months ago, and I’m assuming when my mom took my phone… she took a picture of that, so that was on her phone, and I guess she accidentally posted or somebody hacked her but nobody would ever have any photo like that, ever,” Claudia said, noting that she had never sent the photo to anyone.

Claudia went a step further and accused Kellyanne of keeping the photo to one day use against her. 

Notably, on Tuesday, Claudia adopted a much different tone in another series of TikToks.

This isn’t force,” she said. “This is coming completely from me: Claudia. I have faith and I know that my mother would never put something like that on the internet, as well as me. We would never do that. My mom and I, we fight like mothers and daughters, but we also love like mothers and daughters, and I do love her. I will be taking a break from social media because we are really tired of being [featured in] headlines.’

Shortly after that video was posted, a number of people online pointed out that recently, Claudia said she wouldn’t leave social media on her own accord. Because of that, many think she was forced to record the message.

Conway Accused of Posting Child Porn

Online, many have accused Kellyanne of posting child pornography. 

Many have also reignited conversations of emancipation for Claudia, something the teen unsuccessfully pushed for last year. 

The posting of this photo comes one week after Claudia posted now-deleted TikToks that appear to show Kellyanne physically and verbally abusing her.

In one of those videos, a woman who seems to be Kellyanne can be heard screaming at Claudia while hurling a barrage of explicit insults at the girl. Other moments appear to depict Kellyanne throwing things at Claudia and even hitting her. In one, Claudia is crying and seems to be trying to ask Kellyanne to stop but is unable to get a word in. 

The New York Post reportedly reached Kellyanne by phone Tuesday morning for a statement about the incident. “We have no comment,” she told the outlet while also noting that she was “sitting here with Claudia.”

According to Variety, Twitter is investigating the matter. It is still unknown whether Kellyanne posted the photo herself or if her phone was hacked.

See what others are saying: (Variety) (New York Post) (Vulture)

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JoJo Siwa Swatted After Coming Out as Member of LGBTQ+ Community

Published

2 days ago

on

January 25, 2021

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  • In an Instagram live on Saturday, YouTube star JoJo Siwa confirmed that police were called to her house on a false report, a dangerous trend commonly referred to as swatting. 
  • The incident happened hours after Siwa publicly confirmed that she is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
  • Siwa believes members of the media may have called the police in an effort to force her out of her home so they could photograph her amid the excitement surrounding her announcement. 

JoJo Siwa’s House Gets Swatted

JoJo Siwa, the 17-year old YouTube star who is massively popular among kids, was swatted at her home on Saturday, hours after coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

During an Instagram Live with her videographer Nate Javier, Siwa confirmed that officers from the Los Angeles Police Department were called to her house on a false report.

Everyone inside had to step out with their hands up. As this happened, Siwa says paparazzi came out from around the corner.

She believes the media called the police to force her outside so they could photograph her while there was so much excitement surrounding her coming out. 

She called the incident “really scary” but said that she is safe and fine. 

“For me it was no big deal to walk outside my house. I’m okay,” she said. “But I feel bad because there was about 50 police at our house and those police could have had much better time spent somewhere else actually helping somebody instead of dealing with a fake claim from paparazzi.” 

Siwa Comes Out

Siwa made headlines over the weekend as fans began to speculate that she might be coming out. They were first tipped off by a handful of TikToks she appeared in, including one where she lip-synched to “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga. Then on Friday, Siwa shared a photo of herself wearing a shirt from her cousin that said “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.”

Many took this photo as her coming out and began to celebrate her for sharing this. On Saturday the star went live on Instagram confirming that she is part of the LGTBQ community. She thanked her fans for their support. 

“I have never ever ever been this happy before and it feels awesome,” she said.  

Siwa said she is not yet ready to specifically label herself and that right now she is just happy to be open and sharing this part of her life with the public. 

“The reason I’m not ready to say this answer is because I don’t really know this answer,” she explained. 

“I wanna share everything with the world. I really do. But I also want to keep things in my life private until they are ready to be public,” Siwa continued. “Right now what matters is that you guys know that no matter who you love, that it’s okay.”

Praise for Siwa Rolls In 

Many stars have applauded Siwa online, including actress Kerry Washington, singer Lil Nas X, and YouTubers Liza Koshy and Colleen Ballinger. 

“You’ve got our love,” Koshy wrote. “Shine on as always!”

“This is the happiest I’ve ever seen you,” Ballinger said. “You’re absolutely glowing and I’m so proud of the woman you are becoming. 

Many were also quick to point out the potential impact her coming out could have considering her large following of young people. 

“JoJo Siwa’s decision to share her truth with the world is a powerful moment,” wrote Sarah Kate Ellis, the president of GLAAD. 

“As one of the most influential young role models today, Jojo’s story is a reminder for LGBTQ youth to love who they are and to find safe and welcoming environments to speak out.”

See what others are saying: (BuzzFeed News) (Newsweek) (Seventeen)

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Joe Rogan Says Grimes Did Not Give Dave Chappelle COVID-19

Published

5 days ago

on

January 22, 2021

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  • Comedian Dave Chappelle is under quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. He is asymptomatic and his remaining shows in Austin, Texas have been canceled.
  • The news comes just days after Chappelle was photographed with Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, Grimes, and several others backstage at one of his Austin performances.
  • “Because people are asking, I was not exposed to the person who had covid and I have tested negative every day this week,” Rogan wrote on Instagram Friday. “Also, the person that gave covid to Dave was NOT Elon’s partner @grimes.”

Chappelle Tests Positive

Comedian Dave Chappelle has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently under quarantine, according to one of his representatives.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, that rep also confirmed that he is currently asymptomatic and has canceled all of his remaining shows at Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas.

“Chappelle has safely conducted socially-distanced shows in Ohio since June 2020 and he moved those shows to Austin during the winter,” the statement read.

“Chappelle implemented COVID-19 protocols which included rapid testing for the audience and daily testing for himself and his team. His diligent testing enabled him to immediately respond by quarantining, thus mitigating the spread of the virus,” it continued.

Joe Rogan Speaks Out After He Was Photographed With Chappelle

Two of the remaining Austin shows were supposed to include fellow comedian Joe Rogan. Rogan took to Instagram Friday morning to announce that they will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Still, many fans had questions about Rogan’s current state of health. The news of Chappelle’s positive test comes just days after he was photographed maskless with Rogan, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, musician Grimes, and several others backstage at one of his Austin performances.

Since Grimes, who is also in a relationship with Musk, recently had COVID, many were concerned that she may have exposed the group. Others wondered if Chappelle may have spread it.

Rogan eventually updates his Instagram caption to dismiss the ideas.

“Because people are asking, I was not exposed to the person who had covid and I have tested negative every day this week,” he wrote.“Also, the person that gave covid to Dave was NOT Elon’s partner @grimes.”

See what others are saying: (The Hollywood Reporter) (CNN) (AP News)

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