Tyler Perry talks success and keeping his son out of the spotlight
In the August/September edition of AARP: The Magazine, Tyler Perry opened up about his dark childhood, his success and how he shields his seven-year-old son, Aman, from the spotlight.
For all of his fame both as an actor and a self-made billionaire mogul, Perry is notoriously protective about his private life. He shares Aman with ex Gelila Bekele, who he describes as an “incredible mother.” Though the couple split in 2020, she runs his charity, The Perry Foundation.
As for why he’s tight-lipped about his personal life, Tyler says, “Because these people are not famous. My son’s not famous. I want him to have as normal a life as he can.”
He said of the boy, “I want him to know what it’s like to have his own name and his own life and not have the pressure of trying to live up to whatever or whoever your father was.”
Perry also talked about how he’s handling current events as a Black father, explaining he hasn’t delved too deeply into matters of race — yet.
“…I want to hold out as long as I can,” he insisted. “I don’t want to tell him that there are people who will judge him because of the color of his skin, because right now he’s in a school with every race, and all these kids are in their purest form. When he describes his friends, he never defines them by race.”
Perry goes on to say of Aman, “the moment he loses that innocence is going to be a very, very sad day for me. I know it’s coming, though, because he’s already asking some really tough questions. What I want him to be, more than anything, is somebody who sees injustice, speaks out against it and effects change.”
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Lizzo tears up watching young Black girl dance to “About Damn Time”
Lizzo was moved to tears after watching a young Black girl excitedly dance along to her new song “About Damn Time.”
The Grammy winner took to TikTok to share a snippet of the adorable clip before explaining through tears why the video meant so much to her.
“I’m like still processing that,” she said while wiping her face. “You never think like when you’re making music like you have an effect on people or you have an impact on people’s lives.”
Lizzo went on, “It’s like this is literally why I do it. I’m so grateful that people take my music and do good things with it. It makes them move, it makes them dance, it makes them happy, makes them feel confident in themselves.”
The “Truth Hurts” rapper said that seeing how her music inspires people is what is truly important to her. She added she doesn’t care about “the numbers” or how successful a song of hers may be and said it all comes down to her fans.
Reflecting back on watching the young girl enjoy herself to “About Damn Time,” Lizzo sweetly declared, “That video is my Grammy right there. That is my award. And I am so grateful.”
Lizzo wrote in a precursor video, “im crying cus this is EXACTLY why i do what I do… Keep that confidence and beauty— no one can stop you!”
The video was first posted by a woman named Danielle, who regularly posts videos of her daughter, Aria, dancing. She said of Lizzo’s latest banger, “We watched this video 20x on Sunday while cleaning and this is Aria singing along.”
Fans are hoping little Aria gets to meet her idol one day, with some also calling for a dance collaboration.
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“I know it's real hard to top 'Iron Man'”: John Boyega denies MCU rumors”
In a personal and wide-ranging interview with Men’s Health, John Boyega denied a persistent rumor that he’ll be making his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel The Marvels.
“That’s not in the vision for me now,” admits the actor.
He adds, “I want to do nuanced things. . . . I want to donate my services to original indie films that come with new, fresh ideas,” explaining his MCU reluctance, “…because I know it’s real hard to top Iron Man in that universe.”
Aside from admiring Robert Downey Jr.‘s onscreen alter-ego, the feature also reveals Boyega’s looked up to Downey in other ways.
“I am very interested in people who go to dark spaces and are able to flip that,” he says, adding the star, who overcame addiction to become one of the world’s biggest movie stars, advised him about his career.
“You’re going to go through some turbulence. You’re going to try to find who you are within this. It might be rocky, but you’ll come out the end with a solid identity,” he continues, quoting the star.
Some of that turbulence included his turn in the Star Wars sequels, which began with racist trolling about him being a Black Stormtrooper and crescendoed when watching directors Rian Johnson and JJ Abrams marginalize his character Finn in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker.
Boyega is proud he was so outspoken about both. “I’m the one that brought this to the freaking forefront,” the actor says.
He insists Lucasfilm will now “make sure you’re well-supported and at least you [now] go through this franchise knowing that everybody is going to have [your] back. I’m glad I talked out everything at that time.”
Marvel and Lucasfilm are owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
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Report: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are ensuring their new baby has a private childhood
Rihanna welcomed her first child with rapper A$AP Rocky in May and, while the two have started to emerge in the public eye — don’t expect them to take their child with them.
A source tells Entertainment Tonight that the new parents are focused on their newborn’s privacy. “They’re keeping things lowkey so they can enjoy their little family,” the insider spills. “Privacy has become increasingly important to the couple.”
The source adds, “When it was just the two of them, they’d go out all hours of the day and night and interact with fans. Now, with the baby, they’re a little more protective.”
This aligns with what the “Umbrella” singer said back in March, when she told ELLE she will be a “psycho” mom when it comes to keeping her kid safe. The singer vowed she will do more than “flip a table” if her child’s privacy is violated, promising, “You talk about my kids, it’s over.”
Neither Rihanna nor Rocky have publicly spoken about the baby’s gender or name. While reports say they welcomed a son, the two have yet to confirm that.
The insider also notes Rihanna is getting ready to transition back to work, adding, “She’s one of the hardest working people out there and she can definitely have it all.” The informant says that the Grammy winner will “be a hands-on mom and have an impressive career.”
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Drake drops new video for “Sticky”
Drake has dropped a new video for his Honestly, Nevermind track “Sticky.”
In the jet-setting Theo Skudra-directed clip, we see Drake living it up in various locations – from partying on a yacht to a dinner party in a mansion to camping in the woods. The visual also prominently features an off-road Maybach, designed by late fashion icon Virgil Abloh, as well as a shout-out to jailed rappers Young Thug and Gunna.
The video drop comes after Drake announced he tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to postpone Monday night’s Young Money reunion show in Toronto.
(Video contains uncensored profanity.)
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Wendy Williams reportedly says she's married again; rep says not so fast
Another Wendy Williams headline has left fans scratching their heads: Did she just get re-married?
That’s purportedly what she claimed to Hollywood Unlocked podcast host Jason Lee, who said she told him she tied the knot with an NYPD officer named Henry.
Lee recalled on his Tuesday night installment, “She says, ‘I’m married.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ She’s like, ‘I got married.'”
“I’m like, ‘You got married when?’ And she’s like, ‘I got married last week,'” he continued.
However, Page Six reached out to the former talk show host’s rep William Selby, who threw cold water on the reported wedding news, calling it “inaccurate.”
“She is excited about a new relationship and probably got carried away in conversation,” he explained.
The publication points out it’s not the first time Wendy has apparently gotten ahead of herself in the romance department. In 2019, she was dating a former cop-turned-criminal justice expert Dr. Darrin Porcher.
He called her comments “flattering to hear” but told Page Six, “it’s not the case,” explaining he was in another relationship and had merely worked for Wendy “for a couple of weeks” after she’d filed for divorce from her ex-husband, Kevin Hunter.
Lee also revealed that Williams told him she had her publicist keep her “entire family away,” except her son Kevin Hunter Jr., “for at least a year” and reiterated her claims that her finances are still locked because Wells Fargo bank has frozen them.
As previously reported, Wendy claims the company helped enact a conservatorship against her will, declaring her “incapacitated” and unable to manage her finances.
The company has denied any “improper actions” regarding the situation.
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Mother of Uvalde victim speaks out for first time
https://digital.abcaudio.com/news/mother-uvalde-victim-speaks-out-first-time
Highland Park shooting suspect to appear in court for arraignment
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Scientists explain how the deadly flooding in Kentucky got so bad
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Jury selection continues in trial of former UCLA doctor accused of sexual abuse
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