Stars React To O.J. Simpson’s Death, Billy Dee Williams Gets Cringey, R. Kelly’s Wife Spills More Tea and More

A collection of The Root's best posts of the week in entertainment

Photo: Josh Burkholder Photography

R. Kelly’s Ex-Wife Drea Kelly Reflects on Alleged Physical, Financial Abuse—What Else Does She Know?

Photo: Josh Burkholder Photography Photo: Josh Burkholder Photography

R. Kelly’s ex-wife Andrea “Drea” Kelly is speaking up and shedding light on her alleged physical and financially abusive marriage to the disgraced R&B singer. – Shanelle Genai Read More

Celebrities React to O.J. Simpson’s Death, And It’s Not Pretty

Screenshot: Screenshot taken from X Screenshot: Screenshot taken from X

News of O.J. Simpson’s death after battling cancer sent shockwaves across the country, with many stars sharing their thoughts on his polarizing legacy. – Candace McDuffie Read More

Black Twitter Reacts to Sudden Death of O.J. Simpson and … They Ain’t Sad

Photo: Wikicommons Photo: Wikicommons

I audibly said, “Wait, what?!” when I looked down at my phone to see the notification.

“O.J. Simpson dead at 76,” a headline read.

Orenthal James Simpson was arguably America’s most sensationalized human being. He was an NFL star for 11 seasons but his stardom was stained by his widely controversial trial on murder charges in connection to the death of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend, Ron Goldman. – Kalyn Womack Read More

WTF?! Billy Dee Williams Is About to Piss Everyone Off With These Blackface Comments

Photo: Getty Images Ethan Miller/FilmMagic Photo: Getty Images Ethan Miller/FilmMagic

Billy Dee Williams, 87, has been giving outspoken interviews left and right since the release of his memoir, “What Have We Here?: Portraits of A Life,” in February. But his latest comments about the use of blackface in acting might get him into a whole lot of trouble with Black Hollywood. – Shanelle Genai Read More

K. Michelle Caught Debating Homosexuality and Religion on Social Media, And She Made a Big Point

Photo: Getty Images Jeff Hahne Photo: Getty Images Jeff Hahne

Singer K. Michelle wants people to know that while she considers herself a Christian, she’s not going along with people who use the Bible as an argument against homosexuality. – Angela Johnson Read More

A Judge Ruled on Jonathan Majors’ Fate, but Will Hollywood Allow Him to Return?

Photo: Getty Images Robert Smith/Patrick McMullan Photo: Getty Images Robert Smith/Patrick McMullan

On Monday, Jonathan Majors learned his legal fate with regard to the domestic dispute trial in which he was convicted of third degree reckless assault and harassment back in Dec. 2023. – Shanelle Genai Read More

Rihanna Just Gave the Best Interview, But Some Can’t Get Past the Cover Photo

Screenshot: YouTube Screenshot: YouTube

Rihanna just gave fans the next best thing to new music – a revealing magazine interview and photoshoot. RiRi is the cover girl for the Spring 2024 issue of Interview magazine where she talks about everything from how she met her partner A$AP Rocky to what she keeps in her diaper bag. And while fans usually love to soak up every bit of the “Rude Boy” singer they can, this time, some online have a lot to say about her look. – Angela Johnson Read More

People Are Not Feeling Jerrod Carmichael’s Sexual Slave ‘Jokes’ With White Boyfriend

Photo: Getty Images Rich Polk Photo: Getty Images Rich Polk

Comedian Jerrod Carmichael’s new HBO show may be lauded for making folks necessarily uncomfortable, but there was nothing necessary about his latest quip about allegedly engaging in “slave play” with his white boyfriend. – Candace McDuffie Read More

Wendell Pierce Is Hyped About His New Show ‘Elsbeth’, Reminisces on His Iconic Roles

Pierce, who gained notoriety in ‘The Wire’ and ‘Waiting to Exchale’, is starring in the new CBS drama whose titular character was spun-off from ‘The Good Wife.’

‘The Walking Dead’ & Other Top TV Shows Released in 2024 You Should Be Watching

Slim pickings on new shows this week so we’ve compiled the top 3 shows featuring some of our favorite Black characters and actors.

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A Peek Inside Travis Hunter’s New Jacksonville Mansion

Days after his wedding, NFL star Travis Hunter bought a mansion in one of Florida's most exclusive neighborhoods ...
Black Musicians Who Were Targeted By The FBI and Other Law Enforcement

Black Musicians Who Were Targeted By The FBI and Other Law Enforcement

For decades, the FBI has kept a close eye on Black musicians and other artists they saw as a threat to the status quo ...

In Minnesota Assassination Attempt, Wife's Split-Second Decision is a Testament to a Mother's Love

In Minnesota Assassination Attempt, Wife’s Split-Second Decision is a Testament to a Mother’s Love

Sen. John Hoffman's wife, Yvette, was shot eight times in her home on Saturday. He was wounded nine times ...
Jeezy Reveals This Surprising Update After Messy Divorce From Jeannie Mai

Jeezy Reveals This Surprising Update After Messy Divorce From Jeannie Mai

The ink on the divorce between Jeezy and for 'The Real' cohost Mai dried back in June 2024 after a tumultuous back and forth ...
Handsome Black Doorman Gets Discovered at NYC Restaurant

Handsome Black Doorman Gets Discovered at NYC Restaurant

A video of a random encounter with a woman on the street has propelled this handsome doorman to superstardom ...
Why Ananda Lewis' Death is a Cautionary Tale For Black Women Fighting Breast Cancer

Why Ananda Lewis’ Death is a Cautionary Tale For Black Women Fighting Breast Cancer

The beloved television personality and host of BET's Teen Summit wanted other women to learn from her mistakes ...
Carrie Underwood's Shady Reaction to Jamal Roberts' 'American Idol' Win, Explained

Carrie Underwood’s Shady Reaction to Jamal Roberts’ ‘American Idol’ Win, Explained

Jamal Roberts, the second Black man to win "American Idol" in over 20 years, is finally breaking his silence over his feat and the reaction it garnered from judge Carrie Underwood. And trust us when we say his response was nothing but classy. As we previously told you, throughout the ...
Chicago Black Man's Face is Forever Changed After Being Tased By Police, But That's Not the Worst Part...

Chicago Black Man’s Face is Forever Changed After Being Tased By Police, But That’s Not the Worst Part…

The Chicago man says he suffered permanent eye damage as a result of the incident.  ...
Why Gavin Newsom Might Be the White Dude Who Can Stand Up to Trump

Why Gavin Newsom Might Be the White Dude Who Can Stand Up to Trump

Is Newsom the man we have been waiting (praying) for to come for Trump's crown? ...
Doja Cat attends the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Getty Images Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Doja Cat’s Strange Interaction With Fan Leaves the Internet Divided

The "Say So" singer's odd interaction with a fan has the internet talking ...
Judge Mathis Has Some Interesting Words About Diddy Trial

Judge Mathis Has Some Interesting Words About Diddy Trial

Mathis, the famous TV judge, is giving his legal two cents about the Bad Boy mogul and he's not mincing words ...
These Black Democrats Were Allegedly Next on the Minnesota Gunman's Hitlist

These Black Democrats Were Allegedly Next on the Minnesota Gunman’s Hitlist

Vance Boelter allegedly didn’t plan on stopping at Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband ...
Why the Black Internet Believes Grammys Just Threw Shade at Beyoncé

Why the Black Internet Believes Grammys Just Threw Shade at Beyoncé

Just a few months after Beyoncé made history with her country record, the Grammys just made a major change to their country category. Coincidence...? The internet certainly doesn't think so. To be clear, this sudden change is the only new category added by the Recording Academy for the 68th Annual ...
Proof  The 'Absent Black Father' Was a Big Lie

Proof The ‘Absent Black Father’ Was a Big Lie

It's time to celebrate the Black dads who are showing up for their kids ...
Jay-Z's Daughter Rumi Carter Throws Up the Roc Nation Sign On Stage, Sparking Insane Illuminati Theories

Jay-Z’s Daughter Rumi Carter Throws Up the Roc Nation Sign On Stage, Sparking Insane Illuminati Theories

Jay-Z has detailed the origins of his symbol in the past, but that hasn't stopped the internet with conspiracy theories ...
You Know Of The Tuskegee Airmen, But  You Don't Know What 'The Harlem 'Hellfighters' Did to Win The War

You Know Of The Tuskegee Airmen, But You Don’t Know What ‘The Harlem ‘Hellfighters’ Did to Win The War

There are many Black people who served in the U.S. Army with honor. Let's give them their flowers ...
Sole Survivor Explains How He's Alive After Air India Crash

Sole Survivor Explains How He’s Alive After Air India Crash

An Air India flight crash that claimed over 240 lives had one remarkable sole survivor. Viswashkumar Ramesh, 40, was one of the 242 people on board the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which crashed in the northwestern Indian city of Ahmedabad about half a minute after takeoff on Thursday. While recovering ...
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET

The Very Short List of Black Celebs Speaking Out Against Trump’s ICE Raids

Although the list is short, folks like Doechii, Vic Mensa and Ava DuVernay are not happy with Trump's handling of anti-ICE protests ...