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Celebs Out & About: Simone Biles, Tracee Ellis Ross, Ashanti, Diddy’s Twins and More

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Simone Biles posed with her award in the Press Room at the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid on Monday, April 21. The Olympic gymnast received her fourth Sportswoman of the Year award.

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Actress Tracee Ellis Ross was seen getting into an SUV in NYC after she appeared on Michelle Obama’s podcast last week. Tracee told Michelle she only dates younger guys because men her age are too toxic.

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Pregnant singer-songwriter and actress Ashanti, 44, performed at The AO Arena in Manchester, England. Ashanti and her husband, rapper Nelly are expecting their second child.

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D’Lila Star and Jessie James Combs, the twin daughters of jailed rap mogul Sean Combs, were seen in LA at SEV Laser hair removal. They wore matching all-black outfits and yellow retro Jordan sneakers.

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Comic actress Tiffany Haddish reads to children during The Embrace Girls Foundation story time book party in Hollywood, CA. Tiffany read her book, Layla: The Last Black Unicorn, to promote early childhood literacy at Cox Media Group.

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Denzel Washington and Spike Lee attended the 2025 Entertainment Community Fund Gala in NYC. Spike dressed down for the black tie event.

Jeffree Star drops cryptic tweet about Kanye West amid ‘Cousin’ controversy

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A cryptic tweet by influencer Jeffree Star fueled speculation about Kanye West amid his “Cousin” controversy.

Kanye recently shared a tweet about a molestation incident from his childhood.

Kanye tweeted on April 21 about the shocking incident of sodomy (if true) when he was a child.

“This song is called COUSINS,” Kanye wrote on X (Twitter). He said the song is “about my cousin that’s locked in jail for life for killing a pregnant lady a few years after I told him we wouldn’t ‘look at dirty magazines together’ anymore.”

Photo of Kanye West tweet post

Kanye is married to Australian architect Bianca Censori. Their marriage has gone through rough patches but they were spotted together over the weekend.

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Many X (Twitter) users were moved to share their own childhood trauma stories. But one person – Jeffree Star – went a step further.

On April 22, Jeffree tweeted, “Ok f*ck it.. The rumors were true.”

His tweet reignited rumors that first surfaced on TikTok in 2021. The rumor claimed Kanye was involved with a “very famous male beauty guru.” TikTok users quickly linked Jeffree with Kanye since they both had connections to Wyoming and a 2009 lyric in one of Jeffree’s songs referenced Kanye.

Shannon Sharpe warns fans that an ‘edited’ sex tape is about to drop. ‘Tony Buzbee targets Black men’

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NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe says attorney Tony Buzbee is about to release a 30-second “edited” sex tape featuring him and his accuser.

Shannon, 56, recorded a video statement on Tuesday accusing Buzbee of targeting Black men.

In the video, Shannon thanked his family, friends, supporters, and colleagues for standing by him after a 20-year-old woman sued Shannon for $50 million and accused the ESPN host of multiple rapes.

The lawsuit was filed in Nevada by a woman identified as “Jane Doe”.

“This is a shakedown,” Shannon said. “I’m gonna be open, transparent, and defend myself because this isn’t right. This is all being orchestrated by Tony Buzbee who has targeted Jay-Z. Tony Buzbee targets Black men.”

Shannon went on to say he believes “Buzbee is going to release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty and play into every stereotype you could possibly imagine.”

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Shannon urged Buzbee to release the entire 10-minute sex tape, which he claims happened during the day at Doe’s invitation. He said his encounter with “Gabby” now appears to be a “deliberate setup.”

On Monday, Shannon’s attorney released dozens of sexually explicit text messages exchanged between Shannon and Jane Doe.

The text messages seem to exonerate Shannon of any wrongdoing. However, sports journalist Jason Whitlock claims that Shannon has a “long sordid history with women” who accuse Shannon of sexual harassment. “There’s a 20-year pattern.”

Jason added that Shannon lost his job at CBS Sports because a woman made similar allegations of rape against him. “This is an open secret,” he said.

Shannon is expected to sign a new deal with ESPN worth $100 million to license his podcast and video content. Shannon and ESPN reached a deal last year to expand his appearances on ESPN’s “First Take.”

Jason Whitlock Says Shannon Sharpe’s Wickedness Comes to Light. Shannon Threatened to Choke Woman

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Sports journalist Jason Whitlock is critical of Shannon Sharpe and ESPN after a 20-year-old woman sued the ESPN host for $50 million and accused him of rape.

The lawsuit was filed in Nevada by a woman identified as “Jane Doe” – who accused Shannon of multiple sexual assaults.

Jane Doe’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, sent TMZ Sports an audio clip on Tuesday, alleging that Shannon threatened to choke her. The conversation allegedly took place towards the end of Doe’s relationship with Shannon.

“Oh, Lord have mercy,” Shannon can be heard saying in the audio. “If you say that word one more time, I’m going to f***ing choke the s*** out of you when I see you.”

After a long pause, the woman tells Shannon, “I don’t want to be choked,” but he can be heard replying, “Yes, you do. I don’t think you have a choice in the matter.”

Buzbee tells TMZ, “the contents of this clip are certainly not sexual. They are not playful. They are instead disturbing, aggressive, and dangerous.”

“This audio,” he continued, “paints a very clear picture of how Sharpe treated Jane Doe, leading her to escape from him by leaving Nevada and blocking all contact with him.”

On Monday, Shannon’s attorney released dozens of sexually explicit text messages exchanged between Shannon and Doe.

The text messages seem to exonerate the 56-year-old ESPN host of any wrongdoing. However, Jason claims that Shannon has a “long sordid history with women” who accuse Shannon of sexual harassment. “There’s a 20-year pattern.”

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Jason added that Shannon lost his job at CBS Sports because a woman made similar allegations of rape against him. “This is an open secret,” he said.

“The reason why I’m critical of ESPN … OK, maybe this woman is lying. But anybody with a brain knows that Shannon has a long sordid history with women making allegations about him and lawsuits being settled,” said Jason.

Jason went on to say that maybe ESPN welcomes this sort of scandal because they are hoping it will make Shannon “even more popular, even more powerful” and drive ratings.

Shannon is expected to sign a new deal with ESPN worth $100 million to license his podcast and video content. Shannon and ESPN reached a deal last year to expand his appearances on ESPN’s “First Take.”

Watch Jason’s livestream below.

Kenya Moore was ‘uninvited’ from RHOA Reunion and slams network for disrespecting her

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Reality TV star Kenya Moore is speaking out after Bravo execs uninvited her from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” reunion show.

Kenya expected to attend the Season 16 reunion – but she says she was told not to show up.

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In a new video on her YouTube channel, Kenya complained that not only is she not attending the reunion, but she was uninvited and not given a reason.

“I haven’t been invited to the reunion. In fact, I was invited and then disinvited a few months ago,” Kenya explained.
 
READ ALSO: Kenya Moore Fired From ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’
 
The 54-year-old former Miss USA (1993) is disappointed and slammed Bravo execs for disrespecting her.

“The disrespect is insane,” she said in the video. “From me being someone who has always loved Real Housewives of Atlanta and always wanting to see them win, to being shut out, I think it’s really odd, right? To be erased from the history of the show, to not be in the opening credits, and to not have confessionals.”

Kenya compared herself to former RHOA star Kim Zolciak who received her own show, titled “Don’t Be Tardy.”

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Kenya (2nd from right) also accused Bravo of deleting scenes that show newcomer Brit Eady threatening her.

“I immediately went to the showrunner, the executive producer, and I said, ‘What is going on? Why is she talking about a gun and a pistol? What is happening?'” Kenya recalled. “I’ve been on this show for 12 seasons. I’ve never once had anyone threaten me with a pistol. I’ve not ever had anyone allude to unaliving me, so I took it seriously.”

Kenya continued: “If that happened on [The Real Housewives of] Beverly Hills, you think she would be in jail or punished or out of a job? You think if she had said that to Kyle [Richards] or Teresa Guidice or any other housewife on any other show, do you think she would still have a job?”

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Kenya was fired from RHOA following her suspension for allegedly revealing sexually explicit pictures of Brit Eady during the grand opening of her hair spa in Atlanta.

Beyoncé’s Mom, Tina Knowles, 71, Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

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Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles has revealed her secret battle with stage 1 breast cancer. Stage 1 means the cancer hasn’t spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs in the body.

In an interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings, Knowles said she was recently diagnosed with the disease after doctors discovered 2 tumors in her breast during a mammogram.

One tumor was non-cancerous and the other was stage 1.

Knowles, 71, said she missed her mammogram appointment during the pandemic in 2020. Otherwise, doctors would have found the cancer sooner.

Knowles said she shared her diagnosis with her daughters, Beyoncé and Solange, and a few close friends. She said they lifted her spirits while she was hospitalized for surgery.

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“I was nervous,” she told Gayle King. “And so they started just joking with me.”

She said Solange played a viral video about the word “demure” to cheer her up before the surgery.

“I start laughing. I get out of my head… Then I said, ‘I’m just so happy that y’all are here.'”

“And I thought about the song ‘Walk With Me,’ which they used to sing all the time,” she said.

Knowles said her niece Angie Beyince sang the song to her before one operation where she had one of the tumors removed.

“It’s about God walking with you into something and protecting you,” Knowles said through tears. “And I went in there feeling just like God has got me.”

Kevin Gates responds to LeBron’s clap back: ‘The truth hurts, but it heals’

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Kevin Gates responded to LeBron James defending his wife Savannah James following the rapper’s criticism of her.

In his video on Instagram, Kevin criticized Savannah for not looking at her husband the way white women do.

“I don’t like the way Savannah look at LeBron,” Kevin said in the April 19 video. “I like the way them white women look at LeBron. As soon as he walks out there, they just be like, ‘Oh, oh, oh.’ They be d-cked out.”

LeBron responded to Kevin’s statements by posting a photo of Savannah smiling at him. He captioned the post: “Kings don’t concern themselves with the opinions of peasants. Where to next Queen?!?! Let’s get it!”

In his comeback reply, Kevin said he loved LeBron, and he only cares that a Black man is being celebrated.

“And ‘Bron, I love you, ’cause you my n***a…. But anyway, look, long as you being celebrated, I don’t care who don’t like me. Long as you being celebrated, that’s all I care about. ‘Cause you my n***a and I love you.

Kevin turned the camera to show his current girlfriend, Brittany Renner, sitting in the passenger seat next to him on Easter Sunday.

Brittany converted to Islam last year, months after she appeared as a guest on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast in 2023.

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This photo of Brittany and Shannon was taken after she appeared on his podcast and said that she had slept with 35 men.

Former NBA star Rick Fox, who was 54 at the time, re-posted the interview and asked if he could be No. 36 on Brittany’s list.

Brittany didn’t appreciate the rude comments she received after the NSFW podcast interview. She converted to Islam soon afterwards.

Shannon Sharpe Provides Receipts in Response to Lawsuit Allegations

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Former NFL star Shannon Sharpe was sued for allegedly raping a woman on multiple occasions, according to new court documents.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee for “Jane Doe” on Sunday in Nevada. Doe claims the popular podcaster sexually assaulted her several times at the end of 2024 and the start of 2025.

She is seeking $50 million in punitive damages.

Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis responded to the allegations in a statement on behalf of his client on Monday.

Davis shared dozens of sexually graphic text messages exchanged by Gabriella Zuniga and Sharpe.

“I want you to put a dog collar around my neck and choke me with it while you’re f***ing me,” she allegedly wrote in one text on October 7, 2023.

“I know u miss this big juicy a*s… $25k for each cheek,” she wrote in another text message to Sharpe on January 1, 2025. She attached a partially nude photo of herself.

“Only if you put that baby gravy in me, then I can do whatever I want to me.”
— Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, November 23, 2023.

“I wanna put my tongue in your a**hole and then marry u.”
— Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, January 12, 2024.

“That’s my daddy f*** I want u to put a big black baby in me.”
— Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, August 6, 2024.

“You better crave it cuz ur gonna be stuck with it 4 life after you put a big black baby in me.”
— Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, August 11, 2024.

Davis wrote: “This lawsuit, filed by Gabriella Zuniga and orchestrated by her attorney Tony Buzbee, is a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars. It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.

In her effort to extract a large financial settlement, Ms. Zuniga presented Mr. Sharpe with a secretly recorded video of a consensual sexual encounter. We believe the video has been heavily edited and taken entirely out of context, crafted to falsely portray a consensual act as non-consensual. Ms. Zuniga has refused to provide a copy of the full, unedited version of the recording to Mr. Sharpe’s legal team.

“To set the record straight, we are releasing several of Ms. Zuniga’s own explicit text messages to Mr. Sharpe that clearly indicate the nature of their relationship was consensual and sexual in nature — and, in many cases, initiated by her with specific and graphic requests.

“Contrary to the allegations she makes in her lawsuit, consensual sex continued until January 2, 2025 – the day after she asked for ‘$25,000 per cheek,’ as quoted above from her text message to Mr. Sharpe.”

Davis continued: “These messages are just a sampling of a broader pattern of graphic, sexual communications initiated by Ms. Zuniga. The evidence paints a clear picture: this was a consensual, adult relationship that included role-playing, sexual language, and fantasy scenarios explicitly requested by Ms. Zuniga.”

He concluded: “Mr. Sharpe categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct – especially the gross lie of ‘rape’ — and will not submit to what he sees as an egregious attempt at blackmail. He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court. He looks forward to vindication through due process and a judgment based on the facts and the law.”

Pope Francis Died After Meeting with Vice President JD Vance On Easter Sunday

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Vice President JD Vance was one of the last people to meet with Pope Francis hours before he died from double pneumonia and heart failure on Easter Sunday.

Vance met with the wheelchair-bound Pope in the Vatican. He entered the room and reached down for the Pope’s hand. “Hello,” the vice president said. “So good to see you.”

Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images

According to the Associated Press, a Vatican staffer presented Vice President Vance with chocolate Easter eggs. “These are for your children,” the Pope said. The chocolate eggs were followed by a tray of gifts, including rosaries and a Vatican tie.

“Thank you,” Vance said as he held up the dark tie. “So beautiful.”

Vance and Pope Francis posed for a photo. “I pray for you every day,” Vance said. “God bless you.”

In a post on X (Twitter) after the meeting, Vance wrote: “Today I met with the Holy Father Pope Francis. I am grateful for his invitation to meet, and I pray for his good health. Happy Easter!”

Hours later, the Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis. He was 88.

President Donald Trump issued a statement on his Truth Social app: “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”

Vance wrote on X: “I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him. I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill.”

Kim Kardashian & Taylor Swift Battle Over Whitney Houston’s ‘The Bodyguard’ Role

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Last week, it was reported that Taylor Swift had accepted an offer to play Whitney Houston’s role in “The Bodyguard” 2025 remake.

Deadline.com reported that Taylor was “in talks” with Warner Bros. Pictures, and that “the deal is almost done.”

Well, it seems the reports were premature.

According to DailyMail, insiders are now saying that reality TV star Kim Kardashian, 44, is in negotiations with Warner Bros. and the script has been written with Kim in mind.

“Everyone immediately assumed Taylor would get the lead, because The Bodyguard remake is being directed by Sam Wrench who directed the 2023 film about Taylor’s Eras Tour. But Warner Bros, the studio remaking the original, is very keen on Kim,” insiders told DailyMail. “There have already been multiple meetings and the script has been written with Kim in mind.”

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According to IMDB, Kim has over 30 acting credits, including roles in Disaster Movie (2008), Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013), and Ocean’s 8 (2018). She also produced episodes of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”

Photo of The Bodyguard poster with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston
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This isn’t the first time that Taylor and Kim have gone toe-to-toe.

In 2016, Kim’s ex-husband Kanye West released a song titled “Famous,” which featured the line “Might have sex with Taylor Swift / Why? I made that b***h famous.”

Taylor, 35, was furious and she claimed Kanye never told he would call her a slur.

In defense of her then-husband, Kim released a video of Taylor agreeing to the song’s lyrics.

However, Taylor claimed the video was “manipulated” and “illegally recorded.”

In 2020, Kim gave her final statement on the controversy, saying that “Taylor lied through her publicist who stated that ‘Kanye never called to ask for permission…’ They clearly spoke so I let you all see that. Nobody ever denied the word ‘bitch’ was used without her permission.”