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A single visit from TikTok food critic Keith Lee has turned the tide for a Black-owned soul food restaurant facing vicious racial harassment in Lexington, North Carolina.

What began as another stop on Lee’s culinary tour through the state became a powerful story of resilience and community support when he encountered JJ’s Mama’s Soulfood Restaurant.

The owner, Tyleata Jones, had been battling not just the typical challenges of small business ownership, but also the painful reality of being the first Black restaurateur in a historically hostile environment.

Keith Lee stopped by the first Black soul food restaurant in North Carolina and gave them a $3,000 tip. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Lee paid a visit to “The First Black Owned Restaurant In North Carolina,” as he wrote in his caption. “This was an experience that I’ll never forget and always appreciate thank you @jjs_mama_soulfood just for being you. God Is Amazing,” he continued.

While driving through Charlotte to Raleigh, he stopped at JJ’s Mama’s after the owner sent him a DM. “Honestly I’ve been hanging on with a wing and a prayer,” was written in a lengthy paragraph sent from the restaurant’s Instagram page.

Jones also revealed to Lee that she was the first Black person to own a soul food restaurant in the city of Lexington, “on record.”

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A post shared by Keith Lee (@keith_lee125)

The post quickly went viral, drawing attention not only to the restaurant’s food but also to the hateful messages its owner has received from critics hoping the business fails.

“We’re growing on them, but it’s a racist place. So, they wrote me and they were like basically, ‘Hi, I hope you don’t raise a dime for your restaurant. We have enough n—ger lovers here. We don’t need any more. I hope your restaurant fails and you don’t even get to start,'” Jones shared with Lee during his visit.

She continued reading from the hateful message, “‘You n—ger lovers can go back to Africa. We don’t need any Black restaurants in Davidson County.'”

However, her response to the behavior demonstrated remarkable grace. She replied to the anonymous sender: “Well, hello. I’m sorry the color of my skin defines who I am to you, but I pray God takes the hate out of your heart. My restaurant will prosper with or without anyone’s help because I believe in a Higher Power.”

Her response continued with an offer of kindness.

“I will make you this promise. If you’re ever down on your luck and you need a meal, my door is always open,” she wrote back. “I pray God has mercy on your soul on judgment day.”

(Photo: @keith_lee125/Instagram)

Jones explained that she keeps this exchange displayed in her restaurant as a reminder that not everyone will support her journey.

Moved by her story, Lee did what he has become known for: He left a generous $3,000 tip with a stipulation that $1,000 be used to give back to the community.

The impact was immediate. After Lee’s review, which included an 8 out of 10 rating for her famous wing boil, business tripled in a single day. The restaurant sold out completely on May 19, posting a simple “Thank you to everyone” on Instagram.

The “famous seafood boil” that impressed Lee – featuring wings, celery, potatoes, eggs, corn, turkey necks, and beef sausages – has since been renamed “The Keith Lee Special” due to overwhelming demand.

“It feels like a new grand opening all over again,” Jones told WXII 12, expressing her excitement about the surge in customers, including some traveling from as far as Augusta, Georgia.

Katherine Delgado, who made the journey from Georgia after seeing Lee’s TikTok, shared, “We were just on TikTok yesterday and my sister she sent me this video about this restaurant, and I said let’s go tomorrow. We got in the car around 8 o’clock this morning and we came.”

Lee’s followers were quick to respond to the story on social media.

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A post shared by Jj's Mama's Soulfood & more (@jjs_mama_soulfood)

“When white ppl say go back to Africa it’s mind blowing like go back to Europe,” one person wrote.

Another added, “If we all went back to Africa, they would follow us.”

Some commenters focused on Jones’ graceful response to hatred.

“Her response was incredible. Attack hate with kindness,” a comment read, adding, “I want her establishment to be so successful. These are messages that need to be out there. Posting negativity to do something positive. Win.”

This transformation is not Lee’s first time making a significant impact on a small business.

In April 2025, he revisited The Puddery in Pearland, Texas, a year after his initial review saved the banana pudding shop from closure, this time presenting owner Janel Prator with a $50,000 check to support her expansion plans.

For Jones, the unexpected visit from Lee has given her business the exposure it needed to thrive despite the undercurrents in the community.

As she said about Lee’s 8 out of 10 rating, “The way he bit my chicken the second time around is what really made me feel good, but an 8 out of 10 coming from Keith Lee is awesome. He said anything less wouldn’t be right.”

‘Go Back to Africa’: Keith Lee Steps Up with $3K Tip at North Carolina Black-Owned Soul Food Spot Amid Hostility from Locals

The new head of the Social Security Administration said he had no idea what the job entailed when the Trump administration tapped him for the position of Commissioner of Social Security.

Former Wall Street executive Frank Bisignano made that remark in a leaked audio tape of a meeting with agency managers from around the country Wednesday.

ABC News obtained a recording of the meeting, which has not been independently confirmed by Atlanta Black Star.

Frank Bisignano, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Commissioner of Social Security Administration, testifies at his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“So, I get a phone call and it’s about Social Security. And I’m really, I’m really not, I swear I’m not looking for a job. And I’m like, ‘Well, what am I going to do?’ So, I’m Googling Social Security. You know, one of my great skills, I’m one of the great Googlers on the East Coast,” Bisignano said on the tape.

“I’m like, ‘What the heck’s the commissioner of Social Security?'” he added.

A Social Security official told ABC news the new SSA chief is “working to transform the agency into a premier service” and that he was clearly “poking fun at himself so everyone in the room felt comfortable having an open conversation …”

Unearthed audio: Trump's Social Security Commissioner says he had to 'google Social Security' to 'try to figure it out'"What the heck is a Commissioner of Social Security?"

— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) 2025-05-23T18:06:53.972Z

Millions of Americans rely on social security for retirement income, disability and survivor benefits. Under the Trump administration, the agency has been thrown into disarray by significant staff cuts, shuttered local offices and website outages.

Bisignano said during the meeting that Social Security is safe and will continue. “This is America’s, you know, safety net — it’s not going away. And hopefully you hear me say this every day. You know who wants me to tell people that? Guess. The president.”

President Donald Trump promised during the 2024 campaign that Social Security benefits would remain intact if he won another term in office. But the agency is in turmoil. In the few short months since Trump returned, almost a half dozen people have helmed the office.

“I’ve gotten notes about, ‘Will the turmoil of the last five months end? Are you here to cause more turmoil?'” Bisignano said in the recording. “I don’t think it’s the turmoil of the past five months, although I will be the fifth since, you know, November, right?”

Bisignano tried to lighten the mood of the meeting. “Are we having fun yet? Are we OK?”

The new SSA chief also repeatedly criticized media leaks from inside the agency during the meeting, according to ABC. Although Bisignano has experience managing large companies, including complex payroll systems, he has no experience in government or with the Social Security Administration.

During his confirmation hearings this month before the Senate, Democrats repeatedly brought up comments Bisignano has made about being “fundamentally a DOGE person.” The so-called Department of Government Efficiency was led at one point by billionaire Trump donor and SpaceX head Elon Musk.

In a controversial move under Musk, the DOGE team accessed sensitive data on millions of Americans as they focused on finding “waste, fraud, and abuse” at the agency. DOGE has presented little proof of fraud or abuse and has not been transparent about the moves it has made at the agency.

Bisignano, formerly the chairman and CEO of Fiserv Inc., a financial tech company, tried to distance himself from DOGE during his confirmation, but one Democrat cited a whistleblower statement claiming Bisignano personally asked DOGE to intervene at the SSA.

A White House spokesperson told ABC News, “Commissioner Bisignano brings a valuable and much-needed outside perspective to the Social Security Administration. Commissioner Bisignano’s proven success in the financial services industry uniquely positions him to lead the Trump Administration’s commonsense efforts to modernize the agency and improve its efficiency.”

Bisignano was confirmed earlier this month by the Senate’s Republican majority on a party-line vote.

‘So I’m Googling Social Security’: New Head of Social Security Administration Caught Admitting He Had No Idea What His Job Was In Damning Leaked Audio

A man who was supposed to be in prison but was pardoned by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office was arrested May 9 after he allegedly broke into a Henrico, Virginia, home and made off with several items.

Zachary Jordan Alam, 33, of Centreville, entered through a back door, the homeowner said.

“The man took several items before he was observed by people in the home and was asked to leave,” police said. “Officers located the man in a nearby neighborhood and arrested him.”

Jonathan Alam arrested for felony burglary charge. (Credit: Henrico County)

Alam was among the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. Trump pardoned them all, commuting their prison sentences or pledging to dismiss the cases yet to be heard. The riots ultimately resulted in five deaths, injuries to 140 police officers and at least $2.8 million in property damage.

Alam had been sentenced to eight years in prison last November. He had smashed the door panel that rioter Ashli Babbitt tried to crawl through before police shot her.

The federal judge who presided over his case said Alam was one of the most violent and aggressive Jan. 6 rioters.

“Those are not the actions of a patriot,” U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich said at Alam’s sentencing. “To say otherwise is delusional.”

Alam assisted other rioters scale barriers outside the Capitol before entering the building himself through a broken window. He had attended then-President Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021.

Alam, according to prosecutors, screamed obscenities at police, tried to kick in a hallway door and threw a red velvet rope at officers from a balcony as he rampaged through the Capitol.

Alam also punched and shattered three windowpanes on the doors of the Speaker’s Lobby

He used a helmet, handed to him by another rioter, to smash the glass panes.

Prosecutors said Alam continued to break the glass even after he had been warned by other rioters that police officers behind the doors were armed and ready to fire.

Alam defended his actions at his sentencing hearing.

“Sometimes you have to break the rules to do what’s right,” he said.

In a letter to the court, Alam’s mother said his father disowned him for failing out of medical school. Since then, he worked various odd jobs since, including unloading trucks and bussing tables.

“Zachary had turned to alcohol and drug use and associated with people who were negative influences; he began committing misdemeanor crimes to survive,” she wrote.

His defense attorney for the Capitol riot trial, Steven Metcalf, called him a “troubled loner” who “just wanted to fit in somewhere because he has been rejected by everyone else in his life.”

Alam is charged with residential breaking and entering and vandalism in the Henrico County case. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for late June.

Alam joins a growing list of Jan. 6 recidivists who’ve been charged with crimes since their pardons from the president.

Florida resident Daniel Ball was rearrested on federal firearm charges while still in custody just one day after federal prosecutors dismissed his Capitol riot case under a clemency order from Trump

The firearm case, originally filed in Florida in August, had been delayed due to 38-year-old Ball’s arrest in Washington on charges related to his participation in the Capitol riot.

David Daniel, 37, who pleaded guilty on Jan. 8, 2025, to assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and faced eight years in prison, has been charged in North Carolina on new alleged crimes related to possessing child pornography and sexually exploiting minors.

Back in January, Indiana man Matthew Huttle was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop.

Huttle, 42, was convicted for his involvement in the Capitol riots, where he was documented inside the building for 10 minutes and lingering on the grounds for hours.

After he was pulled over by Jasper County Sheriff’s deputy on State Road 14 in Indiana, Huttle fought back when the officer tried to arrest him. The ensuing scuffle led to the deputy fatally shooting Huttle, who was also armed, according to police.

Andrew Taake, 36, was arrested in early February after spending more than two weeks as a fugitive on a sex crimes charge, is accused by Houston authorities of online solicitation of a minor stemming from a 2016 incident in which he allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to an undercover law enforcement officer who was posing as a 15-year-old girl.

Federal prosecutors said Taake used bear spray and a metal whip to assault officers. He was arrested after bragging about the incident to a woman he met on an online dating app. 

‘Delusional’: Trump Pardoned Man Once Called One of the Most Violent and Aggressive of the Jan. 6 Rioters. Now He’s Accused of Burglarizing Virginia Home

It’s been a long time coming. More than 100 years after a violent white mob attacked North Tulsa’s prosperous Historic Greenwood District, killing as many as 300 Black people and burning down the area known as Black Wall Street, the U.S. Senate passed, by unanimous consent, a bill designating the district as a national monument Friday.

It’s the largest massacre based on race in U.S. history. On May 31, 1921, the white mob, fueled by anger and hatred, destroyed over 35 square blocks, including 200 businesses and 1,200 homes, according to the Tulsa Historical Society. The attack started after a Black man was accused of assaulting a white woman.

L: Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill on May 1, 2024, in Washington, DC. R: People look at the 1921 Black Wall Street Memorial on the 100-year anniversary of the Greenwood massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 31, 2021. (Photo by Getty Images)

“It’s a scar on our nation’s history and my state’s history,” Senator James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, told his colleagues in the Senate after the bill passed, “but it’s an era we remember for a reason because we know how far we’ve come.”

Lankford and New Jersey Democrat Corey Booker sponsored the bill and first introduced it last year.

“The community in North Tulsa and Greenwood they are turning tragedy into triumph, starting new businesses. It’s a beautiful area and continues to be able to grow and advance, but still bears the scars of over 100 years ago,” Lankford said.

Lankford and supporters say it’s important to remember as a nation that something significant happened in Greenwood.

“It’s not just about what happened that day, May 31st to June 1st of 1921, it’s what it was like before when it was Black Wall Street, a thriving community. It’s like what it was like afterwards when people stayed and rebuilt a community,” Lankford said.

“It’s like what it is now. People with great pride continue to be able to thrive in that community and still call it Black Wall Street based on the entrepreneurship that’s there,” the Oklahoma Senator added.

But it wasn’t easy getting to this point. Lankford called out his Democratic Senate colleagues this week when it looked like some of them would withhold their support.

“This is an important piece that literally every single Republican cleared, no struggle with this bill at all,” Lankford said in a video posted to YouTube Thursday by Forbes.

He challenged Democrats to get on board.

“So whatever struggle is happening among their conference, I would encourage them to be able to work it out so we can pass this because in the past, in this body, this has been a unanimous issue. This should not be controversial to say we as a nation recognize what happened on that day, and we honor the people of North Tulsa for what they are working to still create there in the Greenwood District.”

Lankford’s words must have helped because in the end, the measure unanimously passed the Senate. It now heads to the House and finally to the President’s desk, if the House passes it.

In the bill to designate Greenwood as a national monument, there’s no federal takeover of the area. Private property rights are protected. It’s simply a recognition that it’s important to remember what happened there, according to Lankford.

National monuments are usually established by the President through the Antiquities Act of 1906, but Congress can also create the designation. The U.S. has more than 100 national monuments throughout the country with most managed by the National Park Service.

‘Should Not be Controversial’: Oklahoma Senator Chewed Out Dems for Stalling Monument Honoring Black Wall Street Before Approval More Than 100 Years After Race Massacre

Police are investigating an incident in which a Mississippi man was beaten, stripped naked, and drenched in beer after he walked into a bar and began calling people the N-word.

Authorities in Holly Springs, Mississippi, say the attack happened on May 17 outside of C.J. Lounge, WHBQ reported.

A Mississippi man taunts people at a bar before he’s beaten and stripped. (Photos: YouTube screenshot/Fox13)

Shortly before the attack, witnesses say the man started hurling racial slurs at multiple patrons right after stepping into the venue.

“The guy walked in, and he was very aggressive,” said Miles Stone, a patron who was at the club when the incident happened. “Other guys in the area were listening, trying to remain calm. They asked him to leave quietly.”

The man reportedly ignored requests to leave and only continued using the slur. Cellphone footage also shows the man outside the bar throwing up what police believed were gang signs.

“When they were scuffling outside, he was still using the N-word: ‘F you N’s, f you N’s.'” Stone said.

In response to the racist conduct, police say that a group of people used poles and sticks to beat the man, then kicked and stomped on his body.

Cellphone video also shows the man lying naked on the ground as people pour what appears to be beer on his body.

Police said they’re working to speak to a person of interest in the case, but believe several people were involved in the attack. They’re also working to determine if the incident is a hate crime.

“I’m not standing for anything like that. However, we have to live with our choices, and he made the choice to go in there aggressively, and he has to live with the choice he’s made,” Stone said.

Local authorities say C.J.’s Lounge has been closed since the incident due to operating without a beer or business license.

Police also say the bar opened three months ago and that officers have been dispatched to the bar nearly 30 times since its opening, responding to fights, guns found inside the venue, and an incident in which a man was shot in the foot.

‘They Asked Him to Leave Quietly’: Mississippi Man Learns the Hardest Lesson After Hurling N-Word at Patron In Bar; Leaves Bare and Bloodied. Now Police Believe He’s a Victim of a Hate Crime

Bishop T.D. Jakes, 67, is looking a lot leaner these days months after experiencing a serious health incident last year.

Fans took notice of the Potter’s House megachurch founder’s shockingly slimmer appearance in a video Jakes shared on his Instagram page to promote the upcoming Good Soil Forum set to take place in Dallas.

Bishop T.D. Jakes shows off his dramatic weight loss following a serious medical scare. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Pure Flix)

The West Virginia native told his 6 million Instagram followers that he was tapped as a featured speaker for the entrepreneurship event. In addition, the Good Soil lineup from June 12-14 features billionaire media mogul Oprah Winfrey, Slutty Vegan owner “Pinky” Cole Hayes, Fear of God creative director Jerry Lorenzo, and more.

While Jakes’ attempt was to encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to attend the Good Soil Forum, many social media users were fixated on his dramatic weight loss.

“Dang, when did you lose all that weight?” someone in the Instagram comment section wondered about Jakes’ body transformation. One reply read, “When he got sick. He has lost a lot of weight. He looks good.”

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In November, while onstage at The Potter’s House in Dallas, Jakes suffered a medical emergency and appeared to experience seizure-like shakes as he was preaching to his congregation.

Church members quickly rushed to the stage to tend to Jakes. Following the livestreamed incident, the “Woman Thou Art Loosed” movie cast member was transported to a hospital.

Representatives of the church released a statement at the time saying the pastor had “experienced a slight health incident and received immediate medical attention following his powerful hour-long message.”

“Bishop Jakes is stable and under the care of medical professionals. The entire Potter’s House family is grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support from the community,” the statement continued.

Amid public speculation, Jakes later said he’d had a life-threatening heart attack, which he discussed on camera during in an interview on the “Today” morning show in March.

“I didn’t really realize what was happening to me onstage until I got to the hospital in an ambulance and fussing that it happened onstage, by the way, because I didn’t want it to happen, and the doctor leaned over my ear and said, ‘You had a massive heart attack,'” Jakes recalled.

He added, “And the reason I didn’t realize it was because I had none of the symptoms that they say. No numbness, no sharp pain, no anything. I just kind of drifted off to sleep. I didn’t know what it was, but I almost died.”

In April Jakes announced he was stepping down as senior pastor of The Potter’s House and handing over his leadership duties to his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and her husband, Touré Roberts.

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Even though Jakes is no longer responsible for pastoral duties at The Potter’s House, he has continued to produce weekly episodes of his “The Potter’s Touch” podcast.

The ex-host of the short-lived “T.D. Jakes Show” television talk show has also clearly focused on improving his health. Many of Jakes’ supporters have taken notice of his slimmed-down frame.

“Wow, Bishop, you look great!” one of Jakes’ fans commented on his Instagram account. A second astonished observer exclaimed, “Aight nah, Slim. You look great!”

Jakes previously opened up about his longtime weight loss struggles on the “T.D. Jakes Show,” which aired for two seasons on the Oprah Winfrey Network from 2016 to 2017.

“I don’t want to be one of those guys who says all this grandiose stuff about losing weight, and then by December bursting over the chair,” Jakes admitted on an October 2016-dated episode of the program.

“It’s an ongoing battle for me,” he explained. “But [I lose weight] the old-fashioned way. I’m doing exercise. I’m doing cardio three times a week. I’m lifting weights again like I did when I was younger. And then I’m eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, and mostly baked things and avoiding fried foods.”

‘Dang, When Did You Lose All That Weight’: T.D. Jakes’ Smaller Appearance in New Video Months After Suffering Heart Attack Leaves Fans Stunned

Race has firmly inserted itself into the ongoing debate on whether, as Donald Trump claims, there’s a genocide of white farmers in South Africa.

On CNN’s NewsNight, host Abby Phillip grew so exasperated with the rhetoric coming from the right, she flat out asked conservative commentator Scott Jennings, “Why are you only concerned with white people?”

The oft-contentious duo had been discussing the fiery Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa. Trump made his case with a multimedia presentation that included at least one big piece of misinformation — a photo that was actually taken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is located in southern Africa but is not a part of South Africa.

CNN pundit Scott Jennings and CNN host Abby Phillip (Photos: Getty Images)

The picture first appeared as a screengrab from a video taken in February showing Red Cross workers responding after women were raped and burned alive during a mass jailbreak in the Congolese city of Goma. It’s led some to question the validity of Trump’s claims about a genocide, which have already been widely disputed.

Fox News reported Wednesday that the video shown to the South African delegation was actually political propaganda created by one of Ramaphosa’s political opponents. Footage of white crosses, which Trump claimed marked the number of white farmers killed, were not graves, according to The Washington Post, but part of a protest years ago against violence to white landowners, which South African leaders say is exaggerated.

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But Trump’s base, which seems equally invested in the dubious allegations of mass killings of white farmers, is standing by the president. On Wednesday, Abby Phillip called out “the conspiracy land of the far right,” which has pushed the genocide narrative forwarded by the president and Elon Musk, a South African native and key Trump ally.

“And it’s amazing that this has actually become the foreign policy of the United States based on just straight up — I mean, we have the numbers,” Phillip said. “It is completely unsubstantiated.”

Jennings shot back, “You’re saying it’s not true that some white farmers have been murdered?”

Phillip repeated the widely shared assertion that there is no genocide.

Jennings pushed back: “Whatever you call it, have white farmers been murdered? Has violence been committed against white farmers?”

Phillip then asked Jennings just how many white farmers have been murdered.

“I don’t know, several,” he responded.

Using figures from South African authorities and backed by advocacy groups, Phillip said out of the 19,000 murders committed in South Africa in the last nine months of 2024 last year, 36 occurred on farms.

“Seven of the victims were farmers, OK,” she said. The remaining 29 were farm employees who “tend to be Black,” Phillip continued.

“So, the vast majority of people killed on farms in South Africa are Black,” Phillip continued. “Where is the concern about them?”

Jennings responded with Trump administration propaganda, saying, “The concern is that there are white farmers who have had violence committed against them, and they’re being threatened every single day.”

Phillip then asked, “Why are you only concerned about white people?”

“I’m only concerned about this story because these 59 people asked for status,” Jennings replied. “They’re getting status, and now everybody’s freaking out about it.”

He then said, if there was no threat to white South Africans, “Then why are they trying to get out?”

‘Why Are You Only Concerned About White People?: Abby Phillip Blasts Trump Ally Scott Jennings Over Fake Genocide Claims About South Africa

A North Carolina woman who was criminally charged after boarding a school bus and launching into an expletive-ridden outburst at several middle school students, which included calling one Black student the N-word, said her actions weren’t racially motivated.

Samantha Spoor, 35, was arrested and charged with communicating threats, trespassing, and disorderly conduct. She was released from jail after posting a $2,000 bond.

Samantha Danielle Spoor is facing charges after boarding a school bus and verbally abusing children. (Photos: WAVY TV 10)

Spoor allegedly confronted a set of school children from Moyock Middle School because her son was being bullied, she told WTKR. She said she approached the school’s principal and the school district’s transportation department about the alleged bullying incidents, but took matters into her own hands on May 15.

An arrest warrant states that Spoor allegedly threatened to “physically injure” some of the children on the bus and yelled, “I will f— you up.”

A now-viral video caught Spoor yelling at the kids.

“Sit the f—k down,” she said. “Ain’t none of you gonna do f—king sh—.”

To the student recording her tirade, she yelled, “Record it for your motherf—king mama, I live over here. Send her. F—king n—er!”

While the bus driver never intervened, she did provide a written statement to police detailing Spoor’s alleged actions.

The driver claimed that when she opened the door to let some children off at one bus stop, Spoor “marches on there cussing everyone out, threatening to beat these kids a—. Saying racial slurs several times.”

The driver stated that Spoor “has done this several times before.”

While speaking about the incident, Spoor never denied using the racial slur, but said her comments weren’t motivated by race. She said the threats she made were directed toward the parents of the children who allegedly bullied her son, though no parents other than Spoor were on the bus.

She added that if she had the chance to repeat her actions, she would have done things differently.

“I wouldn’t use the same language. But I’d do it all over again to protect my kid,” Spoor stated.

The mother of the child whom Spoor called the N-word stated, “It is very disappointing to see that an adult would act this way toward children.”

The girl who was targeted previously stated, “I was like raised to not take disrespect, so even though I didn’t say anything, it was just shocking that she talked to me that way, even though she doesn’t know me. It was just shocking.”

After her mother contacted the Currituck County school system about the incident, district officials stated they are continuing to review their bus safety procedures and protocols.

Spoor’s next court hearing is scheduled for June 27.

‘I Would Do It All Over Again’: White Mother Who Boarded School Bus, Threatened Several Kids and Called Black Girl the N-Word, Claims Her Actions Weren’t Racially Motivated

A beloved couple from Louisiana tragically died two hours apart in separate car crashes while driving on the exact same road. Alexus Lee and John “JR” Collins recently purchased a home and had been looking forward to their wedding day, which was set for early 2026, when the bizarre tragedy unfolded. They leave behind a 4-year-old son, Gabriel.

Both crashes are still under investigation by the police. In the early morning hours of May 16, Lee, 25, was heading north on Highway 67 in Baton Rouge when her SUV suddenly ran off the road, hit a culvert, and flipped upside down. The crash site near Lemon Road in Zachary was discovered by state troopers around 2 a.m., and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Lee had not been wearing a seatbelt.

Louisiana couple die in two separate accidents on the same road. (Credit WAFB Video Screengrab)

When police contacted her fiancé, JR, to inform him of the terrible news, the 35-year-old hopped in his Chevy Camaro and rushed to the scene. Investigators say he was “traveling at a high rate of speed” when he lost control of his car on a right-hand curve, just outside of Clinton on the same road, about 15 minutes away from his deceased fiancée.

A press release issued by the Louisiana State Police revealed that he slammed into a tree and was forcefully ejected from the car. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Impairment is not suspected, though he was also not wearing a seatbelt. The results of a routine toxicology report on Lee are still pending, according to police.

The saddened Collins family recently opened up their home to WAFB9 reporters to share their grief and pay tribute to a couple whose inspirational lives were cut short. “It was a different feeling, and it’s like I know a part of me is gone,” Alexus’ younger sister Dominque Lee said through tears.

“I’m empty inside.. I love them and I’m gonna miss both of them, and I’ll find the strength to go ahead,” JR’s father, Arthur Collins, told reporters while appearing visibly distraught and holding his wife’s hand. JR’s mother, Sandra Collins, said the two families will become “blended” now as they plan to raise the couple’s orphaned preschool-aged son.

“He’s just having a little problem comprehending that we can’t talk to them, we can’t see them, but he understands that they’re asleep,” shared Sandra, adding that “the two families will blend and we will do whatever it takes to give him a good life.”

JR worked as a truck driver and was a sports car enthusiast. Alexus recently graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge and took a teaching role at East Feliciana STEAM Academy in Clinton, which, by all accounts, she thrived in.

“It is with great sadness we inform you that Ms. Alexus Lee, 2017 graduate of East Feliciana High School and teacher at East Feliciana STEAM Academy, passed away this morning. Please join us in wrapping Ms. Lee’s family in prayer and love during this difficult time,” read a tribute from Lee’s employer.

In addition to her professional achievements, she was known as a “sweet friend” with a “lively smile and spirit,” said grieving family and friends in hundreds of Facebook posts. “Your light shines through the lives you touched and the love you shared.”

Louisiana Man Rushing to Fatal Accident Scene of His Fiancée Dies On the Way After He’s Ejected from Vehicle, Leaving Behind a 4-Year-Old Son Struggling to ‘Comprehend’ the Loss

As part of his ambush during Wednesday’s visit of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Donald Trump provided what he said was proof of that country’s genocide against white farmers.

But it turns out one of the photos shown by Trump during his multimedia presentation was actually taken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is located in southern Africa but is not a part of South Africa, the country led by Ramaphosa.

The photo, a screengrab from a video taken in February showing Red Cross workers responding after women were raped and burned alive during a mass jailbreak in the Congolese city of Goma, was part of a contentious presentation that ultimately seemed more about embarrassing Ramaphosa, who Trump claimed was turning a blind eye to a mass killing of white farmers that is actually not happening. There was little conversation between the two leaders; the meeting was dominated by Trump and his false claims.

President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa (L) looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump displays articles he says report violence against white South Africans in the Oval Office of the White House on May 21, 2025, in Washington, DC. Relations between the two countries have been strained since Trump signed an executive order in February that claimed white South Africans are the victims of government land confiscation and race-based “genocide,” while admitting some of those Afrikaners as refugees to the United States. Trump also halted all foreign aid to South Africa and expelled the country’s Ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Those people in many cases are being executed — they happen to be white and most of them happen to be farmers,” Trump said.

The printout first appeared in a blog post from the far-right site American Thinker.

“There is criminality in our country,” Ramaphosa tried to explain to Trump. “People who do get killed, unfortunately, through criminal activity, are not only white people — the majority of them are Black people.”

“The farmers are not Black,” Trump interrupted. “I’m not saying that’s good or bad, but the farmers are not Black. The people are being killed in large numbers, and you saw all of those gravesites.”

“Death of people, death, death, death, horrible death, death,” the American president said as he leafed through pages allegedly containing reports of violence in South Africa, or somewhere.

Trump followers have clung hard to the Trump administration’s lies about South Africa, part of a wider narrative of white victimhood that also strains credulity. One photo is not going to change their mind about the so-called genocide, which paved the way for the resettlement of 59 Afrikaner “refugees,” who arrived in the U.S. last week. More are expected to follow.

“He may have got that one wrong, doesn’t necessarily cancel out all the rest,” wrote one MAGA devotee. “Similarly, when Palestinians were caught posing with dolls as babies, it doesn’t mean there are no killings taking place in Gaza.”

“Yes, it’s time to recognize that white people can get mistreated also,” she continued.

But if true, “Why spread misinformation?” asked one Trump critic, speaking for many. “We are an embarrassment,” another one chimes in.

Undeterred, supporters of the genocide narrative pointed to other parts of Trump’s case.

“Was shocking to see public speaking to such a huge audience in SA calling for and chanting about murdering people,” wrote another, referring to a video showing a far-left activist chanting a song that includes the lyrics “kill the Boer,” which means farmer in Dutch and Afrikans. Though the song is not meant to be taken literally, it was performed by a leader of the opposition party to the ruling African National Congress. “You can dance around other issues – but THAT was shocking to most people. And is factually occurring.”

“That is not government policy,” Ramaphosa said. “Our government policy is completely, completely against what he was saying.”

But MAGA was not swayed. They were also unmoved by billionaire South African businessman Johann Peter Rupert, who tried to assure the president that there was no white genocide taking place in his country. Rupert was part of the delegation accompanying Ramaphosa to the Oval Office.

“It’s interesting that my European friends have been talking about this situation for quite a while while world media has ignored it,” offered another MAGA voice. “But, hey, let’s believe the billionaire? (I thought we were supposed to hate billionaires).”

Well, not all billionaires. South African native Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a key Trump ally, has been making the white genocide claim for several months. While he has not always used the term directly, his public statements, social media activity and the behavior of his AI chatbot have amplified the allegation against his home country, despite a lack of credible evidence.

“The burden of proof is on the accuser,” pointed out one X user. “That’s how it works. If I accuse you – for example – of killing your neighbor’s dog and burying it in your backyard, that’s called an “allegation” that must be proven to be true for you to be punished. There’s actually some order in Law & Order.”

One MAGA user went so far as to claim it wasn’t up to Trump to provide evidence of a genocide.

“So they aren’t killing white farmers? Prove it,” she countered.

‘We Are an Embarrassment.’: Photo Trump Showed South African President as Evidence of ‘White Genocide’ Was Taken In Another African Country, But MAGA Says It Doesn’t Matter

A Black man who claims he complained about being called “a big scary Black guy” by his white supervisor at Frito-Lay’s plant in Topeka and was fired soon after is suing the company for $300,000.

Michael Whitfield started working as a sanitor for Frito-Lay in September 2023, cleaning the food plant’s equipment and facilities. According to his lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas on May 5, the company never raised any issues about his job performance until he complained about racial harassment to his union and management.

Whitfield says his troubles began when a white supervisor referred to him as a “big black man who has been to prison” and as a “big scary black guy,” according to the complaint.

Sign with logo at entrance to Frito Lay Inc snack food distribution center on Bay Farm Island, Alameda, California, July 9, 2018. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

When he complained about the comments to a Black supervisor, he was allegedly told, “You know people like us don’t want to be the scary Black man at work.”

Whitfield is “a big man, well over six feet tall,” muscular and dark-skinned, he says in his lawsuit. But there is nothing about him that is “scary,” he contends.

After he reported the negative racial comments to his union representatives and other Frito-Lay supervisors, he was placed on suspension, pending an investigation, on Nov. 17, 2023. He was fired three days later “under the false pretext of job performance,” the lawsuit says, but he claims his termination was actually in retaliation for complaining about the racially charged comments and the hostile workplace they created.

Whitfield alleges the company discriminated and retaliated against him on the basis of race in violation of federal civil rights law and the Kansas Act Against Discrimination.  He seeks a jury trial to determine damages to compensate him for monetary losses, emotional pain, suffering, mental anguish and legal costs. He asks the court to award relief in the form of a job promotion with back pay or compensation for lost wages, along with punitive damages of $300,000.

Frito-Lay has 21 days, or until May 26, to respond to Whitfield’s discrimination complaint.

His lawsuit comes four years after the snack food giant settled a racial discrimination lawsuit brought by three Black men who worked at the same plant and complained of a hostile workplace that included allegations of racial slurs aimed at Black employees and references to lynching and cotton picking.

Melvin Smith, Daniel Askew and Antonio Pead said that racist and threatening comments and actions were common occurrences at the plant. Black employees were allegedly called “smelly gorillas” and “ni—ers” by white employees and racist words and symbols were repeatedly drawn on walls, including a swastika with the words “hail Trump” in a bathroom, and a noose hung in the plant.

The plaintiffs in that case alleged that the white employees making the comments were not disciplined or terminated. They also claimed Black employees were not given the same employment opportunities as white employees, including some white employees who had made racist and harassing comments, who received promotions despite having less tenure and seniority than Black employees

The lawsuit said Black employees who complained to management were retaliated against, including being falsely accused of work violations, suspended, threatened by employees, and unable to receive promotions.

Frito-Lay admitted in its answer that a white warehouse lead sent a message via Facebook to Pead including the word “ni–er,” and that a noose was found in the Topeka plant’s warehouse, but denied all of allegations of discrimination and retaliation. The company argued that any adverse employment actions it took against the plaintiffs were for legitimate business reasons, including violation of company rules and policies.

After a 10-hour mediation session, Frito-Lay settled with Askew and Pead in January 2021, and their claims were dismissed from the lawsuit a month later. Smith’s case proceeded until May, 2021, when he and Frito-Lay jointly filed to dismiss the case. The plaintiffs’ attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Atlanta Black Star about the outcome of that lawsuit, including any settlement terms.

Frito-Lay’s Topeka plant has spawned two other discrimination lawsuits over the past year.

Last October, former Topeka Frito-Lay employee Jeffery R. Scott filed an age-based discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the company. Mediation for that lawsuit is scheduled for May 21, according to court records, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.

In April of 2024, former Frito-Lay employee Tiffany Norris filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the Topeka plant. Her case awaits a judge’s decision on a motion for summary judgment. If it proceeds to trial, that is scheduled to begin on July 7.

‘Muscular and Dark-Skinned’: White Frito-Lay Supervisor Calls Black Worker ‘Big Scary Black Guy,’ Then the Company Fires Him After He Complained About Racial Comments, Lawsuit Says

Steve Harvey, 68, is preparing for the upcoming season of “Celebrity Family Feud” by showing off his fashion sense.

The comedian and host looked sharp while posing in a two-slide photo carousel shared in a May 21 Instagram post to promote the syndicated game show.

He wore a custom wide-legged black Amiri suit with a white button-down shirt, styled by longtime stylist Elly Karamoh, while posing in a stairwell. He also wore a flower corsage on the left of his blazer, but it seems that fans’ attention was mostly drawn to Harvey’s slimmed down look.

Steve Harvey’s sleek new look in a suit sparks concern among fans. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

In addition to applause for his sleek look, Instagram users also gave their thoughts on his apparent slender build.

“Yeah, you’re wearing that suit!! Very sharp!” one person wrote in the Instagram comment section. Similarly, one person sang Harvey’s praises by writing, “Alright den, SLIM.”

However, less-impressed commenters went right to making assumptions about Harvey’s appearance.

“Is it just me, or he looks way skinnier than before?” one individual asked about Havrey’s physique.

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Stylist Karamoh earned praise when a fan posted, “This [is] why you can’t be mad @elly30 when he ain’t catching the fish right. He said this what you pay me for boss!”

Karamoh also shared a video of his client’s look on his Instagram page, where viewers got a closer look at the star of “The Steve Harvey Show.”

“Damn Steve! Looks like he also leaned out dropped 20-30 pounds I see! Looking Fantastic,” said one person.

“The looks are fabulous. Steve you’ve dropped some lbs big time !!!” noted a fifth person.

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Harvey and Karamoh recently made waves online when a moment from their fishing expedition garnered a lot of attention on Instagram. Footage of Steve light-heartedly going off on the Paris native amassed over 27,000 likes on the app.

“Under the fish! You keep putting it on top!” the Original Kings of Comedy” star screamed at Karamoh for struggling to net a fish before yelling, “Give me the godd-mn net! F— wrong with you!?!”

Harvey joked that he regretted inviting Karamoh to fish at his Georgia ranch. He called the experience his “worst idea.” However, Karamoh captioned his own photo, “I went fishing in the country for the first time & I [caught] a mf fish. It went so successful to me! Let @iamsteveharveytv tell it, ‘it was a disaster.’”

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With his #StayTuned Instagram tease of the return of “Family Feud” for new installments, Harvey is set to continue his 15-year tenure as the face of the long-running TV franchise.

The verified “Family Feud” Instagram account announced “Celebrity Family Feud” will start airing again on July 10 on ABC and streaming on Hulu. 

Previous seasons of the Harvey-hosted “Celebrity Family Feud” featured contestants such as Toni Braxton, Keke Palmer, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Vivica A. Fox, Gayle King, and Shaquille O’Neal.

Harvey’s family including his wife, Marjorie Harvey, his sons and daughters as well as Marjorie’s mother, Doris Bridges, have all made multiple appearances on the show including during a 2017 episode of season four featuring the male and female showdown.

He became the sixth host in “Family Feud” history. When the “Kings of Comedy” star took over the gig in 2010, he followed Richard Dawson, Ray Combs, Louie Anderson, Richard Karn, and John O’Hurley.

“They allow me to put my own little stamp on the show,” Harvey stated on the “TODAY” show in 2024. “I think that’s the magic to this, the interaction with the contestants. I form relationships with them… storylines.”

The “Think Like a Man” author and movie director also spoke about his iconic facial expressions from the show.

Harvey added, “When I was a little boy, when all I dreamed about was being on TV, I was practicing my TV show in the mirror. And all I would do in that mirror was make faces.”

‘Looks Like He … Dropped 20-30 Pounds’: Steve Harvey’s Unrecognizable Look in ‘Sharp’ New Suit Has Fans Calling Him ‘Slim’

The name that rallied millions to unite in a global call for racial justice is now being turned against the little girl who believed her father’s death at the hands of a cold-blooded cop had changed the world for good.

George Floyd—whose brutal murder in 2020 became a powerful symbol of the Black Lives Matter movement and sparked a global reckoning over racism and police violence—is now the subject of a bullying campaign aimed at his 11-year-old daughter, Gianna.

On May 25, 2020, Floyd was murdered by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds outside a convenience store. Floyd had been detained on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill.

Roxie Washington (R) and Gianna Floyd, daughter of George Floyd, attend the funeral service in the chapel at the Fountain of Praise church on June 9, 2020, in Houston, Texas. George Floyd died May 25 while in Minneapolis police custody, sparking nationwide protests. (Photo by David J. Phillip-Pool/Getty Images)

Just days before the five-year anniversary of the murder, reports have surfaced that Gianna Floyd is being bullied at her Texas middle school by classmates echoing the same cruel rhetoric that has circulated in right-wing circles to smear her father’s memory. 

MAGA conservatives have been clamoring for a pardon for Chauvin, while spreading the false claim that Floyd died of a drug overdose, rather than from Chauvin’s brutal actions. With Donald Trump now back in office, that revisionist narrative has only gained traction, making it almost inevitable that such an asinine theory and other hurtful attitudes would trickle down from political circles to the schoolyard.

“They’ve teased her at school,” an editorial revealed recently in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “They know about her father and the nasty things bad people say about him, so they repeat those words.”

Now, the weight of her father’s legacy—and the conservative backlash it continues to provoke, —has fallen squarely on Gianna’s young shoulders, as her classmates mirror the same hatred that once shadowed her dad’s troubled life.

Gianna’s mother, Roxie Washington, says she’s torn on how to respond. “Do I run up to the school and act like ‘Who did what?’ Or do I let her fight her own battle?” she said. “I don’t want her to feel like she’s by herself. But I want her to be able to stand on her own two feet.”

Gianna became a symbol of hope in the aftermath of tragedy when, at just six years old, she perched on the shoulders of her father’s friend, retired NBA player Stephen Jackson, and proclaimed to a rallying crowd, “Daddy changed the world.”

Floyd’s death, captured on video by bystanders, triggered massive protests across the U.S. and globally, calling for police accountability and an end to systemic racism.

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in April 2021 and sentenced to 22½ years in prison. He also pleaded guilty in a separate federal civil rights case and received a concurrent 21-year sentence.

But the facts that once united millions have now come under renewed assault from the far-right.

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro has launched a campaign for Trump to issue Chauvin a federal pardon, calling his conviction “the defining achievement of the Woke movement in American politics.” In an open letter to Trump, Shapiro claimed Floyd died from drugs, not police force, arguing, “There was massive overt pressure on the jury to return a guilty verdict regardless of the evidence or any semblance of impartial deliberation.”

Elon Musk reposted a video of Shapiro’s argument on X, commenting: “Something to think about.”

The petition, launched by Shapiro on March 4, has since gained over 50,000 signatures. Yet even some conservative followers have pushed back. “Kneeling on a guy’s neck for 10 minutes is very weak grounds for a pardon,” one wrote on X. “I can’t support this cause.”

Shapiro claims Chauvin’s “unjust conviction” sparked riots that caused billions in damage, and calls for his release as a way to “turn the page” on the “Woke” era.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed these calls, falsely claiming that Floyd “died of a drug overdose,” contradicting autopsy findings and trial testimony. “I strongly support Derek Chauvin being pardoned and released from prison,” she wrote on X this week.

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett was quick to respond: “Marjorie, I know the truth confuses you and facts ain’t your strong suit—so let me break it down real slow: George Floyd didn’t die from drugs. He died because Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 9 minutes. That’s called murder,” she wrote. “We all saw it. You can lie to yourself all day, but the rest of us remember exactly what happened.”

The facts were laid out clearly in court. Medical experts, including Hennepin County’s Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, testified that Floyd died of “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression,” with drug use being a contributing factor—but not the cause.

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Floyd’s autopsy revealed the presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system. Chauvin’s defense pointed to this as evidence of an overdose, but the jury was not swayed.

Even as Floyd’s past has been increasingly weaponized to downplay his death, his family has remained transparent. Floyd had struggled with opioid addiction—something his girlfriend, Courteney Ross, shared during the trial. They became addicted after being prescribed medication for chronic pain.

His criminal record, which included nonviolent offenses and a 2009 conviction for aggravated robbery, has also been used to try to tarnish his legacy. Yet one earlier conviction—over a small amount of cocaine in 2004—was later brought into question due to a corrupt Houston police officer involved in the case.

Still, Floyd’s family insists none of that justified his death.

Despite the conviction, Chauvin’s defenders are escalating their push. Greene’s claims have gained traction in MAGA circles, even though President Trump has no power to overturn the state conviction that keeps Chauvin behind bars.

“George Floyd died of a drug overdose,” Greene falsely declared again this week—prompting warnings from law enforcement that a pardon would likely spark new unrest and deepen racial divisions.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison dismissed the idea that Trump’s pardon, even if granted, would change anything. “He still owes Minnesota 22 ½ years,” Ellison said on MSNBC’s Politics Nation. “He’s going to do it either in Minnesota or somewhere.”

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Chauvin’s appeal of his state conviction in 2023.

“I think they’re pushing for it because they want to agitate and outrage people,” Ellison said. “I don’t know if Trump is going to pardon Chauvin or not, but if he does, it doesn’t change his prison sentence.”

Meanwhile, the effects of that 2020 trauma continue to ripple, not just through politics, but through the life of a child.

“She’s still a kid,” Roxie Washington said of her daughter. “She’s not going to understand the weight that her father carries. She doesn’t understand how huge of a name he has. She just knows he’s her dad.”

‘The Nasty Things Bad People Say’: George Floyd’s Daughter Endures Cruel Taunts From Classmates—Five Years After His Death, the Hate Lives On

Kim Kardashian celebrated a major milestone this week, but the intimate ceremony shared by sister Khloé Kardashian left fans scratching their heads across social media.

The videos showed what looked like a traditional law school graduation, complete with cap and gown moments, yet something didn’t quite add up for viewers wondering exactly which institution Kim had attended and what degree she had actually earned.

Kim Kardashian finishes her six-year law program and is planning to take the California bar. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)

The SKIMS founder marked the completion of the next step of her six-year legal education journey in a backyard ceremony, tossing her graduation cap in the air as the sole student while two mentors delivered glowing tributes.

Mentors praised the reality television mogul’s dedication to fighting for clemency for incarcerated individuals, bringing international attention to criminal justice issues, and consistently making time for people society has overlooked.

CNN commentator Van Jones fought back tears at the ceremony as he spoke about Kardashian’s dedication and her efforts to help others. The now-viral shows him describing her path as requiring no “ivory tower shortcuts.”

As she took the mic at the celebration, Kim also emphasized how she had pulled herself up by her proverbial high-heeled straps through sheer determination and hard work.

Khloe said she was so proud to support her sister’s “celebration lunch for graduating law school.”

But when The Shade Room posted news of the “celebration,” the comment section erupted with questions and criticism.

“Wait graduated from WHAT law school???” one person wrote, perfectly capturing the widespread confusion about Kim’s educational achievement.

The skepticism reflected a broader sentiment that she was able to skip the line and receive the title of “lawyer” that most others could not without the proper steps, even though Kim did not claim to have obtained a bar license.

Others quickly zeroed in on the apparent bypassing of traditional educational requirements.

“Can I skip getting my bachelor’s and go straight to law school. It’s always been my dream,” wrote one sarcastic observer, as another bluntly stated, “Regular people could never bypass bachelor degrees, the LSAT, and Law school but here a white woman did both.”

The comments highlighted frustration with what appeared to be preferential treatment unavailable to everyday students. The most pointed criticism came from someone with apparent legal education experience who sought to clarify the distinction.

“Let’s be clear, she didn’t graduate from law school she finished an apprenticeship. That is definitely not that same and it’s an insult to those of us who did graduate from law school,” one person quipped, adding, “She shouldn’t be celebrated for things she didn’t do. Call it what it is and say congratulations for finishing an apprenticeship.”

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The confusion stems from the fact that Kim never attended traditional law school or earned a Juris Doctor degree.

Instead, she completed California’s Law Office Study Program, an alternative legal apprenticeship pathway available in only four U.S. states, according to Live Now Fox.

This program allows individuals to study under practicing attorneys or judges rather than attending formal law school, requiring participants to complete 5,184 hours of study over four years.

Kim’s journey extended to six years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and her demanding schedule managing multiple businesses while raising four children.

Her legal education began in 2018 when she started an apprenticeship with a San Francisco law firm, motivated by her growing involvement in criminal justice reform, People reports.

The path proved challenging, particularly when she faced the “baby bar” exam, officially known as the First-Year Law Student’s Examination. She failed this crucial test three times over two years before finally passing in December 2021 on her fourth attempt.

OMFGGGG I PASSED THE BABY BAR EXAM!!!!

Looking in the mirror, I am really proud of the woman looking back today in the reflection.

For anyone who doesn’t know my law school journey, know this wasn’t easy or handed to me. pic.twitter.com/44UiguM4bJ

— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) December 13, 2021

More recently, Kim passed the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination in March, an important step toward becoming eligible for the California bar exam.

She has been open about the challenges of her studies, recently sharing her frustration with evidence law on Instagram, writing “I can’t deal w all these f—king hearsay exceptions!” and calling it “My least favorite subject in law school” in June 2024.

Despite the social media criticism and the frustrations she might have felt, supportive voices also emerged, with some recognizing her achievement within its proper context.

“Following her father’s footsteps,” one commenter noted, referencing her late father, Robert Kardashian Sr., the prominent attorney who famously represented O.J. Simpson.

Robert Kardashian & O.J. Simpson met on a tennis court in 1969 & stayed friends for decades, sharing business interests & their affiliation with the University of Southern California pic.twitter.com/RxQ3blKY6N

— Kardashian Facts (@KardashTruths) August 17, 2021

Kim has frequently spoken about how proud her father would be of her legal pursuits, noting that he would have been both shocked by her career choice and her biggest cheerleader.

While Kim has not yet announced plans to take the California bar exam, her completion of the apprenticeship program represents a legitimate pathway to legal practice in the state.

Her journey, though unconventional, demonstrates the alternative routes available for those determined to enter the legal profession, even as it continues to generate debate about accessibility, privilege, and the various paths to legal education in America.

‘Ummm What Law School Did She Go To?’: Kim Kardashian’s Family Celebration of Her ‘Law School’ Graduation Leaves Fans Confused, Four Years After She Passed the ‘Baby Bar’

A Miami-area Uber driver was arrested over the weekend after she pulled a gun on a woman earlier this month in an incident that was caught on camera and drew widespread attention on social media.

Police charged 23-year-old Jennifer Benitez with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

An arrest warrant cited by local news outlets states that Benitez was driving for Uber when she got into a verbal altercation with one of her passengers on May 12.

A Miami Uber driver pulls a gun on passengers. (Photos: Instagram video screenshots/krissycelessss)

The victim told police that Benitez was “hostile and rude from the beginning of the ride.” Benitez reportedly drove the victim and her friend from Miami to the victim’s apartment complex in Hollywood.

Authorities state that when Benitez drove onto North 29th Avenue at Sheridan Street, the victim told her the apartment complex was on the left.

Benitez became “agitated,” and yelled, “I know, that’s why I have a GPS,” the arrest affidavit states, per WPLG. Then, she “made an aggressive left turn, causing items inside the vehicle to shift.”

Police said that after the victim questioned Benitez’s behavior, she stopped short of the complex and ordered the passengers to get out of the car. When the victim told the driver her friend was putting on her shoes, the driver demanded that they exit the vehicle immediately.

“A verbal dispute ensued, during which the driver became increasingly irate, canceled the Uber ride, and pulled a black firearm out of the center console,” the warrant states.

Police said that’s when the victim pulled out her phone and started recording the incident to “protect herself and her friend from (Benitez) accusing them of things they didn’t do.”

“As the verbal back and forth between the victim and Uber driver continued, the driver pointed the handgun directly at the victim,” the warrant states. “After the Uber driver pointed the gun at the victim, the victim and her friend exited the vehicle and immediately contacted 911.”

The victim told police that “she was extremely scared and felt Benitez was going to shoot her at any moment.”

Krissy Celess, a rising Miami rapper who goes by Bomb Ass Krissy, posted her recording of the encounter after filming the driver pull a gun on her.

In the video, Benitez demands that Celess get out of the car while she’s on the phone with a 911 dispatcher. As soon as Celess says, “She got them crazy eyes,” Benitez shouts, “Get out!” and points a gun at Celess.

No one was injured. Celess stated she was planning to sue Uber for the incident.

In a statement to WSVN, Uber said, “This is extremely concerning. We removed the driver’s access to the app and are continuing to investigate.”

Uber’s policy dictates that drivers are not allowed to carry weapons while using the Uber platform.

Benitez was arrested in Port St. Lucie, roughly 100 miles north of Hollywood, Florida, on May 17. She was extradited to Broward County and booked into jail.

‘I Know, That’s Why I Have a GPS,’: ‘Hostile’ Florida Uber Driver Captured on Video Pointing Gun at Passenger Arrested

Taking advantage of tensions he helped stoke between the presidents of South Africa and the U.S., Elon Musk was granted an exception to post-apartheid Black ownership laws in his native country that will allow him to operate his Starlink service.

Bloomberg reports the workaround to what the world’s richest man claimed were “openly racist ownership laws” was given to Musk’s satellite-powered internet provider in hopes of appeasing President Trump, who has claimed the South African regime is committing “genocide” against white people. For Musk, it’s a return on a $291 million investment — money he contributed to Trump’s campaign.

“The deal is that all races should be treated equally and there should be no preference,” Musk said Tuesday in an interview at the Bloomberg Economic Forum. “I am in a situation where I was born in South Africa, but cannot get a license to operate Starlink because I am not Black.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump (Photos: Getty Images)

The “black empowerment laws” require 30 percent Black ownership, in some cases. The change carved out for Musk and Starlink will apply to all information and communication technology companies, including those from China and the Middle East, according to Bloomberg.

“News regarding the Starlink workaround regarding Black-ownership laws for Elon Musk to provide internet services in South Africa have boosted investor optimism regarding a favorable outcome resulting from the upcoming Ramaphosa-Trump meeting,” said Phoenix Kalen, head of emerging-market research at Societe Generale SA.

That optimism, however, was not warranted.

Trump, according to multiple press reports, ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during their televised Oval Office meeting, showing a video compilation of footage he believed supported his claims that Ramaphosa’s government was turning a blind eye, if not endorsing, violence against white Afrikaners. Musk was among those who attended the meeting.

“Those people in many cases are being executed—they happen to be white and most of them happen to be farmers,” Trump said.

Musk has contributed to the spread of rumors and narratives associated with the “white genocide” conspiracy theory. While he has not always used the term directly, his public statements, social media activity, and the behavior of his AI chatbot have amplified these claims, despite a lack of credible evidence and widespread debunking by authorities and experts

Ramaphosa acknowledged that violent crime is a problem in his country, adding that Black and white citizens are both targets.

“There is criminality in our country. People who do get killed, unfortunately, through criminal activity are not only white people,” Ramaphosa told Trump.

The video showed a far-left politician chanting a song that includes the lyrics “kill the Boer,” which means farmer in Dutch and Afrikaaner. The song should not be taken literally, however, says Julius Malema, leader of an opposition party to the ruling African National Congress, adding it’s one of many battle cries of the anti-apartheid movement that remain a defining feature of the country’s political culture.

The phrase “kill the Boer” is not meant to promote violence against individual farmers. “It was a call to mobilize against an oppressive system,” said Bongani Ngqulunga, who teaches politics at the University of Johannesburg.

He also thumbed through what he said were news articles to underscore his point, saying the country’s white farmers have faced “death, death, death, horrible death.” Trump’s claims of genocide are widely discounted, with much of the “evidence” generated by right-wing memes on baseless claims of MAGA influencers.

Trump has already cut all U.S. assistance to South Africa and welcomed several dozen white South African farmers to the U.S. as refugees, with more expected to follow.

“People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety,” Trump said. “Their land is being confiscated and in many cases they’re being killed.”

Ramaphosa, who said he hoped to use the meeting to set the record straight and salvage his country’s relationship with the United States, pushed back, to no avail.

“We are completely opposed to that,” Ramaphosa said of the behavior alleged by Trump in their exchange. He added, “That is not government policy,” and “Our government policy is completely, completely against what he was saying.”

“When they take the land, they kill the white farmer,” the president countered.

Trump’s campaign to discredit and debase South Africa’s government fits a pattern with the Trump administration and its followers, who have embraced a cult of white victimhood. A poll conducted last July found that, among 2020 Trump voters, 62 percent said that racism against Black Americans is a problem today, compared with 73 percent who said that racism against white Americans is a problem.

Asked how much of a problem racism currently is, just 19 percent of Trump voters describe racism against Black Americans as a “big problem.” That number doubled when asked whether racism against white Americans constitutes a big problem.

Not surprisingly, MAGA voices celebrated Trump’s attack on the South African leader.

“TRUMP HOLDS SOUTH AFRICA PRESIDENT ACCOUNTABLE!” Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative Turning Point USA and a leading Trump supporter, wrote on Truth Social. “President Trump says to ‘turn down the lights’ and then proceeds to show South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, videos of South African political leaders calling for the death of white South Afrikaners.

“Afterwards, he showed the president video of the crosses that symbolize each white farmer MURDERED in South Africa,” Kirk continued. “God bless President Trump. He’s a president who is actually the LEADER of the Free World.”

Joel Pollak, a senior editor at large with Breitbart, called the meeting “the most important thing to happen to South Africa since the end of apartheid.”

Critics accused the president of embarrassing the country by depending on Musk and other right-wing influencers like Tucker Carlson for his information.

“Donald Trump is a demented, stupid racist who has been psyopped by Elon Musk to believe wholeheartedly in ‘white genocide,” wrote one. “When corrected, he goes off on a rant about his Qatari jet. The President of South Africa, a literal saint: ‘I’m sorry, I don’t have a plane to give you.'”

Ramaphosa tried hard to change the subject, expressing a willingness to partner with the U.S. on technology-driven solutions to reduce crime.

The South African president’s delegation included golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, a sign of goodwill to the golf-obsessed U.S. president. Ramaphosa even brought Trump a large photobook about South Africa’s golf courses.

At one point, Ramaphosa called on Zingiswa Losi, the president of a group of South African trade unions, who told Trump it is true that South Africa is a “violent nation for a number of reasons.” But she told him it was important to understand that Black men and women in rural areas were also being targeted in heinous crimes.

“The problem in South Africa is not necessarily about race, but it’s about crime,” Losi said. “We are here to say how do we, both nations, work together to reset, to really talk about investment, but also help … to really address the levels of crime we have in our country.”

But relations are expected to remain frosty between the two governments. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking about South Africa, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “When one country is consistently unaligned with the United States on issue after issue after issue after issue, now you become — you have to make conclusions about it.”

Did Elon Musk Bully South Africa Into Making an Exception to Its Black Business Ownership Laws By Stirring Up Tensions with the ‘White Genocide’ Rumor?

Jeff Bezos‘ fiancée Lauren Sánchez has become one of the most recognizable faces in the public eye since her relationship with the Amazon founder became public knowledge in 2019.

While the 54-year-old former TV reporter has always been striking, her appearance has sparked widespread speculation and accusations of plastic surgery.

While many people have blasted Sánchez for her often-sexy and “cheap” looking attire, recently, some have taken notice of the difference in her appearance over the years.

Many are looking at pictures of Lauren Sánchez from years ago and wonder what she did to her face. (Photo: Instagram/ @laurenwsanchez)

The conversation around Sánchez’s physical transformation continues to intensify leading up to their wedding due to people on social media posting pictures of her from before she dated the billionaire.

“Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez shows off her new look, ahead of her upcoming wedding to the billionaire. She has never publicly acknowledged or denied having plastic surgery, despite drastic changes to her appearance,” one X user said, after sharing a video of her at the Cannes Festival.

Sanchez appeared dramatically different during an appearance in Cannes, a month before her wedding is set to take place. pic.twitter.com/nq7duCPrCc

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 20, 2025

The fan continued, noting how she looked “dramatically” different compared to older flicks and videos.

“Sánchez now appears dramatically different compared to her former self. She is pictured below, years prior to meeting Bezos,” a fan wrote, after tweeting two photographs aiming to suggest her before and after look.

The first image taken in 2002 was a screenshot from a picture she took with her then-boyfriend, former Kansas City Chiefs star Tony Gonzalez, at a launch party in Los Angeles. The former couple share a son, Nikko, who was born in 2001.

The second pic likely was taken in 2004 during “The Bourne Supremacy” premiere at ArcLight Cinema in Hollywood, California.

Ruined…Why do women insist on doing this to themselves? I just dont get it. Please explain why females need to have plastic surgery @gork

— EzSimplified (@EzSimplified) May 21, 2025

Someone then replied, “Ruined…Why do women insist on doing this to themselves? I just don’t get it. Please explain why females need to have plastic surgery.”

Videos were also posted to show what observers described as a change in her appearance.

People were shocked, “Never knew she looked like this! She was gorgeous!! WHY!!!!!”

“She used to be pretty,” one comment read, adding, “Should’ve left her face alone,” as another says, “Why would she do that to herself?”

Though Sánchez has never confirmed undergoing any cosmetic procedures, industry insiders and medical professionals have pointed to several possible enhancements, including breast augmentation and facial fillers in her cheeks and lips, based on pictures, according to Life & Style.

While the passage of time is a natural factor in her changing looks, her style choices also play a role, often bouncing between fashion pieces that appear overly conservative and mature, and others that come off as skimpy or lacking in taste.

However, Sánchez’s accomplishments extend far beyond her physical appearance. As a licensed helicopter pilot with a genuine passion for aviation, she has entered a field dominated by men — a shared interest that initially connected her with Bezos during their first meetings.

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In April 2025, she took her aviation interests to unprecedented heights, joining an all-female crew that included singer Katy Perry and Gaye King aboard Bezos’ Blue Origin space capsule. During this groundbreaking journey, Sanchez experienced zero gravity while wearing the company’s distinctive blue uniform, marking another significant achievement in her multifaceted career.

Despite her high-profile relationship and space exploration ventures, Sanchez remains deeply connected to her family responsibilities.

Since beginning her relationship with Bezos in 2018, following their respective divorces, Sánchez has faced intensified media scrutiny. Her fashion choices regularly make headlines, particularly her controversial ensemble at the 2025 presidential inauguration.

Whether it’s her looks, high-profile relationship, or aviation feats, Sánchez remains a subject of public fascination. While speculation about cosmetic work lingers, her accomplishments as a pilot, media figure, and mother highlight a depth that goes beyond appearances.

With her life alongside Bezos unfolding, interest in Sánchez — and the chatter surrounding her — shows no signs of fading.

‘She Was So Beautiful’: Fans Shocked by Lauren Sánchez’s Transformation in Before-and-After Pics from Years Before She Dated Jeff Bezos

Snoop Dogg is putting his wife, Shante “Boss Lady” Broadus, first. So much so that the moment he fell head over heels for her would be worth reliving. The couple has been married for 27 years and shares adult children Cordell, Corde, and Cori Broadus. 

In a new interview with “The Breakfast Club,” the rapper, 53, said, “Falling in love with my wife for the first time, that was a beautiful moment right there, man. I had butterflies in my stomach and all kind of stuff.”

Snoop Dogg praises his wife Shante “Boss Lady” Broadus for standing by his side for 27 years. (Photos: Bosslady_ent/Instagram; Snoopdogg/Instagram.)

His decades-spanning career has been filled with plenty of highs and numerous accolades, but winning over Shante’s heart seems to be the best treasure of them all. 

“Like, it’s the pure feeling of that…because after you have so much success, you forget about what regular stuff feel like. That was special, man,” he added. But he’s not just speaking highly of his wife, he’s sharing the spotlight with her, too. 

The West Coast hip-hop legend released his new album, “Iz it a Crime?” on May 16. He and his longtime love appear on the project’s front and back cover artwork. Shante, 53, mirrors her husband’s poses as they are both dressed in black plaid shirts, black jeans, and head scarves.  

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He told the radio hosts, “If you notice, you see my wife in the front, right? So, for my whole career, she had my back, and this is the first time I put her on the front … So everybody can know that she got my back, she with me, she standing by my side.”

Fans swooned over the public admiration with comments like, “That’s right snoop!!! Pump your wife up!! U can’t buy true love!!!” Another person said, “He’s very lucky and I think he realizes tht.”

However, others were not as impressed by the gestures amid years of the “Sensual Seduction” artist’s alleged infidelities circulating online.

A critic wrote, “This so sweet and I would be more proud if he didn’t cheat and hurt her behind close doors.” In June of 1998, he welcomed son Julian Broadus, with a woman named Laurie Helmond. A year later, Shante gave birth to their daughter Cori.

A second naysayer remarked, “Snoop is PUBLICLY gushing over his wife now because he sees firsthand how these side chicks, escorts etc. are LITERALLY taking these men careers away and ruining their legacies & reputation for GOOD / That would make ANY man love harder respect what they have at home.”

Last year, Snoop admitted their marriage had been “rocky” at times, but that the secret to their longevity has been Shante’s “strong backbone” and knowing that they are “meant to be together.”

‘Iz it a Crime?’: Snoop Dogg Celebrates Wife Shante on New Album Cover Following Years of Infidelity Scandals That Nearly Ruined Their Marriage

It took less than a month for South Carolina police to arrest a man accused of stealing nearly $20,000 from a Black woman named Tamia Sims-Irby in 2022.

But three years later, Greenville police have yet to return the money to her, claiming she must obtain a court order to prove the money truly belongs to her.

Last month, Sims-Irby filed a lawsuit against the Greenville Police Department in the hopes of obtaining that court order.

Tamia Sims-Irby is suing the Greenville Police Department in South Carolina for refusing to return nearly $20,000 that was stolen from her in an armed robbery three years ago. (Photo: Facebook/Miathadivaa)

The lawsuit filed on April 23, obtained by Atlanta Black Star, argues that a man named Tyjailon Smith pleaded guilty to the crime in 2023, admitting to the court he stole the money from her in an armed robbery. Since then, nobody else has claimed ownership of the money.

“It’s definitely a nightmare,” Sims-Irby told Fox Carolina. “I still have scars from being pistol-whipped. It was chaos. It was just too much going on. I was stabbed and robbed for a significant amount of money.”

The fact that Greenville police even maintain possession of the money is questionable, considering the crime took place in Atlanta, was investigated by Atlanta police, and was prosecuted by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.

Aside from arresting Smith on a warrant out of Georgia, Greenville police played no role in investigating the armed robbery that took place on April 30, 2022, so it’s not clear why they even have the money in the first place.

“I’ve been dealing with this for three years,” Sims-Irby told Fox Carolina. “I’m 21 today, and this happened when I was 18.”

The Armed Robbery

Fulton County court records state that Sims-Irby and a female friend drove down from Greenville to Atlanta to work at a strip club, which is how she apparently obtained the money.

They then met up with four male acquaintances who had also driven from Greenville to Atlanta, a drive of about two hours and 45 minutes.

But the males decided to rob them at gunpoint in a hotel parking lot, with one of them donning a mask while the other three remained in the car.

The man with the gun has never been identified or apprehended, but the other three men who remained in the car were Smith, Joshua Knuckles and Jailyn Taylor, who were indicted on August 4, 2022, court records show.

Smith, who lives in Greenville, was in possession of the money when arrested by Greenville police on May 27, 2022, and was quickly extradited to Georgia because he made his first appearance in a Fulton County courtroom the following day.

He accepted a plea deal for first-time offenders on March 23, 2023, pleading guilty to theft by taking and sentenced to five years probation. 

That admission to guilt should be enough proof that the money belongs to her, the claim states.

When Defendant Tyjailon Smith pleaded guilty to “Theft by Taking,” Tyjailon Smith admitted during his plea colloquy that he took $20,000.00 from Ms. Sims-Irby. 

Defendant Tyjailon Smith did not subsequently appeal his plea, and the conviction became a final order. 

Upon information and belief, the Greenville Police Department is aware that Plaintiff has claimed that the proceeds seized from Defendant Tyjailon Smith when he was arrested belonged to her.

History of Refusing to Return Money to Black People

Greenville police declined to comment to local media as to why they have not returned the money, but South Carolina has a notorious history of seizing money from Black people through forfeiture seizure, according to a two-year investigation by the local newspaper, the Greenville News.

Civil asset forfeiture is a process where law enforcement agencies are legally allowed to seize money from citizens if they claim it was obtained illegally, even if they lack the evidence to convict the citizen of any crime.

The Greenville News investigation discovered that Black men make up 65 percent of the people who have had money taken from them through this process, even though they only make up 13 percent of the population in South Carolina.

The investigation also revealed that white people are twice as likely to have their money returned as Black people.

Also, nearly 20 percent of the people whose money was seized were never charged with a crime and another 20 percent were never convicted.

The investigation also discovered that one South Carolina law enforcement agency, the North Charleston Police Department, earns 12 percent of its budget through civil asset forfeitures, so it appears to be more of a revenue-generating scheme than a safety protocol, one that disproportionately affects Black people.

Another study revealed that police throughout the country raked in $4.5 billion through civil asset forfeiture from 2008 to 2014. 

The ACLU of Pennsylvania also revealed in 2015 that Black people made up 53 percent of people who have had money or property seized through civil asset forfeiture in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, while making up only 9 percent of the population. 

“There’s a clear line from slavery to the Civil War and to civil rights to civil forfeiture,” Jake Erwin, a defense attorney in Greenville, told the Greenville News investigative team.

Sims-Irby said she is determined to get her money back.

“I’m not going to stop until I get my money because I don’t feel like I should be funding a police department,” she told Fox Carolina.

‘Definitely a Nightmare’: South Carolina Woman Was Stabbed and Pistol-Whipped. Now Police Won’t Return Her $20K After Three Years

Denzel Washington, 70, made a huge splash at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival in France following a viral clip of his heated confrontation with a photographer.

The Hollywood icon attended the prestigious festivities for the world premiere of the A24-produced crime thriller directed by Spike Lee, “Highest 2 Lowest.”

Multiple camera angles captured the two-time Academy Award winner as he walked the Cannes red carpet alongside Lee and fellow cast member Rakim “A$AP Rocky” Mayers.

At one point, a man in the crowd can be seen repeatedly grabbing Washington’s arm, which led to him forcefully pointing his finger and repeatedly yelling “stop” at the overzealous photographer.

Denzel Washington left Cannes after his heated confrontation with a photographer and before a press conference for Spike Lee’s new movie. (Photo by Ivan Romano/Getty Images)

There were a lot of polarizing reactions to the 2025 honorary Palme d’Or recipient seemingly chastising the handsy paparazzo in France.

“[I don’t know] what happened, but I know Denzel is in the right,” a fan of the father of four insisted. Another observer pointed out, “See how many times he told them to stop!?!? No is never enough.”

“And that right there is the last movie Denzel will get to act in unless it’s Broadway. Happens to the best of them,” claimed a displeased X user. However, one reply read, “I don’t think that Denzel demanding to not be touched by a complete stranger is a career killer.”

Denzel Washington’s rep addressed the heated exchange the Oscar-winning actor got in with a photographer during the premiere of his film Highest 2 Lowest at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival. https://t.co/mMerATKrgL pic.twitter.com/CNd62tyKfE

— E! News (@enews) May 21, 2025

E! News got a statement in response to the intense red carpet exchange. Evidently, the viral ordeal did not dampen Denzel’s spirits because a representative told the outlet, “It was a great evening.”

After footage of the acclaimed actor lashing out at the photographer spread across social media, the tense moment ignited even more speculation after Washington skipped a Cannes press conference the following day.

Washington’s absence from the promotional event was apparently planned, according to a rep who supposedly informed the Daily Mail that he was “always scheduled to be in and out of Cannes on Monday.”

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However, Lee, 68, did show up at the “Highest 2 Lowest” press conference at Cannes on May 20, along with Washington’s co-stars Jeffrey Wright and Ilfenesh Hadera to discuss the making of the movie and other cinema-related topics.

Some people think the filmmaker may have subtly addressed the awkward red carpet moment involving his longtime collaborator. Lee immediately opened the discussion by reflecting on one of his past mishaps.

“The last time I was in this room, I was apologizing for a f–k up,” Lee said at the media event, referring to when he accidentally announced Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” as the 2021 Palme d’Or award winner before the official ceremony.

“That’s not happening today. No f–k ups,” Lee added.

In addition, Lee spoke about working with Washington for the fifth time on a feature film. The two New Yorkers previously teamed up for “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Malcolm X,” “He Got Game,” and “Inside Man.”

“It’s been a blessing to just have this body of work of us doing films that people love,” Lee responded before hinting it may be their final project together. “I think this is it. Five.” 

As founder of 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Lee also mentioned Washington hinting that he could be headed towards retirement from the entertainment business.

But Denzel’s career is not done yet. He recently took on the role of the title character in a Broadway production of the Shakespearean play “Othello.”

There has also been talk of Washington appearing in director Ryan Coogler’s highly anticipated “Black Panther 3” superhero movie. Denzel’s most recent big-screen performance came in 2024 with “Gladiator II,” which grossed over $462 million at the global box office.

‘That’s Not Happening’: Denzel Washington Was a No-Show at Cannes Press Conference as Spike Lee Refuses to Apologize for Actor’s Blowup on Photographer