Celebrity Scoop – 06/01/2020
POP STARS RESPOND TO GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH – (06/01/2020)
In the wake of the death of George Floyd, many celebrities have used their platforms to speak out against racism and police brutality.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on May 25th after a white police officer pressed his knee onto his neck for several minutes. The incident, which was caught on video and involved multiple officers, has sparked intense national outrage, with protests across the country along with demands for justice on social media.
Celebrities including Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Little Nas X, and many more have taken to social media to honor Floyd’s memory while urging their fans to get involved.
Grande, 26, was spotted at a Black Lives Matter protest in Los Angeles on Saturday, where she wore a mask and held up a sign that read “Black Lives Matter.” Earlier, the singer urged her followers to get involved in the movement via Instagram. “A lot of things feel scary, dangerous and uncertain right now … but there are things within our control: voting, contacting lawmakers, and taking the census,” Grande wrote on Friday.
“A true patriot is someone who will rebel against the government if it becomes necessary, to protect the greater good of their fellow citizens. We are patriots,” Halsey tweeted. “If you are not, you are a coward. THIS is what democracy looks like.”
Taylor Swift lashed out at President Donald Trump on Friday for his late-night tweet threatening violence against protesters in Minnesota, tweeting that Trump has been “stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism (his) entire presidency.” “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? When the looting starts the shooting starts’???” she tweeted. She tagged Trump in her tweet, adding: “We will vote you out in November.” Within hours, Swift’s tweet had received more than a million likes, making it the singer’s most-liked post on Twitter.
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Full Story: Billboard
BEYONCE AND RIHANNA SPEAK OUT ABOUT THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD – (06/01/2020)
Superstars Beyonce and Rihanna used their platforms to speak out about the brutal murder of George Floyd. Beyonce posted a video on Instagram on Friday night (May 29th), saying, “We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalize this pain. We can no longer look away.”
She went on, “I’m not only speaking to people of color. If you’re white, black, brown, or anything in between, I’m sure you feel hopeless by the racism going on in America right now. No more senseless killings of human beings. No more seeing people of color as less than human. We can no longer look away.”
She continued, “George is all of our family in humanity. He’s family because he’s a fellow American. There have been too many times that we’ve seen these violent killings and no consequences. Yes, someone has been charged but justice is far from being achieved.”
She later urged fans to sign the Change.org petition to demand the arrests of the three officers that were involved in Floyd’s arrest and death. She also asked fans to “continue to pray for peace, compassion, and healing for our country.”
RIHANNA SPEAKS
Meanwhile, Rihanna wrote on Instagram, “Watching my people get murdered and lynched day after day pushed me to a heavy place in my heart! To the point of staying away from socials, just to avoid hearing the blood curdling agony in George Floyd’s voice again, begging over and over for his life!!!”
She also addressed Derek Chauvin, the former cop who put his knee into the neck of Floyd, saying, “The look of enticement, the pure joy and climax on the face of this bigot, murderer, thug, pig, bum, Derek Chauvin, haunts me!! I can’t shake this! I can’t get over an ambulance pulling up to an arrest, a paramedic checking a pulse without removing the very thing that’s hindering it!”
She continued, “Is this that f*cking normal??? If intentional MURDER is the fit consequence for ‘drugs’ or ‘resisting arrest’….then what’s the fit consequence for MURDER???! #AhmaudArbery #BreonnaTaylor.”
JAY Z PERSONALLY CALLED THE MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TO DEMAND JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD – (06/01/2020)
A lot of people have been wondering why Jay Z has been silent amid the murder of George Floyd but yesterday (May 31st), Minnesota Governor Tim Walz revealed in a press conference that he got a phone call from the hip-hop icon, who demanded justice for the death of George Floyd. Gov. Walz said, “I received a call last night – to understand how big this was – from Jay-Z. Not international performer but a dad stressing to me that justice needs to be served.”
Gov. Walz continued, saying that Jay Z also told him that he “feels the compassion and the humanity of these folks who are speaking. He knows the world is watching, and how Minnesota handles this is going to have an impact across the country.”
Gov. Walz added. “It’s a positive sign that someone of a stature, that has a presence like that is focused in the moment of what Minnesotans are focused on.”
JAY Z RELEASES A STATEMENT
Jay Z released a statement last night (May 31st), saying, “After our very earnest conversation, thank you to Governor Walz for doing what’s right and calling in Attorney General Keith Ellison to take over the George Floyd case. Earlier today, Governor Walz mentioned having a human conversation with me – a dad and a black man in pain. YES, I am human, a father and a black man in pain and I am not the only one.”
He added, “Now I, along with an entire country in pain, call upon AG Ellison to do the right thing and prosecute all those responsible for the murder of George Floyd to the fullest extent of the law.This is just a first step. I am more determined to fight for justice than any fight my would-be oppressors.”
His statement concluded, “I prevail on every politician, prosecutor and officer in the country to have the courage to do what is right. Have the courage to look at us as humans, dads, brothers, sisters and mothers in pain and look at yourselves.”
HALSEY SLAMS RUMORS SHE WAS ARRESTED AT L.A. PROTESTS; HIT BY RUBBER BULLETS – (06/01/2020)
Halsey took to Twitter on Saturday to slam rumors that she had been arrested at the Black Lives Matter protest in Los Angeles earlier that day.
The singer detailed her experience taking part in a George Floyd protest, revealing that she sustained a bruise after being hit by a rubber bullet and shrapnel.
“A true patriot is someone who will rebel against the government if it becomes necessary, to protect the greater good of their fellow citizens. We are patriots,” Halsey tweeted Saturday.
“If you are not, you are a coward. THIS is what democracy looks like.”
The singer, who attended the Black Lives Matter rally in Los Angeles Saturday with Yungblud, also livestreamed the protest’s altercation with police officers.
“Fired rubber bullets at us. We did not breach the line. Hands were up. Unmoving. And they gassed and fired,” Halsey tweeted.
The singer added, “I WAS NOT ARRESTED. Im safe. There were ppl I had to get to safety as many of them have VISAs. Myself + many of my peers were shot, gassed + antagonized. The frontline was calm + did not provoke. BUT MANY ARE NOT SAFE + MANY ARE IN CUSTODY.”
In a since-deleted post on her Instagram, Halsey uploaded a photo of her bruised leg. “This hit me through layers of fabric and for that, I am extremely privileged. At close range it would have caused serious injury. They were fired at peoples’ faces during peaceful moments of the demonstration.”
CHECK IT OUT
Full Story: Billboard
BLAKE LIVELY AND RYAN REYNOLDS DONATE $200K TO NAACP: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are donating $200,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund amid ongoing protests against police brutality. On social media, they wrote: “We don’t know what it’s like to experience that life day in and day out. We can’t imagine feeling that kind of fear and anger. We’re ashamed that in the past we’ve allowed ourselves to be uninformed about how deeply rooted systemic racism is.” (ET)
KIM KARDASHIAN REACTS TO THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD – (06/01/2020)
Kim Kardashian took to Instagram to share her thoughts on the murder of George Floyd. On Saturday morning (May 30th), she wrote, “Like so many of you, I am angry. I am more than angry. I am infuriated and I am disgusted.” She continued, “For years, with every horrific murder of an innocent black man, woman, or child, I have always tried to find the right words to express my condolences and outrage. But the privilege I am afforded by the color of my skin has often left me feeling like this is not a fight that I can truly take on my own. Not today, not anymore.”
She continued, “I am exhausted by the heartbreak I feel seeing mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and children suffering because their loved one was murdered or locked away unjustly for being black.”
She added, “Even though I will never know the pain and suffering they have endured, or what it feels like to try to survive in a world plagued by systemic racism, I know I can use my own voice to help amplify those voices that have been muffled for too long.”
She ended her post with, “#blacklivesmatter, #justiceforgeorgefloyd, #justiceforahamudarbery, #justiceforbronnataylor.”
CHRISSY TEIGEN PLEDGES $200K TO BAIL OUT PROTESTERS: Chrissy Teigen has pledged $200K to bail out the people arrested in protests following the death of George Floyd in police hands, she wrote on Twitter. “In celebration of whatever the f—k maga night is, I am committed to donating $100,000 to the bail outs of protestors across the country,” Teigen first tweeted Saturday. She doubled the amount when a user dubbed the protestors “rioters and criminals”. “Ooo they might need more money then. Make it $200,000,” Teigen responded. Several other celebrities—including Halsey, Yunglud, Machine Gun Kelly and Emily Ratajkowski—have joined protests or spoken out against Floyd’s death.
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