I hate this era. I hate this timeline. I wish some people would have more self-awareness, or just a general sense of what is and is not appropriate. So it is Madonna, who decided to do *something* about the situation in Minneapolis, the killing of George Floyd and the massive racial injustice that still exists in this country. What did Madonna do? She filmed her son David Banda dancing to a Michael Jackson song. To end racism.

Brutal murder travels around the world my son David Dances to honor and pay tribute to George and His Family and all Acts of Racism and Discrimination that happen on a daily basis in America. #davidbanda #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd #MichaelJackson pic.twitter.com/wLa6YKrYF1

— Madonna (@Madonna) May 28, 2020

I mean… David Banda is only 14 years old. Don’t yell at him. He’s just doing his thing and he’s a kid and he obviously loves to dance. I blame Madonna for posting it, honestly. She did it for attention for herself and her son.

bossip headline writers just turned on a fresh pot of coffee and flicked on the lights in a basement lab, they gonna have a field day with this madonna thing

— Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad) May 29, 2020

Nobody asked Madonna to weigh in today. Not a soul.

Unforced errors among public figures have been rampant this month. pic.twitter.com/DNOkNCG7at

— April (@ReignOfApril) May 29, 2020

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

It’s interesting that Tatler’s “Catherine the Great” cover story hasn’t given us MORE headlines. If the Duchess of Sussex had pulled even a fraction of what Duchess Kate tried to pull, it would have been a weeks-long drama. Piers Morgan would have written a half dozen columns about it. Katie Nicholl would have given five exclusive interviews about it. Dan Wootton would have devoted a dozen hit-pieces about it. But after Tatler clapped back about what the Cambridges knew about the piece and everything effectively blew up in Kate’s face, it’s been quiet. Sure, Richard Kay wrote that “rebuttal,” but he didn’t even rebut all that much. I have to wonder if the Sunday papers in the UK will be full of various analysis pieces on the drama. But maybe not.

In the absence of good royal journalism, people like the Daily Mail’s Jan Moir are just focusing on the story Kate actually wanted out there, which is that “Meghan made Kate cry” because “Meghan defied the Queen” by saying that the little children-bridesmaids didn’t have to wear tights on a warm day for Meghan’s wedding. Remember that when the story originally came out, it was simply that “Meghan made Kate cry” and that was what was important to people – Kate’s salty white tears at having to deal in any way with a gauche black American. Now Jan Moir claims that Kate was (you guessed it) quite right to make the tights into such a big f–king deal:

Can it be true that the beautiful wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which unfurled before a global TV audience of many millions at home and abroad, took place without anyone realising that a terrible hosiery-based solecism had been committed? Brace yourselves for a shock, but — if high society bible Tatler is to be believed — this is indeed the case.

The six tiny flower girls, including Princess Charlotte, looked lovely in their highwaisted silk dresses with puffed sleeves — but they were not wearing tights. Let me repeat. They frolicked in front of HM The Queen with their bare little leggies on show, which apparently is not acceptable at court.

I know. It was 2018, not 1820, but still. It is now claimed that it is was these tights — or lack thereof — that originally caused the rift between the soon to-be Duchess of Sussex (Californian, let it all hang out, anti-tights) and the Duchess of Cambridge ( Home Counties, stickler, pro-tights protocol). Does it explain the froideur that persists today? It is certainly true that an ocean of misunderstanding opened up between them.

I had no idea if this wardrobe stipulation carried any merit, until a flick back through royal weddings and quasi-royal weddings (Pippa) over the past few decades revealed that in every single one, the little girls in the bridal party are all wearing tights, summer or not. So too all those little pageboys, frequently got up like extras in Mutiny On The Bounty or a toddler production of Les Mis, the poor wee things.

I had to ask my poshest friend Georgina, no stranger to society weddings herself, for clarification. Did she notice the Sussex no-tights tangle? Of course she did.

‘I remember at the time thinking how ghastly the shoes and bare legs were — it looked very Eurotrashy,’ she poshly bellowed down the line. Did it? ‘Oh yah. I mean, leather shoes with no socks or tights? It’s not on, Jan. Appalling. Bare legs are fine on flower girls wearing canvas or satin ballet shoes — but even then possibly not at a royal wedding, where a higher degree of formality is expected.’ One imagines this was a refinement that had escaped Meghan but not Kate.

…Reports say Steely Kate was reduced to tears, but I don’t believe it. She is made of much tougher stuff than 20 denier. It would take a lot more than tightsgate to ladder her composure. Yet even for Kate, weddings are a trial.

[From The Daily Mail]

Basically, Moir is arguing that it’s completely and totally reasonable for Kate and Meghan’s blood feud to be ignited because of children’s tights, but that Kate is entirely too reasonable and Future-Queeny to cry about it. Except that’s the crux of the story, that’s what we’ve been told for the past year and a half: that Meghan is an absolute monster because SHE MADE KATE CRY. That Kate’s precious white tears were the signal that Meghan is an awful person. Now we learn that the whole thing was about a pair of damn tights and Kate cried about THAT? Besides… with all of the shady sh-t that’s in that Tatler article, I can’t believe that the “tights story” is the one getting all the attention. It has to be on purpose.

At least I get to reuse these photos of Poor Kate wearing white to Meghan’s wedding again. Here’s another royal mystery: did Kate wear pantyhose under her white McQueen coatdress at the Sussexes’ wedding? In most photos, it doesn’t look like she did. *cough*

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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News organizations from around the world have gathered in Minneapolis to cover the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. What I keep thinking is that… I’m sure there would have always been protests and vigils and people agitating for change. But so much of what’s happening right now with the fires and rioting could have been avoided if the killer cops were immediately arrested. They have not been arrested. So the city burns. And the media covers that. CNN has several units on the ground in Minneapolis and late last night, the police… arrested the CNN people, reporter Omar Jimenez and his team. The cops absolutely knew that they were arresting journalists. Of course there’s video. Video from the CNN cameraman:

Here’s the full video of @CNN‘s crew being detained and arrested by the Minnesota State Patrol, live on @NewDay.pic.twitter.com/rmq1nutOiR

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 29, 2020

The CNN people were doing their jobs and they clearly identified themselves to cops – and even if they hadn’t, all they were doing was peacefully filming and reporting, so what’s the f–king charge?

A CNN reporter & his production team were arrested this morning in Minneapolis for doing their jobs, despite identifying themselves – a clear violation of their First Amendment rights. The authorities in Minnesota, incl. the Governor, must release the 3 CNN employees immediately.

— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) May 29, 2020

Maybe the charge is “reporting while black”?

How incredibly stupid do you have to be to arrest a black reporter on live television while he is reporting on racially charged violence…in a city in flames because the white cop who killed an unarmed black man hasn’t been arrested. It boggles the mind.

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) May 29, 2020

Soon after, CNN reported that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz contacted CNN president Jeff Zucker. The governor “apologized” to Zucker and said that “He is working to get them released. Walz said he takes full responsibility for what happened.” And then Omar and his team were released. What was the f–king point besides white supremacy and First Amendment violations.

Always a pro. @OmarJimenez and his team have been released from police custody. pic.twitter.com/08eqkj23Ou

— Donie O’Sullivan (@donie) May 29, 2020

They arrested a CNN reporter before the killers of #GeorgeFloyd

— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) May 29, 2020

.@Bakari_Sellers: “Law enforcement in Minneapolis had the audacity…to arrest a reporter of color while doing his job and following command, but the…officer who put his knee in the back of the neck of a man and choked him for 8 minutes is still free to walk around.” pic.twitter.com/KUm4lEbnUy

— New Day (@NewDay) May 29, 2020

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Photos courtesy of Getty.

When the Duchess of Sussex announced the first patronages she would take on following her marriage, many of us were excited when she announced she would rep for Mayhew, an animal charity based in England. Post-Sussexit, there was some conversation about whether Meghan would “abandon” her patronages but it looks like she’s holding on to them for now. She visited Mayhew once with the “royal rota” and she also made one visit in January of this year with only a staffer recording the visit with a couple of photos. Still, we know animal charities will always be near and dear to Meghan’s heart. So what’s going on?

Meghan Markle has made secret calls to an animal charity fighting through the coronavirus pandemic to keep homeless people with their dogs. The Duchess of Sussex is patron of Mayhew, which has running costs of $7,400 a day but has seen its income devastated. The charity gets all its money from donations and relies heavily on public fundraising events which have been cancelled due to social distancing rules.

They have launched an urgent appeal for funds to buy food as well as flea and worming treatments for their animals. Some are still being looked after in their shelter in North West London, but the charity is also unusual in that it helps homeless and other vulnerable people keep pets in the community.

A source in the Sussex camp told Newsweek: “The Duchess is in touch and working with Mayhew at this time. One thing many people may not realize is the range of work Mayhew does. It is not your classic animal charity. They are supporting so many other people in the community too.”

The Mayhew’s work is partly designed to aid the mental health of homeless and other vulnerable people who rely on their pets emotionally. Helping keep the animals well fed and healthy involves face-to-face contact with clients at high risk from coronavirus. This hands-on approach has had to be scaled back since the lockdown came into effect in Britain. However, they have been continuing some face-to-face meetings with their clients in emergencies.

[From Newsweek]

I would hope that Meghan is doing more than just contacting Mayhew’s people. I hope she’s making calls to would-be donors, many of whom would probably love to Zoom with a duchess for five minutes, you know? I mean, I’ll be fair – this is the kind of vague “she’s doing something,she’s making calls!” announcement which the Keens would probably make and we would totally trash them for it. I’ll hold my tongue on Meghan because she’s shown that she’s quite innovative with how she raises money for charity, so maybe she’s working on something which will be unveiled shortly.

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A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 22, 2020 at 12:00am PST

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.

Like the rest of us, Molly Sims is just trying to stay sane during quarantine. Molly is in lockdown with her husband, Scott Stuber, and her three kids, Hayes, seven, Scarlett, five, and Grey, three. To help her cope with her new normal, Molly has been posting a series of Instagram posts and TikTok videos showing the chaos of trying to parent right now. It’s easy to roll your eyes because even in the “how crazy is my life” photos, her perfectly appointed house is still immaculate and Molly still looks every bit a supermodel while she does her workouts and sips her wine from a beach chair in the living room. However, in her latest interview with Kit Hoover and Mario Lopez, it becomes apparent that Molly isn’t faking anything, she’s ready to get the hell out of the house.

You guys having the little kids, I bow down to you. I love your chore chart! You’re holding everybody accountable, Molly.

It’s not really working. It’s like a little magnetic board I got off Etsy a little while ago and ‘make your bed,’ and they have to move the things. ‘Do your homework,’ ‘take your trash,’ ‘pick up your toys,’ and, you know, they’ll say they did it and I’ll know they didn’t. Like, literally Stuber is doing first grade, next door, while we’re doing this. I’m in charge of pre-school and they’re supposed to be upstairs and they’re watching Scooby-Doo. But, if the chore chart… yeah, I’m trying to like, also, as much as we can have fun, you know, hold accountability – you get iPad time, its all about screen time, between that, candy donuts and screen time, I have a lot of power.

[From YouTube]

This is very much Molly’s brand and I love it. Molly has blended into a lifestyle guru and she really is a very capable cook and crafter with creative ideas for parties and other activities. But she also shows you her fails and misfires. So I love hearing that she can’t find the energy to enforce her chore chart and that she thinks Scooby Doo is acceptable pre-school learning. I entered into quarantine with the best of intentions. If I laid out all my charts with schedules, routines, family time activities and schoolwork I’d made on my IG, you would all be dazzled by my organizational ability and creativity. But I’m like Molly, the only use my kids found for any of those pages was to start a campfire. So now we eat dinner on the sofa and my sole response to just about everyone under my roof is, “get your sh!t together!”

Molly lost her mother, Dottie, in April while in lockdown. She was incredibly close to her mom and struggling with her loss has been very hard, especially as lockdown makes it harder to reach out to folks. But the family had their own memorial that she allowed us to be a part of on IG. Molly, Scott and the kids dressed up, said goodbye and released butterflies next to an altar with photos of Dottie. I’m mentioning this not to be a bummer but we’re all trying so hard to find ways to celebrate with virtual proms and graduations, drive-by weddings and socially distant birthdays, while most memorial services are just being postponed. That’s fine, of course, but I think folks should celebrate a life whichever way they can during quarantine. And I think saying goodbye properly is just as important as the rest.

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How to enjoy your Friday night. You’re welcome. ?

A post shared by Molly Sims (@mollybsims) on May 15, 2020 at 6:26pm PDT

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Pool boy & cabana girl slacking on the job…? Swipe right to see. #springbreaklivingroom #imisscabo #quarantineedition

A post shared by Molly Sims (@mollybsims) on Apr 21, 2020 at 2:03pm PDT

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Don’t tell my students, but I took my summer vacation a bit early ?????

A post shared by Molly Sims (@mollybsims) on May 23, 2020 at 7:13pm PDT

Photo credit: YouTube, Instagram and WENN/Avalon

It’s been years now and few of us have gotten used to Donald Trump refusing to pretend he’s anything other than a white supremacist inciting a violent cult of Nazis. He’s never hid who he is. There are no dog whistles, no subtext. It’s just TEXT. And it’s still unsettling. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis by four police officers, the cops were fired but they have been left uncharged and unarrested. People are justifiably angry about that. Peaceful protesters were tear-gassed earlier this week, and those protests turned into rioting and looting in the city. It’s because people feel unheard. People see that white men can murder a black man in broad daylight on the street and nothing will happen.

Of course I’m not saying I think the riots are “right,” but I understand how a city gets to this point, and how communities of color feel like the system will never work for them. But to Donald Trump, this is just the election year race war he’s always wanted. And now he’s ordering looters to be shot on sight. Twitter censored his tweets which is just… *chef’s kiss*

Ah, yes. “THUGS.” As opposed to the “very fine people” who were actual neo-Nazis. As opposed to the “very good people” who were armed MAGA dumbasses storming state capitol buildings just a few weeks ago:

A tale of two tweets pic.twitter.com/tSlGSpKofd

— Vasu Kulkarni (@Vasu) May 29, 2020

But yeah. Donald Trump is a racist Nazi. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts” will only make this situation worse. And he knows that. As I said, this is the “race war” he’s dreamt of for so long. And why haven’t the cops been arrested?

Regarding Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, he’s already called for the arrest of George Floyd’s killer, and he’s been doing emotional press conferences where he’s tried to make sure that his racially and culturally diverse city feels heard and seen. Mayor Frey was told about Trump’s tweets in a live press conference last night and this is what he said:

“Weakness is refusing to take responsibility for your own actions. Weakness is pointing your finger at somebody else during a time of crisis. Donald Trump knows nothing about the strength of Minneapolis.” — Mayor Frey reacts to the president’s tweets. pic.twitter.com/PVxfoH7yZw

— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 29, 2020

They’d rather do all this than simply charge a killer who was caught on tape killing.

— Ashley Nicole Black (@ashleyn1cole) May 29, 2020

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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On Monday, a 46-year-old African-American man named George Floyd was murdered by a police officer. I’m not going to publish the video here, but there was a video capturing everything and it is one of the most unsettling videos I’ve ever seen. Floyd pleaded for the police officer to remove his knee off of Floyd’s neck. Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. Those were his last words. This happened in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The four police officers involved in the situation – including Floyd’s killer – were fired from the police force. They have not been charged with any crime. Floyd’s killer, Derek Chauvin, has a history of complaints on the job.

In lieu of justice, people take to the streets. If no one listens, people will find a way to be heard. So Minneapolis has seen a lot of protests. The difference between the violent police action towards peaceful justice-protesters in Minneapolis versus the calm, nonviolent police inaction towards armed MAGA types protesting the pandemic lockdown has been stark, to say the least. People protesting George Floyd’s murder and the lack of arrests made were tear-gassed. Armed jackasses protesting public-health regulations during a deadly pandemic were met with little more than a shrug from police. Of course there have been some riots in Minneapolis. One wonders why those lockdown Nazi rallies didn’t qualify as riots too.

Well, now white people are clutching their pearls over those “riots.” They are more concerned about a Target store than a man being killed on the street. But sure. Tampon Lampshade Tonka Leak Tammy Leery had some sh-t to say:

Let me know when you spot the difference, Tapioca. pic.twitter.com/kdtk8di9kC

— Chidi®? (@ChidiNwatu) May 28, 2020

If you don’t like the reaction to injustice, stop killing us.

— Call me Unc (@revampedDIB) May 28, 2020

We tried to peacefully protest and you had a problem with that too, so what is it

— sanchez (@kaoticxpunk) May 28, 2020

And then people started talking about Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma and how white people literally bombed a prosperous black town and “looted.”

white people burned down black wall street and y’all mad about target? bye

— KG (@kaigee_) May 28, 2020

Guess who else looted.

White people when they killed hundreds of black people on ‘Black Wall Street’ in Tulsa Oklahoma.

35 square blocks of black owned businesses and homes attacked on the ground and bombed from the air.

The wealthiest black community in the US at the time. pic.twitter.com/biICMODi0r

— Creighton Khallid Moxey (@kingcre1) May 28, 2020

During the Tulsa Race Massecre, in which up to 300 people were killed and a whole neighborhood destroyed and burned to the ground, white men stole everything of value from black homes. https://t.co/n8Fvaz16B3 https://t.co/pYOBHvOIDT

— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) May 28, 2020

White people like Tonka could make the argument that while they don’t like riots, they don’t like to see peaceful protesters tear-gassed and they also want to see murderers arrested, starting with the four ex-police officers involved in George Floyd’s murder. Just try out that argument, and tell it to your elected officials.

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Photos courtesy of Getty.

A post shared by Kelly Rowland (@kellyrowland) on May 21, 2020 at 11:18am PDT

Kelly Rowland has a new sponsorship deal with Betty Crocker, which is smart. A lot of people are trying to bake at this time and for many that means following a box recipe. I have a couple of cake boxes waiting for me to make them, and I’ve baked breads from scratch, treats and more. It’s so much easier than I imagined (here’s a post I did with some of my baking creations) and most of the work is in the cleanup. Kelly has a new interview with US Magazine where she said that she’s not really cooking much, but that she’s trying now that it’s a necessity. She’s baking from Betty Crocker boxes, essentially. Supposedly a friend sent her a pie recipe and she threw it out. Kelly, 39, has been married to Tim Weatherspoon, 38, since 2014 and they have son Titan, 5, together. She told People some steamy stuff about their sex life earlier this month, but I’d rather talk about baking because I’m not getting any nookie in lockdown.

Though [Rowland] feels comfortable whipping up “cupcakes, cupcakes and cookies,” there’s at least one pastry she’s not quite ready to tackle just yet. “A girlfriend of mine just sent me a pie recipe and I sent it back to her because I was like, ‘I don’t know what the hell to do with the crust if I tried!’” she told Us. “I’m not a very good cook, so I always need a little bit of help and that’s why me and my son always resort to Betty Crocker classics.”

When it comes to cooking savory dishes in quarantine, Rowland revealed she’s made fish and “really mastered” a specific salad recipe. “It’s so simple,” she explained. “It’s just salmon with spinach and avocado.”

While “soulful” oxtail rice and gravy is another one of the “Motivation” songstress’ go-to dishes these days, she’s aware that there’s room for some culinary improvements. “I’m trying,” she shared. “I mean, I have nothing else to do in quarantine, right? I have to learn how to cook!”

Aside from honing her skills in the kitchen, Rowland has used this time to bond with Titan in new and interesting ways. “We are doing different projects. … We play hide-and-seek in the house, we draw, we just chill,” she said. “We play games.”

[From US Magazine]

The other day I tried to be really ambitious and make apple hand pies. I was so frustrated after having made pie crust, which is complicated as you have to flake cold butter, and then shape it into little crescent shapes you put the apples in. I thought I could do it because I’d made biscuits from scratch and that was similar to making pie crust, but there were too many steps to this. So I spread the crust out in a pan and put the cooked apples on top to make apple pie. It ended up overbaked and kind of hard. My son had one slice and I ate the entire rest of the pie in one day. That’s probably why I haven’t made any of the boxed cakes yet. I don’t need an entire cake available at this time. Oh and after I made biscuits I figured out that Jiffy has a box mix that’s just as good. That’s the company that makes those awesome old school corn muffins.

I’m jealous of people with pools!

Me & My Scuba Guy! ??

A post shared by Kelly Rowland (@kellyrowland) on May 19, 2020 at 11:46am PDT

Also of people with abs like this:

It’s not a thirst trap……. I’m just gonna leave this here. #39

A post shared by Kelly Rowland (@kellyrowland) on May 12, 2020 at 5:32pm PDT

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A post shared by Kelly Rowland (@kellyrowland) on May 4, 2020 at 6:34pm PDT

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A post shared by Sofia Richie (@sofiarichie) on Nov 1, 2019 at 4:57pm PDT

Another quarantine breakup has erupted during this turbulent times, my friends. *Sigh* Can true love even survive in the time of COVID-19? Alas, pour a can of Red Bull out because Sophie Richie and Scott Disick are, in fact, no more. The couple, who have been quarantining separately, parted ways earlier this month. Why, you ask? Why did this May-December relationship, born of the incestual Kardashian/Jenner dating pool, involving people who can’t pass a mirror without staring into their own eyes, not survive? If I’m reading Page Six’s report correctly, Kourtney and Scott where ganging up on Sofia and she’d had enough of it.

It’s over for Scott Disick and Sofia Richie.

A source confirms to Page Six that the stars have broken up, saying the relationship “ran its course” but that other issues, including Disick’s “past traumas” that led him to rehab, contributed to the split.

“Scott had gone back to his old ways,” the source said, “and Sofia got fed up.”

Disick, 37, and Richie, 21, had been quarantining separately, which also took a toll on their romance.

Our source added that Disick’s relationship with ex Kourtney Kardashian — the mother of Disick’s three kids — weighed on Richie.

“Kourtney didn’t make it easy for her,” the source claimed, “and you can only tolerate that kind of treatment for so long.”

[From Page Six]

I think we are all thinking the same thing: the surprising part of this story is not the split but the fact they made it three years in the first place. The sources are a little cryptic about Scott returning to his “old ways.” We know that Scott returned to rehab and left once someone sold this information out, which is unfortunate regardless of who it happens to. But which old ways proved the straw to break the LordRich back? Had his drinking gotten bad or was he sleeping around? Both are issues Scott has had in the past and both valid rare easons to leave someone. I kind of hope it was the latter, not because I wish Sofia any ill will but Scott’s addictions worry me and I hate to think he can’t shake those demons.

But what is that last poke to Kourtney about? I realize that Kourtney and the kids are not just familial obligations but Scott’s job for as long as he stays on the Kardashian teat. And lord knows I would not want to hang out with my SO’s ex and have to pretend like we are besties if we aren’t. But it sounds a bit more sinister than that, doesn’t it? I don’t watch the show so help me out here – did Kourt work overtime to make Sofia’s life hell? Or does Scott prioritize Kourt over his girlfriends? That would truly suck since his wandering dong certainly prioritized many women over Kourt when they were together.

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?

A post shared by Sofia Richie (@sofiarichie) on Sep 21, 2019 at 6:08pm PDT

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A post shared by Sofia Richie (@sofiarichie) on May 26, 2018 at 2:27pm PDT

Photo credit: Instagram and WENN/Avalon

I love Janelle Monáe but I don’t always love her interviews. It’s always been clear that she’s a brilliant woman and an extremely talented artist who thinks about next-level artistic sh-t, but getting her to dish and spill in a linear interview isn’t so easy. Now, add to that the fact that nearly every summer magazine cover profile is being conducted via Zoom, and I thought this Vanity Fair cover story would be a recipe for disaster. Turns out… it’s actually quite good and informative. Janelle edited herself. She covers VF to promote Amazon Prime’s Homecoming Season 2 (the first season starred Julia Roberts, and Julia is back as executive producer). Janelle is also promoting Antebellum, the horror/sci-fi/drama which comes out August 21. You can read the full VF piece here. Some highlights:

On Washington DC’s response to the pandemic: “The way our government is handling things—especially this administration—is evil,” she says. (In this interview and many others, Monáe refuses to say the words Donald Trump.) “We can’t trust this administration to tell us the truth, to protect us. It’s always going to be power first. It’s always going to be capitalism first.”

She’s out & proud queer, but she doesn’t want to talk about her love life: “I don’t want to disclose the people I’m dating, or have dated. I may not always want this to be at the center of a conversation.”

Playing her first queer character in Homecoming: “I feel a deeper responsibility because I know there are kids like me who could have come from conservative backgrounds.”

What Antebellum is about: She stars as Veronica Henley, a polished present-day author who, after speaking out about systemic racism, suddenly finds herself living as a slave on a plantation. Monáe was drawn to the movie because she’s a fan of Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained—one of her musical alter egos is the unapologetic “Django Jane”—and Antebellum wound up being shot at Louisiana’s Evergreen Plantation, where parts of that movie were filmed. Monáe also liked the way Antebellum evoked Octavia Butler’s novel Kindred and the fact that it put a woman at the center of a revenge narrative.

Playing a role set in a movie set in an antebellum plantation: “I knew that taking on this role was going to take a lot of deep diving emotionally. This role is the hardest role that I’ve done, because it directly connects the past, present, and the future. I went back and forth with, Should I do this? People are gonna think I’m crazy. It wasn’t until I did some deep meditation—and I saw so many women that reminded me of Veronica, from Maxine Waters to AOC to all of the strong women in our government—that I said, Yes, I should do this. This scares me, and the conversations need to be had because our past will directly determine our future.”

Her anxiety about revealing too much: “If I really talked openly and honestly about where I am right now, would I be abandoned? Would my fans abandon me? Would my family abandon me?”

The post-pandemic world: “There can be a real uprising. The majority of us do not want to continue to see things be the way that they are. We’re demanding better health care for ourselves, demanding people listen to scientists as it pertains to the environment, as it pertains to our health.”

[From Vanity Fair]

The trailer for Antebellum made me cry, it was so eerie and evocative and terrifying. I honestly didn’t know what it was about, so hearing that it’s sort of a revenge plot is interesting and now I’m more likely to see it. The director of Antebellum made the point that they were filming on real plantations which had been around before the Civil War, and it’s sick that people still throw weddings at these places, because the ground is so soaked in the blood of slavery. That was what Janelle was talking about re: “deep diving.” As for the changes possibly coming in a post-pandemic world… my biggest fear is that not much will actually change.

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A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on May 19, 2020 at 11:01am PDT

Cover & IG courtesy of Vanity Fair.