Donnie Simpson’s Ends Radio Show After 8 Years On Air
The legendary radio personality Donnie Simpson will air the last episode of “The Donnie Simpson Show” on MAJIC 102.3 on Friday, Jan. 12.
The legendary radio personality Donnie Simpson will air the last episode of “The Donnie Simpson Show” on MAJIC 102.3 on Friday, Jan. 12.
The veteran D.C.-based radio personality made the announcement on Jan. 10, informing listeners that he will not be retiring, just making a transition, NBC Washingtonreports. Simpson, who joined MAJIC eight years ago, will still be on air in the form of his podcast and the reboot of the TV show Video Soul.
“I’m going to miss doing the show, Donnie’s going to miss it, too, but he’s got some great things planned,” News4 anchor and “Donnie Simpson Show” co-host Tony Perkins said. “We loved doing the show. Thank you for all the responses on social media.”
Simpson, 69, is a Radio Hall of Famer who began his career in his native Detroit at 97.9 WJLB at 15, Radio Insight reports. In 1977, he relocated to Washington to serve as program director of 93.9 WKYS, where he would guide the station’s transition from disco to urban contemporary before taking over morning hosting.
In 1993, Simpson joined 95.5 WPGC and remained there until 2010. He’s best known for hosting BET’s Video Soul from 1983 until 1997. He also hosted a weekly talk show, “Donnie After Dark,” on TV One from 2016-17.
Last summer, Video Soul was resurrected for a six-episode run on BET+. Simpson is returning to help the show’s comeback.
“Well it’s official. Donnie Simpson just announced that the final episode of ‘The Donnie Simpson Show’ will air THIS Friday on MAJIC 102.3/92.7,” he wrote. “Donnie is NOT retiring (and neither am I), but our final two shows are tomorrow and Friday—so please be sure to join us!”
“Hell yeah. I’m pulling up stoned. They expect it,” Khalifa said, according to People. “They know what’s up.”
“It’s not like back in the day [where] you’re considered a bad parent if you smoke weed,” he continued. “I’m pretty sure my son smells like weed. I don’t know because I can’t smell it but I’m pretty sure he smells like pot.”
For Khalifa, it’s all about his son’s teachers getting a chance to connect with “the real me.”
“And yeah I’m pulling up stoned, I’m pulling up high because I want them to connect with the real me,” he said. “They’re not going to get a fake version of me or this made-up parent that society makes you think that you’re supposed to be. I am who I am, and it’s not because I’m a celebrity or anything. But it’s because it’s really what I believe in and why not get the real one?”
“Why would I have to change who I am or act like I’m not that just for these places that I’m going to go? That’s not how I’m going to be living my life ever. Hell no,” he added.
Wiz Khalifa shares his son, Sebastian, with his ex-wife, Amber Rose. In 2019, he opened up in his Wiz Khalifa: Behind the Cam docuseries about how fatherhood had changed him for the better.
“Bash is a huge part of that transition—and not being with his mother, too, because it forced me to be more responsible and do the things I wouldn’t normally do,” Khalifa said.
“The older that he gets, the more influence I have on him. So it’s not as much as just makin’ sure he’s good; it’s actually being there.”
World Bride Magazine Founder Gives Tips On How To Enter The Luxury Destination Wedding Space
Brand expert Myrdith Leon-McCormack shares some tips for anyone who wants to take up space in the multibillion dollar destination wedding industry.
The luxurious destination wedding market will be worth nearly $80 billion by 2027, according to data published in Research and Markets’ 2023 Destination Wedding Global Market Report.
Recently, World Bride Magazine founder Myrdith Leon-McCormick spoke about the importance of unity in the multi-billion-dollar luxury space.
From event producers, photographers, and fashion designers to planners, cake makers and caterers, people of color have historically been underrepresented in the wedding industry and publications. And the destination wedding space amplifies the disparity. As engagement season unfolds, Leon-McCormack posed a profound question: Why aren’t Black and brown people worldwide dominating the growing industry?
Source: Robert Ector / Vanessa Bell Calloway and her daughter Alexandra Calloway
Leon-McCormack, a businesswoman, mother, and proud daughter of Haitian parents, reminded BLACK ENTERPRISE that people of color are not always seen in a positive or progressive light. They’re often represented in “entertainment, the movies and cops-and-robbers experiences.” So there is a responsibility to break the stereotypes circulating across media outlets.
“There’s Black people all over the world, and I don’t think people realize,” Leon-McCormack told BE.
“It is a myth to think that Black people are just limited to a specific region.”
Couples are choosing to tie the knot in luxurious destinations outside their hometown, especially after the pandemic-induced slump. In celebration of love, freedom, and life, couples are spending an average estimated baseline cost of $35,000, according to experts. The wedding industry consists of smaller enterprises and services catering to weddings, guests, brides and grooms, and much more.
“Who you choose to spend your money with values your business,” Leon-McCormack explained to BE.
“If you don’t feel invited, wanted, desired, appreciated, why would you give them your money?”
She added: “Wherever you’re traveling around the world, you just have to make a diligent effort to find those qualified people to do the business with.“
Source: Michelle Behre Photography / Myrdith Leon-McCormack posing with models at Designer Loft NYC (Black owned bridal salon)
Leon-McCormack’s ambition and brand expertise have taken her across the globe, allowing her to explore popular wedding destinations like Egypt, Qatar, Dubai, London, France, and Ireland. She is proud to have found communities, businesses, and services by people of color in those countries that welcomed her with open arms.
In her three-decade career, Leon-McCormack, a 2023 Crain’s New York BusinessNotable Black Leader, has architected businesses from the ground up.
Source: Jaime Pavon / Fashion models Aminat Ayende and Lauren Murphy of Black-owned Strut Models NYC
Before WBM, Leon-McCormack transitioned from a celebrity manicurist represented by Factory Downtown into a visionary founder of MLM Represents, which provides invaluable strategic guidance to select clientele. She brings her prowess to radio and serves as executive entertainment producer for the weekly radio show Keep It Moving With Marsha Jews on WEAA 88.9 FM.
Since 2006, World Bride Magazine has been the “number one source for diverse wedding information.” Its mission is to represent the authenticity and the inclusivity of everyone on the planet. Every page of the magazine breaks away from the Western or European perspective and celebrates the culture of a people exactly where they are. WBM has worked with advertisers such as Piaget and Cadillac, and with Black woman entrepreneurs including Brussels-based dressmaker Valentine Avoh and jewelry designer Sheryl Jones.
“We don’t write about anything we haven’t touched, tasted, experienced, smelled, and seen with our own eyes… We just can’t,” Leon-McCormack said, adding that her team of all shades and backgrounds is passionate about sharing stories and ads that act as endorsements and reflect everyone they serve.
She continued, “The average consumer does not know how to differentiate between a paid ad and what we believe in. We look for brands that are inviting and are very specific, and we make it clear who they’re targeted to. But when it comes to ethic, that’s nonnegotiable.”
“I like places that are off the beaten path, and that’s what our goal is every year: to not give you the same commercial who paid the highest dollar, but to find the most exquisite gems for people to look into.”
Drawing from her wisdom, Leon-McCormack shared some tips for readers, couples, and business owners who want to take up space in the destination wedding industry.
DO YOUR RESEARCH
Research the company.
Find a place that’s that’s excited to work with Black people.
Go for a trial.
Take meetings.
Interview people.
Examine their body of work.
ACCOUNTABILITY
“I am still a customer. There’s a certain standard that I expect to be treated as a customer.”
“It’s not what you say. It’s how you say it.”
“Give the same energy to a Black business that wants to get better, that wants to compete.”
“If your ethics is to [exclude] other people and [shame] other people, and you have a history of doing it, we don’t do business with people like that.”
“I want Black people, Black business owners, to step up their game to get into the luxury space, because there’s room. Come into the luxury space with the understanding that there’s very few of us in that space, and there’s few of us that are in that luxury space.”
Pick up the latest issue of World Bride Magazinehere.
50 Cent Promises Taraji P. Henson More Than A Few Dollars To Join ‘Power’
50 Cent has heard Taraji P. Henson's cries about being lowballed in Hollywood and wants her to know the money is waiting for her within the "Power" universe.
The hip-hop mogul has been vocal with his support for Henson during her press run for The Color Purple, where she’s unloaded on the entertainment industry and its lowball salary offers despite her and other Black actors’ commitment to their work and their box office success. 50, who executive produces Starz’ three current Power spin-offs, has been petitioning for Henson to join the Power universe.
He continued his plea on Jan. 10 via Instagram.
“Someone called me today thinking I was bullsh!ting about working with @tarajiphenson till I told them what I made STARZ pay @therealmaryjblige to be on GHOST, I ain’t out here fvcking around,” he captioned two photos of himself.
His post comes two weeks after the Get Rich or Die Trying rapper first showed his interest in working with Henson after learning about her decision to fire her entire team on Empire for not capitalizing off her highly regarded star performance as Cookie Lyon.
“They dropped the ball fvck em @tarajiphenson I’m ready to work let’s get it,” 50 captioned his post.
50 isn’t lying when it comes to getting his stars’ paid. Mary J. Blige reportedly makes $400,000 an episode of Power Book II: Ghost, which is entering its fourth season, TMZ reports.
In addition to complaints of her low salary offer for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and firing her team during her time on Empire, Henson recently revealed the advocating she had to do for The Color Purple cast, which didn’t have trailers or food on set.
“They gave us rental cars, and I was like, ‘I can’t drive myself to set in Atlanta.’ This is insurance liability, it’s dangerous. Now they robbing people. What do I look like, taking myself to work by myself in a rental car?” Henson toldThe New York Times.
“So I was like, ‘Can I get a driver or security to take me?’ I’m not asking for the moon. They’re like, ‘Well, if we do it for you, we got to do it for everybody.’ Well, do it for everybody! It’s stuff like that, stuff I shouldn’t have to fight for. I was on the set of Empire fighting for trailers that wasn’t infested with bugs.”
“I literally think that in a lot of ways, I’m the luckiest man in the world because I’ve got an amazing daughter,” Strahan told his fellow co-anchorRobin Roberts. “I know she’s going through it, but I know that we’re never given more than we can handle and that she is going to crush this.”
Isabella shared how the diagnosis came in October, nearly one month into her studies as a freshman at the University of Southern California. The teenager was experiencing headaches that she initially thought were a cause of vertigo. On Oct. 25, she realized her condition had worsened.
“I didn’t notice anything was off till probably like Oct. 1,” she said. “That’s when I definitely noticed headaches, nausea, couldn’t walk straight.”
“I woke up, probably at like, 1 p.m. I dreaded waking up. But I was throwing up blood,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘Hm, this probably isn’t good.’ So I texted [my sister], who then notified the whole family.”
As her symptoms persisted, Michael Strahan encouraged his daughter to seek medical attention.
“That was when we decided, ‘You need to really go get a thorough checkup,'” he said. “And thank goodness for the doctor. I feel like this doctor saved her life because she was thorough enough to say, ‘Let’s do the full checkup.'”
After an EKG and MRI, Isabella’s doctor urged her to go to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where Isabella learned she was developing a fast-growing 4-centimeter tumor, bigger than a golf ball, in the back of her brain.
According to the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, about 500 children are diagnosed with medulloblastoma each year. It accounts for about 20% of all childhood brain tumors.
“But rarely someone who’s 18, 19 years old,” Michael Strahan said. “But it’s still scary because it’s still so much to go through. And the hardest thing to get over is to think that she has to go through this herself.”
On Oct. 27, the day before her 19th birthday, Isabella underwent emergency surgery to remove the mass. After surgery, Isabella went through a month of rehabilitation and several rounds of radiation treatment.
“So I just finished radiation therapy, which is proton radiation, and I got to ring the bell yesterday,” she said. “It was great. It was very exciting because it’s been a long 30 sessions, six weeks.”
In February, Isabella will start chemotherapy at Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center in Durham, North Carolina.
“That’s my next step. I’m ready for it to start and be one day closer to being over,” she said.
As part of her journey, Isabella has partnered with Duke to document her journey in a new YouTube series.
“It’s been like, two months of keeping it quiet, which is definitely difficult,” she said. “I don’t wanna hide it anymore, ’cause it’s hard to always keep in. I hope to just kind of be a voice, and be [someone] who people, maybe [those who] are going through chemotherapy or radiation can look at.”
On Tuesday, January 9, the former CNN host took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to announce his new talk show, The Don Lemon Show, under his new media company. While the show will be available “whenever and wherever you want,” Lemon notes that Elon Musk’s X platform will air it first.
“I’ve heard you… and today I am back bigger, bolder, freer!” Lemon shared in a note posted to his page. “My new media company’s first project is The Don Lemon Show.
“It will be available to everyone, easily, whenever and wherever you want it, streaming on the platforms where the conversations are happening,” he added. “And you’ll find it first on X, the biggest space for free speech in the world. I know now more than ever that we need a place for honest debate and discussion without the hall monitors. This is just the beginning so stay tuned.”
Lemon’s announcement comes months after he was firedfrom CNN in April 2023 after 17 years. He faced accusations of misogyny after he was pulled off the air in February 2023 for saying Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was past “her prime.”
“We’re delighted to announce a new content partnership with @DonLemon for his new project, The Don Lemon Show,” the platform announced. “The award winning TV journalist will share his unique and honest voice in 30 minute episodes, three times a week, covering politics, culture, sports and entertainment. The show will run exclusively first on X. Welcome Don!”
Since buying Twitter in 2022 and renaming it X, Musk has been a huge proponent of free speech on the social platform, which has resulted in a drastic drop in paid advertisements due to a rise in hate speech and misinformation.
Thurgood Marshall College Fund Taps Racquel Oden As First Woman To Lead Its Board
Though Oden is the first woman to lead the organization's board, in 1987, TMCF was founded by a woman, Dr. N. Joyce Payne.
On Jan. 4, Racquel Oden, currently serving as the head of Wealth and Personal Banking for the U.S., was named the chair of the board of trustees for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF). This historic appointment, reported Forbes, marks Oden as the first woman to assume this role in the organization’s 37-year history.
The TMCF framed this significant decision as a strategic response to the challenges posed by the Supreme Court’s rollback of affirmative action in 2023, positioning Oden’s appointment as a powerful symbol of the organization’s commitment to advancing equity in the face of setbacks to diversity and inclusion efforts. The TMCF stated, “Oden’s appointment as Board Chair serves as a powerful symbol of TMCF’s dedication to promoting equity, particularly in the face of challenges to diversity and inclusion efforts following recent Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action.”
Oden said that the Thurgood Marshall College Fund serves the majority of students who attend HBCUs, telling Forbes, “TMCF represents 80% of all students attending HBCUs. As a board member for the past 16 years, I’ve supported TMCF as it promotes access, equity, and inclusion by nurturing the growth of talent from HBCUs through scholarships and leadership development. I am excited to build on that legacy of service as the first woman to step into the role.”
Though Oden is the first woman to serve the organization in this particular capacity, in 1987 the organization was founded by a woman, Dr. N. Joyce Payne, with the goal of financially supporting Black students who wanted to pursue higher education.
David Wilson, the president of Morgan State University, one of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s member universities, saluted Dr. Payne, telling Forbes, “I applaud the vision of Dr. Joyce Payne in birthing the TMCF. She was and still is dynamic. And she understood that public HBCUs, which were being short-changed by states for funding and were not represented by another organization that represented private HBCUs, needed a voice.”
Wilson was also pleased that Oden graduated from Hampton University, an HBCU. Wilson told Forbes, “Having someone of Oden’s stature in the Board Chair role is crucial as the nation seems to be going through a period of confusion about why it’s perceived to be the best in the world.”
Wilson added, “America is a nation of diversity born by the different groups that have made it the envy of the world. It is quite fitting that one of the national associations representing the voice of HBCUs would appoint a person like Oden because the very purpose of the institutions — that she will be a major advocate for — was to push the country to live up to the ideals in the Constitution, and those ideals are at the core — diversity, equity and inclusion [DEI].”
Robert Palmer, a professor at Howard University, as well as an expert on HBCUs, believes that Oden’s appointment could portend a bigger impact on HBCUs in general in the area of diversity and inclusion, saying, “At a time when equity and diversity are being challenged nationwide, we must remind ourselves that these issues play out at HBCUs in a very different fashion. In society, when we think about equity and diversity, many of us think about these issues within the context of race, but at HBCUs, issues around equity and diversity may come in the form of gender.”
Palmer expounded, “At some HBCUs, we have seen disparate treatment for women presidents, causing some to raise concerns about sexism and Black women in executive leadership positions.”
Standing in the pulpit at the site where nine worshippers were killed by a white supremacist in 2015, Biden started by highlighting the trauma Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss experienced in Georgia, calling them “two brave Black women,” before criticizing Donald Trump and Nikki Haley’s viewpoints on the Civil War. He called Trump a “loser” and set the record straight on what the 1861 war was all about. “Let me be clear for those who don’t seem to know — slavery was the cause of the Civil War,” Biden said. “There’s no negotiation about that.”
It was great to be back with my friends at Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina.
Because of this congregation and the Black community of South Carolina, I stand here today as your president. That’s a fact. pic.twitter.com/7HbymTtKVR
The number of Black voters supporting the President is slipping. In 2020, Biden had 92% support of Black voters in 2020, but now, 20% have admitted to being open to voting for Trump.
The lack of support shows regarding foreign policy. A little over 30% of all voters approve of Biden’s handling of foreign policy, down eight points from September 2023. Half of Democrats approve of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, compared to 59% of independents and 69% of Republicans who disapprove.
Biden’s speech at Emanuel was interrupted by protesters chanting, “Ceasefire now.” Biden supporters quickly shut it down with chants of “four more years.” He acknowledged the protestors as they were escorted out, giving a brief update on where his administration stands on the issue. “I understand their passion,” Biden said, according to Politico. “I’ve been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza.”
The leadership of the Black community was grateful for Biden’s appearance. State Rep. JA Moore, whose sister was a victim at Emanuel, said it was necessary.
“I think it’s important for him to come,” Moore said. “We’re at a very critical moment after what Donald Trump has stoked.” Rep. James Clyburn had similar sentiments but was still very concerned with the lack of support from Black voters.
“I have no problem with the Biden administration and what it has done,” Clyburn said. “My problem is that we have not been able to break through that MAGA wall in order to get to people exactly what this president has done.”
Supporters like Nashonda Hunter, 41, said she is still on Biden’s side but is disappointed in his administration, saying there are “a lot of broken promises.”
This Black-Owned Fragrance Brand Teamed Up With JCPenney To Launch Luxury Collection
November Nichols is the architect behind the only Black brand with their own fragrance house.
Atlanta-based perfumer November Nichols is celebrating a significant win with a new partnership with JCPenney and the drop of an affordable luxury collection.
On Jan. 10, Chémin announced that its latest lavish “gender-neutral parfums and body products that celebrate your unique essence” hit 50 JC Penney stores nationwide and online.
Nichols, the architect behind the only Black brand with their own fragrance house and retail giant JC Penney, are laser-focused on getting these products into the hands of everyone.
Source: CHÉMIN / Background Photo Credit: Mood & Theory
Perfume- and gift lovers can purchase these products at locations across Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Utah. For those familiar with Chémin’s opulent collection, the collaboration will stay true to the same scent and sensory experience.
These include fine fragrances (Eau De Toilette):
Parfum 1 (Lemongrass, White Tea, Sandalwood),
Parfum 17(Bamboo, Citrus, Vetiver)
Parfum 37 (Jasmine, Pomelo, Oud)
Parfum 77(SantaletVanille)
Parfum 87 (Leather, Oud, Tobacco
Source: Mood + Theory / Parfum 77
Customers can also choose from “natural body products, including body butters, crystal-infused body oils, Vitamin E sugar scrubs, charcoal scrubs, and lotions,” the press release states.
Founded in 2017, Chémin pays homage to Nichols’ paternal grandmother, “medicine woman” Mary Lena “Chémin” Portalis. Since its inception, the brand has created a buzz about what it means to self-care as it exists at the intersection of beauty, wellness, experience, service, artistry, and life. From intentional fine fragrances and body products to hand-poured soy candles and artisan handcrafted teas, the brand also takes pride in offering a “Chémin Custom Fragrance Experience” for individuals, groups and organizations.
Creative hands who want to blend their own scents can book a consultation, a formulation session with a master artisan, and an experience to curate a palette of fragrance accords. Once complete, you can go home with a bottle of your own creation.
Beyond the products, Nichols is passionate about training artisans to stay in the know as the fragrance industry proves to be lucrative. A report by Mordor Intelligence anticipated the sector to generate $61.79 billion in 2023 and upwards of $84.02 billion by 2028. In 2018, Black people were 23% of the customers buying fragrances, but very few were looking at entering the industry.
Nichols is hopeful that more minorities and women will break into the fragrance industry.
Trump Says He Hopes Economy Crashes ‘During This Next 12 Months’
The American economy ended 2023 ahead of economists' predictions, posting good numbers across a number of economic metrics, including inflation, job growth, and unemployment.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said that he hopes that whatever downturn the economy takes, he would prefer that it happens before he takes office. While being interviewed by Lou Dobbs on Lindell TV, Trump drew parallels to the presidency of Herbert Hoover, suggesting that the current economic stability is tenuous and sustained merely by the previous administration’s efforts, The Hill reported. “We have an economy that’s so fragile, and the only reason it’s running now is it’s running off the fumes of what we did,” Trump said. “It’s just running off the fumes.”
Trump also briefly mentioned that he expects the markets to crash, saying, “And when there’s a crash — I hope it’s going to be during this next 12 months because I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover. The one president I just don’t want to be, Herbert Hoover.”
In December, President Joe Biden referred to Trump at a campaign reception in Boston, comparing him to Hoover while correcting Trump’s revised version of events. Biden told the crowd gathered at the Westin Boston Seaport District Hotel, “Now, for the reason that I’m here today, specifically, is to thank you all. You know, when I came to office, the pandemic was raging, and the economy was reeling. In the four years Donald Trump was president — and he’s the only president other than Herbert Hoover who actually lost jobs in a four-year period. And that’s why I often re- — think of him as Donald ‘Herbert Hoover’ Trump.”
The American economy ended 2023 ahead of economists’ predictions, posting good numbers across several economic metrics, including inflation, job growth, and unemployment. During a Jan. 5 interview with CNN, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen described the economic conditions, explaining, “What we’re seeing now I think we can describe as a soft landing, and my hope is that it will continue.”
Yellen gave credit for the strong economic performance to the work ethic of the American people but also praised the incentives created by President Biden. “The American people did it,” Yellen said. “The American people go to work every day, participate in the labor market, form new businesses. But President Biden has tried to create incentives that give Americans the tools they need to help this economy grow.”
Biden’s three key pieces of policy, the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act, form the bedrock of his economic philosophy or “Bidenomics,” essentially working counter to the trickle-down economic theory espoused by former President Ronald Reagan. Instead of placing resources at the top, Biden says his economic vision is focused on building from the bottom and middle of the economic pyramid.
