Joe Rogan now says he wasn’t being racist when he used the N-word and called Black people apes

Remember when Fox was its own studio and Searchlight Pictures was this premier boutique studio that produced some of the best films of the year, often receiving tons of awards on an annual basis. This is the studio that released films like “Slumdog Millionaire,” “12 Years a Slave,” and “Birdman.” But after the purchase of Fox by Disney, Searchlight isn’t quite what it used to be.

Queen of accountability Kellyanne Conway, who coined the absurd term “alternative facts,” has lashed out at President Biden’s administration for having, of all things, “a fact problem.”To recap, the former Donald Trump advisor was widely criticized shortly after Trump took office in 2017, after telling Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s irrefutable lies weren’t falsehoods so much as “alternative facts.”“Don’t be so overly dramatic about it, Chuck,” Conway said. “They’re saying it’s a falsehood and our press secretary, Sean Spicer, gave alternative facts to that.”Related: Kellyanne Conway announces new memoir and everyone on Twitter had the same response“Wait a minute,” Todd responded.

Dune, all eyes have fallen on the casting roster as director Denis Villeneuve seeks actors for three key new characters.Dune 2 will cover the second half of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel, following the rise of Paul Atrides (Timothée Chalamet) and his concubine Chani (Zendaya) as they conquer the planet Arakis. Of course, they also must avenge the death of Paul’s father at the hands of the villainous Baron Harkonen (Stellan Skarsgard).The Hollywood Reporter now claims that Villeneuve and the production have entered final talks with actor Austin Butler, who stars in the Elvis biopic later this year, to play the villain Feyd-Rautha, nephew of Baron Harkonen.Related: The Oscar nominations are in and Lady Gaga fans are having a collective meltdownThe novel describes Feyd as something of an opposite to Paul: tall, muscular, and violent, he’s known as an unmatched warrior in hand-to-hand combat.

Gemma Collins posted a video on Friday of herself proudly cartwheeling across a beach as she made the most of the sunshine.The 41 year old was seen at the beginning of the clip posted to Instagram with her back turned to the camera sporting a black swimsuit as she prepared to take off on her cartwheel. Her blonds hair was styled in a loose, wavy ponytail and she was also seen wearing sunglasses — which surprisingly managed to stay on as the TOWIE star performed the acrobatic act in front of surrounding beachgoers. Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter.

I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, filmmaker Patricia Rozema’s well-loved debut feature, is about to reach new ears and eyes.The quirky comedy-drama, which first won audiences over in 1987, is getting a new theatrical release, beginning today in New York City, continuing March 18 in Los Angeles, then expanding to 10 other cities in the U.S. and Canada. It was digitally restored in 2017 for Canada’s 150th anniversary as a nation.“I feel ecstatic,” writer-director Rozema says about the re-release.

Blu Hydrangea has shared the names of five legendary queens she wants to see compete on the next international version of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months probation after being found guilty of staging a hate crime against himself.

Laura Ingraham leaned extra hard into homophobia during a segment about Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill on her show this week. Now, her gay brother is speaking out.On Wednesday night’s episode of The Ingraham Angle, the Fox News propagandist dug into opponents of the bill, which bans curricula concerning LGBTQ issues in Florida classrooms, accusing them of wanting to “sexually brainwash” other people’s children.Related: Laura Ingraham defends Dave Chappelle’s transphobia, even though he called her a “c*nt”“When did our public schools, any schools, become what are essentially grooming centers for gender identity radicals?” she said above a chyron written in all-caps that read: “LIBERALS ARE SEXUALLY GROOMING ELEMENTARY STUDENTS”.Ingraham added, “As a mom, I think it’s appalling, it’s frightening, it’s disgusting, it’s despicable.”But she wasn’t finished yet.

Hacks will return for a second season this summer.

Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a directive stating that supportive parents of transgender children should be investigated for child abuse. The letter goes on to impose reporting requirements on medical providers, educators and "the general public."In particular, the order targets parents who follow the prevailing standard of care for the treatment of gender dysphoria that has been adopted by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association, among others.

Mark Feehily has won The Global Recognition Award for Diversity for his work to change Irish surrogacy laws and promote equality. The ceremony was held in the Grand Connaught Rooms in London and was also hosted by broadcaster and former loose women panellist, June Sarpong. The singer has been a well-known advocate for LGBTQ+ rights […]

It’s March already, can you believe time passed so fast? If you’re struggling to keep up and you’re not careful, you might miss the new fabulous music these Irish LGBTQ+ artists are producing right now. Since we can’t let that happen, we’ve made sure you have all your queer music recommendations in this convenient and […]

PinkNews, found via YouGov only 24% of UK adults are opposed to teenagers accessing online content about trans lives, and only a minority of parents (28%) are concerned about this.Mari said: ‘Pure Trans Joy is important because it provides representation and inspiration.‘As the number of transgender individuals rises each year, the lack of representation is still present.‘For many trans youth and young adults to see other trans individuals in a state of mind where happiness was made a centre front for someone else doesn’t bring envy – it brings joy, inspiration, and motivation.‘Most people believe that transitioning is hard. Which at times, it can be, but not everyone’s journey has to be depressing, sad, or confusing.’Ryder added part of his struggle was because he had ‘never been exposed to LGBT+ people in a positive light while growing up’.Couple who fell in love on TikTok marry two weeks after meeting in personMan gives birth to son after surprise pregnancySome people are finding a way to blame the trans community for the war in UkraineJK Rowling slammed for criticising Labour MP over definition of woman‘Now, I hope that my being “out and proud” may just be something that someone scrolling through social media sees and gets to have that moment of “oh, hey, trans people exist in real life and don’t just live the constant drama (and trauma) that’s on tv”,’ he added.He hopes the show will help others with struggles around coming out, and offered other trans people the advice to ‘take your time’.

Cook County Judge James Linn sentenced gay actor Jussie Smollett to 30 months of probation and 150 days in jail for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack that he staged. Linn also ordered Smollett to pay $120,106 restitution to the city of Chicago and a $25,000 fine.The former "Empire" star's request for new trial was denied ahead of sentencing.Smollett, 39, who had made the March 10 appearance in Linn's courtroom shortly after 1 p.m.

Comedian Michael Henry is back on YouTube this week asking the tough questions about nude photo etiquette. Specifically, what’s up with guys who ask to swap photos and then don’t hold up to their end of the bargain?On one side of the argument, Henry’s co-star Preston Sadleir asks, “Why should someone have to send you their nudes if they don’t want to? It’s his body, he’s allowed to change his mind.

administration’s guidance supporting transgender and nonbinary youth’s access to gender-affirming care, according to a news release from the state’s Attorney General’s Office.On March 2, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the guidance as a direct response to Texas Gov.

BenDeLaCreme spoke to GAY TIMES about how her Ready to Be Committed tour will leave Drag Race fans feeling very satisfied.

Governor Greg Abbott is under fire after more than 60 major corporations Friday signed on to a full-page ad in the Dallas Morning News accusing the Texas Republican of engaging in anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Abbott has ordered state agencies to investigate and prosecute anyone – including parents – involved in providing or enabling medically-necessary medical care for transgender youth and teens, using the false claim of “child abuse,” a claim some legal experts say is unlawful and medical experts have condemned.

A Georgia bill has been introduced to the State Senate petitioning for the removal of “inappropriate” taught LGBTQ+ subjects in schools.

(Images by Joan Crisol for Modus Vivendi)

IMMA has announced its highly anticipated 2022 programme and there are plenty of exciting events and exhibitions happening including some incredible new queer art. To mark their 30th anniversary, IMMA will continue with its series of exhibitions ‘The Narrow Gate of the Here-and-Now’; exploring themes across the 30-year period through the personal, political and planetary […]

Sunday Times revealed earlier this week that two years down the line, she’s not likely to spend a night again at Buckingham Palace.The palace is undergoing a ten-year renovation, so its next occupants will likely be Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, with Charles next in line to the throne.The Queen has long been known to favor her Windsor home. However, news she’s fully vacating Buckingham Palace comes in the same week that the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said Britons were welcome to house Ukraine refugees in their homes.Related: Gay dating app asks users to help Ukrainians and is blown away by responseThe war in Ukraine has prompted a humanitarian crisis, and 2.5million inhabitants of the country are now believed to have fled.

Related: The Jussie Smollett saga just took yet another strange turnJurors at his trial heard how Smollett had colluded with two brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, to stage the attack. The brothers said he paid them $3,500.

Disney executives have censored gay affection in its films.In an open letter attributed to LGBTQIA+ animators and allies at the studio (obtained by Variety), it reads: “We have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were.“Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.”The letter is in response to Disney’s messaging around the recently passed legislation in Florida known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which blocks the discussion of LGBT+ identities in schools.Disney’s soft reaction to the legislation attracted widespread criticism.

Jessica Gonzalez, left and Judge Tanya Parker, right

Families of trans youth — really, any family in the LGBTQIA+ community — are still reeling from Attorney General Ken Paxton’s non-binding opinion, released on Feb. 21. The opinion purports to claim that certain medical treatments and procedures constitute “child abuse” under Texas Law. Gov. Greg Abbott, on Feb. 22, sent a directive letter to the Department of Family Protective Services, the state agency that includes Child Protective Services, which specifically investigates allegations of child abuse and neglect. Abbott’s letter states, in part, “[t]o protect Texas children from abuse, DFPS and all other state agencies must follow the law as explained in OAG Opinion No. KP-0401.” That would be Paxton’s opinion released the day before

Ukrainian soldiers and militiamen carry a woman in a wheelchair as the artillery echoes nearby, while people flee Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 7. (Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press)

Emmett Schelling, TENT executive director, speaks outside the Travis County courthouse where a hearing was held to stop investigations targeting supportive families of transgender children, on March 2. (Erich Schlegel/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign)

Venton Jones

Erin Malone Turner

39-year-old actor Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation for orchestrating a racist and homophobic hate crime against himself. Smollett was found guilty in December for lying to the police about the hoax and must also pay $120,000 in restitution to the city of Chicago. In 2019, Jussie […]

The first same-sex couples have started to get married in Chile after the country’s landmark equality law finally came into effect.

Meet Lady, a 3-and-a-half-year-old pit bull terrier mix who came to us from a cruelty case, so she hasn’t had the best life so far, but she’s eager to start over with a new family. Lady is totally sweet and loves to spend time with people. She can be a little shy around strangers, but if you come with some treats in hand, she’ll be your best friend in no time. Lady is very gentle and adores ear scratches and being petted. She’s open to meeting other dogs and would love to meet all family members before you take her home. Now through March 31, Lady and all other adult dogs and cats are only $17 to adopt at our Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center and our Ellis County Animal Care Center. To meet Lady, please visit www.spca.org/adopt.

Texas and Florida continue to compete in their race to be named The Worst State in the U.S. It’s an absolutely exhausting display of anti-LGBTQ bigotry, and especially exhausting for LGBTQ people and their families. People are under enough stress, damn it! Between the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine,

Germany must confront an often-overlooked homophobic chapter of its post-war history, says the star of an Oscar-shortlisted film that tells the story of gay men who were sent back to prison after being liberated from Nazi concentration camps.

Have an event coming up? Email your information to Managing Editor Tammye Nash at nash@dallasvoice.com or Senior Staff Writer David Taffet at taffet@dallasvoice.com by Wednesday at 5 p.m. for that week’s issue.

Out Traveler the panel will examine existing attitudes on male sexuality, challenge the rigid binary of sexual identity, and examine the role of social media in breaking past traditional boundaries of male sexual expression.“We’re hoping to challenge an outdated and outmoded version of masculinity that so many people uphold as the standard for men,” Martin tells Out Traveler via email. “The time is ripe to open a conversation about reinventing a masculinity that is non-toxic; a new masculinity that holds space for people of all sexual and gender identities.”The panel will feature actor, writer, producer, and author Jacob Tobia (Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story); Zachary Zane, the Brooklyn-based activist, sex expert, and author of the “Sexplain It” Men’s Health sex advice column; and author, fetishist, and 2021 Out100 honoree Alexander Cheves.The pairing of Sniffies and the “Tech and the New Fluidity of Male Sexuality” panel discussion is a perfect fit, according to Martin.“Sniffies is proud to be a space where our users can express their entire authentic selves outside of the rigorous censorship promoted by other platforms,” Martin says.

Via MrMan:

Gemma Collins has taken to Instagram to show off her beach body to her 2.2 million envious followers, as she took a quick vacation away.The 41-year-old can be seen on a white sand beach in front of the bright blue sea as she takes a stroll and enjoys the sunshine.She paused to perform an impressive cartwheel and sassily threw her arms in the air as she landed, shaking her hips as she walked off into the sea.The TOWIE star styled her blonde hair in beachy waves and accessorised with black sunglasses as she soaked in the sun.She wrote an uplifting message in the caption: “It’s the weekend, be happy.”Her adoring fans shared their compliments in the comments and left her supportive messages.One follower told her they “loved this video” while another said they “loved the positivity”.Another wished the influencer a “happy Friday” and many told her to “have a great time on holiday”.The reality TV star has been asking her manager for a well deserved break after she recently complained that she hasn’t had a holiday in two and a half years.She shared a video on Instagram with her manager Mark and moaned about her dilemma: “Surprise visit from Mark this morning, with your huge schedule for the year!”She can then be heard begging her manager for a holiday because she has been so busy.Gemma is well deserving of a break after her recent hard-hitting documentary Gemma Collins: Self Harm and Me.The television icon gave a real and raw account of her struggles with self harm and her fiance Rami Hawash was also involved.He recalled a time when he discovered Gemma at her lowest and the star also admitted that she was struggling with the idea of having a child.The GC opened up about her 20 year long battle and spoke to a therapist, family

embattled podcaster Joe Rogan.Amid increasing backlash to his spread of COVID-19 disinformation and use of racist language, Spotify has begun making overtures that Rogan’s days with the streaming giant may be numbered.Publicly, Spotify has stood by Rogan up until this point, with CEO Daniel Ek sending a letter supporting him to employees of the company.Behind-the-scenes, however, things appear to be in chaos.Related: Just when we didn’t think the Joe Rogan thing could get any stupider, Caitlyn Jenner entered the chatThe platform recently announced that it would start adding content advisory labels to podcasts dealing with COVID-19 misinformation. Now, The Independent reports that Spotify has quietly removed over 100 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience.

Joe Rogan lost one high profile defender over the weekend, but he gained another.Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. “The Rock”) previously defended his longtime friend Rogan following his apology two weeks ago for his continued spread of COVID-19 disinformation and hosting of conspiracy theorists on his show.“Great stuff here brother,” Johnson wrote in response to Rogan’s Instagram post.

ABOVE: Now that is a cover.

The blowback over podcast host Joe Rogan continues, as singer/podcast host India Arie has elaborated on the reasons she’s pulled her music and podcast from Spotify.Arie joined fellow musicians Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash, as well as fellow podcast host Mary L. Trump in pulling her music and podcast from Spotify. The group has said publicly that they’ve done so in protest to the platform’s continued support of Joe Rogan and his spread of COVID-19 misinformation.Now, Arie wants the world to know, that COVID-19 misinformation was not the only issue she had with Rogan.Related: Joe Rogan just cost Spotify yet another famous podcastArie posted a lengthy video to Instagram to address her fans, the controversy, and to emphasize another issue she has with Rogan: his use of racist language.Arie begins the video by showing a clip of Rogan referring to a heavily black neighborhood as “Planet of the Apes.” She then clarifies her own stance to her followers.“I empathize with the people who are leaving for the COVID disinformation reasons,” Arie adds.

The Roxane Gay Agenda, from Spotify because the platform continues to carry Joe Rogan, whose podcast spreads misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines.On The Joe Rogan Experience, the host has made “false claims that Covid vaccines are ‘essentially a gene therapy’” and featured guests who offer “dangerous misinformation about Covid and other topics,” Gay wrote in Thursday’s New York Times. Rogan sometimes says he is simply curious, which is “a convenient way of shirking accountability for misleading people about their life-or-death health decisions,” she continued.“Sometimes, racism is sprinkled in his conversations, just to keep things interesting,” she noted.

Oscar-nominated star Sharon Stone has weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding podcast host Joe Rogan and Spotify, the parent network of his show.Joe Rogan has come under increasing scrutiny due to his continued spread of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 virus, and his hosting of COVID conspiracy theorists on his show. The past week has seen numerous entertainers, including singers Neil Young, Joni Mithcell, India Arie, and Graham Nash all pull their music from Spotify in protest to its continued support of Rogan.

COVID-19 misinformation peddler Joe Rogan continues apace, as another major podcast host for the streaming platform has announced she will pull her show from the network.Mary L. Trump, the niece of disgraced former President Donald Trump and host of The Mary Trump Show, announced on Tuesday (Feb. 1) that she would remove her show from Spotify.

under fire for using his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, to spread COVID-19 misinformation. Spotify, which exclusively hosts Rogan’s podcast, has refused to censor him — leading multiple artists to pull their catalogs from the streaming audio service in response.But in a recent episode, Rogan once again turned his attention to transgender people, after previous episodes in which he and his guests have compared being trans to having anorexia, have pushed debunked claims about medical procedures on trans youth, and decried that they can’t use anti-trans slurs.Speaking to former psychology professor and right-wing provocateur Jordan Peterson on Jan.

Joe Rogan’s spread of COVID-19 misinformation, two more musical giants have announced they’re yanking their music from the streaming service.The Hollywood Reporter reports that R&B hitmaker India Arie has pulled both her music and her podcast SongVersation from the platform in protest of Spotify’s continued support of Rogan.In her announcement, Arie also cited Rogan’s recent comments that it was “weird” to call someone Black unless they were “100 percent African, from the darkest place, where they’re not wearing any clothes all day.”Arie also took to A post shared by indiaarie (@indiaarie)“Neil Young opened a door that I MUST walk through,” Arie wrote. “What I am talking about is RESPECT — who gets it and who doesn’t.