ET Black Stories: Last News

Janet Jackson has been in the public eye since she was just a child, and nearly five decades later, she still feels there are things about her that are misrepresented. The 56-year-old singer opens up in a new interview with revealing what people still get wrong about her to this day.«When it comes to my personal life, I think mistaking my kindness for weakness,» she tells the magazine. «When it comes to my professional life, I would say it would have to be not liking to hear the word 'no.'»«Especially being a woman, and someone telling you, 'No, you can’t because…'», she adds.A post shared by ESSENCE (@essence)For Jackson, her career isn't about flashing her success, despite being a five-time GRAMMY winner.

star Reginald VelJohnson will forever be remembered for his role as the caring and compassionate Carl Winslow. Now, the veteran actor is looking back with ET at his memories of the show.One of the most enduring pop-culture touchstones thatsparked is the character of the Winslow family's nerdy, comically obnoxious next-door neighbor Steve Urkel — played by Jaleel White.«He was a wonderful kid, [but] I think working with him was a challenge,» VelJohnson recalled while speaking with ET's Nischelle Turner. «Working with everybody was a challenge, and there were some moments where he was a little difficult. But overall, I have nothing but good memories from him.»«I think, you know, a lot of the kids grew up on the set and we had to deal with children... and that was an interesting experience, dealing with children as they grew up,» he recalled.

Tiffany Haddish is looking back on the time she spent in foster care. During a keynote conversation for the  Changemakers Summit, Haddish opened up about that time in her life and how it felt to be living day-to-day without a guarantee of the future.«When I was in foster care, I mean, I thought I was going to die there,» Haddish told the outlet.

Broadway is about to make history. On Thursday, the Nederlander Organization announced it will rename the Brooks Atkinson Theatre after legendary performer Lena Horne, who died in 2010 at 92.

Serena Williams is getting back to the tennis courts! It's been almost a year since the 40-year-old tennis champion last competed in a major tennis tournament —  she pulled out of 2021's Wimbledon after injuring her right leg during her match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.The injury followed Williams' announcement that she would not compete at the Tokyo Olympics, which were held in July and August. Then in December, the Twitter account for the Australian Open shared a statement from Williams announcing her decision to withdraw from the January event on medical advice.Now, the four-time Olympic gold medalist is hinting to fans that she’ll be back at Wimbledon this year to compete in the major tournament!On Tuesday, Williams posted a photo of her sneaker-clad feet, writing, «SW and SW19.

Kenan Thompson isn't departing  anytime soon. ET spoke to Thompson at the 2022 Apollo Spring Benefit in New York City, where he's hosting the annual fundraiser, about his future on the sketch comedy show after a season that saw major cast exits in Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney. «I mean, not that I know of,» Thompson said when asked if he was planning to depart SNL.

Lizzo is changing a line in her new song, «GRRRLS,» after facing backlash for a lyric that some listeners called an «ableist slur.» Fans took to social media following the release of the track to call out the singer for her use of the word «spaz» in the song's opening verse, calling it a derogatory term.«Hold my bag, b***h/ Hold my bag/ Do you see this s**t?/ I’m a spaz/ I’m about to knock somebody out/ Yo, where my best friend?/ She the only one I know to talk me off the deep end,» Lizzo sings.«Hey @lizzo my disability Cerebral Palsy is literally classified as Spastic Diplegia (where spasticity refers to unending painful tightness in my legs) your new song makes me pretty angry + sad. ‘Spaz’ doesn’t mean freaked out or crazy.

It's been 25 years since the cast of  last graced TV screens together, but their chemistry hasn't gone away. Ahead of the show's long-awaited reunion, ET sat down with four actors who brought the iconic comedy to life in the '90s, including Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II.The four are the main stars of the upcoming special celebrating the beloved show's 30th anniversary, bringing the actors back to the iconic living room set. The stars look back on the show's most hilarious moments and give fans an intimate look at what it was like filming the groundbreaking five seasons. The special will also feature musical performances and appearances from celebrity superfans like Snoop Dogg, Brian McKnight, Le'Andria Johnson, Reginald Ballard, Tracy Morgan, Tommy Davidson, Marla Gibbs and Sean Lampkin.«It was really surreal, it was very nostalgic,» Campbell said of gathering on the recreated set.

has finally returned, and it’s wasted no time getting back into the drama only two episodes into season 2. For Uncle Clifford, that means finding a way to survive both the pandemic, which has temporarily shut down The Pynk, as well as heartbreak, as she finds herself struggling to get over Lil’ Murda (J.

Megan Thee Stallion is headed to The Pynk! The rapper will play “Tina Snow” in an upcoming episode of ’s second season. Stallion’s character will play homage to the rapper’s alter ego, whose name also happens to be the title of her second EP. Ahead of her onscreen appearance, the rapper made a voice cameo during episode two, “Seven Pounds of Pressure,” when DJ Neva Scared (Brandon Gilpin) reveals to Lil’ Murda (J.

Regina King stepped out for her first red carpet appearance since the death of her son in January. Over the weekend, the 51-year-old actress made an appearance during an award ceremony during the Filming Italy festival in Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy. King flashed a smile as she was captured on the carpet at the event and flashed her legs in an all-white ensemble, that she paired with a Louis Vuitton purse. The Academy-award winning actress was also spotted sitting next to Edgar Ramierz and Naomie Harris during the event.

 are back, and so is the drama! The hit Bravo series' season 9 trailer dropped Thursday and it's promising to be a wild one. Friendships are being tested, rumors of infidelity are flowing through the streets and a newcomer rocks the boat, as she joins the group for the show's upcoming season.With the COVID-19 pandemic on the mend, the ladies are ready to get out of Atlanta, Georgia, and have some fun. However, the love and laughs don't last for long when a rumor that one of the women is «sleeping around» causes a rift among the group.«When the streets talk, we listen,» Quad Webb says in the first-look trailer.And that's not the only rumor out there, allegations are also being thrown Quad's way.«There's a rumor about Quad too?» Dr.

Dwyane Wade is speaking out against transgender hate. ET's Lauren Zima spoke to the former basketball star and proud father about standing up for his courageous daughter, Zaya Wade, at the  100 Gala in New York City Wednesday night.«That's all we talk about it, just her courage.

Dwyane Wade is getting candid about his fears as the parent of a transgender child. The 40-year-old spoke with CNN at the TIME100 summit on Tuesday, where he opened up about his desire to protect his daughter, Zaya Wade, 15, as lawmakers continue to pass anti-trans policies around the country. «As blessed as it is for my daughter to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves the house,» Dwyane told CNN's Poppy Harlow. «And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way people perceive her in this world.»The retired NBA superstar and philanthropist criticized lawmakers who have passed acts denying trans youth access to gender-affirming medical care and blocking trans athletes from competing in school sports aligned with their gender identity. «To me, it’s a joke.

Gabrielle Union offered a powerful reminder for anyone living with anxiety as she opened up about some of her personal struggles — healing isn't a straight line. On Tuesday, the 49-year-old actress shared a powerful post on Instagram explaining how post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety affect her daily life after she was raped at age 19. «As a rape survivor, I have battled PTSD for 30 years,» she began her post. «Living with anxiety and panic attacks all these years has never been easy.

Nick Cannon’s family is expanding even more. During a recent episode of podcast, the 41-year-old TV personality shared that “the stork is on the way.”  Responding to speculation that he has “three babies on the way," Cannon joked, «When you say 'on the way...' What count are you at? Let's just put it this way...the stork is on the way.» He added, “It could be.

Lil Nas X released a new song slamming BET after calling out the network for leaving him off the list of this year's nominees for the BET Awards.The  rapper previewed the track, which appeared to be titled, «F**K BET,» in a video shared to Twitter Tuesday. In the clip, a shirtless Lil Nas X raps along with the song which calls out the network for snubbing him, while listing his accolades as a chart-topping artist.The song comes just days after the 23-year-old took to Twitter to vent his frustrations about being snubbed by the show for the second year in a row — and on the first day of Pride Month and Black Music Month, too.«Thank you, BET Awards.

Juneteenth is just weeks away. This holiday -- named for and celebrated on June 19 -- commemorates the true ending of slavery in the United States.

 returns for its third season Tuesday on a brand new network, Oprah Winfrey's OWN, but leading lady and executive producer Simone Missick assures viewers the show — amid changes in front of and behind the camera — is keeping its signature flair, and knack for showcasing inclusive and timely stories.«New beginnings is the theme for the show this season, but it is also literally what we as cast and crew are dealing with. We have different cast members; Lola has a different husband — same character, but different actor.

Mary J. Blige now has her own key to the city! Atlantic City that is.

Dave Chappelle is reportedly donating ticket sales from his stand-up show in Buffalo, New York to the families of the victims of the mass shooting at Tops supermarket on May 14. Casualties from the attack include 10 people who were killed and three who were wounded last month when a teen staged what police deemed a racially motivated attack at the Buffalo-area supermarket.According to Shea's Performing Arts Center, where Chappelle performed Sunday, the comedian announced at the end of his show, that he would donate the night's ticket sales to the family members of the victims — some of whom were in the audience at Chapelle's invitation.«He said, and I’m paraphrasing, I came here to Buffalo to recognize the victims and for these families,» Kevin Sweeney, director of marketing and communications for Shea’s Performing Arts Center, said.The comedian booked his appearance at the 3,019-seat arena just four days prior.