Ratchet & Respectable

America turns 250; a random woman on theDC Metro becomes a national news story; ESSENCE has a successful fest; the author of Children of Blood and Bone has Hollywood drama; Black kids in white spaces

Demi returns to Penny; Good Black News: BET Awards breaks records + Lil Nas X is back (and he’s doing good); Survival of the Thickest returns: an Update on The Balls’ Divorce; Caresha’s “Spend Dat” causes a respectable kerfuffle 

Demi is STILL in Maryland; a recap of the 2026 BET Awards, a review of “Strung”, Mara Brock Akil drops a novel, additional thoughts on Oprah Cannes’s confessions, Lavar Ball— not LeVar Burton— gets left by his wife; Tyra Banks sued Netflix over that ANTM doc 

Penny under construction (again) + The Obamas remind us to hope (again) + An 8-part Jay Z Documentary + Oprah’s BTS about Whitney causes an uproar + Big Tigger Charged with Aggravated Battery 

Demi’s 600th episode + Mayor Mamdani delivers a sermon at the Knicks Parade + The Glow Up of Jordyn Woods + The Opening of the Obama Library + Musings on that Tyra Banks lawsuit 

PART II Remarks, musings and an interpretative reading of the lawsuit filed by the former CEO of ESSENCE against *checks notes* ESSENCE.Also, Jay Z does an exclusive deal with Target. The Internet acts surprised. That’s it. That’s the whole episode.