Entertainment
Kamala Harris Denies CNN Anchor Presses Her to Answer Donald Trump’s Question About Her Blackness: Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Kamala’s Immigrant Parents
Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted the Democratic nomination to run for the office of the forty seventh President of the United States, marking a historic moment as the primary Black and South Asian woman to advance in a primary with enough delegates to face the eventual Republican nominee.
Harris is of African and South Asian descent but identifies as black. Her “blackness” has been questioned, despite her parents’ passion for civil rights, which planted the seeds of justice she so strongly touted during her campaign.
Like former President Barack Obama, she also represents the American dream.
During a recent interview with CNN, Harris asked about Trump’s questioning of her identity and his claim that she was only claiming to be black for political gain.
“The same old, boring instructions,” she told the reporter. “Next question, please.”
DANA: Trump suggested that you just recently turned black for political reasons.
KAMALA: “Next question, please.” photo: twitter.com/kb9niY58oj
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 30, 2024
For those in need of an education lesson, listed below are the historical roots of Kamala Harris’ parents.
Donald and Shyamala’s Love Story
Harris’s parents, the late Dr. Shyamala Gopalan and Donald J. Harris, exemplify the merging of two distinct cultures.
Shyamala, an Indian immigrant, and Donald, a Jamaican who immigrated to the U.S. with some Irish ancestry, met as undergraduates on the University of California, Berkeley. Their love story began in 1962, once they attended a study group for black students often called the Afro-American Association. Shyamala was easily accepted into the group as an individual of color from one other British colony.
Donald and Shyamala’s connection was immediate. The then 24-year-old Donald was described as charming and attention-grabbing. At one meeting, he performed and gave a speech about his experiences growing up under British colonial rule in Jamaica, and Shyamala was charmed, According to to the New York Times.
After the speech, she introduced herself, which was the start of their acquaintance, which might soon lead to marriage.
“I found all this very interesting and, dare I say, a little charming. We spoke again at the next meeting, and then at another. The rest is history,” Donald recalled.
Within a yr of meeting, the couple were married, changing the course of Shyamala’s life. Initially planning to return to India after college, Shyamala decided to stay in America, starting a family that eventually produced a daughter who broke political barriers.
“I came to UC Berkeley to study. I never came to stay. It’s the old story: I fell in love with a guy, we got married, kids soon followed,” Shyamala once said.
Shyamala and Donald married in 1963. Harris was born in 1964, and her younger sister, Maya Harris, was born in 1967. The children allegedly sang within the choir at a neighborhood black church and lived two houses down from a black-run preschool.
Divorce
Harris’s parents’ marriage, though passionate and seemingly rooted of their shared activism, didn’t last. By 1971, when the longer term vice chairman was almost 5, the couple was divorced.
The former San Francisco district attorney noted in her 2019 memoir, “The Truths We Hold,” that Donald and Shyamala “loved each other very much, but it seemed like they had become like oil and water.” The pressures of their young marriage and demanding careers eventually led to her parents’ separation.
Shyamala took primary responsibility for raising the First Vice President and her younger sister.
Despite the challenges, Shyamala worked tirelessly to provide for her daughters. Harris recalled that her mother would pack lunches early within the morning and help with homework after long days at work. Although the 2 sisters lived primarily with their mother, they spent weekends and summers with their father, who had returned to Northern California to work at Stanford University.
Mother: Shyamala Gopalan
Shyamala, who died of colon cancer in 2009, was born right into a Tamil Brahmin family. As a girl aspiring to study science, her options were limited. Undeterred, she applied to UC Berkeley to pursue a biochemistry degree with a dream of curing cancer. Her father supported her ambitions, using his retirement savings to fund her first yr of faculty.
Harris’s mother, a graduate of the University of Delhi, got here to America when she was just 19.
Shyamali’s siblings would describe her as “feisty and mischievous“the child he often skipped school with and got into trouble with,” reports USA Today.
After earning her doctorate in nutrition and endocrinology from UC Berkeley, she became a distinguished breast cancer researcher. Her profession included positions at prestigious institutions resembling the University of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin, and McGill University’s Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research in Canada.
Shyamali’s contributions to the sector of hormones and breast cancer have been significant, earning her quite a few honors and recognition as a National Institutes of Health reviewer.
Harris often credits her mother with shaping her values and profession.
“To the woman who is most responsible for my presence here today, my mother, Shyamali Gopalan Harris, who is always in our hearts,” she said he said after being elected vice chairman in 2020, she proudly applauded her mother, a “five-foot brown woman with an accent.”
Who is Donald J Harris?
“In the park, my mother would say, ‘Stay close.’ But my father would say with a smile, ‘Run, Kamala, run. Don’t be afraid. Don’t let anything stop you,'” Harris once said in speech when talking about her father. “From a young age, he taught me not to be afraid of anything.”
Donald grew up in Jamaica—before the country gained independence from Britain—and attended British schools throughout his life. Like the vice chairman’s father, he seemed to live without fear.
When he decided to pursue a doctorate in economics, he was drawn to the United States, which seemed to be “a vibrant and dynamic society with a complex racial and ethnic structure.”
After Donald graduated from UC Berkeley in 1966, the young husband and father became an economics professor. He worked at several Midwestern universities before returning to Northern California to work at Stanford University.
Vice President Harris’ father, grandfather and great-grandfather… #KamalaHarris2024 #Paris2024 #NABJ24
Who is Donald Harris, father of Kamala Harris and renowned Stanford University professor?First black scientist awarded tenure at Stanford University’s Economics Department. photo:twitter.com/dIEhgKDhak
— Da_Skeptunes (@Robin_Volpi) July 31, 2024
Although he was to remain on the university for less than two years as a visiting professor, students campaigned for the department to grow to be more involved in “radical political economy.” Donald, whom The Stanford Daily described in 1974 as a “Marxist economist,” was asked to remain at the college as a full-time professor in 1975.
Donald continued teaching at Stanford University for greater than 20 years, during which era he traveled extensively around the globe. He was an associate fellow and college member on the University of Cambridge and a visiting professor at Yale University, amongst other positions.
In 1998, he retired from Stanford with the title of professor emeritus.
In addition to his academic achievements, Donald has played a big role in shaping economic policy in Jamaica through his role as a consultant to the federal government. His contribution was recognized in 2021 when he was awarded the Order of Merit, the third highest honor in Jamaica.
Despite his distinguished profession, Donald rarely gets involved in his daughter’s political life.
He didn’t appear on the 2024 Democratic National Convention and has not commented publicly on her profession since 2019, when he criticized her remarks about marijuana use.
Harris once joked, “Half my family is Jamaican. Are you kidding me?”
Donald he replied to Jamaica Global Online, stating that his ancestors “must be turning in their graves right now” over the association of their Jamaican identity with “the false stereotype of the pot-smoking pleasure seeker.”
Identity Complications
Harris’ identity as a mixed-race woman has been the topic of intense scrutiny and misinformation, complicating her campaign as many defend her blackness. Even former President Donald Trump questioned whether she was truly “black” or just claiming to be black to pander to a certain community.
Despite every part, Harris remained true to her identity.
“I am black and I am proud to be black,” she said in a 2019 interview with The Breakfast Club with hosts DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God, addressing the rumors. “I was born black. I will die black, and I am not going to make excuses for nobody because they don’t understand.”
Entertainment
Taraji P. Henson’s ‘Annoyed’ Appearance Has Fans Speculating She’s Having a Feud With Samuel L. Jackson and Terrence Howard
Taraji P. Henson’s behavior during a recent interview left viewers suspecting there have been tensions brewing between her and her “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” castmates Samuel L. Jackson and Terrence Howard.
On September 6, Extra released a video clip of an interview with Henson, Jackson, Howard, Kevin Hart, and Don Cheadle in regards to the film “Fight Night.”
Additional correspondent Mona Kosar noted that Henson had worked with other actors on the show before, aside from Jackson.
While the lads talked about their shared experiences, Taraji remained silent.
“It’s always a collaborative space. It’s not a space where the actors aren’t talking and are trying to surprise you with some shit,” Jackson, 75, said as his colleagues nodded in agreement.
Henson and Howard played lead roles in the tv series Empire as Loretha “Cookie” Lyon and Lucious Lyon, respectively, from 2015 to 2020. They have also appeared within the movies Hustle & Flow, Four Brothers and Term Life.
He and Hart starred within the movies Not Easily Broken, Think Like a Man and its sequel.
Despite talk of unity and harmony, many social media users believed Henson was uncomfortable or annoyed. BFA Collective shared a clip of the conversation on Instagram.
A commenter wrote, “I’ve never seen Taraji have this much energy in an interview. I wonder what’s going on.” Another person added, “Taraji is withdrawn as an actress.”
Several people online speculated about a possible rift between Henson and Jackson. For example, one commented, “Taraji looks like she didn’t fuck Sam.”
However, the respondent wrote, “I said the same thing, but she looks annoyed when Terrence talks.” A like-minded person assumed, “I think it’s Terrence.”
In an interview with Extra, Kosar brought up photos of Howard’s hair from the film “Fight Night,” which went viral in April 2024. The query in regards to the wardrobe from the film led to Henson teasing Howard and Jackson.
“The one thing Terrence is going to compete with you on is hair,” the Oscar-nominated actress said. Henson turned to Jackson and said, “I wonder where he got that. … I’d like to see your wig closet,” and then laughed.
When asked about reuniting with Howard for Fight Night after their previous projects together, Henson replied, “It was very different because we didn’t have many scenes together. I barely saw him.”
Howard also claimed that they mostly kept their distance from one another during filming because their characters had “totally different natures,” which affected their real-life relationship. He said he desired to hug Henson when he saw her on set, but decided against it.
Jackson recalled that Henson didn’t interact with Howard until the top of filming: “And one time they took you down to the basement and everyone was there. But you didn’t look at anyone that day.”
Henson checked out Howard and said bluntly, “I really had to pretend your butt wasn’t there.”
Despite the apparent awkwardness, a YouTube commenter found the solid’s interactions in the course of the interview to be light-hearted, writing, “I love the chemistry… it’s like a black family reunion in the backyard.”
Peacock’s Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist premiered on the streaming service on September 5. The final episode of the Shaye Ogbonna-created limited series will air on October 10.
Entertainment
Tisha Campbell’s Candid Post About Her Son Backfires as Outraged Troll Blames Her for ‘Martin’ Show’s Downfall
Actress Tisha Campbell faced a wave of backlash while celebrating her son’s fifteenth birthday regarding her influence on the ending of the series Martin.
On September 11, the “Little Shop of Horrors” actress, who has two sons, Xen and Ezekiel “Zeke” Martin, and Duane Martin, took to Instagram to have fun her son’s birthday.
Campbell posted a video of Zeke along with his hair down and in braids, days after his original birthday date of September 8. signatureed clip, “My baby is 15!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZEKE! Mommy loves you so much!”
While many fans joined in on the celebration for Zeke (and commented on his mature appearance), one person took the chance to criticize Campbell. In addition to the birthday wishes, some commenters identified Zeke’s resemblance to his father, Duane Martin.
“Happy birthday, you look just like your dad,” one person commented, while one other added, “Definitely Duane’s face. Happy birthday, young king.”
“Hair and mustache!!!” said another person.
However, the celebrations took an unpleasant turn when one person expressed displeasure on the “Martin” show being taken off the air.
“Your mother falsely accused Martin Lawrence,” they wrote.
Martin aired on Fox for five seasons until its end in 1997 following Campbell’s sexual harassment lawsuit against Martin Lawrence.
She claimed that the Maryland resident inappropriately touched her during love scenes while filming the series and repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances on her. Campbell also claimed that Lawrence was verbally abusive towards her and the remaining of the solid, accusing him of “repeated and escalating sexual harassment, sexual assault, verbal abuse, and related threats.”
Lawrence vehemently denied the accusations and the case was eventually settled out of court.
Despite the legal battle, Campbell and Lawrence reconciled with the surviving solid years later and reunited in 2022 to have fun Martin’s thirtieth anniversary.
IN interview on People that very same 12 months, Campbell said, “I wasn’t nervous about meeting the cast because we’re still friends,” referring to their bond even after 25 years and the death of castmate Thomas Michael Ford.
Lawrence echoed these sentiments, stating, “It’s nothing but love between me and her. It’s nothing but love.”
Although they managed to resolve their differences, they’ve not worked together professionally since then.
But each spent the summer performing stand-up. Lawrence toured with comedians like Adele Givens, B. Simone, DC Youngfly, Desi Banks, Loni Love, and more on the Y’all Know What It Is! tour. In between, Campbell played a handful of shows with Finesse Mitchell.
Entertainment
Hulk Hogan humiliated yet again at beer party after responding to Kamala Harris’ bodyslam threats
MAGA fan Hulk Hogan continues to find himself at the middle of controversy after threatening to throw Kamala Harris to the bottom while promoting his latest enterprise, Real American Beer, and campaigning for former President Donald J. Trump.
Once a towering figure on the planet of skilled wrestling, Hogan, whose real name is Terry Gene Bollea, is not any stranger to public criticism. But he can have been shocked when someone crossed his path and mocked him for his cartoonish behavior and conservative politics for the second time in as many weeks.
His latest encounter took place in Medford, Massachusetts, where comedian Robby Roadsteamer accosted the previous WWE star for the second time.
The comedian, dressed as a bear, sang a remixed version of Hogan’s song “Real American,” replacing the lyrics with a song that poked fun at Trump and his political beliefs.
Roadsteamer posted a video of the encounter on his X profile. He began, “I met Hulk Hogan (again!). I dressed up as a bear and sang his own theme song to him (again!) with lyrics about MAGA, Trump, and immigrants eating cats!! Then the cops and his henchmen took me away (again!) Get creative fam… Here comes the big blue wave #TrumpIsACowardlyWeirdo #MAGAIsWeird #HulkHogan.”
I met Hulk Hogan (again!). I dressed up as a bear and sang his own theme song (again!)🐻 with lyrics about MAGA, Trump and immigrants eating cats!! Then the cops and his henchmen took me away (again!) Get creative, fam… Here comes the Big Blue Wave 🌊#TrumpIsACowardlyFreak… photo: twitter.com/D0fdvp3mkJ
— Robby Roadsteamer (@RobbyRoadsteame) September 13, 2024
While the retired wrestler, who rose to fame within the Eighties as WWE’s hottest wrestler, stood and posed in front of an AI-generated poster of his own muscles and far younger face, the comedian debuted his own remix.
“Trump is the real criminal,” he sang. “He thinks immigrants eat cats. Trump is the real criminal. Fight for the alt-right. Fight our alt-right.”
As he was led away by security, he shouted, “Did you miss me? No political violence. No political violence here. I feel strong about martial law.”
Fans began to chime in and criticize Trump.
“I used to think Hogan was cool until Trump came along. He needs to go back to selling unlicensed games,” one person said he tweeted.
“I wonder if he knows or cares how many black fans he had,” one other said. he said“When I used to be a child I loved Hulk Hogan, as did all my peers, but he rejected his heritage.
Third person he wrote“The characters even appear in plush costumes.”
Someone else he said“@RobbyRoadsteame had the nerve to diss racist MAGA supporter Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea oh… and yet one more thing.”
This isn’t the primary time the “Rocky III” star has been streamed by Roadsteamer. Just a couple of weeks earlier, in August, the social media star appeared with the wrestler during one other promotional event.
This time, Roadsteamer donned a “MAGA Powers” T-shirt and asked, “Whatcha gonna do when we drop the big boot on the trans and everything. Does it work, bro?”
Hogan, a loud and proud Trump supporter who spoke at the Republican National Convention, still makes headlines promoting his beer and campaigning for the fact star-turned-politician. The athlete’s comments remind people of his bigoted past and why so many fans have given up their yellow T-shirts and red bandanas.
A very egregious incident occurred on August 19 at a bar in Medina, Ohio, when Hogan grabbed a microphone and launched right into a tirade about Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to a video recorded by witnesses, while intoxicated and egged on by the well-wishers, Hogan made racially offensive comments to Harris, mockingly asking if she was an “Indian.”
He even threatened to “body-throw” her, comparing his wrestler persona to political violence.
Hulk Hogan just threatened and racially attacked Kamala Harris. photo:twitter.com/8nimJjmTeO
— 𝐑𝐨𝐝 ☝🏽🩸 (@316JABRONIDRIVE) August 20, 2024
The tirade didn’t go unnoticed. When the video hit the web, it quickly went viral, with TMZ posting the video.
The critical response was immediate, with many individuals once again starting to query Hogan’s character and his standing within the entertainment industry.
Among those that responded was filmmaker Todd Phillips, who was working on a biopic about Hogan’s life starring Chris Hemsworth. The Hollywood executive announced the project had been shelved due to his actions.
“I like what we were trying to do, but it’s not going to work for me,” Phillips told Variety.
Hogan’s history of racist behavior is well-documented. In 2015, WWE severed all ties with the previous wrestling icon after a leaked audio recording revealed he had repeatedly used the N-word in reference to his daughter’s relationships. The brand, despite its long history with the star, removed him from its Hall of Fame and removed his name from its platform.
Although Hogan later apologized and was reinstated by WWE in 2018, his public image suffered significantly, and he never fully recovered from it.
As Hogan continues his promotional tour and campaigns for Trump, the incidents function a stark reminder of how his beliefs impact his legacy.
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