• Celebrity News

by Mary Spiller

May 3, 2025

Queen Latifah’s ‘The Equalizer’ Canceled After 5 Seasons

The CBS show will air the show's series finale on May 4.

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CBS revealed in a May 2 announcement that Queen Latifah will star as street vigilante Robyn McCall in “The Equalizer” for the very last time in this upcoming episode. CBS has decided to cancel the beloved drama, terminating a five-season run.

“The Equalizer” is an anchor point of the network’s Sunday night lineup, but the Latifah-led series will not continue with a sixth season.

May 4 will act as both the series and season finale for Season 5, titled “Decisions.”

The show originally aired in 2021 and is a primetime drama that features Latifah as a former CIA operative and current mom who helps others. The show reimagines the beloved 1980s CBS series, with Latifah playing McCall to use her iconic special set of skills to help those in need.

“The Equalizer” is the fourth network primetime drama headlined by a Black woman, and was kicked off with a series premiere alongside the Super Bowl.

Deadline reported that Latifah’s “The Equalizer” was the very last CBS show awaiting a verdict on its renewal status for the network’s 2025-26 schedule announcement, which will drop in full on May 7.

“The Equalizer” was being considered for a 13-episode sixth-season run to act as the final season.

The “U.N.I.T.Y.” singer opened up about the news with an Instagram post featuring a photo of her in the role of McCall on May 2. Backed by a Cleo Sol song titled “Know That You Are Loved,” Latifah thanked her fans in a heartfelt message.

She wrote, “Stepping into a kick-ass role like Robyn was everything I hoped it would be. Shakim and I at Flavor Unit are always excited to bring these kinds of roles and projects to life. We just hope you love them as much as we do. The Equalizer blew past every dream we had for it, and having the opportunity to do this for five seasons honestly feels surreal.”

The Emmy Award-winning actress continued to thank all of those involved with creating the show and told her fans not to worry, as they would be seeing her again very soon.

“Thank you to our amazing cast, crew, producers, and writers! And I can’t say enough about the FANS! Y’all have been so loyal, so loud, and so ride-or-die-and that’s exactly why we keep doing this. We can’t thank you enough. It means the world to us,” Latifah continued.

“And don’t worry-I’ll be back kicking ass in something new real soon. Can’t wait to share it with you. All my [love] QL.”

CBS has been making some big changes to its primetime lineup, and recently, many shows awaiting decisions on their run were given bad news. The long-running comedy starring Cedric the Entertainer, “The Neighborhood,” was renewed for its eighth season, but dramas “FBI: Most Wanted,” “FBI: International,” “The Equalizer,” S.W.A.T.”, and freshman sitcom Poppa’s House” were all canceled.

RELATED CONTENT: Queen Latifah’s Talk Show to Debut Next Fall on CBS

• Legal

by Mary Spiller

May 3, 2025

Former NFL Star Steve Smith Sr. Sued By Man Who Alleges Affair With Wife

Smith reportedly met the Baltimore Ravens marching band member, Nicole, while filming for an NFL Network show.

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Former Carolina Panthers wideout and current NFL analyst Steve Smith Sr. is being sued for allegedly having a monthslong affair with a Baltimore Ravens marching band member. The band member’s husband, Antonio Martinez, filed the lawsuit, and he is pursuing legal action under the “alienation of affection” law.

The former NFL player is facing an over $100,000 civil lawsuit. The suit was filed on April 29 at the Mecklenburg County Superior Court in North Carolina and accuses Smith of engaging in a marriage-wrecking affair with Nicole Martinez of the Ravens’ marching band, according to the Charlotte Observer.

North Carolina’s “alienation of affection” law is unique and unavailable in many states. Known as the “homewrecker law,” spouses can sue a third party for reportedly “interfering with and destroying a marriage’s love and affection.”

According to the lawsuit, the former Panther met the marching band member on the set of NFL Network’s “The NFL’s Most Interesting Jobs with Steve Smith.” After meeting during the filming, Smith and the band member reportedly kept in touch and ended up exchanging sexual text messages with one another.

The lawsuit alleges that the relationship evolved, and Nicole met up with Smith in his hotel room in January 2025 around the Ravens’ playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.

Smith is also connected to Baltimore as he played for the Ravens for a stint in his NFL career.

Before the lawsuit, the rumors surrounding the affair were brought to a head when the woman’s husband took to X, publicly accusing Smith of an affair.

The post began as a reply under one of the NFL analyst’s golfing videos and asked whether Smith’s wife knew he was having an affair with another married woman. Martinez’s account continued to post a series of screenshots showing explicit text messages sent between the Raven’s band member and Smith.

The post tagged several news outlets and a handful of Smith’s current sponsors, such as Smith’s former NFL teams, Yeti Coolers, and TaylorMade.

A video showing the man reportedly calling the former NFL player to confront him about the affair was also released on X.

In response to being confronted, Smith allegedly can be heard responding, “I’m sorry” during the call.

Smith is married to Angie Smith and has four children with his spouse.

RELATED CONTENT: Woman Claims Washington Commanders’ Jeremy Reaves Cheated On New Fiancée With Her Months Before Viral Proposal

• HBCU

by Daniel Johnson

May 3, 2025

Trump’s Budget Targets Howard University, Creating Questions About HBCU Support

Trump also issued an executive order on April 23 that purportedly 'promotes excellence and innovation' at the nation's HBCUs, but made no commitment to funding those universities.

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The latest budget proposal from Donald Trump looks to continue his agenda of slashing and burning the Education Department by cutting its funding by $12 billion and in addition to this, contained provisions that cut programs targeted to low-income students who are preparing for college and funding for the nation’s only federally funded HBCU, Howard University.

According to The New York Times, the $64 million in funding that Trump wants to eliminate for the university and the elimination of $1.6 billion in K-12 programs known as TRIO and GEAR UP continue Trump’s expressed mandate to close the Department of Education.

As The Hill reported, the cut in funding to Howard University is related to a payment the federal government made to build the Howard University Hospital, which the Trump administration said in its budget proposal is no longer needed because the hospital has been completed.

Howard University acknowledged the government’s funding recommendations in a statement, but as BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, Trump also issued an executive order on April 23 that purportedly “promotes excellence and innovation” at the nation’s HBCUs, but made no commitment to funding those universities. Trump also formally ended President Joe Biden’s White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities via the same executive order.

This gave academics like Dr. Marybeth Gasman, the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education and a Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University, pause as she indicated to Diverse Education via a statement.

“On the surface, the Order is a positive step and follows the support of past presidents since its inception under President Jimmy Carter. Trump’s Executive Order acknowledges HBCUs’ essential role in shaping Black leadership, intellect, and economic mobility,” Gasman said. She is also an expert on HBCUs and is the co-author of The Power of Historically Black Colleges and Universities with Dr. Levon Esters. “However, what is missing is any commitment to new federal funding. We’ll have to see what President Trump does next. Of note, the Biden Administration announced an investment of nearly $1.6 billion in funding within one week of issuing its executive order.”

Trump appears to be coasting on his 2019 bipartisan bill that reauthorized $225 million in mandatory funding to minority serving institutions and provided $85 million a year to HBCUs in perpetuity, based on his comments to several news outlets.

However, his predecessor, President Joe Biden, gave more than $17 billion in funding to HBCUs during his tenure as president, and Biden’s $1.1 billion investment in need-based grants in September 2024 stood to directly benefit the Black students who overwhelmingly make up the bulk of HBCU university student bodies.

According to the then-executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, Dietra Trent, Biden’s funding investment “simply builds on the unprecedented track record of delivery for HBCUs that this administration has had. A large portion of those funds will go in direct support to our students through need-based grants and need-based aid. So, in terms of how that will impact our students, it will help them pay for college. It will take the burden off of families. It will help them to stay in college, so it’s going to have a huge impact,” Trent told The 19th News.

RELATED CONTENT: Trump Rescinds HBCU Support: A Dismantling Of Opportunity For Our Youth

• News

by Mary Spiller

May 3, 2025

Kamala Harris’ ’60 Minutes’ Interview Nominated For Emmy

The interview with Vice President Kamala Harris was nominated in the category of Outstanding Edited Interview.

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CBS’s “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris is back in the spotlight this week. On May 1, the segment featuring Harris was nominated for an Emmy in the “Outstanding Edited Interview” category despite the controversy surrounding it due to President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against CBS.

According to the list of nominations released for the 46th News & Documentary Emmy Awards, “60 Minutes” was mentioned in several categories, however, it was notably nominated for the Outstanding Edited Interview category for its special primetime presentation of an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, Deadline reports.

Other nominees in the category alongside CBS’s Harris interview are the news outlets’ interviews with Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and the late Pope Francis, NBC’s interview with Celine Dion, and ABC’s interview featuring Brittney Griner.

This is not the first time Harris’s “60 Minutes” interview has been in the public eye, as it dredged up a storm of attention when it was first released.

The Emmy-nominated interview currently sits at the center of President Trump’s ongoing legal dispute with CBS.

In November 2024, Trump officially filed a lawsuit against CBS and claimed that the interview was purposefully edited to make his political opposition look good by using “deceitful” and “doctored” clips.

President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, his own social media platform, “The case we have against 60 Minutes, CBS, and Paramount is a true WINNER. They cheated and defrauded the American People at levels never seen before in the Political Arena.”

“60 Minutes and its corporate parents, in order that this not have a negative impact on her, removed and deleted Kamala’s [Harris] entire answer, every word of it, and replaced it with a response that she gave later on to an entirely different question. 60 Minutes perpetrated a Giant FRAUD against the American People, the Federal Elections Commission, and the Federal Communications System.”

Following the filing, CBS submitted transcripts of the entire interview with Harris, but Trump has still stood firm in his convictions.

Regarding the lawsuit, Paramount Global — CBS’s parent company — is allegedly in conversations to settle with the current Trump administration, a decision that many journalists are against.

In the wake of the lawsuit, the longtime executive producer of “60 Minutes,” Bill Owens, also resigned due to the backlash and restrictions he faced following Harris’s interview.

RELATED CONTENT: 60 Minutes’ Decision To Hand Kamala Harris Interview Transcript To Trump’s FCC Raises Concern

• Legal

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 3, 2025

Jussie Smollett Reaches Undisclosed Settlement With Chicago Six Years After Alleged Hate Crime Hoax

The settlement comes six years after Chicago filed a lawsuit against Smollett .

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Jussie Smollett has reached an undisclosed settlement with the city of Chicago six years after he was sued for allegedly staging a hate crime attack against himself.

On April 28, the city and Smollett told the court they had settled “but need more time to finalize documentation,” NBC News reports. Details on the settlement amount remain under wraps ahead of a status hearing set for May 29.

The settlement comes six years after Chicago filed a lawsuit against Smollett in April 2019, following his reports of being the target of a racist and homophobic attack in the city’s Streeterville neighborhood. Police and city officials later alleged that Smollett staged the hate crime himself.

Smollett was later sued for allegedly filing a false police report on Jan. 29, 2019, with the city claiming he knew the attackers, staged the incident, and owed $130,000 to cover the investigation costs. Smollett filed a countersuit denying he staged the attack or filed a false police report.

However, during his trial following an indictment for allegedly filing a false report, the two men involved testified that Smollett paid them $3,500 to carry out a staged attack as part of a scheme to gain public attention. Smollett maintained that the money was for personal training services and denied orchestrating the attack.

He also claimed that he didn’t call the police because, in his words, “as a Black man in America, I don’t trust the police—I’m sorry.”

Despite his defense, he was found guilty on five of six counts in December 2021 and sentenced in 2022 to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation. However, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the conviction in November, ruling that he should not have been prosecuted after reaching a nonprosecution agreement with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

RELATED CONTENT: Empire’s Jussie Smollett Heads To Public TV

• Celebrity News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 3, 2025

Audra McDonald Becomes Most Tony-Nominated Performer In Broadway History

Audra McDonald is making history with her 11th Tony nomination.

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Audra McDonald scored her 11th Tony nomination for her role as Rose Hovick in the current Broadway revival of Gypsy, making her the most nominated performer in Broadway history.

The 2025 Tony Award nominations were unveiled on May 1, with Audra McDonald earning a nod for Best Lead Actress in a Musical. The nomination breaks her previous 10-nomination tie with the late Julie Harris and Chita Rivera for the most Tony-nominated performer in history, Playbill reports.

“I’m so grateful, and that’s overwhelming to think about. I’m so lucky,” McDonald told The Hollywood Reporter. “The one thing I always wanted to do growing up, one thing that gave me joy and kind of gave me purpose and made me feel most like myself was to perform theater. And so to be at this point and to have that kind of recognition is just overwhelming. I’m grateful, and it doesn’t seem real, because I don’t know how to process that.”

The feat comes 10 years after McDonald became the most-awarded performer in Tony history with six wins. She earned her first Tony in 1994, credited then as Audra Ann McDonald, for her role as Carrie Pipperidge in “Carousel.”

She went on to win five more for “Master Class” (1996), “Ragtime” (1998), “A Raisin in the Sun” (2004), “Porgy and Bess” (2012), and “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill” (2014). Her additional nominations include “Marie Christine” (2000), “110 in the Shade” (2007), “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune” (2020), and “Ohio State Murders” (2023).

After hearing the news of her record-breaking nomination, McDonald celebrated with a DoorDash-delivered iced matcha latte topped with lavender foam and an apple fritter. Her husband, actor Will Swenson, also surprised her with a “Tony the Tiger” T-shirt he had on standby for the occasion.

“So that was my celebration, and now I’ve got to go back to work,” McDonald said ahead of her performance that evening.

RELATED CONTENT: Audra McDonald Makes Broadway History

• Arts and Culture

by Kandiss Edwards

May 3, 2025

‘Ease On Down’ To See ‘The Wiz’ At A Theater Near You This Month

'The Wiz' is coming back in its full grandeur—but only for a short time

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Universal Pictures has announced the nationwide theatrical re-release of The Wiz, the 1978 Oscar-nominated musical starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor.

The film will return to theaters nationwide for special screenings on Sunday, May 18, and Wednesday, May 21.

In this retelling of The Wizard of Oz, Harlem schoolteacher Dorothy (Ross) tries to save her dog from a storm and is whisked away to an urban fantasy land called Oz. After accidentally killing the Wicked Witch of the East upon her arrival, Dorothy is told about the Wiz (Pryor), a wizard who can help her return to Manhattan

Universal Pictures has restored The Wiz in 4K. The restoration utilizes the original 35mm negative, 35mm audio stems, four track original music recordings. Universal’s team of restoration experts conducted extensive research into the original production.

The new mix will be presented in select theaters, offering an immersive Sonic experience that honors the brilliance of producer Quincy Jones, the film’s Oscar-nominated music supervisor and producer . 

Directed by legendary director Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon, The Verdict) The Wiz was a daring and ambitious film that captured the spirit of Broadway show while reflecting the vibrant Black zeitgeist of the 1970s. Joel Schumacher, who later went on to his own successful career as a film director, adapted the screenplay from William F. Brown’s Tony Award-nominated Broadway book.

The film’s unforgettable music, a fusion of soul, R&B, rock, and gospel, is a huge part of its cultural legacy. Jones reimagined Charlie Smalls’s Broadway compositions, infusing them with cinematic grandeur that brought music to life on the big screen.

Jones and Jackson’s time during The Wiz proved transformative. The partnership led Jones to produce Jackson’s breakthrough album Off the Wall, followed by Thriller and Bad, creating three of the most influential and commercially successful albums in recent music history. 

To see The Wiz in all its glory, click here for showtimes.

RELATED CONTENT: Broadway ‘Othello’ Starring Denzel Washington Sets 4 House Records, Grosses $2.6M In Debut Week

• Celebrity News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 3, 2025

Denzel Washington’s ‘Othello’ Gets Zero Tony Nominations Despite Record-Breaking Broadway Box Office

Despite being a huge box office success, the revival has received lukewarm reviews

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Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Othello has shattered Broadway box office records, becoming the highest-grossing play revival in history.

The show, unfortunately, will not enjoy similar success at the Tonys. When nominations were announced May 1, Kenny Leon’s revival of William Shakespeare’s classic drama was shut out.

Despite starring two Hollywood heavyweights, the play has received mixed reviews, with Variety critic Daniel D’Addario writing that the production “falls flat” and appears to have “little on its mind beyond a gritted-teeth determination to carry across the text of the play.”

The Guardian called the play a “muddled affair, in details and delivery.” Audience response has also been lukewarm, with Othello earning just a 59% approval rating on Show Score.

“Amazing acting. Some directorial choices were a bit confusing,” one user wrote.

Despite the lukewarm reviews, Othello continues to pack the house, becoming this season’s hottest—and priciest—ticket, with some orchestra seats topping $900. The multimillion dollar production opened March 23 at the Barrymore Theatre and has sold out every show since.

The 15-week limited run made history in April by breaking the weekly record for the highest-grossing play on Broadway and is now the top-earning play revival worldwide. However, with dismal reviews over the direction and style of the play, Othello paled compared to other Broadway shows and revivals.

This year’s Tony Award nominees for Best Play Revival include another Shakespearean tragedy, Romeo + Juliet, along with Eureka Day, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, and Yellow Face. Leading the pack with 10 nominations each are Death Becomes Her, featuring Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child; Maybe Happy Ending, a heartfelt love story between two robots; and Buena Vista Social Club, a vibrant celebration of legendary Cuban musicians.

The Tony Awards are scheduled for Sunday, June 8, at Radio City Music Hall. You can find the list of nominees here.

RELATED CONTENT: Denzel Washington ‘Humbled’ As ‘Othello’ Tickets Hit $1K

• Celebrity News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 2, 2025

Nick Cannon Calls Testicles His ‘Most Valuable Asset’ After Insuring Them For $10M

Nick Cannon explains investing $10 million into his manhood.

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Nick Cannon is opening up about his decision to insure both of his testicles for $5 million each after fathering 12 children.

The Masked Singer host appeared on the May 1 episode of the Tea Time with Raven & Miranda podcast, where he shared about his decision to take out an insurance policy on his manhood.

“It started off like, ‘Yo, this would be a good joke,’ but we really went through with it,” Nick Cannon said, citing his 2024 reveal in a Dr. Squatch commercial.

“Dr. Squatch, who is like, they’re known for like manscaping and all that stuff,” he said. “They were like, ‘Yo, a lot of celebrity women are insuring their legs in case something goes wrong.’“

That’s when Dr. Squatch asked Cannon what his “most valuable asset” was, to which he replied, “My balls!”

“I got the insurance policy in my office. It’s legit,” he said. “If I happen to lose one, all the money goes to my kids.”

The Ncredible owner explained the rationale behind his decision, which was to ensure his safety.

“[I’m] just making sure nothing goes wrong,” he stated. “Haters say it’s time for me to stop having kids and put this super sperm to rest. But I’m doubling down on these valuable balls and my future kids.”

Cannon shares 12 kids with multiple partners, including twins Monroe and Moroccan, 14, with ex-wife Mariah Carey; sons Golden Sagon, 8, and Rise Messiah Cannon, 1, and daughter Powerful Queen, 4, with Brittany Bell; twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, both 3, and daughter Beautiful Zeppelin, 2, with Abby De La Rosa; son Legendary Love, 2, with Bre Tiesi; and daughter Onyx Ice Cole, 2, with LaNisha Cole. He is also father to two children with Alyssa Scott — son Zen, who died at five months old in December 2021 after being diagnosed with brain cancer, and daughter Halo Marie Cannon, 2.

RELATED CONTENT: Nick Cannon Is ‘Not Done’ Having Children

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 2, 2025

Could 100 Men Really Beat A Gorilla? The Internet Chimes In

A healthy debate is taking place online on the subject

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An online debate has gone viral asking if 100 men can defeat one gorilla.

According to NBC News, the post started by Michael Sherrills, who uses the handle DreamChasnMike on X, formerly known as Twitter, garnered over 290 million views. For whatever reason he started the post, it caught the attention of so many people that, although it was placed online on April 25, people are still discussing and giving their opinion on it.