by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 10, 2024

Jamie Foxx Says It Was ‘Excruciating’ To Relive Health Scare For Netflix Comedy Special

Jamie Foxx is going in-depth about his 2023 health scare in an upcoming Netflix comedy special.

Jamie Foxx is revealing how “excruciating” it was reliving his health scare for a three-night comedy special he filmed for Netflix.

The Academy Award-winning actor is set to return to his comedic roots for a Netflix special with an unknown release date. CBS Mornings host Gayle King attended the last of Foxx’s three standup shows on Monday and shared a video she captured during the backstage celebration.

“Great weekend in Atlanta! Watching @iamjamiefoxx for the first time back on stage and talking about everything that he’s been through,” King wrote in her caption. “It’s part of a comedy special for Netflix called “What Had Happened Was…” and when it was all over, Jamie and his team felt terrific, and rightfully so!”

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“You landed on the moon, man. Be so proud,” Foxx told the group while popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

“I wanna know how you feel after three nights?” King asked the Hollywood star.

“It was an excruciating time, opening those wounds every single day,” Foxx said in response.

“It was excruciating because — the worry is what gets you. Yeah, we’ve got a great show in the room, but we don’t know what they may laugh or what they may not laugh at,” Foxx said. “Usually, when you do a standup special, you go out for a year and work every nook and cranny, then you tape it. You don’t just show up in Atlanta and turn the camera on.”

King praised Foxx for his ability to open up about the health scare in such a way that made the audience laugh and cry simultaneously. “Only you could’ve done that,” she told the actor.

“It’s a personal journey, and I hope I never have to … I am never going to go through this again. My next jokes will start out, ‘Knock, knock!’” Foxx replied as the room burst into laughter. “I’ll do an hour and a half of ‘Knock, knock’ jokes.”

The clip ends with Foxx making a toast.

“Let’s sit back, watch it, and build toward a newer, brighter and healthier future.”

In the Netflix special, Foxx provides a detailed account of the mysterious illness that resulted in his hospitalization in April 2023, sharing his experience for the first time, Variety reports. The Ray star tackles the challenging topic in a humorous yet heartfelt one-man show filmed in front of a live audience.

Foxx announced the “intimate and engaging” standup special last month in an Instagram post that let fans know he would be opening up “like never before.”

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Details on when Foxx’s Netflix special will premiere have yet to be announced.

by Kandiss Edwards

October 10, 2024

Cynthia ‘Cynt’ Marshall, The History-Making Maverick, Announces Retirement

Cynthia 'Cynt' Marshall, the first Black woman CEO of an NBA franchise, is retiring after six impactful years with the Dallas Mavericks.

Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall, chief executive officer of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, announced her retirement effective December 1, 2024, ESPN reports.

In 2018, Marshall made history when she was named the first Black woman CEO of an NBA franchise. The Mavericks announced her departure on the team’s website on Oct. 8.

She will work as a consultant during through 2025.

“Bringing Cynt to the Mavericks six years ago was one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made,” said Mark Cuban, the Mavericks’ minority owner, in a statement. “She has led this organization to new heights with grace and integrity, and her light will continue to shine bright throughout the community. Thank you, Cynt.”

Cuban, then the Mavericks’ owner, hired Marshall in 2018.

Before Marshall helped the Mavericks ascend to new heights she was a retired businesswoman. Marshall was senior vice president of human resources and the chief diversity officer at AT&T before she left corporate America in 2017.

Her respite was short-lived. The Mavericks was embroiled in scandal. Complaints of a toxic work environment and sexual harassment plagued the franchise. BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke with Marshall two years after she took over the CEO position.

“I walked into a bad culture,” Marshall said then. “I walked into a place where the women were not valued and treated the way I would like to see them treated. Frankly, I think we had a problem with how we respected and treated people of color.”

Marshall did not shy away from the challenge of diversifying and correcting racism and sexism in the organization.

“Under her leadership, she increased diversity by promoting from within and recruiting from outside of the organization,” BE reported.

The Mavs commended Marshall for “her dedication to creating a more equitable workplace [which] has garnered national attention and established the Mavericks as a role model for businesses across the sports industry and beyond.”

Bershan Shaw, URAWARRIOR, mental health, breast cancer

by Mitti Hicks

October 10, 2024

URAWARRIOR: Bershan Shaw Survived Breast Cancer Twice And Created A Game-Changing Mental Health App

URAWARRIOR, pronounced 'you’re a warrior,' pays homage to Shaw's breast cancer fight and the healthy head space that avoided what was supposed to be a death sentence.

Bershan Shaw was given three months to live when she received a breast cancer diagnosis. It was a challenging time both physically and mentally and there was no place that offered her refuge.

She defied the odds and nearly 20 years later, that fight is what inspired her to create URAWARRIOR, an inclusive mental health community app that provides a safe space for people in need of mental health services and therapy.

“I didn’t see a safe space online […] where you could get peer-to-peer support,” Shaw tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “If you would post issues such as drug addiction, dealing with low libido or bankruptcy in a Facebook group, [I noticed] there was a lot of bullying, trolling, and people coming after you.”

URAWARRIOR, pronounced “you’re a warrior,” pays homage to Shaw’s breast cancer fight and the healthy head space that led her to heal what was supposed to be a death sentence. It offers peer-to-peer support and live group coaching sessions. Users can choose between getting help with grief and loss, substance abuse, depression, and stress, burnout, and more. Prerecorded sessions are also available for people who miss the live sessions.

Shaw says she was intentional about creating a space where people could be vulnerable and free of judgement. In order to use the app, users first have to abide by the rules and pledge to not bullying. URAWARRIOR is based on four pillars: personal development, self-improvement, motivation and support.

“I wanted to make a cool and hip app that didn’t feel so clinical,” says Shaw. “Most people don’t just run to therapy and it’s been taboo in Black communities forever. We always say, ‘Keep your issues at home, or don’t air your dirty laundry.’ We’ve been living in the shame and embarrassment.”

Bridging The Gap While Mental Health Resources Remain Limited

Therapy can be expensive but URAWARRIOR bridges that gap along with the wait times to see a therapist. Shaw says it’s great for people already working with a therapist who is ready to put their healing goals into action with its expert coaches.

“Therapists right now around the country are booked up. I know people who have three or four month waits,” says Shaw. “We are very intentional about our team. They have to have years of expertise and coaching, certified.”

Shaw is allowing people to sign up for 60 days for free to join in on the daily challenges and mood tracking the app offers. There are more than 356 days of challenges, one for each day of the year, something that Shaw has also put into writing with her book, URAWARRIOR 365 Ways to Challenge You to a Better Life.

“If you go to an app and people are posting positive things, people are doing positive things, then you change,” says Shaw. “What I want to do is change how people interact and change what people see […] because you are what you think, you are what you feel, and you are what you see. You start seeing positive you start hearing other people’s stories, [then] you realize you’re not alone. We’re in this together.”

Wells Fargo, job, termination, lay off, hire, hirable, record, The Coven franchise

by Stacy Jackson

October 9, 2024

University Of Virginia Professor Brings Social Entrepreneurship Skills To New Role

The public policy professor has been appointed as chief innovation officer to advance UVA Batten's social entrepreneurship mission.

Public policy professor Christine Mahoney has been tapped to fill a newly created position at The University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy (UVA Batten) as its inaugural Chief Innovation Officer.

UVA Batten is thrilled to designate Mahoney to the role as she brings a wealth of expertise and creativity to social entrepreneurship. According to a press release, the educator will use her creativity and leadership skills to advance Batten’s “social entrepreneurship mission.” Eileen Chou, Batten’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, said Mahoney’s strategic approach “will be invaluable” as the university continues to “foster innovation, strengthen our relationships…and create lasting impacts in the communities we serve.”

The appointment follows UVA’s Fall Entrepreneurship Week, which gathered the entrepreneurial community across the university and the greater Charlottesville area for a week of events, including a ribbon-cutting for UVA’s new entrepreneurship house, The Foundry.

Mahoney takes on the position as an experienced entrepreneur with previous ties to the university as the founder of its Social Entrepreneurship at UVA initiative. This initiative introduced students to new social entrepreneurship courses and offered a minor, concept competition, and scholarship opportunities. Batten’s Dean, Ian H. Solomon, attested to the professor’s impact on the UVA student body and acknowledged her as one of “the strongest proponents of innovation” in UVA’s classrooms and research.

The university stated that the Social Entrepreneurship program has taught over 2,500 students and seen more than 700 students declare the minor. Over 80 student social enterprise teams have been mentored through Social Entrepreneurship at UVA.

Mahoney has designed several immersive fellowships for students. “She is the driving force behind our gifts to Batten to focus undergraduate and graduate students on social entrepreneurship in Appalachia,” according to UVA alum Richard Tadler. Mahoney’s fellowships expose students to the challenges of Appalachia and the importance of impact investing for the region’s recovery. According to a spotlight published on the Vice President for Research at UVA’s YouTube channel, Mahoney uses social entrepreneurship to study social justice advocacy, activism, and direct action.

As the first chief innovation officer, Mahoney also brings her personal skills to the new role with the recent entrepreneurial venture she embarked on with her husband to open Thistlerock Mead, a meadery near Charlottesville looking to become the first of its kind to boast net-zero carbon emissions in the country. Forbes noted that the couple and the meadery’s co-founder aim to use their unique social impact business model to prove small business success through regenerative sustainability principles.

RELATED CONTENT: HBCU-Backed High School To Open Next Fall In NYC

by Stacy Jackson

October 9, 2024

Hurricane Milton Set To Hit Florida Gulf Coast; Record Number Of Tornado Warnings Issued

Milton will likely make landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast tonight.

Time has pretty much run out for Florida residents in Storm Surge Warning areas to evacuate the path of Hurricane Milton, which is approaching the Gulf coast of the Florida Peninsula with a potentially historic (and deadly) storm surge.

10/9 2pm EDT: A large area of destructive storm surge is expected along a portion of the west-central coast of the Florida Peninsula.

If you are in the Storm Surge Warning area, this is an extremely life-threatening situation. The time to evacuate is quickly coming to a close. pic.twitter.com/0HogQr8ppR
— NHC Storm Surge (@NHC_Surge) October 9, 2024

According to CNN, which is tracking Milton, the most life-threatening storm surge is expected to occur in Tampa, where Milton is now 150 miles away and 130 miles from Fort Myers.

More than 90 tornado warnings have been issued today across the state, with several labeled a “particularly dangerous situation” and 11 confirmed over parts of the state.

Weather experts say the major hurricane is expected to hit landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast overnight and is predicted to be one of the “most destructive storms” to date in the state. Reports as of this afternoon confirmed winds between 52 mph and 59 mph in areas like Key West, St. Petersburg, Naples, Clearwater, and Sarasota.

“Some changes within the eye caused the storm’s peak wind intensity to ease on Monday night, but as anticipated, some regaining of strength occurred on Tuesday afternoon,” said AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva. “On Wednesday, as Milton encounters some wind shear and another eyewall replacement cycle, it is forecast to expand in size and lose some wind intensity. Milton will make landfall as a formidable Category 3-4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale late Wednesday evening.”

Guardian News reported that President Joe Biden said Milton is “looking like the storm of a century” and may result in “historic devastation.”

Earlier today, the National Hurricane Center predicted a maximum storm surge of 13 feet with some of the most intense winds on the northern side and potentially affecting areas that don’t normally experience them during a hurricane. Tropical storm-force winds reportedly span a 250-mile radius.

The storm was projected to potentially hit land as early as 11 p.m.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 9, 2024

Tubi’s First-Ever Talk Show Will Star Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders is adding talk show host to his resume.

Popular streaming provider Tubi is venturing into the talk show space with its first original talk show that will be hosted by Deion Sanders.

The NFL legend will team up with former Entertainment Tonight host Rosci Diaz for We Got Time Today, Deadline reports. The new talk show covers news, culture, entertainment, and sports with interviews and celebrity guests for hour-long episodes airing each Tuesday.

Sanders, who coaches the University of Colorado football team, will host and executive produce the show with Jesse Collins Entertainment’s Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, Madison Merritt, and Elaine Metaxas.

“I’m stepping into the studio to have real conversations with people from all walks of life,” Sanders said in a statement.

“This show is about tapping into the culture,” he added. “We’re going to laugh, debate, inspire, and most importantly, we got time to talk life into our viewers while keeping things 100. I couldn’t do this with anyone else except for the Rocsi Diaz, who I’m sure will keep me on my toes, and of course my friends over at Tubi, who I’ve been a big fan of for a long time now.”

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SMAC Entertainment brokered the deal for Sanders, working with Sam Harowitz, senior vice president of content acquisitions and partnerships at Tubi.

“At Tubi, we’re committed to delivering engaging content that resonates with viewers by reflecting the diversity of our audience,” said Adam Lewinson, chief content officer at Tubi.

“We Got Time Today rejuvenates the traditional talk show format with a loose energy that showcases Deion’s dynamic personality along with his stellar chemistry with Rocsi. This mix of real talk with the pulse of pop culture is very much on brand for Tubi and we expect it will surely spark conversation.”

Diaz is no stranger to the talk show space, having co-hosted BET’s famed 106 and Park alongside Terrence J from 2006 to 2012 before joining ET and Good Morning America.

by Mitti Hicks

October 9, 2024

Federal Government Requiring Business Owners To File Beneficial Ownership Report Or Risk Fines

For most business owners, the deadline to file beneficial ownership reports or corporate transparency reports is January 1, 2025, as long as the business was created before January 1, 2024.

The deadline for businesses to file a Beneficial Ownership Report (BOI) is approaching. Failure to do so could cost business owners thousands of dollars.

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), enacted January 1, 2024, aims to tackle illicit financial activity, including tax fraud and money laundering.

For most business owners, the deadline to file beneficial ownership reports or corporate transparency reports is January 1, 2025, as long as the business was created before January 1, 2024. The rules are different for companies created in 2024 and beyond.

The deadline breakdown business owners should know is as follows:

Companies created or registered in 2024 will have 90 calendar days to file after receiving actual or public notice that its creation or registration is effective.
Companies created or registered before January 1, 2024, have until January 1, 2025, to file.
Companies created or registered on or after January 1, 2025, will have 30 calendar days to file after receiving actual or public notice that its creation or registration is effective.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, corporate transparency reports must include any beneficial owners’ full legal name, date of birth, home address, and a photocopy of their U.S. driver’s license or passport.

Small business owners should include the company’s full legal name, the company’s business address, the state or tribal jurisdiction where the company was formed or first registered, and the taxpayer identification number and identity documents such as a filed Articles of Incorporation or Organization.

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Not Filing A Beneficial Ownership Report Could Cost Thousands

Under CTA, businesses that fail or violate the reporting requirements may be subject to civil penalties of up to $591 per day. They may also face criminal penalties of up to two years imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000.

At least 23 entities are exempt, including large operating companies, companies with over 20 full-time employees in the U.S., and over $5 million in gross sales or receipts from U.S.-based sources.

Small business owner? Your company may need to comply with a new federal filing requirement. Learn more about beneficial ownership reporting: https://t.co/8KJSDxZ5ZY pic.twitter.com/mh6dFKcULF
— FNB Community Bank (@FNBMWC) October 8, 2024

Exempted categories include: Inactive entities that were established on or before January 1, 2020, but are not in active business; nonprofits except ones that have their non-profit status pending with the IRS; and small businesses that are members of the National Small Business Association (NSBA) as of March 1, 2024, the date a federal court ruled in favor of NSBA’s constitutional challenge to CTA.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 9, 2024

Jodie Turner-Smith Blasts Disney For Remaining Silent About Racist Backlash From ‘The Acolyte’ Fans

Jodie Turner-Smith is calling out Disney for seemingly staying quiet about its racist fans.

Jodie Turner-Smith is criticizing Disney for its silence in response to the racist trolling she and other cast members of color from The Acolyte faced.

The British-born actress, who portrayed Mother Aniseya in Disney’s The Acolyte, opened up about the racism and hostility she and her fellow co-stars of color faced during their time on the short-lived Star Wars series. Turner-Smith emphasized that enduring the backlash was difficult enough, but Disney’s alleged silence on the matter made it even harder.

“They’ve got to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are getting f—ing dog-piled on the internet with racism and bulls—,” she told Glamour UK. “It’s just not fair to not say anything. It’s really unfair.”

“It would just be nice if the people that have all the money -– whether that be Disney or any studio –- were showing their support and putting their feet down,” Turner-Smith added. “Say this is unacceptable: ‘You’re not a fan if you do this.’”

The Queen & Slim star believes that if Disney decided to “make a really big statement” against the racist trolling, it wouldn’t have impacted them financially, as true fans would remain loyal, and Black consumers hold significant spending power worldwide.

“Just see if any money leaves. I bet you it won’t because people of color, and especially Black people, make up a very large percentage of buying power,” Turner-Smith declared.

“They might find that it’s actually more lucrative for them, but everyone’s using ‘woke’ like it’s a dirty word.”

The actress, who shares her 4-year-old daughter, Juno Rose Diana, with actor Joshua Jackson, voiced her strong belief that change is on the horizon, where racism will become a relic of the past.

“Opinions change. What’s in vogue changes. We’re gonna get there at some point, to that place where people stop having a stick up their arse about people of color being a part of IPs that were created by white people. You know why?” she asks. “Because we’re never going to f%$king stop participating.”

Sci-fi and cult classic genres frequently face racist backlash rooted in outdated perceptions of what these stories should look like. For actors of color, the spotlight can be especially unforgiving. Performers like Turner-Smith endure racist attacks simply for being present in the space, and when ratings of fan-favorite shows and films don’t meet expectations, the performers of color are often unfairly blamed.

“We don’t get to fail upwards like a lot of white men,” she says. “I just feel that some people are allowed to grow, and others have to be perfect, and if they’re not perfect –- even when it’s great –- people want to f*%king tear it apart.”

Wallace peoples, reform alliance, Wallo267, CMO, Chief marketing officer

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 9, 2024

Wallo267 Discusses Latest Book ‘Armed With Good Intentions’

'I'm just here to show an example that when you're given a real second chance, you can go to the Moon.'

Podcast personality Wallo267, co-host of “Million Dollaz Worth of Game,” appeared on a recent episode of the Tamron Hall Show to discuss his rise from an inmate to a successful podcaster and author.

Wallo is the cousin of his podcast partner, Gillie the Kid. Gillie is a successful emcee and ghostwriter who is known for his songs with his group, Major Figures, before writing songs for other artists like Lil Wayne and a few others. Gillie’s 2017 album was titled “Million Dollars Worth of Game.”

Wallo was convicted of a robbery and served 20 years in prison before improving his life. He appeared on the Tamron Hall Show to partially discuss his time in prison and discuss his new book, Armed With Good Intentions.

“This book is my story, my journey from a scared, dysfunctional kid, a seemingly lost soul, to a beacon of hope and a man of integrity. From terrorizing the streets of Philly to being honored by the Philadelphia mayor as a change maker and a positive impact on the very city that raised me.”

He also states that he wants to be an example for those who may have gone down the wrong path, showing them that the path can be altered and lead to success, just like it did with him.

“My name Wallo267, I’m from the ghettos of America. I committed a lot of crimes, but I changed my life. I’m the culture advisor of YouTube, I’m a New York Times bestseller, and I’m not here to speak for me. I’m here to speak for the brothers and sisters that need a second chance. Also, the possibilities; I’m just here to show an example that when you’re given a real second chance, you can go to the Moon.”

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

October 9, 2024

Miami Beach Close To Taking Back Diddy’s Key To The City

The City of Miami Beach bestowed the ceremonial key to Combs in October 2015.

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ key to Miami Beach is on the verge of being rescinded due to his arrest and federal investigation into sex trafficking and abuse allegations TMZ reports.

The City of Miami Beach initially bestowed the ceremonial key to Combs in October 2015. According to TMZ, city officials are making their final decision on when exactly they will revoke this honor due to the current weather concerns surrounding Hurricane Milton.

Miami Beach’s former mayor, Philip Levine, presented the Key to Diddy during his Revolt Music Conference.

The Florida city is not the first metropolis to cut ties with the now-infamous entertainer. New York City has also revoked its Key to the City to the Harlem-born media mogul. Mayor Eric Adams initiated the request for the key’s return after the video of Diddy assaulting his former partner, Cassie Ventura, was released to the public.

Adams, who currently faces his own federal indictment, wrote a public letter asking the 54-year-old rap mogul to return the key given the video’s violent nature. Adams said the key is bestowed to those of exemplary character and leadership, attributes he no longer associates with Combs. Moreover, Adams emphasized his support for survivors of domestic abuse.

Federal agents arrested Combs in September following an investigation into his alleged sex trafficking and sexual misconduct. Multiple accusers have come forward against Combs, following an inquiry sparked by Ventura’s own Nov. 2023 lawsuit. More recently, a lawyer revealed he represents 120 other alleged victims of Combs.

The infamous star has few allies. However, his mother, Janice Smalls Combs, released a statement in defense of her son on Oct. 6. She implored the public not to prematurely cast judgment on her son.

Combs remains detained in a Brooklyn, New York, jail following his federal arrest.