While hanging with British Vogue and British GQ at their Fashion & Film Party on Sunday, the actor was thrown off by a question he was asked. The outlet’s special Jenga game, which had questions written on every block, asked him if he was someone who ate in bed.
The “Legally Blonde” actress, who opened up about her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in 2018, graces the cover of British Vogue’s May 2023 issue, featuring disabled talents as cover stars.
Blair looks stunning as she poses with her cane in a nude ensemble on the cover, telling the magazine: “I have an emotional and physical attachment to the cane.”
She continues, “I settle in my voice and body as soon as I hold [it]. It’s an extension of me. And I know it adds to visibility.”
CREDIT: Adama Jalloh
Blair, who famously walked with her cane on the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party red carpet in her first public appearance since announcing her MS diagnosis, shares: “So many younger people have started publicly embracing their sticks more. I do think representation matters.
“If I can help remove stigma or over-curiosity in a crowd for someone else, then that’s great,” she explains.
Elsewhere in the candid interview, Blair opens up about her struggles with the diagnosis, especially the many years of not knowing exactly what she was dealing with.
“As an adult, the lassitude and anxiety became terrifying, actually,” Blair admits of suffering secret symptoms. “I made mistakes. Wished myself dead. Attempted suicide. A few times. Out of desperation.”
She says of pulling away from the industry after filming the U.S. TV remake of “Kath & Kim” in 2009: “My autoimmune system was misfiring… losing most of my hair and all of my energy. I kinda bowed out [after the show]. It was a French exit and everybody else stayed at the party… My self-hatred was extreme.
“I could not manage well and I couldn’t even try to find work… It was a running joke. How far was the audition? How many naps would I fit in on the side of the road before and after? [When I quit acting] I spent my days in bed, crying, sometimes binge drinking, sometimes reading and sleeping, seeing doctors and healers… I gave up almost until the diagnosis. I was always terrified I would be deemed incapable. Or mentally unsound. My mother taught me that was death for a woman career-wise.”
See the full feature in the May issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands April 25.
On February 12, Rihanna took the stage for the first time since 2016 to perform at the highly coveted Super Bowl Halftime Show. Sporting a red jumpsuit and exposing her baby bump – the world’s best kept secret for the past few months – our Fenty queen quite literally emerged from the sky. Opening with her single “Bitch Betta Have My Money,” it didn’t take long for the world to understand that Rihanna is back.
Rumors began to swirl weeks prior to her Super Bowl performance: who would she bring out as a special guest? What would she wear? Where will A$AP Rocky fit into all of this? Will she finally reveal new music?
Some viewers expressed disappointment in the lack of movement from Rihanna herself. Since previous acts like Beyonce were known for elaborate dance numbers, people were wondering where all the pizazz was.
My answer? You try being suspended in mid air with no restraints or support, performing for a crowd of millions of television viewers, oh, and being months pregnant. Even when she’s on the ground, how much movement do you need her to be doing? She’s. Pregnant.
She has famous collaborations with both Jay-Z and the defamed Kanye West on “Run This Town,” as well as Calvin Harris with “We Found Love.” And let us not forget the Drake saga with “What’s My Name” and “Work.” But Rihanna doesn’t necessarily need anyone to come and guest star for her. She’s Rihanna: always the main event, no backup needed.
Rihanna will do what she wants, when she wants. And being that she is the undisputed ruler, we have to accept.
One of the more controversial tidbits of a Super Bowl Halftime performance show is that the artists don’t typically get paid. While the NFL is a billion dollar industry, it does err on the side of strange that they can’t shell out a few million for their performers – especially when Rihanna garnered 118.7 million viewers – 5 million more than the actual game – and the second most watched Halftime performance ever.
The NFL argues that the performer gets more exposure, and thus sales. With such a huge platform like the Halftime Show, they aren’t necessarily wrong.
The world welcomed Rihanna back with open arms. Ever since the performance, she has skyrocketed back into popularity (not that she ever left), topping the charts with no new album or single.
Since then, Billboard reported Rihanna earned her biggest streaming week ever following the Super Bowl – up 150% with 166 million streams. She became the seventh act in the last 50 years to chart five albums in the top 50 on the Billboard 200 simultaneously, ANTI being in the top 10. She’s the sixth most-streamed artist globally on Spotify with 77 million monthly listeners.
Her Fenty Beauty brand has once again been selling out online after a quick flash of her Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder during her set. Searches rose 833% following her performance. The impact of her performance was gargantuan: she became the number one most streamed artist, gained 3 million Instagram followers, and sold out products like her Plush Puddin’ Lip Mask. It earned Fenty $5 million in Media Impact Value alone.
She’s now the face of the most recent British Vogue issue alongside A$AP Rocky and her son. Inside, she teases that not releasing music this year would be ridiculous. The question is, do we believe her? And are we ready to get hurt again?
