Tag: celebrities

Elon Musk: Only paid subscribers will get recommended in Twitter ‘For You’ feed | CNN Business

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New York
CNN
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Less than a day after Elon Musk implied that Twitter users might soon only see tweets from paid subscribers in their default feed, the billionaire was forced to clarify that posts from accounts users follow will still be visible, too.

Twitter’s “For You” tab, the first screen that users see when they open the app, curates tweets by using an algorithm. That means it can surface tweets from people you don’t follow. Late Monday, Musk said the For You tab will soon only recommend people who pay for the premium Twitter Blue service.

“Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations,” he announced in a tweet Monday evening. “The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle. Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.”

But on Tuesday, Musk tweeted a clarification: “Forgot to mention that accounts you follow directly will also be in For You, since you have explicitly asked for them.” Oops.

In the five months since Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter, he and the company have been forced to rethink, clarify, delay or walk back a number of changes to the platform, prompting some confusion and whiplash among users in the process.

Appearing in the “For You” feed helps users build their number of followers. Voting in polls doesn’t benefit users in the same way, but blocking them from voting may prompt some to sign up for the paid service.

Musk frequently posts his own polls on Twitter, asking users everything from whether he should give up his position as CEO of the platform to whether he should sell shares of Tesla

(TSLA) stock.

Although Musk said Twitter is making the change to battle with bot accounts, he later tweeted “That said, it’s ok to have verified bot accounts if they follow terms of service & don’t impersonate a human.”

It is part of Musk’s plans to shift Twitter away from being almost completely dependent on advertising dollars for its revenue. A significant portion of Twitter’s ad base has left the platform since Musk took over in October.

Last week, Musk announced that users who have had a free blue checkmark – typically government officials, celebrities, members of the media and other high profile users – would lose that free verification starting in April unless they agree to pay a subscription fee – either $84 annually or $8 a month.

Musk and actor William Shatner clashed on Twitter over the weekend, when Shatner objected to the idea of paying for the checkmark.

“Hey @elonmusk what’s this about blue checks going away unless we pay Twitter?” Shatner tweeted. “I’ve been here for 15 years giving my time & witty thoughts all for bupkis. Now you’re telling me that I have to pay for something you gave me for free?”

Musk responded to Shatner on Sunday in a tweet: “It’s more about treating everyone equally. There shouldn’t be a different standard for celebrities.”

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April 12, 2021
Rapper Meek Mill vows to ‘spread the word’ against antisemitism after Auschwitz visit | CNN Politics

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CNN
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Some 10,000 people from all over the world gathered last week in Poland for the annual March of the Living, a 2-mile walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau, where Nazis murdered over a million civilians – mostly Jews – during World War II.

One of the most famous marchers was Meek Mill, a 35-year-old African American rapper from Philadelphia without any prior connection to the atrocities that happened there.

But at a time of rising antisemitism in the US, his presence spoke volumes, and that was the point.

“I always stand on anything that condemns racism, but now that I had an education, I’ll definitely spread the word to people in my culture about what I’ve seen and what I felt at that concentration camp today,” Mill told CNN during the march.

Mill is a friend of New England Patriots owner and philanthropist Robert Kraft, whose Foundation to Combat Antisemitism is in the midst of a $25 million national campaign, #StandUpToJewishHate. The effort, identified by a blue square emoji, includes paid television ads that share stories of antisemitic incidents in the US, which are on an alarming rise.

Data from the Anti-Defamation League traces a spike in recent incidents against Jews to repeated, hateful comments by rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, who is unapologetic about his pro-Hitler, anti-Jewish language.

“We are two different artists. We represent two different things,” Mill said.

Mill said he “wasn’t educated to even know right from wrong” when Ye was making his remarks.

“But I know a lot of the things he was saying was wrong because it sounded like hate,” Mill said. “Now that I’m educated to a small degree, because I’m at the beginning point, just, you know, spreading the word for humanity. Pushing the cause.”

Kraft got to know Mill during the rap artist’s 12-year legal fight stemming from an arrest on gun and drug charges when he was 19 years old.

The two were introduced by a mutual friend, according to a Kraft spokesperson, and Meek would occasionally reach out to the Patriots owner for some friendly advice. When Meek was incarcerated, Kraft visited him in prison, and the two stayed in touch and have remained friends.

Mill’s case helped spur activism among many high-profile figures, including Kraft, on the issue of criminal justice.

“It’s important for me to learn humanity’s history,” Mill said. “But I think it’s also important for me to support Robert, all my Jewish friends, everyone that always supported me. Robert supported me at a very high level. When I was going through what I was going through, he learned my lifestyle. He learned my cultures, where I come from, my background.”

Mill said he went to Auschwitz to “see this for myself and learn about it for myself,” describing what he saw there as “terror, pain, something you can’t really explain.”

“He’s a man who’s very caring, and it’s very important to him to build bridges between people of the Jewish faith and people of color in America,” Kraft said of Mill.

“He’s a sensitive man who has gone through some difficult situations where he wasn’t treated fairly. And I think for him to understand the culture of our people, what we’ve gone through and how many of the experiences are similar – where people, for no good reason, just stand up and hate,” added Kraft.

Mill not only toured Auschwitz and took part in the March of the Living, but he also participated in events around the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in Poland. The popular artist has nearly 25 million Instagram followers and said he now intends to use his megaphone to make sure his fans understand that all hate – whether racism against Blacks or antisemitism – is rooted in the same ignorance and cannot be tolerated.

“Through my music, I always use my platforms. I come from the ghettos of America – from the streets. That’s what I started talking about because that was my lifestyle,” Mill said.

“But through education and learning more and seeing more, I think I would be able to deliver some things that will touch on moments like this and be able to express and tell a story about what I witnessed and what I’ve seen.”

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April 12, 2021
White House preparations for state dinner with India’s Modi include plant-based chef and violinist Joshua Bell | CNN Politics

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CNN
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Preparations are underway at the White House as President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden will welcome India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington for an official state visit on Thursday, rolling out pomp and circumstance at a state dinner in the evening as the two countries reaffirm close ties.

There has been close attention to diplomatic detail in advance of Thursday’s state dinner, including catering to the guest’s dietary restrictions.

Nina Curtis, a plant-based chef from Sacramento, California, will be the dinner’s guest chef, working with White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford, and White House Executive Pastry Chef Susie Morrison to develop the menu, the office of the first lady said.

Modi, a White House official said, is a vegetarian and “the First Lady selected Chef Curtis for her experience with plant-based cuisine.”

And Grammy Award-winning American violinist and conductor Joshua Bell will provide the evening’s entertainment, the office of the first lady said.

The state dinner is one element of an elaborate visit for the prime minister, which comes amid some criticism over Modi’s human rights record.

State dinners, former White House curator Betty Monkman said, are “a courtesy, an expression of good will, and a way of extending hospitality,” as well as “an event that also showcases global power and influence.” The office of the first lady works closely with her social team, executive residence staff from the calligraphers to the florists to the pastry chefs and the State Department in preparation for these dinners.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan traveled to India this week ahead of the dinner, meeting with Modi and other officials.

“He reviewed preparations for the upcoming official state visit of the prime minister, and discussed a range of strategic, regional, and bilateral issues including steps to advance the strategic technology and defense partnership between the United States and India,” a readout of Sullivan’s trip stated.

This will mark the third state dinner of the Biden administration after the Bidens hosted French President Emmanuel Macron in December and South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol in April.

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April 12, 2021
E. Jean Carroll battery and defamation trial against Donald Trump begins: What to know | CNN Politics

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New York
CNN
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The civil battery and defamation trial for columnist E. Jean Carroll against former President Donald Trump is set to begin Tuesday.

Carroll alleges Trump forcibly raped and groped her in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in the mid 1990’s. Trump denies the charges and has said Carroll is “not my type.”

Unlike his dramatic courtroom appearance in New York state court earlier this month, Trump is unlikely to appear in the Manhattan federal courtroom, his lawyers have said, unless he is called to testify in Carroll’s case or opts to take the stand in his own defense. Because it is a civil case, he is not required to appear.

Jury selection begins Tuesday and the trial is expected to last up to two weeks.

Trump is not being criminally prosecuted on Carroll’s rape allegations. Carroll did not specify an amount in her civil lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court but is seeking monetary damages and a retraction of an October 2022 social media statement Trump made about Carroll.

Here’s what to know:

Nearly four years after Carroll first went public with the allegations in 2019, a jury is expected to be empaneled. Federal District Judge Lewis Kaplan is expected to winnow down a pool of about 100 prospective jurors.

The attorneys have asked the judge to quiz the jury pool on issues like their potential biases and their knowledge of Carroll, Trump and the pending legal matters Trump is facing in unrelated cases like his recent indictment in New York County criminal court.

The jury will remain anonymous to the public and the attorneys, the judge ruled. The decision was in part influenced by Trump’s threats to the state Supreme Court judge overseeing his criminal case in New York.

Attorneys for Carroll and Trump could give opening statements late in the day Tuesday.

Carroll filed the suit last November under New York’s 2022 Adult Survivors Act that opened a look-back window for sexual assault allegations like Carroll’s with long-expired statutes of limitations.

The former Elle columnist first came forward with her story in June of 2019 publishing an excerpt from her book “What Do We Need Men For” in New York Magazine ahead of the book release.

“And, while I am not supposed to say it, I will. This woman is not my type,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“In the meantime, and for the record, E. Jean Carroll is not telling the truth, is a woman who I had nothing to do with, didn’t know, and would have no interest in knowing her if I ever had the chance. Now all I have to do is go through years more of legal nonsense in order to clear my name of her and her lawyer’s phony attacks on me. This can only happen to ‘Trump’!”

The lawsuit argues the denial of Carroll’s allegations is defamatory and caused her emotional, reputational and professional harm.

Trump’s lawyer corrects him after error during deposition

Carroll’s account of the alleged rape after encountering Trump at Bergdorf Goodman in the fall of 1995 or spring of 1996 is detailed in the lawsuit.

She recalled telling Trump she was 52 at time. Both are now in their 70’s.

She helped Trump shop for “a girl” when he recognized her leaving the store, Carroll says.

“Hey, you’re that advice lady!” he said to her, according to the lawsuit. “Hey, you’re that real estate tycoon!” she replied.

Trump steered what started out as light-hearted shopping to the lingerie department where he suggested Carroll try on a bodysuit, the suit alleges. Carroll says Trump then guided her toward a dressing room, where she jokingly suggested he try on the lingerie.

Once in the dressing room Trump “lunged at Carroll, pushing her against the wall, bumping her head quite badly, and putting his mouth on her lips,” according to the lawsuit. With Carroll fighting back, Trump pushed her against the wall again, “jammed his hand under her coatdress and pulled down her tights,” the lawsuit says.

“Trump opened his overcoat and unzipped his pants. Trump then pushed his fingers around Carroll’s genitals and forced his penis inside of her,” the suit alleges.

Carroll eventually pushed him off with her knee and ran out of the dressing room to exit the store, according to the lawsuit.

The former president categorically denies that the interaction and assault ever happened.

After Carroll went public, Trump said he “never met this person.”

Trump’s counsel has made several legal attempts to dismiss the litigation with Carroll and once tried to countersue her, alleging Carroll violated New York’s anti-SLAPP law prohibiting frivolous defamation lawsuits – a claim rejected by Judge Kaplan.

Carroll first sued Trump for defamation in 2019 for statements he made denying the allegations at the time. That case has been paused pending further litigation about how to handle the case because Trump was president when he made the statements at issue in the lawsuit.

Attorneys for the career advice columnist have indicated that Carroll will likely take the stand to tell her account to the jury.

Trump, however, is unlikely to appear in the Manhattan federal courtroom, his lawyers have said, unless he is called to testify in Carroll’s case or opts to take the stand in his own defense.

Trump’s attorney told the court that Trump wanted to attend the trial but claimed it would be a burden on the city and court staff to accommodate him given the security protection he receives.

Judge Kaplan has not decided whether he’ll instruct the jury about Trump’s absence from the defense table.

Jurors are expected to see at least some parts of Trump’s video deposition taken last October for this case. Excerpts of the deposition were previously unsealed in court filings ahead of the trial.

Carroll’s lead attorney, Roberta Kaplan, a civil attorney who’s represented women in high-profile sexual assault litigation like victims of Jeffrey Epstein, indicated that her team can put on Carroll’s case without Trump making an appearance. (Carroll’s attorney and the judge are not related.)

Two longtime friends of Carroll, who’ve confirmed that she confided in them soon after the alleged incident more than two decades ago, can testify to corroborate Carroll’s story, Judge Kaplan ruled over objections from Trump’s legal team.

Carroll has said when she confided in journalist Lisa Birnbach, her friend told her she’d been raped and should report the incident to the police at the time.

When she told former local TV anchor Carol Martin a day or so later, Martin warned Carroll that she was no match for Trump’s army of lawyers and said it was best to keep it to herself – which is ultimately what Carroll did until 2019, she says.

Two other women who allege Trump physically forced himself on them can also testify about their allegations, the judge ruled.

Jessica Leeds has alleged that Trump, seated next to her on a plane, groped her on a flight from Texas to New York in 1979. Leeds, who first came forward during the 2016 presidential election, said in a deposition for this case that Trump acknowledged remembering her from the plane when she saw him at an event sometime after the alleged incident.

People Magazine writer Natasha Stoynoff similarly alleges that Trump groped her and tried to forcibly kiss her in 2005 when Stoynoff was at Mar-a-Lago to interview Trump and a then-pregnant Melania Trump on their first wedding anniversary.

Trump denies both incidents ever happened.

Attorneys for Carroll are expected to show the jury a black and white photo of Trump where he is interacting with several people, including with his then-wife Ivana, Carroll and her then-husband.

A transcript of his October 2022 deposition revealed that Trump mistook Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples when he reviewed the photo during the deposition.

“I don’t know who – it’s Marla,” Trump said when shown the photo. “That’s Marla, yeah. That’s my wife,” he says when asked to clarify.

E. Jean Carroll: ‘I’m not sorry’ (2019)

Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, then interjected and said “no, that’s Carroll,” according to the transcript.

Carroll’s lawyers have said the photo proves Trump had in fact met Carroll and she could be his “type.”

Trump’s comments on the 2016 campaign trail denying allegations from Leeds and Stoynoff can also be admitted as evidence, the judge ruled.

Like Carroll, Trump has asserted that the allegations are false and implausible in part because the women aren’t attractive or his ‘type.’

Jurors may also hear the controversial “Access Hollywood” tape on which Trump can be heard telling show host Billy Bush how he would use his stardom to aggressively come on to women.

Trump has chalked up his graphic language on the tape, which first surfaced during his 2016 Presidential election campaign, as “locker room talk” that wasn’t actually true.

Judge Kaplan ruled that a jury could reasonably find that Trump admitted in the Access Hollywood Tape “that he in fact has had contact with women’s genitalia in the past without their consent, or that he has attempted to do so,” and the jury may view accounts from Leeds and Stoynoff as support for that argument.

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April 12, 2021
Ethical Index Tracking Aims to Create a Better and Honest Global Environment

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EDMONTON, Alberta, June 10, 2019 (Newswire.com)
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As modern societies become more and more complex with every passing day, it is not a rare sight to see people using unfair means to succeed in attaining their personal definition of success. In such a world, it becomes exceedingly necessary to keep track of ethics and morality. Ethical Index is a unique website that offers a platform to view and create profiles of people based on their moral characters. The website features profiles of people as random as local shopkeepers to strong and influential celebrities and leaders on the business and political front. The website aims to grow and reach out to a wider audience and, for this reason, has launched a crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter. The funding goal has been set at CA $15,000.

With businesses becoming increasingly crafty and politicians becoming corrupt, the world is staring at a collective loss of optimism and trust. Ethical Index offers a website that is accessible to all. People can go online and review people without investing much time or effort. From deciding on the right candidate to choose from in the local elections to the stranger that might turn out to be a potential friend or romantic partner — everyone’s ethical index can be successfully tracked. Ethical Index allows people to make better informed and cautious decisions while reaching conclusive judgments on other people’s morality and code of conduct.

The ultimate goal behind a website that allows for the rating and ranking of people is to create a global society that is safe and is welcome to the concept of transparency. This will hopefully allow for a better understanding of the relationships and structures of society. The global database will be taking great advantage of technology and its growing influence and will help create an enhanced network of awareness and moral conscience.

To endorse a safer and dignified global community, visit the official Kickstarter campaign page for Ethical Index. Information on the perks available for backers can also be found there.

Source: Ethical Index

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June 10, 2019
Get Ready to Be Inspired! 2017 Awareness Film Festival, Featuring Lisa Vanderpump’s Short Doc Road to Yulin, Kicks Off on October 5

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Heal One World is proud to present the 2017 Awareness Film Festival in Downtown Los Angeles, from October 5 to 15th, showcasing ecological, health, well-being, political and spiritual films

Press Release
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updated: Sep 18, 2017

LOS ANGELES, September 18, 2017 (Newswire.com)
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The 8th Annual Awareness Film Festival is set to return this year on October 5 through October 15 with its unique and stimulating program celebrating ecological, health/well-being, political and spiritual films from all around the world.

Taking place at The Regal Cinemas in L.A. LIVE, the Awareness Film Festival has continued to grow and to help promote change in the world on a socio-economic level. This year will not only include screenings of incredibly inspirational and thought-provoking films, but will also play host to filmmaker Q&A’s, panel discussions, live music, speakers, artists, parties, and a virtual reality showcase.

The Awareness Film Festival is delighted to announce it’s Opening Night and La Premiere Gala featuring Show Me Democracy and Lisa Vanderpump’s (“Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”) short documentary The Road to Yulin, as well as Closing Night film Adele and Everything After. The festival will also play host to the short film Chasing Titles (starring Brian Austin Green), Francesca Eastwood’s Rebel in Rising, HARE KRISHNA! The Mantra, The Movement And The Swami Who Started It All, and Martin Sheen’s Paying the Price for Peace: The Story of S. Brian Willson

And after all the action, filmmakers and guests are welcomed to experience the hit of Sundance Film Festival – Awareness Film Festival’s Zen Den which focuses on rejuvenation and transformation. The Zen Den will be presenting wellness classes including yoga and tai-chi.

For a detailed film schedule and list of special events, including the Opening Night Gala, Honoree Dinner and Closing Night Gala and panels, please visit: https://www.awarenessfestival.org

The Awareness Film Festival is presented by Heal One World. The Los Angeles based non-profit was formed to help connect people in need of preventative health care, non-traditional/complementary modalities, natural non-invasive treatments and guidance learning self-help techniques that are generally not covered by insurance, and offer access to this help on a sliding scale, free or donation basis.

All proceeds from the festival will go towards Heal One World.

Tickets: https://www.awarenessfestival.org/tickets-passes

Single Film Block:               Presale: $15, Box Office: $18

Weekday Pass Single Day Pass:       Presale: $20, Box Office: $25

Panels Pass (good for all panels):       Presale: $40, Box Office: $45

Weekend Single Day Pass:           Presale: $25, Box Office: $30

Weekend 2-Day Pass:           Presale: $40, Box Office: $50

All Access 11-Day Pass (not including parties): $99.00

VIP All Access (Includes opening, closing and filmmaker parties):    $175.00

Connect With Awareness Film Festival:

Facebook: AwarenessFest

Twitter: @AwarenessFest

Instagram: @AwarenessFest

# # #

EDITORIAL NOTES:

Official 2017 Festival Poster: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwYchBpcGAyQQlpyMVZVZFQ0TUk

MEDIA CONTACTS

For more information on the festival and how to secure film/panel credentials, please contact:

Nicole Newton-Plater

Nicole@ppmg.info

310-860-7774 O

310-362-7831 M

Melissa Pérez

melissa@ppmg.info

310-860-7774 O

Source: Awareness Film Festival

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September 18, 2017
The Homeless in Florida Defy All Odds

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It has been a long and rugged road, but the homeless proved that they could help each other since 2008. They have helped pioneer many new methods that are working.The numbers in rural America continue to increase.The Mission in Citrus has helped lead the way in innovative projects that work to reduce the numbers.They have just reached a 73% employment rate , which is unheard of for shelters in the US. After deducting children in the women’s house, the rate is 90%. They have reason to be proud.

Press Release
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May 25, 2016

Crystal River, Florida, May 25, 2016 (Newswire.com)
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Many said that it could not be done, but they have shown that it could be done, when given the proper resources. They have come a long way in the past eight years, from over 60 tents to the three shelters that are operated today. Including a Veteran’s shelter that opened in 2010. There were no high paid staff or administration expenses, other than the office supplies, leases, and other bills that were needed to operate. They have received awards from Great Nonprofits, the Guide Star Seal for transparency and many others over the past three years, and have more positive reviews than many other charities around the United States.

Thousands have been helped by learning to stretch a dime into a dollar. The foundation for the Mission in Citrus and the rules and regulations that they still follow, were set up by their homeless founder and six other homeless people. It has been a long struggle, but their faith in God helped them to make it through many tough times. While they live by faith, no one is forced to pray or go to church. Most of them do on their own. Veteran’s fought for that right.The Mission in Citrus Inc. was founded in 2008, after their founder became homeless himself, and found that traditional shelters were not working, or addressing the needs of Veterans.Veterans fought for the rights of all, including themselves. The Founder felt that no one should lose those rights by becoming homeless.

The Homeless are helping each other when given the proper resources.

James M Sleighter, Founder

They have been pioneers since the start, and have shown that most of the homeless Veteran’s problem can be greatly reduced. Thanks to a state grant, they now have three paid staff. But there is far more to be done. They are only limited by funding. Grants are used for specific projects and cannot be used towards operational costs. The huge increase in homeless Veterans has strained their resources. They are hoping Congress will quickly act as many are disabled and in need of additional help. While they are trying to help more Veterans, they forget about the shelters that keep them off the streets and keep them safe.

The Mission in Citrus has a very high success rate, due to offering a hand up and not a handout. And who better to help the homeless, then those who been there and have the knowledge to help others succeed. There have been many imitators, but the Mission in Citrus is the real deal…

The Mission in Citrus is pushing on harder to reduce homelessness.They would like to thank all that have made it possible.

Source: Mission in Citrus Inc

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May 25, 2016
Why Anne Hathaway and other women are saying enough to the haters | CNN

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Some pop culture moments, as they age, feel more and more like bouts of collective madness. Why did everyone hate Anne Hathaway all of those years ago? Around 2013, despite winning a slew of awards for her role in “Les Miserables,” it seemed the actress couldn’t catch a break. Despite a lack of scandal or outright offensive behavior, she was “the star we love to loathe,” ” the bad kind of theater kid,” “the kind of person who inexplicably bugs people.”

Since then, the criticism has all but faded from public consciousness, a half-remembered Hollywood fever dream akin to the time everyone ragged on Taylor Swift for writing about her exes or that one 2009 concert when everyone called a perfectly normal-looking Jessica Simpson fat.

Hathaway hasn’t forgotten, though, and she’s not the only one reminding people that ruthless celebrity criticism – a treasured and lucrative Hollywood pastime – is not as fashionable as it once was.

At Elle’s 2022 Women in Hollywood event this week, Hathway commented on the bygone “Hathahate” with painful intimacy, saying the outward hatred only increased her inner hatred of herself.

“When your self-inflicted pain is suddenly amplified back at you, it’s a thing,” she said. The experience taught her to not “hold space” for such language, for herself or anyone else. She also urged others to do the same.

“You can judge behavior. You can forgive behavior or not,” she said. “But you do not have the right to judge – and especially not hate – someone for existing.”

Hathaway’s discussion of mental health highlights a relatively new addition to the conversation. Stars have been speaking out against bullying for quite some time, but it has only been in the past few years that we have seen abundant conversations about how fame affects their mental health.

In her new memoir “Making a Scene,” actress Constance Wu writes about struggling with her identity, and balancing the person she is with the person she thought she had to be to make it in the entertainment business.

“I write about wanting to be the cool girl in my 20s, not wanting to make a scene,” she told Shondaland. “Because I thought that’s what would make me cool and loved and valued. But it doesn’t work because it’s not authentic.”

Wu also writes about the sexual harassment she endured on her sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat.”

“I endured all this sexual harassment and intimidation and abuse the first two years of the show, but then once it was a success, I no longer talked to my abuser, and I was able to continue my job professionally and even joyfully,” she says. “So, I thought I handled it. But I realized that repressed abuse and feelings don’t go away just because you will them to.”

While the particulars of being a celebrity may be remote to most people, working through trauma and contending with damaging expectations are universal experiences. By discussing these issues head-on, women like Hathaway and Wu are indicating a sea change in celebrity culture.

Of course, ruthless celebrity gossip isn’t just a favorite pastime of the masses. It’s a lucrative cog in the Hollywood machine. Entire franchises, like Bravo’s “Real Housewives” series, are built around the sport of pitting women against each other in rivalries both real and imagined. But in the same way that some stars are pulling the curtain back on the real effects of bullying and criticism, others are severing these traditions closer to the root.

Social media had a minor meltdown recently when Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber posed together for the first time at the Academy Museum Gala. To those outside the sphere of Hollywood gossip, this means absolutely nothing. But to those in the know – those that know Gomez is the longtime ex of Bieber’s husband, Justin Bieber, the moment was close to iconic.

The two women have long been pitted against each other by fans, with Gomez cast as the one that got away and Bieber as the usurping, second-best wife. They have both used their platforms to warn against online hate and harassment, but the proxy feud fueled by their fans has been insistent.

To see them together, then, was as monumental as a photo op with, say, Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie would have been in the early 2000s, when everyone was “Team Aniston” or “Team Jolie” following the former’s divorce from Brad Pitt.

In the present media environment, it isn’t necessarily unusual for famous women to show some solidarity with each other, or get personal about the damaging effects of fame. What’s remarkable is seeing fans so eager for and receptive to these developments.

The comments on photographer Tyrell Hampton’s Instagram post of Gomez and Bieber paint a clear picture of this:

“Is this what world peace feels like?”

“Everyone wants them to hate each other so badly, and for what?”

“I’m proud of them.”

They’re not dissimilar to the social media reactions that followed Hathaway’s recent comments.

“Why did everyone hate Anne Hathaway for no reason?”

“They were just being haters.”

It’s one thing for stars to reveal how cruel the churn of celebrity gossip can be. More often, we are seeing fans listen and agree, interrogating their own role in these obsessions. Together, both sides of the screen are searching for a more positive relationship with fame.

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December 31, 1969