Jalen Ramsey is an equal opportunity DM-slider. Ramsey was part of a roundtable with Haley and Hanna Cavinder on Jake Paul’s Betr platform when it was revealed he had slid into one of the twins’ DMs. Paul was asking the NFL defensive back if he had a strategy for direct messaging women on social media, … Read more
Actress and comedian Bresha Webb is a proud daughter of Baltimore, who grew up with big acting dreams. But she has mixed feelings when it comes to the city’s greatest contribution to television: “The Wire.” “A lot of the roles were cast out of my high school, the Baltimore School for the Arts. So I … Read more
Woody McClain is his name! But since he starred in the BET 2018 miniseries “The Bobby Brown Story,” fans regularly address him as the “Every Little Step” singer. That made the actor bristle until the great Jamie Foxx (who I’m praying for) gave him some advice. Woody recalled that Jamie said to him, “I come … Read more
As hip-hop turns 50 and we pull back the lens to see its full story, we can appreciate the rappers who truly changed the game from an artistic and business perspective. That list wouldn’t be complete without including the groundbreaking trio from East Orange, New Jersey: Naughty by Nature. They started out performing at their … Read more
Want a comprehensive history and culture lesson on the subject of hip-hop? Talk to radio personality and R&B artist Miss Jones, who was there when it was rising, rubbed elbows with all the top New York rappers of the era and was almost in a trailblazing female rap group. She virtually has a Ph.D. on … Read more
Jason Kelce is always up to party, so it should come as no surprise that he was in a festive mood at the 2023 NFL Draft. The Eagles’ center celebrated his team trading up to No. 9 to select Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter by chugging a beer. Kelce’s mood may change once it dawns … Read more
We met comedian and actor Kel Mitchell as a young teen, when he and his partner in crime, Kenan Thompson, were introduced to the public on Nickelodeon’s “All That.” The hit show was sketch comedy, a theme song by TLC and performances from top hip-hop artists. And it was a dream for Kel, who grew … Read more
Jalen Hurts is peeling back the curtain on his personal life. In a new cover story for Essence, the Eagles quarterback — who agreed to a record-breaking five-year, $255 million contract extension with the team Monday — spoke about girlfriend Bryonna “Bry” Burrows following their public appearance together at the NFC Championship game in January. … Read more
The vivacious chef Carla Hall hit our radar as a contestant on “Top Chef” and later as a co-host of “The Chew” but she lived many lives before television, including accountant, model and owner of a catering business – where she was always on edge about paying her bills. “I would scrape together all this … Read more
During her early days in stand-up, Sherri Shepherd followed tough acts like Sheryl Underwood and JB Smoove. One act she didn’t expect to follow: the cops. “I wasn’t paying my bills,” she told me on this week’s episode of “Renaissance Man.” “I was in a religion that was like, I felt the end of the … Read more
My guests’ journey began in elementary school — and has resulted in a marriage that has produced four sons, a family YouTube channel, a podcast called “Dead Ass with K&D” and the best-selling relationship book “We Over Me: The Counterintuitive Approach to Getting Everything You Want From Your Relationship.” How did Devale and Khadeen Ellis … Read more
Broadway star Billy Porter has won a Tony, a Grammy, an Emmy and also has the distinction of bringing the tuxedo dress to the red carpet. At the 2019 Oscars, Porter changed the fashion conversation, attending in a velvet tuxedo gown by designer Christian Siriano. He called the “antebellum tuxedo gown” his biggest style moment. … Read more
Hosea Chanchez‘s introduction to Los Angeles was a series of unfortunate events. At 17, he dropped out of school and drove across the country with his cousin in his Mitsubishi Eclipse, expecting to stay with a family member and pursue his dream of being a working actor. His housing plans fell through, but his relative … Read more
When comedian-turned-actress Mo’Nique was growing up in Baltimore, her friend’s mother made a prophetic comment. “She said to me, ‘When you grow up, either you’re going to get your ass whipped a lot, [or] you’re going to make a lot of money with your mouth,’” Mo’Nique told me on this week’s “Renaissance Man.” It was … Read more
The rapper Papoose knows a thing about grit. Growing up in Bed-Stuy, he dreamed of being a hip-hop star. He was making great music, selling CDs out of his trunk and winning battles on the street, but he had no connections in the industry. What he did have was persistence and nerve. “But the DJ … Read more
Jalen Hurts isn’t just breaking the hearts of 49ers fans. The 24-year-old Eagles quarterback has the internet buzzing after he appeared to debut his girlfriend after defeating the Niners in the NFC Championship game on Sunday. Hurts is dating Bryonna “Bry” Burrows, according to multiple reports, which say the pair met while at Alabama — … Read more
A sports media saga took an unexpected turn on Tuesday. Jalen Rose lashed out at media personalities who make hay trolling the Dallas Cowboys, following their playoff loss to the 49ers. Many people who saw the tweets believed they were directed at Rose’s ESPN colleague, Stephen A. Smith. “So glad I didn’t make a career … Read more
Tabitha Brown is a vegan chef and an Emmy-nominated social media personality with more than 4 million followers on both TikTok and Instagram. She also has partnerships with Target. In other words, she’s killing it. An aspiring actress, she took an unorthodox route to fame: by going viral in her car. In December 2017, she … Read more
Jermaine Dupri’s father was a record executive, so he was raised around hip-hop, going to shows while in his single digits. But he started his own career as a 12-year-old dancer with Whodini, the group behind “Freaks Come Out at Night.” “[I was] just thinking I was going to open up for a show that … Read more
Hear me out this week Jets fans, you’ll want to hear what Jared Goff has to say. The Detroit Lions quarterback and my good friend opened up on “Renaissance Man” about one of the most major career changes he’s gone through — being traded from the Los Angeles Rams to play in Motown. It was … Read more