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South Park hopped back on the Ye train on Wednesday night (Feb. 8) in the season 26 opening episode, “Cupid Ye,” in which Kyle, Stan and the gang sent up Kanye West‘s recent string of antisemitic rants. The Valentine’s Day-themed episode found Cartman’s Cupid Me character twisted into Cupid Ye, a naughty cherub who shoots hearts filled with antisemitism instead of love at his targets.
The plot ostensibly focused on Stan’s jealously over the budding friendship between Kyle — who is Jewish — and Tolkien, prompting “good Christian” Cartman to do something about it. His plan, such as it was, includes confronting Tolkien in the band room during practice and praising the show’s only Black character for being “OK” with hanging out with “someone like [Kyle] … given all the new information lately.”
As Tolkien continues honking on his horn unconcerned, Cartman adds, “You know, the stuff that’s come out about how the Jews stole the Black race’s identity? That the lost tribes of Judah were actually all Africans? You didn’t hear about this? Black people are actually the Jews and people like Kyle have taken that from them?”
After Tolkien begs him to stop talking, Cartman doubles down and goes on a 100% historically dubious rant about how when Jews came to America to escape persecution during World War II, they arrived to find that Black people were already the “underclass” in the nation, “so they had to invent a story for themselves which they could make everyone believe because Kyle runs Hollywood!”
The bit was an obvious nod to the string of hateful, antisemitic comments Kanye (who now goes by Ye) made in late 2022, which included a series of talk-show and podcast appearances in which the former billionaire musician and clothing designer repeated conspiracy theories about the Jewish people. The hate speech spurred widespread condemnation and resulted in Ye being dropped by his record label, publicists, lawyers, fashion collaborators and brand partners in one of the swiftest, most thorough downfalls of a major pop culture figure in recent memory.
The South Park crew — who’ve made Ye a repeated source of ridicule on the long-running series — had their usual irreverent way with the controversy, with Cartman promising Stan that Kyle would be back by his side soon enough. Cue Cupid Ye flying in to remind Cartman of all the lies he told him and promising to “get the word out.”
As Kyle and Tolkien continue cranking out TikToks together, fellow students begin to ask Kyle if its true that he runs Hollywood as they pitch him a guy-with-guns-for-hands movie. “I’m not even going to justify that with a response,” an incensed Kyle shoots back. “Because repeating a derogatory slur, even for the purpose of refuting it can make stupid people think it’s valid!”
And there was the point.
Cupid Ye, with a mic in one hand and a crucifix in the other, later returns to assure Cartman that he would help him spread the word, even as the conflicted 10-year-old worries that ever since Cupid changed his name and found Jesus he’s been acting a bit “bats–t crazy.” Which, of course, led to Cupid Ye visiting Tolkien in his sleep and whisper antisemitic tropes in his ear, suggesting that Kyle is the one really profiting off their TikToks.
There was also a takedown of woke culture, a hard diss at Avatar 2 and a parody of one of West’s masked media interviews spreading anti-Jewish hate in which even Cartman has to slow Cupid Ye’s Kanye-like claim that “Hitler actually wasn’t a bad guy.”
You can watch the full episode on South Park’s website.
*Editor’s Note: After an Oct. 8, 2022, tweet in which he announced he was going “death con [sic] 3 on Jewish people,” Kanye West (Ye) has repeatedly doubled down on antisemitic hate speech, even going so far as to praise Hitler, a man responsible for the systematic murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. This arrives at a troubling time when antisemitism is on the rise, with the Anti-Defamation League noting a 34% year-over-year increase in antisemitic incidents (assault, harassment and vandalism) in America in 2021. Many companies have cut business ties with the rapper/fashion designer, while numerous musicians, friends and politicians have condemned his comments.
After years of touring around the globe, Bob the Drag Queen is gearing up for her biggest tour yet — and this time, it’s with pop icon Madonna.
In a new interview with Billboard, the drag superstar dishes on her upcoming special guest slot on Madonna’s 40 year-retrospective world trek, the Celebration Tour. “You ever think about how lucky you are to be alive at the same time as someone else?” Bob says. “We get to be alive at the same time as Madonna.”
The pair were first introduced when Bob served as host for Madonna’s New York Pride show at Terminal 5 in 2022. “Her daughter recommended me to host, and Madonna just really took a liking to me after that,” she says. “She sang me ‘Happy Birthday,’ she’s bought me cupcakes, I talk with her kids, and we just became really fast pals.”
It wasn’t until November of last year that Madonna officially asked Bob to join her on her expansive tour — or at least, Madonna thought she was officially asking Bob. “She DM’d my mom on Instagram, because she thought it was my Instagram,” Bob says with a laugh. “My mom texted me like, ‘Madonna wants to work with me!’ I was like, ‘Mom, I’m pretty sure she thinks you’re me.’ It came so close to being my mom on tour with Madonna instead of me.”
The RuPaul’s Drag Race season eight winner teased that fans can expect “a journey through four decades of the top-selling woman in the history of music,” with the queen “there to help facilitate the journey” throughout the show’s run.
Fans spotted Bob in Madonna’s tour announcement video, in which the star had a series of her celebrity friends — including Diplo, Amy Schumer, Judd Apatow, Jack Black and Lil Wayne — join her for a game of Truth or Dare. As Bob tells it, no one in the video knew what was supposed to happen until the cameras started rolling.
“I was the first one there, and then all of these people began streaming in. I was like, ‘Wait, Amy Schumer? Jack Black? What is going on?’” Bob recalls. “We all thought that we were individually going to be taking some photos with Madonna, none of us knew about this. Only Madonna could get us all to show up like that.”
When it comes to personal impact, Bob says she’s been moved by Madonna’s grace and trust in her. “She respects me in a way that doesn’t feel like a novelty,” she says. “Obviously, what matters most is how I feel about myself, but still, a stamp of approval from Madonna is just like … ‘What?!’”
The Celebration Tour kicks off July 15 in Vancouver, B.C. Get your tickets to see Bob and Madonna on tour here.
In trying to list out everything that she’s been up to as of late, drag superstar Bob the Drag Queen finds herself at a loss.
Sitting out of drag in a small podcasting studio, the star quickly lists off her HBO series We’re Here, her podcast with Monét X Change Sibling Rivalry and her stand-up comedy career with ease — it’s only once she gets to her extensive touring history that she begins to falter.
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“I’ve done ‘Werq the World,’ ‘Drag Queen Christmas,’ ‘Christmas Queens,’ the [Drag Race] season 8 tour, ‘In the Dark,’” she tells Billboard via Zoom, before suddenly going quiet. “I know there’s more. You name a Drag Race tour, I’ve probably done it. A girl had to make a dollar.”
It would be unreasonable for Bob to remember everything she’s been up to — in the almost seven years since being crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 8, the dexterous performer has been hard at work creating her own drag empire. Spreading her talents out through comedy, reality television, podcasting, touring and internet virality, Bob has made herself one of the most sought-after drag queens in the world.
Today, though, Bob’s focus is on her music career. After taking a five-year hiatus from releasing original tracks, Bob is returning with their long-awaited debut EP Gay Barz (out Friday, Feb. 10). The 6-track project sees the queen taking on sounds from hip-hop and house and infusing them with what Bob calls her own “campy” sensibilities.
“There’s always an innate sense of humor in what I do,” she explains. “Even on a song like ‘Black‘ [Bob’s fiery ode to Black excellence], I’m still using my sense of humor to make my point — like with the line ‘If Rosa Parks could see you now/ She’d be beatin’ that ass.’”
It certainly shows throughout the project. On the late-EP ode-to-backsides “Booty,” Bob spits that you ought to “put that ass on trial/ Burn the booty at the stake”; the hard-hitting titular cypher contains some of the queen’s hardest bars, including “I don’t speak spanish/ But I will top-a-tío.”
But Bob is not the only one to spit fire on “Gay Barz” — the title track served as something of a freestyle session between Bob and three other queer rappers; Kamera Tyme, Mikey Angelo and Ocean Kelly. On “Black,” Bob and Kelly are joined by nonbinary singer-songwriter BASIT who adds a delicious vocal hook to the fiery anthem. “I call us the GGT; the girls, gays and theys,” Bob quips, grinning.
It’s no accident that most of the four featured artists were discovered by Bob through TikTok, a platform she adopted just before the start of COVID and where she has since expanded her reign with a massive following of 2.8 million. “It kind of occurred to me when I saw people being made famous on TikTok that we don’t have to take the celebrities you hand us. We get to hand you celebrities,” Bob says. “So it was really important to bring these amazing artists on this journey with me. Hopefully this will lead people to going and checking out their stuff individually, because they are all so talented and prolific.”
While the project is focused on providing the laughs and featuring deserving, up-and-coming LGBTQ talent, Gay Barz also doesn’t shy away from the politics of it all. Even the cover art for the album, showing a younger Bob being escorted away by police, comes from the star’s political activism, where she was arrested in 2011 for protesting for marriage equality near New York’s Bryant Park.
“They would do these things called ‘field mugshots,’ where they take a picture of you right there in the streets with a Polaroid. When I was getting out of jail, I had the audacity to swing by the front door and say, ‘Can I have my picture please?’” Bob recalls. “It’s been one of my favorite pictures of myself since that day.”
On “Black,” for example, when Bob isn’t asking if you’re “ready to gagatron,” the star is calling out the inequity faced by Black and queer folks on a regular basis, underlining the point further saying “multiply by 10 if you’re black and trans.” The video takes the concept even further, showing Bob taking over a police cruiser and taking (literal) shots at Klan members.
Bob doesn’t fault any artist who’d rather focus on escapism in a time of political turmoil — “Not everyone needs to be political,” she says. But for her, not speaking on what she thinks is ultimately not an option. “I have a big, loud mouth, I’m an opinionated bitch,” she says. “That’s why I was in the streets shouting that ‘New York demands marriage equality now,’ because I had a voice and I wanted to make sure people heard it.”
It’s a quality Bob shares with one of her pop idols, Madonna. Now, Bob can call the star not only an inspiration, but a collaborator; for her highly-anticipated, career-spanning world tour later this year, Madonna tapped Bob as a special guest for every performance.
Their relationship started when Bob was asked to host Madonna’s New York Pride show in 2022 — upon rehearsing and meeting with the “Material Girl,” Bob says the pair instantly hit it off, with Madonna taking a keen interest in her career. Eventually, she asked Bob to join her on her world tour, to which the queen excitedly agreed.
Bob remains tight-lipped about what to expect for the tour, stating only that the show will be “a journey through four decades of the top-selling woman in the history of music,” and adding that “I’m there to help facilitate that journey.” But the drag star also makes clear that her inclusion on the tour feels like a genuine acknowledgement of her talent. “She respects me in a way that doesn’t feel like a novelty,” Bob explains. “She doesn’t tell me, ‘You need to show up in full drag at 8:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning.’ She says, ‘Show up however it feels best for you.’”
The star even got Madonna’s input on parts of her new EP — Bob sent the video for “Black” to Madonna for any advice, and the “Like a Prayer” singer let her know that the clip was “phenomenal.” “Obviously, what matters most is how I feel about myself, but still, a stamp of approval from Madonna is just like … ‘what?!’” Bob says.
Still, on the eve of her EP’s release, Bob can’t help but feel the butterflies in her stomach at work. “I feel like I’m supposed to say, ‘Bitch, I’m ready for the EP to f–king take over the world!’ But in all honesty, I’m nervous,” she says. “I want the world to like my music.”
Whether or not they do, Bob also acknowledges that she’s done all that she can and more to put her everything into the new project. “I’m really happy with the work,” Bob says. “It says a lot about who I am, it says a lot about my journey. It feels like I’m doing this in a way that feels very true to me.”
Two months after his shocking passing, Ellen DeGeneres is paying tribute to her former DJ and good friend, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, on the grounds of her Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda.
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“As we celebrated the one year anniversary of our Ellen Campus this past week, we took a moment to recognize a very special person who left us too soon,” read an Instagram post from the Fund. “tWitch brought light to so many and was a wonderful friend to @ellendegeneres In his honor we planted this tree so he will be forever remembered on the campus.”
The post featured a photo of a memorial plaque honoring the dancer/DJ and co-executive producer of the Ellen show who died by suicide on Dec. 13 at 40. “In memory of Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss and the light that he brought to the world,” it reads, noting that the tree was planted this month. An accompanying picture of the sapling showed it in an expansive greenspace with towering mountains in the background.
DeGeneres inaugurated the Ellen Campus in 2022 to expand the study of gorillas by the fund established by famed primate researcher Fossey in 1967.
Days after Boss’ death a devastated DeGeneres shared some memories of her friend and TV compatriot. “Right now what I want to do is remember all the love and laughter I had with tWitch. He brought so much joy to my life. I know he brought joy to yours too. I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite moments with him. If you want to you can also share yours,” she wrote on Instagram using the hashtag #ILovetWitch.
See the Fund’s post below.
Louis Tomlinson announced Wednesday (Feb. 8) that he’s prepping the release of his new documentary All of Those Voices.
In partnership with 78 Productions, Trafalgar Releasing is set to premiere the music film in theaters nationwide on March 22 for a limited time. Tickets will go on sale exactly one month prior to the release date on Feb. 22, with specific theater listings also being unveiled that day.
A release for All of Those Voices promises that the film will allow fans an “intimate and unvarnished view” of the former One Directioner’s life and career through the process of creating and releasing his second solo album, Faith in the Future.
“From the highs of superstardom to the lows of personal tragedy, Louis’ story is one of resilience and determination,” the tease continues, adding that “the film shows a side of Louis that fans have never seen before, as he grapples with the pressures of fame and the weight of his own voice.”
“This has been something I’ve been working on for years,” Tomlinson said in a statement. “I’m really excited to finally put it out into the world. I’ve said it a million times but I’m lucky enough to have the greatest fans an artist could wish for, and as they always go above and beyond for me, I wanted to share my story ‘in my own words.’”
Released back in late November, Tomlinson’s latest studio effort became his first top five hit on the Billboard 200 when it bowed at No. 5. The LP also landed at No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart after notching the singer a career-best sales week of 37,000 copies.
Last week, Tomlinson also announced the dates of his upcoming tour of Asia, which kicks off in Japan on April 17 in support of Faith in the Future.
While many on the Christian right were left clutching their pearls following Sam Smith and Kim Petras‘ supposedly “satanic” performance at the 2023 Grammys, one organization closely familiar with the subject matter found it a bit boring.
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In an interview with TMZ, David Harris, a magister of the Church of Satan, said he thought Smith and Petras’ performance was “all right” and “nothing particularly special.” In the performance, Smith sported a red leather outfit with horns sprouting from a top hat, while Petras danced in a cage surrounded by fire and backup dancers dressed as devils.
However, when it came to the real-life people who were offended by the performance — especially public officials like Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene — Harris called them “delicate snowflakes,” while also turning their own criticism back on them. “It’s sad when politicians on a national stage use someone’s religion as a punchline,” he said.
Harris’ comments came after a wave of criticism for both Smith and Petras online following their performance. Cruz called the number “evil,” while Greene said the production was “demonic.”
Petras spoke a bit more about the performance after making history as the first transgender woman to win in the best pop duo/group performance category, arguing that those getting upset about it were also the ones who directly inspired it. “It’s a take on not being able to choose religion, and not being able to live the way that people might want you to live,” she said. “I think a lot of people have labeled what I stand for and what Sam stands for as ‘religiously not cool.’ I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it, but then slowly realizing it doesn’t want me to be a part of it.”
Check out Petras’ acceptance speech for the award below:
South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have spent more than two decades roasting everyone from politicians to pop culture figures. And with the long-running animated show kicking off its 26th — yes, 26th! — season Feb. 8 on Comedy Central, the two masterminds are unlikely to stop.
In the show’s quarter century, it’s delivered parodies of musicians, from the uncomfortable (Britney Spears quite literally losing her head) to the hilarious (Randy Marsh is Lorde?!?!), with some artists even lending their voices to join in the fun (Robert Smith of The Cure battled on Mecha-Streisand). To celebrate 25 years and counting of genius (and, well crudely genius) intersections with our world, Billboard picked out some of the show’s most memorable moments involving musicians, from gay fish denier Kanye West to Jennifer Lopez as a hand puppet to Justin Bieber as “the enemy.”
And though we’re sticking purely to the Comedy Central episodes in this list, we do want to acknowledge that the show has spawned a feature-length film and more made-for-TV movies in recent years for Paramount+. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut arrived in June 1999, and gave fans an unforgettably dirty (and successful) soundtrack to pair with it. The set — featuring such earworms as “Kyle’s Mom’s a Bitch,” “Blame Canada,” “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” and “Uncle F—a” — debuted at No. 82 on the all-genre Billboard 200 on the chart dated July 10, 1999, and peaked at No. 28 weeks later; it remained on the tally for 11 weeks.
Relive the animated TV show’s musical mayhem — in no particular order — below.
Along with celebrating the queer community at large, the GLAAD Media Awards make sure to give vocal allies their flowers for supporting the LGBTQ community — and this year, the organization is recognizing two massive stars for their unyielding efforts.
On Wednesday (Feb. 8), GLAAD announced that recording artists Bad Bunny and Christina Aguilera would be the recipients of two allyship awards at its annual ceremony in Los Angeles taking place March 30. The organization also announced that out actor Jeremy Pope would receive the Stephen F. Kolzak award for his work in raising visibility for LGBTQ media professionals.
Bad Bunny is set to receive the annual vanguard award, which is presented to “allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.” Past honorees include mega-stars such as Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Cher. Speaking on Bunny’s inclusion, GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said that the star’s consistent advocacy — whether through live performances, music videos or elsewhere — “redefines the positive influence Latin music artists can have within the LGBTQ community, and has set an example for all artists.”
Aguilera will receive the advocate for change award, given to “a person who, through their work, has changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.” The only two past recipients of the award are President Bill Clinton and pop superstar Madonna. Ellis said that through the dedication of her hit song “Beautiful” to the queer community, her work in raising money for HIV research and her staunch opposition to anti-queer policies in the U.S., Aguilera “loudly and proudly raises the bar for what it means to be a LGBTQ ally today.”
GLAAD previously announced their official nominees for the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards, including LGBTQ artists such as Demi Lovato, Kim Petras, Anitta, Fletcher and many more for their work in creating queer art in 2022.
A king deserves a royal court. Which is why on Tuesday night (Feb. 7), a galaxy of stars congratulated basketball legend LeBron James for becoming NBA’s all-time scoring leader when he broke Kareem-Abdul Jabbar’s three decade-long record. During a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Los Angeles Lakers’ home Crypto.com Arena, James passed Jabbar’s career total of 38,387 points after weeks of breathless anticipation of his crowning achievement and everyone from Rihanna to Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars gave him his props.
As soon as the dust settled — and Jabbar ceremonially handed over a basketball to the new scoring champ in a touching mid-court ceremony after LeBron scored his 36th point of the night on a step-back jumper — some of James’ biggest admirers took to social media to congratulate him on his epic feat.
In a compilation video from the NBA, Kendrick gave the new scoring sire high praise, saying, “From the time you went to the league when you had the doubters and the naysayers and people that think you wouldn’t take it this far you proved ’em wrong, dawg.” Upcoming Super Bowl LVII halftime performer Rihanna added, “I am so grateful to witness this moment in history… my favorite thing about being a LeBron James fan is just watching you prove yourself over and over again against all odds and all doubt. Thank you for repping for all of us. Keep striving for greatness always, and congratulations King James.”
Snoop Dogg modeled his Lakers jersey and said, “it’s always fun watching a Laker get it done.”
Drake called it a “legendary night in NBA history” in a video in which he appeared to be standing on a ball court in James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio. “To honor that I had to come back to the place that it all started… Every journey has its beginning,” Drizzy said as a green screen collapsed behind him, revealing that he was actually in a nightclub in Miami.
John Legend tweeted, “Congratulations @KingJames!!!! This man has been in the spotlight and burdened with the highest expectations since he was a teenager. And he’s done nothing but exceed those expectations and build a historic legacy. What an incredible accomplishment!,” while Bruno Mars offered up a champagne bottle emoji.
Timberlake tossed a GOAT emoji into a tweet in which he marveled, “on a step back too!,” while Wayne wrote, “Kongrats King!! Glad to say I’ve shaken your hand brudda. God bless you and the fam and the homies.”
Watch the video and check out some of the other congratulatory tweets below.
Congratulations @KingJames!!!! This man has been in the spotlight and burdened with the highest expectations since he was a teenager. And he’s done nothing but exceed those expectations and build a historic legacy. What an incredible accomplishment! https://t.co/ozsDBmQAPw— John Legend (@johnlegend) February 8, 2023
Kongrats King!! Glad to say I’ve shaken your hand brudda. God bless you and the fam and the homies.— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) February 8, 2023
Wow, never in my lifetime did I think I would see two NBA athletes score over 38,000 points! I still remember when my Showtime teammate, the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, broke the record. It was an honor to be the guy to pass it to him and cement his legacy!— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 8, 2023
Diddy doesn’t do jingles, but he sure knows how to make a hit song.
That’s why Uber One tapped the hip-hop/R&B chart-topper for its 2023 Super Bowl commercial, in which Diddy tries to help the food delivery membership service come up with a song sure to convert customers, with a little assistance from his musician friends.
A trio of executives with Uber One assures the producer that jingles are out of the question. “We’re talking about a hit song,” one of them says. “You want a hit?” Diddy replies, before “This Is How We Do It” singer Montell Jordan appears in the booth, singing a new Uber-fied version of his 1995 seven-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit.
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“Uber One can save you/ On rides and eats/ Yeah it’s kinda sweet,” he sings, before the next artist, Donna Lewis, takes her turn in the studio. “Uber One saves you forever/ Rides and eats, save on whatever,” she peacefully sings into the mic to the tune of her 1996 Hot 100 No. 2 track, “I Love You Always Forever.” Diddy approves, happily exclaiming, “OK, Donna!”
Kelis is the next artist to step into the studio, though she seems unimpressed that Diddy is getting a shape-up to his beard as she provides new lyrics to her 2003 Hot 100 top five hit “Milkshake.” “Your milkshakes cost way less than before/ This membership is better than yours,” she sings, before Diddy asks his barber if he’s a fan of milkshakes.
It isn’t until “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)” singers Ylvis cause chaos in the booth that Diddy brings in the big guns to the studio: “What Is Love” singer Haddaway, who breathes new life into his signature song for Uber One. “Uber One/ Uber One saves me, saves me/ Way more,” he croons, much to Diddy’s delight — but sadly, not the Uber One executives.
Watch Diddy’s Super Bowl commercial for Uber One in the video above.