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Tyler Perry may not have been able to seal the deal during the brief time when Paramount Global was toying around with the possibility of putting BET Media Group up for sale, but the TV and film mogul has struck a multi-year deal with the network that will ensure his content has a home there for the foreseeable future.
According to Variety, the Mea Culpa writer and director’s deal with BET includes the renewal of eight of his shows for BET and its BET+ streamer, including Tyler Perry’s Sistas, which is coming up on its eighth season, as well as Tyler Perry’s The Oval and Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living, which are both going into their sixth seasons. Tyler Perry’s House of Payne has also been renewed for its sixth season on BET, which came after the previous six seasons that aired in syndication on TBS.
“Scott Mills and his team at BET have been incredibly supportive throughout our time working together, and I’m excited to continue bringing these stories to the screen. I’m grateful to our loyal audiences for watching week after week and engaging these stories,” Perry said in a statement.
Mills, BET Media Group’s president and CEO, appears to be equally excited about the network’s continued relationship for Perry, and he sang the entertainment mogul’s praises in a statement of his own.
“Tyler Perry is simply without rival as a creator of content that powerfully resonates with audiences across genres, formats and platforms,” he said. “Our programming partnership with Tyler – undoubtedly the largest deal ever in the industry with a Black creator – has been hugely successful; delivering the number one series across all TV among Black audiences and five of the top 10 series on cable among Black viewers. We are thrilled to extend our extraordinary relationship with Tyler and to continue to be the home of the largest and most diverse collection of new Tyler Perry content for years to come.”
So, congratulations to Tyler Perry for, once again, proving himself to be one of the kings of Black entertainment on the big and small screens. Salute!
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Anyone who has seen Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV—a documentary chronicling the abusive, exploitive and egregiously dangerous conditions under which employees and child actors at Nickelodeon worked under the leadership of showrunner Dan Schneider—knows that during a period that began in the late ’90s, Nickelodeon Studios was portrayed as a cesspool of abusive behavior, sexism, child endangerment and child sexualization that allowed multiple convicted pedophiles run wild on and off set.
To say the absolute least, the docuseries served as a cautionary tale to any parents who are thinking of introducing their children to the world of child acting.
Well, accomplished actor and comedian Kenan Thompson, who started in ’90s Nick shows All That and Kenan & Kel, doesn’t appear to think the investigations into what went on at Nickelonean have gone far enough, and he believes authorities should “investigate more” in order to ensure the kids we watch on TV are being kept safe behind the scenes.
“It’s tough. It’s a tough subject, you know?” the Saturday Night Live cast member said during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “It’s tough for me because I can’t really speak on things that I never witnessed, you know what I’m saying? Because all these things happened after I left, basically.”
In the Docuseries, Schneider is accused of deplorable and abusive behavior towards the people who worked under him, especially the female writers, two of whom he’s accused of illegally making share a single-employee salary, and child actors who starred in shows he ran, and whom he was accused portraying in sexually suggestive ways—and somehow, his offenses weren’t nearly the most horrific.
“Dan wasn’t really on Kenan & Kel like that,” Thomsaon explained while distancing himself from the disgraced producer. “I mean, he got a ‘created by’ credit, but it was a different showrunner, so our worlds wasn’t really overly overlapping like that outside of All That, necessarily. And then all of that negativity kinda started happening outside of our tenure there, you know what I mean? So I wasn’t really aware of a lot of it.”
But regardless of whether or not Thompson was around when Nick Studios ironically proved to be the last place one would want to leave their child unattended, the Good Burger actor said he supports the victims and wants to see more investigating done to ensure their aren’t more out there whose stories have gone ignored.
From EW:
Thompson, who was 15 when All That premiered, also extended sympathy to his fellow former Nickelodeon stars who discussed the toxic work environment they endured in Quiet on Set. “My heart goes out to anybody that’s been victimized, or their families,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing that the doc is out and it’s putting things on display, stories that need to be told for accountability’s sake. But it’s definitely tough to watch because I have fond memories of that place and I have fond memories of my costars and stuff like that. So to hear that they’ve gone through terrible things like that is really tough.”
Later in the interview, Thompson reiterated his support for the doc. “Investigate more,” he said. “It’s supposed to be a safe place for kids. And to hear all about that is just like, ‘How dare you?’”
Exactly.
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Make room! Yellowstone is getting its own line of Funko Pop! vinyl figures.
It’s no secret that Funko has made a name for itself by crafting the hottest TV shows, movies and even artists into collectible (and adorable) vinyl figurines. Now, you’ll have the opportunity to snag a Funko Pop! collectible of your favorite character from the hit series Yellowstone when they’re released on July 1.
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How can you get your hands on the collection? The figurines range from $13-$15 each and are available for pre-order from Funko.com, Amazon and the Paramount Shop. No matter which Dutton family member you’re rooting for, you can preorder your favorite or collect them all — including this awesome Rip Wheeler Funko.
The collection features five different characters from the show, including John Dutton (Kevin Costner), Rip (Cole Hauser), Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) and Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille). While country star Lainey Wilson‘s character may not be a figurine (for now), you can at least stream her chart-topping song from the show while building up your Yellowstone collection with these powerhouse characters.
Pre-order the Yellowstone Funko Pop! vinyl figures, and while you wait for their release, hop on the Yellowstone TikTok trend and binge the series on Peacock to hold you over until new episodes premiere later this year.
Amazon
Funko Pop! TV: Yellowstone – John Dutton
$12.99
Dust off those floating shelves and grab your nearest Pop! protector, John Dutton’s vinyl figure is ready to wrangle the top spot in your collection! Featuring his classic white cowboy hat and ranch-protecting ‘fit, this cowboy stands at around 4.65 inches tall and is ready to kick his boots up and watch the latest season with you.
Amazon
Funko Pop! TV: Yellowstone – Beth Dutton
$12.99
As one of the fiercest Dutton children, it makes sense that Beth’s Funko Pop! is sporting a vibrant, bright blue and Aztec-printed jacket and casual jeans. While her figurine stands 3.9 inches tall, her cutthroat personality, as demonstrated in the show, will only make her appear larger.
Paramount
Funko Pop! TV: Yellowstone – Rip Wheeler
$14.95
You can’t have Beth without her brooding love, Rip. Though his backstory is one of murder and pain, the longtime ranch foreman is a loyal cowboy who will infuse some edginess into your Funko Pop! collection.
Amazon
Funko Pop! TV: Yellowstone – Kayce Dutton
$12.99
Just because he’s the youngest of the Dutton siblings doesn’t mean Kayce’s figurine deserves the last spot on your mantle. His appearance may look casual as he sports a brown and gray hoodie with jeans, but it’s the black cowboy hat that shows he means business — both in his style and ability to swoop in and save the day.
Amazon
Funko Pop! TV: Yellowstone – Monica Dutton
$12.99
Finally, the last of the upcoming releases is Monica’s Pop! figure. True to her character, the figurine sports a colorful outfit with boots. While her relationship with Kayce could be seen as a cowboy version of Romeo and Juliet, it’s Monica’s strength and protection of her family that shines through.