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gayle king

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Academy Award-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson is opening up about the struggles of being a Black actor. 
The star became visibly emotional as she shared that she has considered quitting acting after regularly being underpaid. 
In an interview with Gayle King on SiriusXM, and The Color Purple co-star Danielle Brooks and the film’s director, Blitz Bazawule, Henson addressed a report that she thought about ending her illustrious career as she struggled financially despite her fame.

“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, being paid a fraction of the cost,” Henson said, according to The Huffington Post. “I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired.”
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The actor became visibly emotional as she detailed the financial expense of managing her career. 

“I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ I have to. The math ain’t mathing,” she said. “Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone. The fact that we’re up here, there’s a whole entire team behind us. They have to get paid.”
According to Complex, Henson shared in another recent interview that she replaced her entire team after they failed to capitalize on the success of her role as Cookie Lyon on Empire. 
In response to being asked what her best decision was as an actor, Henson replied, “Firing everybody after Cookie. Everybody had to fucking go. Where is my deal? Where is my commercial? Cookie was top of the fashion game. Where is my endorsement? What did you have set up for after this?”
Despite Oscar nominations and critical acclaim, Henson notes that she feels underpaid compared to her white counterparts. 
“It seems every time I do something and I break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate, I’m at the bottom again, like I never did what I just did,” she told King. “And I’m just tired. It wears on you, you know?”
This Christmas, Henson will star alongside Brooks, Fantasia Barrino and an all-star Black cast in the reimagining of the beloved film, The Color Purple. Henson plays the iconic Shug Avery in the Oprah Winfrey-backed release. 
Henson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button where she starred alongside Brad Pitt. She has previously said that despite asking for “half a million” in pay for the role, she was ultimately paid only $150,000. The film went on to earn $127.5 million domestically and $208.3 million in foreign markets, with a total gross of $335.8 million, according to IMDB.

“Listen, I’ve been doing this for two decades and sometimes I get tired of fighting because I know what I do is bigger than me. I know that the legacy I leave will affect somebody coming up behind me,” Henson recently told The Hollywood Reporter. She added that she is advocating for other Black actors. “My prayer is that I don’t want these Black girls to have the same fights that me and Viola [Davis], Octavia [Spencer], we out here thugging it out.”

Henson received support from Gabrielle Union who wrote on X (former Twitter) “Not a damn lie told. Not. A. Damn. Lie. We go TO BAT for the next generation and hell even our own generation and above.”

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Gayle King got some one on one time with Jay-Z but so far only short clips have been released. The hour long interview she conducted with the Hip-Hop mogul is set to air next week.

Variety is reporting that the award-winning journalist’s sit down with the Rap legend has received an official date . The special will air on Tuesday, November 14 at 9:00PM – 10:00PM ET/PT. Titled “JAY-Z And Gayle King: Brooklyn’s Own” the interview finds the duo touring the “Book Of HOV” exhibit at the Brooklyn Library. Their discussion touched on a several topics regarding his storied career, family and more.

At one point the “99 Problems” rapper touched on what is motivating him these days . “I think what matters most is, today, is, being a beacon and helping out … my culture,” he explained. “People of color. I think I pull the most satisfaction from that. Like making music earlier was, like – my first love. I could sit there for hours. It consumed me. Just finding words and figuring out words and how to say this and different ways to say that and different pockets and melodies and how to write this song… That consumed me.” He added “that’s why my pace was so fast. I had so much material. And I think now, you know, the idea of, of taking that platform and, you know, reproducing it for others or doing something like Reform. I think I derive the most joy from that.”
The “JAY-Z And Gayle King: Brooklyn’s Own” special will air on CBS Television Network and also stream on Paramount+.
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Landing an interview with Jay-Z is no easy feat, but when your name is Gayle King it can be a bit easier to do so as her name holds the kind of weight that Jay-Z used to a move a lifetime ago.

Getting the exclusive with arguably the greatest rapper of all time, Gayle King and Jay-Z linked up at the Brooklyn Public Library where they toured his lifework and got into different aspects of his accomplishments and what they mean to him today.

From explaining where the diamond hand sign that became synonymous with Roc-A-Fella Records to revealing why he and Beyoncé named their daughter Blue Ivy, Jay-Z opens up about various topics and shows us how a lot of his life’s work is much deeper than rap.
Take a look at the full interview below and check out the eight things we learned from Jay-Z on CBS Mornings.

The hands displayed at The Book of Hov exhibit are actually Jay-Z’s hands

Jay-Z did the impression for the eventual mold. Interestingly enough, he didn’t know what he was doing it for. He says the team simply asked him to do it, so he did without questioning it. As for why he and his Roc-A-Fella team began throwing up the diamond sign, Jay-Z says it came from their belief that their R&B group Christión would sell 10 million records and go diamond. So they would throw up the diamond sign in support of Christión. They did not go diamond or even platinum, but that diamond sign itself definitely blew up.

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Jay-Z settled the raging hypothetical debate that has dominated the web, advising folks to take $500,000 instead of having dinner with him.
The Hip-Hop icon recently sat down for an in-depth interview with Gayle King for CBS Mornings to air later in the week. During the conversation, King brought up the debate that has become a viral fixture on social media platforms. “If you had a choice between being paid $500,000 in cash or lunch with Jay-Z, which would you choose?”, she asked. “You gotta take the money,” Jay-Z answered.

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King countered by saying that perhaps dining with the mogul would provide someone with wisdom more valuable than the money. “I mean, what am I gonna say? Everything that I’m gonna say — you got all that in the music, what, for $10.99? That’s a bad deal. I wouldn’t tell you to cut a bad deal,” Jay-Z responded with laughter. “Take the $500,000, buy some albums, listen to the albums, it’s all there. If you piece it together, if you listen to the words it’s all there.”
“Everything that I said was going to happen happened,” he continued, referencing one of his key hit albums in relation to his career. “Everything that I said I wanted to do, I’ve done. And there’s ‘The Blueprint’ — the blueprint, literally — to me and my life and my journey is there already.”  The immediate response after the clip aired showed some relief that the viral hypothetical debate was over. It was also noted that Jay-Z had already answered the question – via the TIDAL account on X, formerly Twitter back in 2021. “Take the money,”, the post said.

The interview – which will be aired in two parts on Thursday and Friday (October 26 and 27) – was conducted as King and Jay-Z toured The Book of HOV exhibit which is currently on display at the Brooklyn Public Library. The massive exhibit, featuring a recreation of the studio where Jay-Z’s first album Reasonable Doubt was made, made its debut in the summer and has been extended twice due to popular demand.

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Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is rumored to be the host of a new primetime show on CNN along with anchor Gayle King.
According to reports, the Inside The NBA host and analyst is close to a deal to join the CBS This Morning host to lead a new primetime show on CNN. One source states that there is some risk that the deal won’t be finalized. “No one expects a deal to be finalized right away,” a source close to the negotiations says. However, CNN head Chris Licht is reportedly “optimistic” that the deal is done.

While Barkley has not responded to press requests for comment, he has gone on record before about such a move to the New York Post. “They are trying to pair Gayle King and me,” Barkley said in February. “We don’t have anything set in stone. I’m only considering it because of my respect for Gayle. It would be an honor and a privilege to work with Gayle.” King has not offered any comment, and CNN did not respond to press inquiries.
Reportedly the issue before anything is finalized is CBS News “dragging its feet,” according to a source. The same source says King has been spending the past few weeks in negotiations to rework her current deal to take the job. CBS This Morning is a major generator of ratings and ad profits for the news division, whose parent company is Paramount Global. She and Licht worked together during the 2010s when Licht served as a producer for the company’s news division.
If completed, the new show would be a big opportunity for CNN to boost its sluggish ratings before a pivotal point – the “upfront” sales season where media companies in the U.S. work to sell billions of dollars in advertising before the new slate of programming is aired. Barkley has already signed a new 10-year deal with TNT to remain as a host on Inside The NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent network for TNT and CNN. The 9 p.m. slot is where the new show would be expected to air – but sources say it would run only Tuesday through Friday, as to avoid competing directly with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow which airs only on Mondays and dominates that primetime slot.

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The slap heard around the world is a forever moment. For the first time Serena Williams has commented on when Will Smith put hands on Chris Rock. 

As per The Huffington Post the tennis legend recently paid a visit to CBS Mornings. While the sports icon discussed a variety of topics surrounding her career, host Gayle King referred to the infamous Oscars incident. “King Richard had that moment at the Oscars, what did you feel about that?” she asked. The Compton, California native kept things classy and spoke to two huge moments were eclipsed by the slap.

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“I thought it was such an incredible film, and I feel that there was an incredible film after that with Questlove that kind of was overshadowed,” she responded, referring to Summer of Soul. “But, I also feel that I’ve been in a position where I’ve been under a lot of pressure and I’ve made a tremendous amount of mistakes,” she added. “And I’m the kind of person that’s like ― ‘I’ve been there. I’ve made a mistake. It’s not the end of the world.’” She also went to admit that reminded everyone that love is the message. “We’re all imperfect and we’re all human, and let’s just be kind to each other” she said.
Four months after the slap Will made an apology via his YouTube channel saying he is “deeply remorseful” for his actions. Since the incident Smith has been formally banned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. You can Serena discuss life after tennis below.
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Photo: Vaughn Ridley