“There are two types of people in the world: dumb smart people and smart dumb people,” she says to me as we make our way through LAX airport. “Which one are we?” I ask.

“Smart dumb, obviously,” she replies. A dumb smart person, she goes on to explain, is someone with zero intuition about people but “knows about, like, books, and things.” Smart dumb people, I conclude, are the opposite. We are flying to New York City for the weekend—a plan we made in hopes that, if we flew across the country, there would be no choice but to leave our respective homes. It was meant to be a refreshingly chilly change of scenery from Los Angeles, where we both live. Fall, I’m told by people who live with seasons. It ended up being a frightening 75 degrees and was also, unfortunately, the last weekend in October, known to some as the dreaded “Halloweekend.” Not realizing this until we had already strayed 3,000 miles from our residences, we resigned to yet another weekend of sweatpants and staying in—there was simply no other option.

Alex Cooper and Cazzie David.

I knew Alex was famous, but it turns out Alex is evidently really famous. Perhaps the only person who has ever reached this level of fame from a podcast, rather than become a celebrity who then decides the world would simply be amiss if they did not start a podcast. Walking through the West Village with Alex was like tailing Elvis: adoring, beautiful women throwing themselves at her left and right, screaming “daddy!” at the top of their lungs. But what I also observed was an unusual kind of fan relationship. Alex and her listeners interact as if they are friends from sleep-away camp. Girls who haven’t seen each other in years and have a lot to catch up on. It took me no less than a dozen of these interactions for me to finally stop asking, “How do you guys know each other?”

Unlike some celebrities who covertly strive for a cultish fandom that blindly follows whatever they do, Alex has managed to create a real community—one where she and her listeners exchange stories, advice, and ideas. She is not selling anything. She will never ask you to spend your hard-earned paycheck on her new hair extension line. Her devoted listeners, a.k.a. “Daddy Gang,” (a moniker Alex coined in the early days of the show, predicting it would make people feel like they were a part of something) aren’t afraid to give her constructive criticism, because she takes it like a champ. In fact, she has been publicly called out on more than one occasion, and while this might cause others (me) to flee the country and assume a new identity, Alex has proven herself to be capable of reflection, and possesses an almost superhuman ability to laugh at herself. She’s real with her audience even in conversation about times she wasn’t being real (wow…BeReal really ruined the word “real”).

In September 2021, a TikTok account attempted to expose her for photoshopping the side of her waist in an Instagram post. After a few days that she describes as “mildly embarrassing,” she responded by releasing an episode aptly titled, “I Got Caught Photoshopping.” She doesn’t pretend to be above the things that we as young women living in the nightmare of modern internet culture get sucked into, but also understands how important it is to talk about them.

Another weekend of sweatpants and staying in, apart from taking these photos.

According to a report from Demand Sage, as of June 2022, there are over 2.4 million podcasts in the media landscape. Of those, there are probably one million podcasts titled something along the lines of Two Girls, One Glass of Wine, each spewing the same given commentary on dating, like, “Girl, listen, if a guy is toxic, you need to cut him out of your life.” Even though Call Her Daddy’s pure existence was ahead of the podcast curve by almost a decade, Alex’s opinions have never been obvious or shallow. “As much as people say [Call Her Daddy] is polarizing, it was me trying to find a way for women in the world we are living in, where we aren’t just bitching and moaning, complaining about the patriarchy,” she tells me. “Oh, you want the power? Here are a couple tips to gain the power from the inside out.”

This mission statement still serves as a north star for Alex, and is partly the reason the legion of people trying to emulate her ascension doesn’t bother her. “I am my own competition,” she says. “I don’t pay attention to what other people are doing and I don’t consume other people’s content so I can maintain an original voice. When I started, I had never listened to a podcast in my life. I focus on who I am rather than trends and quick hot takes that aren’t going to last.” A quality you have to admire in this day and age where fast-moving trends and endless comparison live on a screen that’s permanently attached to us.

Getting ready to go…nowhere.

What differentiates Call Her Daddy in such an oversaturated market is how deftly Alex traverses such a wide range of topics. She launched season 2 with a tell-all interview with Hailey Bieber, where she dove into salacious tabloid drama from years past. This episode was followed by a human interest piece in North Carolina, interviewing the workers and women who visited A Preferred Women’s Health Center abortion clinic in Charlotte to examine the impact of Roe v. Wade being overturned.

Call Her Daddy has become a safe space for people to explore everything from sex to mental health. Prospective guests practically run to the pod as their first friend to phone after major public turmoil, while Alex patiently listens to their side of the story without judgment—a skill she attributes to growing up with a professional psychologist for a mother. “When I was younger, and still to this day, I will walk into my house and one of my friends will be sitting on my couch speaking to my mother. Growing up, I would get frustrated that she was so intuitive, because she would always know if I was lying. But now I feel so grateful, because it made her there for me and my friends in a way other parents couldn’t be.” Alex herself often approaches the interviews from a psychoanalytic perspective, making the listening experience feel like what one hopes to gain from their own therapy session—that is, if your therapist called you a “hoe” and gave you explicit tips on how to masturbate.

The consistent through line that draws listeners in week-by-week, though, is Alex’s unabashed authenticity. She comes to the mic prepared to serve up her unfiltered opinion and lead a dynamic, no-holds-barred conversation, and with that, she serves up a piece of herself. Her massive audience isn’t here for her celebrity guests or gossip, they are here for her. “One week I’ll have a comedian on, and the next I’ll have someone who talks about their childhood trauma,” she says, throwing a Cheeto into her mouth and promptly wiping her fingers on the hotel bathrobe. “I have a loyal audience that sticks with me even when I switch up my content. I don’t stick with what I know.”

What Alex does seem to know is how to make people laugh. Many of her stories remind me of the Nora Ephron mantra that her mother told her when she was young: “When you slip on a banana peel, people laugh at you. But when you tell people you slipped on a banana peel, it’s your laugh, so you become a hero rather than the victim of the joke.” For Alex, it’s sharing horrors like the time she vomited her dinner on her boyfriend’s cock, or when she went to the hospital in Las Vegas on her birthday due to a kidney infection she contracted from back-to-front sex. You know, classic Nora…

Cohabitating in a single hotel room for three nights is the kind of thing that can make or break a relatively new friendship. Annoying habits are revealed, and questionable moral principles come to the surface. Before leaving L.A., I had asked Alex to put her hood up on the plane if she wasn’t planning on washing her hair before we shared a bed that night. Thankfully, I don’t snore, as she said if I did, she’d “suffocate me with a pillow with zero remorse.” Expecting to find out what shameful quality of mine or hers would lead to the untimely demise of our relationship, I instead acquired a full grasp on how singular the culture of Call Her Daddy truly is, and that if Alex is a smart dumb person, it’s possible she’s the smartest dumb person alive.

Photographer: Emilio Madrid; hair: Frankie Calire; makeup: Carolina Dali

Cazzie David is a New York Times bestselling author and actor.

The post Alex Cooper Is the Smartest Dumb Person Alive appeared first on Chronicle Fashion.

The couple’s appearance comes hours after Prince William and Kate Middleton had their own luxe evening in the U.K., attending King Charles III’s first Diplomatic Corps Reception as king.

It also comes just two days before the first part of their Netflix documentary series, Harry & Meghan, is released on Thursday. Three out of six episodes will be available to stream, and trailers have made it clear that Meghan and Harry are going straight into the royal drama that led them to step back from their senior working royal family roles in the U.K.

“There’s a hierarchy of the family,” Harry says in the latest trailer. “You know there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories [in the British tabloids].”

“It’s a dirty game,” he continues. “The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution is a feeding frenzy.”

Meghan touched on the couple’s feelings about giving their story to documentary director Liz Garbus and her team in an interview with Variety.

“It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story—a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired—even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it. But that’s not why we’re telling it,” she said. “We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.”

“It’s interesting,” she continued.” My husband has never worked in this industry before. For me, having worked on Suits, it’s so amazing to be around so much creative energy and to see how people work together and share their own points of view. That’s been really fun.”

Senior News and Strategy Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.

The post Meghan Markle Is Stunning in a White Off-the-Shoulder Slit Dress for the 2022 Ripple of Hope Award Gala appeared first on Chronicle Fashion.

The date night comes just two days after Palmer announced her pregnancy while hosting Saturday Night Live. “I’m especially glad to be here though, because there’s some rumors going around,” Palmer started. “People have been in my comments saying ‘Keke’s having a baby,’ ‘Keke’s pregnant,’ and I want to set the record straight. I am.” She then opened her blazer and revealed her pregnant stomach.

“I’ve gotta say though, it is bad when people on the internet spread rumors about you, but it’s even worse when they’re correct,” Palmer continued. “I was trying so hard to keep it on the down low, because I’ve got a lot of stuff going on. People kept coming up to me [saying] ‘Congratulations,’ I’m like ‘Shh! Can y’all stop, I’ve got a liquor sponsorship on the line. Let the check clear, then we can get to the damn baby shower… But honestly, this has been the biggest blessing, and I am so excited guys—I’m gonna be a mom!”

Palmer and Jackson first started dating last summer.

Palmer reflected on her experience hosting SNL and sharing her pregnancy in a candid Instagram post, giving Jackson a heartfelt shout-out at the end. “Thank you to my other half @dvulton for giving me the things that only true unity can bring,” she wrote. “Love is all we have isn’t it, you do nothing in this world alone and trust me, I am not alone!” Read the caption in full here:

I had such an amazing time hosting SNL! Truly such a unique experience, I learned so much. The cast was incredible, I was so happy to be taken into their home for such a short time. Being around so many others that appreciate and put their all into their craft was especially fulfilling. I love to preform so much.. I love bringing laughter and good vibes and just taking us all away for a moment. Even if not just for myself, but for whoever wants to join. I thank Steven Higgins and Lorne Michaels for sharing their insight with me, I was soaking up every minute. I love being around the goats chile! Forever a student… Who could’ve told little me that I’d be on stage with @kenanthompson and @iamkelmitchell for a Kenan and Kel/Kelly reunion 🤪—I would’ve passed out. These brothers are ICONS. Talent like theirs is hard to come by, there’s a reason why we loved that show and it’s cause they knew what they were doing. Even as kids! Thank you @nbcsnl and also the WRITERS! The incredible writers that give and give and give everyday, no matter what you see or what you don’t see these people put their hearts into it. Art is your heart so it isn’t always easy, but they still get out there and that’s just amazing.

This year has taken me for a ride! And how cool, my baby and I are already doing it all together. Thank you God! Thank you to my amazing parents and family who continuously support me. Thank you @noraradd for being my spiritual sister as ALWAYS! You feel me my little Pisces moon 🥹. Thank you to my team who have been constantly reaching and moving mountains to extend the reaches of my gift, and thank you to my other half @dvulton for giving me the things that only true unity can bring. Love is all we have isn’t it, you do nothing in this world alone and trust me, I am not alone! Very grateful… Happy Holidays!

Senior News and Strategy Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.

The post Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson Had a Hockey Date Night Days After Announcing Pregnancy appeared first on Chronicle Fashion.

Kindred has long served as an unflinching look at the ways in which the legacy of slavery continues to reverberate through Black and white America. Despite being written more than four decades ago, its message is still urgent and relevant, which is why FX’s upcoming TV adaptation of the novel, which premieres Dec. 13, feels especially timely. “I didn’t really know how iconic Octavia Butler was until I read that book,” says Mallori Johnson, who stars as Dana in her debut leading television role. “I was like, ‘Wow, this story is really revolutionary.’”

Kindred

Kindred

Now 33% Off

Spearheaded by playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who serves as the writer, showrunner, and executive producer on the show, Kindred boasts a roster of blockbuster creative talent: Darren Aronofsky is an executive producer; the pilot episode was directed by Janicza Bravo. While Johnson is a relative newcomer to the scene–she has a theatrical background and landed a small role in Apple TV+’s WeCrashed–her performance throughout the series all but guarantees a quick ascent to stardom. As the emotional center of the show, her character navigates a near-constant torrent of grief, loneliness, and terror, oftentimes needing to tuck these emotions away at a moment’s notice as a means of survival. Johnson walks this tightrope with aplomb onscreen. “I feel like I really matured as an actor and as a person as the show went on,” the recent Juilliard graduate says.

Here, the burgeoning star talks about her time as a student, her love for Sally Field, how she approached playing the role of a lifetime, and what comes next when you debut on such a high note.

Have you always known you wanted to be an actor?

Yeah. I just always knew that this was what I wanted. My mom always tells me that when I was three, we went to go see my brother in The Wiz. He played the scarecrow and she was like, “That was the quietest you ever were as a child. You sat through that whole play and you never talked. You never moved. You were just focused.”

What are some of the shows or movies that made an early impression on you as a child?

My mom actually was the one who introduced me to so many amazing movies and television shows. I love her so much. She’s always supported me. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Sybil, but I was obsessed with that movie. I watched it so many times—at a very early age—over and over again. I’m obsessed with Sally Field. She’s my biggest inspiration. I wanted to have that power and that grit and really master my craft in the same way that I feel she’s done.

Mallori Johnson as Dana and David Alexander Kaplan as Rufus Weylin in FX’s Kindred.

How did you go about studying your craft at that age?

I grew up in San Diego, and because I developed such an interest in it in middle school, my mom was like, “Let’s get you in a performing arts high school.” So I really started exploring my love for theater at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. I was a theater major and I got to do plays every quarter. I never knew that you could be educated in acting, so I’m really grateful to that school for giving me that.

And then came Juilliard.

I spent a year at Cal Arts before I went to Juilliard, and that was just such a crazy environment. I knew I could not stay there. When I got to Juilliard, I was just very unfocused. I wanted to go back because I missed my friends. You know, going to a predominantly white institution as a young Black girl is always gonna be difficult, no matter where you are.

When I got to Juilliard, my teachers were really hard on me because they knew that I could do better. By the third year, I really started to fall in love with where I was and what I was doing. The education started unlocking for me. I was like, oh my God, this is an entire different level of this love that I have for this art form that I never thought I would access.

Were you still in school when you began auditioning for television roles?

Our teachers were teaching us how to audition—we were learning what to wear and what people respond to, which was really cool. At the same time, we were also transitioning out of theater into film. They’d never touched the idea of film, so I had no experience in what it meant to be on a set. Everything that I knew was theater. So it was this whirlwind, like okay, now suddenly we’re doing an entirely different art form. I was trying to learn all that at once and then I ended up getting the audition for WeCrashed.

When my manager texted me about Kindred, I literally called my mom, like, “Mom, guess what I get to audition for?” Because she was the one who introduced me to the book. I was just excited to do it, to see the script for it. And then the further it went, the more calls I got for it, the more flabbergasted I was. I mean, I just never expected it. When I got the final call, I was shocked.

Johnson (right) shares a scene with Sheria Irving (left).

What was that call like?

It’s funny now, but at the time it wasn’t—my dog had just died, my dog of 16 years, and I remember I was actually crying. I was walking up the street to my apartment, and I was crying. I’d just graduated. I was a mess, I felt so weird. I didn’t know what I was gonna do next or what was happening with my life. I picked up my phone when my manager called and they were like,” How are you?” with this huge smile on their face. I was like, “Oh, my dog died.” But when they told me I got the role, my whole mood shifted.

When did you first read Kindred?

I read the book for the first time in my first or second year of college. I had actually read Fledgling first, the summer before my first year at Juilliard. I love science fiction, so my mom was like, “There’s this really cool science fiction writer that I think you might like.” Seeing a science fiction world that centered Black people, that was something that was really cool and really new to me. Everything I read as a kid was centered around a white narrative, so to have this main girl who was a vampire, that was so dope.

But then when I read Kindred, I fell in love. I didn’t really know how iconic Octavia Butler was until I read that book. I was like, oh, this is touching me on a whole different level, intellectually.

I love that it was your mother who put you on to both Sally Field and Octavia Butler.

My mom sparked everything for me artistically. My dad and my brother are like the math and science guys, and my mom is an author, so we’ve always shared that bond over love of art, which I’m so grateful for.

How much time did you have to prepare for the role of Dana?

I didn’t have much time, but I had enough time to kind of freak out. I was so scared. I had no idea what I was doing. When I think back on it, I don’t know how I got through that. I’m so grateful to have had the creative team around me that I had. Everybody was just so open, so willing to reach out a helping hand to me and be like, “Listen, we know it’s your first time on set. We got you. We’re holding you, we’re here for you.”

Particularly with the pilot, Janicza was an inspiration for me. I wanted to emulate her because she was just so powerful. She knew what she wanted.

How did you navigate the natural growing pains of leading a series for the first time while also dealing with the harrowing subject matter of the script?

Fortunately, we had Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins as our showrunner. I adore him. He’s one of the most responsible, intelligent and sensitive creative leaders I’ve ever met in my entire life. He created an environment in which we all felt safe, so we knew that at any time, we could step away. And we were so tight-knit as a cast. We were such a team on that set, and it was really all because of Brandon. He wanted to depict the truths of this historical fiction in the most respectful, sensitive way he possibly could, and I feel like he really succeeded in that.

There are a number of differences between the novel and the show, perhaps most notably the “present-day” time frame being updated from 1976 to 2016. As someone who already had such a connection to the novel, how did you react initially to these changes?

Oh my God, it was a lot of going back and forth between the script and the book. I was like, oh, okay, there’s a lot of differences, but I was really excited by the changes and understood where they sprouted from in the story. Eventually, there were two Danas in my head—there was Dana in the book and there was Dana in the show, and they were intertwined with each other. When I needed to draw from something, like a fundamental piece of who this person was and the way that this person would react or feel about something, I always went back to the book and I always tried to see it from that perspective. The book was like an encyclopedia for me to go back to whenever I needed to connect to something deeper than what I was seeing on the page.

Johnson as Dana and Micah Stock as Kevin in Kindred.

What were some of the scenes that you found particularly difficult to film?

Everything. [laughs] No, I’m kidding. There were a lot of days where I was just really doubting myself. I was one of the youngest people on set, and I was also the most inexperienced person on set, and at the same time, I was there doing a scene every single minute of every single day. Endurance-wise it was difficult, but psychologically, I just wanted to give this show everything I had, and it was really hard on the days I felt like I failed at that. I was just coming out of school and I felt like I had to prove myself. That was the hardest part about this, and I feel like that’s gonna be the hardest part about me watching all of this back—remembering those days, remembering those scenes and just being like, “Oh God, I could’ve done so much better.”

And, I mean, the brutality and horror of some of the scenes were excruciating, but that’s just what the story required of me, I guess. The story kind of starts to have this insidious effect on you. I was feeling really disoriented and tired towards the end, like I had no idea what I was doing, where I was…but then I also had to remember that that is also what Dana is feeling.

On that note, have you ever found yourself exhausted by the brutality of slave narratives onscreen as a viewer? Before Kindred, did you have any predetermined notions on whether or not you wanted to be part of slavery-related projects as an up-and-coming Black actor?

I was just coming out of school, so I wasn’t thinking too hard about it, to be perfectly honest. At the same time, as an artist in general, it’s always been a hard rule for me that I never want to do anything that’s going to show my people, my culture in a negative light or in a light that is harmful or re-traumatizing. That’s never something I want to be a part of.

I knew Brandon, I knew some of Brandon’s work and I trusted him as a storyteller. Once I figured out that it was him, and saw all the producers that got this show’s wheels turning, I was like okay, these are smart and very aware Black artists who are trying to do something that is an homage to Octavia Butler, someone who was also smart and very aware and impactful. Her work was saying something beyond: This is what happened in slavery. It was a reflection of something much bigger and brighter, and I think that’s what attracted me to her story in the beginning. It looks at slavery with such fresh eyes, in a reflective way.

I also felt that I never want to forget what has happened historically. That’s just not my standpoint. Now I understand if other people don’t feel that way, I get that some people do not wanna see that on television. Some people have gotten to a point where, you know, they don’t wanna see the actual brutality and the exploitation of it and I completely understand that. If that’s how you feel, that’s how you feel. But personally, I don’t want to forget my history. I feel that every time I tell a story that is about my ancestors or might lift my ancestors up in a light of strength and endurance, I feel like I’m holding a candle for them, like I’m remembering what happened to them and how they have gotten me here.

With the release of this show, you’re about to transition very quickly from being relatively unknown to being well-known by the industry and audiences, too. How are you preparing for that?

I’m not thinking about it. Maybe I should be, but I just have never really wanted to have a huge presence online. Even though I participate—I have Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and all the things—at the end of the day I want my work to speak for itself.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Contributor

Roxanne Fequiere is a New York–based writer and editor who might just make it after all.

The post Mallori Johnson Is Bringing Octavia Butler’s Work to Life in Kindred appeared first on Chronicle Fashion.

Reynolds honed in on his experience meeting Mrs. Claus in particular, opting not to name Santa as part of the joke. “We met Jessica Claus and her husband on the Polar Express,” he wrote. “She was everything I’d always dreamed since I was a kid. She smelled like cinnamon buns and sangria. 🎄”

Lively herself previously shared photos from her pregnancy in September to deter paparazzi from hounding her, Reynolds, and their family.

“Here are photos of me pregnant in real life so the 11 guys waiting outside my home for a 🦄 sighting will leave me alone,” she wrote. “You freak me and my kids out. Thanks to everyone else for all the love and respect and for continuing to unfollow accounts and publications who share photos of children. You have all the power against them. And thank you to the media who have a “No Kids Policy”. You all make all the difference 🙏️. Much love! Xxb.”

Reynolds spoke to Entertainment Tonight at in mid-November about how his and Lively’s children are prepared to welcome their newest brother or sister. The couple already is parents to James, 7, Inez, 6, and Betty, 3.

“They’re in. They love it,” he said of his daughters. “They’re ready.”

“I’m very excited,” Reynolds said regarding his own sentiments. “We’d have to be. You know, you’d have to be a moron to do this four times if you didn’t like it. It’s gonna be nuts, but we’re very excited.”

Senior News and Strategy Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.

The post Blake Lively Shows Off Her Festive Pregnancy Style in Rare Photo from Ryan Reynolds appeared first on Chronicle Fashion.

According to The Telegraph, this image was snapped inside Buckingham Palace’s garden entrance, and the outlet “understands that the presence of the photograph was the subject of a written palace complaint at the time” due to the lack of permission. Apparently, the Sussexes “are not thought to have been made personally aware of the warning,” and the photographer wasn’t asked to leave.

“It’s fair to say there was surprise to see there was a photographer. In usual circumstances, you need permission to take pictures in that area,” one source tells the outlet, while another adds, “There is very strict protocol about bringing a film crew or photographer. Usually a memo would be sent to the Queen to get approval.”

Another source described the photographer’s presence as a “genuine violation” of the Queen’s household, saying the news of his presence “wouldn’t have taken long for it to go round the building.”

The first three episodes of Harry & Meghan premiere on December 8, while the second three premiere on December 15. Per Netflix, “The series explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution. With commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the royal family’s relationship with the press, the series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other.”

Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm, She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade. 

The post There’s Palace Drama Over This One Specific Photo of the Sussexes From ‘Harry & Meghan’ appeared first on Chronicle Fashion.

The Fenty Beauty founder was wearing a sheer, strapless black maxi dress, offering a glimpse of her short black bodysuit underneath, which featured a ruched bodice.

Rihanna was wearing a long gold chain crossways over her body that ended in a pendant hanging over one thigh and a matching thick gold choker. She was carrying a vintage Fendi bag in their patterned brown python Baguette design. On her feet were strappy black sandal heels, revealing her white pedicure. For some color, Rihanna’s nails were painted bright red, and she was wearing an electric turquoise eye shadow. The singer left her hair down in loose curls over her shoulders.

Her boyfriend was wearing a striking striped set, with matching slacks and over-shirt in black-and-white. His hair covered with a Gucci beanie cap in blue, and he wore a white t-shirt underneath. He paired the look with steel tip black leather boots.

Following the birth of their son in May, the couple laid low for a while, but they’ve been seen at more and more events in recent months. Rihanna recently premiered her Savage X Fenty Volume 4 on Amazon Prime, and released two songs for the new film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She also agreed to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2023 and is supposedly recording her ninth studio album. Fans have been hoping for her follow-up to 2016’s Anti for a long time.

Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.

The post Rihanna Wears Sheer Strapless Dress On Date With A$AP Rocky appeared first on Chronicle Fashion.

“There’s some rumors going around, people have been in my comments saying, ‘Keke’s having a baby, Keke’s pregnant,’ and I wanna set the record straight — I am!” Palmer said during her opening monologue before opening her coat to reveal her pregnancy.

She continued, “I gotta say, though, it is bad when people on the internet spread rumors about you y’all, but it’s even worse when they’re correct. I mean, like, I was trying so hard to keep it on the down low, cause I got a lot of stuff going on, you know? But honestly this has been the biggest blessing, and I am so excited. Guys, I’m going to be a mom.”

She wore a cropped shirt and jacket in the closing credits to emphasize her expecting state one more time as the episode ended.

After her announcement, many people were wondering about her boyfriend. Palmer has kept her relationship with Jackson fairly private, though when she does speak of him, it’s with glowing reviews. Here’s everything we know.

Who is Darius Jackson?

Darius is the brother of actor Sarunas Jackson, who appeared in Issa Rae’s Insecure. He also is working on an acting career, and has had worked in fitness as an instructor at Inspire Fitness.

How long have Jackson and Palmer been together?

Palmer was introduced to Darius by Sarunas, after she had a cameo on Insecure herself. They reportedly met at a Memorial Day Party in May of 2021, and went public with their relationship in August 2021.

At the time, Darius celebrated Palmer on her birthday, in a post that has since been deleted.

“You’ve been a blessing from above,” he wrote at the time. “Never would have expected summer 2021 to turn out the way it did, but here we are. I’m glad we were able to help each other throughout our lowest of times & show one another that what we are bringing to the table is everything that we got.”

What has Palmer posted about Jackson in public?

In October of 2021, Palmer shared a video of her boyfriend which she has also since deleted, writing, “Without being too mushy because I HATEEEE THAT, it feels really nice to not be afraid to show this kind of care for someone that I don’t share the same blood with. I thought it could never happen, I can be quite guarded, but I appreciate you for being a safe space. I will always cherish what you have given me.”

The mass deletion of posts happened in March of 2022. There were rumors that they had split up, but in November this year, Palmer made an appearance on The Tamron Hall Show where she explained why she had taken down the photos even though their relationship isn’t a secret.

“It became more difficult to hide,” she said. “We spend all this time together, and he really is my closest friend, so it just becomes a thing where I’m not gonna hide something that makes me happy.”

She added, “It’s not gonna be everything you see, my job is my job, but at the end of the day this is somebody that is important to me so why not.”

Still up on her TikTok account, however, is a video of her leaning in for a kiss from Darius behind a fan, covered with the words, “Lady miss takes what she WANTS.”

What has she said about her relationships in general?

In March of 2020, before meeting her current boyfriend, Palmer told Harper’s Bazaar, “I don’t really do relationship stuff online, mainly because I don’t know how I would do it without looking, like, cheesy or something, you know? Yes, I’m a hundred percent authentic, but there is stuff that I do save for family and friends.”

Has Darius commented on expecting a child?

On Sunday, December 4, Darius shared a photo of Palmer looking very obviously pregnant in his Instagram Stories with the numbers, “2023,” and a red heart emoji.

Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.

The post All About Darius Jackson, Keke Palmer’s Boyfriend and Father-to-Be of Her Child appeared first on Chronicle Fashion.

George wore a classic black tux with a white button-down and black bowtie. Amal was wearing a gorgeous off-the-shoulder red gown by Valentino with a dramatic matching cape that trailed behind her on the red carpet. The look comes from Valentino’s Spring 2022 Couture collection.

The Ocean’s 11 actor was amongst the list of famous nominees, which also included Christian and pop singer-songwriter Amy Grant, musical icon Gladys Knight, composer and conductor Tania León, and every member of U2 — Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.

Of his nomination, George said, “Growing up in a small town in Kentucky I could never have imagined that someday I’d be the one sitting in the balcony at the Kennedy Center Honors. To be mentioned in the same breath with the rest of these incredible artists is an honor. This is a genuinely exciting surprise for the whole Clooney family.”

In his time as an actor and filmmaker, George has snagged two Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, four SAG awards, a BAFTA award, two Critics’ Choice Awards, an Emmy, four National Board of Review Awards, and the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award.

Kennedy Center president Deborah F. Rutter said of the awards, “For nearly a half-century, the Kennedy Center Honors has represented the very best of America’s creative culture.”

She added, “The Honors is often referred to by past recipients as the pinnacle of awards because it recognizes not just one performance, album, or film, but esteems an artist’s cumulative body of work and influence over many decades.”

Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.

The post Amal Clooney Wears Glamorous Off-the-Shoulder Red Gown to Event With George appeared first on Chronicle Fashion.

She paired the dress with silver and black heels, and carried a matching bag by the same designer, a green Mini Jodie handbag. Her other accessories included a heavy silver necklace and large matching bracelets, and she let her hair down her back, wearing her signature no makeup-makeup look.

Later, she attended the Wayne and Cynthia Boich’s Art Basel Party with friend David Grutman, where both 50 Cent and Travis Scott performed for the attending celebrities.

Bieber gave a more detailed look at her dress on Instagram, posing for the camera to show off the sequins catching the light. She joked she’d be sleeping “until Christmas” after this weekend in the caption.

In a reel she showed off the dress again, and sent her love to Miami.

The model recently used her Instagram Stories to clarify that she has been experiencing some health issues, and to put rumors of a pregnancy to rest. Bieber has had recurring cysts on her ovaries, which causes swelling in her abdomen. She shared a photo of her distended stomach.

Over the image, she wrote, “I have a cyst on my ovary the size of an apple. I don’t have endometriosis or PCOS but I have gotten an ovarian cyst a few times and it’s never fun.”

She added, “Not a baby. It’s painful and achey and makes me feel nauseas and bloated and crampy and emotional.”

In March, Bieber suffered from other health issues, and ended up being hospitalized to deal with a blood clot that caused stroke-like symptoms. Soon after, she had to undergo a heart procedure to close a small hole in the organ. Her health has since largely improved, but she has said she is allowing herself more time to heal.

Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.

The post Hailey Bieber Wears Sleek Form-Fitting Green Dress to Dinner In Miami appeared first on Chronicle Fashion.