Herman Cain Says Trump Doesn't Have 'A Racist Bone In His Body'

Herman Cain recently scoffed at the allegations accusing President Donald Trump of being racist.

“I don’t think Donald Trump has a racist bone in his body. And you can quote me on that,” Cain said in an interview with Yahoo News. “I have known him for many years. I have talked to people who work directly for him. The man is a businessman. How could he be a racist? His daughter married a person whose religious belief is Jewish. Good! He doesn’t go around making statements that are racist in nature. No, he says things where some people out there — especially people who don’t like him — try to spin it as being racist.”

On several occasions, Trump has referred to himself as "the least racist person." However, his statements on Charlottesville, Virginia, his history of running racially-charged attack ads and his recent "sh*thole countries" controversy have his critics unsure whether Trump is as tolerant as Cain claims.

According to Cain, critics need to put aside Trump’s language and personality. He instead urges them to focus on the results of Trump's policies in order to truly measure the success of his first-year in office.

Cain said he would give year one an "A" because Trump rolled back regulations and signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which he called “one of the biggest legislative achievements in 30 years.”

When it comes to Trump's campaign rhetoric (including when Trump said the following about Mexican immigrants: "They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."), Cain said that he never observed anything at Trump’s campaign events that would indicate he harbors any animus toward minorities.

Herman Cain recently scoffed at the allegations accusing President Donald Trump of being racist.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t think Donald Trump has a racist bone in his body. And you can quote me on that,” Cain said in an interview with \u003Ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/news/herman-cain-says-trump-doesnt-racist-bone-body-180726069.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Yahoo News\u003C/a>. “I have known him for many years. I have talked to people who work directly for him. The man is a businessman. How could he be a racist? His daughter married a person whose religious belief is Jewish. Good! He doesn’t go around making statements that are racist in nature. No, he says things where some people out there — especially people who don’t like him — try to spin it as being racist.”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>On several occasions, Trump has referred to himself as "the least racist person." However, his statements on \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/donald-trump-charlottesville-winery-both-sides-blame-violence\">Charlottesville\u003C/a>, Virginia, his history of running \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/ava-duvernay-calls-out-trump-for-his-hypocrisy-role-in-the-central-park-five-conviction\">racially-charged attack ads\u003C/a> and his recent \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/trump-reportedly-fussed-about-shthole-countries-like-haiti-and-other-african-nations-for-flocking-to-the-us\">"sh*thole countries" controversy\u003C/a> have his critics unsure whether Trump is as tolerant as Cain claims.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>According to Cain, critics need to put aside Trump’s language and personality. He instead urges them to focus on the results of Trump's policies in order to truly measure the success of his first-year in office.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Cain said he would give year one an "A" because Trump rolled back regulations and signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which he called “one of the biggest legislative achievements in 30 years.”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>When it comes to Trump's campaign rhetoric (including when Trump said the following about \u003Ca href=\"http://time.com/4473972/donald-trump-mexico-meeting-insult/\">Mexican immigrants\u003C/a>: "They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."), Cain said that he never observed anything at Trump’s campaign events that would indicate he harbors any animus toward minorities.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp content='“When he was campaigning, I spoke at three of his rallies. There were plenty of black people and Hispanic people there trying to help him get elected. I never saw him try to put anybody down. The people who don’t like him are trying to stick him with a racist label, which is not true,” Cain said. At a campaign rally in Atlanta, he vouched for Trump as a \u003Ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/us/politics/behind-herman-cains-humor-a-question-of-seriousness.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">“shucky ducky” kind of candidate.\u003C/a> Trump received \u003Ca href=\"http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/behind-trumps-victory-divisions-by-race-gender-education/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">8 percent\u003C/a> of votes by black people in 2016.’ data-reactid=”26″ type=”text”>“When he was campaigning, I spoke at three of his rallies. There were plenty of black people and Hispanic people there trying to help him get elected," Cain said. "I never saw him try to put anybody down. The people who don’t like him are trying to stick him with a racist label, which is not true."\u003C/p>\n",[23,27],{"name":24,"slug":25,"id":26},"News","news",83,{"name":28,"slug":29,"id":30},"Politics","politics",120,[32,36],{"id":33,"name":34,"slug":35,"description":10,"image":10},37278,"Donald trump","donald-trump",{"id":37,"name":38,"slug":39,"description":10,"image":10},31431,"Herman Cain","herman-cain",{"url":41,"thumbnail":41,"credit":42,"title":10,"alt":10,"type":43},"https://res.cloudinary.com/blavity/image/upload/v1518555094/hlftrwf7fqctilz89h1b","Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons","image","2018-02-13T16:18:42-05:00","default",[],false,{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":49,"headScript":50},true,null,"https://storage.googleapis.com/blavitynews/images/fallback.jpg","article","2025-11-05T07:34:52.053Z",{"list":55,"total":184},[56,110,161],{"id":57,"author":58,"authors":69,"title":71,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":72,"body":73,"categories":74,"tags":83,"featuredMedia":99,"publishedAt":105,"updatedAt":106,"type":45,"listicle":107,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":108,"additional":109},72878579,{"id":59,"avatar":60,"firstName":61,"lastName":62,"displayName":63,"email":64,"username":65,"normalizedUsername":66,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":67,"registeredAt":68},99834,"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/KyraAlessandrini-compress.jpeg","Kyra","Alessandrini","Kyra Alessandrini","[email protected]","KyraAlessandrini","kyraalessandrini","https://www.instagram.com/kyraless/","2023-04-03T03:46:17+00:00",[70],{"id":59,"avatar":60,"firstName":61,"lastName":62,"displayName":63,"email":64,"username":65,"normalizedUsername":66,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":67,"registeredAt":68},"HBCU Talladega College Sells Some Of Its Historic Black Art Amid Financial Struggles","talladega-college-sells-hale-woodruff-murals","\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/s-epatha-merkerson-talladega-college-hbcu-donation\">Talladega College\u003C/a> is selling four out of six of its murals painted by Hale Woodruff and depicting key scenes of Black history. The HBCU made this decision in order to fund the school, which has been increasingly \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/hbcu-talladega-college-cuts-several-athletic-programs\">financially struggling\u003C/a> in recent years. The paintings were sold with the intent of having them exposed to the public. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-historic-hale-woodruff-paintings-that-are-part-of-talladega-college-s-heritage-nbsp\">Historic Hale Woodruff paintings that are part of Talladega College’s heritage \u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Woodruff was commissioned to paint several paintings by the HBCU, which were completed between 1939 and 1942. Each one depicts different historic events representing the fights for freedom and the advancement of Black people in the United States. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>He first painted “The Mutiny on the Amistad,” which depicts the Amistad saga. Woodruff then completed a second series for Talladega’s 75th anniversary, including a painting depicting the Underground Railroad and two others. The paintings took on an important place as part of the HBCU’s heritage.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“It’s not my place to tell an institution what to do, but that would be like giving up part of their soul,” Michael Lomax, the president and chief executive of the UNCF and a former professor at Morehouse and Spelman, told \u003Ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/arts/design/talladega-college-sells-hale-woodruff-murals-hbcu.html\">The New York Times\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“I would consider the Talladega murals to be a big part of their birthright. Those paintings will not have the same meaning if they’re put in a high-design building and a place that has nothing to do with the paintings.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Lomax later learned that Talladega issued the sale in order to help support itself financially. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“What is the theme of the Amistad murals?” he then said. “It is freedom. And this is allowing them to have financial freedom.” He added, “It was a hard call, but they made the right call. They saved the institution.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-talladega-college-is-selling-the-murals-to-help-with-its-finances\">Talladega College is selling the murals to help with its finances\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The HBCU has been facing financial struggles in recent years. It currently has an endowment of under $5 million, according to The New York Times.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Despite a $15 million credit union loan, the institution heavily relies on tuition fees to sustain itself. It recorded an enrollment of 745 this year, down from 1,291 in fall 2020.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“We had to look at every asset that we have,” Talladega board chair Rica Lewis-Payton said.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“It required deliberate thought and execution,” she said about the decision to sell four the six murals. “I sit here today feeling good that we are leveraging this most prized possession in a way that will improve the ability of the college to provide a foundational education for people like me.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Although Talladega did not disclose how much the sale is worth, experts estimate it at $20 million. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“We can become a leader in the reimagining of liberal arts education,” Talladega president Willie Todd said. “I want every student to graduate with an internship or apprenticeship opportunity. And I want all of our programs to be connected to industry standards and accredited by national accreditors. That takes money.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-happens-to-hale-woodruff-s-murals-after-talladega-college-sells-them\">What happens to Hale Woodruff’s murals after Talladega College sells them?\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Three of the murals depicting the Amistad saga are being sold to the Art Bridges Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art, two nonprofit organizations that lend art to public institutions. The Toledo Museum of Art is acquiring Woodruff’s painting of the Underground Railroad.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“This is an incredible painting that will be deeply meaningful for our audience,” the president of the Toledo Museum of Art Adam Levine, said. “My objective and the objective of the Toledo Museum of Art is to support Talladega College.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Although the agreement hasn’t yet been finalized, the Toledo Museum and the foundations acquiring the paintings said they would highlight the art’s connection to Talladega. The paintings will also be exhibited at the HBCU every six to eight years.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Todd noted that the sale will also help give the murals more exposure, as only 500 people come to view them every year at Talladega.\u003C/p>\n",[75,79],{"name":76,"slug":77,"id":78},"Blavity-U","blavity-u",70685,{"name":80,"slug":81,"id":82},"HBCU","hbcu",70684,[84,88,91,95],{"id":85,"name":86,"slug":87,"description":10,"image":10},74288,"Blavity U Top Stories","blavity-u-top-stories",{"id":89,"name":80,"slug":90,"description":10,"image":10},38270,"hbcu-2",{"id":92,"name":93,"slug":94,"description":10,"image":10},38075,"talladega college","talladega-college",{"id":96,"name":97,"slug":98,"description":10,"image":10},44529,"top stories","top-stories",{"url":100,"thumbnail":101,"credit":102,"title":103,"alt":104,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-1456705311.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-1456705311-150x100.jpg","A member of Talladega College “Great Tornado Band” performs during The HBCU Culture Homecoming Fest & Battle Of The Bands MLK Weekend Edition at State Farm Arena on January 15, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. | Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images","The HBCU Culture Homecoming Fest & Battle Of The Bands MLK Weekend Edition","ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 15: A member of Talladega College “Great Tornado Band” performs during The HBCU Culture Homecoming Fest & Battle Of The Bands MLK Weekend Edition at State Farm Arena on January 15, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.","2025-10-31T12:42:15-04:00","2025-10-31T15:22:01-04:00",[],"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Hale-Woodrufff_The-Underground-Railroad.webp",{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":111,"author":112,"authors":119,"title":121,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":122,"body":123,"categories":124,"tags":133,"featuredMedia":151,"publishedAt":156,"updatedAt":157,"type":45,"listicle":158,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":159,"additional":160},72876871,{"id":113,"avatar":114,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":115,"email":116,"username":117,"normalizedUsername":117,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":118},99591,"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_1020-2-compress.jpg","Aria Bell","[email protected]","ariabell","2022-08-29T17:13:08+00:00",[120],{"id":113,"avatar":114,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":115,"email":116,"username":117,"normalizedUsername":117,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":118},"Nikole Hannah-Jones To Open Bookstore/Bar In Historic Bed-Stuy Building","nikole-hannah-jones-to-open-bed-stuy-bookstore","\n\u003Cp>Bed-Stuy is getting a new home for \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/blavity-books-afrotech-kindred-stories\">books\u003C/a>, culture and conversation under the direction of Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/debbie-brockman-wgn-journalist-ice-detained\">journalist\u003C/a> Nikole Hannah-Jones.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Hannah-Jones is teaming up with New York entrepreneurs Rotimi and Ayo Akinnuoye and Baldwin & Co. owner DJ Johnson to open The North Star Books + Bar, which wil lbe inside the former Macon Hardware storefront at Macon Street and Marcus Garvey Boulevard, as \u003Ca href=\"https://www.brownstoner.com/brooklyn-life/north-star-books-bar-339-macon-street-nikole-hannah-jones/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brownstoner\u003C/a> reported. The goal is simple: Create a gathering place where literature, community and nightlife meet.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-nikole-hannah-jones-is-keeping-bed-stuy-s-legacy-alive\">Nikole Hannah-Jones is keeping Bed-Stuy’s legacy alive\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The project is deeply tied to neighborhood history. Macon Hardware stood for generations as one of Bed-Stuy’s longest-running Black-owned businesses. Keeping the building in community hands mattered to Hannah-Jones, a Bed-Stuy resident for nearly 15 years who has hosted reading salons in her home and spent years scouting a public space. After a previous lease fell through, she set her sights on ownership. A “for sale” post led her to 339 Macon Street, where she made her case to owner Warren Hayes to pass the keys to someone rooted in the neighborhood. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Hayes was very happy to be able to sell it to someone who is in the community and cares about the community and will create a great community space,” she said in an interview with Brownstoner. “I’m very much aware of the history, and very much honored to keep the building Black owned, frankly.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Macon Hardware’s legacy remains central. Open since around 1930, the shop became a neighborhood anchor under the Hayes family after Peter and Clara Hayes purchased it in 1987. Clara ran the store after Peter’s passing. Following her death in 2022, there wasn’t a relative of the couple to keep the business operating. Their son decided to sell it, marking the end of an era for a place many considered an iconic community hub. The sale was completed in 2024 with financing from the Self-Help Venture Fund, and Hannah-Jones noted it served as a bridge loan with her as the building’s owner.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-will-the-north-star-books-bar-offer-bed-stuy\">What will the North Star Books + Bar offer Bed-Stuy?\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The concept is part bookstore, part bar and cafe. Hannah-Jones, who is also a Howard University professor and co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, wants the venue to be a magnet for the creative world.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“I’m very plugged into the writer community, I’m friends with a lot of great writers, and wanted to be able to bring those writers into our community,” Hannah-Jones explained. “Whenever you have big book events in the city, they’re not at Black bookstores and they’re not in Black neighborhoods, so I really wanted to bring that to Bed Stuy. People should expect all of their writing heroes.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Programming will stretch beyond author talks. Patrons can expect performances, book clubs and writing workshops designed to pull in both neighbors and visitors. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“I really, really want it to be a space, especially in these times, where creative folks can come together and exchange knowledge, ideas, literature, art,” Hannah-Jones said.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-plans-are-to-open-the-bookstore-in-early-2026\">Plans are to open the bookstore in early 2026\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The two-story brick corner building sits within the Bedford-Stuyvesant/Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District. Apartments upstairs will host micro-residencies that give visiting writers a place to stay and a way to plug into community work. Inside, a gut renovation is underway to channel a Harlem Renaissance spirit with an Art Deco touch. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As Hannah-Jones put it, “The space will pay tribute to Black writers of all eras and of all forms.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Additionally, she and her team plan to operate the bar and cafe in-house. A full kitchen is being built now, with chefs consulting on the menu.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>With The North Star Books + Bar, the partners are building on that legacy rather than replacing it. Hannah-Jones framed it as a place designed to be “a draw for great Black writers and creators from across the globe.” She hopes it will be ready for customers in early 2026.\u003C/p>\n",[125,129],{"name":126,"slug":127,"id":128},"Books","books",14,{"name":130,"slug":131,"id":132},"Culture","culture",118,[134,138,142,146,150],{"id":135,"name":136,"slug":137,"description":10,"image":10},23655,"Bed-Stuy","bed-stuy",{"id":139,"name":140,"slug":141,"description":10,"image":10},70910,"black-owned bookstore","black-owned-bookstore",{"id":143,"name":144,"slug":145,"description":10,"image":10},55266,"Nikole Hannah-Jones","nikole-hannah-jones-2",{"id":147,"name":148,"slug":149,"description":10,"image":10},75810,"Non-Newsletter","non-newsletter",{"id":96,"name":97,"slug":98,"description":10,"image":10},{"url":152,"thumbnail":153,"credit":154,"title":144,"alt":155,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2223597800.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2223597800-150x100.jpg","Photo: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for ESSENCE","Nikole Hannah-Jones speaks onstage during the 2025 ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans","2025-10-28T09:38:49-04:00","2025-10-28T11:23:45-04:00",[],"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/bed-stuy-macon-5-and-10-hardware-339-macon-street-012023-abs-1.webp",{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":162,"author":163,"authors":164,"title":166,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":167,"body":168,"categories":169,"tags":171,"featuredMedia":173,"publishedAt":179,"updatedAt":180,"type":45,"listicle":181,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":182,"additional":183},72877370,{"id":59,"avatar":60,"firstName":61,"lastName":62,"displayName":63,"email":64,"username":65,"normalizedUsername":66,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":67,"registeredAt":68},[165],{"id":59,"avatar":60,"firstName":61,"lastName":62,"displayName":63,"email":64,"username":65,"normalizedUsername":66,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":67,"registeredAt":68},"Black Student Handcuffed After AI Software Mistakes Bag Of Chips For Gun","student-handcuffed-ai-system-mistook-bag-chips-gun","\n\u003Cp>A \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/baltimore-murder-rate-record-low-under-brandon-scott\">Baltimore\u003C/a> County high school student was handcuffed by law enforcement after his school’s \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/can-artificial-intelligence-frame-you-for-crimes-you-didnt-commit\">artificial intelligence\u003C/a> detector mistook his bag of chips for a gun. Police officers who responded to the scene rapidly canceled the alert while council members are now calling for a review of the AI system.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-student-was-handcuffed-and-searched-before-the-alert-was-lifted\">The student was handcuffed and searched before the alert was lifted\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Taki Allen, a student at Kenwood High School, was sitting with friends after football practice on the evening of Oct. 20. At around 7:20 p.m., police officers showed up with guns and walked up towards Allen.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe title=\"Teen handcuffed after AI system mistakes bag of chips for gun\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/7XCuHD-52xQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“It was like eight cop cars that came pulling up for us. At first, I didn’t know where they were going until they started walking toward me with guns, talking about, ‘Get on the ground,’ and I was like, ‘What?’” the student said in an interview with \u003Ca href=\"https://www.wbaltv.com/article/student-handcuffed-ai-system-mistook-bag-chips-weapon/69114601\">WBAL-TV 11 News\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“They made me get on my knees, put my hands behind my back, and cuffed me. Then, they searched me and they figured out I had nothing,” Allen added. “Then, they went over to where I was standing and found a bag of chips on the floor.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>He was told the AI detector had mistaken his bag of chips for a gun after he had crumpled it and placed it in his pocket.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“I was just holding a Doritos bag — it was two hands and one finger out, and they said it looked like a gun,” Allen said.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>After the incident, the school’s principal notified parents and said counselors are available to support students involved or in need.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“We understand how upsetting this was for the individual that was searched as well as the other students who witnessed the incident,” the principal wrote in a letter. “Please know that ensuring the safety of our students and school community is one of our highest priorities. We work closely with Baltimore County police to ensure that we can promptly respond to any potential safety concerns, and it is essential that we all work together to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for all Kenwood High School students and staff.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-council-members-are-calling-for-a-review-of-the-ai-system-used-at-baltimore-county-high-schools-and-across-the-country\">Council members are calling for a review of the AI system used at Baltimore County high schools and across the country\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Omnilert AI Gun Detection System was installed at Baltimore County Public Schools in 2023. It helps detect potential weapons by using the school’s existing cameras. After a possible weapon is identified, the software alerts the school safety team and law enforcement.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“The program did what it was supposed to do, which was to signal an alert and for humans to take a look to find out if there was cause for concern at that moment,” superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers said, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/false-alarm-gun-detection-kenwood-maryland-artificial-intelligence-review/\">CBS News\u003C/a>.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Rogers added that the system works as a multi-step process. It sends an alert after detection, which is reviewed by human staff. \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“This system is AI, and it’s looking for certain elements, and then humans have to verify them,” she added.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Several members of the community have expressed concerns regarding the technology following the incident.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“Nobody wants this to happen to their child. No one wants this to happen,” Allen’s grandfather Lamont Davis said, according to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.wbaltv.com/article/student-handcuffed-ai-system-mistook-bag-chips-weapon/69114601\">WBAL-TV 11 News\u003C/a>.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“AI is not the best,” one of the officers who responded to the scene was heard saying on bodycam footage, per \u003Ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/ai-gun-detection-system-kenwood-high-school-mistakes-a-bag-of-chips/\">CBS News\u003C/a>.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Baltimore County councilman Julian Jones highlighted that the incident could have escalated to a more serious situation. \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“Thank God it was not worse,” he said. “How did it come to be that we had police officers with guns drawn approaching a kid because of a bag of Doritos?”\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Both Jones and his fellow council member, Izzy Patoka, are calling police to review Omnilert at schools that use the technology across the country. In January 2025, the AI software failed to detect a hidden gun before a mass shooting that occurred at Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“Each situation is unique,” an Omnilert spokesperson said in a statement. “In the Nashville case, the gun was not visible to the camera and therefore not detectable by any vision-based system.”\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“Our technology can only identify what the camera sees, and we emphasize that AI gun detection is one layer of a comprehensive security strategy that always includes human oversight and other safeguards,” they added.\u003C/p>\n",[170],{"name":24,"slug":25,"id":26},[172],{"id":96,"name":97,"slug":98,"description":10,"image":10},{"url":174,"thumbnail":175,"credit":176,"title":177,"alt":178,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-1297070538.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-1297070538-150x91.jpg","Photo: Getty Images","Simple Conceptual Image of Silver Handcuffs on Blue Surface","Shiny silver metal handcuffs on blue surface with space for copy.","2025-10-27T19:50:08-04:00","2025-10-28T10:51:51-04:00",[],"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_7854.jpeg",{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},211,{"list":186,"total":343},[187,226,257,299,322],{"id":188,"author":189,"authors":196,"title":198,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":199,"body":200,"categories":201,"tags":203,"featuredMedia":216,"publishedAt":222,"updatedAt":223,"type":45,"listicle":224,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":217,"additional":225},72878933,{"id":190,"avatar":191,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":192,"email":193,"username":192,"normalizedUsername":194,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":195},96045,"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/DSC09602-2-compress.jpg","Tomas Kassahun","[email protected]","tomas-kassahun","2019-09-06T00:00:00+00:00",[197],{"id":190,"avatar":191,"firstName":10,"lastName":10,"displayName":192,"email":193,"username":192,"normalizedUsername":194,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":195},"Mo'Nique Still Wants To Clear The Air With Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey: 'Don't Run'","monique-wants-conversation-tyler-perry-oprah","\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/respectability-politics-dont-work-for-black-women-and-monique-should-know-that\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mo’Nique\u003C/a> is still insisting on having a public conversation with \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/the-color-of-care-documentary-by-oprah-winfrey-and-the-smithsonian-channel-highlights-healthcare-disparities-toward-people-of-color\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oprah Winfrey\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/taraji-p-henson-joey-badass-to-star-in-netflixs-tis-so-sweet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tyler Perry\u003C/a>. During her interview with \u003Cem>The 85 South Show\u003C/em>, Mo’Nique said she wants to sit down with Winfrey and Perry to hash out their years-long feud.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-happened-between-mo-nique-tyler-perry-and-oprah-winfrey\">What happened between Mo’Nique, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey?\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Mo’Nique’s dissension with Winfrey and Perry became public after Mo’Nique refused to fly overseas to promote the 2009 film \u003Cem>Preciou\u003C/em>s. Winfrey and Perry signed on as producers in order to give the film a financial boost, as it was an independent project.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Mo’Nique was paid $50,000 for the role of Mary Jones in \u003Cem>Precious\u003C/em>, but her contract was with Lee Daniels, who directed the film, and their deal only required her to do promotion on a domestic level. She said that the problem came into play when Daniels sold the film to Lionsgate. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>After \u003Cem>Precious\u003C/em> premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, it generated so much excitement and buzz. As a result, Lionsgate wanted Mo’Nique to attend the Cannes Film Festival to further promote the film. Winfrey and Perry even called her several times in an attempt to convince her to fly out to the film festival. Still, she refused to do so unless she was paid additional money since it wasn’t part of her contract.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In 2010, Mo’Nique won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, but by then, rumors had already swirled that she was difficult to work with due to not wanting to do any international press. Mo’Nique blames Daniels, Winfrey and Perry for spreading rumors that she was difficult. (Since then, she and Daniels have squashed their feud.)\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“Well, for the people that said I’m hard to work with, they’ve not worked with me. So I can’t even entertain it. Because they’ve not worked with me,” Mo’Nique said on \u003Cem>The 85 South Show\u003C/em>, according \u003Ca href=\"https://thegrio.com/2025/11/01/monique-wants-conversation-tyler-perry-oprah-winfrey/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Grio\u003C/a>. “Because they’ve not worked with me. But when you have a man named Tyler Perry saying, ‘She’s difficult to work with,’ and you’ve never worked with me, and that cost me twelve years of my career.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/mOP5qHajluY?si=1yvJisbd26_pdJl_\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C/iframe>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mo-nique-and-lee-daniels-made-amends-in-2022\">Mo’Nique and Lee Daniels made amends in 2022\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In April 2022, Daniels publicly apologized to Mo’Nique while she was onstage performing a comedy show. Ts Madison helped reconcile things between Mo’Nique and Daniels.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“Wasn’t that God working? First of all, part of me trying to find my higher power was also understanding what that meant,” Daniels told \u003Ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/lee-daniels-monique-the-deliverance-horror-1235978760/\">The Hollywood Reporter\u003C/a> about that moment onstage. “And that meant forgiveness, that meant apologizing, even if I didn’t understand what I was apologizing for. I had to understand that she was hurt, and that is my sister, and that I love her.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Since then, Mo’Nique and Daniels have worked together on the 2024 horror film\u003Cem> The Deliverance\u003C/em>. Turns out, Mo’Nique is hoping the same will happen with Winfrey and Perry.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“I’m still waiting for Tyler Perry, still waiting for Oprah Winfrey to say, ‘Let’s have this public open conversation.’ Don’t run. Don’t run. Because that may be able to heal our community just like my son and I,” she said on \u003Cem>The 85 South Show\u003C/em>. “Why ever would I not talk about it every opportunity I get? Because you’ve cost my family that money. And what happens is we get so afraid of power that we’re too afraid to say what’s real.”\u003C/p>\n",[202],{"name":24,"slug":25,"id":26},[204,208,212],{"id":205,"name":206,"slug":207,"description":10,"image":10},23244,"Monique","monique",{"id":209,"name":210,"slug":211,"description":10,"image":10},7743,"Oprah-WInfrey","oprah-winfrey",{"id":213,"name":214,"slug":215,"description":10,"image":10},10342,"Tyler-Perry","tyler-perry",{"url":217,"thumbnail":218,"credit":219,"title":220,"alt":221,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Untitled-design-3-1.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Untitled-design-3-1-150x84.jpg","Photo: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic and Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images","monique, tyler perry and oprah","collage of monique, tyler perry and oprah","2025-11-04T19:26:50-05:00","2025-11-04T19:28:33-05:00",[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":227,"author":228,"authors":239,"title":241,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":242,"body":243,"categories":244,"tags":246,"featuredMedia":247,"publishedAt":253,"updatedAt":254,"type":45,"listicle":255,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"additional":256},72879267,{"id":229,"avatar":230,"firstName":231,"lastName":232,"displayName":233,"email":234,"username":235,"normalizedUsername":235,"description":10,"twitter":236,"facebook":10,"instagram":237,"registeredAt":238},98966,"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/WhatsApp-Image-2022-02-07-at-19.31.50-2-compress.jpeg","Kui","Mwai","Kui Mwai","[email protected]","kuimwai","https://twitter.com/kuiwrites_","https://www.instagram.com/kuiwrites_/","2019-11-07T00:00:00+00:00",[240],{"id":229,"avatar":230,"firstName":231,"lastName":232,"displayName":233,"email":234,"username":235,"normalizedUsername":235,"description":10,"twitter":236,"facebook":10,"instagram":237,"registeredAt":238},"Six Flags America Closes After 50+ Years Of Operation","six-flags-america-closes-after-50-plus-years","\n\u003Cp>It’s a sad day for amusement park lovers, as \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/six-flags-of-america-closing-bowie-pg-county-maryland\">Six Flags America\u003C/a> has officially closed its gates after more than 50 years of operation. According to \u003Ca href=\"http://People\">People\u003C/a>, Six Flags America in Bowie, Maryland, welcomed guests for the last time on Nov. 2 and penned a goodbye \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DQkl0frgMoM/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=770b7449-a845-4115-ad7b-d839b9654bb9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">message\u003C/a> on Instagram thanking fans and reflecting on 50 years of “family fun.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“We will always cherish the memories made together,” the park wrote alongside a blue heart emoji. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DQkl0frgMoM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\"> \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DQkl0frgMoM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003Csvg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https://www.w3.org/2000/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\">\u003Cg stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\u003Cg transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\">\u003Cg>\u003Cpath d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\">\u003C/path>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/svg>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\u003Cdiv> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/a>\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DQkl0frgMoM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Six Flags America (@sixflagsamerica)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/div>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"//www.instagram.com/embed.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Here’s more on Six Flags America’s closure and goodbye. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-six-flags-entertainment-corporation-president-and-ceo-said-six-flags-and-hurricane-harbor-are-not-a-strategic-fit-for-the-company\">Six Flags Entertainment Corporation president and CEO said Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor are ‘not a strategic fit’ for the company\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Six Flags America, along with the Hurricane Harbor water park, operated more than 100 rides, shows, slides and roller coasters. Closing the park is part of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation’s efforts to restructure the company and tackle ongoing debt. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“As part of our comprehensive review of our park portfolio, we have determined that Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor are not a strategic fit with the company’s long-term growth plan,” Richard Zimmerman, Six Flags president and CEO, said in a \u003Ca href=\"https://investors.sixflags.com/news/press-releases/press-release-details/2025/Six-Flags-Announces-Plan-to-Close-Six-Flags-America-and-Hurricane-Harbor-After-2025-Season/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release\u003C/a> in May. “After reviewing a number of options, we believe that marketing the property for redevelopment will generate the highest value and return on investment. We anticipate strong interest in the property and will continue to strategically pursue portfolio optimization opportunities as we work to unlock the full value of our portfolio.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Zimmerman noted that the park employed around 70 full-time associates and that some would be eligible for severance and other benefits.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Six Flags Entertainment Corporation told People at the time of the closure announcement that it’s unsure what will happen to the rides and attractions after the park is closed.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“We have not yet determined what will happen to each ride or attraction after the park is closed but relocation to other Six Flags parks or selling to other amusement park operators are options that may be considered,” the company told the outlet.  \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-six-flags-noted-a-net-loss-of-100-million-over-the-course-of-three-months\">Six Flags noted a net loss of $100 million over the course of three months\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The park first operated as a drive-thru safari known as The Wildlife Preserve, opening its doors in 1974. The park relaunched as a Six Flags park in 1999.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Amid financial struggles, Six Flags merged with Cedar Fair in July 2024 and the new company now owns more than 20 amusement parks, water parks and resorts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, including California’s Six Flags Magic Mountain and Ohio’s Cedar Point. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>More recently, in October, it was announced that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce would be joining a group of high-profile business people to invest in the Six Flags brand to help “enhance shareholder value and improve the guest experience.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“I am a lifelong Six Flags fan and grew up going to these parks with my family and friends,” Kelce said in a \u003Ca href=\"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jana-partners-travis-kelce-and-leading-executives-invest-in-six-flags-entertainment-302590589.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release\u003C/a>. “The chance to help make Six Flags special for the next generation is one I couldn’t pass up.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>News of his investment in Six Flags came after Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announced Zimmerman’s upcoming departure from the company following a tough second quarter. A \u003Ca href=\"https://investors.sixflags.com/news/press-releases/press-release-details/2025/Six-Flags-Entertainment-Corporation-Reports-2025-Second-Quarter-Results-Provides-July-Performance-Update-and-Updates-Full-Year-Guidance/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release\u003C/a> also noted the company reported a net loss of $100 million over a three-month period.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n",[245],{"name":24,"slug":25,"id":26},[],{"url":248,"thumbnail":249,"credit":250,"title":251,"alt":252,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/GettyImages-52974743.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/GettyImages-52974743-150x110.jpg","Guests gather near season ticket information signage at an entrance to Six Flags Great America May 24, 2005 in Gurnee, Illinois. | Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images","Six Flags Policy To Target Sex Offenders","GURNEE, IL - MAY 24: Guests gather near season ticket information signage at an entrance to Six Flags Great America May 24, 2005 in Gurnee, Illinois.","2025-11-04T19:25:12-05:00","2025-11-04T19:25:25-05:00",[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":258,"author":259,"authors":269,"title":271,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":272,"body":273,"categories":274,"tags":276,"featuredMedia":289,"publishedAt":295,"updatedAt":296,"type":45,"listicle":297,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"additional":298},72879262,{"id":260,"avatar":261,"firstName":262,"lastName":263,"displayName":264,"email":265,"username":266,"normalizedUsername":267,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":268},99833,"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IMG_3995-compress.jpeg","Jahaura","Michelle","Jahaura Michelle","[email protected]","JahauraMichelle","jahauramichelle","2023-04-03T03:43:50+00:00",[270],{"id":260,"avatar":261,"firstName":262,"lastName":263,"displayName":264,"email":265,"username":266,"normalizedUsername":267,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":268},"Denny's Sold In $620M Deal, Will Be Taken Private: What To Know About Future Of Beloved Chain","dennys-sold-620m-deal-taken-private","\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://blavity.com/women/where-do-kids-eat-free\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Denny’s,\u003C/a> the once-popular breakfast chain known for its 24-hour service and classic dishes like the Grand Slam, All-American Slam, and Moons Over My Hammy, has been sold to a group of investors set to take the company private.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-who-are-the-investment-firms-taking-over-denny-s\">Who are the investment firms taking over Denny’s?\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>On Monday, the company announced that its board had unanimously approved a sale to private equity investment firm TriArtisan Capital Advisors, investment firm Treville Capital Group, and Yadav Enterprises, one of Denny’s largest franchisees, in a $620 million deal that includes its debt, according to a \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/11/03/3179903/23968/en/Denny-s-Corporation-to-be-Acquired-by-TriArtisan-Capital-Advisors-Treville-Capital-Group-and-Yadav-Enterprises-in-620-Million-Transaction.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">news release\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Under the agreement, Denny’s stockholders will receive $6.25 per share in cash for each share of the company’s common stock they own, or $322 million, per the news release and \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/dennys-investors-deal-private-company-f626f6b8c27f29f698a5c823ba855fc3\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Associated Press\u003C/a>. That figure represents a 52.1% premium to Denny’s’ closing stock price on Monday.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>All three investors have decades of experience: TriArtisan manages popular fast-food chains like P.F. Chang’s; Treville helps companies stay successful, and Yadav Enterprises, a longtime major Denny’s franchisee, has built a track record of success with other major eateries.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-denny-s-ceo-speaks-out-following-million-dollar-deal\">Denny’s CEO speaks out following million-dollar deal\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The company reached out to more than 40 potential buyers and ultimately received multiple offers, which it believes “maximizes value and has determined it is fair to and in the best interests of stockholders and represents the best path forward for the company,” Denny’s Corporation CEO Kelli Valade said in a news release statement.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Valade continued, “Denny’s has a strong foundation as America’s Diner, and I am proud of the important progress we have made across our Denny’s and Keke’s platforms while navigating a dynamic consumer environment.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Denny’s was founded in 1953 in Lakewood, California, as Danny’s Donuts. It was renamed Denny’s Coffee Shops in 1959 and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1969. The company became successful for its affordable breakfast options and 24-hour service.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-caused-denny-s-recent-struggles\">What caused Denny’s recent struggles?\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Today, the company has 1,558 restaurants, including 1,474 franchised and licensed locations and 84 company-operated locations.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>According to \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/04/food/dennys-private-deal\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CNN\u003C/a>, Denny’s struggles began during the pandemic, when all locations temporarily ended 24-hour service. Since 2021, about a quarter of its roughly 1,600 restaurants have not resumed around-the-clock hours, leading the company to relax its franchise requirement.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In addition to other fast-food competitors, more than 180 Denny’s have closed nationwide in the last two years. Earlier this year, Denny’s announced it would close 90 stores in 2025, \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/denny-closing-90-stores-nationwide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Blavity\u003C/a> reported.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Another ’90s favorite, Pizza Hut, could be changing ownership as Yum! Brands explores strategic options to boost the chain, which has lagged behind competitors like Domino’s and Papa John’s in recent years, per CNN.\u003C/p>\n",[275],{"name":24,"slug":25,"id":26},[277,281,285],{"id":278,"name":279,"slug":280,"description":10,"image":10},76657,"Denny's privately owned","dennys-privately-owned",{"id":282,"name":283,"slug":284,"description":10,"image":10},76658,"investment firms","investment-firms",{"id":286,"name":287,"slug":288,"description":10,"image":10},8959,"Pizza-Hut","pizza-hut",{"url":290,"thumbnail":291,"credit":292,"title":293,"alt":294,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/GettyImages-838560768.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/GettyImages-838560768-150x100.jpg","Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images","A waitress serving food at Denny’s Restaurant.","A waitress serving food at Denny's Restaurant","2025-11-04T16:38:41-05:00","2025-11-04T16:38:48-05:00",[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":300,"author":301,"authors":302,"title":304,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":305,"body":306,"categories":307,"tags":309,"featuredMedia":313,"publishedAt":318,"updatedAt":319,"type":45,"listicle":320,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"additional":321},72879278,{"id":229,"avatar":230,"firstName":231,"lastName":232,"displayName":233,"email":234,"username":235,"normalizedUsername":235,"description":10,"twitter":236,"facebook":10,"instagram":237,"registeredAt":238},[303],{"id":229,"avatar":230,"firstName":231,"lastName":232,"displayName":233,"email":234,"username":235,"normalizedUsername":235,"description":10,"twitter":236,"facebook":10,"instagram":237,"registeredAt":238},"Rapper Young Bleed Dies At 51 Following Brain Aneurysm","rapper-young-bleed-dies-at-51-following-brain-aneurysm","\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/chance-the-rapper-discusses-new-album-star-line\">Rapper\u003C/a> Young Bleed has died following complications from a brain aneurysm. He was 51.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>According to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.tmz.com/2025/11/04/rapper-young-bleed-dead-brain-aneurysm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TMZ\u003C/a>, the rapper’s son, Ty’Gee Ramon, shared the “unreal” news that his father “gained his wings” on Saturday in a video shared on \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQnaYgsjBGN/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=078972d9-1b30-42b5-ac21-e491266112dc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram\u003C/a> Monday. He explained that his father, whose real name is Glenn Clifton Jr., never experienced “real health issues” but confirmed he took medicine for high blood pressure.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“My dad was 51 years old when this happened to him,” Ramon said. “My dad was never in and out of the hospital. … This something you can’t prepare for.”\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQnaYgsjBGN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:16px;\"> \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQnaYgsjBGN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\">\u003Csvg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https://www.w3.org/2000/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\">\u003Cg stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\u003Cg transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\">\u003Cg>\u003Cpath d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\">\u003C/path>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/g>\u003C/svg>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\u003Cdiv> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">\u003C/div> \u003Cdiv style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/a>\u003Cp style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQnaYgsjBGN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Ty’Gee Ramon (@ty_gee_ramon)\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003C/div>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"//www.instagram.com/embed.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-late-rapper-got-sick-shortly-after-performing-at-complexcon\">The late rapper got sick shortly after performing at ComplexCon\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Clifton Jr. was rushed to the hospital after he performed at the Cash Money \u003Cem>Verzuz\u003C/em> No Limit event at ComplexCon in Las Vegas, which Ty’Gee mentioned in his video was the beginning of his quick decline. At the time of his hospitalization, Tameka Long, who shares a 10-year-old son with the late rapper, told \u003Ca href=\"https://www.tmz.com/2025/10/30/young-bleed-ventilator-brain-aneurysm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TMZ\u003C/a> that Clifton Jr. had been struggling with both high blood pressure and a heart condition for a while. She added that he got sick shortly after the Cash Money \u003Cem>Verzuz\u003C/em> No Limit event, where he performed his 1998 hit “How Ya Do Dat,” and doctors confirmed that he had experienced a brain aneurysm caused by internal bleeding.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The late rapper was placed in the ICU and was on a ventilator. \u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As rumors surrounding his death started to circulate on social media, Clifton Jr.’s younger sister, \u003Ca href=\"https://x.com/fakeshoredrive/status/1983221652604260608\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tedra Johnson-Spears\u003C/a>, asked fans to give their family privacy during this difficult time.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Young Bleed is still alive and fighting in ICU, per his younger sister Tedra. \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/L3dpoeP0nT\">pic.twitter.com/L3dpoeP0nT\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/fakeshoredrive/status/1983221652604260608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 28, 2025\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-clifton-jr-started-his-career-with-no-limit-records-in-the-90s\">Clifton Jr. started his career with No Limit Records in the ’90s\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>After kicking off his career with No Limit Records in the ’90s, Clifton Jr. made his solo debut with his 1998 album \u003Cem>My Balls and My Word\u003C/em>, and he continued to perform and release music up until 2020, when he dropped his album \u003Cem>Signs N’ Wonders\u003C/em>, \u003Ca href=\"https://www.complex.com/music/a/backwoodsaltar/no-limit-rapper-young-bleed-dead\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Complex\u003C/a> reported. In 2010, he launched his own record label, Trap Door Entertainment. Ahead of his performance at ComplexCon, he took the stage at a No Limit Soldiers Reunion concert in June.\u003C/p>\n",[308],{"name":24,"slug":25,"id":26},[310],{"id":311,"name":312,"slug":312,"description":10,"image":10},34697,"deaths",{"url":314,"thumbnail":315,"credit":316,"title":317,"alt":317,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GettyImages-1401400479-compress.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GettyImages-1401400479-150x100.jpg","Photo: Kouji Okafuji via Getty Images\n","Lit candle","2025-11-04T16:37:19-05:00","2025-11-04T16:37:29-05:00",[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},{"id":323,"author":324,"authors":325,"title":327,"subTitle":10,"excerpt":10,"slug":328,"body":329,"categories":330,"tags":332,"featuredMedia":333,"publishedAt":339,"updatedAt":340,"type":45,"listicle":341,"disableContentGate":47,"isDisabledListicleNumbers":47,"canonicalUrl":10,"socialThumbnail":10,"additional":342},72879283,{"id":260,"avatar":261,"firstName":262,"lastName":263,"displayName":264,"email":265,"username":266,"normalizedUsername":267,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":268},[326],{"id":260,"avatar":261,"firstName":262,"lastName":263,"displayName":264,"email":265,"username":266,"normalizedUsername":267,"description":10,"twitter":10,"facebook":10,"instagram":10,"registeredAt":268},"Who Is Sebastian Telfair? Former NBA Star Spotted With Diddy In Prison","who-is-sebastian-telfair-former-nba-star-spotted-with-diddy-in-prison","\n\u003Cp>Sebastian Telfair, a former Brooklyn-born NBA player, was recently spotted chatting with longtime friend and disgraced music mogul \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://blavity.com/diddy-sentenced-4-years-prison-for-prostitution-charges\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sean “Diddy” Combs\u003C/a> after the rapper’s recent transfer to a New Jersey prison.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-telfair-and-diddy-s-relationship-explained\">Telfair and Diddy’s relationship explained\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Telfair, 40, and Combs, 55, traded smiles as they conversed in the prison yard of Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix in New Hanover Township, New Jersey, according to photos exclusively obtained by \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.tmz.com/2025/11/03/diddy-former-nba-star-sebastian-telfair-new-jersey-prison/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TMZ\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Both men were seen wearing the standard grey sweatsuit, with Diddy sporting a grey beard as they chatted with others incarcerated.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The pair have known each other for years, with personal and professional ties to New York City. According to \u003Ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2025/11/03/sebastian-telfair-diddy-diddy-tmz/87070860007/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">USA Today’s For The Win\u003C/a>, Telfair was shot in 2006 outside of Diddy’s restaurant, Justin’s, which he opened in the tri-state area in 1997 and closed in 2007.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-who-is-sebastian-telfair\">Who is Sebastian Telfair?\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Telfair was a high school star at Brooklyn’s Abraham High School and was briefly committed to playing for Rick Pitino at the University of Louisville, per TMZ and For The Win. He later turned pro, being selected by the Portland Trail Blazers as the No. 13 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>During his 10-year stint in the league, Telfair also played for the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder. Telfair also played overseas in the Chinese Basketball Association and faced legal issues after his basketball career ended.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-was-telfair-charged-with\">What was Telfair charged with?\u003C/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>He was one of 18 former NBA players charged in 2021 for attempting to defraud the league’s health and welfare benefit plan, per For The Win.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The scheme allegedly involved fake medical and dental expenses within a three-year conspiracy that began in 2017. Telfair pleaded guilty to the charges in 2023 and was sentenced to three years of probation.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In August 2025, he was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to complete court-ordered community service and to report to the U.S. Probation Office.\u003C/p>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>He has since asked President Donald Trump for a pardon, as \u003Ca href=\"https://blavity.com/heres-when-diddy-will-be-released-from-prison\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Diddy has also sought\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n",[331],{"name":24,"slug":25,"id":26},[],{"url":334,"thumbnail":335,"credit":336,"title":337,"alt":338,"type":43},"https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1235754457.jpg","https://cms.blavity.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,slow-connection-quality=30,onerror=redirect/https://cms.blavity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1235754457-150x100.jpg","Former NBA player Sebastian Telfair departs after being arraigned in Federal Court on October 7, 2021 in New York City. Mr. Telfair is one of 18 people indicted for allegedly trying to defraud the NBA's health care plan. | Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images","Former NBA Former Players Charged In Alleged Health Care Scam","NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 07: Former NBA player Sebastian Telfair departs after being arraigned in Federal Court on October 7, 2021 in New York City. Mr. Telfair is one of 18 people indicted for allegedly trying to defraud the NBA's health care plan.","2025-11-04T16:37:13-05:00","2025-11-04T16:37:20-05:00",[],{"disableAd":47,"disableConnatixPlayer":47,"enabledComments":47,"headScript":10},74705,["Reactive",345],{},["Set"],["ShallowReactive",348],{"page-herman-cain-says-trump-doesnt-have-a-racist-bone-in-his-body":50,"L5mKWLzO22":50,"7VUhfdt1ev":50},"/herman-cain-says-trump-doesnt-have-a-racist-bone-in-his-body",["Reactive",351],{}]