The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt had an awkward reaction when pushed to address husband Conner Leavitt‘s past porn addiction and infidelity.

“I don’t know the logistics of that,” Whitney, 32, told Ziwe Fumudoh in an interview released on Tuesday, February 17, where she was asked about the details of Conner’s porn struggles. “I don’t think I want to know. That was something for him to figure out.”

Whitney revealed she personally has never watched any sexually explicit content. She said the closest she has come to watching porn is “rated-R movies that have intense sex scenes” but then couldn’t name any examples except Ryan Murphy’s new FX series The Beauty.

The reality star had a similar response when asked who Conner was “talking to” on dating apps, saying, “I have no idea. I don’t want to know.”

Related: DWTS‘ Whitney Leavitt and Husband Conner Leavitt‘s Relationship Timeline

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt and her husband, Conner Leavitt, have navigated ups and downs together. The couple met in the early 2010s when Whitney served her Mormon mission in Georgia, where Conner’s family was based at the time. “It’s just [a] coincidence. How cool is that?” Whitney recalled to Vulture […]

Conner and Whitney have leaned into speculation regarding their marriage after The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered in September 2024. During the season 1 premiere, Conner and Whitney relocated back to Utah from Hawaii after previously leaving when Conner admitted to having a secret Tinder account to solicit NSFW images.

Conner and Whitney, who shared two kids at the time, worked on their marriage and later expanded their family with a third baby.

“It takes time and it takes a lot of work. I remember being in therapy and my therapist asked me, ‘Before we even dive into this, you need to decide is this something you want to work out or something you don’t want to work out?’” Whitney exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2024. “It was something I really had to sit down [and think], ‘Did I want to rebuild this trust?’ That doesn’t mean that things aren’t still triggering to me. When it is, then I’m going to work it out and just keep moving forward.”

After viewers started to speculate about Conner’s sexuality, the pair would poke fun at the comments.

“Do I need to put out a sex tape or something? Trust me, we’re good. Like, everything is fine,” Whitney quipped on the “Off the Vine” podcast in October 2024. “I think it’s because, like, when we were going through our personal stuff — and I know you haven’t seen it, but he struggled through a porn addiction — and there’s a scene where one of my friends says something along the lines like, ‘Oh, I can see how he was confused sexually.’”

Conner, for his part, opened up about working through trauma after he was sexually abused.

“I had a really big problem with pornography. On top of that, I had a presence on a dating website — not because I didn’t love my wife — but because I felt like I needed validation,” he explained during the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 2 reunion in June 2025. “I needed to get help. So we started going to therapy and trying to figure out why — and I knew why.”

Conner revealed that he only shared this information “with Whitney, my therapist and my family” before addressing it on screen.

“When I was a little boy, I was raped. When I was finally honest with that emotion and that memory, everything made sense,” he said in the emotional joint interview with Whitney. “The validation I needed … I hate that I did that to you. But I’m so proud that I was able to be honest with you and start working through some really, really hard stuff.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Tesekhi is speaking out after fans criticized her emotional breakdown during a recent livestream. The reality star was streaming while getting her hair done on camera. The moment led folks to wonder whether drugs had anything to do with her actions and choice of words.

RELATED: Whoa! Tesehki Says She Wants Parts If Claressa Shields & Laila Ali Ever Step In The Ring (WATCH)

Tesehki Responds After Fans Question Her Emotional Livestream

Recently, Tesehki hopped on her Instagram Story after a clip from her livestream went viral. The footage showed her getting her hair done before suddenly breaking down in tears. While scrolling on her phone, she could be heard saying, “You need to be better people. You people are f*****g evil!” She then told her hairstylist she was seeing certain stuff on television. Right after that, her stylist decided to end the stream, but just before it cut, Tesehki seemingly flipped the middle finger.

The clip immediately had fans talking about what was happening behind the scenes and whether she was under the influence. Tesehki apparently peeped the comments and later responded in a post on her IG Story. She said she felt hurt and disappointed that people would assume she was doing drugs. However, she admitted she had two shots of Hennessy before streaming, and overall, she was having a rough moment and became super emotional.

“Why does a person have to be on drugs to have a mental break Down?!” she wrote in part. “I’m always strong for everyone else and just wanted to be weak for once.”

Support Pours In For Tesehki After She Addresses Rumors

Even with all of the backlash Tesehki caught for her livestream, fans still flooded The Shade Room Teens’ comment section with love and support. Plenty of folks praised her hairstylist for cutting the session short, while others said they didn’t see anything wrong with her crying on live.

Instagram user @bruhjustinj wrote, “Mental health is sum serious no matter what position u in.” 

Instagram user @j.cole_62 wrote, “Definitely understand this! ❤️” 

While Instagram user @monay.j__ wrote, “I understand sista! 🥺💛💛💛 for some reason people think you’re not allowed to have feelings!” 

Then, Instagram user @iam.hazela_ wrote, “People can’t cry anymore?” 

Another Instagram user @shaythechosenone_ wrote, “🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽”

Instagram user @notantoniovelaz wrote, “Respect to the hairstylist, for protecting the Brand like a real one!!!”

While another Instagram user @chelseathedoll wrote, “This why I stopped drinking brown 😩😭” 

Then another Instagram user @big_toekyo wrote, “Now he is a real friend Seki keep him around ❤️” 

Finally, Instagram user @ kaella_bella_godschild wrote, “That’s a friend. He ended her live.” 

Tesehki Pops Out Serving A Lewk

Prior to going viral for her stream session, Tesehki previously had fans talking when she dropped some photos on Instagram. She posed in a full-brown outfit — a cropped jacket with a pleated skirt, while soft glam tied it all together. Her comment section quickly filled up with heart-eyes and fire emojis with fans saying she definitely popped out and showed them she’s really THAT Girl!

RELATED: Chrisean Rock Breaks Down In Tears As She Virtually Reunites With Sister Tesehki Following Their Viral Feud (VIDEO)

Pastor TD McNutt, a pastor in West Palm Beach, Florida, was reportedly arrested after his young nephew reported injuries, specifically cuts and bruises, at school. Subsequently, Pastor TD McNutt and his nephew went live, and the child issued multiple apologies for the claims. But now the footage reportedly sparked renewed CPS interest.

What did Pastor TD McNutt allegedly do to his nephew? And were the child’s apologies voluntary or coerced?

Now, The Shade Room’s Justin Carter is getting to the bottom of things on ‘TSR Investigates.’

What Happened With Pastor TD McNutt & His Nephew?

According to Carter, Pastor TD McNutt is the leader of Transformation Empowerment Worship Center. In December 2025, he was reportedly arrested for allegedly abusing his 16-year-old live-in nephew. Then, last week, McNutt sparked more confusion when he went live alongside his nephew, alleging that his nephew “spun” things “out of proportion and did a whole bunch of damage.”

Per the December 2025 police report, the 16-year-old had bruises on his back, buttocks, and legs. Furthermore, it was reported that a November 2025 incident left him with a busted lip and bloody nose. This, from allegedly being smacked in the face for not washing dishes “correctly.” Per the report, the 16-year-old’s mom was allegedly aware of the injuries. However, the 16-year-old did not want his additional bruises to be reported, as he believed he would be beaten again.

More Details

Per Carter, McNutt was ultimately arrested and charged with cruelty toward a child and abuse without bodily harm. However, Carter reports that the charges “never stuck” because McNutt’s nephew declined to testify.

Scroll above to watch as the livestream video shares how the boy’s mother reacted to the entire ordeal. Additionally, McNutt ultimately alleges that the 16-year-old lied about the abuse. This, while ordering the child to repeatedly apologize to the public. Lastly, clips show how social media users have weighed in with their thoughts on it all. This, as reports allege the boy has been removed from the pastor’s care.

RELATED: DL Whisperer’s Legal Fight Over His Controversial Platform | TSR Investigates

Whew, Roommates! As Bow Wow gears up to headline the ‘Boys 4 Life’ Tour with B2K, he’s making it clear that he’s running a strict program. The rapper dropped a message on social media that has fans scratching their heads and turning into full-blown detectives trying to figure out what could’ve sparked his post.

RELATED: B2K & Bow Wow Reunite, Talk Celebrity Crushes & Beef | SITSR (Exclusive)

Bow Wow Drops A Message & Fans Try To Connect The Dots

The ‘Boys 4 Life’ Tour featuring Bow Wow and B2K is days away from kicking off, and it looks like a few more guests — or maybe some replacements — could hit the lineup. Bow Wow jumped on his Instagram Story early on Friday, February 20, throwing out a lil’ subliminal message for folks who want a check but don’t want to put the work in. He said he and B2K have been grinding heavy as headliners while others haven’t matched their energy. Without name-dropping anybody, he claimed some artists complained about getting just four minutes on stage, which led him to start listing other performers he thinks would be a better fit for the tour.

“F IT! TRIGGA (Trey Songz) YOU READY? B5 YALL READY??? MYA YOU READY? N****S CAN GET REPLACED REAL QUICK.” He added, “WE MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ON THE FLY AND WE KNOW WHAT THE FANS WANT.” 

From there, Bow even threw T-Pain in the mi,x adding, “T-PAIN GET OFF THE COMPUTER N***A LET’S ROLL!” Finally, he ended his message by saying that if you’re not ready to work, you simply can’t roll with him and B2K.

Social Media Reacts As Bow Wow Hints At Lineup Switch-Up

Once the Roomies peeped Bow Wow’s message, they quickly started throwing out suggestions for who should add to the lineup if he switches things up in TSR’s comment section. Some fans agreed that bringing B5 and T-Pain would be a lituation, while others made it clear they’re secretly hoping he keeps Pretty Ricky on the tour.

Instagram user @brianathecoldestg_ wrote, “Oh so he the tour manager ok bet😂” 

Instagram user @iam.dmaze wrote, “Don’t put T-Pain unless he get a Hour Set !!!! 🔥🔥🔥💪🏾🐐🐐” 

While Instagram user @askaboutceleste wrote, “B5 deserves their moment 🤞🏻” 

Then, Instagram user @_pettyking wrote, “Put an @ on it or keep it on the playground.” 

Another Instagram user @carrice_whitley wrote, “Real talk they put T pain on the tour! That would be 🔥 he need 45 min by hisself straight hits.” 

Instagram user @ashcashblast wrote, “Please don’t be talking about pretty Ricky. That’s whom I wanna see . Well mainly @pleasurep.” 

Then another Instagram user @tadollaz_ wrote, “@tpain please get off the computer …. We need you on this tour.” 

Finally, Instagram user @nikkiyanikkiya wrote, “He asking them to perform and cussing them out @ the same time😂😂😂” 

More About ‘The Boys 4 Life’ Tour

‘The Boys 4 Life’ Tour kicks off on March 6 in Louisville, Kentucky, and wraps up on April 26 in Memphis, Tennessee. Bow Wow and B2K are headlining The Millennium-presented trek, and so far, Pretty Ricky, Yung Joc, Amerie, Crime Mob, Jeremih, Waka Flocka, and Franchize Boys are set to hit the stage with them.

RELATED: That’s Twin! Bow Wow & Shai Moss Went Copy-Paste On A Viral TikTok Dance Challenge & The TL Is Here For It (WATCH)

By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 18 seconds ago

Daily Wire+ has been streaming the show The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin, and I have been an enthusiastic fan as I’ve reviewed it for GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT. Going into the show, one concern I had about a conservative take on a masculine fantasy was the role of the women in the story. Characters like the Lady of the Lake, Igraine, and Morgan Le Faye have classically been portrayed as passive set pieces with little role in the larger story. Morgan’s power is often deferred to her son, Mordred, and Igraine is a victim of circumstance, passed from one husband to another.

My fears that The Pendragon Cycle would follow this classical approach to female characters were unfounded. The show takes a very different approach to the women of Arthurian legend, and the result is a group that can conquer even the bossiest of girl-bosses.

The four main female characters in The Pendragon Cycle are Charis and Morgain, Atlantean sisters operating at cross-purposes; Ygerna, daughter of the experienced warlord Gorlas; and Ganieda, Merlin’s wife. All four of them begin as princesses and wind up as queens, and all four of them exhibit their own strength and bravery. None of these women sits idly by, allowing the men around them to control events.

The Lady of the Lake Is A Sexy Athlete

Charis begins as a bull leaper, which was a real sport in ancient Minoa that required physical prowess and acrobatic precision. Right away, Charis is introduced as an athlete willing to risk her life to protect her team.

This is no damsel in distress who needs a man to rescue her; if anything, she needs a very powerful man just to equal her. That powerful man is Taliesin, who gives her the nickname by which we know her in Arthurian legend: The Lady of the Lake. And yes, she is the one who had the infamous sword Excalibur made, a symbol of her power that overwhelms every man she’s tried to give it to.

As Charis, Rose Reid is always dressed in white robes that resemble the Greek garb of her homeland, Atlantis. It is modest enough to be family-friendly but just revealing enough to remind us how muscular she is. Low-cut bodices flaunt her femininity while flowing garments swirl around her. The ensemble punctuates her dignified frame and regal presence.

Morgain Is Wicked Smart

Merlin’s famous nemesis is his aunt Morgain, Charis’s jealous sister, played by Emree Franklin. Not only was she tired of living in the shadow of her heroic sister, but she also fell in love with Taliesin, only to find herself rejected.

Morgain is so sinister that the court magician at Ynis Avallach refuses to train her in the arts of magic, and so driven that she is responsible for the shocking ending of episode 2. As queen of the Isle of Fear, she rules over Lot’s house with a charm and sensuality that extends outside the walls of her castle. Being the archvillain of the piece, she must be Merlin’s mirror, and her intelligence and political sense make her a formidable foe.

Being more forward than Charis, Morgain’s dresses are cut lower and a little more revealing. Her poison green and black garments cling to her, taunting us with her sexuality but denying us that final peek. She is beautiful, which is dangerous, but she’s smart enough to know how to use her beauty, which is deadly.

The Valiant Huntress Who Caught A Wizard

Ganieda has been a mysterious vision only Merlin can see through most of the series, but in the latest episode, she is very real when she bursts out of the bush on horseback in pursuit of a wild boar. She bears an armored chest plate and a leather tunic of the silver-and-black colors of her father’s stronghold of Goddeu. She also carries a spear: she is as much a warrior spirit as she is a huntress.

Brett Cooper’s portrayal of her teases and nudges at a youthful Merlin, like he’s a loose tooth, finally winning his heart. When danger strikes, she is the first to grab a weapon and isn’t afraid to die fighting.

As a married woman, Ganieda’s wardrobe is a little less militaristic, but it walks right out of a medieval tapestry. She is the classic medieval lady, while simultaneously being the only woman strong enough to be Merlin’s wife.

The Mother Of The Once And Future King

The demure future mother of Arthur is played by Flo Thompstone, and she is not letting the world around her collapse. Clad in a wine-colored early Briton wardrobe, Ygerna is the daughter of Gorlas, a powerful figure in the Britons’ world and thus the subject of manipulations by other power-hungry lords.

Ygerna sees what they’re up to and is willing to speak up to Gorlas in favor of the Pendragon brothers, despite Gorlas not getting along with Uther. Ygerna has met Uther, and the seeds of their future romance have already begun to sprout, leading this young lady to a huge destiny.

The Pendragon Cycle Doesn’t Make Women Strong By Turning Them Into Men

All these characters are forces to be reckoned with in their own right. They don’t need to be rescued, and in fact do some of the rescuing themselves. They all take matters into their own hands, despite the world they live in being mainly concerned with the machinations of men. They are not the traditional princesses of fairy tales or Arthurian legend. They are not victims, even when they are.

In today’s world, the media often portrays women as the only smart people in the room. They’re hypercompetent, often bossing around the men around them. It is as though the men can’t function without them, but the women don’t need them because they can do everything themselves, from programming the big computer to bashing around mooks twice their size.

This is intended to combat the idea that women have historically been portrayed as weak and helpless. That’s not entirely true, however. Classics like Charade (1963), His Girl Friday (1941), and North by Northwest (1959) feature strong female characters who are anything but helpless. More recent offerings like Heathers and Mean Girls are all about female power. Yet there have been enough damsel-in-distress female leads in movies and on television that the response to the trend has been to make women, as DH Lawrence writes, “just like the men, only better, because they were women.”

The women of The Pendragon Cycle don’t have to be “better” than anyone. They know their own strengths and weaknesses and those of the men around them. With the exception of Morgain, they are the companions and supports for the men in their lives; Morgain exhibits strategy and calculation worthy of any male villain. They don’t outright reject men, but they don’t let them get away with acting the fool, either.

The Pendragon Cycle strikes a balance between damsels in distress and girl-bosses by portraying women who can be powerful while still embracing their femininity. Their strength comes as much from being wives and mothers as from their abilities to survive the masculine world around them, but they are never just “trad wives.” They don’t have to be nude or sensationalist to get our attention, but they can still have the agency they deserve. Many women could learn from their example.

The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin is streaming on Daily Wire+. The final episode will be released next Thursday. Catch up on this great show, and enjoy this sexy quartet of brilliant female role models.

Kelly Clarkson Insists She’s Not ‘Quitting’ Despite Ending Her Talk Show

Clarkson Previously Announced The End Of Her Show Following Speculation

Fellow Talk Show Host Sherri Shepherd Also Saw Her Show Recently Come To An End

Jennifer Hudson’s Talk Show Was Recently Renewed In The Midst Of Rival Shows Ending

Kelly Clarkson Is Returning To ‘The Voice’ Following A Hiatus

It’s hard to imagine a gritty crime drama, much less a biker drama, as having anything to do with the Western genre, but in this case, there’s one that completely subverts it, without question. The genre has always been popular, and while Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone helped revive mainstream obsession with the modern-day Western, it certainly didn’t invent the trend. Hit predecessors like Deadwood and neo-Western Justified did that. When 2008’s Sons of Anarchy arrived, the genre experienced a subversion of epic proportions.

As an outlaw biker drama about a blended family within a blended family within a blended family, all fighting for survival, FX’s Sons of Anarchy saw massive success with audiences and critics, with Season 4 peaking on Rotten Tomatoes with a perfect score. It even went a step further and drew in not just gritty crime fans but also gritty Western fans, making a huge cultural impact. And why wouldn’t it? Creator Kurt Sutter crafted a gorgeously intense combination of gritty neo-Western elements with an addictively riveting Shakespearean tragedy. Its gritty narrative was so influential, in fact, it updated traditional Western tropes not just for a modern-day context, but also for an anxiety-ridden, post-9/11 one, giving us an inverted structure, setting and character exchanges, and unforgettable social critiques and evolution.

‘Sons of Anarchy’ Inverts the Traditional Western Narrative

In addition to their late-19th-century American Frontier setting, traditional Western narratives boast crystal-clear, plot-driven structures, rugged landscapes, stark dichotomies between good and evil, and a stoic, gun-slinging antagonist. There’s also that climactic, moral showdown topping it all off. Sons of Anarchy honors those tropes well but goes a step further and transforms them into a gritty neo-Western focused on urban outlaw culture. It modernizes the frontier setting and replaces the lone cowboy and typical homestead way-of-life with a defensive, extremely tight-knit, completely self-governed structure of a club where brotherhood and loyalty are the only forms of currency. Sutter knew exactly what he was doing in his decision to trade horses for Harleys, cowboys for outlaw bikers, and desolate landscapes for inner-city territory, which eventually led to his creation of a more heightened Western in 2025.

Instead of the vast, open landscape, the gritty crime drama moves its narrative to the claustrophobic, urban landscape of Charming, a quaint little town in the Central Valley of Northern California, between Stockton and Lodi. In doing so, it updates traditional themes of westward expansion to reflect modern anxieties, economic struggles, and community decay. Furthermore, in place of the traditional idea and expectation of civilization expanding into a wild frontier, Sons of Anarchy reverses that and inverts its borders, placing lawless bikers at the top of the law in a small, sheltered town fighting with all its might against encroaching threats. There is a police force in Charming, but they know it’s in their best interest to work with the Sons, not against them. There are law enforcement officers who try, though, and it’s fascinating that one of the first is portrayed by Taylor Sheridan.

In using SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original) as the antagonistic archetype, the show further subverts the Western genre by placing the anti-hero as the community protector. SAMCRO is a morally bankrupt yet protective entity echoing traditional Western notions of lawmen, but in inverting them, the club enforces its own violent, illegal, and often selfish justice, all in the name of protection and preservation. They’re adamant about keeping their town drug-free, and they enforce that with threats backed up by violence. They’re shields against threats, and when local law enforcement fails, SAMCRO intervenes to protect themselves and Charming’s citizens.

Sons of Anarchy’s use of a self-contained world where the rule of law always yields to the rules of nature allows the club to operate like a governance and justice system, much like the whole sheriffs-versus-outlaws aspect of the classic Western. It also redefines the idea of violence with consequence by grounding its narrative in realism so brutal, it deeply alters plots and characters. Nearly every one of our main and supporting characters and plots are intensely altered in ways that force audiences to bear witness to such acts from a place of compassion, as is the case in Season 1, for example, when club officer Tig (Kim Coates) accidentally kills another brother’s wife, or in Season 5, when club president Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) takes revenge on the prison guard who killed club brother and best friend, Opie (Ryan Hurst). It goes without saying that fans could use — and deserve, as much as Sutter’s magnum opus does — a Sons of Anarchy revival.

Related

The 55 Best Westerns of All Time, Ranked

Reach for the sky!

Image by Annamaria Ward

Sons of Anarchy also uses the Western framework to critique and redefine social tensions, which are examined through the club’s functioning as, in addition to violent criminals, a parallel government. Through the lens of Western themes, the show explores how a closed, loyalist, and violent group works to maintain its autonomy against approaching modernization, corporate corruption, and law enforcement. Sutter also spotlights post-9/11 societal anxieties through gripping, gritty explorations of how different characters cope with trauma and rebellion, like, for example, how the club matriarch silently deals with her gang rape in Season 2 or how Tig deals with trauma rooted in guilt, loss, and extreme fear. Paranoia, self-defense, cynicism, and retaliation reign supreme.

While classic Westerns feature clear divisions between the good guys and the bad guys, Sons of Anarchy does the opposite. The show intentionally blurs the lines between good and evil, right and wrong, to allow for more moral ambiguity than audiences can stand. Here, the protagonists are the outlaws, and everyone engages in violence and illegal activities. This forces viewers to question the nature of belief and perspective, of justice and survival, and it pushes their moral boundaries. Moreover, the show effortlessly works to deconstruct gender norms. It portrays women in a much more significant role — one with opportunity-wielding power, as is seen in key characters Gemma Teller Morrow (Katey Sagal), club matriarch, mother to Jax, and center of one of the show’s darkest storylines, and Tara Knowles Teller (Maggie Siff), Jax’s old lady. Unlike in traditional Westerns, the women in this gritty crime drama often control the narrative and the men, which turns out to be crucial in a crumbling patriarchal organization.

By using a modern-day outlaw motorcycle club in small-town America to explore themes that, before the 21st century, were predominantly reserved for depictions of the Old American West, Sutter allowed for an updated type of neo-Western to emerge, and it has, by far, been the grittiest, most riveting to date. Sons of Anarchy ultimately updated so much about traditional and neo-Western classic tropes, it became the impetus for future hits like Justified, Yellowstone, and the highly anticipated, upcoming Marshals, and it remains one of television’s most bingeable shows and the best, grittiest modern-day Westerns to date.

Sons of Anarchy is available to stream in its entirety on Hulu in the U.S.

Advertisement

Release Date

Advertisement

2008 – 2014

Directors

Paris Barclay, Guy Ferland, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Peter Weller, Billy Gierhart, Kurt Sutter, Stephen Kay, Adam Arkin, Paul Maibaum, Phil Abraham, Terrence O’Hara, Allen Coulter, Charles Haid, Charles Murray, Karen Gaviola, Mario Van Peebles, Michael Dinner, Seith Mann, Tim Hunter

Advertisement

Writers

Dave Erickson, Misha Green, Liz Sagal, Regina Corrado, Mike Daniels, Kem Nunn, Roberto Patino, Gladys Rodríguez, Peter Elkoff, Marco Ramirez, James D. Parriott, Julie Busher, Pat Charles, Stevie Long, David Labrava, Vaun Wilmott

Advertisement

Franchise(s)

Sons Of Anarchy

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 43 seconds ago

Ever notice how fans go crazy for deleted scenes, especially when it comes to their favorite shows? If you love a series hard enough, it’s easy to look at deleted content like something that was taken from you. When the scene in question is good enough, you might even start to wonder why it was cut in the first place.

Well, very few series are as popular as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a show with more than a few deleted scenes. This includes a snippy interaction between Willow and Cordelia in “Phases” that many fans wished had been kept in the episode. However, it’s good that this dialogue was cut because it would have completely changed Willow’s character, effectively hinting at her later transformation into a much darker character.

A Self-Defense Class Gone Wrong

“Phases” was, of course, the episode where we discover that the eternally Zen character Oz has quite the secret: he’s a werewolf who transforms into a dangerous, ravenous monster by the light of the full moon. The Slayer keeps the big, bad wolfman from harming anybody, and she also stops a hunter hellbent on making Oz his latest prize. Along the way, our Sunnydale High students took a self-defense class, and some dialogue between Willow and Cordelia was ultimately removed from the final episode.

In the scene, Cordelia is about to spar with Xander, who sarcastically tells her, “Be gentle with me.” Matching his sarcastic vibes, Cordelia turns to Willow and says, “You’re first. I wouldn’t want to be accused of taking your place in line.” In response, Willow replies, “Oh, I think you pushed your way to the front long before this.”

Girls Can Be So Mean

Things get increasingly snippy between the young women, with Cordelia claiming, “Hey, I can’t help it if I get the spotlight just because some people blend into the background.” Willow frostily responds, “Well, maybe some people could see better if you weren’t standing on the auction block, shaking your wares.” Cordelia tells her, “Sorry, we haven’t all perfected that phony ‘girl next door’ bit” before Willow brings this deleted scene to an end with a distinctively vindictive response: “You could be the girl next door, too. If Xander lived next to a brothel!”

Important context for this episode is that Cordelia and Xander have been secretly dating behind everyone’s back. However, Xander is preoccupied with Willow’s relationship with Oz, even stopping his makeout session with Cordelia to wonder what his witchy friend sees in this wolfy senior. While Willow isn’t directly aware of this particular relationship drama, that same drama helps to explain why Cordelia was being so mean in this deleted scene from “Phases.”

A Girlfight Scarier Than Any Vampire Fight

What the drama doesn’t really explain, though, is why this scene portrays Willow as a Cordelia-esque mean girl in her own right. Historically, early Buffy the Vampire Slayer portrayed Cordelia as the preppy mean girl and Willow as the mousy nerd. The two women had a rather cantankerous relationship going back to before the show starting, and in their very first onscreen interaction, we see Cordelia criticizing Willow for how she dresses.

In early Buffy episodes, Willow wasn’t afraid to get back at Cordelia, but she usually did so in relatively subtle ways. Perhaps the most infamous (and funniest) example of this is when Willow tracks the other women into deleting an assignment on the computer by convincing Cordelia that the DEL key on her keyboard stands for “deliver.” However, she didn’t really push back against Cordelia’s snark more directly until Season 3, which included the messy plot point of stealing Cordelia’s boyfriend (they are openly dating by this point), Xander.

The Mousy Girl Bites Back

In this deleted scene from “Phases,” however, Willow’s sarcastic replies seem out of character, much more in line with the snappy repartee of Buffy Summers. Willow basically tells Cordelia to her face that the other woman, despite having advantages like wealth and beauty, is still neurotically obsessed with being popular. She then calls Cordelia a prostitute, accusing her of selling her body to men before outright saying she belongs in a brothel.

Is it funny? Of course, and it’s not like ditzy mean girl Cordelia didn’t have it coming. But I keep reflecting on the fact that this is much more like what we’d expect of Willow in Season 6: that was the season where she began recklessly using magic, needlessly resurrecting Buffy, brainwashing Tara, and eventually becoming a threat to the entire world. Dark Willow was always great for sassy quotes, including calling a foe “superb*tch” and saying “bored now” right before she rips the skin off another human being.

A Scary Glimpse Of What She Would Become

Obviously, the Willow in the deleted scene of “Phases” isn’t in danger of ripping the flesh off anyone’s body. But she is in the business of dropping the kind of harsh truth bombs that Dark Willow would be known for, and like her later villain persona, she’s suddenly not taking crap from someone who gives her attitude. This is arguably an improvement over mousy Willow, of course, but it’s also completely out of character with the Willow of Season 2, one who had yet to fully come out about her love of magic (among other things).

Long story short? It’s good that this Buffy the Vampire Slayer scene was cut, even though countless fans would give up their Mr. Pointy replicas to see it in the final episode. Cutting the scene meant cutting out a severely out-of-character moment for everyone’s favorite girl next door, and that helped make it all the more surprising when Willow later stopped playing by the rules and showed everyone just how dangerous a mean girl could really be.

Whew! Looks like Fetty Wap had more than music on his mind while sitting behind bars. After quietly serving time, the rapper is opening up about what his next chapter could’ve looked like—and let’s just say it might’ve taken fans by surprise.

RELATED: Daddy Duties! Fetty Wap Enjoys Heartwarming Reunion With Daughter Khari After Prison Release (PHOTO)

From ‘Trap Queen’ To Trade School?

As previously reported, the ‘Trap Queen’ artist was released from a New Jersey prison in January after serving three years of a six-year sentence tied to a drug trafficking conspiracy conviction. Now one month out, Fetty is reflecting on how he spent his time incarcerated—and it wasn’t focused on plotting a major rap comeback.

In a clip from his appearance on the ‘Tamron Hall Show,’ Fetty revealed he used his time to better himself academically. “I got my GED. I took a few HVAC courses…I did a few things,” he shared. Since he doesn’t write his music down, he explained that creating new songs wasn’t really a priority while he was locked up.

Rap Comeback? Nah, He Had Other Ideas

When Tamron Hall asked if he expected to return home as a hip-hop star, Fetty didn’t hesitate. “No,” he replied. And when she jokingly followed up about whether he was serious about becoming “Fetty the HVAC guy,” he doubled down. “Yeah, I’m so serious too.”

Fetty explained that being around other inmates who ran legitimate businesses opened his eyes. He met people making what he described as “rapper money” through trades and entrepreneurship, which inspired him to consider a completely different lane. While fans are eager to see what’s next musically, it sounds like Fetty was fully prepared to swap the studio for toolkits if that’s what life required.

The Girls Said Run It Back, Fetty

Fans sprinted to The Shade Room’s Instagram comment section to make their interest known. Some mentioned that he looks so healthy, and they need his workout plan. Meanwhile, others applauded him for getting his GED and leveling up through education. And of course, a few Roomies made it clear they thought he was fine before—but now? They’re saying he’s foinnneee.

One Instagram user @diamonddd.sopretty said, “That man look good!😮‍💨🥰”

This Instagram user @badgalabbey wrote, “no one can ever take away your education from you! so happy he did that.“

And, Instagram user @kamariasarai commented, “The young man is beautiful ❤️”

Meanwhile, Instagram user @sweetchicj shared, “Fetty looks soooo good and healthy😍😍 Blessings to ya…may you continue to strive 🙏🏽”

While Instagram user @peachiesuze2 said, “He always been fine one eye and all 🔥🔥🔥 This just makes him more appealing 😍”

Finally, Instagram user @natural__beau_ki added, “Baby wont you come my waaayeeeyaaayyaaayy😍😍”

RELATED: 1738 Era Is Back? Fetty Wap Puts On A Show To Remember In First Post-Prison Performance (WATCH)