Jenelle Evans played the stalking tune, and nd unconvinced fans are making her dance to the music.

The former “16 And Pregnant” star has been a dartboard for backlash after declaring online that she was being stalked by media outlets. She was filmed on May 27 packing up a U-Haul with the help of her ex-husband, David Eason, to move out of her Las Vegas home.

Jenelle Evans was in the headlines earlier this year for legal battles with her mom, Barbara Evans, with whom she has a pre-existing, strained relationship. The mother-daughter duo has been battling over custody of the TV star’s oldest son, Jace.

Evans made a bold statement on social media after she was reportedly filmed moving out of her Las Vegas home.

The former reality TV star tagged the video on X, which showed her on crutches packing up the moving truck with her ex-husband, Eason.

She claimed that posting such updates about her life was a result of stalking, jokingly inquiring why news outlets were airing her business since her days on TV are long past.

“It’s crazy how much I’m stalked when I’m not even a celebrity and not on TV anymore. Why do any of you care? [laughing in tears emoji],” she wrote, tagging the original post. Little did Evans know that her post opened Pandora’s box of backlash.

Fans Followed The ‘Teen Mom 2’ Alum’s Post With Heat

Internet users wasted no time replying to Evans’ post, calling her out on the stalking claims. “It’s not stalking when you call TMZ and allow them access to enter the gated community so you can get some gas money for your move because you are broke,” a commenter noted.

Another shared the same thought, writing “Shut Up B-tch! You are not fooling anyone! Everyone knows that you paid them good money to  take the pics and put them on their site…”

“You could always stop calling them. Like you said, you are no one,” a different user replied to the TV star’s post.

Another commenter pointed out that Evans was looking directly at the cameras in the video from the news outlet, stressing that it could not have been stalking since it appeared she was aware of their presence.

“B-tch, you CALL TMZ and get paid to give your stories to them so STFU,” a user clapped back in the comments, while another stated that everyone loves to see a trainwreck.

Someone highlighted the former reality TV star’s physique, writing, “You are looking quite chunky compared to those highly edited OF pics.”

Where Is The TV Personality Moving To?

TMZ shared that, according to sources, Evans is saying goodbye to Las Vegas and hello to Florida. The footage showed the mom of three and Eason hurry around their home, grabbing some items and loading up the rental truck.

Eason also helped Evans, who is on crutches, move a car onto an elevated truck bed where it will sit till she gets to her destination.

It is unclear if the reality TV star’s ex is also relocating with the rest of the family, as whispers of rekindled romance make waves.

The mom of three cleared the air recently, insisting that she and Eason are focused on co-parenting even though their relationship appears to be more romantic than platonic.

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The pair was recently spotted spending quality time at a showing of “The Wizard of Oz” with the kids.

The ’16 And Pregnant’ Alum’s Legal Battles

Evans has been embroiled in a heated custody battle with her mother and high school sweetheart, Andrew Lewis, over her eldest child, Jace.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Jace pulled out a gun on his grandmother and threatened to harm both of them.

Barbara had custody of Jace before granting it back to Evans, but this year, she filed an emergency motion to regain custody of her grandson.

The motion was denied as shared by The Blast, but Barbara was far from giving up. She and Lewis joined forces to fight for Jace legally.

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Following the disturbing incident, the troubled teen was checked into a mental facility, as there were raised concerns of drug use and drinking.

Lewis started a GoFundMe campaign tagged “Help Bring Jace Evans Home,” requesting financial assistance to cover the legal fees and medical expenses for Jace’s stay at the mental hospital.

According to an earlier report from The Blast, Lewis claimed he was prompted to start the crowdfunding platform after many fans reached out asking how they could help with the situation.

He also noted that he was teaming up with Barbara since they were both cut off from communicating with Jace, despite attempts to give him a stable and loving home.

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How Jenelle Evans Lost Custody Of Her Eldest Son Initially

Evans found out she was pregnant at 16 and became a mom in 2009 at seventeen years old. She claims that losing custody of her son came as a result of a setup by her mom in her memoir.

Her relationship with Barbara was already rocky, but became permanently fractured after the incident that made her sign away her parental rights.

In “Read Between the Lines: From the Diary of a Teenage Mom,” Evans claimed her mom urged her to go out one night with friends, a moment she now realizes she “should have been suspicious” of, only to return the next morning to find Child Protective Services at her door.

PEOPLE reports that the mom of three strongly believes Barbara tipped them off, writing, “My mother had set me up, and I had fallen hard for it.”

She claimed that the incident pushed her into a corner, with no choice but to sign over custody of Jace to her mother. CPS had threatened to have him placed in foster care if she didn’t.

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Evans shared that at that time, she did  “what I thought was the right thing,” by signing over custody to Barbara, but vowed she “would get him back and would be a great single mom.” 

Gayle King’s personal life has suddenly returned to the spotlight after her ex-husband publicly responded to painful memories from their marriage that she recently revisited on a podcast.

The longtime television host opened up about the devastating moment she caught him cheating with a close family friend decades ago.

Now, William Bumpus is addressing the scandal himself, offering an emotional apology while admitting the affair permanently changed the course of their family and marriage.

William Bumpus broke his silence after Gayle King detailed the shocking moment she discovered his affair during an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.

King and Bumpus were married from 1982 until 1993 and share two children together, daughter Kirby and son William Jr. Although their marriage ended years ago, the painful betrayal resurfaced after the CBS personality publicly reflected on the experience.

Following the interview, Bumpus released a statement to TMZ apologizing to King and their family for the damage caused by his actions.

“My deepest apologies to Gayle, to our daughter Kirby and her husband, Virgil, to our son William and his wife, Elise, and to our three grandchildren, for the pain I caused decades ago,” he said.

Bumpus also acknowledged that the affair was entirely his responsibility.

“Those actions were mine. I have long owned them — including publicly in my own words in 2016, which still stand,” he added.

The attorney further admitted that King deserved the right to openly discuss the difficult chapter.

He added, “Gayle has every right to share what was a painful chapter that changed the trajectory of our marriage and our family nearly forty years ago. I respect her right to tell her story, and that’s where I’ll leave it.”

Gayle King’s Ex Reflects On Marriage Struggles

Beyond addressing the affair itself, Bumpus also opened up about the difficulties he experienced while married to someone living such a public life.

According to him, he struggled with balancing privacy and King’s growing media success during their relationship.

“As a private person by nature, I will admit that during our marriage I did not fully appreciate Gayle’s public life — I wanted ours to be more private, and that was something I wrestled with, and no reflection on her true talent and abilities,” he explained.

Despite their painful history, Bumpus spoke warmly about King’s accomplishments and support throughout his life.

He said, “I am proud to have had a front-row seat to Gayle’s remarkable success, and I remain a genuine admirer and fan.”

He also revealed that he still feels deeply thankful for the family they built together.

Bumpus said he remains “endlessly grateful to Gayle” for giving him “two of the greatest gifts of my life — our daughter Kirby and our son William.”

He additionally credited King for supporting his educational journey, revealing that she “encouraged and supported” him while he earned his Yale Law degree.

King And William Bumpus Remain Close Today

Although the affair destroyed their marriage decades ago, Bumpus insisted the two eventually found peace while raising their children together.

He praised Gayle King for helping them successfully co-parent from the very beginning following their divorce.

“The love and camaraderie we forged in that work have carried us all these years,” he said while discussing their parenting relationship.

Bumpus also shared that he and King are still on good terms today despite everything they endured together.

“She recently sent warm wishes to Poet, my teenage daughter, on her 16th birthday, which meant a great deal to us both,” he revealed.

The attorney concluded his statement by explaining that family remains his biggest priority now.

He said he continues working toward being “the best version” of himself while staying “grounded by the friendship, encouragement, and support of Gayle over the years, by the love of our grown children and our grandchildren, and by the daily privilege of raising Poet as a single dad.”

“That is where my focus remains — on my family, on my clients, and on the work ahead,” he added.

Gayle King Recalled Catching Husband With Family Friend

Bumpus’ statement arrived shortly after King stunned listeners by describing the exact moment she discovered the affair inside their home.

Speaking with Alex Cooper, King recalled returning unexpectedly from Washington, D.C., alongside her two young children before realizing something was terribly wrong.

As she approached the house, her husband suddenly rushed toward her, wearing only a towel.

“He comes flying out of the room and he’s got a towel on, and he goes, ‘You can’t come in,’” King remembered.

According to the television host, he warned her that another person was inside the home. At first, she believed there had to be some innocent explanation because she was so “oblivious.”

That quickly changed once she noticed his growing panic.

King said she searched the house herself before eventually discovering the woman “cowering behind the door” in her own towel.

The betrayal felt even more painful because the woman involved was someone King had considered a trusted family friend.

Oprah Winfrey’s Reaction Made The Situation Worse

Gayle King also revealed that she had long suspected her husband before catching him in the act.

During an earlier interaction, she overheard the woman compliment Bumpus on his tennis abilities, which immediately raised her concern.

The longtime broadcaster later confronted him about the uncomfortable moment, but she claimed he instantly denied that anything inappropriate was happening.

“What are you talking about?” he allegedly responded after she questioned him.

Still, King admitted she did not fully believe an affair was taking place until she physically witnessed the situation herself inside their home.

Afterward, she turned to one of her closest friends, Oprah Winfrey, for support while processing the emotional fallout.

According to King, Winfrey immediately understood the devastating reality of the situation and delivered a blunt response after hearing the story.

“You don’t even know how bad this is,” Winfrey told her.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 11 seconds ago

Necessity is often cited as the mother of invention, and sometimes those inventions become the stuff of legend. In sitcom lore, the most legendary example of this can be found in the Season 5 Simpsons episode “Cape Feare,” where a number of tactics were employed to pad the show’s runtime because the episode was too short to meet Fox’s minimum length requirements. Even the couch gag involves a prolonged circus kickline to help fill things out, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.

We’re here to talk about the infamous Sideshow Bob rake-stepping scene that cemented “Cape Feare” as one of the series’ most iconic episodes. In the original cut, Sideshow Bob, having stalked the Simp– er … the Thompsons to their new boathouse in Terror Lake after they relocate through the Witness Protection Program, only stepped on the rake once. In a desperate attempt to make sure the episode was long enough to air, longtime Simpsons producer Al Jean leaned fully into absurdity, giving us the sequence, and groan, that any die-hard fan of the show still utters whenever they’re mildly inconvenienced.

The “Brrrreughhhh…” Heard Around The World

“Cape Feare” is a tight episode that crams in a ton of plot while somewhat faithfully recreating the 1991 remake of Cape Fear, using Sideshow Bob as a stand-in for Robert De Niro’s Max Cady character.

The plot is simple and startlingly efficient: Bart receives a series of menacing, blood-written letters from an imprisoned Sideshow Bob vowing to kill him, and then Bob gets released on parole, hellbent on murdering his 10-year-old nemesis once and for all. The Simpson family joins the Witness Protection Program, though not without difficulty because Homer is too stupid to remember their new last name, Thompson, and the family relocates to Terror Lake to start a new, and hopefully safe, life.

John Vitti’s original script for “Cape Feare” was so efficient that the rest of the writing team had a hard time stretching the premise past the minimum 20 minutes and 20 seconds required for broadcast, which sent everybody back to the drawing board.

The episode opens with a prolonged circus-themed couch gag, along with an extended Itchy & Scratchy segment to pad the runtime without overhauling any major plot points. There are also a few red herrings sprinkled throughout to make viewers question who’s actually trying to kill Bart before it’s revealed to be Sideshow Bob, pricking his finger and writing the threatening letters in his own blood.

The biggest overhaul came when Sideshow Bob crawls out from under the Simpsons’ car after having piping hot coffee poured on him and getting dragged through a cactus patch. Already battered from the trip to Terror Lake, he rises from the ground only to step directly onto a rake. The handle flies upward, smacks him square in the face, and he lets out the groan that sounds a little something like “Brrrreughhhh…”

Run The Joke Into The Ground, And Bring It Back From The Dead

Kelsey Grammer, who has voiced Sideshow Bob since the character’s introduction, recalls only recording the belabored groan once while working on “Cape Feare.” He later admitted that when he finally saw the finished episode, he was baffled as to why the groan had been looped over and over (nine times) as Sideshow Bob continued stepping on rakes for what initially must have felt like an eternity.

Here’s the thing: this is exactly what longtime Simpsons producer Al Jean intended all along. He knew the episode had a runtime problem, and in a Hail Mary attempt to make the episode whole while facing animation deadlines that couldn’t realistically be met, he stumbled into brilliance. The gamble paid off almost immediately when “Cape Feare” premiered in October 1993.

Jean’s philosophy followed three simple steps. First, make the joke funny. Sideshow Bob stepping on a rake is inherently hilarious. Second, stretch the gag past the point of being funny so viewers start wondering how many times this idiot is going to step on a rake and groan. Finally, stretch it even longer until it somehow becomes funny all over again.

Al Jean’s instincts were dead-on, but what nobody could have predicted at the time was that this singular moment in Simpsons lore would take on a life of its own and become one of the series’ defining gags. It’s pure slapstick absurdity born entirely out of necessity, adding roughly 30 seconds to the episode’s final cut, and it’s what I’ve always thought of as “The Groan Heard Around The World.”

Golden Era Simpsons is packed with esoteric, high-brow humor, which makes sense given the Ivy League-heavy writing staff. But sometimes all you really need is “man step on rake funny.” Thanks to Al Jean’s willingness to stretch a simple gag far beyond the point of reason, “Cape Feare” currently ranks among the highest-rated episodes of the entire series on IMDb with a 9.2 rating. More than 30 years later, we’re all still groaning about it, and there’s something magical about a throwaway joke accidentally becoming one of the most iconic moments in television comedy history.

Social media users are sharing reactions after Lil Yachty posted new photos alongside Karrahbooo following their highly publicized online feud.

Related: Oh Wow! Mariah The Scientist Recalls How Her Ex-Boyfriend Lil Yachty Dissed Songs She Made For Him (VIDEO)

Lil Yachty Shares New Photos With Karrahbooo

On Tuesday, May 26, Lil Yachty took to Instagram to share photos alongside members of his Concrete Boys collective. One photo, in particular, caught fans’ attention after Yachty appeared to zoom in on himself standing alongside rapper Karrahbooo. In the flick, Karrahbooo flashes a smile while Lil Yachty wraps his arm around her, seemingly hinting that tensions between the two may have cooled off. Adding to the reunion conversation, Lil Yachty also shared another photo featuring members of the Concrete Boys collective alongside Karrahbooo, captioning the post, “v3 otw, gang is back.” The link-up quickly sparked conversation online due to the pair’s public feud and Karrahbooo’s previous claims that she had been kicked out of the rap group.

Social Media Reacts

Social media users immediately flooded The Shade Room Teens’ comment section with reactions to the unexpected reunion.

Instagram user @lynnforeverdtn wrote, “I love this for concrete 🥺🥺🥺”

Another Instagram user @meowcle wrote, “Thank god. She needs him 🙂‍↔️”

While Instagram user @ahjj.___ wrote, “It should’ve never been no beef to begin with 😭”

Instagram user @dabundlesboss wrote, “Y’all be too excited to be coo with ppl who show you they true colors.”

Another Instagram user @inactivema wrote, “After the way he disrespected you… you’re all 32??”

While Instagram user @itstajiaaa wrote, “While time this all she wanted 😭”

Instagram user @canaryk_ wrote, “Ok is he gonna pay her or what 😭😭😭😂😂 cause no way I’m looking with a n**** who stopped my bag and bragged about it.”

Another Instagram user @bashbaeby wrote, “This made my heart smile cuz I refused to listen to the newest album since she wasn’t on there lol.”

While Instagram user @beresowavey wrote, “Oh yeah they never beating the allegations 😂”

Karrahbooo Previously Said Lil Yachty Had Her In A 360 Deal

Lil Yachty and Karrahbooo’s public fallout began in July 2024 after fans noticed her name had been removed from the Concrete Boys Instagram bio and that she had unfollowed Yachty and other members of the collective. Yachty later addressed the situation during a livestream, where he accused Karrahbooo of verbally abusing people and responded to claims that she had been kicked out of the group. During that time, Karrahbooo also took to social media, claiming Yachty was preventing her from releasing music despite no longer being a part of the group.

In May 2025, Karrahbooo later appeared on a livestream with streamer Jordyn Lucas, where she revealed that she and Yachty had privately squashed their beef but claimed he still had her in a”“360 deal.” At this time, it remains unclear whether the pair have fully resolved their business issues amid their recent reunion.

Related: Whew! Karrahbooo Speaks Out After Bodycam Footage Of Arrest Sparks Social Media Reactions

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 18 seconds ago

Disney just dropped an unexpected summer treat on fans: a trailer for the second season of X-Men ‘97. Frankly, it looks absolutely awesome, with plenty of killer action sequences and hints of fan-favorite comic storylines. The first season of the show was the best Marvel project in years, and this trailer establishes that this was no fluke. X-Men ‘97 Season 2 looks like it will deliver even more of what audiences have been craving, and Disney revealed that Seasons 3 and 4 are already in production and that we’ll be getting a new season of this breakout animated series each year for the next couple of years. 

For fans of Marvel’s merry band of mutants, this is everything we’ve been waiting to hear and then some. But this is one case where we might be getting a little too much of a good thing. Why is that? As I have written about before, X-Men ‘97 is so awesome that it’s setting completely unrealistic expectations for future Marvel projects. Between the show’s awesome writing and its seamless inclusion of awesome comic storylines, one thing is clear: the upcoming live-action X-Men movie is going to be a major disappointment, and that might be enough to fully halt the momentum the MCU has been desperately trying to regain.

The X-Men Movie: What We Know

Right now, we only know a few details about the upcoming X-Men movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s going to be directed by Jake Schreier, the same man who brought us The Thunderbolts. Theoretically, that’s good news. The Thunderbolts was a critically acclaimed movie, one that had particularly solid interactions between its eclectic characters, and that should serve Schreier well when directing the X-Men film. Additionally, MCU guru Kevin Feige told CBR that he thought the director “has his pulse on … a younger demographic.” This is crucial “because X-Men, as it was in the comics, will be a very youth-oriented, focused, and cast movie.”

Beyond that, very little is known. The MCU X-Men movie doesn’t have a release date, though we know it will be released after Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars come out. This is presumably because the latter film will be doing a reboot of this cinematic universe, which will presumably explain why mutants are now one of the dominant forces in the MCU. It’s no secret that Feige wants these mutants to be the new focal point of this rebooted universe. Unfortunately, that plan may already be unraveling thanks to the continued success of X-Men ‘97!

Send In The Toons

There’s a famous proverb (often attributed to Teddy Roosevelt) that says, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” The meaning is quite simple: it’s hard to be happy with something you’d otherwise like once you have something else to compare it to. In a vacuum, the X-Men MCU movie would likely be an unqualified hit, especially if (and this isn’t exactly a huge hurdle) it’s notably better than other disappointing team-based films like Eternals and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But when this team makes its official live-action debut, fans will inevitably start comparing it to X-Men ‘97, and that’s not going to go well for Kevin Feige.

Obviously, X-Men ‘97 is an excellent show on its own. It has world-class writing, killer lore, and some of the best character chemistry to ever grace superhero television. But part of why it was so successful was that this mutant franchise has been decidedly hit or miss over the years. The first two 20th Century Fox films were great, but the third one was an unmitigated disaster. The same thing happened when the studio rebooted the universe (sort of): X-Men: First Class and Days of Future Past were blockbuster successes, but X-Men: Apocalypse was a huge letdown, and Dark Phoenix was so bad that most who watched it have spent years trying to get its taste out of their mouths.

The MCU’s Apocalypse Is Here

After that last cinematic failure, X-Men fans’ expectations had hit rock bottom. Therefore, it was that much easier for X-Men ’97 to completely blow us away. But by the time the MCU X-Men movie comes out, fans will have enjoyed at least four seasons of this franchise’s hit animated series, plus Deadpool & Wolverine. By that point, their expectations will be through the roof, and if the X-Men movie is anything less than brilliant, it will be rejected by fans and become a box office bomb. Should that happen, then Kevin Feige’s final, most ambitious plans to reignite interest in the MCU will fail right alongside the movie.

As a lifelong X-Men fan, this is one of those times when I’m desperately hoping to be wrong. With any luck, the X-Men movie will be even better than X-Men ‘97, and we’ll enter a new golden age of mutant mania. However, this beloved show has set the bar almost impossibly high for the upcoming film, and with the MCU’s recent spotty record, it may be impossible to meet those expectations. That could spell doom for the biggest cinematic universe in history, and fans will again be stuck right where they are: spending years hoping someone can make mainstream audiences actually care about the X-Men again.

screenwashed (adjective) — When something seen on a screen completely changes how someone thinks or feels, as if their old beliefs were erased and replaced by what they just saw.

By Joshua Tyler
| Published 2 minutes ago

In 2020, violent protests rocked the United States, devastating major cities. Since then, dozens more have appeared, so many that it almost seems normal.

But it isn’t normal. 

Make a list of the most violent protests of the past 20 years, and you’ll find that the majority of them didn’t happen until after 2019. Before that, most protests, even the big ones like Occupy Wall Street or the Tea Party protests of the early 2000s, were just a lot of dudes walking around with signs until it got dark. There were exceptions, like the disastrous riots in Ferguson, Missouri, but those were noteworthy because they were unusual.

Now, violence, particularly from supposedly peaceful protesters themselves, is the norm. A daily occurrence in some cities, a regular seasonal event in others. What changed? In 2019, one movie took theaters by storm and manipulated its most ardent viewers to stop playing nice. 

This is the story of how Joker screenwashed Americans into accepting violence as personal expression. 

The Story Of Joker

Joker was billed as being about Batman’s arch-nemesis, but it has no true connection to the world of comic books. Instead, it’s a grim character study about Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill, socially invisible man slowly crushed by a city that doesn’t care whether he lives or dies. There are no superheroes, no grand conspiracies, and no redemption arc, just a sad, broken man discovering that the only time the world notices him is when he stops playing by its rules and embraces nihilism.

When Joker arrived in theaters, it was both controversial and a huge box office hit. No movie captured a bigger share of the cultural conversation in 2019 than it did, and theaters were packed with people looking for something edgy, different, and maybe even dangerous.

The Lone Observer

The debate over Joker often centered on whether it might inspire mass shootings or homicides. All of that discussion missed the true danger in the film.

Only one person saw the truth. It wasn’t mass murderers or an increase in individual homicides that we needed to worry about. A few months after Joker’s release, at the start of the George Floyd riots in 2020, master persuader Scott Adams made this observation:

“I’m willing to bet 90% of the protesters have seen Joker. It’s so powerful and well-made that it bounces around in your brain and burrows in, forming a dominant go-to pattern for your thinking.” – Scott Adams

Scott then asked, “Can one movie nudge a young person into violence and anarchy? A bad movie can’t. Even a good movie can’t do that. But Joker can. That movie is next-level, persuasion.”

Joker doesn’t merely depict unrest; it romanticizes it. It does it, using some very specific persuasion tricks.  

Catharsis Through Violence

The film presents social collapse as catharsis. Arthur Fleck’s personal breakdown is fused to a citywide explosion of masked demonstrators who burn, riot, and kill. All while the camera treats it like liberation. 

That’s what Catharsis is. The release of pent-up emotion through experience or expression leaves the mind clearer by safely discharging feelings that were previously contained or unresolved.

The need for catharsis exists in all of us. It’s an irresistible pull. That can be healthy, prompting reflection, relief, and clarity. But it can also distort judgment, causing people to chase emotional release for its own sake, overreact, or embrace narratives that justify anger, sadness, or guilt just to feel unburdened.

That’s what Joker taps into.

The violence isn’t framed as tragic or cautionary. It’s operatic. The mob becomes the chorus validating Arthur’s transformation. Gotham’s chaos isn’t shown as a failure of civilization, but as a necessary purge. This matters because culture isn’t created through instruction; it’s learned by association.

Arthur Fleck is introduced as powerless, humiliated, and ignored. By anchoring the audience inside his suffering before any violence occurs, the film ensures viewers emotionally identify with him.

Joker’s Six Screenwashing Tricks

Joker screenwashes its audience by employing six distinct persuasion techniques.

In Joker, responsibility for violence is consistently shifted away from the character and onto abstract forces: “the system,” “the rich,” “society.” This trains viewers to see violence as an inevitable consequence, not a moral failure.

• Two, Aestheticization of Chaos

Riots are filmed beautifully in Joker. When violence is visually pleasing, the brain associates it with power and release rather than danger or shame.

• Three, Catharsis Substitution

The film substitutes violence for resolution. Destruction itself is the payoff, reinforcing the idea that “burning it down” is a valid emotional endpoint.

Arthur’s transformation is validated not by reasoned argument, but by mass approval. Viewers subconsciously absorb the same validation loop.

• Five, Thinking Past The Sale

Joker’s story strongly implies that violent societal collapse is unavoidable. When outcomes feel predetermined, audiences stop asking whether violence is right and start asking only when.

• Six, Meaning Injection Into Rage

Most importantly, the film gives rage a story. Raw anger becomes “truth.” Once anger is framed as insight rather than impulse, acting on it feels justified.

Before Joker, America had a culture in which only truly peaceful protest was acceptable. After Joker, the cultural zeitgeist became one in which violent protest wasn’t just acceptable; it was the only way to be heard. 

In the movie, Joker had nothing to say; he just wanted to be heard. And now, being heard is all that matters, not whether or not you have anything worth saying.

The Case Against Joker’s Power Of Persuasion

Those without an understanding of persuasion say audiences are smart enough to separate fiction from reality and can’t be affected by what they see in screen.  If culture can be changed by a single movie, then why didn’t the movie V for Vendetta have a similar effect? 

A movie like V for Vendetta could never achieve the same effect because it frames violence as symbolic, ideological, and abstract, not emotionally personal. V is not an everyman the audience inhabits; he’s a mythic construct with clarity, planning, and moral certainty. His actions are presented as an allegory, not catharsis. The film creates distance through stylization, speeches, and overt political philosophy. This keeps viewers analyzing rather than identifying. 

Joker is a totally unique piece of screenwashing because of the way it collapses that distance, rooting chaos in intimate humiliation and emotional grievance, making mass violent release feel personal, spontaneous, and psychologically relatable rather than theatrical or ideological.

Was Joker’s Impact Intentional?

I think it’s important to say here that it’s not clear if plunging America into endless violent riots was the intent of director Todd Phillips when he made Joker. Little is known about Phillips’ personal political views; he refuses to be categorized. 

It’s possible Phillips’s goal was something besides the one he achieved. Indeed, the movie’s sequel suggests he wasn’t entirely happy with the effect his first movie had on its viewers. Joker 2 attempts to undo much of what the first movie did, revealing Joker as a fraud and his followers equally so.

Of course, Joker wasn’t solely to blame for a cultural shift towards violence. COVID lockdowns created a powder keg, and irresponsible media coverage lit it. But would things have gone as badly as they did, and continue in that direction for years after, if Joker hadn’t been there, at that exact moment, to condition rioters in advance?

Watch one of the riot scenes from Joker. Then watch any Portland, Oregon protest and ask yourself if what you’re seeing is organic or just Joker cosplay. 

Joker didn’t invent violent protest. But it did something arguably more influential: it made violent protest feel understandable, beautiful, and emotionally correct. Once culture grants moral permission, reality tends to follow, no manifesto required.

Congratulations, fiery but mostly peaceful protestors, you’ve been Screenwashed.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 8 seconds ago

As of May 25, 2026, The Brave Little Toaster (1987) is finally available to stream on Disney+. Years ago, I wrote about how Disney+ was bizarrely missing the title from its streaming catalog despite hosting its much crappier sequels, The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997) and The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998). To anybody who grew up with the original film, this always felt strange because Disney had long treated The Brave Little Toaster like part of its extended family while simultaneously keeping the actual movie locked away.

The reason came down to rights issues and the complicated history behind the film itself. While Disney distributed the movie on home video and eventually absorbed much of the talent that helped create it, the original film was produced independently by Hyperion Pictures. Disney had stronger ownership and distribution control over the direct-to-video sequels, which is why those movies hit Disney+ years before the original ever did. For years, the streaming rights surrounding the 1987 film appeared to be tied up in older licensing agreements that left it in limbo.

A Cult Classic Disney Couldn’t Fully Claim

The Brave Little Toaster has always occupied a weird space in Disney history because the film’s DNA is deeply tied to the company even though it wasn’t fully born under the Disney banner. The project was spearheaded by former Disney employees, including future Pixar co-founder John Lasseter, and many people have referred to Hyperion Pictures as a proto-Pixar operation because of the talent involved. Disney originally passed on fully backing the film after executives reportedly questioned whether audiences would connect with a story centered around talking appliances.

Despite its rocky production history and extremely limited theatrical release, The Brave Little Toaster refused to disappear. The film found its audience through VHS rentals and syndication on the Disney Channel throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s, becoming one of those formative childhood movies that traumatized an entire generation with air conditioners having mental breakdowns and horrifying junkyard death songs. Disney eventually released the movie on DVD in 2003, but for years, streaming remained the one place fans still couldn’t easily find it.

While I’m no lawyer, I’m pretty good at basic math. I can’t find anything publicly stating that Disney officially secured the rights, but Disney+ has been going heavy on throwback additions and has more money than God. So, I’m operating under the reasonable assumption that Disney either renegotiated the streaming rights with Hyperion Pictures or simply bought them outright, knowing longtime fans of the movie would finally be able to stream it at home alongside the other two movies that only belong to the Brave Little Toaster franchise by name (they’re terrible).

We Can Finally Pay It Forward, And Scar Our Kids For Life

On its face, The Brave Little Toaster is basically an early version of Toy Story. Here, we have talking appliances who come to the horrifying realization that their “Master” has abandoned them, prompting them to set out in search of him after their Jack Nicholson-sounding air conditioner friend has a life-ending mental breakdown.

They trudge through treacherous terrain. Toaster (Deanna Oliver) experiences a disturbing nightmare sequence in which a clown rises out of a fire with smoke billowing through his gritted teeth, prompting him to “run” before he falls into a bathtub and gets electrocuted to death. The gang eventually ends up in a repair shop where the owner guts other appliances alive for parts before the film culminates in the third-act junkyard sequence, where every single character we’ve grown attached to faces certain death while hoping to be rescued before they’re crushed into submission.

As terrifying as The Brave Little Toaster may be, and trust me, this movie made me ugly cry when I was a child, it also tells an incredibly wholesome story about found family, resilience, and the power of friendship in a way that no Disney or Pixar film has really achieved since. It proves that hope can exist in a world full of pain if you refuse to let the elements beat you down. The film resonated with an entire generation of kids who all have kids of their own now.

Modern life has only gotten more complex and difficult since 1987, and even as adults, we could all learn something from The Brave Little Toaster. And that message is simple: don’t give up. Ironically enough, the film’s home-viewing legacy is almost as poignant as its original messaging. If you’re dealt a bad hand, you need to persevere. Only then can you reemerge from the ashes like a phoenix, or, like the horrifying clown demon in the film, look around, and say to yourself, “everything’s going to be okay.”

As of this writing, and hopefully forever, The Brave Little Toaster is streaming on Disney+.

Bebe Rexha is once again speaking out after cruel online comments about her body exploded following her appearance at the 2026 American Music Awards. 

While the singer stunned on the red carpet in a sleek dress, social media quickly filled with harsh remarks targeting her weight. 

Instead of staying silent, Rexha responded with humor and confidence, reminding critics she has spent years openly discussing her struggles with body image, fluctuating weight, and living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, also known as PCOS.

Bebe Rexha wasted no time shutting down body-shaming comments after appearing at the AMAs on Monday night.

The 36-year-old singer walked the red carpet in a fitted black gown, but her appearance quickly became the subject of online criticism from trolls posting rude comments about her body.

“You know she’s not on Ozempic,” one person wrote online per the Daily Mail, while another added, “She needs to lay off the Twinkies.” A separate user cruelly posted, “Everyone discovers Ozempic. She discovers food.”

The criticism intensified after the account @HustleBitch_ shared an older photo of Rexha beside a recent image from the awards show alongside the caption, “Singer Bebe Rexha is going viral after fans noticed how different she looked at the American Music Awards. Be honest… what’s your first thought?”

Rather than directly arguing with critics, Rexha delivered a sarcastic response promoting her upcoming music. “My thought is… My new album dirty blonde is out June 12th. Available for pre order now,” she wrote on X.

Rexha Previously Revealed Her PCOS Diagnosis

As the online comments spread, many supporters pointed out that Bebe Rexha has previously spoken publicly about living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

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The singer revealed her PCOS diagnosis in 2023 while discussing her struggles with fluctuating weight and public scrutiny. 

According to the World Health Organization, PCOS is a chronic metabolic condition that can increase the risk of weight gain.

Rexha has repeatedly addressed how difficult it can be to navigate body changes while constantly being judged online. 

In one candid Instagram post from 2023, she lifted her sweatshirt to reveal her stomach while embracing her appearance.

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“Yes, I’m in my fat era and what?” she wrote on X at the time.

The singer’s openness about her health challenges has earned praise from fans over the years, particularly because she has never pretended that the criticism does not affect her emotionally.

Bebe Rexha Admitted Public Scrutiny ‘Does Mess With You’

Rexha also previously opened up about body-shaming during an appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.”

While speaking with Jennifer Hudson, the singer acknowledged that public commentary about celebrities’ appearances can become overwhelming.

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“Listen, we’re in the public eye, so that’s bound to happen,” Rexha explained. She admitted that her body had changed over time, noting, “I was a lot thinner and I did gain some weight – that comes with the territory.”

Even though she understood why people discussed it, Rexha admitted the criticism still affected her emotionally. “I’m not mad about it because it is true, but when you see things like that, it does mess with you,” she said.

The singer also emphasized that strangers online rarely understand what someone may be privately experiencing. 

Rexha then expressed frustration that conversations around women’s weight remain so common. “But I feel like we’re in 2023 … we should not be talking about people’s weight,” she noted.

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Rexha Joked About Loving Food Amid Online Criticism

Seeing that search bar is so upsetting. I’m not mad cause it’s true. I did gain weight. But it just sucks. Thank you to all the people who love me no matter what. pic.twitter.com/EGkGybhcRY

— Bebe Rexha (@BebeRexha) April 16, 2023

Despite the harsh comments, Bebe Rexha has often tried to approach criticism with honesty and self-awareness. 

During her conversation with Hudson, the “I’m Good” singer lightened the mood while discussing her relationship with food.

“Listen … I like to eat, okay? I like to eat,” Rexha joked. Hudson immediately supported her response, telling her, “Ain’t nothing wrong with that!”

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Rexha has repeatedly acknowledged that she struggles to read online commentary, even when she knows it can be harmful.

At one point, she admitted she searched through TikTok comments after noticing “Bebe Rexha weight gain” trending online.

“Seeing that search bar is so upsetting,” she later tweeted. The star also thanked supporters who continued standing by her regardless of how her appearance changed. “Thank you to all the people who love me no matter what,” she wrote.

Bebe Rexha Says She’s ‘Working On Myself Everyday’

Although Rexha continues to face criticism online, she has made it clear that she is focused on herself rather than trying to satisfy internet trolls.

In another candid social media message, the songwriter admitted she has battled body image issues for years. “I’ve always struggled with my weight,” Rexha confessed, adding, “A bi*ch likes to eat.”

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She also reassured followers that she continues working on her health and mental well-being despite the negativity surrounding her.

“I’m working on myself everyday,” she shared. Still, Rexha admitted the online commentary can occasionally wear her down emotionally. In her words, “Just discouraged a bit right now.”

A Kansas father is now facing serious prison time after a heartbreaking incident involving his young children left one child dead and another at the center of a case that has deeply shaken the Wichita community. Michael Tejeda recently pleaded guilty in connection to a devastating shooting that unfolded inside his South Santa Fe Street home, and the community continues to grapple with the tragic aftermath.

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Plea Deal Filed In Deadly Child Shooting Case

According to Sedgwick County court records, Tejeda pleaded guilty last week to one count of second-degree murder, one count of criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and two counts of aggravated child endangerment in connection to the Feb. 28, 2025 shooting. As part of the agreement, prosecutors dropped a more severe first-degree murder charge tied to the commission of a felony. Authorities say the fatal shooting happened after Tejeda left a handgun within reach of his 3-year-old daughter, who then shot her 1-year-old sister.

Father Calls 911 After Fatal Shooting Incident

Court documents and an arrest affidavit obtained by local outlet KAKE detail that Tejeda himself called 911 to report the shooting. During the call, he told dispatchers that his older daughter had shot her younger sibling and can even be heard asking the 3-year-old why she did it. Investigators say Tejeda admitted he had fallen asleep while watching the children while their mother was out and later realized he had left his handgun in a prop holster on his waistband before placing it on a fireplace mantel.

Father Admits Mistake As Fatal Shooting Leads To Sentencing Date

Tejeda told police he believed the firearm was secure enough but later acknowledged, “I knew better, should’ve put it somewhere else,” according to the affidavit. He also described hearing a loud bang while in another room, after which the 3-year-old reportedly ran crying and later told him it was his gun. Officials found the child with a gunshot wound to the head and a firearm lying beside her on the couch, according to reports. Tejeda is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9 and faces the possibility of significant prison time as prosecutors and defense attorneys jointly recommend a midrange sentence to run consecutively.

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