By Just Johnda
Bouncing Babies Everywhere! Two of our favorite child stars, KeKe Palmer and Keisha Knight Pulliam recently announced pregnancies. Palmer announced her baby news while hosting SNL. Pulliam, who we watched grow up on “The Cosby Show,” and hubby Brad James announced their news on Instagram. Also in December, music mogul Sean Combs (58) announced a new addition. The 28-year-old mother is not, his public lady-friend, Yung Miami of the “City Girls.” Shocking? No. Calling Yung Miami his “Shawty Wop” highlights his age, and makes me think of worms though.
Keisha Knight Pulliam and husband, Brad James.
Speaking of couples, the illicit, but inevitable pairing of GMA3 Hosts, TJ Holmes and Amy Robach has been big news. Holmes and Robach have been co-hosts since 2020. On November 30, 2022, the story broke that the pair had been having an affair since Spring 2022. Reportedly both have been separated from their spouses and have been out and about together since August 2022. Recently they were removed from their positions for being a “distraction,” and remain off the air pending further internal investigation.
TJ and Amy, read this slowly and carefully – You work for Disney/ABC. Calling you a distraction is code for “this is not good for our image, even though you are on a show we use as a cheap space filler between the real GMA and The View.”
Sure, ABC can have shows with characters who depict illicit relationships as long as they are fiction or on 20/20. That commercial grace does not extend to married co-hosts flaunting their afterglow every morning, especially when one of them is the rumored office lothario.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 17: Amy Robach and TJ Holmes attend the 2022 ABC Disney Upfront at Basketball City – Pier 36 – South Street on May 17, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images,)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 17: Amy Robach and TJ Holmes attend the 2022 ABC Disney Upfront at Basketball City – Pier 36 – South Street on May 17, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images,)I appreciate that, at the very least, TJ and Amy separated from their spouses. Imagine bearing witness to your spouse canoodling with their sweet-thang daily on national television while you are in the dark. My current prediction is that neither will be fired provided the investigation yields no allegations of impropriety. However, I do not believe they will return to the show as co-hosts. Get used to the back of the newsroom for a while. If nothing else, there may be some nice, quiet areas for mid-afternoon rendezvous.
From trespasses against spouses to violent crimes against friends, in November 2022, thanks to the efforts of tenacious posters on social media and a disturbing violent video, we learned of the tragic death of 25-year-old, North Carolina business owner, Shanquella Robinson. The video depicted Shanquella being beaten by one or more of her six travel companions, while the others recorded the battery and encouraged her to “fight back.” Robinson was killed within approximately 24 hours of arriving to her resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The case is currently being investigated by the F.B.I. in cooperation with the Mexican authorities.
The death of Shanquella Robinson has sparked many conversations among men and women, many of which lean towards misogynistic about “girl’s trips” and women’s friendships. This incident does not speak to whether women should travel together or being inherently bad friends. This crime points solely to the sad fact that if there is a violent individual, or several among you, the victim may not be able to depend on groupthink going their way. It’s quite reminiscent of the experience of Cheryl Araujo, who inspired the movie, “The Accused.”
Shanquella Robinson
Shanquella RobinsonInevitably completing the Circle, is a few farewells. The first two bring fond memories of music and television, Christine McVie of the iconic musical group, Fleetwood Mac and actress, Kirstie Alley. The third is the shocking death of Stephen “DJ tWitch” Boss, dancer and actor, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on December 13, 2022. It’s so easy to say, “you never know what someone is going through.” The adage is true but it does not absolve us of continuing to check on one another to find out.
Just Johnda is an attorney, social commentator, and author. A native of New Jersey, currently living in the DC Metro area, one of Just Johnda’s passions has always been devouring information from every source (especially her well-placed anonymous ones). Just Johnda also has a weekly podcast, now in its third season called “Let’s Be Honest with Just Johnda.”
