Denzel Washington paid tribute to the late Jackie Robinson, the former Brooklyn Dodger who broke baseball’s color line, during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at LA’s Dodger Stadium Tuesday night. This year marks 75 years since Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947 and became the first Black player in Major League history.

“When Jackie Robinson stepped onto a Major League Baseball field for the first time, armed with supreme talent and unshakable character and wearing a Dodgers uniform, he changed the game of baseball and so much more,” Washington told the sold-out crowd.

Denzel wore Jackie’s iconic number 42, which was retired for all Major League Baseball teams in 1997, becoming the first jersey in professional sports to receive that honor.

“Beyond the field, Jackie Robinson challenged us to become better versions of ourselves,” Washington continued. “Business leader, family man, activist, Hall of Famer. He said that life is not a spectator sport, and he lived that motto to the fullest. Number 42 blazed a trail that would light the way for people from every walk of life and every color and to this very day…that profound impact looms just as large today as it did 75 years ago.”

Robinson was a seven-time All-Star, Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, batting champion and World Series champion. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984.

Tuesday also marked the 100th birthday of his widow, Rachel Robinson. Dodgers All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts led the crowd in wishing her a “Happy Birthday.”

The American League won 3-2 in the All-Star Game, and New York Yankee Giancarlo Stanton won the MVP Award.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

One week after receiving seven Emmy nominations for her breakout series, Abbott Elementary, the show’s creator is being sued for copyright infringement.

Christine Davis filed a lawsuit against Quinta Brunson, claiming the series is a knockoff of her show, called This School Year, Entertainment Tonight reports.


Davis writes in her suit that both shows have similar qualities, including the “look and feel of the inner-city school, the mockumentary style, unique plot synopsis, set design, and unique characters.”

“Without [Davis’] permission, license, authority, or consent, [Brunson & ABC] knowingly and illegally used [Davis’] works to create the Abbott Elementary television show,” the suit claims.

Production for the second season of the series began on Monday. Brunson made history last week as the first Black woman to earn three Emmy nominations in the comedy category. The 32-year-old writer/producer/actress/comedian was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Writing for a Comedy Series. 

Two more cast members were also recognized: Sheryl Lee Ralph was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and Tyler James Williams is up for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

It was definitely “good times” as Janet Jackson and Kim Fields reunited at the Essence Festival in New Orleans earlier this month after not seeing each other in over a decade.

They appeared as children in the Good Times TV series in the 1970s. Janet starred in the show as Penny, and Kim made guest appearances as her friend in two episodes.

“We’ve been calling that ‘the hug heard around the world,'” Fields told E! News on Monday. “We hadn’t seen each other in about 15 years. And so, it was wonderful to see her, but we’ve known each other since I was 7.”

They shared their reunion video on Instagram, with Fields commenting, “as if no time has passed…” Jackson wrote, “So good to see u @kimfieldsofficial! LUV u.”

Following her two appearances in Good Times, Kim starred as Tootie in The Facts of Life from 1979 to 1988. Then from 1993 to 1998, she starred in Living Single. The 53-year-old actress is currently featured with Mike Epps and Wanda Sykes in the Netflix comedy The Upshaws.

When asked about the possibility of a Living Single reboot, Kim said she would be ready, but only if it preserved the strong legacy of the series.

“You don’t want to just throw everything together, like, ‘What would we be doing now? What are these characters doing?'” Fields said. “These characters are so beloved. We love how people love Living Single.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jay Ellis is now a married man.

The Insecure star married his girlfriend, model/actress Nina Senicar, in a garden ceremony in Tuscany, Italy. He posted an Instagram photo from their wedding day along with the caption, “July 9, 2022. Forever.”

Jay, 40, and Nina, 36, got engaged in January 2019 and have a daughter, Nora Grace, who will turn 3 years old in November.

“We always knew we wanted to get married in Italy because going there was the first trip we ever took together,” Nina told Vogue. They searched for locations in June 2019, but their plans were delayed due to the pandemic.

“Italy was one of the hardest hit areas in the world, on a strict lockdown and closed to tourists,” Jay remembered. “We weren’t sure how widespread it would be or how long any of it would last, so we had to cancel everything.” The couple set a wedding date for July 9, 2021, which was then moved to this year.

After all the excitement, the Top Gun: Maverick star says he needs some rest.

“The groom can’t help but find himself in need of a little R&R. I just feel like we need a vacation after throwing the craziest three-day party ever,” Jay joked. “After everything that everyone has been through over the last few years to bring over 190 people together for three days in Tuscany and celebrate was surreal.

“Seeing all of our friends from different parts of our lives together smiling and laughing, connecting, forming their own friendships was such a huge part of what we wanted out of the weekend and the celebration,” Jay continued. “We wanted to create moments and memories that would last the rest of our lives.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sesame Place issued an apology after Kelly Rowland and others spoke out against the treatment of two Black girls, who were ignored by a costumed character in the theme park. 

In a viral video at a parade, the girls reached out to greet the character, who waved a hand in a “no” gesture after high-fiving multiple people.

Their mother wrote, “The kids wanted to stop to see the characters. THIS DISGUSTING person blatantly told our kids NO then proceeded to hug the little white girl next to us! Then when I went to complain about it, they looking at me like I’m crazy. I asked the lady who the character was and I wanted to see a supervisor and she told me SHE DIDNT KNOW!! I will never step foot in @sesameplace ever again!”

Over 10,000 comments slammed the character’s behavior. Rowland reposted the clip in her Instagram Stories writing, “Had that been me… that whole parade would have been in flames.”

In response, Sesame Place posted an apology on Instagram. 

“Our brand, our park and our employees stand for inclusivity and equality in all forms,” the statement began. “That is what Sesame Place is all about and we do not tolerate any behaviors in our parks that are contrary to that commitment. We also are, and have always been, committed to making sure every family and every child has the best possible experience at our parks and we are incredibly disappointed when that does not happen. Regarding the incident yesterday, the costumes our performers wear sometimes make it difficult to see at lower levels and sometimes our performers miss hug requests from guests.”

Taraji P. Henson commented, “This is blatant racism,” and City Girls’ Yung Miami added, “RACIST!” The Black girls’ mother deemed the apology “disrespectful and distasteful.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sesame Place issued an apology after Kelly Rowland and others spoke out against the treatment of two Black girls, who were ignored by a costumed character in the theme park. 

In a viral video at a parade, the girls reached out to greet the character, who waved a hand in a “no” gesture after high-fiving multiple people.

Their mother wrote, “The kids wanted to stop to see the characters. THIS DISGUSTING person blatantly told our kids NO then proceeded to hug the little white girl next to us! Then when I went to complain about it, they looking at me like I’m crazy. I asked the lady who the character was and I wanted to see a supervisor and she told me SHE DIDNT KNOW!! I will never step foot in @sesameplace ever again!”

Over 10,000 comments slammed the character’s behavior. Rowland reposted the clip in her Instagram Stories writing, “Had that been me… that whole parade would have been in flames.”

In response, Sesame Place posted an apology on Instagram. 

“Our brand, our park and our employees stand for inclusivity and equality in all forms,” the statement began. “That is what Sesame Place is all about and we do not tolerate any behaviors in our parks that are contrary to that commitment. We also are, and have always been, committed to making sure every family and every child has the best possible experience at our parks and we are incredibly disappointed when that does not happen. Regarding the incident yesterday, the costumes our performers wear sometimes make it difficult to see at lower levels and sometimes our performers miss hug requests from guests.”

Taraji P. Henson commented, “This is blatant racism,” and City Girls’ Yung Miami added, “RACIST!” The Black girls’ mother deemed the apology “disrespectful and distasteful.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jenifer Lewis, one of Black cinema’s favorite mothers, was honored with the 2,726th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday.

The 64-year-old actress, who starred in all eight seasons of black-ish, was humbled by the recognition. “I am grateful that I was acknowledged for my work because I never gave 100% — I gave 2,000,” she told ABC Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV.

Lewis now stars in the Showtime series I Love That for You. Over the course of her 43-year entertainment career, she has appeared in more than 400 episodic television shows, 68 movies, 40 animations and four Broadway shows. Her credits include Poetic Justice, What’s Love Got To Do With It, A Different World and The Preacher’s Wife.

Debbie Allen, who worked with Jenifer as a producer and director of A Different World, said Lewis is a star because she “emanates energy, light and mystery.”

The multi-talented actress, who became an advocate for bipolar awareness after being diagnosed with the disorder, talked about how therapy helped her cope with her condition.

“I’m just glad that I took care of myself so I would be in my skin to take this in,” she said.

The five-time NAACP Image Award nominee posted behind-the-scenes footage of the ceremony on Instagram, including a joyous Soul Train dance line.

Lewis’ memoir, The Mother of Black Hollywood, was published in 2017 and her new book, Walking In My Joy, will be published on August 30.

As she was applauded by the audience at the ceremony on Hollywood Blvd., Lewis commented, “This is a great day, but what are you going to do tomorrow? What are you going to do tomorrow? I’m going to be appreciative. I’m going to be grateful. I’m going to be joyful.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Nick Cannon sparked rumors he was getting engaged after posting photos of him offering a ring to an unidentified woman. Now, The Masked Singer host is explaining that the pics are from his new music video.

On Thursday, Nick posted Instagram photos of him embracing the woman and holding a ring alongside the caption, “I said I would never do it again but…Finally doing what the world wants me to do.”

Then on Friday, while co-hosting Entertainment Tonight in the Bahamas, he said, “I love the idea of marriage, especially the ceremony, the proposing, the idea of just falling in love. Who cares what the rest of the world thinks? You never know.”

On Saturday, Cannon posted his new “Eyes Closed” music video on Facebook. In the clip, which he co-directed, the 41-year-old entertainer drops to his knees on a bedroom terrace and proposes to the woman as he holds the ring.

Nick revealed to ET that shooting the video “was scary” because of the recent headlines about him having children with multiple women.

“That’s a big step, especially [with] all that I got going on in my life, just the hint of it shocked the world,” he said about getting engaged. “If imma do that, I got to be really ready and prepared.”

Cannon has seven children with four women: 11-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan, with Mariah Carey; Golden, 5, and Powerful Queen, 1, with Brittany Bell; one-year-old twins, Zion and Zillion, with Abby De La Rosa; and Zen, who died in December at five months old, with Alyssa Scott.

Nick added, “You would be safe to bet on three [more children] in 2022.” He is now expecting his eighth child, a boy, with model Bre Tiesi.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The TV series inspired by The Best Man franchise will premiere just in time for Christmas.

The Best Man: Final Chapters will premiere December 22 on Peacock, Entertainment Tonight reports.

All the of the two movies, The Best Man in 1999 and The Best Man Holiday in 2013, have returned. Morris Chestnut, Terrence Howard, Taye Diggs, Harold Perrineau, Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall and Melissa De Sousa have been shooting in several locations, including the Dominican Republic. Nicole Ari Parker, from Empire, has also joined the all-star cast.

The director of the films, Malcolm D. Lee, is also back and has added another famed director for the series, Robert Townsend, whose credits include The Five Heartbeats and Hollywood Shuffle.

On Wednesday, Lee posted an Instagram video from Rockefeller Center in New York City as his crew prepared to shoot a scene.

According to Peacock, The Best Man: Final Chapters “will catch up with the leading characters Harper, Robyn, Jordan, Lance, Quentin, Shelby, Candace, and Murch as relationships evolve and past grievances resurface in the unpredictable stages of midlife crisis meets midlife renaissance.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The TV series inspired by The Best Man franchise will premiere just in time for Christmas.

The Best Man: Final Chapters will premiere December 22 on Peacock, Entertainment Tonight reports.

All the of the two movies, The Best Man in 1999 and The Best Man Holiday in 2013, have returned. Morris Chestnut, Terrence Howard, Taye Diggs, Harold Perrineau, Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall and Melissa De Sousa have been shooting in several locations, including the Dominican Republic. Nicole Ari Parker, from Empire, has also joined the all-star cast.

The director of the films, Malcolm D. Lee, is also back and has added another famed director for the series, Robert Townsend, whose credits include The Five Heartbeats and Hollywood Shuffle.

On Wednesday, Lee posted an Instagram video from Rockefeller Center in New York City as his crew prepared to shoot a scene.

According to Peacock, The Best Man: Final Chapters “will catch up with the leading characters Harper, Robyn, Jordan, Lance, Quentin, Shelby, Candace, and Murch as relationships evolve and past grievances resurface in the unpredictable stages of midlife crisis meets midlife renaissance.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.