CNN's Abby Phillip Covers 'The Cut' & Claps Back About Trump Calling Her Stupid
Y'all, come get into this 'go awfffff, sis' news for today! So, our girl Abby Phillip, the youngest CNN anchor and journalistic titan, is queen. She is born and raised in the DMV, proudly flies the flag, and is willing to ask the right questions to the right people for the culture (sidebar: she could lowkey be Necole's mini dopplegänger).
Abby began her career at Politico, which led to a reporting gig with The Washington Post. She moved to the Post as a general assignment reporter, but quickly went to the national politics desk, covering Hillary Clinton's campaign and then the Trump administration.
In 2017, although reluctant to leave print journalism, Phillip joined CNN as a reporter. She now hosts CNN's Inside Politics Sunday and was promoted to be the network's senior political correspondent.
So, sis makes some moves, m'kay?!
Additionally, this week The Cut released an interview with her on the cover where she discussed all things about being the media's voice of sanity and clarity. The interview, conducted by fellow-queen, Gayle King, was produced by The Cut's newest Editor-in-Chief, former youngest EIC of Teen Vogue, Lindsay Peoples Wagner. Three black women in high positions, making decisive, boastful moves. Love to see it.
And after four long, long, long, long years of chaos, when the subject of Donald Trump came up, Abby calmly collected his taped-down wig in the most humble way possible. Gayle asked:
"I remember in late 2018, Trump was on his way to going somewhere, and you were part of a gaggle of reporters asking questions. And you asked yours, and he says in response to you that you 'ask a lot of stupid questions.' I was so angry. I heard the word 'stupid' and Abby in the same sentence, and I was so offended by that. And I'm wondering, what do you remember about that moment?"
The moment is below:
Abby explained:
"So this was just after Trump had fired Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, and replaced him with Matt Whitaker — who a lot of people believed was sort of a lackey. My question was, 'Do you want Matt Whitaker to rein in the Mueller investigation?' The thing about questioning Trump is that sometimes he just might answer you truthfully. But I remember being surprised, because he had not reacted to me like that before."
"You struck a nerve," Gayle quipped, and Abby continued:
"He must have thought so. But after that aired, I got calls and texts from girlfriends and colleagues, especially my Black female friends. They were furious about it because of the implication of him telling a Black woman that she's stupid.
"I know that what he said is not true, and I don't take things like that personally, particularly from this president who has such a long history of insulting people. I don't get my self-esteem from Donald Trump or any other politician, frankly."
Chiiiiile, a read! And just the clapback 45 needs in his unemployed life.
The two go on to discuss other subjects such as being a lone black reporter in a male world, her upcoming book on Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign, and her and hubby having a new baby girl on the way!
The interview ends with Gayle asking what scares her, to which she says, "Expectations."
"All of a sudden, there are people who are saying, 'Oh, I really look up to you. I want to be a journalist because of you.' That's a lot of pressure — which I'm sure you feel, because I bet people say that to you all the time. I look up to you."
But Gayle doesn't leave her hanging. She simply says, "I know, but when they say that — 'I want to be just like you' — I go, 'Nope. What you want is to pave your own path.' So be excellent, Abby."
Spoken like two (three) iconic Black women who may have had parallel careers in journalism, but equally understand the weight and responsibility of this moment. Read the full interview here.
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Featured image by Abby Phillip/Instagram
Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
Want more real talk from xoMAN? Catch the full audio episodes every Tuesday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and don’t miss the full video drops every Wednesday on YouTube. Hit follow, subscribe, and stay tapped in.
Featured image by xoNecole/YouTube
Self-Validation, No Meals After 5 P.M. & The Wellness Rituals That Helped Lizzo Take Her Power Back
Don't let the "weight release" fool you, Lizzo's transformation wasn't just physical. It was spiritual, emotional, and deeply personal. In her Women's Health cover story, the "Good As Hell" artist opened up about the low point that became the catalyst for radical change in her life, inside and out.
In the summer of 2023, Lizzo found herself at the center of what she calls painful allegations when some of her former dancers filed a lawsuit against her. The 37-year-old singer has denied their claims, and though she has experienced "backlash my entire career," going through such legal woes coupled with public scrutiny proved to be detrimental to her mental health, leading her to one of the darkest periods of her life.
She told Women's Health, "I got very paranoid and isolated. I wasn’t even talking to my therapist. I wasn’t present. I wasn’t open. I wasn’t myself anymore."
After spending months in isolation, Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, decided to go to a tour stop on the Renaissance World Tour. She was nervous that the public would shun her, boo her, or reject her, but instead, she was embraced. It shifted something in her and after feeling so in the dark, she saw the light again. "It made me feel like, wow, maybe I don’t want to die," she shared with Women's Health.
"That was the kick-starter to me being like, ‘Okay, Melissa, get your ass in gear and take your f*cking life back.’"
Her first step in Operation Get Your Life Back? Cutting out the external noise. She gave her team total control of her social media and stopped looking at comments. "My validation was from external sources, people telling me they loved me, or that I look good, and accepting me," she explained. "But if that’s all I’m getting my validation from, when it changes—and it will, because people are not always going to like you—what happens? Where are you going to get your love from?"
Lizzo continued, "I can convince myself that I’m beautiful, my body fine, no matter how big or small. But reminding myself that you can’t let others tell you who you are—that was hard work."
Lizzo started going to therapy again, she started practicing quigong meditation, reading books, journaling, and doing sound baths. She released unhealthy relationships, drank echinacea tea, and began incorporating Pilates as a means to "feel sacred" and "be gentle" with herself.
But what many have interpreted as a "weight loss transformation" after she popped out sharing she met her "weight release" goal earlier this year, Lizzo has clarified that it has been something deeper for her than the aesthetic of a smaller body. "I wanted to be big-girl skinny," she told the mag. "Every big girl knows what I’m talking about. Big-girl skinny is 250 pounds." According to her, it was her back issues that inspired her to take the physical part of her wellness journey seriously.
I DID IT! #weightrelease
@lizzo I DID IT! #weightrelease
Through her friend Kelly Rowland, she linked up with her now-trainer Marvin Telp and developed a fitness regimen that prioritized strength and intention. Her weekly schedule now includes moves like single-leg deadlifts, reverse flies, and lateral lunges, along with infrared sauna sessions and cardio. Add to that a change in eating habits after realizing her vegan diet no longer served her (to be fair, she wasn't doing the vegan thing the "healthiest" way).
All the meat substitutes, bread, cashew cheese, and soy left her bloated and lightheaded, so now she's switched things up a bit to fill the nutritional gaps. When it comes to diet, it's heavy on the protein and vegetables for Lizzo. A typical day eating looks like scrambled eggs and cauliflower hash browns for breakfast, Thai chicken salad or lettuce wraps for lunch, and turkey meatloaf with greens for dinner.
She also has a strict cutoff of no meals after 5 p.m. to support her GERD and give her body the time it needs before bed to digest her food sans the acid reflux. Of her relationship with food and wellness, she told Women's Health, "There's a balance. I think that's what true health is."
Read Lizzo's full cover story with Women's Health here.
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Featured image by Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock