Meet Channing Dungey: The Woman Who Canceled 'Roseanne' With The Quickness
"Don't come for me unless I send for you."
An ancient African proverb that Roseanne Barr had to learn the hard way after making a distasteful comment and subsequently getting her life gathered by the entire internet community.
Racism happens. We get it. But in 2018, women of color understand that the only way to resolve it is to confront it. Yesterday, in a social media rant, Roseanne tweeted that former White House aid Valerie Jarrett was a product of the Muslim brotherhood and Planet of the Apes.
The President of ABC, who just so happens to be a black woman, proceeded to get Roseanne all the way together by releasing this statement in response:
"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."
Yes, you read that correctly. Roseanne thought it necessary to make disparaging and racist remarks about a black woman, and was consequently fired by a black woman. 2018 just got real.
To anyone else, this may not seem like a big deal, but black women can see the value in Roseanne's unfortunate debacle. There was no discussion, nothing needed further review, or investigation. Rosie's fate was sealed after one tweet, the poor thing.
I'm not one to relish in anyone else's misery, but doesn't it make you feel good to see a woman of color in a position of power that can incite real change? Not just "we'll take your advice under consideration" change but one creating a true evolution of societal views.
ABC
So often are we used as props or inspiration, but they had to know they f*cked up when they let us in the boardroom. Channing Dungey is proof of how important it is to have women of color in decision-making positions.
Dungey's decision was backed by a number of industry leaders including Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, Shonda Rhimes, and Ava DuVernay who tweeted in support of the show's cancelling and now reruns of the show are reportedly being pulled from other networks.
Shonda said that although it's sad that that talented actors lost their jobs, Channing made the only decision there was:
"But honestly she got what she deserved. As I tell my 4 year old, one makes a choice with one's actions. Roseanne made a choice. A racist one. ABC made a choice. A human one."
Amanda Seales even got in the mix and took to Instagram to say what we were all thinking:
I have an open mind, but I would hope we could all agree that there are some things that are not debatable, including white supremacy, systemic racism, and hate speech. But for some reason, we continue to see people of color disproportionately disadvantaged by these same issues.
This incident proves how much power there is in numbers.
Previously, black women have been silenced by their societal disadvantages and lacked a platform that reflected their realities. Women like Channing Dungey and Debra Lee fought to the top to change that, and now, we're not letting anything slide.
Featured image by ABC
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
From Heartbreak To Healing: The Multifaceted Journey Of Nazanin Mandi
Nazanin Mandi is never out of options.
About a year ago, the 37-year-old life coach and actress was navigating life after divorce and determined to experience homeownership for the first time as a single woman. She’d been married to the R&B singer Miguel for three years, following a long-term relationship that started when she was 18 years old. But, in 2022, she filed for divorce. It was certainly the most public change she made but, in reality, it was just one of many decisions to refocus and reach her full potential in recent years.
“During my 20s, I was not ready for more. I was living a really crazy life. It was unpredictable. I was helping somebody else grow. It was a lot, and it was intense. I was not pouring into myself the way I should’ve been,” she says in an xoNecole exclusive.
Still, as Mandi worked to get to know herself and her needs during this new phase of life, she realized the home she’d purchased wasn’t a good fit. Overwhelmed by the echoing of her voice in the spacious home, she had a breakdown and called her cousin, who immediately suggested she lease the home and live somewhere else. “I woke up in my house, and I was like, ‘This is not it for me,” she says. “All those years, I had been accustomed to living a certain way [and] in a certain house, so I bought myself a house like [my old home]. But my family was not the same. Waking up in that house by myself, it highlighted the divorce. I was like, ‘Oh, no, we can’t do this. This is not it.’ My life has changed, so my choices need to change.” At that moment, Mandi became open to the idea that there wasn’t one set way to achieve ownership on her own.
“I feel so much better. I’m in a smaller place. My best friend lives a minute from me and I can walk to her house,” she tells me during a Zoom interview from her home one recent afternoon in early February. In the past two years, she hasn’t just been advising other people on varying circumstances, she’s also been healing herself.
"During my 20s, I was not ready for more. I was living a really crazy life. It was unpredictable. I was helping somebody else grow. It was a lot, and it was intense. I was not pouring into myself the way I should’ve been."
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
If supporters began following Nazanin Mandi because of her conventional beauty or the contagious, bright, white smile she often wears in many of her photos, that’s likely not the reason they’ve stuck around. Instead, she’s amassed a following based on her transparency about her own anxiety and depression, along with the encouraging messages of self-acceptance, gratitude, ambition, and humility that are often sprinkled into her social media posts.
In an era where looking at Instagram photos of models can often lead to feelings of self-doubt and insecurity, Nazanin Mandi is determined to be more than eye candy. She’s food for her follower’s souls, too.
Since being recruited to model while dining at an In-N-Out at 10 years old, Mandi has worked in many areas of entertainment. The Valencia, California native has modeled for brands such as Olay, Savage X Fenty, and Good American. As a teen, she sang at Carnegie Hall and auditioned for season 1 of American Idol, making it all the way to Hollywood before producers disqualified her for lying about her age. (Mandi was 15 at the time, and contestants had to be at least 16 years old.) Mandi has acted, too, including appearing on Disney’s That’s So Raven as a teenager and on the BET+ series Games People Play and the Prime series Á La Carte in more recent years.
In recent years, though, she’s also expanded her professional goals outside of entertainment, too. After becoming a certified life coach in 2020, Mandi launched the membership platform You Bloome in 2022 with the hopes of providing wellness services to others, including her self-published gratitude journal. “I wish I had access to something like You Bloome earlier in my own life,” she writes on the company’s website. The actress, who has been forthcoming about her struggles with anxiety and depression, has never had a life coach, but credits therapy as a tool that “really, really saved me and it laid the foundation to who I am becoming.”
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
"I’m trying to find the balance between living life and knowing that whatever is meant for me is going to happen, but also know that I’m doing everything in my power to make those things happen and better myself."
While she’s always had a nurturing personality, Mandi says her interest in becoming a life coach was inspired by the women who would message her for advice on social media. “I would answer them back. It really sparked a fire within myself to help people,” she says.
You Bloome currently has three membership tiers, ranging in price from $2.99 to $39.99 per month. The highest tier offers a motivational text message twice a week, two live, group coaching sessions per month, and more. “We get emotional. We cry. We laugh. It’s really beautiful. I’ve built close relationships with my members through this. It’s been inspiring both ways,” Mandi says of the sessions. Still, the founder says she hopes to take on more motivational and keynote speaking opportunities in the future with the hopes of impacting as many people as possible.
And, she’s hoping to do all of this while continuing to explore a career as an entertainer.
At this point in her life, Mandi says she’s gained enough perspective on modeling, music, and acting to realize what she wants to prioritize moving forward. “We are going full force with acting,” she says, noting her goal is “to book a series regular or a film that impacts my career and the world.” She plans to continue to model, too, but has no desire to pursue music.
“I don’t want any part of that because I know what that life entails,” she says. “I don’t want to tour. I don’t want to do any of that. That is not where my heart is at.”
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
If you ask Mandi, she’ll tell you she feels most comfortable in front of a camera, but she’ll also admit that she’s recently experienced a lot of imposter syndrome when thinking about her acting career. “I think it’s a fear of not succeeding,” she says. If anything, she adds, she’s harder on herself now than she’s ever been. “There were distractions before. There’s no distractions now,” she says. “I’m putting pressure on myself for no reason.”
This is where the life coach’s own personal healing comes into play. Mandi says she’s learning recently that “slow progress is still big progress at the end of the day.”
“Currently, I’m trying to find the balance between living life and knowing that whatever is meant for me is going to happen, but also know that I’m doing everything in my power to make those things happen and better myself,” she adds.
Still, one of Mandi’s strengths is that she doesn’t feel the pressure to limit herself to just one passion. From working as a life coach to pursuing acting, she has given herself grace to explore all other dreams.
“We can be allowed to be many different things in this lifetime,” she says. “As people, our identities are allowed to expand. Don’t put us in a fucking box. I cannot live that way anymore.”
For more of Nazanin, follow her on Instagram @nazaninmandi.
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Featured image by Solmaz Saberi
It’s March, and the celebrity baby announcements are already pouring in. Whether they’re in music or sports, some of our faves have shared their exciting news in beautiful ways that are touching and full of love. Some are simply adding a new baby to their already big family while others are having their first child, with one celeb having twins. Below is a list of pregnancy announcements in 2024, so read on and join us as we anticipate the arrival of the little ones.
Celeb Pregnancy Announcements of 2024
Ayesha Curry
Congrats are in order for Ayesha and Steph Curry who have another addition joining their family. The restauranteur and cookbook author showcased her baby bump on the cover of her magazine, Sweet July, for The Village Issue. This will be the Curry’s 4th child.
Gabourey Sidibe
Gabourey Sidibe is having twins! The Empire actress revealed the surprising news on Instagram with a photo of her alongside her husband, Brandon Frankel. “I’m pregnant! We thought it was time to give our cats some responsibility so we’re giving them each a baby to take care of! Double the babies,double the cats, double the fun!! Twin Delivery coming soon! Twinty Twinty Four!!,” she wrote.
Bria Anderson
Wife of MLB free agent Tim Anderson and founder of Millennial Mom, Bria Anderson, is now pregnant with her third child. While she hasn’t made an official announcement, she posted a compilation video on her Instagram, which showed her and friends cradling her baby bump.
Martica "Fat" Nwigwe
Married singing collaborators Martica aka "Fat " and Tobe Nwigwe are expanding their family once again. Tobe shared a photo on his Instagram revealing that his wife was pregnant with their fifth child. "happy pregnantines day.
round 5. #thefinale," he wrote.
Kali Uchis
Musical couple Kali Uchis and Don Tolliver revealed in January that they were welcoming their first child together. The R&B singers made the shared announcement on their perspective Instagram pages with a heartwarming video showing Kali's baby bump, their pregnancy journey as well as clips of them when they were both kids. The caption read, “Starting our family❤️🩹 don’t take too long to get here little pooks, mom & dad can’t wait to share our life with you.”
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Feature image by JP Yim/Getty Images for Girls Write Now