All posts tagged: Backlash

CBS stops its effort to halt sharing of Colbert’s public access show appearance after massive backlash

CBS stops its effort to halt sharing of Colbert’s public access show appearance after massive backlash

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter CBS slapped online users with requests that videos must be removed after they shared footage of Stephen Colbert’s surprise return to late-night television Friday, before the network swiftly backtracked on its copyright threats. Colbert thrilled fans just 24 hours after his departure from The Late Show by appearing as the host of Only in Monroe, the same local access show in Michigan he commandeered for one night shortly before starting his stint on the CBS program 11 years ago. Short clips and full uploads of the episode, which featured musician Jack White, a skit from actor Steve Buscemi, and a cameo from Eminem, were posted online before Colbert launched his own official YouTube channel, beating him to the punch. Media outlet The Desk was among the publications struck with a copyright infringement notice after its upload of the episode received more …

Lupita Nyong’o Addresses Racist Backlash Over The Odyssey Casting

Lupita Nyong’o Addresses Racist Backlash Over The Odyssey Casting

Published by Sam Flores

The Oscar winner is among the star-studded cast of Nolan’s upcoming epic, in which she’s set to play the dual roles of Helen Of Troy and her half-sister Clytemnestra. Over the last few months, Lupita’s casting in these roles has been met with some controversy among far-right critics, exacerbated by comments from conservative political commentator Matt Walsh and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who criticised the decision to cast a Black woman as characters from Ancient Greece. During a new interview with Elle magazine, Lupita reminded her racist critics that The Odyssey is “ mythological story”. “I’m very supportive of Chris’s intention with [The Odyssey] and with the version of this story that he is telling,” she continued. “Our cast is representative of the world. I’m not spending my time thinking of a defence. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.” She also enthused: “It’s quite something to be a part of The Odyssey, because it is so grand. It spans worlds. So that’s why the cast is what it is. We’re …

South Korean ministry to shun Starbucks vouchers in ‘Tank Day’ campaign backlash

South Korean ministry to shun Starbucks vouchers in ‘Tank Day’ campaign backlash

Published by Sam Flores

SEOUL: South Korea’s Interior Minister said his ministry would stop offering products from companies that “make light” of the country’s democratic history, after a public outcry over a Starbucks Korea marketing campaign that evoked a brutal 1980 military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. The coffee chain launched its “Tank Day” campaign on the same day as the anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju uprising, when the then-military government sent in troops and tanks to suppress mass rallies for democracy. “Conduct that makes light of that history or consumes it as commercial material is an issue that can never be taken lightly,” Yun Ho-jung wrote on X late on Thursday (May 21), expressing deep regret over what he called Starbucks Korea’s “anti-historical conduct” and saying the Ministry of the Interior and Safety would no longer offer products from companies that made light of the history and value of democracy or used it as commercial material. Shinsegae Group, the coffee chain’s South Korean licensee, fired Starbucks’ local chief executive this week over the campaign, saying it was inappropriate. …

The Boys Season 5 Breaks Prime Video Ratings Records Despite Backlash

The Boys Season 5 Breaks Prime Video Ratings Records Despite Backlash

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Boys has been generating plenty of fan debate for its final season. But there’s no arguing the fifth season’s popularity. The season has reached 57 million viewers per episode globally. That’s the highest yet for the series despite only five weeks of data, according to Prime Video (using a standard that measures people watching at least a few minutes of each episode). The season also ranks among the Top 10 most-viewed seasons of any Prime Video original series, and drove the streamer’s largest three week ratings surge of any show or movie. The news comes amid some online backlash over the show’s storylines, with some comparing the show to the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Some say the show has been sluggishly paced with too much “filler” in the lead up to this week’s series finale. Showrunner Eric Kripke tells The Hollywood Reporter that he found assurance in the Prime Video ratings after paying close attention to the online chatter in recent weeks. “I’ve gone through a journey when I first started …

Javier Bardem admits fear of backlash over his political comments ‘does exist’

Javier Bardem admits fear of backlash over his political comments ‘does exist’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Javier Bardem has admitted to fearing retaliation over his outspoken political views. The Spanish actor, 57, among the most vocal celebrity activists for Gaza, recently claimed he’s faced “professional punishment” due to his support for Palestine. Still, it hasn’t stopped him from sharing his views. Appearing at the Cannes Film Festival where he discussed his new film The Beloved, Bardem acknowledged the potential for backlash. “The fear does exist,” he said, as reported by Deadline. “Granted that one has to do things, even if you feel a bit scared or afraid. You have to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and look at yourself in the eyes, and that was my case. My mother taught me to be the way I am.” He continued: “There is no B plan, no alternative, and this entails consequences, which I’m fully …

The NFL’s Rooney Rule is latest target of DEI backlash : NPR

The NFL’s Rooney Rule is latest target of DEI backlash : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The NFL logo adorns the uniform of a referee prior to the start of Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots on February 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America Stay up to date with our Up First newsletter sent every weekday morning. The OG of DEI hiring policies is facing an existential challenge. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has advanced his threats to take enforcement action against the NFL over its Rooney Rule, issuing the league an investigative subpoena on Wednesday. That makes professional football just the latest target of MAGA backlash to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The Rooney Rule was adopted in 2003 amid an outcry over the lack of opportunities for Black coaches in a league dominated by Black talent. The thinking was that a concerted effort to bring in more minority candidates would help address the imbalance. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has called on the NFL to suspend its …

Latvian prime minister quits after backlash over stray Ukrainian drone strikes – POLITICO

Latvian prime minister quits after backlash over stray Ukrainian drone strikes – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Siliņa then appointed Latvian army Col. Raivis Melnis as a replacement, but the Progressives’ withdrawal left Siliņa’s New Unity alliance without a parliamentary majority. Latvia, like its Baltic neighbors Estonia and Lithuania, has been on high alert since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, warning that spillovers from the war could test NATO’s eastern flank. “At this moment, political jealousy and narrow party interests have taken precedence over responsibility,” Silina said Thursday, adding that “political windbags chose not a solution, but a crisis.” Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs previously said he would meet with all parliamentary parties on Friday, “given the political situation of the country.” Source link

Israeli singer Noa speaks to FRANCE 24 as Israel’s participation sparks Eurovision backlash

Israeli singer Noa speaks to FRANCE 24 as Israel’s participation sparks Eurovision backlash

Published by Sam Flores

Ten countries, including favourite Finland and controversial competitor Israel, secured places on Tuesday in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. The contest’s 70th anniversary edition has been overshadowed by divisions, with five countries — Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland — boycotting in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed at least 75,000 Palestinians since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. For more, FRANCE 24’s Nadia Massih is joined by renowned Israeli singer Noa, who previously represented Israel at Eurovision in 2009 alongside Mira Awad, a Palestinian citizen of Israel. Noa has frequently used her platform to speak out against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Source link

The AI Backlash Could Get Very Ugly

The AI Backlash Could Get Very Ugly

Published by Sam Flores

Steve Bannon and Bernie Sanders don’t agree on much. But both think that AI is a disaster for the working class. The Vermont senator recently wrote that “AI oligarchs do not want to just replace specific jobs. They want to replace workers.” Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, made similar comments last week: Silicon Valley does “not care about the little guy,” he said in a podcast episode titled “Stopping the AI Oligarchs From Stealing Humanity.” This emergent “Bernie-to-Bannon” coalition points to the growing bipartisan anxiety over AI. In polls, the United States ranks among the countries most concerned about AI. America is both the world’s foremost developer of AI and its chief hater. Recently, Maine passed the country’s first statewide data-center moratorium (though the bill was vetoed by the governor). Nationally, a record number of proposed projects were canceled in the first quarter of this year following local pushback. Meanwhile, in extreme cases, concerns about AI appear to be tipping into violence. In April, someone shot 13 rounds at an Indianapolis councilman’s house and left …