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1. 10. Sanaa Lathan Says Filming ‘Love And Basketball’ Was Miserable

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In June, Sanaa Lathan opened up about her miserable experience working on Love & Basketball, which is considered one of the best sports rom-coms ever. “I was miserable. I can laugh about it now,” said Lathan. “I got the job and I think Gina [Prince-Bythewood] finally got to the point where she had to hire somebody. It’s almost like she hired me because she couldn’t find somebody else.” she said. There wasn’t a lot of joy and there wasn’t a lot of trust in me. It was her baby and it was her first time directing. It was a big deal for her and nobody knows me then really. She gets to the point where she makes this decision with me, but I felt like the default.” On top of that, she had never played basketball before.

2. 9. Denzel Washington Praises Wife Pauletta For Being His ‘Biggest Life Achievement’

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We love love, and one of our favorite couples is the Washington’s! Denzel Washington was the guest of honor at the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award gala tribute in Hollywood on June 6. The Oscar-winning actor and his wife of 35 years,Pauletta Washington, hit the red carpet at the star-studded event held at the Dolby Theater, where Entertainment Tonight asked Denzel what he considers his biggest lifetime achievement. Washington turned to his devoted wife and said she’s his “biggest lifetime achievement.” *Insert heart eyes here!*

3. 8. Naturi Naughton Says She Was “Embarrassed And Ashamed” Of Post-Baby Breakup

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In an open letter to Black women on Essence in August, Naturi Naughton got candid and raw about her split from longtime boyfriend, Ben, just three months after their daughter was born. “I was devastated,” she wrote. I didn’t tell anybody about our breakup for two years, because I was embarrassed and ashamed. ” The actress continued, “You know in your heart when you’re not happy and when you’re feeling undervalued. As soon as you realize that you are settling or conceding your worth, you have to make a move. Check in with yourself and say, “Wait a minute. Is this what I want? Is this who I really am?” She revealed her relationship was shaky when she got pregnant, and part of her healing process involved letting go of the expectation she had for her love life. “The truth is, I was afraid to become a mother, and I honestly did not feel ready. I was uncertain about my relationship and unsure if I was going to get married. I wanted to have this perfect life because I had seen it in movies and my parents have been married for 48 years. Then it hit me: The perfect life that I envisioned may not be God’s plan for me right now, and it’s okay to be on my own journey as long as my daughter is healthy and happy.”

4. 7. Melvin Edmonds Of After 7 Passed Away

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Founding member Melvin Edmonds of the Grammy-nominated group After 7 died on May 18 at age 65.

5. 6. Toni Braxton Debuts New Short Haircut, But Folks Are Wonder If She’s Bleaching

Toni Braxton unveiled her new short hairdo via Instagram in September and her fans were not over the moon with her new style. In fact fans thought she may have been bleaching her skin.

6. 5. Serena Williams Became The First Athlete To Make Forbes’ Richest Self-Made Women List

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In June Serena Williams made history as the first athlete to ever make Forbes‘ Richest Self-Made Women list. According to the business publication, she was worth an estimated $225 million at the time. The majority of her earnings are the result of smart investments, not her athletic prowess. For five years, Williams has been silently investing money into thirty-four startup companies via her investment firm, Serena Ventures.

7. 4. R. Kelly….Everything.

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Just three days into 2019, Lifetime began airing the docu-series “Surviving R. Kelly.” It caught the attention of authorities who investigated the R&B star for alleged sexual misconduct with girls and young women, something that was explored in the six-part documentary. It was also alleged that the Grammy winner kept women as sex slaves. One of the most talked about incidents involving Kelly was when his child, Jahh Kelly, dropped a diss track directed at their father at the end of January.

8. 3. Tisha Campbell-Martin Claims Duane Martin ‘Emotionally, Mentally And Physically Abused Me’

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In January Tisha Campbell-Martin claimed she suffered years of abuse at the hands of her estranged husband, Duane Martin. She said that she kept quiet about it in order to protect him and their children. According to the court docs obtained by The Blast, Duane started physically, emotionally and mentally abusing Tisha at the start of their marriage in 1996. On January 24 she filed for a domestic violence restraining order, claiming the most recent abuse happened in December of 2018, when he allegedly “grabbed me by my arm to try to get me in the bedroom,” after claiming their son was sick. In the affidavit, Tisha alleged, “I had been emotionally, mentally and physically abused. I kept things hidden from my family his family our friends and the public, save a few very close friends and people who may have witnessed, over the past two decades, filing it away in the back of my mind to protect my family, the community and the pubic’s persona of my spouse.”

9. 2. Aretha Franklin’s Will Reveals Surprising Father For One Of Her Sons

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Eight months after the death of Aretha Franklin, three handwritten wills were found in her suburban Detroit home. At the time of her death last August of pancreatic cancer, lawyers and family members said the Queen of Soul had no will, but three handwritten versions were reportedly discovered in May. The 16 pages reportedly reveal that Franklin was all about making sure her sons were treated fairly. According to NBC News:

Several times across all three documents, she writes that her assets should go equally to her three younger sons and outlines detailed instructions for the care of her eldest son, Clarence, who was born in 1955, when Aretha Franklin was just 12 years old. He special needs that have never been publicly disclosed. Clarence Franklin’s father has been reported to have been a man named Donald Burk, who was a schoolmate of the singer’s. Not according to one of the purported wills, dated June 21, 2010. It says Clarence’s father is Edward Jordan Sr. — who’s also the acknowledged father of another of the singer’s sons, Edward, who was born when she was 14.

10. 1. Kevin Hart’s Car Accident

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On September 1 comedian and actor Kevin Hart was seriously injured in a car crash in Calabasas, California. He suffered major back injuries and took months off of work to recover. He spoke publiclly about the accident on October 30 in a video saying “My world forever changed,” adding, “You know when God talks, you gotta listen. I swear, life is funny. Because some of the craziest things that happen to you end up being the things that you needed most. And in this case, I honestly feel like God basically told me to sit down.” He is expected to get back to work in 2020.