Month: November 2021

Welcome to our ultimate streetwear gift guide — where we answer the question: what the hell is streetwear anyway? No really, a decade back it was easy enough to simply define streetwear as hoodies, sneakers, and anything made by Supreme. But these days, the idea of streetwear has blossomed into something that gets more nuanced and complex year by year, covering a wide variety of different categories and subcategories, from men’s and women’s clothing to unisex fits, footwear, accessories, and even electronics. Streetwear is so interwoven with modern culture that you don’t even have to hunt to find it these days, it’s in our malls, on fashion runways around the world, and even easily available online, supply chain be damned!

The fact that the term “streetwear” casts such a wide net is great and all, but if you’re shopping for someone in your family or friend circle and all you really know about them is that they absolutely live and die for all things “streetwear,” it can be an absolute hellscape to navigate. So let us do it for you! For our ultimate streetwear gift guide, we’ve covered a handful of the brands worth getting excited about and hit some of the accessories and sneakers that are sure to inspire gasps of joy from the streetwear lover in your life come the holidays.

The footwear and fresh gear we’ve included in this list differs from what we put included in our sneaker gift guide, so if you’re specifically on the hunt for shoes, be sure to give that a look as well. Let’s get shopping!

Essential Streetwear Brand: Supreme Winter Collection

Price: Varies

Supreme is still one of the biggest apparel brands in the streetwear scene and luckily, one of the easiest to shop. We’ve all heard about those limited Supreme drops, and those are definitely still hard to get your hands on, but something simple like a colored box logo hoodie is easy to find and is sure to be in style for as long as streetwear is a thing.

Best of all, since a simple colored hoodie is a wardrobe staple, even if the streetwear lover in your life has one, they’re not going to object to being supplied with another. Grabbing any hoodie by Supreme from their winter 2021 collection is an easy win, no matter how picky the streetwear person in your life is.

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Essential Streetwear Brand: Palace Winter Collection

Price: Varies

If the streetwear lover in your life leans more towards the skateboarding side of streetwear, you need to familiarize yourself with the brand Palace, which is essentially London’s answer to Supreme. Like Supreme, Palace releases weekly drops of streetwear essentials like Gore-Tex equipped jackets, hoodies, pants, headwear, and even the occasional skateboard.

The brand doesn’t have an easy iconic piece like Supreme’s simple branded hoodies, but there is enough variety here to shop for everyone from friends to boyfriends, girlfriends, and even your bratty little cousins.

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Cool Streetwear Label: Teddy Fresh

Price: Varies

One of our 2021 brands to watch, Teddy Fresh has steadily been killing it this year with drop after drop of amazing streetwear essentials, from comfortable pastel-colored hoodies to sandals, bucket hats, polo shirts, and fleece skirts. This is the sort of brand that is going to appeal to the streetwear lover in your life that is in their late teens and early twenties and is on the heels of launching a Black Friday sale, sure to help you save some money on what is already a pretty affordable brand by modern streetwear standards.

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Cool Streetwear Label: TOMBOGO

Price:Varies

One of the most exciting streetwear brands operating right now, TOMBOGO features streetwear basics like shirts, t-shirts, hoodies, caps, and pants and updates them with design flair that looks undeniably modern. TOMBOGO is the sort of streetwear you’d see in a music video, so if you’re shopping for that streetwear lover in your life that likens themselves to the big thing, help them reach that level by hooking them up with some TOMBOGO.

The line features fits that are flattering for both men and women, so hit the site and cross off multiple names from your holiday shopping list.

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Cool Streetwear Label: Lazy Oaf

Price:Varies

A brand we can’t seem to stop throwing love to this year is the London-based Lazy Oaf, which offers up a fashion aesthetic that feels indebted to ‘90s rave and Brit-pop culture, without looking throwback and outdated. Bucket hats, loose-fitting outerwear, playful shoes, dresses, and pants, it can all be found at Lazy Oaf.

Shop here if the streetwear lover in your life likes to keep their fits loose, casual, and a little psychedelic.

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Cool Streetwear Label: Vixx Studios

Price: $105

One of our brands from this year’s ComplexCon worth following, Vixx Studios takes a flirty approach to streetwear that is equal parts cute and sustainable. The brand was developed by designer and engineer Victoria Cummings who took a BS in Chemical Engineering and applied it to the world of modern fashion by utilizing upcycle techniques throughout her designs to offset a lot of the waste from the fashion industry.

Currently, Vixx Studios is offering up a collection of halter dresses and top and short sets that recall vintage Nike designs, but present it in a way that feels daring and fresh, a far cry from the type of apparel Nike would actually deliver.

Grab this top and skirt set for the streetwear lover in your life who likes to keep things cute on their morning walk.

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Big Ticket Streetwear Collaboration: October’s Very Own Jurassic Park Varsity Jacket

Price: $1,500

This is a pretty niche gift, but if the streetwear lover in your life is a big fan of the Toronto Raptors and they happen to be a huge Drake and Jurassic Park fans as well, this gift is pretty much tailor-made for them and no one else. The Jurassic Park varsity jacket features Jurassic Park and Toronto Raptors-themed patches and graphics on a fully lined vegan leather jacket with Jeff Hamilton branded snap buttons, embroidered details, and comes bundled with a limited edition signed plaque.

It’s a big-ticket purchase, but gifted to the right person, this is probably the best present they’ll ever receive in their entire lives, and that’s something.

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Streetwear On A Budget: UNIQLO Gift Card

Price: $5-$200

If you’re looking for an easy gift for the streetwear lover in your life, definitely consider grabbing them a gift card to UNIQLO. It’s not the most exciting brand, and it won’t inspire any gasps or excited freakouts, but UNIQLO is one of the most easily accessible streetwear retailers operating right now and can be found at most malls. So grab a gift card in any amount that makes you comfortable and let that ultra picky streetwear snob shop for themselves!

Essential Streetwear Accessory: Telfar Bag

Price: Varies

Telfar makes what are by far the most popular over-the-shoulder bags in all of streetwear. The unisex bags are popular with celebrities and the most fashionable people to walk the streets of New York Fashion Week. They’re also actually incredibly hard to get your hands on.

Currently, on the Telfar website, every bag in every size and color is completely sold out but the bags are readily available on aftermarket sites like StockX for prices that aren’t that much higher than retail. Buy a Telfar bag for the streetwear lover in your life and you’ll instantly be their favorite person for the whole holiday season.

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Essential Streetwear Accessory: G-Shock DW5600RB-3M

Price: $99

I’m convinced that the entire wristwatch industry is propped up by rich people who have more money than they know what to do with and people who are into streetwear. Luckily for you, the streetwear crowd is less into limited edition “timepieces” and more into simple digital wristwatches like the Casio G-Shock.

First introduced in the early ‘80s this green colorway is a recreation of one of the first G-Shock watches sold outside of Japan in the ‘90s. If you’re not feeling the green, this model has several different color options, from black to yellow, to transparent and the G-Shock website is full of all sorts of different styles that might better speak to the streetwear lover in your life.

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Essential Streetwear Accessory: Ray-Ban RB2180

Price: $105

Reviews might be mixed on Netflix’s live-action interpretation of the beloved anime Cowboy Bebop, but one thing we can all agree on is that John Cho looks fresh as hell in a pair of round frame sunglasses, so expect this to be the frame of choice for the upcoming spring season.

You certainly don’t have to opt for this particular frame or brand, but Ray-Ban is always a classic choice and will help ensure the streetwear lover in your life is psyched to get a pair of sunglasses in the middle of winter.

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Best Homeware Brand For Streetwear Lovers: Curves By Sean Brown

Price: Varies

Curves by Sean Brown was one of the brands on the ground floor at this year’s ComplexCon and is an ideal brand to shop if you’re looking for some homeware for the streetwear lover in your life. From cool psychedelic rugs to coffee tables coasters, pillows, and other house essentials, Curves is probably the only homeware brand that can be described as hip.

It’s the perfect choice if the streetwear lover in your life just relocated to a new living space.

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Best Retro Accessory: Gameboy Color

Price: Varies

As futuristic as the streetwear scene may seem from the outside, it’s actually full of love for retro artifacts. Polaroids, Walkmen CD players, Leica cameras, a certain section of hype beast cool kids live for the retro sh*t and right now vintage Gameboys are perfect for that on-the-go individual who wants to stay away from their phone while keeping themselves entertained on a long subway ride. They’re also readily available second hand on websites like eBay for under $50.

Throw a vintage game like Pokemon on top of that gift and call it a day, you just won the holiday season.

With the ever-present popularity of Pokemon, it’s never been a better time to grab a Gameboy and dive into the feel-good nostalgic vibes of youth by playing through whatever iteration of the game you grew up with. For me, that’s the red version, so if you’re shopping for someone in their late ’20s and early ‘30s Pokemon Red or Blue is the move. Find out what era of Pokemon the streetwear lover in your life grew up with and be prepared to experience actual tears of joy when they open your gift.

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Best Comfort-Fit: Adidas Yeezy Foam RNNR Mineral Blue

Price: Varies

Look, it’s totally okay to think that Yeezy Foam RNNRs look stupid, we’re right there with you. But the simple truth is that the streetwear community has, by and large, accepted these just like they’ve accepted Crocs. Right now a lot of brands are approaching fashion with a comfort-first approach and it doesn’t really get more comfortable than these ridiculous slip-on shoes.

The Foam RNNR routinely sells out fast, so if the streetwear lover in your life doesn’t have a pair it’s probably because they’ve been just been hit with bad luck. End that streak when you gift them these Mineral Blue Foam RNNR’s from sneaker aftermarket site StockX. If you’re not feeling the blue, there are a whole bunch of other options out there right now too, including some that look like marble!

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Best Winter Footwear: Canada Goose Journey Boot

Price: $750

Toronto-based label Canada Goose is one of the most legit outerwear brands operating right now. If you’re not familiar with the brand, think the practical functionality of a label like The North Face meets a high-end style aesthetic that has even the most modern streetwear designers clamoring to work with the brand (see this year’s collaboration with Rhude as one recent example).

Luckily for all of us, it’s looking like the brand is further solidifying itself in the streetwear realm by finally dipping a toe into the sneaker game. This year, the label launched their first footwear offerings, the seriously equipped Snow Mantra Boot, and our pick for this gift guide, the Journey Boot.

Available in both men’s and women’s sizes, the Journey Boot is crafted in Italy and inspired by the type of hiking boots worn in the Alps. The Journey Boot was crafted to ensure functionality across all types of terrain and elements while still offering comfortable flexibility that looks straight-up luxury.

As we enter the winter season, help ensure that the streetwear lover in your life is able to hit the snow while still looking as fashionable as ever.

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Best Luxury Footwear: Dior Vibe Sneaker

Price: $1,190

Straight up, this isn’t the type of gift you buy for your streetwear-loving cousin. The Dior Vibe sneaker is the sort of gift you reserve exclusively for your significant other. This classic running sneaker combines white mesh and leather with transparent accents and premium Italian construction for a piece of footwear that screams luxury.

It’s admittedly a lot to drop on a single pair of sneakers, but it’s a dream gift. If your significant other is all about Dior, this is the sort of purchase that is going to linger in their memory every holiday moving forward. That might be a trap if you aren’t able to follow it up, so be warned!

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EDITOR’S PICK: Eddie Bauer x Baja East Cashmere Joggers & Cashmere Hoodie

The list of famous names that rep for LA’s luxury streetwear brand, Baja East, is beyond impressive. Bieber, Gaga, Solange — single name stars. The hype is not unfounded, Baja East’s “gender obsolescent” clothing is stylish, well made, loose-fitting, and yet still clearly finely crafted. And in their whole line, I love this simple, cashmere collab with legacy outdoor giant Eddie Bauer best.

Unlike so many unisex or ambisexual clothes, the Eddie Bauer x Baja East joggers and hoodie aren’t cut so loosely as to eradicate the idea that there’s actually a human body wearing the items — a problem which so many genderless brands fall into. Between the fabric and the cut, there’s still a lot of sensuality in this line. It’s cozy and loose-fitting but not anti-sexual, either.

As for the textures and the feel… it’s like wearing a cloud. Warm but breathable. Cozy but viable in public. This is next-level Apres Ski gear and if you rock it on a cold winter’s morning with a partner, things are likely to warm up real quick. The pants with a white tee are perfect for a lazy farmer’s market and the hoodie works under a jacket for a night out in the city.

This might just be the most versatile streetwear drop of 2021. It also happens to be my absolute favorite.

Price: Hoodie: $449, Joggers: $429

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While we all anxiously wait for the definitive answer to “how much Game of Thrones is too much Games of Thrones?” HBO remains hard at work on the former hits many spinoff series, scouting cast members and setting aside what has to be astronomical sums of money to pour into their high fantasy forays. However, just as important as compelling characters, lush locations, and CGI dragons is what (early) Game of Thrones was known for: great writing. Luckily for us, it seems HBO thinks they’ve found it for its upcoming prequel, Tales of Dunk and Egg.

Earlier today, HBO announced Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Wonder) has been tapped to serve as writer and executive producer on Tales of Dunk and Egg (via Variety). While the filmmaker is might seem a slightly unusual choice, it’s worth noting Conrad has also dabbled into television, previously creating the Amazon Prime series Patriot.

Set 90 years before the events of A Song of Fire and Ice (and subsequently HBO’s Game of Thrones), Tales of Dunk and Egg follows the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) and a young Aegon V Targaryen (Egg). The one-hour drama will be based on writer George R. R. Martin‘s series of fantasy novellas, and should hopefully hit the streaming service sometime in the next few years.

For those of you a bit put off by that wait, rest assured winter– er, I mean, another Game of Thrones spinoff series — is coming. You can catch HBO’s House of the Dragon (and its cool as hell cast featuring the likes of Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, and Emma D’Arcy) sometime in 2022.

Beatles fans have been waiting almost a year for the Peter Jackson-directed documentary on the band, which takes hours of previously unseen footage and stitches it together into a whole new experience. The documentary finally hit streaming services this weekend, and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive, with fans of the band doubling down on their exaltation of the perceived genius of these four young men. Today, Jackson even let fans know he thinks there was a way the Beatles could’ve been preserved as a band, though part of their legacy is probably due to the fact that they called it quits so early.

As far as Yoko Ono is concerned, the documentary is positive because it helps showcase the fact that she had nothing to do with tensions in the group, and their eventual ending. But, some of the more positive moments in the film have to do with the sheer musical talent these men possessed, particularly Paul McCartney. One clip from the film that keeps making the rounds on Twitter features a young McCartney messing around on his guitar, trying to make something out of nothing. And then he actually does — turning nonsense vocals and sorta riffs into the bare bones of the song “Get Back” (which the documentary is named for) in about two minutes. Even if The Beatles aren’t your thing, it’s still fascinating that this bit of songwriting magic was captured on film, check it out below.

Read our review of The Beatles: Get Back right here.

The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, ex-girlfriend and fixer for late financier and convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, is only on its second day, and already it’s a powder keg. (She’s also allegedly not having much fun in jail, though nor did Epstein.) On Tuesday, Lawrence Visoski Jr., Epstein’s pilot of 30 years, took the stand. He saw many faces over his long tenure, and some of the names he dropped were familiar (or at least unexpected). Others were more than a little shocking.

As per The New York Post, Maxwell’s defense attorney grilled Visoski, asking him to name names. There was former president Bill Clinton, who he said flew on some of Epstein’s private flights. Prince Andrew, another name long connected with Epstein, was also on board multiple times.

Then there’s another former president, Donald J. Trump, who reportedly once considered pardoning Maxwell before whatever senses he possesses came to him. Attorney Christian Everdell asked whether he flew on Epstein’s plane with his family. Visoski said he “didn’t remember that.” But as for Trump solo? “I certainly remember President Trump,” he replied.

All three names have been bandied about in reference to Epstein before. But there were some who hadn’t been before Tuesday. They included Kevin Spacey, whose career was deep-sixed after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. But Visoski also mentioned comedian-actor Chris Tucker, Senators George Mitchell and John Glenn, even legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman.

Visoski even said that if someone like Clinton was on board, he would get advance notice. There would even be special catering, he said.

The pilot was also asked about the presence of a “mature woman,” referred to by prosecutors only as “Jane” and who, they believe, met Epstein and Maxwell in 1994 when she was only 14 years old. Prosecutors allege that the two lured her to his Florida home, where Epstein began sexually abusing her. However, Visoski said he could not picture seeing her, nor any female below the age of 20 onboard a flight.

And this is only day two.

(Via NY Post)

It’s only night three of this year’s Festival Of Lights, so Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin are just getting into full swing with their now annual “Hanukkah Sessions” series. Last year, the pair wiled away time spent in lockdown by covering eight Jewish artists to correspond with the eight nights of Hanukkah, and they’re repeating the tradition this year. Kicking off Sunday with Lisa Loeb’s iconic “Stay,” and following up yesterday with the full on punk of The Ramones’ jumpy “Blitzkrieg Bop,” tonight they’ve changed gears a bit, and are tackling Barry Manilow’s classic “Copacabana.”

As you might expect, Grohl and Kurstin are more ready than ever to ham it up to the campy hit single, which is the kind of song that everyone loves to sing along to at a bar, and both donned sparkly suit jackets to pull the whole affair off. With plenty of bongos, cowbell, keyboard and drums, it’s Dave, obviously, who takes on the signature role of Barry, while interstitial clips show him playing the drums, too. It’s just more musical fun with these pair who can pull off covers most people dream of accomplishing with a little tinsel, a keyboard, and a drum kit. Watch above.

Candace Parker is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and will go down as one of the best of all time in women’s basketball. Parker led the Chicago Sky to its first championship in her first season in her hometown, giving her a pair of WNBA titles to go along with two league MVP awards, a DPOY, six first team All-WNBA honors, and three second-team selections.

However, Parker has been somewhat conspicuously left off of USA Basketball rosters since winning her second Olympic gold medal in 2012. While USA Basketball has a robust player pool to select from on the women’s side, Parker’s absence has raised eyebrows and led to many a theory about why that was, with many placing the blame on the UConn contingent that has long held power within USA hoops. Huskies coach Geno Auriemma was the long-time coach before Dawn Staley took over this past Olympics, and the Tennessee-UConn rivalry made for a rather easy explanation.

Parker herself subscribes to that theory as to why she hasn’t made a team since 2012, speaking with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks on Tuesday about her USA Basketball experience and explaining how it very clearly had nothing to do with her on-court performance.

As long as you have prominent coaches at the helm of USA Basketball, there will always be some question of fairness in selections, but Parker’s point is particularly compelling. She notes that part of her frustration comes from the fact that no one would really tell her a real reason for her being left off, as she knows it has to be for some fit concerns but because they’ve never been addressed with her while she dominated on the floor, it could never even be something she tried to adjust.

Parker isn’t alone in feeling excluded by the politics of USA Basketball, as Nneka Ogwumike was snubbed from this year’s squad despite being a reigning MVP and the leader of USA hoops in the run-up to the Olympics last year before things got shut down. Parker voiced her support for Ogwumike after being left off, noting the similarity to their situation, and it seems there is some serious work to be done by USA Basketball to mend fences if they are to change the frustrations players feel towards the selection process.

Though Lorde’s Solar Power album and the self-titled lead single that kicked it off didn’t necessarily become critic favorites this year, within the industry, plenty of artists have tried their hand at the song. Griff did a cover of it as part of her Spotify Singles release earlier this year and now the massive UK indie-pop band Glass Animals have also tried their hand at a rendition. Following up a pretty massive Grammy nomination in the Best New Artist category, Glass Animals just finished up a massive live tour, so this is a nice end cap for fans who might’ve missed a live show.

As part of a visit to the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, where every visiting band offers up a live cover for fans, Dave Bayley and his crew turned the breathy, ’70s-inspired anthem into a much glitchier thing. Since electronic pop music is kind of their thing — and used to be Lorde’s — their version makes perfect sense. But what made the whole thing even better? The soulful backup singers that the band brought into the studio to help flesh out their more upbeat version. Tackling it at a slightly different speed, Bayley’s signature falsetto sounded great flanked by the female vocalists who were singing harmonies. Check out the Glass Animals version of “Solar Power” above.

While you might not be able to enter the Matrix, you can enter a Denny’s… and that’s kind of the next coolest thing, right? Right. And hey, stopping by American’s favorite 24-hour breakfast spot has just gotten even better since the chain has entered into a new, limited-time partnership with Warner Bros. in anticipation of The Matrix Resurrections, the newest entry in the long-running Matrix saga.

The promotion began, quite fittingly, on Cyber Monday (November 29) and is scheduled to run through January 4, 2022. According to Denny’s, the partnership largely impacts Denny’s Rewards members, who will be transported to a “real-life Matrix” when they log into their account filled with personalized “glitches,” resulting in major savings and exclusive offers.

“There’s a glitch in the Matrix… and it’s impacting Denny’s Rewards Members. Receive offers like free drinks, special discounts and more as a Denny’s Rewards member while the glitch lasts.”

In addition to a five-week period of free menu items and other discounts, the partnership also includes a two-week window of free deliveries with all orders over $5. That promotion is scheduled to run until December 12, and is valid only through Denny’s mobile app.

For people more into bullet-dodging than eggs benedict, The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters and HBO Max December 22, and features returning cast members Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss as well as series’ newcomers Neil Patrick Harris, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Priyanka Chopra.

While actors are certainly accustomed to a fair amount of violence and drama thanks to their line of work, it feels pretty safe to say nothing can prepare you for what happens when the stakes are real. This is a lesson The Hangover and Silver Linings Playbook star Bradley Cooper unfortunately learned when he was reportedly “held up at knifepoint” in New York City two years ago. Cooper opened up about the terrifying incident in a recent episode of Dax Shepard‘s podcast, Armchair Expert, revealing for the first time the details of exactly what happened back in October 2019 (via Mediate).

According to Cooper, the assault happened while he was on his way to pick up his daughter from school. The actor said he was waiting at a New York City subway station listening to music when he noticed a person was approaching him, however he quickly dismissed the behavior as a fan approaching him for a photo — until he noticed they were clutching a knife.

“I realized I had gotten way, way too comfortable in the city,” Cooper admitted. “My guard was down.”

After noticing the weapon, Cooper said he looked up at his assailant and was “taken” by how young they were. He then proceeded to describe the whole encounter as something out of a movie, citing The French Connection and light-heartedly adding in “the whole thing was scored” by the music playing from his headphones. Thankfully — and in spite of how surreal the situation was — Cooper was somehow able to literally jump into action, and even managed to snap a few photos of his attacker.

“I just started booking, just started running,” he recalled. “I jumped over the turnstile, hid around the white, tiled entrance to the subway, took my phone out. [The suspect] jumped over, running away. I took a photo of him. Then I chased him up the stairs. He started running up 7th Avenue. I took two more photographs of him.”

Cooper said that he then showed the pictures he took to a group of New York City Police officers, one of which asked the actor to check if he had been stabbed since some people are too in shock to realize. Luckily for Cooper, he escaped scathe-free and was able to get back on the subway to pick up his daughter.

“It was crazy,” he told Shepard.

In a new interview with Fox Nation, former Donald Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany revealed the divine inspiration she received before holding her first press briefing with the White House press corps. According to McEnany, she was so nervous that she found herself crying in the bathroom where she began to pray and allegedly received the calm touch of Jesus, who prepped her to spout Trump talking points in front of the whole world. Via Ron Filipkowski on Twitter:

“I was a wreck, I was crying .. I got down on my knees in the bathroom and I prayed. All of the sudden, when I took the podium, all those tears had melted away and I had this total serenity that was only made possible because of Christ.”

Considering who McEnany worked for and the numerous falsehoods she told in service to that administration, and continued to tell while making the inevitable jump to Fox News, there was plenty of eye-rolling on social media as people asked if she’s seriously trying to say that Jesus told her to lie for Donald Trump. It also doesn’t help that McEnany was so ensconced in Trump’s efforts to undermine the 2020 election that she’s been subpoenaed by the January 6 select committee. It’s not exactly a sterling reference for the Almighty, as Twitter observed.

(Via Ron Filipkowski on Twitter)