Month: February 2022

The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke recently revealed that part of the animated Diabolical spinoff (which he is executive producing) would be canon, and I sure hope that includes the moments in this Vought-A-Burger themed teaser where three Homelanders show up, all excited about their hamburgers, and then they make out with each other. After all, the show rolled out of Season 2 with a super raunchy Homelander scene for the ages.

In addition, we previously saw Homelander attempt to seduce himself (it was actually Doppleganger) in a wild scene where you could see Homelander’s faint recognition that he was, indeed, attracted to himself but resisted, tearing off his own head. It’s good to see that (at least in Diabolical, and Homelander actor Antony Starr is part of the voice cast) he’s finally surrendered to his own narcissism, which every other member of The Seven already knew about in spades.

The Boys diabolical will be highly bingeable, given that it drops the entire season of 8 mini-episodes at once. Here’s info from an Amazon press release on the voice cast:

The Vought-A-Burger themed teaser introduces some of the characters featured in the anthology series. Among the voice cast revealed are Awkwafina, Michael Cera, Don Cheadle, Chace Crawford, Kieran Culkin, Giancarlo Esposito, Eliot Glazer, Jason Isaacs, Kumail Nanjiani, Justin Roiland, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Ben Schwartz, Elisabeth Shue, Christian Slater, Kevin Smith, Antony Starr, Nasim Pedrad, Simon Pegg, Kenan Thompson, Aisha Tyler, and Oscar-winner Youn Yuh Jung. Additional names will be revealed at a later date.

Diabolical will at least partially tide people over until the June 3 premiere of The Boys Season 3. One should expect this animated series to be at least as graphic as the live-action O.G. version that positioned for an Emmy nod with this whale of a clip.

The Boys: Diabolical will debut on March 4.

Nicki Minaj has come a long way since I wrote about her need to collaborate with the generation of young female rappers she helped inspire. Although she had her issues with the then-emerging Cardi B and recently complained that younger female rappers “can’t take criticism,” spurring some fans to remind her to check her mirror once in a while, she did collaborate with rising star Doja Cat on the latter’s hit single “Say So,” leading to Nicki’s first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

However, Nicki still has high expectations from the younger generation and drew a line in the sand on potentially collaborating with one up-and-coming group specifically in a recent interview. Appearing on The Morning Hustle, a syndicated, urban news-and-talk radio show this week, Nicki shot down the possibility of any future collaborations with Miami scam rap duo City Girls. Using the example of a dinner invite, she says that after some shady comments by City Girls, she wouldn’t sit down to dinner with someone who didn’t like her. “It’s let go,” she asserted, “But why would I work with someone who doesn’t like me?”

A few fans confused by Nicki’s assertion wondered about what City Girls could have said to give her that impression, but screenshots are forever, and judging from the saved tweets that appeared in the replies on the above video, it doesn’t look like JT minced words one bit. “I just don’t like Nicki,” she tweeted back in 2017. “She feel she really run sh*t. Hoe, please, I want Cardi to take completely over. Push that bitch to the back.” For what it’s worth, that’s more or less what happened; since that tweet, Cardi did go on to become the first female rapper with multiple No. 1 records to her name. While Nicki has sort of caught up, these days, she makes more headlines for her scandals than her music. Hopefully, that changes Friday with the release of her new single featuring Lil Baby. And hey, there’s always the potential for her to do that Verzuz battle and remind people of her legacy.

The Sacramento Kings have the NBA’s longest playoff drought. Sacramento hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2005-06 season and, while some seasons have been better than others, the Kings haven’t posted even a .500 record in any regular season over a 15-year period. There is a separate debate on whether simple inclusion in the NBA’s play-in tournament would “break the drought” for the Kings but, at times this season, Sacramento was in a reasonable position to finish in the top-10 of the weakened Western Conference.

However, the Kings currently have the NBA’s longest losing streak, falling in the last seven games. That drops Sacramento to an unsightly 18-34 for the season and, in the last seven games, the Kings have a -15.7 net rating with a hideous 122.8 defensive rating to boot. Taking it back a step further, the Kings are just 2-12 in the last 14 games. Injuries and absences can explain some of that downturn, but each key piece — De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes — has played in at least half of the 14 games.

If there was a concern with the Kings coming into the season, it was the defensive end after Sacramento finished dead-last in the NBA in defensive rating a season ago. Things have been slightly better on that end, with the Kings giving up 114.2 points per 100 possessions in 2021-22, but the offense has taken a severe dip to 108.8 points per 100 possessions. The offensive downturn is arguably a more glaring concern given the roster construction in Sacramento, but the two-way mess is undeniable at this stage.

All hope isn’t lost for the Kings, largely because the play-in exists. Sacramento is only 3.5 games out of the No. 10 spot, even when acknowledging the Kings are No. 13 in the Western Conference right now. Interim head coach Alvin Gentry clearly isn’t having any fun, but the Kings are also a potential player on the trade market, even after word broke that they are “out” of any Ben Simmons pursuit. The roster may not look the same in a couple of weeks but, at present, it is easy to understanding overwhelming frustration from Kings fans, as a once-promising campaign has been derailed into a familiar abyss.

Where do the Kings rank in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s take a glance.

1. Phoenix Suns (41-9, Last week — 1st)

Phoenix hasn’t lost since Jan. 8, winning 11 straight games, and the Suns have exactly one loss in 2022. That seems pretty clear-cut in terms of earning the No. 1 spot, especially considering Deandre Ayton has missed 13 of the last 18 games.

2. Golden State Warriors (39-13, Last week — 2nd)

The Warriors are on a seven-game winning streak, even with Draymond Green out for the entire run. Golden State even won without Stephen Curry on Tuesday, executing a comeback victory in San Antonio. Keeping the Warriors at No. 2 is a no-brainer.

3. Philadelphia 76ers (31-19, Last week — 9th)

Philadelphia has the longest winning streak in the East, picking up five victories in a row. Four of the wins came at home, perhaps taking away some luster, but the Sixers topped the Grizzlies on Monday without Joel Embiid to earn the nod here. The jury is still out on just how good Philadelphia is with the Ben Simmons-sized hole on the roster, but as of today, the Sixers are No. 3 in the East standings and top ten in the NBA in net rating.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (35-18, Last week — 3rd)

It’s not as if the loss to the Embiid-less Sixers was great, but it shouldn’t concern anyone. Memphis is 16-4 in the last 20 games, rattling off a +6.1 net rating since Christmas. Ja Morant and company also have a nationally televised game at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday to help spread the word about this highly entertaining and effective squad.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (31-20, Last week — 5th)

Cleveland is 9-2 in the last 11 games, including a win without Darius Garland on Monday. The Cavs did lose the Pistons this weekend, which isn’t great, but Cleveland has the best recent profile of any East team other than Philadelphia.

6. Chicago Bulls (32-18, Last week — 12th)

Following a pretty ugly period that was facilitated by a shorthanded roster, the Bulls are back on their feet. Chicago is 4-1 in the last five games and, even if the schedule was pretty favorable, the Bulls sit atop the East through the first 50 contests.

7. Denver Nuggets (28-22, Last week — 13th)

If not for a pretty shaky loss on Tuesday, the Nuggets might’ve cracked the top five this week. Denver won five in a row before falling flat against Minnesota, and that included road wins against Brooklyn and Milwaukee. In fact, the Nuggets absolutely hammered the Bucks on Sunday, and Nikola Jokic continues to put together a heck of an MVP defense.

8. Milwaukee Bucks (32-21, Last week — 7th)

Milwaukee has to be behind Denver this week, largely because of the thrashing that happened on Sunday. The Bucks are still in solid shape, though, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is out of his mind, headlined by a 33-point, 15-rebound, 11-assists eruption on Tuesday. Milwaukee still isn’t the same team without Brook Lopez but, when the other key pieces take the floor, the Bucks are tough.

9. Miami Heat (32-20, Last week — 6th)

It’s always a good idea to see who played for Miami on any given night. It’s been that kind of season, and Miami has done an admirable job despite roster challenges. Kyle Lowry is out of the lineup right now, as an example, but the Heat did just lose three in a row to Toronto and Boston.

10. Dallas Mavericks (29-22, Last week — 4th)

Dallas finally cooled off a bit after a very hot stretch. The Mavs lost to the Orlando Magic on Sunday, prompting the drop in the rankings, and Dallas was blasted by Golden State on national television last week. This is still a top-five defensive team in the NBA right now, but the offense has work to do.

11. Brooklyn Nets (29-21, Last week — 11th)

The Nets are 2-7 in the last nine games without Kevin Durant in the lineup, and that includes an active five-game losing streak. Losing to Golden State and Phoenix on the road isn’t a disaster, but with James Harden also banged up recently and Kyrie Irving playing part time, the Nets are regularly vulnerable.

12. Boston Celtics (27-25, Last week — 15th)

January was an objectively positive month for the Celtics, with Boston posting a 10-6 record. Amusingly, though, the Celtics ended up leading the East in net rating (+9.2) during the month, based heavily on three blowout wins. Those victories may not be predictive, but they count all the same.

13. Toronto Raptors (26-23, Last week — 17th)

The Raptors are 12-6 in the last 18 games, including three very intriguing wins this week. Toronto just beat the Heat, Hawks, and Heat (again) in succession, with Gary Trent Jr. exceeding 30 points in five straight games. The Raptors still have a very odd statistical profile, but it’s working.

14. Utah Jazz (30-21, Last week — 8th)

It is almost unthinkable that this Jazz team could be 2-11 over a 13-game sample, but it just happened. Injury absences are major factors, and that is clear, but Utah can’t stop anyone when Rudy Gobert is off the floor and they lost Joe Ingles to a season-ending injury this week on top of everything else.

15. Atlanta Hawks (24-26, Last week — 16th)

Atlanta’s winning streak came to an end on Monday, but not in a way that should remove any shine from the suddenly intriguing Hawks. The Hawks were competitive in a loss to Toronto on the second night of a back-to-back, and Trae Young missed that game with a shoulder issue. Provided he returns in the near future, the Hawks are in a favorable position ahead of a nationally televised showdown with Phoenix on Thursday.

16. Minnesota Timberwolves (26-25, Last week — 14th)

It was “only” a 2-2 week for Minnesota, but context is king in providing a positive takeaway. Minnesota lost road games to Phoenix and Golden State, which isn’t exactly shameful. From there, the Wolves just beat the Jazz and Nuggets at home by 35 combined points. That’s pretty solid.

17. L.A. Clippers (26-27, Last week — 20th)

The Clippers finished 4-4 on a marathon eight-game road trip. The end result of a loss to Indiana in lopsided fashion wasn’t great, but that wasn’t a shock on the second night of a back-to-back with travel. L.A. is hanging around despite an available roster that isn’t blowing anyone away.

18. Charlotte Hornets (28-23, Last week — 10th)

Charlotte is still No. 7 in the East and in solid shape. The Hornets lost three games over the course of eight days, though, and that was punctuated by a 25-point home loss to the Clippers on Sunday. Wednesday’s road tilt against Boston should be quite interesting.

19. New York Knicks (24-27, Last week — 21st)

The Knicks are a half-game out of the play-in, and it is possible the next six games could determine New York’s fate. After a nationally televised home game against Memphis on Wednesday, the Knicks have a five-game road trip with matchups against the Lakers, Jazz, Nuggets, Warriors, and Blazers. That is a big test.

20. Los Angeles Lakers (24-27, Last week — 18th)

The Lakers closed a road trip with three straight losses, but the worst part was LeBron James being forced to return to Los Angeles early with a knee issue. It goes without saying that the Lakers can’t approach their goals unless LeBron is right, but his absence adds to an ongoing morass in Los Angeles.

21. San Antonio Spurs (19-33, Last week — 24th)

At this point in the rankings, a team can move up when going 1-3 in a week. The Spurs just did that, but all three losses came by single digits to the Grizzlies, Suns and Warriors.

22. Portland Trail Blazers (21-30, Last week — 19th)

Damian Lillard didn’t play a single game in January and the Blazers went 8-8. Honestly, that is impressive on the whole, but Portland closed the month with a 1-4 slide. The Blazers do have five home games in a row beginning Friday, and they’ll need to make a run.

23. New Orleans Pelicans (19-32, Last week — 23rd)

Before winning a road game in Detroit on Tuesday, the Pelicans lost four in a row. To be fair, those defeats came against playoff-caliber teams, but New Orleans gave some of its progress back in the standings. They’re still only two games out of the play-in, which is wild after the slow start.

24. Indiana Pacers (19-33, Last week — 25th)

Indiana gave up 158 (!) points in regulation this week, losing by a million to the Hornets. To the Pacers’ credit, they bounced back with two wins in the next three games, but those victories were sandwiched around a 27-point loss in Dallas.

25. Washington Wizards (23-27, Last week — 22nd)

Bradley Beal is going to miss some time with a wrist issue, and things are spiraling for the Wizards. Washington is on a six-game losing streak and, even if road losses to Milwaukee and Memphis are largely expected, the Wizards dropped four in a row at home before that. The Wizards will wake up on Wednesday as the No. 12 team in the East, and that is quite a drop.

26. Orlando Magic (11-41, Last week — 30th)

The Magic just had their best five-game stretch of the season. Orlando is 3-2 in the last five, including wins over Dallas and Chicago, and the Magic were competitive on the road against the Bulls on Tuesday. It’s been encouraging to see the Magic in a form closer to what was originally intended.

27. Sacramento Kings (18-34, Last week — 26th)

As covered above, the Kings are in a tailspin. The schedule lets up a bit later this week, but not before a back-to-back against Brooklyn and Golden State on Wednesday and Thursday. Yikes.

28. Detroit Pistons (12-38, Last week — 28th)

The Pistons picked up a nice win over Cleveland on Sunday and threatened the Pelicans, at least for a while, on Tuesday. Cade Cunningham posted his second career triple-double in the win over the Cavaliers and, while Detroit’s lows are pretty low, there is reason for future-facing optimism.

29. Oklahoma City Thunder (15-34, Last week — 29th)

A win over the Blazers on Monday keeps the Thunder out of the basement. Oklahoma City lost 12 of the previous 13 games, and the Thunder have the worst record in the NBA since the calendar flipped to 2022.

30. Houston Rockets (14-36, Last week — 27th)

The last 20 games paint a rather ugly picture for the Rockets. Houston has some talent, including a very intriguing trade chip in Eric Gordon, but the Rockets are 4-16 in the last 20 games. That includes the league’s worst net rating (-11.8) and defensive rating (120.9) over that sample, and the Rockets have lost four in a row at the time of this post.

WARNING: Spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett below.

When last week’s Chapter 5 of The Book of Boba Fett ended, Mando (Pedro Pascal) told Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) he’d return to help Boba Fett in his war against the Pyke Syndicate after he goes to check on Grogu, who was last seen leaving with Luke Skywalker (an unholy CGI creation) in The Mandalorian Season 2 finale. Most fans just assumed that Mando’s reunion with Grogu would get punted until The Mandalorian officially returns, so imagine their surprise when this week’s Chapter 6 kept the story delivered the little green guy.

Picking up where Chapter 5 left off, Mando flies his new ship to the planet where Grogu is training with Luke, who’s also hard at work building a new Jedi Temple. However, while Grogu is seen adorably training to be a Jedi, he does not reunite with Mando. After being advised by Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) that seeing Grogu would make his training even harder, Mando leaves behind the Mandalorian armor he hoped to personally deliver and heads back to help Boba Fett on Tatooine.

Despite getting all the feels from Mando being so close to Grogu, but never getting to hold him, Star Wars fans still lost their mind over seeing the tiny show-stealer again.

Here are only some of the reactions pouring in:

The Book of Boba Fett is currently streaming on Disney+.

Odell Beckham Jr. made his return to the field on Sept. 26, 2021 in Cincinnati, 11 months after suffering a torn ACL. He registered five catches for 77 yards and got one rushing attempt for 10 yards, a promising return that figured to help open up the Cleveland Browns’ offensive playbook.

Those 87 combined yards proved to be the high mark for Beckham with the Browns in 2021, as frustrations mounted over the next five weeks, peaking in a 15-10 loss to the Steelers in which the star receiver had one catch for six yards. Two days after that loss, Odell Beckham Sr. made headlines when he posted a video — not one that he made, but a fan had weeks prior — showing Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield regularly missing his son running open. Beckham was excused from practice the next two days, and that Friday, word emerged that he was being released, although that wouldn’t become official until early the next week.

At that point, Beckham had 17 catches on 34 targets for 232 yards and no touchdowns with 14 rushing yards on two carries in six games for the Browns. The former Pro Bowl selection desperately was in need of a new home where he could hopefully reclaim his status as a productive NFL receiver, much less one of its best. With the receiver position as flooded with talent as it ever has been, Beckham needed to find a team that needed a receiver and ran an offense that would allow him to do what he does best: stretch the field vertically and be a red zone threat.

After debating between joining the Packers and the Rams, Beckham ended up in Los Angeles, which suddenly found themselves with a need at receiver when Robert Woods suffered a torn ACL that same week. In eight games with the Rams during the regular season, Beckham steadily built up a rapport with Matthew Stafford that, while not always consistent, showed that he still had some juice and could be a nice complement to Cooper Kupp. Beckham had 27 catches on 48 targets for 305 yards in the regular season, but was finally back to being used as a regular red zone target with five touchdowns. Across 29 games in three seasons with Cleveland, he found the end zone seven times.

Thus far in the postseason, Beckham has been the clear No. 2 target for Stafford, who still looks to Kupp first but has clearly become comfortable with his midseason addition. In the three playoff games so far, Beckham has 19 catches for 236 yards and a touchdown and had his biggest day in the Rams’ comeback against the Niners, with nine catches for 113 yards. It was something we hadn’t seen in a minute: Odell Beckham Jr., playing football with the ease and explosiveness that took the league by storm in New York.

Player fit — in a system, culture, and team hierarchy — is so hard to assess from the outside that it’s often overlooked when discussing an individual’s success or failure, but Beckham’s season is as good an example of its importance as there is. The Rams deserve credit for embracing his best qualities and not asking him to replace Woods by taking on his role and running a bunch of crossers, option routes, and pivots, but instead using him as the vertical threat opposite Kupp, one that stretches defenses, occupies safeties over the top, and works deep comebacks, posts, and drive concepts to take advantage of how DBs have to give him cushion and respect his speed. Beckham deserves credit for being, by all accounts, patient with his role and putting in the work to get up to speed with the offense and build the needed rhythm with Stafford for it all to work.

The result has been a steady integration into the Rams offense that is culminating in a terrific playoff run, and in the time-honored tradition of the NFL, as production increases for a star receiver, the diva talk has faded away.

Billie Eilish is known for many things when it comes to her music, like sweeping the Grammys with her debut album. And when it comes to her unique style, she’s known for spicing up her hair with vibrant colors. During much of her When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? era, Eilish sported her signature neon green roots. But upon announcing her sophomore Happier Than Ever release, she debuted a platinum blonde bob. The blonde didn’t last long, as one can imagine the upkeep, but Eilish has already changed her hair yet again.

The singer shared her new look on her Instagram page, and this time the change was much less drastic. The singer previously sported a dark brown bob, a color which only lasted about two months before she decided to take her hair in a slightly darker direction. Eilish posted a new selfie which showed she dyed her hair a jet-black color, matching the mask she’s wearing on an airplane.

The singer captioned the image with a simple black square, but she gave another look at her new hair on her Instagram Stories. “Did you miss me?” she wrote on a selfie showing off a cute pigtails.

Eilish’s hair changes usually means a new project is on the way. Other than hosting and performing on SNL, her brunette hair didn’t bring new music. But if a recent Instagram post is any indication, Eilish is planning on making an announcement this upcoming Friday — just days after debuting her new jet-black look.

Check out Eilish’s new haircut above.

You probably haven’t thought about The Legend of Tarzan, the one with Alexander Skarsgård and Margot Robbie, since it came out in 2016, if you thought about it all. But here’s a reminder of what Skarsgård looked like as Tarzan. Not too shabby — and all it took was two-a-day workouts, a 6,000 calorie diet, “and not a drop of alcohol.”

Impressively, Skarsgård got even more ripped to play a Viking warrior in The Northman. “The amount of discipline that Alex put into this role is crazy,” director Robert Eggers told Total Film. “He transformed his body more wildly than he did in Tarzan.”

Now that filming has been completed, Skarsgård can relax with a good book.

Eggers was “utterly terrified” to make The Northman, the third film in his “The” trilogy after The Witch and The Lighthouse. “But it’s a major privilege to be able to do something like this. It’s been exciting. The studio let me use all my head of departments from my last two films, and I was able to work with the top Viking historians in the world, which was incredible.”

The Northman, which also stars Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe, opens on April 22.

(Via Total Film)

Madison Cawthorn just can’t get out of his own way. The North Carolina congressman has been in office for just a little over a year now and has already become a household name, and most definitely not for any good reasons—unless you count setting a record for most votes missed by a newbie congressperson to be a positive. After 13 months of nothing but damning lies, conspiracy theories, siding with insurrectionists, fighting with fellow lawmakers, and marrying (then quickly divorcing) a woman who might very well be a Russian spy, the state of North Carolina has had enough of Cawthorn. And now he’s apparently had enough of them, too.

Given his already-polarizing tenure, a group of North Carolinians have been pressuring state officials over the legitimacy of Cawthorn’s ability to run for a second term in office. As the AP reports, they’ve pointed to many ways in which the 26-year-old has violated the 14th Amendment, which states that no one “who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same.”

As Politico reports, Cawthorn—perhaps not thinking all that clearly about the optics of it all—decided that the best way to respond to these voters (a.k.a. his constituents) would be to [checks note] sue the state! On January 10th, nearly a dozen voters filed a formal challenge to Cawthorn’s candidacy for reelection.

As Politico writes:

Cawthorn’s lawsuit, filed on Monday, denies that he participated in an “insurrection or rebellion” and maintains he is eligible to run for office under state law. The lawsuit also disputes the assertion that under the 14th Amendment he is ineligible for candidacy because of his involvement in a Jan. 6 rally.

“Running for political office is quintessential First Amendment activity and afforded great protection,” Cawthorn’s lawsuit read.

Suing the state you hope to continue representing is certainly an unusual political tactic. Only time will tell how it works out for him.

(Via Politico)

To be very clear here: both Lily James and Sebastian Stan are phenomenal in the gloriously trashy Pam & Tommy on Hulu. The show takes viewers back to the days of the fledgling Internet, where it was practically unheard of for a newlywed couple’s stolen sex tape to be viewed by the masses, all at the click of a few buttons. This was a devastating development for them, and especially for Pam, and it all happened due to disgruntled contractor Rand Gauthier doing a truly bad thing and two men attempting to settle a beef while a woman’s agency transformed into collateral damage.

The show, however, does a fine job of toeing the line of being serious when appropriate but otherwise being a blast. Pamela Anderson did not co-sign this limited series that dramatizes and imagines what came after Gauthier’s heist, but the masses are already watching the first three episodes on release day. And while Lily’s receiving mad respect and accolades from critics, Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier fans were ready for this dumpster fire with Community-styled anticipation.

Sebastian’s Tommy is nearly as skeevy-hot as the original. And people were captivated by two key moments so far, including, well, this gross display of him licking Pam’s face upon their first meeting.

Clearly and as one Twitter user noted, Sebastian relishes “playing complete a**holes,” which he definitely does during MCU downtime. Not only did he play the corrupt sheriff in Devil All The Time and Jeff Gillooly in I, Tonya to a tee, but now, he’s having so much fun as the baddest dude in rock ‘n’ roll.

However, the other moment that people can’t stop watching is a doozy. Yep, we’re talking about the animatronic penis voiced by Jason Mantzoukas. No one can cope.

Again, these are early moments as people gobble up episodes, so expect more wildness in the coming weeks. In the meantime, let’s rock out.

‘Pam & Tommy’ is currently streaming three episodes on Hulu.

Atlanta R&B singer Summer Walker ended 2021 on a high note, releasing her second studio album Still Over It and watching it debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the first album from a female R&B singer to do so in five years. In 2022, it looks like she wants to get a fresh start, which she did by following the time-honored tradition of acquiring a radical new hairstyle. Naturally, once she debuted it on social media, fans had thoughts, jokes, memes, and expressions of both horror and praise.

As you can see, the singer went for a high queue, shaving the majority of her hair off and leaving enough for a ponytail of braids. Declaring that she “legit wanted this hairstyle my whole life,” she popped several photos from different angles on her Instagram, opening the floodgates for fans’ comments. One of the more positive reactions on Twitter read, “One thing about Summer Walker… shawty gone do whatever the hell she want to. Hate it or love it, I gotta respect it. I love seeing black folks with agency. Even when we make think it’s ridiculous, as long as no one is harmed, do your thing.”

However, others found some comedic value in the unusual cut, comparing her to pop culture figures who’ve worn the style over the years including the sub-boss Goro from the Mortal Kombat video game franchise and the disgraced prince Zuko from the animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. It seems that whether fans approve or not, Summer Walker will keep giving them reasons to talk in 2022. She also has more room for tattoos now, so don’t be surprised if she pops up with some new ones in the available space. Check out more fan reactions below.