At this point, the GOP has been in bed with Herschel Walker for far too long to abandon their support of the wannabe Georgia senator now. Put a gun to his wife’s head? Sure, he’s done it. But brushed it off as something that happened more than 15 years ago, then invoked Jesus. Now, amidst revelations that the fiercely anti-abortion advocate may have paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion — with a check, inside a thoughtful get-well card — Republicans are doubling down on their backing of the former football player, and Jimmy Kimmel, for one, is amused by how Walker’s supporters are trying to spin this story.
On Wednesday night, Kimmel shared how some of the Republican party’s most prominent leaders are finding a way to defend Walker’s continued bad behavior. Donald Trump decided to re-point the finger at Walker’s opponent, Raphael Warnock, saying that he has “heard many horrible things” about the incumbent senator, then played coy describing these “things” as so horrible that “nobody should be talking about them — so we don’t.” (Because if ever there was a man not to blab about something, it’s definitely Trump.)
The stakes of Walker’s campaign are high, Kimmel explained, as “losing a seat in Georgia could cost the Republicans control of the Senate. So now all the bastions of family values are coming to Herschel’s defense.” But it was former congressman and one-time Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich’s response in particular that really amused Kimmel.
While appearing on Fox News, Gingrich described Walker as “a remarkable person” and “the most important senate candidate in the country, cause he’ll do more to change the Senate just by the sheer presence — by his confidence, by his deep commitment to Christ.” As for those abortion rumors? Listen, nobody’s perfect. And, as Gingrich explained, Walker “had a lot of concussions coming out of football.”
“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard the ‘our candidate has brain damage’ defense,” Kimmel admitted. But he seemed to agree that concussions are a nasty business and, sure, “sometimes they can cause abortions.”
You can watch the full clip above, beginning around the 5:30 mark.
As much as we’d like to pretend every phrase we utter is a lone star suspended in the space of our own genius, all language has a history. Unfortunately, given humanity’s aptitude for treating each other like shit, etymology is fraught with reminders of our very racist world.
Since I have faith that most of you reading want to navigate the world with intelligence and empathy, I figured it’d be useful to share some of the everyday phrases rooted in racist etymology.
Knowledge is power, and the way we use and contextualize our words can make a huge difference in the atmospheres we create.
1. Thug
According to Meriam-Webster’s dictionary definition, a thug is “a violent criminal.” Obviously, this definition leaves the word open to define people of all ethnicities.
When you consider the people who are called thugs — groups of black protesters, victims of racist violence, teenagers minding their own business, and flip the racial element, you’d be hard-pressed to find examples of white people being called thugs in earnest by the media (or really by anyone).
let me get this straight. Marshawn Lynch is “thug” because he doesn’t talk enough, & Richard Sherman is a “thug” because he talks too much?
— Coach Ray Hubbard (@Coach Ray Hubbard) 1422371279
“The reason it bothers me is because it seems like it’s an accepted way of calling somebody the N-word now. It’s like everybody else said the N-word and then they say ‘thug’ and that’s fine. It kind of takes me aback and it’s kind of disappointing because they know,” Sherman said.
If a 1400 SAT score and a degree from Stanford makes you a “thug” then I want my kids to be thugs. @RSherman_25pic.twitter.com/MWuWWPNSWh
If you’re talking about an actual criminal, there are so many descriptive words to invoke besides “thug.” Given its current use as a negative, racially-coded word, avoiding its use seems like an easy and obvious move.
2. Grandfather Clause
When most of us hear the term “grandfather clause” we just think of the generalized description: a person or entity that is allowed to continue operating over now expired rules. But the literal meaning reveals the “grandfather clause” was a racist post-Reconstruction political strategy.
“Grandfather clause, statutory or constitutional device enacted by seven Southern states between 1895 and 1910 to deny suffrage to African Americans. It provided that those who had enjoyed the right to vote prior to 1866 or 1867, or their lineal descendants, would be exempt from educational, property, or tax requirements for voting. Because the former slaves had not been granted the franchise until the adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870, those clauses worked effectively to exclude black people from the vote but assured the franchise to many impoverished and illiterate whites.”
In modern speak, this basically meant the Grandfather Clause let white people off the hook for new voting requirements because their ancestors were already registered voters. Meanwhile, black people were required to fill out impossible literacy tests and pay exorbitant poll taxes to vote. This in turn, meant many black people were unable to vote, while white people weren’t held to the same standard.
3. Gypsy or “Gyp”
The word “Gypsy” was (and is) a racial slur referring to the Roma people. The Roma people are descendants of Northern India who, due to severe marginalization and threats of violence by others, lived a nomadic lifestyle of forced migration for centuries.
During a fraught history, Roma people were taken as slaves in Romania and were targeted for genocide by the Nazis.
The word “Gypsy” is a slang word perpetuating stereotypes of Roma people as “thieves, rowdies, dirty, immoral, con-men, asocials, and work-shy” according to the Council of Europe.
In a similar vein, the term “Gyp” or “getting gypped” means to cheat or get conned, and many connect this meaning as another racist extension of Gypsy.
4. No Can Do
The saying u201cno can dou201d and u201clong time no seeu201d came from Westerners mocking Chinese immigrants https://twitter.com/trashyewest/status/995768305003610112u00a0u2026
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the very common phrase “no can do” was originally made popular as a way to make fun of Chinese immigrants.
“The widespread use of the phrase in English today has obscured its origin: what might seem like folksy, abbreviated version of I can’t do it is actually an imitation of Chinese Pidgin English. The phrase dates from the mid-19th to early-20th centuries, an era when Western attitudes towards the Chinese were markedly racist.”
5. Sold Down The River
“The phrase ‘sold down the river’ came from Louisville, Kentucky, where the enslaved were traded in one of the largest slave markets of the 19th century.”https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/02/louisville-confronts-its-redlining-past-and-present/517125/?utm_source=twbu00a0u2026
Upon first hearing, many people associate the phrase “sold down the river” with the notion of being betrayed, lied to, or otherwise screwed over. While these definitions all technically apply to the origin, the root of this phrase is much more bleak.
According to a report from NPR, being “sold down the river” was a literal reference to slavery, and the families that were torn apart in the south.
“River” was a literal reference to the Mississippi or Ohio rivers. For much of the first half of the 19th century, Louisville, Ky., was one of the largest slave-trading marketplaces in the country. Slaves would be taken to Louisville to be “sold down the river” and transported to the cotton plantations in states further south.
This heavy connotation sadly makes sense, but also makes casual use of the phrase feel way more cringe-inducing.
6. Welfare Queen
The GOP argument on Obamacare has more than a whiff of Reagan-era racial “welfare queen” politics —> http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/a-brutal-translation-of-the-disincentive-to-work-20140206u00a0u2026
This straw woman in Reagan’s campaign served as a racially-charged exaggeration of one minor case of real welfare fraud used to pedal his platform for welfare reform.
Needless to say, the term has sadly lived on as a racially-charged vehicle used to undermine the importance of welfare programs, while peddling gross stereotypes about black women.
On top of all the other offenses, this stereotype is of course ignoring the fact that poor white Americans receive the most welfare out of any economically-disadvantaged demographic.
7. Shuck And Jive
Obama’s Shuck and Jive Ends With Benghazi Lies http://fb.me/1m3q5c2IR
“The fact that black slaves sang and shouted gleefully during corn-shucking season, and this behavior, along with lying and teasing, became a part of the protective and evasive behavior normally adopted towards white people in ‘ traditional’ race relations.”
Likewise, the modern usage of this phrase refers to pandering, selling out, or instances in which black people go along with racist white people’s wishes. Again, not a phrase to be thrown around lightly.
8. Long Time No See
The very commonly used greeting “long time no see” first became popular as a way to make fun of Native Americans. The phrase was used as a way to mock a traditional greeting exchanged between Native Americans.
“Long Time No See was originally meant as a humorous interpretation of a Native American greeting, used after a prolonged separation. The current earliest citation recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) comes from W.F. Drannan’s book Thirty-one Years on Plains (1901): ‘When we rode up to him [sc. an American Indian] he said: ‘Good mornin. Long time no see you’.”
The act of committing genocide is not limited to human lives, but also translates to a normalized cultural violence. Deconstructing, mocking, and erasing someone’s language contributes to this pattern of colonialism.
9. The Peanut Gallery
Did you know the phrase ‘peanut gallery’ has racist origins?nnIt was the cheapest and worst part of the theater, and the only option for Black attendees. No one wanted to sit in the peanut gallery and today, no one wants to hear from the peanut gallery. #RewriteBHM #BHMpic.twitter.com/vwHHHWLeVP
— Nat’l Urban League (@Nat’l Urban League) 1518542600
Most modern uses of the term “the peanut gallery” is in reference to a group of people who needlessly criticize or mocking another person. However, the historical roots of this term are much more racist and painful.
Originally, this term referred to the balconies in segregated theaters where black people were forced to sit. The nickname “peanut” was given due to the fact that peanuts were introduced to America at the same time as the slave trade. Because of this, there was a connection drawn between black people and peanuts.
10. Uppity
MINORITIES MUST STAND UP TO ABUSE:nKneeling to protest at games is tasteful yet effective. But white owners and racists think blacks are too uppity. n”UppitynWord used by racist old white Southerners to refer to any black person who looks them in the eye.” –URBAN DICTIONARYpic.twitter.com/CrRQJqTyTl
As of now, the word “uppity” is often used as a synonym for “stuck up” or “pretentious” or “conceited.” But the roots of the word are far more specific and racist.
The word Uppity was first used by Southerners to refer to slaves who did not fall into line, or acted as if they “didn’t know their place.”
So, basically, any black person who overtly stood up to racism. Given the heaviness of this origin, it seems best to leave this word at home when looking to describe a pretentious acquaintance.
Sadly, given our ugly history, there are many more words and phrases I could add to this list. In the meantime, hopefully this list is helpful for navigating the racism innate in our language.
It started with a simple, sincere question from a mother of an 11-year-old boy.
An anonymous mother posted a question to Quora, a website where people can ask questions and other people can answer them. This mother wrote:
How do I tell my wonderful 11 year old son, (in a way that won’t tear him down), that the way he has started talking to me (disrespectfully) makes me not want to be around him (I’ve already told him the bad attitude is unacceptable)?
It’s a familiar scenario for those of us who have raised kids into the teen years. Our sweet, snuggly little kids turn into moody middle schoolers seemingly overnight, and sometimes we’re left reeling trying to figure out how to handle their sensitive-yet-insensitive selves.
Jo Eberhardt, a fantasy writer and mother of two from Australia, penned a reply that is so spot on that it keeps repeatedly popping up on social media. When you nail it, you nail it—and this mother nails it.
“Ah, puberty,” she wrote, “It changes our sweet, wonderful little boys into sweet, eye-rolling, angsty, accidentally disrespectful, but still wonderful young proto-men.” Yup.
Eberhardt then described a discussion she had with her 11 1/2 -year-old son when he started going through this stage—a conversation they had in the car, which is usually the best place to have potentially uncomfortable discussions with kids.
She told her son that she’d messed up in the way she’d talked to him about puberty, then explained exactly what was happening in his brain.
“I’ve spent all this time talking to you about the way puberty changes your body,” Eberhardt told her son, “and what to expect as you go through the changes, but I completely forgot to talk to you about what’s going on in your brain right now. Puberty is the time when your brain grows and changes more than at any other time in your life — well, except for when you’re a baby, perhaps. So I really let you down by not preparing you for that. I’m so sorry.“
Her son accepted her apology, then asked why is his brain was changing.
“That’s the amazing thing,” she told him. “Did you know that your brain grew and developed so quickly when you were little that by the time you were about five or six, your brain was almost as big and powerful as an adult’s brain?”
“But here’s the thing,” she continued, “Even though your brain was super powerful, the instructions were for a child’s brain. And all the information about building an adult’s brain was a bit… let’s say fuzzy. So your brain did the best it could, but it didn’t really know what kind of person you were going to be back then, or what shape brain you were going to need.”
“Now we come to puberty,” she went on. “See, puberty is amazing. Not only is your body being transformed from a child’s body to an adult’s body, your brain has to be completely rewritten from a child’s brain to an adult’s brain.”
“That sounds hard,” her son responded.
“Yeah, it is,” Eberhardt replied. “That’s why I wish I’d warned you first. See, it takes a lot of energy to completely rewrite a brain. That’s one of the reasons you get tired quicker at the moment — and that, of course, manifests in you being crankier and less patient than normal.”
Eberhardt paused, then added, “That must be really frustrating for you.”
Her son looked over at her, wiping his eyes. “It is,” he responded. Sometimes I just feel really angry and I don’t know why.”
It’s amazing what happens when we explain to kids the physiological reasons for what they’re going through.
Eberhardt continued, “The other thing is that one of the first parts of your brain that gets super-sized to be like an adult is the amygdala. That’s the part that controls your emotions and your survival instincts. You know how we’ve talked about fight/flight/freeze before, and how sometimes our brains think that being asked to speak in public is the same level of threat as being attacked by a sabre tooth tiger?”
Her son laughed. “Yes. So you have to tell your brain that there’s no sabre tooth tiger to help you calm down.”
“That’s right,” Eberhardt replied. “Well, that’s what the amygdala looks after: sabre tooth tiger warnings and big emotions. So, the thing with puberty is that all of a sudden you’ve got an adult-sized amygdala hitting all your emotion buttons and your sabre-tooth tiger buttons. That must be really hard for you to manage.”
Her son nodded and said, “Sometimes I don’t know why I say the things I do. They just come out, and then I feel bad.”
This is the moment where what a parent says can make or break a kid’s spirit. But Eberhardt handled it with empathy and expertise.
“I know, Sweetheart,” she said before explaining:
“See, the last part of your brain that gets rewritten is right at the front of your head. It’s called the frontal cortex. And that’s the part of your brain that’s good at decision making and understanding consequences. So you’ve got this powerful adult amygdala hitting you with massive emotions, but you’ve still got a fuzzy child frontal cortex that can’t make decisions or understand consequences as quickly as the amygdala wants you to. It pretty much sucks.”
“So it’s not my fault?” her son asked.
“No, it’s puberty’s fault your brain works the way it does,” Eberhardt answered. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not your responsibility to recognise what’s going on and change your actions. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible, either. Your feelings are your feelings, and they’re always okay. But you get to choose your actions. You get to choose what you do with your feelings. And, when you make a mistake, you get to choose to apologise for that mistake and make amends.”
Eberhardt said she then paused for dramatic effect. “That’s how you prove that you’re becoming an adult.”
It’s also remarkable what happens when we empathize and communicate with our kids instead of simply chastising them.
Her son responded with a perfectly understandable and relatable, “Puberty sucks.”
“Puberty absolutely sucks,” Eberhardt responded. “I’m not in your head, but I can only imagine that it’s a mess of confusion and chaos, and you don’t know from one minute to the next how you feel about things.”
Her son looked at her in surprise. “Yes! Exactly!”
“If it’s confusing for you living inside there,” Eberhardt continued, “imagine how confusing it is for me, when I only see your actions.”
“That must be really confusing,” her son agreed.
She nodded. “Do you know what that means?”
“What?”
“It means sometimes I’m going to make mistakes. Sometimes I’m going to get upset at things you do because I don’t understand what’s going on in your head. Sometimes I’m going to forget that you’re halfway to being a man, and accidentally treat you like a child. Sometimes I’m going to expect more from you than you’re able to give. This is my first time parenting someone through puberty, and I’m going to make mistakes. So can I ask you a favour?”
“What is it?”
“Can you just keep telling me what’s going on in your head? The more we talk, the easier it will be for both of us to get through this puberty thing unscathed. Yeah?”
“Yeah,” her son said.
When we let our kids know that we’re going through these various phases together, it’s easier to work with them instead of against them.
Eberhardt said they “had a cuddle” before they got out of the car. She also said this conversation didn’t magically make her son always speak respectfully or make her remember that he’s not a little boy anymore. However, it did open up lines of communication and gave them a shared language to use.
For example, she wrote, “He knows what I mean when I say, ‘Sweetheart, I’m not a sabre tooth tiger.'”
Ebehardt wrapped up her excellent answer by saying that she and her son are “muddling through this crazy puberty thing” together, and that she’s “completely confident that he’ll come out the other end a sweet, wonderful young man.”
It’s always so helpful to see examples of good parenting in action. Ms. Eberhardt’s response is something all parents can tuck away for the appropriate time. It’s also a great reminder that our tweens aren’t trying to try us—they’re just trying to get used to their new and improved brains.
Joe Biden was in Florida on Wednesday to meet with state officials and personally assess the damage left by Hurricane Ian. But another storm seemed to be raging in the state in the form of the president himself. At least that’s the way it seemed when a hot mic caught Joe announcing that “No one f*cks with a Biden.”
As Mediaite reports, it’s not exactly clear to whom — if anyone — the comment was being directed at individually. But given that the line was uttered to Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy following a joint presser in which Biden and possible soon-to-be-opponent Ron DeSantis praised one another for their response to the needs of Floridians in the wake of the storm, it’s hard to rule out either DeSantis or Ian itself as the intended recipient of that promise/threat.
Prior to their meeting, there had been a lot of speculation on social media about how Biden and DeSantis might greet each other, given their deeply opposing political views — not to mention the fact that DeSantis recently trafficked dozens of migrants. Some people anticipated a fist bump, but a firm handshake ended up winning the day.
Ultimately, both Biden and DeSantis played nice, with each man lauding the other for their hard work and support in helping Floridians recover from the devastating storm, which took the lives of more than 100 people.
“We are cutting through the bureaucracy,” DeSantis said of the massive relief effort currently underway in Florida. “We are cutting through the red tape. And that’s from local government, state government all the way up to the president, so we appreciate the team effort.”
Biden, for his part, said that what DeSantis has done so far “is pretty remarkable.”
That ’70s Show was a hit TV show. Black Swan was nominated for a bunch of Oscars, including Best Picture. And Ted and Forgetting Sarah Marshall made well over $100 million at the box office. But in terms of popularity and longevity, voicing Meg on Family Guy is probably the biggest role in Mila Kunis‘ career.
Kunis did one of those retrospective videos with Vanity Fair where she discussed how she got involved with the animated series. “I remember my manager at the time being like, ‘There’s a show called Family Guy.’ The actress [Lacey Chabert] quit because she didn’t find the show to be in line with her ethical beliefs. You wanna audition for it?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, what’s the show?’ It hadn’t aired yet,” she said. Kunis was a nervous teen at the time, and she remembers creator Seth MacFarlane telling her to “slow down.”
She continued:
“I guess I naturally speak really fast. When I record now, I’m really good at knowing to slow down. But when you’re 15, you just wanna get this ball rolling. You’re like, ‘I got places to be, people to see. Let’s go, go, go.’ And so for whatever reason, MacFarlane was down enough to be like, ‘Slow down, slow down.’ Because he easily could have easily hired anybody to do the voice.”
Even though Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian unfortunately called it quits at the end of the summer, we still have the footage of their short-lived romance to look back on fondly, reliving those carefree moments of the Pete and Kim Saga. Remember the ice cream? Those were the good old days.
While Davidson has yet to appear on the current season of The Kardashians, either due to editing or Davidson’s hesitation to appear in the show, Kim still loves to gush about her then-BF. Earlier this year, Davidson was in talks to go to space on a Blue Origin flight right while he was feuding with Kanye West, you know, normal celebrity things, which Kardashian discussed in the latest episode of Hulu’s series. Before giving her blessing, Kardashian needed to speak to Jeff Bezos to be sure that it was safe.
Kardashian recalled the Challenger Explosion of 1986, which claimed the lives of seven on board, including one civilian, a schoolteacher. “I remember sitting in my kitchen with my dad, with my sisters, and the teacher was on that rocket ship in the ’80s and it exploded,” Kardashian recalled, which is the main source of hesitation for Davidson’s trip. “I remember watching that and I remember what that felt like and my parents crying. Then you hear all these other spaceships crash and it’s, like, really scary.”
It seems like Bezos was able to convince Kardashian that her boyfriend would be fine during the 11-minute space flight. “After talking to Bezos about it and hearing how safe it is, and all the testing and everything they do, I felt comfortable with him going.” Still, Kardashian said she would not go due to having four kids. But she was fine with her boyfriend going!
Despite the major anticipation, Davidson did not end up going on the space excursion due to “scheduling conflicts.” Perhaps space just isn’t ready for that BDE yet.
Viggo Mortensen will direct and star in the western The Dead Don’t Hurt, which will also star Luxembourgish actor Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), per Deadline. Mortensen in a western is about the closest thing we can get to his sweaty, wet, and hot Aragorn from theLord of the Ringstrilogy, so we’ll take it. Mortensen begins directing himself in the project, which he also wrote, next week.
Here’s a description of The Dead Don’t Hurt:
Set in the 1860s, the film stars Krieps stars as the fiercely independent French Canadian Vivienne Le Coudy who embarks on a relationship with Danish immigrant Holger Olsen. After meeting Olsen in San Francisco, Vivienne agrees to travel with him to his home near the quiet town of Elk Flats, where they start a life together. The Civil War separates them, leaving Vivienne to fend for herself in a place controlled by powerful rancher Alfred Jeffries and his violent, wayward son Weston Jeffries, aided and abetted by corrupt Mayor Rudolph Schiller. Olsen’s eventual return challenges their relationship as they have to confront and make peace with the person each has become.
“My aim is to do justice to the story of a uniquely resilient woman living in a lawless and isolated part of the U.S. Southwest in the 1860s,” Mortensen said in a statement provided to Deadline.
Solly McLeod (House of the Dragon), Danny Huston, Garret Dillahunt, Tom Bateman, Lance Henriksen and W. Earl Brown will appear in The Dead Don’t Hurt alongside Krieps and Mortensen.
Lizzy Goodman’s 2017 book Meet Me In The Bathroom was an oral history of the indie-rock golden era in the 2000s when The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were taking all of New York’s attention, along with acts like LCD Soundsystem, Interpol, and more. It was an intense deep dive into that time; it took six years for her to put together, and she conducted over 200 interviews full of lots of gossip.
Meet Me In The Bathroom was turned into a documentary and it’s finally coming to theaters in New York and Los Angeles on November 4 and nationwide on November 8. The first trailer is finally out and is the perfect preview into the film.
In our January interview with the directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, Lovelace said about finding interesting footage, “It’s not like now, making a film about now in 20 years will be a nightmare because everyone films on the thing, and takes thousands of photographs. But we were kind of confident that there would be enough of a document of that time because we were doing something similar in the UK filming smaller bands. No one as famous as these bands, but people were doing that.”
Watch the trailer for Meet Me In The Bathroom above.
Kid Cudi’s musical oohs and ahs have made him a star but today, he’s doing a different kind of moaning and groaning thanks to the Wings of Death from Hot Ones. To his credit, he does okay for the first half of the episode — but then again, they all do. Of course, Cudi stopped by Hot Ones to talk about his new animated special/album Entergalactic, but by the time he hit a sauce called Cosmic Disco, he was losing track of the questions and absolutely housing a strawberry shake in an attempt to cool his mouth off.
Before all that happened, though, he gave some pretty insightful answers to host Sean Evans’ probing questions. During the third wing, sauced with Piko Riko, Evans asked, “What’s the best audition tip or note that you’ve ever gotten from Timothée Chalamet?” It’s a great question that shows off the depth and subtle layers of the Hot Ones team’s research; Chalamet appears in Entergalactic as Jimmy, Cudi’s character Jabari’s best friend and conspiracy buff. Chalamet and Cudi also made headlines in 2018 when they first forged their friendship after Tim gushed about staying up until the wee hours listening to Cudi’s first Man On The Moon album (both were also present at the infamous birthday dinner with Kanye West and Pete Davidson shortly after Davidson took the piss out of Kanye on SNL, sparking the rivalry that erupted into full-blown chaos earlier this year).
Cudi’s reply, however, really shows how much respect he and Tim have for each other. “I think I asked him about crying on camera once,” Cudi jokes. “I’ve given him audition tapes that I’ve done before and I’m just like, ‘Yo man, shoot me straight.’ He’s always like, ‘It’s good, it’s good,’ but I don’t know — he could be lying to me. But he’s always very supportive and I know Timmy’s a fan of me for music, but I think he’s a fan of me as an actor as well.”
Unfortunately for Cudi, that was one of his last truly coherent answers before the Wings did their thing. He has an especially funny reaction to wing number eight — IYKYK. Check out the full episode above.
In the nearly 40 years since the Air Jordan 1s inception, the sneaker has solidified itself as the most iconic shoe of all time. Say the word “sneaker,” and most people are going to conjure up images of their favorite AJ1. For good reason, too — the sneaker single-handedly created sneaker culture as we know it when it first dropped to the public on April 1st, 1985. Aside from being emblematic of basketball’s most iconic player, the Jordan I also set the stage for the full lineage of Jordans, which as of 2022 consists of 36 individual sneakers.
With 36 different designs in its lineage, the fact that the Jordan I still tops the list of many people’s favorite sneaker silhouette is a testament to its design. We have the late Peter Moore to thank for that, who not only designed the Jordan 1 and 2 but also gave us the branding associated with the Air Jordan family, from the original wing logo on the 1 to the Jumpman which debuted on the 3.
The Air Jordan 3 might’ve been designed by Tinker Hatfield but it took design elements originally sketched out by Moore, and it’s probably second to the Jordan 1 for that very reason, as it combined design elements from two sneaker legends — creating something greater than the sum of its parts. But even still, we never would’ve gotten there without the 1!
In celebration of the sneaker world’s greatest design, we’re running through the Air Jordan Is 30 best colorways, from 1985 to 2022. And if you want to see a fully custom Jordan 1, check out The Game reacting to his new kicks on Uproxx’s Fresh Pair, below.
Air Jordan 1 Royal Blue, 1985
Nike
The very first colorway released to the public, the Air Jordan 1 Royal Blue was Michael Jordan’s personal favorite. Despite not being his team colors, Jordan wore this blue and black colorway in an early ad campaign shot by famed sports photographer Chuck Kuhn.
The image of Jordan wearing Royal Blues in a matching sweatsuit on a remote Oregon airstrip at sunset is as iconic a visual as the very sneaker it’s advertising.
Air Jordan 1 Black Toe, 1985
StockX
One of the debut AJ-1 colorways, the Black Toe remains one of the sneaker’s most iconic and beloved designs. Though hardly worn by Jordan himself on the court, it was the Black Toe that MJ was rocking during the photoshoot that would inspire the now iconic Jumpman logo. For that reason alone, it’ll always be one of the greatest Jordan colorways ever.
The Black Toe has since been re-released in 2013 and again in 2016, which means we’re due for a refresh any day now.
Air Jordan 1 BRED/Banned, 1985
StockX
The BRED or Banned colorway of the Air Jordan 1 is the only sneaker that could be classified as “badass.” This Chicago Bulls-inspired colorway was famously banned for violating NBA league dress regulations (or rather, that’s how Nike tells it — more accurately, it was the “Air Ship” that was banned), resulting in a $5,000 fine per game every time Jordan rocked a pair.
Not quite as rare as some of the other first-year colorways, the UNC remains one of the prettiest pairs of Air Jordan 1s. Made in tribute to the college colors of Jordan’s alma mater, The University of North Carolina, the UNC pulls together shades of Carolina Blue and white across an all-leather upper.
The look of a cloud is a perfect fit for someone nicknamed “His Airness.”
Air Jordan 1 Shadow, 1985
StockX
It’s easy to forget given the insane popularity of the BRED and Royal Blue colorways that the AJ-1’s debut sneaker also produced a fifth classic colorway, the moody black and grey Shadow. While it doesn’t get the same amount of ink spilled over it as those other classics, it’s still, 35 years later, the cleanest the Air Jordan has ever looked.
Air Jordan 1 High Chicago, 1986
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To correct the (self-created?) controversy surrounding the BRED, Nike released this league-approved red, white, and black colorway which quickly became emblematic of the AJ-1 itself. If sneakerheads picture the Air Jordan 1 when they heard the word “sneakers,” then this is the colorway they see it in.
The Chicago, or Varsity Red (as it’s now known), has been re-released several times, and it’s the colorway Virgil Abloh based his updated take on the AJ-1 on from his now-classic “The Ten” collection.
Air Jordan 1 Retro Japan Pack, 2001
Stadium Goods
Nike Japan has a track record of producing some of the brand’s greatest colorways, and that trend started with this four sneaker release. The full Japan pack consisted of Metallic Silver/Neutral Grey, White/Midnight Navy, Black Metallic Silver, and White Metallic silver colorways, with some pairs featuring reflective 3M detailing.
Each sneaker from the collection was released in a limited edition suitcase, which was a puzzling move, but hey, who wouldn’t want to keep one of these pairs in a hard shell under lock and key?
Air Jordan 1 Patent Leather, 2003/2013/2020
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It’s rare that a mid-rise Jordan 1 colorway ever edges into legendary status, but this patent leather iteration of the AJ-1 is impossible to ignore. We mean literally, how can you not see this sneaker when it reflects any light source directly into your eyes?
These feel a little dated by 2020’s standards, but this black and gold colorway remains popular to this day, with a recent re-release in high-top form. The newest iteration is a huge improvement over the original, but we have to shout out the design that started the patent leather look, so we’re showcasing the mid-rise.
Air Jordan 1 XQ, 2007/2013
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Sometimes sneaker brands will do things that seem to go against reason. Surely, Nike loves to make money, why then has there only been one refresh of the China-exclusive XQ colorway? This pair remains one of the most unique in the AJ-1s history, thanks to its star-speckled embossed leather paneling, and unique line detailing.
The sneaker serves as a reminder that Nike is at its best when the brand is playing loose with its design template.
Levi’s x Nike Air Jordan 1 23/501 Denim Retro, 2008
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As part of their first brand collaboration, Levi’s and Nike offered up new takes on their two most iconic products, the Air Jordan 1 and Levi’s 501 jean. Sure, nobody remembers what that pair of pants looked like, but the image of the corresponding sneaker will be burned into every Air Jordan 1 fan’s memory for as long as people keep making lists of the best Air Jordan 1s.
Sporting a denim and leather upper, the 23/501s featured red paneling and a denim iteration of Nike’s famous elephant print.
Air Jordan 1 HARE, 2009
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Sneakerheads rarely go crazy for cartoon sneaker tie-ins but the HARE Jordan 1 — inspired by the Air Jordan 7 colorway of the same name — has managed to carve out space amongst even the most fashion-obsessed of hype beasts. That’s probably because this neutral grey on pristine white colorway with red accents manages to look so dope.
On paper swapping out the iconic Jumpman logo for Bugs Bunny sounds like a stupid idea but in practice? Fresh as hell. The HARE colorway has been used on several Air Jordans to date, and it always looks fly.
Air Jordan 1 High Strap A Tribe Called Quest, 2009
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We debated not even including this pair on this list as only 25 pairs were initially released, but this A Tribe Called Quest-celebrating design — which uses Tribe’s “Midnight Marauders” as inspiration — is just too unique to ignore.
First, there is that black-on-red-on-green colorway that is so representative of Tribe, and then there is that strap, a definite anomaly in the Jordan 1 lineage and one we’d like to see a lot more of going forward.
Fragment Design x Air Jordan 1, 2014
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Famed streetwear designer Hiroshi Fujiwara had a simple recipe for this Fragment Design Jordan 1: take two of the shoe’s greatest colorways, the Black Toe and Royal, and mash them together, giving us the Fragment Design Air Jordan 1.
It could be argued that Fujiwara’s design even improves upon those original colorways. In fact, we’ll say that right here, right now.
Just Don X Air Jordan 1 High Strap BHM, 2013
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Released in celebration of Black History Month to benefit the Big Brothers & Big Sisters of America charity, this black and orange pair designed by legendary Chicago streetwear designer Don C features a high-top strap and a premium snakeskin-inspired leather upper.
It doesn’t look too much like an AJ-1, but it definitely looks fresh.
Air Jordan 1 High Legends of Summer Pack, 2014
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Here is the thing about the Legends of Summer — I happen to think they’re some of the ugliest Jordan 1s ever. Why are they are on this list then? Because all three pairs, the red, the black, and the red and white sell for, easily, above $5K on the aftermarket.
While I don’t think an expensive shoe necessarily makes for a great shoe, to deny the popularity of this pack — which dropped to a limited few in commemoration of Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z’s Legends of Summer tour — would be to ignore a part of Jordan 1 sneaker history.
Air Jordan 1 Shattered Backboard, 2015
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2015’s starfish orange on black and sail colorway, known simply as the “Shattered Backboard” is a modern classic. The Shattered Backboard gets its name and colors from an exhibition game in Italy during Jordan’s rookie year. Wearing an orange, black, and white uniform, Jordan dunked so hard he shattered the backboard, creating history in the process.
30 years later, it would lead to one of the AJ-1’s greatest colorways.
Air Jordan 1 Letterman
Flight Club
Released 30 years after his first appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, this pair of AJ-1s combined Light Crimson and Midnight Navy to create a colorway inspired by the jumpsuit Jordan wore on his first-ever late-night tv appearance.
It’s a weird moment to commemorate, but hey, we’re not complaining. We’ll take 10 pairs.
Air Jordan 1 Igloo, 2017
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If the aforementioned Jordan 1 UNC is the sneaker’s prettiest colorway, the Igloo is a close second. Released as an Art Basel exclusive, this mint, black, and white colorway sought to capture the look and feel of Miami’s South Beach waterfront.
Did it succeed? Who cares, it made for a dope-as-hell sneaker.
Off-White x Air Jordan 1 The Ten, 2017
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With this ranking, this will now be the third time we’ve written about this Chicago-inspired colorway from Virgil Abloh’s “The Ten” collection. What more can we say about this shoe that we haven’t already? If we had to choose a single sneaker to be representative of Abloh’s entire 10-shoe debut Nike collection, it would be this one.
This design could go on the cover of an entire book about Abloh’s contribution to footwear, and nobody would bat an eye. It’s iconic.
Union x Air Jordan 1 Black Toe/Storm Blue, 2018
Sneakernews
Los Angeles-based retailer Union has made a handful of Air Jordans and each one of them is a certifiable classic. For their first collaboration, Union took on the AJ-1 and dropped two iterations consisting of the colors of four classic colorways, stitched together with deconstruction-inspired zig-zag stitching and sitting atop pre-yellowed soles.
SoleFly x Jordan 1 High Art Basel, 2018
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Another Art Basel Miami exclusive — this time in collaboration with SoleFly — this high top Jordan 1 dropped in a leather and shiny patent leather version, both featuring a University of Miami-inspired color combo of orange, white and green.
Air Jordan 1 High Origin Story Spider-Man, 2018
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It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that we’re saying this but, Miles Morales is the coolest Spider-Man ever. Peter Parker never rocked a pair of Nikes, and this Chicago-inspired colorway worn by Morales in animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse remains the coolest pair of sneakers a superhero has ever rocked.
A Spider-inspired smash of blue and reflective details set this apart from this familiar AJ-1 color palette.
Air Jordan 1 Pine Green Retro High, 2018
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An expansion of Jordan Brand’s Black Toe line, the Pine Green features a black on sail colorway with a Pine Green toe box. It’s a simple-but-striking colorway that acts as a reminder that the Air Jordan 1s debut colorways still play a major part in influencing future designs.
Travis Scott Jordan 1 High Cactus Jack, 2019
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Travis Scott has produced a lot of solid designs out of his Cactus Jack label but has yet to surpass the perfection that is the Cactus Jack Jordan 1. Featuring a backward swoosh with coffee-colored suede paneling over a white sail upper, the Cactus Jack, alongside the Union LA and “The Ten” AJ-1, will go down as the colorways that kept this iconic silhouette relevant to a new generation of sneakerheads.
Off-White Jordan 1 High White, 2020
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We don’t know if Virgil Abloh will ever design an Air Jordan 1 that reaches the same popularity as his Chicago-inspired colorway from “The Ten,” but this all-white iteration is pretty damn close.
Released in March of this year, this iteration of the AJ-1 sold out nearly instantly and still reaches prices as high as $2K on the aftermarket. The design is simple, consisting of deconstructed white leather paneling, mesh, and blue and orange threading that adds a striking yet minimal splash of color. Truly Abloh and the AJ-1 at their best.
A Ma Maniére x Air Jordan 1, 2021
GOAT
Atlanta-based label, A Ma Maniére has made a name for itself by consistently delivering some of the more premium-looking Jordans, and the brand’s take on the Jordan 1 stands as one of their best yet. Featuring a textured suede upper in off-white with a Burgundy snakeskin collar and swoosh, you could call A Ma Maniére’s Jordan 1 your favorite colorway of all time and no one would bat an eye. It’s that good.
Air Jordan 1 High Pollen, 2001
GOAT
Dubbed the “Pollen” for its bumble bee-inspired colorway, this sneaker looks like a classic that’s always been with us, which makes its 2021 release date surprising. The sneaker features a premium tumbled leather upper in black with pollen overlays and authentic 1980s-style detailing.
Air Jordan 1 High ’85 College Navy (Georgetown), 2022
GOAT
We’re always here for Jordan colorways that subtly point to MJ’s on-court career, and the College Navy, also known unofficially as the “Georgetown,” is one of the cleverest colorways to do so. Made to commemorate a specific match from Jordan’s college career, the College Navy makes reference to Jordan’s title-winning moment against the Georgetown Hoyas (go Bulldogs!) by dipping the shoe in the Washington DC’s school colors.
That’s a cold move on Nike’s part but we doubt anyone from Georgetown would complain considering this pair looks undeniably dope.
Air Jordan 1 High OG Stage Haze, 2022
Flight Club
A subtle shuffling of the coveted Shadow colorway, the Stage Haze combines white leather with cracked black leather paneling and bleached coral paneling with suede detailing and vintage Nike branding.
It’s not a star-driven shoe or a crazy collab — just a thoughtful reimagining of a classic. That’s very cool.
Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Reverse Mocha Low, 2022
GOAT
As you can tell from this list, it’s a rare thing when a low-top Jordan captures the imagination of sneakerheads but with Travis Scott’s name attached and a truly great colorway, this low-top is just too fresh to ignore.
The Reverse Mocha is the first Travis Scott branded sneaker that is self-referential, with this sneaker being very similar to the high-top AJ-1 Mocha, released in 2019. You might’ve noticed that release is absent from this list, and it’s because this one is better. The Reverse Mocha features a giant oversized backward swoosh and scarlet embroidered accents and sits atop an off-white rubber midsole.
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