Beyonce Cuts Ties With Ivy Park Partner, Phillip Green After He Was Accused of Sexual Harassment.
Beyoncé is cutting ties with Philip Green, the embattled British billionaire with whom she partnered for her sportswear line Ivy Park, after he was accused in the U.K. of a series of sexual harassment and racial abuse charges.
The singer’s company, Parkwood Entertainment, said in a statement on Thursday that it has acquired 100 percent of the athleisure clothing line.
Beyoncé and Green teamed up in 2014 to develop the brand, which includes leggings, sports bras and hoodies, and features the singer in its ads and promotional campaigns. The clothing range went on sale in 2016 at Green’s Topshop retail chain to much fanfare.
The decision to take sole ownership of the brand comes “after discussions of almost a year,” according to the statement, predating Green’s current troubles.
After an eight-month investigation, Britain’s Daily Telegraph published a story last month called “The British #MeToo scandal which cannot be revealed.” The newspaper said a court injunction prevented it from naming the businessman or reporting the details of his alleged behavior and how he used non-disclosure agreements to buy the silence of his accusers.
Green was later outed as the man in question after Peter Hain, a Member of Parliament, who said he felt a “duty under parliamentary privilege to name Philip Green as the individual in question.” Green has denied the allegations
Beyoncé has been under pressure to cut her multimillion-dollar ties with Green since the allegations were exposed; the “Independent Woman” singer is seen by many of her fans as a role model for girl power and is known for taking a stand against injustice.
“Beyoncé has put herself forward as a women’s rights activist,” Yasmeen Hassan, global executive director of human rights group Equality Now told the Times last month. “She and her team need to look closely at these allegations.”
Her decision to ditch Green was applauded by fans who said “You go, girl.”
SOURCE: NBC NEWS
Kim Porter’s Sudden Death Sends ShockWaves Through The International Entertainment Arena.
Kim Porter, who dated Sean “Diddy” Combs for many years before their 2007 split and was also mother to four of his children, was found dead in her home on Thursday. She was 47.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that officers responded to a death investigation at 11:38 a.m. in Toluca Lake, California, where they found a female unresponsive at the residence. (They cannot currently confirm the name of the deceased.)
The cause of death is undetermined at this time. According to an emergency dispatch call posted by TMZ, the call came in as a cardiac arrest. While it’s not yet clear what caused Porter’s death, a source told the outlet she had been suffering from pneumonia for weeks.
A rep for Diddy confirmed Porter’s death to PEOPLE, saying, “Sadly, I can confirm the passing of Kim Porter. I ask that you give the families privacy at this time.”
SOURCE: People Magazine.