But I think the best relationship with the audience is in person. A good meet and greet will let you know what needs to evolve about your set far more than putting that set out there and then reading all the comments. People are ready with opinions; you don’t need to wait until they’re online.
KK: Is social media both a blessing and a curse for comedy? Algorithms can expose you to a much wider audience, but does it also mean that that audience is potentially more fickle, where the algorithm drives people to you one day and to another comedian the next day? Is there something about the loyalty of an audience that is tested in this social media world?
JJ: Potentially, but I think that only happens if you get obsessed with numbers. I hold two things very top of mind when I think about any form of audience or influence.
One, nobody owes me anything. Just because you came to a show or you watched a video, it doesn’t mean you have to watch the next one. I work as hard as I can to make it so you would want to, but you don’t.
The second thing is that if you are focussed on the actual practice of what you’re doing, you’ll make better things to put online. At the end of the day, the most important thing is the show that I’m doing that night and the people that are there. Then, I put things up online for the people who didn’t make it to the show. But whether one million people watch it or 1,000 people watch it, the fact that the people at the show had the best time possible, that’s the most powerful and beneficial relationship, as far as the audience goes.
The first song I fell in love with When I was a kid, my mom gave me her iPod, and I fell in love with all her music from the 70s and 80s. I’d sing Call Me by Blondie at the top of my lungs, jumping on the bed. What a great song.
The first single I downloaded I was in [Disney sitcom] Shake It Up when I started falling in love with hip-hop. I went on a binge and discovered BedRock by Young Money. I was so obsessed that I ended up writing an essay about why I admire Lil Wayne for school.
The song I know every lyric to I became obsessed with 6 Foot 7 Foot by Lil Wayne featuring Cory Gunz because of the music video. The incredible visuals made it easy to memorise the lyrics, even though he’s an incredibly fast rapper.
The song I do at karaoke I don’t hate a lot of things in life, but I hate karaoke. The only time I did it, I did Driving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea, even though it was the middle of summer.
The song I can no longer listen to Any of my exes’ music!
The best song to play at a party I’m going to go with Bops by Coi Leray: “I got bops, yeah, yeah.” It’s just so good. She’s got bops. What else does she need to say?
The song I secretly like I’ve never been much for pop in general, even though there’s some really great artists. My best friend really got me into Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl by Olivia Rodrigo.
The best song to have sex to Pony by Ginuwine.
The song that changed my life Yesterday by Atmosphere with Ant and Slug: “I thought I saw you yesterday / But I know it wasn’t you ’cos you passed away, Dad.” My father died when I was 10, so every time I hear that line, it’s kind of beautiful.
The song that makes me cry You can feel both the indifference and the pain in XXXTentacion’s voice when he sings Changes.
The song I’d play at my funeral I’m too superstitious for that one!
The song that gets me up in the morning 10 Times by Stunna Girl. Why? Well, when you add it to your playlist, you’ll see what I mean!
Thorne’s new film, Saint Clare, is available on UK streaming platforms now.
Drake revealed during Adin Ross’ livestream on August 9 that he had been turned down by YouTuber SSSniperWolf, sparking a wave of online reactions. While chatting with Ross, the Toronto rapper admitted he reached out but got a polite decline. “I told her I’d come to the hotel, but she said she was with her family,” Drake said with a laugh.
Ross suggested he may have been the one to initiate the contact, adding another layer to the lighthearted exchange. Clips from the stream quickly spread online, prompting mixed responses from fans. Some poked fun at Drake, with one commenter joking, “Even Drake can’t pull SSSniperWolf,” while others defended him, noting that being with family was a valid reason.
SSSniperWolf, whose real name is Alia Shelesh, is one of YouTube’s most prominent gaming and lifestyle creators, boasting millions of subscribers and a massive social media following. Known for her gaming videos, reaction content, and vlogs, she has built a brand that blends humor, relatability, and pop culture commentary — making her one of the most recognizable figures online.
The moment comes as Drake continues his “It’s All A Blur — Big As The What?” European tour with J. Cole. He was recently spotted walking the streets of Brussels during an off day and made headlines after postponing a Manchester show earlier this month due to unforeseen circumstances.
Neither Drake nor SSSniperWolf has publicly commented on the clip since it began circulating, leaving fans to speculate whether the exchange was just playful banter or a genuine missed connection.
The 98th Academy Awards season begins on Friday, Augus 15t, with the first wave of digital screeners sent to over 11,000 Academy members via the Oscars’ private streaming platform.
Among the initial titles is Netflix’s hit animated film KPop Demon Hunters, a major success since its June premiere.
Produced by Sony Animation, K-Pop: Demon Hunters follows three pop-singer demon slayers and has become Netflix’s fourth most-watched English-language movie, amassing 158.8 million views.
Praised for its vibrant soundtrack, including tracks “Golden” and “Your Idol” by in-film groups Huntr/x and Saja Boys, the film has topped streaming charts and even entered the Billboard Hot 100. It also holds a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, cementing its critical and commercial appeal.
Joining K-Pop: Demon Hunters in the first Oscar screener batch are The Ugly Stepsister, The Luckiest Man in America, Becoming Led Zeppelin, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, and Hello Beautiful.
In a rare move for a Netflix release, K-Pop: Demon Hunters will also head to cinemas later this month. Select Regal Theatres will host sing-along screenings on August 23 and 24, marking the first widespread theatrical release of the film.
With Netflix considering franchise expansion, the upcoming theatrical event may further boost its momentum during awards season.
In Hood 2 Farm, a 76-year-old shepherd is explaining his daily routine. “There’s only my wife and I, and when she gets out of bed, I get in, and when I get out of bed, she gets in,” he says. The south London rapper Fekky pauses, before saying: “If you don’t mind me asking, if she’s getting out of bed, you’re getting in bed, when are you … hugging up, man?” The farmer laughs and replies: “It’s not happening, chap!” to Fekky’s clear horror.
This kind of interaction is common on Hood 2 Farm, a unique and genuinely inspired YouTube series about the rapper’s attempt to become the steward of his own farm. Across eight 30-minute episodes, he meets farmers from around the UK and learns basics such as milking cows, shearing sheep and driving tractors.
The resulting show wraps genuine insight about agricultural practice in the screwball energy of classic British comedy, thanks to Fekky’s perpetual fish-out-of-water spirit – he is fond of wearing a Gucci cap on the farm – and clear passion for nature. With some episodes netting well over 100,000 views, the unconventional series has been a hit, and Fekky says he plans to continue with future seasons.
Fekky, 38, says the idea began before lockdown, when he went on holiday to Thailand to decompress from the pressures of life in the music industry. As a rapper, Fekky has played to crowds of thousands, appeared alongside Dizzee Rascal, collaborated with Skepta and started his own label, F Music, but has often talked about his struggles with alcohol use and anxiety. “After my long music career, I just decided to have a break – a lot of it gets very busy and gets wild,” he says over a video call. “I just fell in love with nature in Thailand.”
When he got home, London was plunged into lockdown, and he began gardening as a way to pass the time, documenting his progress on social media. “I realised there were a lot of people that were engaged and loved seeing me doing it, I think because I was a fish out of water,” he says. He decided he “wanted to live in nature full time”, so he bought a plot of land – which he has dubbed F Manor – and decided to leave London for good, while continuing to post farm content. “I just said to myself that I should basically learn farming but show everyone that’s watching, especially the youth, what I’m doing – so as I’m learning, they can learn,” he says.
The posts were a runaway success, and people began messaging him asking when his next piece of farm content would go live, “so it made sense for me to do a show about farming”. The only problem, of course, was that he “didn’t know nothing” about farming, and had never set foot on a farm until he bought one. His family back in Nigeria are farmers, he says, “so I knew it must be something in the family, but I had no idea”.
‘You’re stepping into the unknown every time’ … Fekky in Hood 2 Farm.
When he decided to visit other farms, he was shocked by how little he knew about where our food comes from. “A pig farm is like … I thought pigs were small, like that” – he holds his hands about 10 inches apart – “I didn’t realise pigs were, like, massive,” he says, still astounded. “You see food on a plate, but you never think about where it’s coming from. The first thing I learned about having chickens was like … it’s weird to think you’re eating chicken … but then I love my chickens, if that makes sense.”
You can see Fekky experiencing all this in real time on Hood 2 Farm, which rivals some sitcoms in its laughs-per-minute ratio. It’s amazing to see how game Fekky is to puncture his own tough-guy rapper image. In the first episode, he gets hit in the face by a cow’s tail while attempting to milk it, admits he previously thought a cow’s teats were “willies”, and asks a farmer whether milk is actually just semen – to her dumbstruck confusion. In Fekky’s mind, there hasn’t been a single wildest moment of learning to farm – the entire process has been totally shocking.
“A cow tried to hit me!” he says. “Even sheep, I was trying to herd sheep, and it was just crazy – they’re going everywhere! And I never thought I would have 10,000 bees all over me. You’re just walking straight into that craziness. Just being comfortable around animals was the hardest part – all the animals are big, and if you run into something where you don’t know what it can do, there’s a danger element. But it didn’t end up being dangerous, you just feel a bit, like, out of your depth.”
The feeling of being around the animals, he says, isn’t so dissimilar to being on stage. “You’re stepping into the unknown every time,” he says. “The similarity is the adrenaline rush you get when performing on stage or when I’m with animals – because, like I said, it feels dangerous – but then after that, it’s like, it’s all right.”
Since making the pivot to farm life, Fekky has found that his friends and family have been more than supportive – “a lot of my rapper friends all want to come to the farm” – and have been amazed to find that growing your own food can come with benefits on multiple levels. “When I give my eggs, which I get from my chickens, to my friends, they say they taste so much better than from any shop,” he says. “I think I’ve opened people’s eyes to eating food that you’re growing yourself. Something about it just tastes real.”
The greatest benefit for him personally, he says, is on his overall mental health and wellbeing. “I think nature in general is very healing, and we live a very wild lifestyle as rappers; hotel to hotel, show to show,” he says. “Going into farming gives you the balance. We shouldn’t pigeonhole ourselves to one thing in our careers. After a while, you should start thinking about how diverse you can be, and what else can you do in life? Even if it’s just a hobby.”
That’s the lesson he wants to impart to black British kids who might be watching. “I just hope the youth understand that where you start in life is not where you finish. You have to explore the world and open your thoughts. I think when we grow up, you see people like myself being rappers or footballers, and these are the most cliche careers that people think you have to go into to make it. I want you to understand that you can be you, you can explore, you can do farming, and you’ll be accepted and find happiness.”
Kourtney Kardashian addresses rumours of another baby on the way
Kourtney Kardashian has dismissed rumours she’s expecting another baby with husband Travis Barker.
The Lemme founder, 46, posted fresh photos from her Idaho family vacation on Friday, but was met with pregnancy speculations.
“RUMORS HAVE IT THAT YOU’RE PREGNANT KOURTNEY,” one social media user wrote in the comments.
In one photo of Kardashian Barker could be seen holding her 21-month-old child, Rocky Thirteen, as they cruised on a boat, making fans wonder if she was hiding a baby bump.
“What is [Kourtney] doing hiding back there?” another fan asked, while a third questioned, “Why is [Kourtney] hiding? Is she pregnant again?”
“Eating pancakes and jumping off cliffs,” the reality star replied in the comments, signalling that she wouldn’t be engaging in an extreme sport if she were pregnant.
She then revealed via her Instagram Stories that her child’s placement was due to her breastfeeding.
The Kardashians star also shut down pregnancy rumours last month after she shared a carousel of photos from her vacation in Portofino, Italy.
As baby bump speculations sparked from a “bikini reflection photo,” the Poosh founder reminded fans that she could be “breastfeeding, eating gelato, focaccia, pasta, not working out and living my best damn life baby!”
Kardashian, who welcomed her youngest child with Barker in November 2023, also shares three kids with ex Scott Disick.
David Justice has shared new details about his divorce from actress Halle Berry, speaking candidly during an appearance on the All the Smoke podcast on August 7.
The former MLB player, 59, said the couple began facing challenges about five months after their 1993 wedding. He recalled questioning whether their lifestyles aligned as he thought about starting a family. “If we have kids, is this the woman I want to have kids with and build a family with?” Justice said. “At that time… she don’t cook, don’t clean, don’t really seem like motherly, and then we start having issues.”
Justice explained that his expectations were shaped by his Midwest upbringing, where he envisioned a “traditional” spouse. He admitted that his understanding of relationships at the time was limited, and that his decision to marry Berry — who proposed after just five months of dating — may have been made without deep reflection.
The former Atlanta Braves outfielder noted that their careers often kept them apart while Berry filmed movies in different countries. Looking back, he believes counseling could have made a difference. “If we knew about therapy, we probably could have made it,” he said, adding there were no “major issues” beyond their differences and his inexperience.
Justice left the marriage in 1996, and the couple divorced the following year. He later married Rebecca Villalobos Justice in 2001 and is now a father of three.
Berry, 58, has not publicly responded to Justice’s latest remarks. She has previously addressed public speculation about her relationships, telling The Drew Barrymore Show in February that she is unwilling to “keep the wrong man” and believes people have the right to leave relationships that aren’t working. Berry is currently engaged to musician Van Hunt.
Jennifer Jasmine White curated the exhibition, which aims to highlight working class women’s stories
The experiences of women working and living in British mining communities will be explored as part of an exhibition.
The show, titled From the Earth Comes Light, at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield, highlights women’s contributions to the industry.
It features items including a pageant dress and heels worn by a “coal queen”, artworks and illustrations by female artists from Coal Magazine.
Jennifer Jasmine White, guest curator of the exhibition, said she hoped it would encourage “people to look at mining history differently, and see that working class women have historically been really innovative and creative”.
“Working class women’s stories, unfortunately, are still maligned,” Ms White said.
“They are never told from the perspective of working class women.
“We have centred on female artists in the exhibition, it is thinking about self-representation, how working class women think about themselves and their stories.”
BBC / Elizabeth Baines
Coal Queens are among the women to be celebrated as part of the From the Earth Comes Light exhibition
The show tells the story of “coal queens” – women who were judged and crowned at regional galas and represented local collieries.
“On the one hand they were basically beauty pageants – women were elected, they looked very glamorous and beautiful,” Ms White said.
“But these women had really interesting and important civic roles.
“They travelled, gave speeches and were given opportunities they would not have had access to otherwise. They had more freedom than we might have thought.”
She said the women had “really wonderful stories with great visual and creative histories” that had not been shared with the next generation.
“We are trying to rectify that.”
BBC / Elizabeth Baines
The exhibition highlights the contribution of artist Moira Stephenson
Also among the textiles, bronze sculptures, paintings and photographs that form the exhibition is the story of Moira Stephenson.
The Coal Magazine illustrator became a household name for miners during the 1950s – but little is known about her.
Alison Cooper, the National Coal Mining Museum’s collections and engagement manager for exhibitions and digital has been trying to fill in the gaps in her history.
“Moira has been an enigma, from 1956 to 1964, she was the magazine’s staff artist,” she said.
“She would have been seen on a daily basis in the magazine depicting mining scenes and 1960s room sets.”
BBC / Elizabeth Baines
Alison Cooper from the museum says the show features undiscovered female artists
Ms Cooper said that when the exhibition was first planned, “very little” was known about Moira.
However, a donation of six paintings enabled the team to “piece together Moira’s life”.
“To fill the gap has been amazing, the artists on display are really undiscovered until now.
“We often talk about the miners who had the really difficult job of going underground and producing the coal, but behind the men were these strong women.
“It is not all about men and machinery.”
BBC/ Elizabeth Baines
Janet Buckle became fascinated with the coal industry while living in a mining community
Paintings by Janet Buckle, who was born in Bradford and now lives in Tickhill, Doncaster, has also been included in the exhibition.
The artist said she became fascinated with the landscape of coal mines while living in a mining community.
“Patterns were created by diggers moving coal around. I did quite a lot of work from the roadside”, she said.
“I wanted people to see the grandeur in these landscapes, the drama.
“I feel honoured to be included in the exhibition, I want people to be surprised that women are at the heart of it.”
Ms White said women had “always been creative and this exhibition is about trying to showcase that”.
“This is a whole history that is waiting to be told,” she said.
Jack Emery runs Thistle Ridge Farm with his father
A fourth-generation dairy farmer has said diversification is key in the “competitive” agricultural industry and praised TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson for providing an “honest reflection” of British farming.
Jack Emery, who runs Thistle Ridge Farm, in Eastleigh, Hampshire, with his father, said: “We are constantly trying to update the way we work, whether that’s with new technology or simply creating better relationships between people and farming.”
The 22-year-old said what Clarkson has done for British agriculture was “truly remarkable”.
The former Top Gear host runs Diddly Squat Farm in Chadlington, Oxfordshire, which features in Amazon Prime documentary series Clarkson’s Farm.
Mr Emery said staying up to date with new technologies could be costly but explained the farm was “lucky to be on a milk contract, so we don’t add any extra cost onto the consumer”.
The farm was started by Mr Emery’s grandfather, and was milking a herd of 100 cows by the 1980s.
“Over the years, we have continued to update the parlour with new technologies and feeding systems, as we have 240 cows,” he said.
“We’ve had to make changes to the parlour to keep moving with the times and the demand.”
AMAZON
Jeremy Clarkson has owned Diddly Squat Farm since 2008 and began running the farm himself in 2019
Mr Emery said he was a “huge fan” of Clarkson’s Farm, which he said gave an “honest reflection” of British farming.
He said: “Regardless of the controversies that Mr Clarkson’s has had in the past, what he has done for British agriculture has to be recognised as truly remarkable.
“He has really managed to capture the nation and give them a brief education into the details of what farmers are working with and the realities of farming.
“I know the audience will laugh at him for how difficult farming can be, or that he has had a bad harvest and profits are dwindling, but it is an honest reflection of the work we do.
“As farmers, we can do all this work for 365 days a year, but mother nature is the thing we rely on and we can’t control the weather.”
Milking cows has always been the “backbone” of Thistle Ridge Farm, says Mr Emery
New technology at Thistle Ridge Farm will help reduce milking time from eight hours to five, said Mr Emery, as well as increase the number of cows milked at one time.
Under the farm’s new system, each cow has an identity collar that records their activity, analysing what they need.
The farmer said: “This new technology is a huge learning curve for all generations.
“The future is unknown, but when I chose to study agriculture it was always centred around the idea of coming home and I wanted to continue in the family footsteps, taking up the slack as the fourth generation to farm here.”
