ICYMI: More lawsuits against Kanye West, Simu Liu asks for calm over bubble tea blow up

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Kanye West Faces Increasing Number Of Lawsuits

Rapper Ye, also known as Kanye West, has recently faced two additional lawsuits, adding to the increasing number of allegations against him in the past week.

On Thursday, a former employee known only as John Doe filed a lawsuit claiming he faced retaliation and emotional distress. The suit also states that Ye assigned Doe the job of looking into the Kardashian family for possible connections to "sex trafficking" and instructed him to hire private investigators to follow his wife, Bianca Censori, during her trip to visit relatives in Australia.

Two days later, it was revealed that Ye's ex-assistant, Lauren Pisciotta, updated a lawsuit she originally filed in June. She added claims that West drugged and sexually assaulted her during a studio session that was co-hosted by Sean "Diddy" Combs.

In documents obtained by Rolling Stone, Pisciotta claims that she was at the studio session where she was given a drink that led her to lose consciousness. West acknowledged later that they "did sort of get together."

When Pisciotta first filed her lawsuit earlier this year, West's attorney denied the allegations and announced intentions to take legal action against her.

Although the session was led by Combs, he is not mentioned as a party in the lawsuit and there are no accusations of wrongdoing against him.

The West has not made any statements regarding the revised lawsuit.

Simu Liu Urges Calm After Bobba Controversy

This past weekend wasn’t the best for the boba tea brand Bobba.

The Montreal-based startup appeared on Dragon's Den, Canada’s equivalent of Shark Tank, to promote their ready-to-drink teas and popping pearls. Unfortunately, they faced rejection from actor Simu Liu.

Entrepreneur Sebastien Fiset sought to secure $CAD1 million in funding by describing his popular drink as "that fashionable, sweet beverage you're waiting in line for, never fully knowing what's in it."

Liu, the first Chinese-Canadian "Dragon" on the show, criticized Bobba for attempting to "interfere with bubble tea."

Another concern is cultural appropriation. It involves taking something that has a clear Asian identity and claiming to 'improve' it, which I find problematic," he stated.

Fiset reiterated his position to support his product, stating that bubble tea is no longer considered an “ethnic” drink.

"I launched my venture company for various reasons, but the main one was to support minority entrepreneurs," Liu shared.

"I not only sense that this isn't the right environment for me, but I also would be supporting a business that gains from something deeply connected to my cultural roots. I’m eager to help spread the love for boba, but not in this way. Therefore, I have decided to step away."

The video exploded in popularity on TikTok, racking up over 7.1 million views and prompting a flood of critical comments aimed at the business owners. It garnered so much negative attention that Liu felt compelled to create his own TikTok video asking people to lay off.

"To begin with, I believe we've tapped into a significant cultural dialogue," he states.

On the other hand, I want to emphasize that it's absolutely unacceptable to make threats or to bully and harass others online, no exceptions.

"I'm not suggesting that business owners shouldn't receive legitimate criticism, and I do think it's important to express disagreement. However, I believe we can all recognize that there are boundaries we shouldn't overstep."

"I really hope that the outcome of this discussion isn't a scenario filled with anger and fear for safety. I feel like we're starting to lose sight of the uplifting message behind this, which is all about educating others and working towards a better world."

Stevie Nicks Shines On SNL After 40 Years

Saturday Night Live is going all out for its 50th season, and this weekend marks the impressive return of Stevie Nicks to studio 8H after more than 40 years.

During a fantastic skit featuring Oasis and host Ariana Grande doing her best Jennifer Coolidge impression, the 76-year-old singer stepped onto the SNL stage. She treated the audience to her iconic song "Edge of Seventeen" alongside her latest track, "The Lighthouse," which was motivated by the reversal of abortion rights in the United States.

"I've frequently thought that this could be one of the most significant actions I take — to advocate for the women of the U.S. and their daughters and granddaughters, as well as the men who care for them," Nicks remarked when she debuted the single in September.

The most recent time Nicks appeared on SNL was in 1983 when she was 35 years old (with considerably larger hair), showcasing her songs 'Nightbird' and 'Stand Back' after concluding her tour for her album, The Wild Heart.

Olivia Rodrigo Teams Up With Pesto The Penguin

If you've noticed a soft, high-pitched sound in your area lately, there's no need to worry; Olivia Rodrigo's tour has just arrived in Australia.

The 21-year-old pop sensation is concluding her extensive Guts tour for 2024 with a series of eight stadium performances in Australia—split evenly between four shows in Melbourne and four in Sydney. Early reviews from the initial nights have described the impressive production as "absolutely breathtaking."

However, what really matters is that Rodrigo took the opportunity to spend some time with Melbourne's most well-known personality at the moment: Pesto the penguin.

In case you're unaware (and honestly, how could you be?), Pesto is the biggest penguin ever kept at the Melbourne aquarium, outgrowing his parents by a significant margin at just nine months old.

His online popularity hasn't just drawn in Olivia; Katy Perry also made a visit to the young woman last month while she was in town for the AFL grand final.

Someone needs to send Pesto an invitation to the Met Gala right away! (His penguin outfit should arrive any moment now, hehehe.)

Katy Perry, on the left, posing with Pesto the penguin. (Source: TikTok - Katy Perry)