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Artist uses belts to spark talks on discipline : NPR

Multidisciplinary artist Lex Marie has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram for her artwork confronting discipline within Black households.
At Lex Marie’s art studio, a belt is no longer just a belt.
I met the multidisciplinary artist in Washington, D.C., at the American University’s Katzen Arts Center.
She led me to her studio, where some belts are stretched across a canvas in meticulously organized rows and columns.
Others are used as a tool. Marie dips them in paint and swings them like a brush, leaving thick, violent marks across a white canvas.
Marie says each piece of work carries a story about childhood, discipline, survival and the complicated ways love can be expressed.
She is building a body of work that confronts a topic many families know well but rarely discuss openly: corporal punishment in Black households.
“I’m critiquing discipline in Black households specifically,” Marie says. “But I’m trying to tackle the history behind discipline in black households, behind spankings and whippings, and speak to the difference in how millennials are raising their children as well.”
The work is personal for her. Marie is 33 and the mother of an eight-year-old boy. As her son continues to grow, she says the questions that shape her art often come directly from her parenting.
“Through motherhood, I’m starting to think about my own childhood, and I’m comparing and contrasting it. So some of these works are just speaking from my experiences with spankings, and they’re also going from the perspective of how I feel.”
One of the larger works in the series is called “Watch Your Tone.” The six-by-six-foot piece is composed entirely of belts — dozens of them — arranged carefully across the canvas. They are an assortment of different shades of brown, black and pink to represent the color of flesh.
The title of the piece echoes a phrase many children hear growing up: “Watch your tone when talking to me.”
But Marie says the belts also represent something deeper.
She explains that she created this piece to convey multiple meanings. The different skin tones help her explain the different ways punishment is tied to American history.
For some historians and scholars, the conversation around corporal punishment in Black American households cannot be separated from the legacy of slavery. During enslavement, physical violence, such as being beaten with whips, was used to control Black bodies. Over generations, those discipline practices have evolved into modern parenting practices.
Yohuru Williams, founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas, believes that the link between corporal punishment and African Americans is rooted in slavery.
“This idea of whipping, this idea that black bodies require extreme punishment — that there’s something about the constitution of blackness that requires excessiveness in terms of discipline — has deep roots. Roots that extend beyond slavery. But it [was] really reinforced by the enslavement of Africans. And then once they come to the United States, you have this adoption of punishment systems within slavery that continue after slavery; that continue that process with that practice of brutalization of … black and brown bodies,” he said.
“Because I Love You, another piece in Marie’s series, highlights the physical act of enforcing punishment.
Marie painted a wooden panel white, dipped a belt in acrylic paint and struck the surface again and again, leaving marks scattered across the piece like scars and welts.
“I spent hours just kind of beating the same thing over and over,” she said.
The process left her physically sore the next day.
The piece’s title comes from a phrase many children hear after a whipping: “This hurts me more than it hurts you” or “I’m doing this because I love you.”
Marie explains how making this work has been cathartic and difficult. When the videos of her art began circulating online, the reactions were immediate.
Thousands of people commented on her post, sharing their own childhood stories. Some were painful and defensive, while others were grateful the topic was being discussed.
But Marie stands firm that the goal of this work isn’t to accuse or shame. It creates space for a conversation that is often buried.
Williams says that in order to have these discussions, Black families have to reimagine how they think about discipline.
“I think a lot of parents — black parents — struggle with this because there is this inherent knowledge that this is the way that we came up. And there is this belief that, well, you know, … maybe we’re more stable, maybe we’re more durable, maybe we’ve been able to endure more. We’ve developed a particular type of grip because of this experience,” Williams said.
Williams says it’s time to have an “honest” conversation about the historical legacy of corporal punishment within the Black community. “That would be far more communal and affirmative of human dignity and the dignity of black life,” he said. “Coming out of the Black Lives Matter movement, you kind of look back at this, and you go, ‘We understand it from a historical standpoint.’ But from a humanistic and community-centered, restorative justice practices standpoint, there’s something that just doesn’t sit right with me about this practice. And I think we owe it to ourselves as a community to revisit that.”
Marie sees her art as a pathway to discuss extremely difficult and triggering conversations about childhood trauma, especially for people who might struggle to find the words themselves — just like her.
The project will continue to grow over the next year as Marie develops more pieces for a planned exhibition this fall. The series has nearly 20 pieces, and she has even sold two to filmmaker Spike Lee, who is known for his films Do the Right Thing and Malcolm
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Lex Marie has a solo show at The Bishop gallery in Brooklyn, New York this fall which will feature this series.
For Marie, the most important outcome isn’t agreement. It’s recognition.
This story was edited by Olivia Hampton and produced by Nia Dumas. The digital story was written by Nia Dumas.

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Entertainment

Jelly Roll files for divorce from wife, Bunnie XO, after nearly a decade

Country singer Jelly Roll filed for divorce from his wife, Bunnie XO, according to Tennessee court records.
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Deford, filed for divorce in Williamson County, Tennessee, on May 18.
It comes after nearly 10 years of marriage for the couple.
It was not immediately clear why Jelly Roll filed for divorce. He and Bunnie XO, whose real name is Alisa Deford, do not have any children together.
NBC News has reached out to attorneys for both Jelly Roll and Bunny XO.
Jelly Roll appeared to file just before he set out on his “Little Ass Shed Tour,” which began on May 28 and runs until July 22.
Earlier this year, the singer appeared to celebrate a decade with his wife in an Instagram post.
“2016 was a dream. And we’re still living it. 10 years with my beautiful wife, the one and only Mrs. Bunnie Xo,” Jelly Roll wrote in the January Instagram post, which featured a photo of the couple.
Posts on his account as recently as six weeks ago showed the couple together, and her account handle is still featured in his Instagram bio.
In February, Jelly Roll spoke to People about how he and Bunnie XO got through difficult times together.
“Love, man. Love will always do it,” he said at the time.

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Entertainment

Chris Tucker Reveals He’s Been Celibate For 3 Years at Vegas Gig

Chris Tucker says he’s been celibate for more than three years and is holding out for marriage … a revelation he shared during a comedy set in Las Vegas … TMZ has learned.
The ‘Rush Hour’ star made the comments during a performance at The Wynn on Friday, where guests were required to lock up their phones before entering.
Sources who attended the show tell TMZ … Tucker opened up about his love life, telling the crowd, “Well, I’m celibate. I’ve been celibate for 3 years, but I’m really trying to get married. I give it to the love this time.”
We’re told Tucker added, “I’m serious. No one believes me.”
The comedian said even members of his own family aren’t convinced, including his niece, adding, “She believes in aliens, but she don’t believe I did that.”
Tucker also detailed the reactions he’s gotten from women after revealing he’s not having sex.
We’re told he joked, “She said, ‘How much? How much … how much is it?’ I’m not selling it. I’m celibate! What is wrong with you people?”
Tucker also joked about trying to flirt with Siri and Alexa because he’s gotten lonely, drawing some of the night’s biggest laughs from the crowd.

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Entertainment

‘Scary Movie’ Star Marlon Wayans’ Ex Drops Custody Battle Over Daughter

Marlon Wayans is on a roll …. he has a megahit with “Scary Movie 6,” and his ex is no longer dragging him to court for a custody battle over their daughter.
According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Marlon’s ex, Brittany Moreland, filed papers to dismiss the child custody case she brought against him.
In her initial suit, filed in 2024, Brittany asked for primary custody of their young child, Axl July Ivory, with the actor getting visitation. Marlon quickly opposed the request and asked for joint custody.
The case has had no updates in over a year. It appears the two have worked out any issues they may have had.
As TMZ first reported, Marlon and Brittany recently had their daughter appear in a movie titled “Hudson Avenue,” where she earned a daily rate of $1,246.

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Entertainment

Corey Feldman hospitalized after medical emergency on flight

LOS ANGELES — “Stand by Me” actor Corey Feldman has been hospitalized after experiencing a medical emergency on a cross-country flight to Los Angeles.
The 54-year-old former child star was met by paramedics after landing at Los Angeles International Airport on June 15, his publicist confirmed to USA TODAY on Monday night. He was admitted to a hospital and is “resting” overnight while awaiting MRI results.
USA TODAY reached out to the Los Angeles Fire Department for more information. TMZ was first to report the news.
Before his hospitalization, the “Goonies” actor posted photos from his Midwest travels on June 15. The prior day, he’d appeared at the “Stand by Me” 40th anniversary tour stop at The Chicago Theatre alongside Jerry O’Connell and Wil Wheaton.
“We have this instant connection and it’s there. The camaraderie is there; the jokes are there. We have so much fun,” Feldman told People magazine in an interview published in March.
“But there’s this looming thing hanging over us,” he added, referring to late costar River Phoenix and director Rob Reiner, who was killed alongside his wife, Michele Reiner, in their home in December.
“The movie is called ‘Stand By Me,’ and there’s four of us,” Feldman said. “We can’t stand by River, because he’s not here. Now with Rob missing too — I’m sorry, I’m going to get a little emotional — but I was so hoping that he would be able to join us for this.”

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Entertainment

Jelly Roll Files for Divorce from Bunnie XO After a Decade of Marriage

Jelly Roll has filed for divorce from wife Bunnie XO after nearly a decade of marriage, first reported by
The filing was made on May 18 in Williamson County, Tennessee, according to court documents obtained by Billboard and first reported by TMZ. The decision has been described as mutual and a private family matter, according to TMZ. The couple will continue co-parenting their two children — Bailee, 15, and Noah, 7, both from previous relationships.
Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO met in 2015 and married in a secret Las Vegas courthouse ceremony in August 2016, without telling friends or family. They renewed their vows at the same Las Vegas chapel in August 2023. The relationship was not without turbulence — the couple separated in 2018 after Bunnie XO discovered Jelly Roll had been unfaithful, an episode she later wrote about in her memoir Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic.
Jelly Roll publicly acknowledged the affair in October 2025 on the Human School Podcast, calling it “one of the worst moments of his adulthood.” Bunnie XO defended her decision to return to the marriage at the time, saying: “It actually takes a stronger woman to confront pain directly, put in the effort, and rebuild with the man she loves.”
In February 2026, Bunnie XO shared on Instagram that she was hoping to have twins via surrogate. Hours before the divorce news became public on June 15, she posted a mysterious Instagram photo with the caption “She’s getting her sparkle back.” At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Jelly Roll publicly credited Bunnie XO for helping him turn his life around.
Jelly Roll has become one of country music’s most commercially successful crossover stories of the past three years. His 2022 single “Son of a Sinner” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and crossed into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, while “Need a Favor” topped the Hot Country Songs chart in 2023. His album Whitsitt Chapel debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in 2023, and he won the CMA Award for New Artist of the Year the same year. He has received multiple Grammy nominations and has collaborated with artists including Lainey Wilson, Cardi B and Tech N9ne. Bunnie XO is a podcaster and content creator whose show Dumb Blonde has built a significant following.
Neither Jelly Roll nor Bunnie XO have made public statements. Billboard has reached out to representatives for both for comment.

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