A Look Back at the Most Memorable Celebrity Moments of 2019

*From R. Kelly’s legal woes to Wendy Williams‘ divorce drama and the college admission scandal, some of our favorite celebrities had plenty of feuds, bombshells and surprises that kept us engaged all year.

Lifetime seemed to set the tone for the fu*kery that was to come in 2019 with the controversial series “Surviving R. Kelly,” a six-part special in which several women claim they were sexually abused by the R&B singer.

HBO followed up with the pearl-clutching “Leaving Neverland” doc, in which two men recount the sexual abuse they endured as young boys at the hands of Michael Jackson.

There were also plenty of public feuds between artists, influencers and prominent figures, much of which played out to our delight on social media.

In music, we saw the rise of Lil Nas X and Lizzo, A$AP Rocky on lockdown in Sweden and JAY-Z made the most noise this year by inking a deal with the NLF. Meanwhile, Beyonce set a record over at Netflix with her Emmy-nominated “Homecoming” documentary.

In TV, it was all about “Game of Thrones” and that disappointing series finale.

In movies — it was all about Tyler Perry building a zillion dollar studio in Atlanta. 

In fashion — it was all about Rihanna’s dominance with her Fenty brand. 

And there were plenty of other celebrity moments that went viral in 2019, but we decided to highlight some of the most memorable—in no particular order. Check out our list below. 

OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Judge Rules Dallas Police Not Liable for Amber Guyger Murdering Botham Jean

“Surviving R. Kelly” 

Lifetime’s docu-series features testimony from multiple women who claim they were sexually abused by R&B superstar R. Kelly. The 6-part series aired back in January, and has since been viewed by 26 million people. The allegations made against the singer led to his arrest over the summer in Chicago on multiple charges of sexual abuse against women and young girls that spans decades. But it ain’t over…  “Surviving R. Kelly – Part II: The Reckoning” kicks off Jan 03 on Lifetime. 

“Leaving Neverland”

Even in death, the King of Pop can’t catch a break. The Emmy-winning HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland” centers on the long-running relationships Michael Jackson had with two men who now claim the King of Pop sexually abused them as children. 

OJ Simpson Joins Twitter
Days ahead of the 25th anniversary of his arrest on charges he murdered his ex-wife and her friend, O.J. Simpson launched a Twitter account, saying he’s “got a little getting even to do.”

“Hey Twitter world, this is yours truly. Coming soon to Twitter, you’ll get to read all my thoughts and opinions on just about everything,” said Simpson. His account @TherealOJ32, amassed nearly 250k followers in just 24 hours. “It should be a lot of fun. I’ve got a little getting even to do,” he added.

Simpson has since used his account to talk mostly about football.

Netflix Drops Beyonce’s “Homecoming”

*Beyoncé’s Emmy-nominated “Homecoming” concert film on Netflix was watched by an overwhelming number of Black females, according to Nielsen via Variety.

The premiere of the concert film reached 1.1 million U.S. viewers and garnered an average minute audience of 828,000 viewers, Nielsen reported.

The film highlights the 8 months of preparation leading up to Beyoncé’s historic Coachella performance in 2018, which paid homage to America’s historically Black colleges and universities.

According to the Nielsen report, 43% of “Homecoming’s” audience were 18-34, 12% were 2-17 and 27% were adults age 35-49.

“Homecoming” is part of Bey’s three-project deal with Netflix worth $60 million, according to Variety. 

Royal Baby Archie

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry gave the world a glimpse of their new baby boy in May.

The Duke, 34, and Duchess of Sussex, 37, welcomed their child on Monday, May 6, – after having been more than a week overdue. Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor made his public debut outside St. George’s Hall in Windsor Castle. 

Asked what it’s like being a new mom, Meghan said: “It’s magic. It’s pretty amazing. I have the best two guys in the world, so I’m really happy.”

Release of Cyntoia Brown 

Cyntoia Brown Long was 16 when she was convicted of the murder of Johnny Michael Allen. Brown, a victim of child sex trafficking, said Allen paid her $150 to for sex, and that she feared for her life during their encounter, leading her to shoot him.  She was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Her case ultimately attracted the attention of celebrities and influencers who launched a national campaign for her release.

Then Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam commuted Brown’s original sentence to 15 years, and she was released on August 7, 2019. She has since dropped a memoir detailing her story and married a Christian rapper. 

Simone Biles 

The Olympian became the most decorated gymnast in history after taking home five of the six golds to be won during the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.  Her brother also made headlines when he was arrested for triple homicide. 

Jay Z Becomes 1st Hip-Hop Billionaire 

Since the release of his debut album “Reasonable Doubt” in 1996, the hip hop star has “amassed 14 No. 1 albums, 22 Grammy awards and over $500 million in pretax earnings in a decade,” per forbes.com. In June, the publication named Jigga hip-hop’s first billionaire. 

“If he’s a billionaire now, imagine what he’s about to be,” music producer Swizz Beatz said at the time. “Because he’s only just starting.”

Missy Elliot 

JAY-Z wasn’t the only rapper making history this year. 2019 was all about Grammy-winner Missy Elliott reminding folks that she’s still the G.O.A.T. In June, she became the first female rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in September, MTV honored her with the VMA Video Vanguard award.

“Missy, I want to thank you for all of your trailblazing ways,” Barack Obama said in a taped video that aired during the Hall of Fame event. “Thank you not for just sharing your gift with the world, but for being an advocate for so many people out there, especially young girls who are still figuring out how to make their voices heard.”

Missy recently announced on Twitter that her music has over a billion streams.

Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich Craze

Popeyes launched its spicy fried chicken sandwich on Aug. 12, and within weeks, it sold out at many locations, triggering brawls at several restaurants, and resulting in one death. 

“Popeyes is not top five when it comes to naming restaurants in the U.S.,” said Eric Smallwood, the president of Apex Marketing Group. “But this sandwich is putting them on the map in areas that don’t have them.”

Tyler Perry

The movie mogul officially opened his million dollar 30-acre entertainment complex in Atlanta in October, which is bigger than all the major motion picture studios in Hollywood combined.

It is the only major film studio in the nation owned by a Black American.

Among the many celebs that showed up to walk the red carpet for the grand opening included Halle Berry, Cecily Tyson, Whoopie Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Samuel Jackson, Spike Lee and Viola Davis.

Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe

For the first time in history, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss America are all Black women. Cheslie Kryst, 28, won the Miss USA contest, Kaliegh Garris, 18, won Miss Teen USA, Nia Franklin, 25, was crowned as the 2019 Miss America in September and most recently, Zozibini Tunzi, 26, was crowned Miss Universe.

Amber Guyger 

The former Dallas police officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison in October for murdering her upstairs neighbor Botham Jean in his apartment last year.

Guyger, 31, had been facing between five and 99 years or life in prison. According to dallasnews.com, after the sentence was read out, chants of, “No justice, no peace,” broke out in the hallway.

Most recently, a federal judge dismissed the city from a civil lawsuit that the Jean family brought after the 26-year-old was killed by Guyger, who was off-duty at the time. According to the Houston Chronicle, the family’s suit argues Guyger used excessive force and that better police training could have prevented Botham’s death.

Kanye West 

Ever since his mental breakdown a few years ago, Kanye has been the gift that keeps on giving. This year saw him embark on a spiritual journey with his Sunday Service cult. The rapper also announced plans to run for president in 2024

“When I run for president in 2024, we would’ve created so many jobs that I’m not gonna run, I’m gonna walk,” he said at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival in November. 

The Return of Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy’s return to “Saturday Night Live” after over three decades was a massive success, giving the 44-year-old sketch comedy show its best ratings since 2017 when Melissa McCarthy hosted the season finale. 

SNL helped launched Murphy’s career and his last appearance was in 1984. For the last episode of the year over Christmas weekend, the comedian reprised some of his landmark characters, including Mr. Robinson, Gumby and Buckwheat.

Next up for Eddie is “Coming 2 America” and a reboot of “Beverly Hills Cop” for Netflix. 

Nipsey Hussle

The rapper, real name Ermias Asghedom, was tragically shot and killed outside of his Marathon clothing store in Los Angeles on March 31. He was 33. Eric Holder was arrested days later and charged with the rapper’s murder.

Shortly after his death, Najee Ali, a community organizer and Los Angeles resident, called on a city councilman to name an intersection for the artist. More than 500,000 people signed the petition. Less than two weeks later, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to rename the intersection of West Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard in South Central Los Angeles as “Nipsey Hussle Square.”

What do EURweb readers think was the best entertainment story of 2019? Sound off in the comments below.

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