It's official: Ariana Grande has overtaken Selena Gomez as the world's most followed woman on Instagram. The figures are SO tight though; Ari now has 146,337,497 and Selena is slightly behind with 146,289,115.
Unfortunately for Thank U Next fans, Cristiano Ronaldo is still the most followed person, with 155 million followers compared to the Sweetener singer's 146 million.
However, considering everything Ms Grande has achieved this year, we believe she can gain the nine million needed in no time.
Billboard are claiming that Ariana gained a huge 13 million followers on the social media site over the last four months, coinciding with the release of her record breaking albums Sweetener and Thank U, Next.
Weirdly, it also comes at the same time as her break-up from former fiancé Pete Davidson in October. The pair made the headlines after the split, coming only five months after their engagements and six months after they began dating.
It was never going to end well, was it? Ari also had a turbulent time with the overdose and subsequent death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller.
More recently, she won the Best Pop Album Grammy award, and became the first solo artist to hold the top three Billboard Hot 100 singles (7 Rings, Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored and Thank U, Next), and hold the number one album spot at the same time.
Her online wars with the likes of Grammy producers who insulted her (how dare they??) and Piers Morgan has also drawn attention to her accounts.
Meanwhile, singer and actress Selena Gomez has lost followers after taking a four-month break from social media in September after entering a treatment facility for her mental health.
She required medical help with her anxiety and depression, saying in a video at the time;
"As much as I am grateful for the voice that social media gives each of us, I am equally grateful to be able to step back and live my life present to the moment I have been given."
"Kindness and encouragement only for a bit. Just remember: negative comments can hurt anybody’s feelings," she said.
Come on lads, lets dethrone Cristiano Ronaldo. Ari's Instagram game is far stronger…Just sayin'
Gillette has made more than a few mortal, and almost exclusively male, enemies today after it debuted its brand new advert about toxic masculinity.
The ad is currently trending on Twitter, having clocked up three million views already on YouTube as well as 282,000 dislikes.
The two-minute clip opens up by showing men of varying ages and ethnicities staring into the mirror, before the narrator asking the question: 'Is this the best a man can get?', turning its former brand mantra on its head.
As the ad rolls on, it shows both negative and positive sides of supposedly 'masculine' behaviour, from bullying and harassment, sexual misconduct, 'mansplaining' and violence, to men standing up for sexual violence victims and acting as excellent father figures.
The video faces the Me Too movement head on as a brand which has a predominantly male audience, and regularly aimed its former ad campaigns at gruff, typically 'masculine' men.
Many viewers felt that the advert accepted its vital responsibility in speaking to their target audience, considering men have been notoriously at the heart of sexual assault allegations.
One especially poignant part of the clip shows Terry Crews speaking out about sexual assault, crucially standing up for both male and female survivors and their Bill of Rights.
WATCH – @terrycrews full opening statement: "I am honored to use my platform and story to help create additional civil rights protections for survivors across the nation under the Sexual Assault #SurvivorsBillofRights."
On the one hand, Gillette's message slightly missed the mark by tarring an entire gender with mostly the same brush, though it did show varying 'types' of men. Some say the advert is capitalising on the #MeToo Movement, others say it's complete chastisement.
The reception has been extremely mixed, with some of the target audience (all men) wanting to go as far as boycotting the brand forever, and others praising it immensely.
One infamously vocal *cough* vile *cough* public figure to comment on it is, of course, Piers Morgan.
I've used @Gillette razors my entire adult life but this absurd virtue-signalling PC guff may drive me away to a company less eager to fuel the current pathetic global assault on masculinity.
Let boys be damn boys.
Let men be damn men. https://t.co/Hm66OD5lA4
The deplorable King of 'Boys will be boys' rhetoric himself has been arguing with members of the public ALL THE LIVELONG DAY on Twitter, claiming man-hating 'feminazis' are waging a war against men through advertising. As if advertising in essence isn't inherently waging a war against women. But whatever.
(Let it be clear: Anyone who equates feminism with man-hating has absolutely zero notion of what feminism means. Feminists hate the patriarchy, not men themselves. They are two different things. Thus ends the public announcement services for today)
Gillette: Men, could you please be the best versions of yourselves and care for yourself and others
Why has the advert received such an angry response?
Many viewers believe that Gillette's efforts have created a video full of preaching, which isn't totally untrue. The video may have missed the mark with it's tone, after all, women know all about what condescension feels like.
We experience patronising behaviour on a daily basis in the workplace, among other settings. It never teaches us the lesson it's attempting to, which for me is the main problem with the ad.
I mean, the clip showing a line of men, standing behind BBQs with smoke wafting up from their grills, reciting “boys will be boys will be boys will be boys"? It's a bit obvious.
That being said, the ad didn't even show the worst aspects of the patriarchy, the worst of the predators, the horrors many women face every single day. It didn't even go that far when we think about it from this perspective, but yet thousands are saying it went more than far enough.
However, the ruthlessly aggressive response by some users to the video clip, in one way, reiterates the point.
While I don't believe all men (or women) should be tarred with the same brush, I do believe that the defensive backlash shows the toxicity of the defensive feminist-fearing aggressive male dialogue.
Today, all the men in Britain who insist that everyone else is snowflakey, over-sensitive and thin-skinned will be crying about an advert that is not scheduled to appear on British TV. Just a heads up. #Gillette
Like many women and men have said, only those who have done something wrong should be afraid of the Me Too era.
By becoming an ally for sexual assault survivors, by proving you believe in equality, by acknowledging the pain which survivors of sexist behaviour and sexual violence have undergone, by lifting up women and minorities such as the LGBT+ and trans communities; only then will society believe that you aren't part of the problem.
It's time for a lot of men to stand up and prove themselves; just because you haven't done anything wrong in the past doesn't mean that you can't stand up for what's right when it matters. And in today's Me Too society, it really matters.
Seeing a massively popular brand attempt to start a conversation is encouraging for most of us, despite the fact that the ad was overdone and the tone was slightly missed.
The male demographic clearly felt attacked by the ad (um, hello, EVERY MEDIA ADVERT makes women feel like sh*t about ourselves so now you understand how it feels) despite the fact that it was arguably trying to encourage them to better themselves for their own benefit.
Let's not forget that toxic masculinity is harmful to men as well as women. While men are the perpetrators of 90% of violent crime in America, they are also 70% of the victims of violent crime. They are also four times more likely to commit suicide.
By facing the aggression and violence inherent in society, men find gain too, yet so many of them are too angered by the ad to see that it isn't trying to attack them personally.
Hate speech by Gillete. Manly Alpha males rule. Pansy betas are actually misandrists and thats who this ad is supporting. #BoycottGillette
President of Procter & Gamble, owners of Gillette, stated that;
"By holding each other accountable, eliminating excuses for bad behaviour, and supporting a new generation working towards their personal 'best,' we can help create positive change that will matter for years to come."
No doubt Gillette anticipated a backlash to the clip, but all publicity is good publicity as the saying goes.
Gillette better be careful or it’ll suffer the same financial fate Nike did when it made rightwingers mad. pic.twitter.com/8ELvdwVDgF
Gillette has collaborated with the Building A Better Man project, which aims to reduce violent behaviour in men, and The Boys and Girls Club of America, which helps young men develop better communication skills.
The company is also donating $1m a year to US charities who work to support men over the next three years.
It has to be said that their efforts deserve praise, since #MeToo began there has been a shocking amount of defensive commentary from groups of men as opposed to constructive conversations and support for women and minorities suffering at the hands of the patriarchy.
Gillette has rarely found itself in the midst of controversy, but today everyone is talking about them.
Piers Morgan and Coronation Street star Beverley Callard have commented on the ‘trend’ of celebrities opening up about their mental health issues, claiming that they’re trying to make mental health disorders ‘fashionable’.
The ludicrous and disheartening beliefs of both the Good Morning Britain host and the soap star have unsurprisingly ruffled a few feathers.
More and more people are suffering from disorders like anxiety, bipolar and depression these days and the last thing we should be doing is dismissing the conversation.
We idolise celebrities. We put them on pedestals and are more than likely going to believe what they say as opposed to your regular joe.
Using their platforms to raise awareness about disorders that plague many of us is far from harmful. It’s quite possibly one of the beneficial things they can do online instead of boasting about their luxurious lifestyles and shockingly expensive holidays.
Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner is one of many celebrities who has been an advocate for mental health in recent years, so there’s no doubt Piers’ claims angered the 22-year-old actress.
Sophie took to Twitter to express her disgust and disappointment in a series of moving tweets.
She wrote: “People who think it’s okay to make jokes about mental illness, I feel you must be lucky, because surely you don’t understand or can’t comprehend what it is like to have or know someone with an illness like this.
“Depression is the second biggest killer in affluent Europe and America. One of the greatest reasons being, I believe, is because mental illness has so much stigma surrounding it,” Sophie stated.
People are so afraid to discuss their mental health issues because of that overwhelming and unnecessary stigma. They fear being judged, laughed at and worst of all, not being taken seriously if they do discuss their problems.
Sophie continued: “If we can just all speak out about our experiences or our loved ones experiences we can help other people who suffer with mental illness not feel so alone. Let’s keep this dialogue going.
“You are not alone, you can manage your illness, and people who make fun of it are the minority… not you. You are loved and supported,” she concluded.
Piers Morgan has been slammed by model and actress Emily Ratajkowski for questioning how she can be a feminist and a sexual being.
The Good Morning Britain co-hot and professional Twitter troll told viewers that he was confused by Emily's feminism after a video of her posing provocatively on a dinner table was released,
'Emily, writhing in spaghetti, she’s what it’s all about,' he stated, comparing Emily's provocative work to that of the more conservative Taylor Swift.
'Women, sort it out. We are confused,' he continued, demonstrating that he does not understand how a woman can believe in feminism while simultaneously being sexy.
Emily heard about his statements, and decided to help him out:
'I never said my love video was a feminist statement,' Emily clarified on Twitter.
'But now it’s worth saying that telling women what to do with their bodies and sexuality is actually just classic sexism.'
'I can have opinions about feminism and also do sexy photo shoots, k thanks.'
I mean, how dare a woman believe in equality between the genders and showcase her body? The outrage… *eyeroll emoji*
If a man writhed semi-naked in spaghetti to promote male empowerment, feminists would mock him to humiliating death.
If you want equality, do the same to women who pull this stunt. https://t.co/KkwhgbmE1y
'I hope my daughter aspires to a more substantial feminist ideal than writhing semi-naked in spaghetti for publicity & Instagram likes.'
'If a man writhed semi-naked in spaghetti to promote male empowerment, feminists would mock him to humiliating death. If you want equality, do the same to women who pull this stunt.'
Piers Morgan has accused Lily Allen of harassing him during a heated exchange about mental health.
In a series of tweets posted today, the pair argued over Piers' claim that actress Denise Welch has only accused him of not taking mental health seriously because she knew it would get her “in the papers.”
I’ve noticed Ms Welch does this whenever she hasn’t been in the papers for a while. And it’s been a while… https://t.co/Tfvkb6WL1r
Her comments come after the Good Morning Britain presenter was criticised for his response to the news that Will Young had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, when he said that the singer actually had a case of “WNTS – Whiny Needy Twerp Syndrome.”
“What he did by that statement was… you’ve got somebody who is just about to be prepared to talk about their condition because they’ve kept it a secret,” Denise said.
“What he did in that one tweet was he closed them down and said, ’Don’t do it, because we are going to take the f*cking piss out of you’. He shut all those people down who don’t have a voice.”
Lol, that you think you’re so press worthy. I️ can think of a billion other ways @RealDeniseWelch could drum up some interest if she was that way inclined. Her incredibly successful son being one of them. Looking forward to Leveson part deux. Times ticking https://t.co/7QO1dKn6N0
And anyway form someone who’s entire career is based on using other people’s names and experiences bring in the bacon. This is a bit , meh. #teamdenisehttps://t.co/7QO1dKn6N0
Lily was quick to defend the actress, tweeting: “Lol, that you think you’re so press worthy. I can think of a billion other ways @RealDeniseWelch could drum up some interest if she was that way inclined. Her incredibly successful son being one of them…”
However, things took a turn, when Piers replied with a picture of the singer appearing to touch his crotch, along with the caption, “I preferred you when you just harassed me in the flesh.”
For as long as Sex and the City has been on air (and for the 13 years that has followed its small-screen conclusion), Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker have been plagued with rumours regarding their relationship.
And ever since the first rumour began circulating back in 1998, the two ladies have been at pains to stress the inaccuracy of reports which suggested there existed ill will between the pair.
However, it looks like it's finally all come to a head this week, following KIm Cattrall's appearance on Piers Morgan Life Stories.
While the 61-year-old actress has always taken a diplomatic stance on her history with her co-star, it appears that recent press regarding Sex and the City 3 has forced Kim into a position where she felt compelled to speak out against SJP.
According to recent reports. Kim was the reason for the cancellation of the third SATC film – an accusation she takes very personally.
"Reflecting on the accusations, Kim told Piers: "It’s quite extraordinary to get any kind of negative press about something that I’ve been saying for almost a year of ‘no’ that I’m demanding or a diva."
"I never asked for any money, I never asked for any projects, to be thought of as some kind of diva is absolutely ridiculous."
And she doesn't stop there.
Focussing her attention on Sarah Jessica, Kim suggested that her former co-star could have reacted more positively towards her decision not to take part.
"And this is really where I take to task the people from Sex And The City and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker in that I think she could have been nicer," Kim revealed. "I really think she could have been nicer."
Shining a light on a relationship the press have, for years, attempted to dissect, Kim revealed that it's far from functional.
"Usually what happens in a healthy relationship is that someone, or a transaction for a job in my business, is that someone says, ‘Are you available?’ and you say ‘Yes’ and here’s the job and you say ‘Yes, but thank you very much but I’m sort of over here right now but thank you very much,’ and that person turns to you, and they say ‘That’s great, good luck to you, I wish you the best.’"
"That’s not what happened here, this is, it feels like a toxic relationship," she opined.
We can only imagine SJP's reaction to Kim's interview.
It's not 'misogyny' to think that posting nude photos in the supposed name of feminist empowerment is pathetic attention-seeking bulls**t. https://t.co/39rIjaaUXu
I can handle your naked body, Amber – relax.
I just can't handle your ridiculous claim to be stripping off in the name of feminism. https://t.co/i0bAqNKbB1
Following the news that the Queen had visited the Manchester Children's hospital in the days following the attack, Piers tweeted, "If the Queen can visit the victims in hospital, so can the star they paid to see." He added, "I expected her to stay, visit & comfort her wounded fans & relatives of those who died".
The comments received huge backlash online, but he refused to apologise even after Ariana announced she would visit the victims in hospitals around Manchester.
Apologise for what? I suggested she should do something she is now going to do. https://t.co/fInshzT8UG
Speaking during Sunday night's One Love Manchester concert, Ariana revealed how she was inspired to change the set list for the benefit gig after the mother of Olivia Campbell-Hardy, one of the victims said her daughter 'would have wanted to hear the hits'.
"I had the pleasure of meeting Olivia's mummy a few days ago and I started to cry and gave her a big hug and she said 'stop crying, because Olivia wouldn't have wanted you to cry'.
"And then she told me Olivia would have wanted to hear the hits. We had a different show planned and we had a rehearsal yesterday and we changed everything."
As well as organising the benefit concert, the 23-year-old singer has offered to to pay for the funerals of the victims and her record label donated $500,000 to the We Love Manchester Fund.
Among the flurry of thinly-veiled sexist remarks Piers Morgan made after seeing an un-airbrushed photo of a bikini-clad Kim Kardashian this week, he did utter one sentence which is worth remembering.
In reference to cellulite which could be seen on Kim's thighs if you were so inclined to search for it, Piers said: "Accept it."
Yes, he dismissed the notion that dimpled thighs should be celebrated, but he did suggest something many of us have been refusing to do when it comes to our litany of perceived 'flaws'.
While his intention clearly wasn't to buoy the female population or offer any form of support when it came to issues surrounding body image, he did, albeit inadvertently, remind us that there are – among myriad other things in this life – some things we have to just accept.
And there's a lot to be said for finding the confidence to do just that.
As many women will attest, railing against 'flawed' body parts is draining beyond all measure.
Fixating on 'imperfections' is exhausting.
And attempting to conceal areas of your anatomy that haven't had the photoshop treatment is a surefire way to sap yourself of self-confidence, self-assurance and self-worth.
So maybe Piers, in this instance, is right.
Few of us have reached the celebratory stage of cellulite, but even less have reached the acceptance stage, and desperately attempt to fix, conceal or apologise for its presence.
While his distaste over Kim's unphotoshopped physique was far from subtle and his disregard for his female co-host's praise blatant, the 52-year-old did provide a kernel of advice…whether he realised it or not.
And while he did – following his televised remarks – take to Twitter to hammer home the notion that cellulite is a 'flaw', we'd do well to focus on the brief tip he did mention.
Nope, it's a flaw.
Like my double chin.
Definitely nothing to 'celebrate'. https://t.co/CdBLmgX6Mo
Flaw or not, it is – as something many women sport – something we need to accept, because hey, for most of us it's here to stay.
Yes, the nugget of advice was fleeting. Yes, it was bookended by other remarks which suggest Piers needs a lesson or two in diplomacy. And yes it did remind us that when it comes to certain matters, Piers is far from an oracle.
But just like Kim's cellulite, if you were inclined to search for it, it was actually there.
Piers Morgan has been angering quite a few bibliophiles on Twitter in recent weeks.
Piers has been in a battle of 180 characters with JK Rowling for quite a while, as the two have had some political disagreements.
In the midst of the war of words, Harry Potter fans have begun tweeting Piers Morgan the contents of the Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone novelin it's entirety, and the journalist has had it up to here with the Hogwarts-themed tweets.
Hi @E_L_James, any chance you could start tweeting me one of your books? I need some relief from this Harry Potter crap.
The quote is, of course, not even from Fifty Shades of Grey, but is in fact from a scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets betweenDefence Against the Dark Arts Professor Gilderoy Lockhart and Harry Potter.
Clearly E.L James has JK Rowling's back in this battle.
The Harry Potter author also made a pretty funny joke at Piers's expense on Valentine's Day, as she posted a gushing review about her contribution to children's literacy.
While JK Rowling feigned the anonymity of the post for the sake of satire, it was quickly revealed on Twitter that it was Piers Morgan himself who had written the piece a few years ago.
"I bet he's having a monumental trumpesque meltdown," replied one follower.
It might be time for Piers to take a little Twitter break now, no?
We all know if you want to see famous people flaunting their wares, you rock up to Instagram.
But if you want to see famous people brawl it out amongst each other, you head right on over to Twitter.
And if there are two people capable of attracting a crowd within the Twitosphere, it's JK Rowling and Piers Morgan.
Considering that there's no love lost between the author and the Britain's Got Talent judge, JK decided to set a trap for the journalist, and it went down a storm among her followers.
Sharing a screenshot of a very flattering article which was penned abour her, JK wrote: "Just been sent this! Could the writer let me know who he is? I'd love to thank him. #Valentine's."
Wasting no time calling JK out for sharing the complimentary piece, Piers retweeted the author, writing: "Priceless #humblebrag BS."
"Nobody plays the celebrity game more abusively or ruthlessly than you, Ms Intensively Private Billionaire'.
Priceless #humblebrag BS. Nobody plays the celebrity game more abusively or ruthlessly than you, Ms 'Intensely Private Billionaire'. https://t.co/5ysnfefa3d
Earlier today, Ewan McGregor was supposed to appear on Good Morning Britain to talk all about his new movie, T2 Trainspotting.
That completely combusted when Ewan found out that Good Morning Britain was the talk show that Piers Morgan presents, and so, the actor bowed out.
He later wrote on Twitter, "Was going on Good Morning Britain, didn't realise @piersmorgan was host. Won't go on with him after his comments about #WomensMarch."
Was going on Good Morning Britain, didn't realise @piersmorgan was host. Won't go on with him after his comments about #WomensMarch
“This demand was denied, as were further demands for the interview to be severely shortened and to be restricted purely to talk about his new movie, T2 Trainspotting.
“So, enraged that he couldn’t do the interview on the terms he wanted, McGregor left.
“A flick through his Twitter feed today revealed a man absolutely enraged by both Donald Trump’s ascent to the presidency, and by Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.
“His fury at the latter may strike some as slightly disingenuous given that McGregor himself quit the EU years ago to go and live the life of a pampered millionaire movie star in Hollywood.
“But I’ll leave others to decide whether that is hypocritical or not.
“One thing’s for sure: Ewan McGregor wants you all to know, very very loudly, that he HATES TRUMP AND BREXIT.”
