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News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Donald Trump claims Beyonce, Oprah broke law in Harris endorsement deal
Beyonce. Oprah Winfrey. Kamala Harris. US President Donald Trump has taken aim at the trio of influential women, saying they 'should be prosecuted' during a stunning late-night rant. Mr Trump took to Truth Social to unleash in a major way, posting the rant at 7.45pm Scotland time, where he is currently on a weekend golfing trip. Mr Trump alleged that Beyonce never sang despite being paid USD$11 (AUD$16) million to endorse Mrs Harris before her speech at a campaign rally in Houston, Texas. Mr Trump also highlighted amounts allegedly paid to talk show host Oprah and TV personality Reverend Al Sharpton. He also said the large amount of money spent by his Democratic opponents during the 2024 election will be reviewed, and that payment was 'probably illegally' made. 'I'm looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats, after the Presidential Election, and the fact that they admit to paying, probably illegally, Eleven Million Dollars to singer Beyoncé for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!), Three Million Dollars for 'expenses', to Oprah, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars to very low rated TV 'anchor', Al Sharpton (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely nothing!', Mr Trump posted on Truth Social. 'These ridiculous fees were incorrectly stated in the books and records. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO. 'Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them. All hell would break out! Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW.' He continued: 'They should all be prosecuted! Thank you for your attention to this matter.' However, there's no evidence that those named in Mr Trump's post received payment for their endorsement by the Democratic campaign. Oprah previously said she 'was not paid a dime' for the appearance, however 'the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story'. The Harris campaign has also denied making any endorsement payment for Beyonce. Mr Trump has made similar allegations previously. In December, he wrote that 'Beyoncé didn't sing, Oprah didn't do much of anything (she called it 'expenses') and Al is just a third-rate conman'. He's also no stranger to using legal threats. Beyonce and Oprah aren't the only celebrities Mr Trump has criticised. Earlier this week, he addressed CBS' shocking decision to cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, seemingly suggesting that other late night hosts should get a similar treatment. Of particular focus was his longtime critic, Jimmy Kimmel. 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. 'I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!' Mr Kimmel and Mr Trump have reportedly been feuding for years. When Mr Trump won the presidency in 2024, Mr Kimmel called it a 'terrible night' for democracy and announced he was on Trump's 'list of enemies'.
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- News.com.au
Private jet attendant reveals what the super wealthy are really like at 45,000 feet
In 2015, Danielle Styron, then 32, was offered her dream job as a private jet flight attendant. It promised a six-figure salary, trips to luxury resorts and full benefits. It seemed too good to be true — and it was, reports NY Post. Over the course of two phone interviews, the pilot continually hinted at the 'alternative lifestyle' of the plane's owner, a religious man who split his time flying with his family half the month and with his girlfriends the other half. As the conversation went on, it became clear the role involved participating in orgies with the girlfriends on-board while the owner watched. 'We only fly them once a month, so it's not like you have to be a lesbian, you would just need to have fun with them,' the pilot assured her. Ms Styron writes about the seedy job interview — and the seven years she spent flying with the rich and famous — in her dishy new memoir 'The Mile High Club: Confessions of a Private Jet Flight Attendant', co-written with her brother, James Styron. 'Names have been changed to protect (us from) the malevolent,' the intro reads. 'Behaviours have been presented to humble them. You know who you are.' Ms Styron, now 41 and living in New York, didn't end up taking the job with the orgy-loving jet owner, but she went on to work for a number of difficult people. Some of her clients, she writes, were 'miserable, vampires of human joy.' One passenger berated her for not having the proper tequila stocked, even though it wasn't requested. Food-obsessed wives micromanaged everything that came out of the galley kitchen. An assistant threatened to punch her in the face over a not-hot-enough breakfast sandwich. Then there was the time a woman shoved Ms Styron into a bulkhead mid-turbulence because her beloved puppies got jostled. 'She treated the dogs better than any human on board,' Ms Styron writes. One of her lowest points was being asked to source champagne on the tropical island of St. Maarten, just after it had been devastated by a hurricane. The client demanded bubbles despite the natural disaster. 'I'm standing there thinking, 'There's no champagne. There was just a major hurricane. People are standing outside waiting for bread, and you're asking me to spend $US20,000 on bubbly,'' Styron told The Post. There was only one supermarket open, which Ms Styron begrudgingly patronised in search of the requested Champs. 'It felt dystopian,' she said. Then there was the two-timing bigwig who would fly with his pregnant wife one day and his mistress a few days later. 'As a woman, it was hurtful to be a part of that,' she said. 'Even though I had no choice. What was I going to do, blow my life up to be like, 'Yo, your man's cheating on you?' She probably already knew.' Sometimes, as the title of the book suggests, passengers got intimate in flight. She and her crew knew the drill: retreat to the front, let the guests go at it, and deal with the clean-up later. 'It's usually in the bathroom, galley, or right there on the sofa,' she writes. 'It's their house, right? Private jets are like flying living rooms.' Despite the uncomfortable situations and challenging passengers, the jobs also entailed plenty of good times and perks. She partied in Las Vegas with pilots and jetted off to Costa Rica, Aspen and St. Barts. One time in Los Angeles, the plane broke down on the tarmac, a typical mechanical delay. Ms Styron was tasked with keeping the charter guests fed and entertained while the pilots tried to fix the plane. The lead passenger was none other than actor and comedian Jamie Foxx. Unlike most high-profile clients, he took the delay in stride. He was 'the most delightful celebrity,' she said. 'He was cracking jokes and telling stories. He was pure light. [After three hours on the ground,] we were out of food, the mimosas were gone, people were losing patience, but not Jamie. He was still smiling. Still gracious. It restored my faith in humanity.' Misery, however, seemed to be more the norm. 'You think these people have it all,' she said. 'But I saw the opposite. They're really insecure. Their friends are all about one-upmanship. One man owned several planes, had a beautiful wife, everything in the world, and he was obsessing about his hair plugs. Like who cares?' Ms Styron ultimately retired from aviation and went back to doing what she'd done before, working as an esthetician. She now owns Fluff NYC, a brow and skincare studio on the Upper East Side, where she tends to people's faces — not their egos. 'It's less glamorous,' she said with a laugh, 'but way more peaceful.'
SBS Australia
16 hours ago
- SBS Australia
'Genius move': Everyone is raving about new Astronomer ad after Coldplay kiss cam scandal
Gwyneth Paltrow is starring in a new ad for Astronomer. Almost a fortnight after the tech company's married CEO, Andy Byron, was caught on a Coldplay concert kiss cam with his arms around his HR executive Kristin Cabot, Paltrow has been hired as a "temporary" spokesperson for Astronomer. The 52-year-old, who was married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin from 2003 until 2016, appeared in a short video on Astronomer's social media speaking about the company's strengths. "I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer. Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common one," she says in the ad. The first question, "OMG! What the actual f***?", then appeared on the screen in writing. However, she dodged the question and plugged the company's products: "We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation." The next question to Astronomer was, "How is your social media team holding ..." However, Paltrow moved on before the whole question could be asked. "We will now be returning to what we do best, which is delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer," she said. The video was captioned: "Thank you for your interest in Astronomer." Social media users chimed in after the video was released, with tech journalist Neville Lahiru saying: "Getting Chris Martin's ex-wife was a genius move lol." PR and communications consultant Ronke Lawal lauded the move as an "engaging way to handle a PR crisis" and "socially relevant without being too corny and cringe." Another user, Matt Brian, commented: "Marketing genius. Owning the Coldplay kiss cam video *and* hiring Chris Martin's ex-wife? Splendid." At Coldplay's 15 July concert near Boston, a cameraman panned across the crowd and showed Byron and Cabot in an embrace. In a video shared to TikTok, as the couple frantically tried to dodge the camera, frontman Martin could be heard saying: "Oh, look at these two. All right, c'mon, you're okay. "Oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy." Both Byron and Cabot have since resigned from the company.
