Wait, WTF: The 34 Bad, Confusing And Sad Moments Of 2017
By VIBE Staff
With 2017 coming to an end, VIBE thought now would be the perfect time to take a look back at the moments that made us scratch our heads in confusion, shake our heads in disappointment, or question (for the umpteenth time) “WTF, yo?”
From January to June, there were several news items that made us wonder if we were living in the upside down, and unfortunately that lingering feeling of bewilderment, fear or uncertainty continued all year long. Whether it be the unexpected death of a hip-hop great, or a a certain president throwing towels at people devastated by a natural disaster, 2017–for a lack of better phrasing–showed its ass.
So, boys and girls ready to take a leisurely walk down memory lane? Of course you are. Here are the 34 WTF moments of 2017.
1.Donald Trump is elected the 45th President of the United States.
2. Yahoo! Finance horrific Twitter typo: “Trump wants a Much N****r Navy. This is how much it’ll cost.”
Credit: Twitter Screengrab
3. Jenna Bush interviewed Pharrell on the red carpet at the Golden Globes and referred to the film he produced as Hidden Fences not Hidden Figures.
4. Chrisette Michele’s turquoise colored open letter explaining why she decided to perform at Trump’s inauguration, leaving those who attempted to read it like…
5. Soulja Boy and Chris Brown’s social media feud, resulting in Soulja Boy getting his phone stolen.
Soulja Boy and Chris Brown kicked off the year with a bit of foolery for your head top. The entertaining social media feud peaked with both sides agreeing to square up in the ring. The fight never happened, but at one point Soulja (real name DeAndre Cortez) attempted to prove just how loved he is in all hoods across America, only to get his phone stolen. The theft, caught on social media, became a huge LOL with Internet comics and personalities doing their best remake of the incident.
6. During a live interview with Meet The Press, Kellyanne Conway said press secretary Sean Spicer offered reporters “alternative facts.”
7. Donald Trump doesn’t know who Frederick Douglas is.
At the beginning of Black History Month, reporters asked the president about Frederick Douglas to which he responded “[Frederick Douglas] is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job, and is being recognized more and more, I notice.” The response left many raising their eyebrows wondering if Trump even knows who the famous abolitionist and author was, or the fact that he’s been dead for nearly 122 years.
8. The Atlanta Falcon blew a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots, losing Super Bowl LI.
9. Warren Beatty announces La La Land as the 2017 Academy Award’s Best Picture instead of Moonlight.
10. Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi commercial.
11. Shaq’s nasty feet. (They’re really bad, y’all)
Lebron James and The Cavs beat The Boston Celtics 135-102 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals against and The Golden State Warriors. However, instead of the focus being on the game, it quickly shifted to Shaquille O’Neal and his stomach turning foot. The four-time NBA champion revealed his grotesque big toe and deformed foot leaving us all shaking our head in disgust.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUicj9sDRhD/
12. Betty Shelby gets acquitted in the death of Terence Crutcher, returns to her job and receives nearly $30,000 worth of back pay.
Credit: ABC Screengrab
13. Shonda Rhimes announces Scandal will end after its seventh season.
14. Prodigy from Mobb Deep passes away.
On June 20th, hip-hop suffered an immeasurable loss with the unexpected death of Mobb Deep’s Prodigy. Born Albert Johnson, the formidable lyricist was in Las Vegas at the time of his death. Having battled sickle cell anemia his whole life, the Vegas heat reportedly caused his condition to worsen, which ultimately sent him to the hospital for treatment. According to hospital records, the cause for P’s death was accidental choking on an egg. He was 42 years old.
Credit: Getty Images
15. Donald Trump tweets a video of him in a WWE wrestling match against CNN.
Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to several news outlets–The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN–as fake news outlets. Having grown tired of what he thinks is lazy journalism, in July Trump retweeted a video of him in a WWE wrestling match with another wrestler. However, the wrestler’s face was covered and in its place was the CNN logo. The video was childish at best, but for many it was interpreted as Trump’s way of allowing violence against the press.
17. Young Buck alleged he was cast to play Tupac in the Benny Boom directed film, All Eyez On Me, and that Tupac himself walked in during his audition.
18. The deaths of Julio and Raina on Power.
Credit: Courtesy of STARZ
In the dog eat dog world of Power anyone can catch a bullet, and at the end of season four our beloved Julio paid the highest price. Showrunner and creator Courtney A. Kemp left breadcrumbs throughout the season letting fans know Dre was gunning for his spot as the east coast distributor. While Julio’s death hurt, no one believed (or imagined) that with all of Tariq’s bad behavior it would result in the death of his sister, Raina. Fans took the loss pretty hard, but Power 105.1’s Charlamagne Tha God was so distraught he made Tariq (a character in a TV show) Donkey of the Day.
19. Donald Trump threatens to unleash “fire and fury” on North Korea if they continue with their nuclear testing.
20. Charlottesville Protest at The University of Virginia
Several hundred neo nazis and white supremacists gathered around a statue of Thomas Jefferson located on the campus of the University of Virginia. The protesters chanted things such as “You will not replace us!” “White Lives Matter!” and “Jews will not replace us!” As a result of the rally, anti-protester Heather Hayer was killed and 20-year-old DeAndre Harris was severely beaten. When Donald Trump held a press conference addressing the issue, he was quoted as saying “I think there is blame on both sides.”
Credit: Getty Images
21. Dick Gregory passes away.
On August 20th, comedian and activist Dick Gregory passed away after being hospitalized. The comedian and activist broke barriers in the 1960s by becoming the first African-American to perform at white comedy clubs. He used his stand up to discuss segregation, and when he wasn’t making people laugh he marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and many other civil rights leaders. Gregory was 84-years-old.
Credit: Getty Images
22. Herman Cain thinks his “fellow blacks” are wasting time for wanting the removal of Confederate statues. He then wrote an open letter to Ben Carson calling for all “House Negroes Stand Up!”
23. Hurricane Harvey, Maria and Irma hit Houston and devastates Puerto Rico and the Caribbean leaving thousands of Americans without power to this day.
24. Donald Trump said he met with the president of the Virgin Islands during a press conference to address the natural disasters that hit the country, except the president of the Virgin Islands is Donald Trump.
25. In his autobiography, Bobby Brown alleges he taught Michael Jackson how to moonwalk.
26. Flooding in Nigeria Leaves 100,000 people displaced.
Credit: Twitter
27. Las Vegas shooting leaves 50 dead.
28. Donald Trump throws paper towel to Hurricane Maria survivors.
On Sept. 20th a month after Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. The Category 4 storm touched down with winds going as fast 154mph, leaving more than half of the U.S. territory without power. About three weeks later on Oct. 3, the president visited Calvary Chapel in San Juan and passed out food to residents before throwing paper towels into the crowd.
29. ESPN suspends Jemele Hill
ESPN announced the company would suspend Sports Center host Jemele Hill for what the network alleged was a “second violation of their social media guidelines.”Back in October, Hill took to Twitter calling for advertisers to boycott the Dallas Cowboys after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said players who don’t stand for the National Anthem are disrespecting the flag and will not play. While responding to tweets the month prior, Hill tweeted Donald Trump was “unqualified and unfit to be President” and “a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.” The tweet sparked national outrage and caused ESPN to release a statement clarifying that Hill’s tweets do not reflect that of the company. Hill was suspended for two weeks.
Credit: Getty Images
30. Tyrese Says Will And Jada loaned him $5 million, Will and Jada were like, “Come again?”
Tyrese’s ex-wife Norma Gibson filled a restraining order against the Black Rose artist prohibiting him from seeing their 10-year-old daughter on accusations of abuse. Distraught, the Fast & Furious star took to social media to vent, but not before allegedly flying a banner over his daughter’s school. While in a hysterical state, the 38-year-old posted to Instagram and alleged Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith offered him $5 million to stay off social media. Obviously he didn’t listen and sources close to the Hollywood A-List couple quickly refuted Tyrese’s claims. About a week or so after his social media meltdown Tyrese claimed his behavior was a side effect of the medications he was prescribed.
31. The cast of Family Matters reunited for Entertainment Weekly without cast member Jaimee Foxworth (Judy Winslow).
32. In 2017 black men and women were were being sold as slaves in Libya.
In November 2017, it was reported thousands of migrant workers in Libya, hoping to immigrate to Europe were being smuggled and sold in slave trade auctions. Footage from a live auction soon went viral with many celebrities taking to social media calling for action. The UN Security Council reportedly gathered to place sanctions on anyone participating in the trade.
33. People tweeted Rest In Peace Charles Manson when he died (like he wasn’t the leader of a cult and a killer.)
34. Fox News Tried To Correct Vibe’s Editor-In-Chief About Hip-Hop.
This post Wait, WTF: The 34 Bad, Confusing And Sad Moments Of 2017 first appeared on Vibe.
Solve the daily Crossword
