(liquid shaking)
- This feels wrong.
Nope, that makes it worse.
(laughing)
♪ This is a new show ♪
(monkey chatter)
Sup, you beautiful bastards.
Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show.
And hey, a quick friendly reminder,
you only have six days left to head on over to
BeautifulBastard.com to get in on the October drops.
Snag yourself some "don't be stupid"
"Or one day we'll all be skeletons" gold foils,
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Also, how about you hit that like button
to help promote some common sense
news coverage here on the YouTubes.
But yeah, let's just jump into it.
You know, the first thing that
we're going to talk about today
is this news surrounding 20 year Zoe Laverne.
Now, I know a lot of you probably
don't know who she is, but she is absolutely massive.
21 million TikToK followers.
And she's a rather controversial figure.
There are many knowing her for everything,
from leaked outbursts to drama surrounding her
on again, off again relationship,
one of the most serious controversies stemming
from a leaked video of her kissing a 13 year old fan.
But she somehow got past that controversy,
and it's not the thing that we're talking about today,
but rather it's because now Zoe
is making headlines for selling photos
of her newborn baby to fans.
So taking it back a bit,
Zoe gave birth to her first child on October 3rd,
who she was expecting with her current boyfriend
20 year old Dawson Day.
And after announcing her child's birth on Instagram,
she reportedly included a line in the caption that said
"link in bio for more exclusive pics".
According to screenshots, those who follow the link
to the pictures were then given
the option to unlock them for a $15 fee.
That quickly earning her backlash,
where people who were upset saying
that she was blatantly exploiting her child for money.
Zoe eventually took her posts down, removed the paywall,
and now when you click her link,
it takes you to a public Instagram post
that she made with two photos of her child,
where she talks about having an emergency C-Section.
Although it's also unclear at what point
Zoe decided to abandon the paywall system,
because the public post about her delivery
still includes another kick to the exclusive photo.
So with all this, she then took to her Instagram stories
to address the backlash that she was receiving,
later doing the same on TikToK.
And they are basically saying,
she realizes how bad it looks, but,
said she did it because she received
so many messages from people during her pregnancy
threatening to harm her and her child
saying that made her hesitant to post
her baby's face online,
so she and her team came up with this paywall.
They're saying, right, the idea is that
people who hate her wouldn't care enough to pay,
only people who actually support her.
- So I looked at it like that,
and didn't think about it in any other wrong way
that it could have been looked at, and I'm sorry.
None of the money that I made off of it is going to me.
It's going to (muted) needs and her hospital bill
from being lifelined, because she had to be lifelined,
she was in the NICU and she still is in the NICU.
It was all for her medical bills
and the rest of the money, I am donating
to mothers and children who need it
because I know what it feels like
to have complications, like, during your birth and stuff.
So, I'm sorry, again.
- And with this also clarifying
that she and her baby are both okay now,
but the reactions have been very split.
Some saying no, these excuses are BS.
They're PR, you just wanted
to exploit your child, make money.
But at the same time you also had others
believing she had good intentions,
that she's trying to learn from her mistakes.
And as far as my reaction to this news,
I'm still caught up on the 13 year old thing.
Like many of you, I was relatively
unfamiliar with Laverne, but how do you get past a,
I'm using air quotes, because, isn't it a crime?
How can a 19 year old kiss a 13 year old fan,
say they caught feelings and then like
everything just continues.
That's college age and middle school age.
Also, yeah, I guess regarding the news story
that the baby stuff's weird.
I also kind of don't find it anymore disgusting
than any other celeb that sells a photoshoot
of their newborns, right?
So it ends up on some tabloid.
Like, once again, maybe I'm missing something,
but it feels like we've all glossed over
the bigger thing here.
Anyway, thoughts?
Then, how is this even still a debate news?
Let's talk about influencers versus the mainstream.
Where this story starts is with
a Buzzfeed article focused on Emma Chamberlain.
The focus being on Emma saying that some people
aren't ready to accept influencers as celebrities.
This in the weeks after she faced criticism
for her Met Gala appearance.
And if you look at the top comments,
most of them are just kind of like
middle fingers towards Emma.
Saying they're a dime a dozen,
because they're not celebrities,
they're not being famous for doing the bare minimum is bull,
she's a skinny white girl,
there's literally millions of her.
And you clicked on an article,
read through this article about this person
and decided to spend time commenting on the article.
A lot of the arguments are kind of flawed
regarding like, someone not providing value.
I mean, how many mainstream celebrities
do not provide value.
Have no discernible skill other than,
somehow still staying relevant.
And also like this isn't me just coming
to the specific defense of Emma Chamberlain,
this is like a whole commentary on the industry.
Primary difference between influencers
and those you see as like mainstream celebrities
is who is allowed to gatekeep.
Like how is a homegrown influencer
somehow less legitimate because some fucking
corpse in a business suit wasn't the one
to hand hold them up.
And like, I understand maybe having that opinion
five, 10 years ago, but it's just stupid.
We live in a time where mainstream celebrities
are going to social media apps
and copying influencers to try to remain relevant.
We live in a time where some mustachioed kid named Jimmy
from North Carolina, absolutely destroys mainstream numbers.
Where if regardless, if you hate him or you love him,
you have celebrities going through the David Dobrik
pipeline to get on a vlog, to remain relevant.
Hell most recently, two creators Snapnap, Karl Jacobs,
they've launched a new podcast.
If you go to Spotify's podcast charts
they're number four on the platform now
with it having peaked even higher
knocking down Joe Rogan from the number one spot
temporarily.
Which, even if temporary, kind of crazy
because unlike "The Joe Rogan Experience",
"Banter" is not Spotify exclusive.
So, in a world where attention
is the main indicator of if someone
is a celebrity or not,
how do we treat these things like they're different?
Look, I understand there's some people
on a completely different level.
Like, The Rock is insane, but he's also one of the people
bringing in the biggest box office numbers.
I'm more than happy to listen to the argument
for why like someone on a CW show,
like one of the main actors on something
getting 500,000 to 1.3 million viewers
that they're a celebrity, but a MrBeast,
who's getting a hundred plus million views
on each video is not.
And honestly like my favorite thing regarding
the last two generations of content creators
is that, unlike when I was coming up,
no one needs the Hollywood validation.
Yes, will they go to mainstream events, stuff like that,
but they know their own value.
They're no longer dive bombing their careers
because they saw some mainstream attention
and then all of a sudden they left the platform
that made them.
Also with this story,
I want to know what you beautiful bastards thought,
so this morning I polled ya,
and, oh! a clean split six out of every 10 people
say that influencers are celebrities.
But still, 40% saying "no", that's a sizable chunk.
But some of the top comments,
including more nuance takes like:
"I think they can be celebrities,
but being an influencer does not
automatically make you a celebrity."
I would personally agree with that.
Kind of expanding on that, someone said,
"It's like all thumbs are fingers,
but not all fingers are thumbs".
"Every celebrity is an influencer to some degree,
but not every influencer is a celebrity".
With another take being,
"I really think it depends on fame level option is missing.
I'll definitely consider like Addison Rae
or whatever a celebrity, but not my cozy crochet
tutorial channel, ladies."
But also, I think that's an interesting thing to hit on,
because there are going to be people
that see those crochet ladies and lose their absolute shit.
Like someone's running up to them in a Publix
and they're like,
"Veronica, your pineapple lace, it changed my life".
Now, I personally look at myself
as just some dumb fucker that's
very lucky thanks to the internet.
And they're going to be people that view me in this way.
But others are like, that's just some random dumb schmuck.
I don't know, it feels like there's not
some arbitrary number, but we all get
to decide who is famous or not to us.
But also with this story and then the questions,
what are your thoughts here?
Do you see influencers as celebrities? Why or why not?
And do you think things are continuing to change even more.
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Then, we should definitely talk
about the 60,000 members of the major Hollywood union,
the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees,
voting over the weekend to approve a major strike.
And this, following members of the IATSE
having tried to negotiate their contract
with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
for quite some time now, but largely
those talks have failed.
The IATSE is saying the producers group
is not listening to the major concerns
that the union has, with those primarily focusing
on unsafe and harmful working hours,
unlivable wages for the lowest on the totem pole on set,
a lack of reasonable breaks and rest periods.
And, the fact that those working for streaming projects
deemed as new media are getting paid even less.
Even though those projects often have
bigger budgets than traditional films and TV shows.
And this is something that union members
have been very vocal about with
an Instagram account called IATSE stories,
sharing the experiences of people
who feel like they've been mistreated on set
or harmed by their working conditions.
Some saying that the continuous 17 hour days
have made workers so tired that they
fell asleep at the wheel or nearly got
into car accidents driving to work.
Others sharing stories where people collapsed on set
due to health issues, stemming from their jobs.
Those people sometimes not even going to the hospital
because of insurance issues.
Stories where people said they had to ask their doctor
to regularly prescribe antibiotics for UTIs
because they get them so frequently
from not being able to use the bathroom
enough during the day.
And so, because of stories like that,
and honestly so much more, the union members
have been saying enough is enough.
We want change in the industry
and it resulted in 36 local groups
within the union, getting the strike vote.
And y'all, the momentum and the numbers are there.
There was a nearly 90% turnout among eligible members
and the vote authorizing the strike came in at over 98%.
That is a united vote and a vote, that means
that members have now given IATSE president Matthew Loeb,
the authority to call a strike.
But, before he actually does, he will likely
meet with the producers association
for further talks.
With Loeb, issuing a statement saying
"The members have spoken loud and clear.
Our people have basic human needs,
like time for meal breaks, adequate sleep and a weekend.
For those at the bottom of the pay scale,
they deserve nothing less than a living wage",
but them also telling studios and producers
that the ball is in their court, and adding,
"If they want to avoid a strike,
they will return to the bargaining table
and make us a reasonable offer".
And the union holds a lot of power here,
because if they go on strike, productions go down.
And that, I imagine, is a nightmare scenario
for a Hollywood that's just now starting
to rebound following the devastation from the pandemic.
And so, with that, you have people going,
"okay, the studios are going to give in,
they don't want to shut down again, they need to survive".
But also you have others saying,
"no, maybe the studios don't give in
or give in as much because they're afraid
to catering to the demands because
it could lead to other major unions asking for more
the next time they come to the bargaining table".
That said, with this on the other side,
the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers
releasing a statement saying,
They deeply value their IATSE crew members,
are committed to working with them,
saying a deal can be made at the bargaining table,
but it will require both parties working together
in good faith with a willingness to compromise
and to explore new solutions, to resolve the open issues.
But also, the pressure here that the union
is putting on the studios, it's not just coming
from inside the house.
The movement also has tons of public backing,
over 100 members of Congress
writing a letter to the studios,
urging them to work with the IATSE.
Big names speaking out, both following the vote
and in the weeks leading up to it.
Other major Hollywood unions,
like the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild,
throwing in their support.
But ultimately, that is where we are.
And we'll have to wait to see what will be.
Then, in drug news that might be interesting
to a number of you who purchase this shirt.
Seattle just became the largest city in America
to decriminalize psilocybin and other psychedelics
following a unanimous city council vote.
The new measures here, direct police
to make it among their lowest priorities
to investigate, arrest, or prosecute
anyone taking part in activities concerning entheogens.
With those being psychoactive drugs,
usually derived from plants and fungi
and often used for spiritual or religious purposes
like psilocybin & ayahuasca.
And under this new resolution,
the non-commercial cultivation
and sharing of those drugs will no longer
be criminalized in the city.
Council member Andrew Lewis introduced the resolution,
issuing a statement after the votes saying
that these psychedelics "have been shown
to benefit the wellbeing of individuals
suffering from depression, severe anxiety,
problematic substance use, post-traumatic stress,
end of life anxiety, grief, and intergenerational trauma".
And adding, "these and other physical and mental conditions
are plaguing many communities which have been further
demonstrated to be exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19".
You know, connected to that, it's very notable here.
This resolution was made in part by the efforts
of city council members to reduce opioid related deaths
that have spiked during the pandemic.
So with this, we saw many people cheering the move,
including the co-director of the advocacy group,
Decrim Nature Seattle, who told reporters:
"Public opinion is changing.
And many people are waking up to the fact
that the war on drugs leads to unnecessary incarceration,
impedes access to profoundly effective medicine
and impinges on both religious freedom
and personal liberty."
And adding, "social progress rarely happens
through sweeping changes, but rather occurs
from winning one small battle at a time".
You know, that's a really important point, right?
Public opinion has effectively changed over the last decade.
Hell, Seattle is not even the only local government
that's made this move since Denver became
the first city to decriminalize psilocybin
just two years ago.
According to reports, at least eight other cities
have made the move in recent years.
And in 2020 Oregon became the first state
to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic use
and decriminalized drug possession.
And beyond that many other cities and states have proposed
legislation to decriminalize psilocybin
and other psychedelics, or, pass bills
to study the therapeutic benefits of these drugs.
You know, like I've been saying for a decent while now,
this is going to be a really fascinating space to watch
and potentially incredibly lucrative.
I don't know why I said potentially,
it's going to be incredibly lucrative.
And finally today, in "it's probably nothing" news,
you have the FBI raiding the headquarters
of the NYPD sergeants union.
Also, according to the New York Times,
investigators executed a search warrant
at the home of the union's president.
And yeah, I mean, this is potentially big.
Raiding the Manhattan office of one of
New York's main police unions.
With them representing about 13,000
active and retired police sergeants in New York.
And as far as why, reportedly,
this is part of an investigation by the FBI
and the public corruption unit in the
US attorney's office in Manhattan.
Now, as far as the scope, the scale,
what even the focus of this investigation is,
we don't really know right now.
But, as the New York Times noted,
this is all coming as the union president
is facing departmental discipline
over his conduct on social media.
Reporting that he's been known in recent years
for making brash and incendiary remarks on Twitter.
They declared war on the mayor last year,
after two officers were shot accusing De Blasio
of promoting anti-police attitudes.
Also doing things like sharing a police report
documenting the arrest of the De Blasio's daughter
during protests over police brutality
and racial justice in New York last year.
You also have some speculating that,
maybe it's related to QAnon.
This because in the past, like on a Fox news interview,
he was surrounded by Q paraphernalia.
But ultimately, that is where we are.
There's a ton of possibles, there's a lot of speculation.
So, for right now, we're going to have to wait
to see what actually comes from this.
Seemingly it could be related to a number of things,
but the raiding of a police union this big,
I think it's like the fifth biggest police union
in the country, it's massive news.
And you know, ultimately that is
where this story and actually today's show ends.
As always, whether it be this last story
or anything else stood out to you today,
I love to know your thoughts in those comments down below.
And hey, maybe say it with me,
my name's Philip DeFranco, you've just been filled in,
I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.