backlash

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Amber Davies has revealed how she is blocking out the noise as she continues to face harsh backlash over her past dance experience

Amber Davies has hit back at her critics as she opened up on struggling to win over the public on Strictly Come Dancing. The Love Island star, 29, has been heaped with praise for her dance skills on the BBC show alongside pro Nikita Kuzmin after being drafted in at the last minute.

Strictly’s judges have backed her throughout the competition as she has consistently placed high on the leaderboard since stepping in after Dani Dyer’s exit. However, in a shock twist of fate, Amber ended up in the bottom two last month alongside footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink following the public vote.

She has faced strong criticism over her previous dance experience, with some viewers declaring she has an unfair advantage. Since Love Island, Amber has gone on to make a name for herself on the West End having appeared in Legally Blonde and 9 to 5.

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Her past has appeared to haunt her experience on Strictly as she faces harsh comments from fans of the show. However, Amber has now admitted that it has been that way for a while in the competition.

She is pals with 2023 runner-up Layton Williams, who was also paired with Nikita and faced backlash over his dance past. “It comes up every single year — there’s someone who is a performer or in that realm,” Amber said.

“So I am doing my very best not to look and listen to anything,” she told the Sun. “I’m blocking out that noise and just being present in the moment.”

To help battle the outside noise, Amber said she is putting her and Nikita “in a bubble”. She revealed her motto has been to “just zone in and be present”.

Layton has also thrown his support behind her as he urged his fans to back Amber. She said her pages have now been flooded with much more positive comments, which she says is the “nicest thing”.

Amber ended up in the dance off last month, but judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke all decided to keep her in the competition. After Jimmy’s shock exit, Amber took to social media, where she said she felt like “absolute garbage”.

The reality TV star held onto a photo of her and Nikita performing while standing in her pyjamas. She lip synched a clip that admitted: “I woke up this morning and I felt like absolute garbage, for anyone who wants to know what garbage is, that is French for trash.”

Amber added: “A gut-wrenching evening in the dance off, especially dancing against two of the most amazing people I’ve met on this experience, @official_jfhasselbaink & @laurenmayoakley.

“I feel extremely lucky & thankful to be able to experience Halloween week on Strictly, but there will be two very special people missed.

“If you voted for us, really really thank you, I guess this week we aim for a comeback week?! @nikita_kuzmin Thank you for holding my extremely shaky hands extra tight.”

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FORMER Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague has broken her silence on her Behind It All documentary and the backlash she faced.

The 26-year-old successful star and mum of one, was slammed when her new Amazon docuseries, Molly-Mae: Behind It All, was released.

Many viewers of the series admitted the Love Island star’s “bratty behaviour” had “put them off her” after watching the Amazon offering.

Breaking her silence on the backlash and reaction from viewers, Molly-Mae opened up in the introduction of her new YouTube video, which was shared on Monday evening.

The influencer and fashion mogul even revealed she was forced to delete TikTok amid the comments she saw about the series.

Speaking in her vlog, she said: “I had seen what people were saying about the doc and then made the executive decision to basically delete TikTok.”

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Molly-Mae added how deleting the app “has been quite frankly one of the best decisions I ever made”.

The reality star then said how though she has grown a thick skin over the years, “there’s something about that app that just feels like so insanely toxic”.

Molly-Mae then explained how she saw her makeup artist scrolling on social media and spotted “at least three things within that short time of me looking at her phone that I didn’t want to see”.

“So, I just felt like, okay, definitely definitely in no way, shape or form rushing to get the app back anytime soon.

“I just want to say that I’ve also received so many incredibly lovely messages and people saying that they’ve also really enjoyed it.

“And that’s literally all I wanted for the doc. It’s never ever been to do anything other than just create something for people to watch and enjoy.

“And I think I’ve definitely definitely learned a lot,” she added.

Molly-Mae then told of how she was nervous about the documentary coming out.

“Like I think even before the premiere, there’s a bit of me in this vlog where I’m like severely anxious,” she explained.

Molly-Mae then said that she had anticipated some of the critique the documentary got.

“I literally said like ‘that’s going to cause this’ and ‘this is going to cause that’.

“I have been doing this job now for a really really long time and I feel like we kind of had a formula that we followed for years that avoids what has happened with the doc from happening.

“And with this drop of the doc like we literally did the complete opposite of what we normally do.

“Like we spoke about things we don’t speak about.

“We kept things in that probably I would never ever show of myself like because with the last drop of the doc everyone was like we want more. We want more.”

Molly-Mae went on: “So, it’s like you give it, but then it’s not like it’s too much or it’s, you know…

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“I saw someone saying that they fell asleep halfway through one of the episodes because it was so boring yet they feel like the episodes aren’t long enough.”

She then said how she “really really can’t keep everyone happy” no matter how much she tries.

The Australian LGBTQIA+ nightclub that faced backlash for aiming for “90% plus” male customers despite its Chappell Roan-inspired namesake has announced a rebrand. 

Last week, Kevin Du-Val, the owner of Sydney’s Palms On Oxford, and its manager, Michael Lewis, announced they would be opening a new bar in early December called PINK PONY, which they describe as “unashamedly inspired by its namesake song that resonates so profoundly within our community.”

However, they said the club was created “specifically for 18-35 (state of mind) gay men who love to dance and get sweaty to high-powered dance music in a safe space.”

In an interview with Gay Sydney News, Lewis reiterated the demographic they are targeting, adding: “Of course, the girls will be welcome. But it would certainly be our desire that it is predominantly gay boys, and when I say predominantly, I’m sort of talking 90 percent plus.”

“Obviously, we’ve got legal hurdles,” he continued, “in terms of how much we can vet the crowd while still complying with the law.”

Shortly after the news was announced, Lewis and Du-Val faced massive backlash on social media, with many slamming the pair for being dismissive of queer women – especially since its namesake is inspired by a song written and performed by one of the biggest lesbian pop artists.

Following widespread condemnation, the owners issued a lengthy apology, with Lewis also telling The Guardian Australia that the venue’s name would be changed.

On 21 October, the club’s Instagram account announced that the venue’s new name would be TRIBE @ 231 Nightclub. 

“A bold new chapter in Sydney’s nightlife is about to begin. TRIBE @ 231 a nightclub created by members of the LGBTQI+ community for the LGBTQI+ community, is officially opening its doors in the heart of Darlinghurst — and it’s ready to electrify,” the statement revealed.

“Oxford Street has always been a cultural beacon for the LGBTQI+ community. TRIBE @ 231 is our love letter to that legacy — a place to dance, connect, and celebrate queer joy in all its forms… TRIBE @ 231 aims to energise the soul of Sydney’s queer nightlife and be loud, proud and without limits. Find Your TRIBE @ 231.” 

Shortly after announcing the news, one Instagram user inquired if it will be “welcoming to all members of the LGBTQIA+ community? Or just Gs between the ages of 18-35?”

In response, the venue affirmed that TRIBE @ 231 will welcome all members of the LGBTQIA+ community, adding that “at the end of the day, vibe of venue, the music and those it resonates with will dictate the crowd.”

As of this writing, the venue has yet to share the official date for its grand opening. However, they confirmed that it will be open for business sometime in December.

Oct. 21 (UPI) — Paul Ingrassia withdrew his nomination on Tuesday to head the Office of Special Counsel after his Republican support in the Senate crumbled following the release of his racist and inflammatory text messages.

Ingrassia announced his decision in a post on X just a day after Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters that the 30-year-old lawyer and political commentator did not have enough support in the chamber and asked the White House to rethink his nomination.

“I appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received throughout this process and will continue to serve President Trump and this administration to Make America Great Again!” he wrote.

The development is a rare instance of Senate Republicans publicly drawing a line with President Donald Trump over his picks for who works in his administration.

Ingrassia has been nominated by Trump to lead the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency responsible for protecting government whistleblowers and investigates complaints of wrongdoing.

His nomination began unraveling after Politico reported on Monday on a series of his texts where he said he had a “Nazi streak” and that the federal holiday celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs.”

Ingrassia used an Italian slur for Black people, according to Politico. He also wrote “Never trust a chinaman or Indian” in reference to former Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Following the report, Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rick Scott of Florida and James Lankford of Oklahoma all signaled that they would not vote to confirm Ingrassia, Semafor reported. Republicans hold a 53-seat majority in the chamber.

For the most part, Trump’s controversial nominees have cleared the chamber and Republicans even changed the chamber’s rules to overcome Democratic opposition. However, Trump recently withdrew his nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Ingrassia serves as the Trump administration’s go-between with the Justice Department and previously represented Andrew Tate, who has been accused of human trafficking, money laundering and other charges, which he denies.

Ingrassia performed poorly in a meeting with committee staff ahead of a confirmation hearing, Axios reported.

“There’s just some different statements he’s made in the past that need clarification,” Lankford told the news outlet at the time.

Comedians Kumail Nanjiani and Ilana Glazer dropped out of performing at Salesforce’s annual tech conference this week after the company’s chief executive Marc Benioff made controversial remarks that showed his support for President Trump.

Last week, Benioff told the New York Times he thought Trump should deploy the National Guard to reduce crime in San Francisco, comments that sparked backlash from Silicon Valley philanthropists and Democrats.

On Friday, Benioff completely walked back his remarks and apologized.

“I do not believe the National Guard is needed to address safety in San Francisco,” he wrote on social media site X. “My earlier comment came from an abundance of caution around the event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern it caused.”

Salesforce, a software company based in San Francisco, provides a platform that businesses use to manage customer data and track sales. The company confirmed the comedians dropped out but the entertainers haven’t said publicly what prompted the last-minute cancellation. A source close to the company told the San Francisco Chronicle that Nanjiani became ill and that led to his scheduled opener Glazer to cancel as well.

Nanjiani and Glazer haven’t publicly spoken out about Benioff’s remarks about the National Guard.

Both comedians, though, have been critical of Trump in the past and his anti-immigrant rhetoric. Earlier this year, Glazer spoke at a “No Kings” protest, which organizers say is to meant fight back against authoritarian policies pushed by Trump and his administration. This week, she promoted the next series of demonstrations, scheduled to take place on Oct. 18, stating it wasn’t a partisan issue on Instagram.

The San Francisco Standard reported earlier on the cancellation.

Benioff has grappled with a growing backlash since he made comments about Trump and the National Guard. The controversy overshadowed Dreamforce, a conference in San Francisco that featured well-known speakers including tech executives, government officials and entertainers.

Nanjiani played Dinesh in the HBO series “Silicon Valley” and co-wrote and starred in the Oscar-nominated 2017 film “The Big Sick.” Glazer co-created and starred in the Comedy Central series “Broad City” and the 2024 comedy film “Babes.”

In their absence, comedian David Spade performed at Dreamforce on Thursday afternoon, closing out the conference.

Ahead of the event, which ended on Thursday, Benioff appeared to dial back his remarks.

On social media site X, he said he was trying to make a point about making the conference as safe as possible.

“Keeping San Francisco safe is, first and foremost, the responsibility of our city and state leaders,” he wrote on X. Benioff also said he’s donating an extra $1 million to fund larger hiring bonuses for new police officers.

Benioff, who has previously said he’s an independent and was once a Republican, has backed Democrats and supported liberal causes such as a business tax for homeless services. But he’s also been critical of public safety in San Francisco and has threatened to move Dreamforce from San Francisco to Las Vegas.

The conference brings nearly 50,000 people to the city, generates $130 million in revenue for San Francisco and creates 35,000 local jobs, according to Salesforce. The company announced earlier this week it was investing $15 billion in San Francisco over five years to advance artificial intelligence.

On Thursday, prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist and Democratic donor Ron Conway resigned from the Salesforce Foundation board. In an email first viewed by the New York Times, Conway told Benioff that he “now barely recognize the person I have so long admired.”

“Your obsession with and constant annual threats to move Dreamforce to Las Vegas is ironic, since it is a fact that Las Vegas has a higher rate of violent crime than San Francisco,” Conway wrote in the email. “San Francisco does not need a federal invasion because you don’t like paying for extra security for Dreamforce.”

Conway, founder and managing partner of SV Angel, is widely regarded as the “Godfather of Silicon Valley” because of his early investments in major tech companies such as Google, Facebook and PayPal. SV Angel didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Salesforce spokesperson said in a statement they have “deep gratitude for Ron Conway and his incredible contributions to the Salesforce Foundation Board for over a decade.”

On Friday, entrepreneur and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs published an essay in the Wall Street Journal citing some of Benioff’s earlier remarks and claims that no one has given more to San Francisco. The widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs also founded and heads the philanthropic organization, Emerson Collective.

“The message beneath that comment was unmistakable: In his eyes, generosity is an auction—and policy is the prize awarded to the highest bidder,” she wrote. “But giving that expects control is anything but generous.”