Marlo Hampton claims that when she was 10 years old, she ran away from home because her mother 'beat me so bad'

Singer Taylor Swift turned down Meghan Markle’s personal request to appear as a guest on her now-cancelled podcast Archetypes. When they stepped down as working members of the royal family in January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle soon found other roles that kept them busy. Through their podcast production company, Archewell Audio, they brokered a deal with Spotify, through which Markle launched her own podcast series, Archetypes. The first episode was released in August 2023, but the podcast series was axed after just one season, despite high-profile guest stars such as tennis legend Serena Williams and pop icon Mariah Carey. But, even with her vast connections, Markle was unable to secure Taylor Swift who declined her invitation to appear on the podcast after she had sent her a hand-written letter. According to the Wall Street Journal, singer Swift turned Markle’s personal request down to appear on Archetypes via a representative, for unknown reasons. In the podcast series, Markled discussed the history of negative stereotypes used to label women with her celebrity guests. It won the top podcast award at the People’s Choice Awards, but despite this, it was cancelled by Spotify in June after airing 12 episodes. The cancellation comes as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly struggled to come good on the $20 million Spotify deal, leading to its collapse. Bill Simmons, Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetisation, called the pair "f**king grifters”. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Vin Diesel has not married his partner Paloma Jimenez despite being together for the past 16 years

Fans of Taylor Swift have written an open letter to the pop star asking her to distance herself from The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. Titled #SpeakUpNow, a play on Swift’s album Speak Now, set to be re-released July 7th, has sparked conversation from both sides on Twitter. The letter, first posted by account @SpeakUpNow_13, expressed ‘disappointment’ with Swift’s recent sightings with Healy. Healy has been spotted at multiple of Taylor’s shows as she embarks on a US tour, igniting dating rumours after Swift’s recent split from her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Healy has faced multiple controversies for his actions in the past, accused of ‘engaging in racist remarks and making offensive jokes’ are some of the issues Swift’s fans, known as Swifties, have raised in the letter. They write: ‘your voice holds tremendous power and right now your silence is palpable,’ adding, ‘we urge you to reflect on the impact of your own and your associates’ behaviour.’ The original account has since be deleted following criticising from fans and others accusing the user of having a ‘parasocial relationship’ with the singer. A term often used to describe the relationship between fans and celebrities, who have no idea the fan exists. Some quoted previous statements made by Swift about having people ask invasive questions surrounding her personal life and accused the fan of crossing boundaries. Others said those sharing the hashtag are ‘chronically online’. Others rose to the defence of the letter, saying you’re allowed to hold someone accountable. One Taylor Swift fan account wrote it’s disappointing to see ‘a lot of hate and comments ridiculing this,’ adding, ‘it’s okay to love an artist and speak up when you are disappointed or disagree with them.’ Some fans announced they had cancelled their pre-orders of Swift’s latest re-release, saying they don’t feel comfortable giving her money whilst she supports Healy and remains silent on his controversies. People of colour have shared the hurt they feel from Swift’s association with Healy, who made comments on a podcast earlier in the year about watching porn that humiliated and dehumanised black women. Swift and Healy have not made any public comments on the letter. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Andrew Tate challenges Adin Ross to a game of Super Smash Bros in Romania, with the winner receiving $10,000 for each game

The 75-minute long episode, ‘So Long, Farewell’, revealed why Ted decided to quit and return home to Kansas

Chris Stapleton opened up the 2023 Super Bowl with the national anthem, inspiring tears both at the stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and at home

Sophie Turner has been inundated with Instagram followers following the announcement of her divorce from Joe Jonas after four years of marriage. Earlier this month, news broke that Jonas filed for divorce in Florida's Miami-Dad County Court citing their marriage being "irretrievably broken," according to papers obtained by the Associated Press. Now, research from Amazon Slots has revealed that the Game of Thrones star has gained a staggering 156,266 followers since 3rd September. Meanwhile, Jonas experienced significantly less with 54,243 new Instagram followers, with the couple later posting a joint statement on their mutual decision. "After four years of wonderful marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage," the pair wrote. "There are many speculative narratives as to why but, truly this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children." Fans have since rushed to support Turner after some claims online suggest there's a "smear campaign" against the actress by framing her as a bad, inattentive mother and wife. One fan wrote, "I love Joe Jonas as much as the next girlie [...] this is just a bad attempt at framing Sophie to be some careless mother and that's not it for me!!" Speaking about the social media findings, a spokesperson for Amazon Slots said: "News of celebrity divorces is always disheartening, and the separation of Jonas and Turner, two beloved pop culture fixtures, is no less so. "In such situations, the public often tends to take sides, but it is fascinating to note that public opinion remains relatively split between these two adored stars, as evident from the fluctuations in their followers." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

An unlicensed pro-democracy radio station in Hong Kong is going off air after 18 years of service

Sam Champion took to social media to share his experience with a chronic health issue after discussing it on 'Eyewitness News Mornings at 10'

Why was it on a Friday at 4 p.m. ET?

The Los Angeles Dodgers have removed a satirical LGBTQ+ group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from the team’s annual Pride Night after opposition from conservative Catholic groups