Rihanna, Drake and Paul Mescal join Black Out Tuesday movement in solidarity with Black Lives Matter
On social media, many have been sharing a black box on their grid in support of #blackouttuesday and #theshowmustbepaused.
From Rihanna through to Paul Mescal, stars have championed Black Out Tuesday which urges people to stay off social media for a day to think about what they can do to better support the black community.
The movement follows the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody after an officer was filmed kneeling on his neck, and protests across America against racial injustice and police brutality.
The #ttheshowmustbepaused movement was started by two black women named Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, who explained, “It is a day to take a beat for an honest, reflective and productive conversation about what actions we need to collectively take to support the Black community.”
While it began as an initiative for the music industry (with Columbia Records and other high profile singers taking part), the movement swelled into the world of entertainment and then into collective social media as it gained traction and expanded into the hashtag #blackouttuesday.
#TheShowMustBePaused pic.twitter.com/JHTUG34Ibj
— theshowmustbepaused (@pausetheshow)
Users participating have been urged to share black boxes with the tags #blackouttuesday and #theshowmustgoon, but to steer clear of using the #blacklivesmatter hashtag so as not to clog up the hashtag (which people use to learn more about the movement).
While many including Rihanna, Drake and David Beckham have vocalised their support for the social media movement, others such as Lil Nas X have challenged it - while the likes of Katie Hopkins have trashed it all together.
Rihanna
we ain’t buying shit!!! and we ain’t selling shit neither!! gang gang! #BLACKOUTTUESDAY AF!!! @FentyOfficial @fentybeauty @SavageXFenty 💪🏿💪🏿💪🏿 pic.twitter.com/XNC44Tegj5
— Rihanna (@rihanna)
Rihanna also shared a #blackouttuesday post on social media, writing, “we ain’t buying s**t!!! And we’ ain’t selling s**t neither!”
She also tagged her “gang gang”, tagging her brands Fenty, Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty in the same post and wrote, “#BLACKOUTTUESDAY AF!!!”
Drake
A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on Jun 1, 2020 at 11:39pm PDT
Drake shared a black image but did not hashtag the post, instead writing in the caption, “Side by side.”
Nile Rogers
MUSIC INDUSTRY BLACK OUT TUESDAY
Due to recent events please join us as we take an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change.
Join us on Tuesday JUNE 2 as a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community.#THESHOWMUSTBEPAUSED pic.twitter.com/Yqb3D2CRWz— Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers)
Rodgers joined the movement under the hashtag #THESHOWMUSTBEPAUSED.
He wrote, “Due to recent events please join us as we take an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change. Join us on Tuesday JUNE 2 as a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community.”
Lil Nas X
i know y’all mean well but... bro saying stop posting for a day is the worst idea ever
— nope (@LilNasX)
The Old Town Road singer had a slightly different take on Black Out Tuesday, tweeting out, “i know y’all mean well but... bro saying stop posting for a day is the worst idea ever”
Britney Spears
PS if you’d like to help …. text FLOYD to 55156 and donate to organizations like #BlackLivesMatter if you are able to. God Bless You ALL !!!! #TheShowMustBePaused
— Britney Spears (@britneyspears)
The 'Oops I Did It Again' singer urged her followers to “listen...learn...do better...and use our voices for good”, adding that she would begin to do so by “participating in BlackoutTuesday.” She wrote, “I won’t be posting on social media and I ask you all to do the same. We should use the time away from our devices to focus on what we can do to make the world a better place …. for ALL of us !!!!!”
She also urged fans to “text Floyd to 55156 and donate to organizations like BlackLivesMatter if you are able to. God Bless You All!”
Kehlani
now, #TheShowMustBePaused innitiative started by two black women Jamila Thomas & Brianna Agyemang dedicated to disrupting the music industry for a day... love that.
seen less of that tag and proper info on that...
industry folks need to specifically boost the ORIGINAL info— Kehlani (@Kehlani)
Kehlani lent her support to the movement under the hashtag #THESHOWMUSTBEPAUSED, which she said was an “initiative started by two black women Jamila Thomas & Brianna Agyemang dedicated to disrupting the music industry for a day…”
She also criticised "a bunch of suits on Instagram" who were sharing it with no context, with "no nod to the original organizers or the original flyer."
Christina Aguilera
Tomorrow I will not be posting anything as I stand in solidarity and support with #BlackLivesMatter - as the music industry takes the day to reflect on how we can all work towards a better future. #TheShowMustBePaused pic.twitter.com/LfvA5CGr1w
— Christina Aguilera (@xtina)
Aguilera also shared a post under The Show Must Be Paused hashtag, writing, “Tomorrow I will not be posting anything as I stand in solidarity and support with #BlackLivesMatter - as the music industry takes the day to reflect on how we can all work towards a better future."
The Rolling Stones
Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie stand with all who object to racism, violence or bigotry.#theshowmustbepaused #blacklivesmatter
— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones)
The iconic band members said they “stand with all who object to racism, violence or bigotry.”
A message read, “Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie stand with all who object to racism, violence or bigotry. #theshowmustbepaused #blacklivesmatter”
KSI/Katie Hopkins
I won’t be posting anything today #BlackoutTuesday https://t.co/HRqV9jdIvD
— KSI (@KSIOlajidebt)
The YouTuber tweeted that he “won’t be posting anything today” in a Black Out Tuesday post, sharing a link to the Black Lives Matter website.
Conservative media personality Katie Hopkins then responded to him with her own take on Black Out Tuesday, writing that he was an “epic c***womble” and posting her own version of Black Out Tuesday which was hashtagged with #BlackOutTuesday, #BlackLivesMatter and #b******s.
You just did.
You epic cockwomble @KSIOlajidebt #BlackOutTuesday #BlackLivesMatter #bollocks pic.twitter.com/4n2XgyT44h— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins)
KSI then responded to Hopkins and referenced a fake award Hopkins was fooled into accepting earlier this year. He asked her, “Don’t you have a C*** award to go play with you idiot?
Katy Perry
A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry) on Jun 2, 2020 at 12:04am PDT
The singer wrote a long post about Black Out Tuesday and shared a black image, writing, “I try to live my life to answer the question, 'How can I be of service?' I have spent the last few days watching, listening and reflecting about how to utilize my privilege and platform.”
“There are many ways to support the movement towards justice and equality. I’ve chosen to donate to the organizations tagged in this post. You can do the same at the link in my bio. This soon to be mother is going to work hard to make damn sure this world is a more just place for every child,” she continued.
She also shared a link to an Act Blue donation page, which splits donations made across a number of anti-racism and bail fund charities.
Paul Mescal
BLACK LIVES MATTER #blackoutTuesday
A post shared by Paul Mescal (@paul.mescal) on Jun 2, 2020 at 1:20am PDT
The star of Normal People joined #blackouttuesday on Instagram, writing “BLACK LIVES MATTER.”
On Twitter, he also urged people to be careful about the way they shared their support for #blackouttuesday.
If you are participating in #blackouttuesday please don’t use the hashtag black lives matter as it censoring people from accessing information.❤️ https://t.co/8tSJbUBHT4
— Paul Mescal (@mescal_paul)
He retweeted a video of the #blacklivesmatter hashtag completely saturated in Black Out Tuesday posts, writing, “If you are participating in #blackouttuesday please don’t use the hashtag black lives matter as it censoring people from accessing information.❤️”
DJ Pauly D
Be Safe Out There EVERYONE #BlackOutTuesday pic.twitter.com/Vjk5cGGoa7
— DJ Pauly D (@DJPaulyD)
Jersey Shore star Pauly D joined #blackouttuesday and urged people to “be safe out there EVERYONE.” He shared a graphic that included the words “We stand against racism.”
Ninja
Tomorrow, I will be participating in #BlackOutTuesday and will not be streaming or posting on any social media platforms. No distractions from what is happening in the United States.
— Ninja (@Ninja)
The high profile gaming streamer announced he would be participating in #blackouttuesday on Twitter.
He wrote, “Tomorrow, I will be participating in #BlackOutTuesday and will not be streaming or posting on any social media platforms. No distractions from what is happening in the United States.”
David Beckham
Black Lives Matter 🖤 #BlackOutTuesday
A post shared by David Beckham (@davidbeckham) on Jun 2, 2020 at 1:57am PDT
David Beckham shared a picture of a black image, captioning it “Black Lives Matter 🖤 #BlackOutTuesday”
It appears that he may have initially hashtagged the post #BlackLivesMatter, as a user underneath urged him to “remove the hashtag... it’s drowning out the messages that still need to be seen xx”
Conan O’Brien
Visit this link for a list of actions you can take: https://t.co/tjNjsYlTft #BlackLivesMatter #TheShowMustBePaused #BlackoutTuesday pic.twitter.com/iKvf84Ioav
— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien)
The talk show host released a statement that he and the team behind his talk show would be participating in Black Out Tuesday, not just pausing their social media activity but everything on “the airwaves.”
The statement read, “On June 2nd, to stand in solidarity with our Black colleagues and community across the country, Team Coco and CONAN will remain silent on social media and the airwaves.”