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<title>23 February, 2024</title>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The wide spectrum anti-inflammatory activity of andrographolide in comparison to NSAIDs: a promising therapeutic compound against the cytokine storm</strong> -
<div>
The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted an increasing clinical demand for safe and effective treatment options against an overzealous immune defence response, also known as the "cytokine storm". Andrographolide is a naturally derived bioactive compound with promising anti-inflammatory activity in many clinical studies. However, its cytokine-inhibiting activity, in direct comparison to commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), has not been extensively investigated in existing literature. The anti-inflammatory activities of andrographolide and common NSAIDs, such as diclofenac, aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen were measured on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-{gamma} induced RAW264.7 cells. The levels of PGE2, nitric oxide (NO), TNF- &amp; LPS-induced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines on differentiated human macrophage THP-1 cells were measured against increasing concentrations of andrographolide and aforementioned NSAIDs. The associated mechanistic pathway was examined on NF{kappa}B using flow cytometry on the human endothelial-leukocyte adhesion molecule (ELAM9) (E-selectin) transfected RAW264.7 cells with green fluorescent protein (GFP). Andrographolide exhibited broad and potent anti-inflammatory and cytokine-inhibiting activity in both cell lines by inhibiting the release of IL-6, TNF- and IFN-{gamma}, which are known to play a key role in the etiology of cytokine storm and the pathogenesis of inflammation. In comparison, the tested NSAIDs demonstrated weak or no activity against proinflammatory mediators except for PGE2, where the activity of andrographolide (IC50 = 8.8 M, 95% CI= 7.4 to 10.4 M) was comparable to that of paracetamol (IC50 = 7.73 M, 95% CI = 6.14 to 9.73 M). The anti-inflammatory action of andrographolide was associated with its potent downregulation of NF{kappa}B. The wide-spectrum anti-inflammatory activity of andrographolide demonstrates its therapeutic potential against cytokine storms as an alternative to NSAIDs.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.02.21.581396v1" target="_blank">The wide spectrum anti-inflammatory activity of andrographolide in comparison to NSAIDs: a promising therapeutic compound against the cytokine storm</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Early acquisition of S-specific Tfh clonotypes after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is associated with the longevity of anti-S antibodies</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been used worldwide to combat COVID-19 pandemic. To elucidate the factors that determine the longevity of spike (S)-specific antibodies, we traced the characteristics of S-specific T cell clonotypes together with their epitopes and anti-S antibody titers before and after BNT162b2 vaccination over time. T cell receptor (TCR) {beta} sequences and mRNA expression of the S-responded T cells were investigated using single-cell TCR- and RNA-sequencing. Highly expanded 199 TCR clonotypes upon stimulation with S peptide pools were reconstituted into a reporter T cell line for the determination of epitopes and restricting HLAs. Among them, we could determine 78 S epitopes, most of which were conserved in variants of concern (VOCs). After the 2nd vaccination, T cell clonotypes highly responsive to recall S stimulation were polarized to follicular helper T (Tfh)-like cells in donors exhibiting sustained anti-S antibody titers (designated as “sustainers”), but not in “decliners”. Even before vaccination, S-reactive CD4+ T cell clonotypes did exist, most of which cross-reacted with environmental or symbiotic bacteria. However, these clonotypes contracted after vaccination. Conversely, S-reactive clonotypes dominated after vaccination were undetectable in pre-vaccinated T cell pool, suggesting that highly-responding S-reactive T cells were established by vaccination from rare clonotypes. These results suggest that de novo acquisition of memory Tfh-like cells upon vaccination may contribute to the longevity of anti-S antibody titers.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.06.543529v3" target="_blank">Early acquisition of S-specific Tfh clonotypes after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is associated with the longevity of anti-S antibodies</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Integrating population-level and cell-based signatures for drug repositioning</strong> -
<div>
Genetics-informed drug repositioning presents a streamlined and cost-efficient way to broaden therapeutic options. However, leveraging the full spectrum of molecular signatures remains underexplored. We introduce TReD (Transcriptome-informed Reversal Distance), integrating population-level disease signatures robust to reverse causality and cell-based drug-induced response profiles. TReD embeds the disease signature and drug profile in a high-dimensional normed space, quantifying the reversal potential of candidate drugs in a disease-related cell screen assay. For illustration, we apply TReD to COVID-19 and type 2 diabetes (T2D). We identify 37 potential drugs against COVID-19, over 70% (27/37) with prior associations, and eight supported by clinical trials. For T2D, we observe reversal signals for 86 compounds on multiple disease signatures, with more than 40% supported by published literature. In summary, we propose a comprehensive genetics-anchored framework integrating population-level signatures and cell-based screens that can accelerate the search for new therapeutic strategies.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.25.564079v2" target="_blank">Integrating population-level and cell-based signatures for drug repositioning</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Changes in risk perception during the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Alaska: Self-identified determinants of risk and protective behaviors</strong> -
<div>
Social and cultural context shapes how communities perceive health, well-being, and risk. Risk perception can change over time as a product of new information and improved understanding. We investigate risk perception and protective behaviors in Southeast Alaska during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveys were circulated at two time points: (1) April-June 2020, before COVID-19 reached epidemic levels in the region, and (2) November 2020-February 2021. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models were used to analyze how demographic characteristics of the respondent population influenced risk perception. OLS models were again used to predict how individuals engaged in protective behaviors while controlling for risk perceptions. Controlling for demographic characteristics, risk perception increased as age increased for perceived risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19, males perceived lower risk in general for all tested variables, and Alaska Native respondents perceived higher risk than non-Alaska Native respondents. Controlling for risk perception, results for protective behaviors were mixed; however, the strongest association identified was that knowing someone with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis increased protective behaviors. Between the two time points, risk perceptions increased significantly for variables related to oneself, others, and community members becoming infected with COVID-19. Protective behaviors like traveling less than normal, buying more cleaning products, and engaging in more subsistence gathering significantly increased. Identifying patterns of risk perception and protective behaviors, and especially how they change over time, are critical to developing place-specific public health recommendations, action, and preparedness plans against future infectious threats.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/4avp7/" target="_blank">Changes in risk perception during the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Alaska: Self-identified determinants of risk and protective behaviors</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Physical distancing and the perception of interpersonal distance in the COVID-19 crisis</strong> -
<div>
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been mandated to keep enlarged distances from others. We interviewed 136 German subjects over five weeks from the end of March to the end of April 2020 during the first wave of infections about their preferred interpersonal distance (IPD) before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the pandemic, subjects adapted to distance requirements and preferred a larger IPD. This enlarged IPD was judged to persist after the crisis partially. People anticipated keeping more IPD to others even if there was no longer any risk of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. We also sampled two follow-up measurements, one in August, after the first wave had been flattened, and one in October 2020, at the beginning of the second wave. We discuss our findings in light of proxemic theory and an indicator for socio-cultural adaptation beyond the course of the pandemic.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/95n3p/" target="_blank">Physical distancing and the perception of interpersonal distance in the COVID-19 crisis</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Maturing neutrophils of lower density associate with thrombocytopenia in Puumala orthohantavirus-caused hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome</strong> -
<div>
Puumala orthohantavirus-caused hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (PUUV-HFRS) is characterized by strong neutrophil activation. Neutrophils are the most abundant immune cell type in the circulation and are specially equipped to rapidly respond to infections. They are more heterogenous than previously appreciated, with specific neutrophil subsets recently implicated in inflammation and immunosuppression. Furthermore, neutrophils can be divided based on their density to either low-density granulocytes (LDGs) or "normal density" polymorphonuclear cell (PMN) fractions. In the current study we aimed to identify and characterize the different neutrophil subsets in the circulation of PUUV-HFRS patients. PMNs exhibited an activation of antiviral pathways, while circulating LDGs were increased in frequency following acute PUUV-HFRS. Furthermore, cell surface marker expression analysis revealed that PUUV-associated LDGs are primarily immature and most likely reflect an increased neutrophil production from the bone marrow. Interestingly, both the frequency of LDGs and the presence of a "left shift" in blood associated with the extent of thrombocytopenia, one of the hallmarks of severe HFRS, suggesting that immature neutrophils could play a role in disease pathogenesis. These results imply that elevated circulating LDGs might be a general finding in acute viral infections. However, in contrast to the COVID-19 associated LDGs described previously, the secretome of PUUV LDGs did not show significant immunosuppressive ability, which suggests inherent biological differences in the LDG responses that can be dependent on the causative virus or differing infection kinetics.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.02.19.580937v1" target="_blank">Maturing neutrophils of lower density associate with thrombocytopenia in Puumala orthohantavirus-caused hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Confirmation of Covid Infection Status and Reporting of Long Covid Symptoms in a Population-Based Birth Cohort: No Evidence of a Nocebo Effect</strong> -
<div>
Some patients with COVID-19 develop symptoms after the acute infection, known as ‘Long COVID’. We examined whether or not confirmation of COVID-19 infection status could act as a nocebo, using data from questionnaires distributed to the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. We examined associations between confirmation of COVID-19 infection status (confirmed by a positive test versus unconfirmed) and reporting of Long COVID symptoms. We explored the roles of sex and anxiety as potential moderators. There was no clear evidence of a strong association between confirmation of COVID-19 infection status and the Long COVID composite score, physical or psychological symptoms, or duration of symptoms. There was no clear evidence of moderation by sex or anxiety. We therefore found no evidence of a nocebo effect. Our data suggest that this psychological mechanism does not play a role in the medical symptomatology experienced by patients with Long COVID.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/pwq9b/" target="_blank">Confirmation of Covid Infection Status and Reporting of Long Covid Symptoms in a Population-Based Birth Cohort: No Evidence of a Nocebo Effect</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Affordable private rental supply and demand: short-term disruption (2016–2021) and longer-term structural change (1996–2021)</strong> -
<div>
This research analyses the ABS Census to reveal changes in the supply of private rental housing affordable and available to lower-income households (Q1 and Q2 households) over both the short term (2016–21) and the longer term (1996–2021). It also provides analysis of how COVID-19 policy and population responses temporarily altered the long-run structural trajectory of the private rental sector (PRS) in Australia. In 2021, the Australian PRS housed more than 2.363 million households, a 17 per cent increase of nearly 340,000 households since the 2016 Census. This growth has been greater than total household growth in each intercensal period since 1996. Between 2016 and 2021 PRS growth was concentrated at mid-market levels; in dwellings renting from around $300–$530 per week ($2021). This continues a major change trend first established in 2011, reinforcing the structural shift to a market concentration of dwellings renting at mid-to-higher levels. The long-term shift in the national distribution of PRS household incomes reveals the growth of households with incomes at mid to high levels ($1,246 a week and above). In 1996, these ‘wealthier’ households comprised 40 per cent of all PRS households (or 489,000 households); in 2021, they comprised 64 per cent (or 1,519,000 households), a 211 per cent increase. In comparison, the total number of PRS households increased by 91 per cent between 1996 and 2021 (from 1,234,000 households to 2,362,000). Over the same time frame, there has been a relatively constant total number of lower income renters in the PRS; 508,000 households in1996 and 488,000 in 2024. Nevertheless, there was a shortage of 348,000 affordable and available private rental homes for very-low income (Q1) households in 2021 and that, as a result, 82 per cent of Q1 PRS households paid unaffordable rents.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/h3tfk/" target="_blank">Affordable private rental supply and demand: short-term disruption (2016–2021) and longer-term structural change (1996–2021)</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>COVID-19 and Changes in Young Adults’ Weight Concerns</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced fundamental challenges to nearly all aspects of college students’ lives, yet changes in key domains of their health, including weight concerns, remain untested. The current study utilized a longitudinal project comprised of 355 young-adult college students (Mage=19.5, 66.8% female, 33.2% male) oversampled for recent substance use behavior. Participants completed multiple assessments (mode=5) from September 2017 to September 2021. Piecewise growth-curve models tested whether COVID-19 onset was associated with changes in the trajectories of young adults’ weight concerns. Analyses also examined participants’ sex as a moderator of these trajectories. On average, participants reported a significant increase in weight concern levels around the start of COVID-19, although weight concern slopes were not significantly different before and after COVID-19. Additionally, moderation analyses showed that females (but not males) had a significant increase in weight concern levels after COVID-19 onset.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/wuhvb/" target="_blank">COVID-19 and Changes in Young Adults’ Weight Concerns</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Mathematical Modeling of Impacts of Patient Differences on Renin-Angiotensin System and Applications to COVID-19 Lung Fibrosis Outcomes</strong> -
<div>
Patient-specific premorbidity, age, and sex are significant heterogeneous factors that influence the severe manifestation of lung diseases, including COVID-19 fibrosis. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a prominent role in regulating the effects of these factors. Recent evidence suggests patient-specific alteration of RAS homeostasis with premorbidity and the expression level of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) during COVID-19. However, conflicting evidence suggests decreases, increases, or no changes in RAS after SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, detailed mechanisms connecting the patient-specific conditions before infection to infection-induced RAS alteration are still unknown. Here, a mathematical model is developed to quantify the systemic contribution of heterogeneous factors of RAS during COVID-19. Three submodels are connected–an ABM COVID-19 in-host lung tissue model, a RAS model, and a fibrosis model to investigate the effects of patient-group-specific factors in the systemic alteration of RAS and collagen deposition in the lung. The model results indicate cell death due to inflammatory response as a major contributor to the reduction of ACE and ACE2. In contrast, there are no significant changes in ACE2 dynamics due to viral-bound internalization of ACE2. Reduction of ACE and ACE2 reduces the homeostasis of RAS, including angiotensin II (ANGII), in the lung tissue. At the same time, the decrease in ACE2 increases systemic ANGII and results in severe lung injury and fibrosis. The model explains possible mechanisms for conflicting evidence of RAS alterations in previously published studies, and simulated results are consistent with reported RAS peptide values for SARS-CoV-2-negative and SARS-CoV-2-positive patients. We observed decreased RAS peptides for all patient groups with aging in both sexes. In contrast, large variations in the magnitude of reduction were observed between male and female patients in the older and middle-aged groups. We also predicted that feedback of ANGII{middle dot}AT1R to renin could restore ANGI homeostasis but fails to restore homeostasis values of RAS peptides downstream of ANGI. In addition, the results show that ACE2 variations with age and sex significantly alter RAS peptides and lead to collagen deposition with slight variations depending on age and sex. This model may find further applications in patient-specific calibrations of tissue models for acute and chronic lung diseases to develop personalized treatments.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.06.515367v2" target="_blank">Mathematical Modeling of Impacts of Patient Differences on Renin-Angiotensin System and Applications to COVID-19 Lung Fibrosis Outcomes</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Maternal Psychological Distress &amp; Mental Health Service Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> -
<div>
Background: Mental health problems are increasingly recognized as a significant and concerning secondary effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research on previous epidemics/pandemics suggest that families, particularly mothers, may be at increased risk, but this population has yet to be examined. The current study (1) described prevalence rates of maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms from an online convenience sample during the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) identified risk and protective factors for elevated symptoms, and (3) described current mental health service use and barriers. Methods: Participants (N = 641) were mothers of children age 0-8 years, including expectant mothers. Mothers completed an online survey assessing mental health, sociodemographic information, and COVID-19-related variables. Results: Clinically-relevant depression was indicated in 33.16%, 42.55%, and 43.37% of mothers of children age 0-18 months, 18 months to 4 years, and 5 to 8 years, respectively. Prevalence of anxiety was 36.27%, 32.62%, and 29.59% for mothers across age groups, respectively. Binary logistic regressions indicated significant associations between risk factors and depression/anxiety across child age groups. Limitations: Cross-sectional data was used to describe maternal mental health problems during COVID-19 limiting the ability to make inferences about the long-term impact of maternal depression and anxiety on family well-being. Conclusions: Maternal depression and anxiety appear to be elevated in the context of COVID-19 compared to previously reported population norms. Identified risk factors for depression and anxiety across different child age ranges can inform targeted early intervention strategies to prevent long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on family well-being and child development.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/a53zb/" target="_blank">Maternal Psychological Distress &amp; Mental Health Service Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Adaptations of microbial genomes to human body chemistry</strong> -
<div>
Water and oxygen availability vary in normal physiology and disease, so evolutionary adjustments of protein sequences to optimally use these chemical resources would represent a competitive advantage for host-associated microbial genomes. In this study, reference proteomes for taxa derived from the Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB) were combined with 16S rRNA-based taxonomic abundances in order to calculate chemical metrics for community reference proteomes. This permits new insight into community-level genomic adaptation to specific chemical conditions in body sites. Surprisingly, reference proteomes for gut communities appear to be shaped by the physiological function of water absorption in the intestine more than by reducing conditions. Reference proteomes of gut communities in COVID-19 and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are generally more reduced than controls despite higher relative abundances of aerotolerant organisms and lower abundances of Faecalibacterium and other obligate anaerobes. The trend of chemical reduction in patients is supported by multi-omics (i.e., metagenomic and metaproteomic) data for COVID-19 and can be attributed to relatively oxidized protein sequences for obligate anaerobes compared to aerotolerant genera in gut communities. Genomic adaptation to transiently oxygenated conditions, reflected in more oxidized protein sequences, may be an evolutionary strategy for obligate anaerobes to compete with aerotolerant organisms in the chemical context of gut inflammation.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.02.12.528246v2" target="_blank">Adaptations of microbial genomes to human body chemistry</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Prior exposure to malaria decreases SARS-CoV-2 mediated mortality in K18-hACE2 mice without influencing viral load in lungs</strong> -
<div>
Abstract: Background: Epidemiological evidence for decreased prevalence and/or mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 infections in countries endemic for malaria have been reported. However, such associational studies in human population are limited by known and several unknown confounding factors. The current study, the first of its kind, was designed to seek experimental evidence to test the hypothesis if prior exposure to Plasmodial infections cross-protect against SARS-CoV-2 challenge infection in a murine model, K-18 human ACE2 transgenic mice. Methods: Mice that had recovered from Plasmodium chabaudi infection 40 days earlier were challenged with a virulent strain of SARS-CoV-2 and viral load in lungs as well as mortality were scored and compared with K18 hACE2 mice that had not experienced prior malaria. Results: The viral load in lungs 6 days post challenge were comparable in malaria recovered mice and controls suggesting no significant generation of anti-viral immunity. However, mice with prior malaria exposure were significantly protected against SARS-CoV-2 induced mortality. Significant differences were observed in several host immune responses between the two groups when cytokines, chemokines and transcription factors were quantified in lungs. The plasma levels of several cytokines and chemokines were also significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that prior exposure to malaria protects mice against viral induced mortality in K18 hACE2 transgenic mice challenged with a virulent isolate of SARS- CoV-2 in the absence of demonstrable host immunity inhibiting viral growth in lungs.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.02.19.579434v1" target="_blank">Prior exposure to malaria decreases SARS-CoV-2 mediated mortality in K18-hACE2 mice without influencing viral load in lungs</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 BA.5 Variants in H11-K18-hACE2 Hamsters</strong> -
<div>
This study aims to comprehensively characterize the SARS-CoV-2 BA.5 variants using K18 hACE2 transgenic mice and golden hamsters as model organisms. Previous research on SARS-CoV-2 has utilized both mouse and hamster models, leading to conflicting results concerning the virus's lethality. In our study, the finding suggests that H11-K18 hACE2 golden hamsters closely mimic the disease progression observed in human COVID-19 cases caused by BA.5 variants, demonstrating consistent severity and symptoms comparable to severe infections. Additionally, hamsters exhibit heightened respiratory viral replication, accurately reflecting the clinical viral kinetics observed in humans. The study emphasizes the critical importance of selecting an appropriate animal model for SARS-CoV-2 research, while also providing robust support for the hypothesis that BA.5 variants contribute to fatal outcomes in COVID-19 cases. These findings highlight the pivotal role of the golden hamster model in advancing our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as in the development of targeted therapeutic strategies.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.02.19.581112v1" target="_blank">Characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 BA.5 Variants in H11-K18-hACE2 Hamsters</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Predicting Antibody and ACE2 Affinity for SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 and JN.1 with In Silico Protein Modeling and Docking</strong> -
<div>
The emergence of the Omicron sublineage of SARS-CoV-2 virus BA.2.86 (nicknamed “Pirola”) has raised concerns about its potential impact on public health and personal health as it has many mutations with respect to previous variants. We conducted an in silico analysis of neutralizing antibody binding to BA.2.86. Selected antibodies came from patients who were vaccinated and/or infected. We predicted binding affinity between BA.2.86 and antibodies. We also predicted the binding affinity between the same antibodies and several previous SARS-CoV2 variants (Wuhan and Omicron descendants BA.1, BA.2, and XBB.1.5). Additionally, we examined binding affinity between BA.2.86 and human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, a cell surface protein crucial for viral entry. We found no statistically significant difference in binding affinity between BA.2.86 and other variants, indicating a similar immune response. These findings contradict media reports of BA.2.86s high immune evasion potential based on its mutations. We discuss the implications of our findings and highlight the need for modeling and docking studies to go above and beyond mutation and basic serological neutralization analysis. Future research in this area will benefit from increased structural analyses of memory B-cell derived antibodies and should emphasize the importance of choosing appropriate samples for in silico studies to assess protection provided by vaccination and infection. This research contributes to understanding the BA.2.86 variants potential impact on public health. Moreover, we introduce new methodologies for predictive medicine in ongoing efforts to combat the evolving SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and prepare for other hazards.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.22.568364v3" target="_blank">Predicting Antibody and ACE2 Affinity for SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 and JN.1 with In Silico Protein Modeling and Docking</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Aerobic Exercise Capacity and Muscle Strenght in Individuals With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 Pneumonia; COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Kardiopulmonary exercise test (Quark KPET C12x/T12x device connected to the Omnia version 1.6.8 COSMED system); Device: Peripheral muscle strength measurement (microFET3 (Hoggan Health Industries, Fabrication Enterprises, lnc) and JAMAR hydraulic hand dynamometer (Sammons Preston, Rolyon, Bolingbrook).; Device: Standard exercise tolerance test (a bicycle ergometer and recorded through the ergoline rehabilitation system 2 Version 1.08 SPI.); Device: Aerobic exercise training (a bicycle ergometer and recorded through the ergoline rehabilitation system 2 Version 1.08 SPI.) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Selda Sarıkaya; Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University <br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>UNAIR Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine INAVAC as Heterologue Booster (Immunobridging Study) in Adolescent Subjects</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 Pandemic; COVID-19 Vaccines <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: INAVAC (Vaksin Merah Putih - UA- SARS CoV-2 (Vero Cell Inactivated) 5 μg <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Dr. Soetomo General Hospital; Indonesia-MoH; Universitas Airlangga; PT Biotis Pharmaceuticals, Indonesia <br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>World Health Organization (WHO) , COVID19 Case Series of Post Covid 19 Rhino Orbito Cerebral Mucormycosis in Egypt</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Mucormycosis; Rhinocerebral (Etiology); COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Procedure: debridment <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Nasser Institute For Research and Treatment <br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Treatment of Post-COVID-19 With Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: a Randomized, Controlled Trial</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post-COVID-19 Syndrome; Post-COVID Syndrome; Post COVID-19 Condition; Post-COVID Condition; Post COVID-19 Condition, Unspecified; Long COVID; Long Covid19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Hyperbaric oxygen <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Erasmus Medical Center; Da Vinci Clinic; HGC Rijswijk <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Mindfulness-based Mobile Applications Program</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Cell Phone Use; Nurse; Mental Health <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: mindfulness-based mobile applications program <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Yu-Chien Huang <br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Attention Training for COVID-19 Related Distress</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Anxiety <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Attention Bias Modification; Behavioral: Attention Control Training; Behavioral: Neutral training <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Palo Alto University <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Correlation of Antibody Response to COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnant Woman and Transplacental Passage Into Cord Blood.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Covid-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Diagnostic Test: COVID-19 Spike Protein IgG Quantitative Antibody (CMIA) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Vachira Phuket Hospital <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>UNAIR Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine as Homologue Booster (Immunobridging Study)</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 Pandemic; COVID-19 Vaccines; COVID-19 Virus Disease <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: INAVAC (Vaksin Merah Putih - UA- SARS CoV-2 (Vero Cell Inactivated) 5 μg <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Dr. Soetomo General Hospital; Universitas Airlangga; Biotis Pharmaceuticals, Indonesia; Indonesia-MoH <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Safety and Immunogenicity of a Sub-unit Protein CD40.RBDv Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted or Not, as a Booster in Volunteers.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: CD40.RBDv vaccin (SARS-Cov2 Vaccin) <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: ANRS, Emerging Infectious Diseases; LinKinVax; Vaccine Research Institute (VRI), France <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Ctimulation and Chlorella Pyrenoidosa to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Cardiovascular Diseases; Long Covid19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Other: High Definition-transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Dietary Supplement: Chlorella Pyrenoidosa <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Federal University of Paraíba; City University of New York <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SGB for COVID-induced Parosmia</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19-Induced Parosmia <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Stellate Ganglion Block; Drug: Placebo Sham Injection <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Washington University School of Medicine <br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Investigating the Effectiveness of Vimida</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID; Post COVID-19 Condition <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: vimida <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Gaia AG; Medical School Hamburg; Institut Long-Covid Rostock <br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Effects of Physiotherapy Via Video Calls in Patients With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Long COVID-19; Cardiopulmonary Function; Physical Function <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Exercise training <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Chulabhorn Hospital <br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Naphthoquinone derivatives as potential immunomodulators: prospective for COVID-19 treatment</strong> - Inflammation plays a crucial role in COVID-19, and when it becomes dysregulated, it can lead to severe outcomes, including death. Naphthoquinones, a class of cyclic organic compounds widely distributed in nature, have attracted significant interest due to their potential biological benefits. One such naphthoquinone is 3,5,8-trihydroxy-6-methoxy-2-(5-oxohexa-1,3-dienyl)-naphthanthene-1,4-dione (3,5,8-TMON), a compound produced by fungi. Despite its structural similarity to shikonin, limited…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Cholesterol and COVID-19-therapeutic opportunities at the host/virus interface during cell entry</strong> - The rapid development of vaccines to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections has been critical to reduce the severity of COVID-19. However, the continuous emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 subtypes highlights the need to develop additional approaches that oppose viral infections. Targeting host factors that support virus entry, replication, and propagation provide opportunities to lower SARS-CoV-2 infection rates and improve COVID-19 outcome. This includes…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Discovery of an ellipticine derivative as TLR3 inhibitor against influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Influenza and COVID-19 continue to pose global threats to public health. Classic antiviral drugs have certain limitations, coupled with frequent viral mutations leading to many drugs being ineffective, the development of new antiviral drugs is urgent. Meanwhile, the invasion of influenza virus can cause an immune response, and an excessive immune response can generate a large number of inflammatory storms, leading to tissue damage. Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) recognizes virus dsRNA to ignite the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Investigating the Antibody Imprinting Hypothesis among Canadian Paramedics after SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Circulation</strong> - Recent research has highlighted the Omicron variant’s capacity to evade immune protection conferred by wild-type (WT) mRNA vaccines. Despite this observation, the potential involvement of antigenic sin phenomena remains unclear. Our hypothesis posited that a greater number of prior WT vaccine doses might lead to reduced anti-Omicron neutralization Abs following Omicron infection. To investigate this, we analyzed blood samples from human participants in the COVID-19 Occupational Risk,…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The art of hijacking: how Nsp1 impacts host gene expression during coronaviral infections</strong> - Non-structural protein 1 (Nsp1) is one of the first proteins produced during coronaviral infections. It plays a pivotal role in hijacking and rendering the host gene expression under the service of the virus. With a focus on SARS-CoV-2, this review presents how Nsp1 selectively inhibits host protein synthesis and induces mRNA degradation of host but not viral mRNAs and blocks nuclear mRNA export. The clinical implications of this protein are highlighted by showcasing the pathogenic role of Nsp1…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A case report of QTc prolongation: Drug induced or myocarditis in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2</strong> - Remdesivir is a nucleotide prodrug of an adenosine analog. It binds to the viral Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)-dependent RNA polymerase and inhibits viral replication by terminating RNA transcription prematurely. Remdesivir has demonstrated in vitro and in vivo activity against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2; it also acts in vitro neutralization activity against the Omicron variant and its subvariants. We reported a 54-years-old woman admitted with Coronavirus disease 2019. Considering…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Network analysis-guided drug repurposing strategies targeting LPAR receptor in the interplay of COVID, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has greatly affected global health. Emerging evidence suggests a complex interplay between Alzheimer’s disease (AD), diabetes (DM), and COVID-19. Given COVID-19’s involvement in the increased risk of other diseases, there is an urgent need to identify novel targets and drugs to combat these interconnected health challenges. Lysophosphatidic acid receptors (LPARs), belonging to the G protein-coupled receptor family, have been implicated in…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Synergistic inhibition effects of andrographolide and baicalin on coronavirus mechanisms by downregulation of ACE2 protein level</strong> - The SARS-CoV-2 virus, belonging to the Coronavirus genus, which poses a threat to human health worldwide. Current therapies focus on inhibiting viral replication or using anti-inflammatory/immunomodulatory compounds to enhance host immunity. This makes the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine compounds ideal therapies due to their proven safety and minimal toxicity. Previous research suggests that andrographolide and baicalin inhibit coronaviruses; however, their synergistic…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Novel high-yield potato protease inhibitor panels block a wide array of proteases involved in viral infection and crucial tissue damage</strong> - Viruses critically rely on various proteases to ensure host cell entry and replication. In response to viral infection, the host will induce acute tissue inflammation pulled by granulocytes. Upon hyperactivation, neutrophil granulocytes may cause undue tissue damage through proteolytic degradation of the extracellular matrix. Here, we assess the potential of protease inhibitors (PI) derived from potatoes in inhibiting viral infection and reducing tissue damage. The original full spectrum of…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Individual ingredients of NP-101 (Thymoquinone formula) inhibit SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection</strong> - Thymoquinone TQ, an active ingredient of Nigella Sativa, has been shown to inhibit COVID-19 symptoms in clinical trials. Thymoquinone Formulation (TQF or NP-101) is developed as a novel enteric-coated medication derivative from Nigella Sativa. TQF consists of TQ with a favorable concentration and fatty acids, including palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids. In this study, we aimed to investigate the roles of individual ingredients of TQF on infection of SARS-CoV-2 variants in-vitro, by utilizing…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 1,2,4a,5-tetrahydro-4H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazino[4,3-d][1,4]oxazine-based AAK1 inhibitors with anti-viral property against SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Coronavirus entry into host cells hinges on the interaction between the spike glycoprotein of the virus and the cell-surface receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), initiating the subsequent clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) pathway. AP-2-associated protein kinase 1 (AAK1) holds a pivotal role in this pathway, regulating CME by modulating the phosphorylation of the μ subunit of adaptor protein 2 (AP2M1). Herein, we report a series of novel AAK1 inhibitors based on previously reported…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Role of epinephrine in attenuating cytokine storm, decreasing ferritin, and inhibiting ferroptosis in SARS-CoV-2</strong> - CONCLUSION: Epinephrine may attenuate CS and inhibit ferroptosis which is an iron-dependent, non-apoptotic mode of cell death. Epi interacts with ferric and/or ferrous iron and built a stable complex that impedes activation of beta-adrenergic receptors. Epi may cause marked decrease of ferritin and other inflammatory markers. Epi may be used to decrease iron overload which is associated with many medical diseases like type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiometabolic diseases such as coronary heart…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Challenges Experienced by Saudi Patients With Cancer and Their Family Caregivers in Using Digital Healthcare Technology Platforms in the COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> - COVID-19 has provided a unique boost to the use of digital healthcare technology, putting many vulnerable people at risk of digital exclusion. To promote digital healthcare equity, it is important to identify the challenges that may inhibit cancer patients and family caregivers from benefiting from such technology. This study explored the challenges that cancer patients and family caregivers experience in using digital healthcare technology platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication by a ssDNA aptamer targeting the nucleocapsid protein</strong> - The nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2 plays significant roles in viral assembly, immune evasion, and viral stability. Due to its immunogenicity, high expression levels during COVID-19, and conservation across viral strains, it represents an attractive target for antiviral treatment. In this study, we identified and characterized a single-stranded DNA aptamer, N-Apt17, which effectively disrupts the liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) mediated by the N protein. To enhance the aptamer’s…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Transcriptional regulation of SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 by SP1</strong> - Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a major cell entry receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The induction of ACE2 expression may serve as a strategy by SARS-CoV-2 to facilitate its propagation. However, the regulatory mechanisms of ACE2 expression after viral infection remain largely unknown. Using 45 different luciferase reporters, the transcription factors SP1 and HNF4α were found to positively and negatively regulate ACE2 expression, respectively,…</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Nikki Haley Lost the South Carolina Primary Back When She Was Still Governor</strong> - In her home state, Haley came to power as an outsider and never won over the good ol’ boys of the local Republican establishment. Now they’re supporting Trump. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/nikki-haley-lost-the-south-carolina-primary-back-when-she-was-still-governor">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Legal Weed in New York Was Going to Be a Revolution. What Happened?</strong> - Lawsuits. Unlicensed dispensaries. Corporations pushing to get in. The messy rollout of a law that has tried to deliver social justice with marijuana. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/26/legal-weed-in-new-york-was-going-to-be-just-and-fair-what-happened">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Snake with the Emoji-Patterned Skin</strong> - In the wild, ball pythons are usually brown and tan. In America, breeding them to produce eye-catching offspring has become a lucrative, frenetic, and—for some—troubling enterprise. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/26/inside-the-world-of-designer-ball-pythons">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Matt Gaetz’s Chaos Agenda</strong> - The Florida Republican is among the most brazen and controversial figures in Donald Trump’s G.O.P. He’s also among the most influential. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/26/matt-gaetz-profile">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Trials of Alejandro Mayorkas</strong> - The Secretary of Homeland Security has been forced to respond to an unprecedented flow of migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border. Why are Republicans in Congress impeaching him for it? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/26/the-trials-of-alejandro-mayorkas">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Alabama’s IVF warning to the country</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Art statues of three armless female figures standing with their feet in the ground." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-wioFX8_YZwSaQmVtfbpr1Qh26g=/0x0:2671x2003/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73158808/1241255198.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
The Mothers of Gynecology Monument Park located in Montgomery, Alabama. | Andi Rice/Washington Post via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The movement to treat embryos as full-fledged people is taking a victory lap.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Nx5zUQ">
One week ago, Alabama’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus">Supreme Court</a> issued a <a href="https://publicportal-api.alappeals.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/343d203a-b13d-463a-8176-c46e3ae4f695/docketentrydocuments/e3d95592-3cbe-4384-afa6-063d4595aa1d">now (in)famous 131-page decision</a> that invoked God to claim that frozen embryos count as “children” under state law.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Aoz1LZ">
The unprecedented legal opinion, which came out of a tragic negligence case in which families sued someone who had accidentally destroyed their frozen embryos, has sent shockwaves across the country.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HZoYKw">
Policymakers, parents, and prospective parents are realizing it could seriously imperil in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or dramatically hike its already prohibitive costs. About 2 percent of births in the US are done through IVF, which entails fertilizing eggs outside of the body and then transferring embryos to a womb.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OcYila">
We’re already seeing consequences.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fVeSDS">
Two days ago, the University of Alabama at Birmingham health system — the largest hospital in the state — announced <a href="https://www.al.com/news/2024/02/uab-pauses-in-vitro-fertilization-due-to-fear-of-prosecution-officials-say.html">it was pausing IVF</a>, given the new risks of criminal prosecution and litigation. Since then, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/caileygleeson/2024/02/22/second-alabama-fertility-clinic-stops-in-vitro-fertilization-after-embryo-ruling-heres-what-we-know/?sh=497b6757432b">at least two more</a> Alabama fertility clinics have followed suit.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZAtJP7">
Let’s be clear. This decision and its very obvious fallout are a victory for an extremist wing of the anti-abortion movement I’ve been covering for the last two years. These particular activists believe in the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/abortion-fight-roe-v-wade/618930/">radical idea of “fetal personhood,”</a> meaning they want to endow fetuses (and embryos) with full human rights and legal protection.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Poq9NH">
It’s also a reminder that the overturn of <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/5/3/23055125/roe-v-wade-abortion-rights-supreme-court-dobbs-v-jackson"><em>Roe </em>v. <em>Wade</em></a><em> </em>is about more than just abortion. It has ramifications for the full spectrum of reproductive health care — including birth control and fertility treatments.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oIXsJ1">
Roughly <a href="https://www.fertilityanswers.com/13-stats-know-infertility/#:~:text=Approximately%20one%20in%20eight%20couples,year%20who%20have%20trouble%20conceiving.">one in eight</a> couples nationwide struggles with infertility. A <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/09/14/a-growing-share-of-americans-say-theyve-had-fertility-treatments-or-know-someone-who-has/">2023 Pew survey found</a> that 42 percent of US adults say they or someone they know has used treatments like IVF or artificial insemination.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4QULLG">
“There was a time post-<em>Dobbs </em>where wealthier people thought they were not going to be affected … there was a sense that IVF was in a gated country club,” Stephen Stetson, the director of Planned Parenthood Alabama, told me. “But the people in this movement have been very clear about their intentions. There is a war on bodily autonomy.”
</p>
<h3 id="mTbtVT">
What this means for women
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c6rWGJ">
This week, I spoke with Tasha Coryell as she was celebrating the second birthday of her son, whom she gave birth to thanks to successful IVF treatment in Alabama.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5aNoIg">
“I had a really good experience seeking fertility treatment in Alabama, it was one of the few medical experiences I’ve had where I felt really listened to,” she told me.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0q7rZP">
Being pregnant in Alabama, though, was scary for Tasha.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gIffUu">
“We knew there was a potential problem with our baby, and though it turned out to be something very, very minor, there was a chance I would have to have an abortion and we weren’t at all sure I would be able to get one,” she explained. “That was the most anxiety-inducing time I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.”
</p>
<aside id="o3Npxz">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="a9jAyz">
Tasha and her family decided not to risk the possibility of an unsafe pregnancy in Alabama again, so after years of living in the state, they relocated last summer to Minnesota. But her 11 remaining embryos are still stored in an Alabama cryogenic facility, and she’s been considering trying for another child.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1Gc4fe">
Earlier this month, before the Alabama state Supreme Court decision came down, Tasha called her fertility doctor to ask for general advice. Her doctor recommended keeping the embryos in Alabama, since they could be damaged in transport and relocation would not be cheap. But now Tasha is left to make sense of this decision. Should she move her embryos out now?
</p>
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“I have no idea what’s going to happen legally,” she said. “Can Alabama force people to continue paying for embryo storage year after year after year? Do they have to exist forever?”
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She knows she’s luckier than most, since she at least already has one child. “I keep thinking about people in the middle of all this who are currently injecting themselves with shots,” she said.
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Even under “good” circumstances, IVFs is grueling, and it can be difficult for people to talk about. Now, for some women, it might all be for naught.
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Is IVF totally over in Alabama — or, next, the whole country?
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The ruling was somewhat narrow and did not weigh in on the future of other frozen embryos.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="A4L6dQ">
As my colleague <a href="https://www.vox.com/2024/2/20/24078513/supreme-court-alabama-ivf-roe-wade-dobbs-abortion-child-embryo">Ian Millhiser explained</a>, there’s a world where this decision could be relatively contained. The case is also not over; the state Supreme Court is sending it back to a district court for further litigation.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="beDiaG">
In short, this victory for the fetal-personhood movement isn’t fully set, but medical providers and patients like Tasha are already left trying to piece together answers that nobody yet has.
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“It’s a climate of chaos and confusion,” Stetson, of Planned Parenthood Alabama, told me. “I can appreciate the desire of lawyers who are advising fertility clinics to be conservative. No one wants to be on the hook for any legal liability or risk of criminal prosecution if some district attorney gets the wrong idea.”
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One possibility is that IVF will continue in Alabama, but embryos will be stored in other states — raising the costs and complexity of the procedure.
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For the rest of the country, IVF specialists are now on high alert and warn that this first-of-its-kind decision may be just the start in courts and state legislatures.
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This is all a sober reminder that for many activists, attacking reproductive health care has always been about more than just ending abortion. For these religious crusaders, nothing short of “fetal personhood” will suffice.
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<em>This story appeared originally in </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/today-explained-podcast"><em><strong>Today, Explained</strong></em></a><em>, Vox’s flagship daily newsletter. </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/today-explained-newsletter-signup"><em><strong>Sign up here for future editions</strong></em></a><em>.</em>
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<li><strong>The chaotic, irreplaceable Wendy Williams</strong> -
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<img alt="Wendy Williams, wearing an off-the-shoulder grey top, speaks into a microphone while seated in a purple armchair. A vase of pink flowers sits on the table in front of her." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VIpxTRV-D8x-9tNBnN65huCwFZM=/602x0:5255x3490/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70010546/GettyImages_1017903626.0.jpg"/>
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Wendy Williams speaks onstage during her celebration of 10 years of <em>The Wendy Williams Show</em> at the Buckhead Theatre, in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2018. | Paras Griffin/Getty Images
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Wendy Williams’s rise, reputation, and absence from her talk show, explained.
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Centuries ago, those accused of gossip, primarily women, were locked into<a href="https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/how-patriarchy-redefined-gossip-to-be-a-womens-thing-3aac0dcbdc14"> metal headpieces</a> that restrained the mouth. Imagine what those medieval haters would think about Wendy Williams.
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The host first started rattling off her opinions into millions of American living rooms in 2008. But <em>The Wendy Williams Show</em> kicked off its 13th season in October 2021<strong> </strong>without Williams as its host. And after months of delays and guest hosts, in September 2022 her slot was replaced by <em>Sherri</em>, hosted by Sherri Shepherd, the former <em>The View </em>co-host who had been Williams’s most popular fill-in.
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Now, after more than two years out of the spotlight and <a href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/wendy-williams-diagnosed-dementia-bruce-willis-1235919308/">recently disclosing that she has been diagnosed with</a> primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, Lifetime — which previously produced both a dramatization and a documentary about the talk show host’s life — is releasing the documentary <em>Where Is Wendy Williams?</em> The film, which premieres on February 24, appears to follow Williams through that difficult period and features interviews with her, her family, and other associates. The documentary is slated to give an inside look at her mental and physical health issues, as well as the drama surrounding her financial guardianship. On Instagram in 2022, Williams <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/wendy-williams-pushes-back-wells-fargo-guardianship-petition-rcna21457">called out Wells Fargo</a>, accusing the bank of “keeping her away” from her money.
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“Where is Wendy Williams?” is certainly a question her fans have been asking for a while now, as they find her pretty irreplaceable.<strong> </strong>At the end of her show’s run, Williams ranked among the top daytime talk show hosts, after<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/business/media/ellen-degeneres-quit-talk-show.html"> Ellen DeGeneres</a>, who ended her show in May 2022, and the women of <em>The View</em>. While Shepherd has received positive feedback, the lack of a goodbye from Williams has been met with concern and mixed feelings.
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For over a decade between smirking laughter and sips from her mug, Williams calmly eviscerated celebrity goings-on, razing their mishaps to the ground to lay at the feet of her live studio audience. She kept her original mission through changing times and through her own struggles. Even early on, her penchant for showing no mercy was documented by the New York Times in a<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/arts/television/22stan.html"> 2008 article</a> that described her as capable of being “startlingly mean-spirited.” This is what helped her amass a legion of fans, and also what irritated her critics for so long; toward the end of her talk show gig, the infractions piled up.
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The tide has turned on the kind of lurid gossip Williams traffics in; just look at the way the pop culture news cycle of the<a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22350286/2000s-pop-culture-misogyny-britney-spears-janet-jackson-whitney-houston-monica-lewinsky"> early aughts</a> is being reevaluated. Still, her mix of bravado and vulnerability kept her on our screens. Who is this woman anyway, and who let her onstage?
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<h3 id="VBmDdu">
Wendy Williams built her career on saying things other people wouldn’t say
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Williams, born in New Jersey, got her start in radio in the late 1980s. She worked her way up through DC- and New York-based stations and, by 1993, had earned a Billboard Radio Award, honoring her as the R&amp;B Major Market Radio Air Personality of the Year. She gave her listeners candid advice and shared the details of her own life dramas. Williams was known for her fiery, unapologetic personality. According to a 2005<a href="https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/features/14790/"> New York magazine profile</a>, during her run at WBLS, her interns were instructed not to speak to her unless spoken to. She bounced around different stations into the 2000s, discussing pop and rap stars on-air. She’s also struggled publicly: with<a href="https://nypost.com/2016/05/16/angie-martinez-lost-her-f-king-mind-with-wendy-williams/"> being fired</a> and ostracized, with a<a href="https://people.com/tv/wendy-williams-says-ex-husband-kevin-hunter-was-a-serial-cheater/"> cheating husband</a> who was also her manager, with<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wendy-williams-opens-up-on-cocaine-addiction/"> substance abuse issues</a> and her chronic illnesses.
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Williams made a name for herself by getting immensely personal with her listeners, which is perhaps why her fanbase is so enamored with her. Marie Nerestant, a 43-year-old in New York City, has been a Wendy fan since high school. Now, she watches <em>The Wendy Williams Show</em> every single day while her kids are at school.
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“She speaks her truth,” Nerestant told me about why she is drawn to Williams’s commentary. “She says what everybody wants to say, but is too afraid to say.” This, she theorizes, is why so many people are put off by Williams.
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“She has her flaws, and she’s not afraid to say it. She has Graves’ disease. She has lymphedema. She went through a terrible divorce. She’s said everything. What else does she have to prove to anybody?”
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Wendy hasn’t only spoken her own truth, though — and a fair share of <a href="https://www.vox.com/celebrities">celebrities</a> have taken issue with Williams over the course of her career. In the ’90s, she had a habit of “outing” various rappers and pop stars, making claims that Sean Combs,<a href="https://www.vox.com/22533388/whitney-houston-american-girl-voice-legacy"> Whitney Houston</a>, and others were gay. These accusations were not taken lightly. Houston’s friend Robyn Crawford admitted that the pair planned<a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/11/wendy-williams-whitney-houston-robyn-crawford"> to confront</a> Williams over the gossip. Williams has also implied that Combs sent a girl group from his record label to assault her and intimated that he got her fired from Hot 97. Tupac even<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/wendy-williams-made-a-lot-of-enemies-in-radio-20-years-ago-now-shes-a-daytime-television-staple/2018/08/22/15f35dc0-9f18-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html"> threw a diss</a> at her in his music, after she made claims about his time in prison.
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Despite the drama, Williams’s brashness attracted <a href="https://www.vox.com/tv">television</a> execs, and in 2008 she was asked to do a trial run of her own syndicated talk show. It was a sweeping success. Immediately the show resonated,<a href="https://tvnewscheck.com/uncategorized/article/wendy-williams-hits-new-ratings-highs/"> in particular with women</a> between the ages of 18 and 54. Fox and BET jumped on the chance to broadcast the program, and the rest is history.
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Her appeal to many Black women and gay men was crucial to her success, even though it is arguable that they should be most offended by her. And that is the strange magic of Wendy Williams.
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Aside from her talk show, Williams has done standup, acted in <a href="https://www.vox.com/movies">movies</a>, written books (fiction and nonfiction), and appeared in a <a href="https://www.vox.com/theater">Broadway</a> production of <em>Chicago</em>. Just this past January, she simultaneously released a biopic and a documentary<a href="https://deadline.com/2021/02/lifetime-wendy-williams-movie-documentary-salt-n-pepa-biopic-tv-ratings-1234687880/"> through Lifetime</a>. In the fall of 2020, she was revealed as a performer on <em>The Masked Singer</em>, costumed as a big mouth, which is, well, pretty on the nose.
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Williams’s daytime gig, however, was more than enough job for most. Her typically tireless schedule meant that everyone with cable has likely come across her at some point or another. Stay-at-home mothers, children home sick, patients in doctors’ waiting rooms, and the like have all crossed paths with <em>Wendy</em>. Her celebrity gossip segment, aptly titled “Hot Topics,” dissected the latest entertainment news and might have been the purest expression of the Wendy Williams persona. She talked, and the audience listened.
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<h3 id="m8L3Gf">
Williams’s fans love her, but they don’t always agree with her
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UhJyrc">
The intimacy of <em>The Wendy Williams Show</em> was its main strength; Williams lounged in her purple armchair not just before her audience, but as if they were sitting at the same table together. When she gossiped, notoriously unscripted, it felt like chatting with a friend. She called her fans her “co-hosts.”
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While a host like Ellen DeGeneres speaks to celebrities the way a friend would, Williams spoke to and about them as if she were not also a celebrity. She had no issue prying or having guests on the show that she had<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGCXZ54Gu2Y"> previously gossiped about</a>. She separated herself from the celebrity tribe and put herself at the level of the viewer, ignoring the tension that might exist between her role and her own fame.
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The format of <em>The Wendy Williams Show</em> never changed much over time. Neither did its host, who remained often brutal toward celebrities. According to her fans, this is part of the appeal — but also, not always their favorite thing.
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“I prefer when she keeps it light,” says Tracy Turner, a 54-year-old fan who watched <em>Wendy</em> a few times a week. For eight years, Turner had been tuning in to see what Williams has to say, whether it’s for her recurring<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPUQrluKyRQ"> celebrity lookalike segment</a> or giving advice to audience members. What Turner is less interested in is when the commentary turns a little nasty, as in Williams’s unsolicited “<a href="https://twitter.com/TheShadeRoom/status/1390359213134819337">advice</a>” on the<a href="https://thegrio.com/2021/05/06/erica-mena-threatened-wendy-williams-safraree-marriage-comment/"> rocky relationship</a> of<em> Love &amp; Hip-Hop</em> stars Safaree Samuels and Erica Mena.
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It seemed like a randomly fired shot, but in Turner’s opinion, there are some people who Williams just does not like, and it affected her coverage of them. “She used to<a href="https://screenrant.com/keeping-up-kardashians-everything-wendy-williams-said-khloe/"> come for the Kardashians</a>, but then<a href="https://people.com/tv/wendy-williams-kim-kardashian-kris-jenner-hang-out-despite-being-critical/"> she met them</a>, and then she changed the narrative,” Turner said. While Williams’s opinions could flip-flop — much to the annoyance of some of her fans — they also reflected a very human impulse. Her feelings are allowed to change, regardless of how forcibly she expressed them, even for, as Turner points out, sometimes indiscernible reasons. These shifts made her that much more unpredictable, which is compelling to those who have watched the nature of her fame change over time. When your audience doesn’t take you 100 percent seriously, it makes you much harder to cancel.
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What follows is a brief synopsis of Wendy Williams’s most-cancellable hits: There was her explosive conversation with Whitney Houston<a href="https://pagesix.com/2021/01/31/wendy-williams-documentary-the-9-biggest-revelations/"> in her radio days</a>, where she asked Houston how her drug use affected her family (Williams has detailed her<a href="https://tvone.tv/7454/wendy-williams-opens-up-about-her-drug-addiction/"> own issues with cocaine</a>). Houston hung up on her. On the radio in 2006, Williams leaked that Method Man’s wife<a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/wendy-williams-most-controversial-comments-through-the-years/grilling-whitney-houston/"> had cancer</a> before some of the couple’s own family members even knew. She’s<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/wendy-williams-slammed-saying-gay-men-should-stop-wearing-our-n1136776"> had to apologize</a> for claiming that gay men “should leave skirts and heels to women.” When Terry Crews<a href="https://www.bet.com/celebrities/news/2017/11/17/wendy-williams.html"> spoke out</a> about being sexually assaulted, she said he was “not brave.”
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In 2018, she complained about the Me Too movement and defended R. Kelly, who had long<a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/1/30/18192932/lifetime-surviving-r-kelly-documentary-sexual-abuse"> been accused of</a> and was <a href="https://www.vox.com/22698489/r-kelly-conviction-black-women-survivors">convicted of sexual abuse</a> in 2021. She later<a href="https://www.news24.com/drum/celebs/wendy-williams-thinks-r-kelly-is-guilty-but-shouldnt-go-to-prison-20190307"> changed her mind</a>, calling him “sick” and condemning his actions. She <a href="https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/03/17/wendy-williams-apologizes-transphobic-panel-discussion">misgendered</a> a <a href="https://www.vox.com/lgbtq">trans</a> athlete and made ill-informed,<a href="https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/wendy-williams-caitlyn-jenner-transphobia/"> transphobic jokes</a>.
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In July 2021, Williams implied that the marriage of actress and vegan <a href="https://www.vox.com/influencers">influencer</a> Tabitha Brown, who recently was able to help her husband financially so he could retire from the LAPD, was<a href="https://www.essence.com/love/tabitha-brown-wendy-williams/"> doomed to fail</a>, and reminded Williams of her own situation with her<a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a35351578/wendy-williams-ex-husband-kevin-hunter/"> ex-husband Kevin Hunter</a>.
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“That was out of anger. I don’t think she meant what she said,” Nerestant said. Perhaps Williams’s comments came from a place of projection due to her own romantic pains, Nerestant suggested, but said Williams was out of pocket nonetheless. “I didn’t agree with what she said. She was reaching a little bit, but she’s hurt and she’s still hurting. It’s just a process that she has to deal with.”
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Over the years, Williams<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/wendy-williams-owes-britney-spears-a-major-apology"> repeatedly mocked</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23814154/britney-spears-fans-conspiracy-theories-conservatorship">Britney Spears</a>, but in a twist that was so out of left field it was comedic, she declared “death to them all!” in reference to<a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22565683/britney-spears-conservatorship-testimony"> Spears’s conservators</a>. The clip has since been scrubbed from her <a href="https://www.vox.com/youtube">YouTube</a> channel but lives on<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@michaeltofficial/video/6978142765863505157?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowvK7X%2Fwcb%2FAi622BgpQqKQRbF3vb6fOjdI17cvJL0qewq%2Fz9ksu%2BvEtZYIf%2B6vg%2BcGgA%3D&amp;checksum=3636138d00763a7381551f35d0a5ad024d6931af9df0c96cd210f9ff161fc282&amp;language=en&amp;preview_pb=0&amp;sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAEfe-TYa7USX_YwoOEmyFiXP7C4bNVmjP4KXJPovrUNCSgoWglqM44PtaKwKkdDxh&amp;share_app_id=1233&amp;share_item_id=6978142765863505157&amp;share_link_id=9C221520-B2E1-42F2-B7DB-1B898695BE71&amp;source=h5_m&amp;timestamp=1629318799&amp;tt_from=copy&amp;u_code=da647kdahg1fa6&amp;user_id=6777515734231958534&amp;utm_campaign=client_share&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;utm_source=copy&amp;_r=1"> in TikTok audios</a>.
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Williams’s most recent and arguably worst offense was a takedown of 19-year-old <a href="https://www.vox.com/tiktok">TikTok</a> user Matima Miller, known to fans as Swavy. Williams delivered the news of Miller’s murder by comparing her follower count to his and <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adeonibada/wendy-williams-show-hot-topics-tiktok-swavy">proclaiming</a> that she had “no idea who this person is, and neither does one person in this building.” It was a stomach-turning, senseless blow to his family, who are not famous by any means. The list of controversies goes on and on.
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Despite Williams’s often crude commentary, advertisers never seemed dissuaded (Chevrolet once<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/24/wendy-williams-dishes-the-dirt"> dropped her</a> for complaining about historically Black colleges and universities, but that’s about it), and viewers tuned in throughout her run. She was simply a natural at being on television. She glided from segment to segment as if she was just catching up with her viewers — did you hear so-and-so did this? What do you all think about this, that, and the other that what’s-his-name was caught doing last week?
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Even if fans didn’t always approve of her approach, they wholly believed in her right to have a platform, regardless of who it bothered. They may be frustrated by her, but they also feel a kinship, even a kind of ownership, over her.
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“She just wouldn’t be who she was today without stepping on some people’s toes and hurting some people’s feelings,” Nerestant said.
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The internet loves Wendy Williams … kind of
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Wendy Williams, the person, isn’t very online. On<a href="https://www.instagram.com/therealwendywilliamsonline/"> Instagram</a>, she merely posts recaps of her show, blurry photos of her meals (her commenters don’t hesitate to tell her when the food looks gross), and the occasional selfie. The account itself isn’t strictly business or personal, but it mostly operates as a promotional account for the show itself.
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Even if Wendy Williams isn’t really on the internet, in some ways she embodies its attitudes. Conversations about celebrities are always rude and outlandish online, with or without <em>Wendy </em>on the air<em>.</em> It is so easy to dogpile on Williams — a person who has said some awful things and has the nerve not to cower afterward, even though she is in the spotlight herself. In an interview with the New York Times Magazine<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/26/magazine/wendy-williams-interview.html"> back in 2019</a>, Williams was asked why people are interested in celebrity gossip. Her response was simple: “Celebrity lives are something that people can live vicariously through,” she said. “It takes people’s minds off their own troubles. Everybody has troubles.”
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Williams got paid to be judgmental, which is what a lot of people spend all day doing for free. Online, we’re all talk show hosts who can fire off a hot take tweet, go on a live rant, or create a slideshow of opinions theorizing on a celebrity romance. In fact, many online comment sections, threads, and forums use Williams as a tool — between user clapbacks and questions, her image dances, stares, and grimaces in GIF form through it all. Her relevance continues because Williams’s image has arguably become bigger and more significant than her actual show — maybe even bigger than Williams herself.
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As one<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@heymisskelsey/video/6996033444073540870?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowrFd2GF%2F6mqI4VT9cnSatDeof42LSRiBE4mkYL2R%2FLBNaFGUG8c2RzRncj0DbllyzGgA%3D&amp;checksum=136d725a3bd3baa031a1543cfd9f8e1d068d7d67b5a7764d00d81d46003b7f51&amp;language=en&amp;preview_pb=0&amp;sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAEfe-TYa7USX_YwoOEmyFiXP7C4bNVmjP4KXJPovrUNCSgoWglqM44PtaKwKkdDxh&amp;share_app_id=1233&amp;share_item_id=6996033444073540870&amp;share_link_id=665B9776-2628-4057-94F1-1C693C68D9FB&amp;source=h5_m&amp;timestamp=1629066326&amp;tt_from=copy&amp;u_code=da647kdahg1fa6&amp;user_id=6777515734231958534&amp;utm_campaign=client_share&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;utm_source=copy&amp;_r=1"> TikTok user put it</a>, she comes off as “a caricature of a woman.” Her baritone “How you doin’?” catchphrase is instantly recognizable. There’s the unfortunate clip of her fainting on-air while dressed as the<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2WzbfOhnx8"> Statue of Liberty</a> for a Halloween episode. There’s an<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=wendy%20williams%20meme&amp;src=typed_query&amp;f=top"> endless arsenal</a> of pouty,<a href="https://twitter.com/niggativebts/status/1336858244111863808?s=20"> shocked-looking photos</a> of her, and internet users gravitate toward them as reaction GIFs and pics. There are countless edits of her body, warped to make her appear bug-eyed like an alien or contorted to make her torso as thin as a rail. Her being is primed for virality because there are so few famous people who are as theatrical or as unnerving.
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Her television audience was a loyal bunch, but her internet audience is much less kind. They see her as sort of a joke of a figure. Her memeification both proves and reinforces her popularity, but her <a href="https://www.vox.com/internet-culture">meme</a> status is complicated — there is real adoration and endearment there, but it’s also mixed in with casual, unfamiliar “fanship” which sees her as less of a three-dimensional person and more of, for lack of a better term, a human emoji.
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On a sociological level, it’s fascinating and revealing, but it’s also somewhat dangerous when one considers the social implications of making a Black woman so separate from personhood. As Beatrice Forman <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2021/6/29/22554596/digital-blackface-megan-thee-stallion-song-tiktok-first-strike">wrote for Vox</a>, the online adoption of memes and slang from Black people is “committed so casually and frequently that it feels like the default mode of shitposting.”
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It’s no fault of her own, but Williams’s image has often been used as an instrument in that appropriation as the internet forges a world built in the likeness of Blackness. Her prevalence on Black and gay <a href="https://www.vox.com/twitter">Twitter</a> has parlayed her into wider consciousness, as such things go. In the public imagination, she is not a person but an idea. She is camp. She is, as she once said of Lil’ Kim, “an icon, a legend, and she is the moment.”
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That all came to a somewhat inauspicious end. Williams had only taken a<a href="https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/wendy-williams-show-hiatus-2021-1234851819/"> few brief hiatuses before</a> — due to <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19">Covid-19</a> production stops, to deal with health issues from her Graves’ disease and lymphedema, and to mourn the death of her mother.
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That’s why it was so unusual when the new season of <em>Wendy </em>was postponed.
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“I hope it helps to put things in perspective,” Turner said of Williams’s health issues, prior to the show’s official cancellation. “But there is a place for what she does. She is loved by pop culture.”
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Still, it seemed as though nothing could stop <em>The Wendy Williams Show</em> until she decided to end it. Now that it’s over, it’s hard to completely hate the player. We can moralize and debate about whether her work served our society, but as with so much of television, it just served to entertain — and Wendy did the job with more flair than most would dare to muster.
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In the months leading up to the announcement of the show’s ending, there was much concern about what exactly was going on with Williams. Despite her illness, she was seen by the paparazzi<a href="https://okmagazine.com/p/wendy-williams-spotted-vaping-in-nyc-amid-health-crisis-rumors-of-strained-relationship-with-son-kevin-jr/"> vaping in a car in New York City</a> in September 2021, and tabloid rumors <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10027259/Wendy-Williams-pushed-wheelchair-errand-run-New-York-City.html">circulated</a> that she may have fallen out of sobriety. In 2019, after discovering that her ex-husband was having a child with his girlfriend, she checked into a<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/26/magazine/wendy-williams-interview.html"> sober living home</a> to prevent herself from relapsing. Later, she was <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/wendy-williams-entered-wellness-facility-rep-says-rcna47888">admitted to a hospita</a>l for a psychiatric evaluation. Her brother stated that the anniversary of their mother’s death may have made the time of year particularly difficult for her. When <em>Where Is Wendy Williams? </em>premieres on Lifetime in February 2024, fans may gain new insight into the struggles she faced toward the end of her TV tenure. Until then, though, we can only speculate from our purple armchairs at home.
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<strong>Update, February 22, 2024</strong>: <em>This story was originally published on October 18, 2021, and has been updated with news of Lifetime’s upcoming documentary, </em>Where Is Wendy Williams?<em>, and Williams’s recent diagnosis.</em>
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<li><strong>Are Skims campaigns the new Vogue covers?</strong> -
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<img alt="Usher posing shirtless with his arms behind his head, holding a peach." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6QGbLPLi5toi7HBpfnsM5gNnVP0=/58x0:1010x714/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73156758/Screen_Shot_2024_02_21_at_2.17.32_PM.0.png"/>
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Usher featured in a February 2024 Skims men’s campaign. | Donna Trope/Courtesy of Skims
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The internet loves Kim Kardashian’s shapewear company. But it loves its ads even more.
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Before hitting the stage at <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2024/2/9/24066560/usher-super-bowl-lvii-2024-halftime-show">this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show</a>, R&amp;B singer Usher graced the cover of Vogue’s 2024 <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/usher-winter-digital-cover-2024-interview">Winter Digital issue</a>. It wasn’t totally obvious, though, that he was meant to be the publication’s guest of honor.
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The styling is tasteful enough, with Usher dressed in a cream-colored, autumnal outfit like a fashion-forward sports dad. However, not only is he upstaged by a group of school-aged football players on the cover, he’s joined by supermodel Carolyn Murphy. Critics on X and <a href="https://www.vox.com/tiktok">TikTok</a> quickly <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@wemiopakunle/video/7325714893389466926?q=usher%20vogue%20cover&amp;t=1707829997138">expressed</a> their <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliethehero/video/7325141464986455326?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=6972572832925500934">frustration</a> over the <a href="https://x.com/ScottieBeam/status/1747663893776724203?s=20">direction</a> of the shoot, which seemed intent on minimizing Usher’s presence. Along with <a href="https://www.today.com/news/vogue-cover-lebron-stirs-controversy-wbna23797883">Lebron James</a> and <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/kim-kardashian-and-kanye-west-keeping-up-with-kimye">Kanye West</a>, he is one of less than a handful of Black men to be featured on US Vogue covers. (Maybe not so coincidentally, the three mentioned share their cover shoots with white women.)
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Then a few weeks later came a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2-Z77wMjEM/">steamy underwear ad for Skims</a>, Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and loungewear brand. <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@king.asante/video/7332214391271722270?q=usher%20skims&amp;t=1708471391474">Social media</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@millietoro/video/7332267143070764331?q=usher%20skims&amp;t=1708471391474">users</a> praised Usher and Skims for the timely collaboration. The simple shoot, featured the “U Remind Me” singer, decked out in chains, holding a peach, and flaunting his six-pack abs while wearing briefs. It was received as a more rewarding press stop than the Vogue<em> </em>cover by many of his fans.
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2-Z6FvP_nj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kim Kardashian (<span class="citation" data-cites="kimkardashian">@kimkardashian</span>)</a>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5lW4YI">
It’s safe to say that there’s no real challenger to the 131-year-old institution that is Vogue. Utilizing elite photographers and A-list designers — not to mention editor-in-chief Anna Wintour’s <a href="https://time.com/6170179/anna-wintour-met-gala-amy-odell-book/">unwavering dominance</a> in the fashion industry — the magazine has remained one of the ultimate curators of celebrity image. But it’s hard not to notice that Skims’ star-studded ads generate the kind of positive buzz that Vogue<em> </em>and other legacy magazine covers have frequently failed to achieve — and that are often met with controversy regarding <a href="https://www.vox.com/21330898/vogue-simone-biles-vanity-fair-viola-davis-cover">poor photography</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22225271/kamala-harris-vogue-cover">underwhelming styling</a>, and a <a href="https://pudding.cool/2019/04/vogue/">lack of diversity</a>.
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Meanwhile, Skims shoots have seen a more consistently positive reception. Before Usher’s campaign, the <a href="https://www.vox.com/e-commerce">e-commerce</a> brand set social media ablaze with their <a href="https://www.instagram.com/skims/p/C2QKhLNtmzn/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1">annual Valentine’s Day campaign starring singer Lana Del Rey</a>. And the <a href="https://people.com/style/white-lotus-stars-feature-skims-valentines-day-campaign/">holiday shoot the year before</a> featured Beatrice Grannò and Simona Tabasco, two Italian actresses from the hit <a href="https://www.vox.com/hbo">HBO</a> series <em>The White Lotus.</em>
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They’ve also arrived at a time when celebrity endorsements and <a href="https://www.vox.com/influencers">influencer</a> sponcon have become an integral part of the online experience. It’s maybe not so surprising that the mastermind behind all of this is Kim Kardashian, a modern pinup with a penchant for opening our wallets and making things go viral.
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<h3 id="e8c29e">
Skims put a “cool” stamp on shapewear.
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Since launching Skims in 2019, Kardashian’s juggernaut of a business, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/business/dealbook/skims-kim-kardashian-fundraise.html">currently valued at $4 billion</a>, has managed to give consumers a new outlook on body-sculpting innerwear.
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Leading up to its debut, Kardashian and her influencer sisters were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kim-kardashian-sells-waist-trainers-doctors-say-dangerous-2019-9">controversially shilling waist trainers</a> on social media. Presumably, the media moguls’ seal of approval helped shred some of the not-so-marketable associations with foundation garments. For most of the 2000s and 2010s, shapewear was largely a punchline, even with its <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/whats-under-oscar-gowns-hollywood-stylists-reveal-secret-tricks-292805/">not-so-secret widespread use</a> throughout Hollywood and the fashion industry. Spanx were for imperfect women trying to conceal their love handles on a date. The word “girdle” still brings to mind an older demographic of women. Maybe the most telling sign that Spanx and other body-cincher products were aimed at an older generation of women was an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIFkHyLr8QQ">early cosign by Oprah Winfrey</a>.
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As the body-positivity movement has made strides over the past two decades — infiltrating marketing for just about everything, from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zevVNU-d7kU">dating apps</a> to <a href="https://youtu.be/litXW91UauE?feature=shared">soap</a> — the standard of physical perfection that made the use of body-cinching products embarrassing has started to dwindle. By the time Skims released its first set of inventory, it seemed like shapewear was something young women were not only comfortable admitting they owned but sporting as outerwear as well. It certainly helped that trendy labels like <a href="https://www.ellecanada.com/fashion/trends/how-shapewear-got-a-high-fashion-makeover">Mugler</a>, <a href="https://www.sleek-mag.com/article/underwear-inspired-fashion-craze-gender-sexuality-and-self-expression/">Charlotte Knowles</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/entrepreneurship/how-rising-design-star-rui-zhou-built-her-elevated-shapewear-brand/">Rui Zhou</a> (and their fast-fashion dupes) have repopularized slimming, paneled bodysuits and underwear-inspired clothes. The shapewear craze is apparently so huge that forecasters <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/07/20/2708418/32656/en/Shapewear-Market-is-Anticipated-to-Hold-a-Share-of-US-3-8-billion-by-2031-Says-Transparency-Market-Research.html">predict</a> a market share of $3.8 billion in the next seven years.
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The impetus for Skims Solutionwear — initially <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/fashion/kim-kardashian-west-kimono-cultural-appropriation.html">controversially</a> called “Kimono” — isn’t that different from <a href="https://www.businessofbusiness.com/articles/how-hating-pantyhouse-in-summer-helped-make-spanx-founder-sara-blakely-a-billionaire/">shapewear founder Sara Blakely’s story</a>. Blakely cut the legs of her control-top pantyhose to maintain a cinched look under her pants, creating what would essentially be the groundbreaking product Spanx. Kardashian similarly claims she was forced to cut her shapewear to complement her cutout and high-slit dresses. A more important selling point for the company, Kardashian also said she couldn’t find shapewear to match her olive-y tan skin tone, going so far as to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye-7JDaEifM">dye her shapewear with tea and coffee</a>.
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“For me, I was just looking for a solution to the fact that I love to wear shapewear,” Kardashian said at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye-7JDaEifM">Time 100 summit</a> last year. “There wasn’t a color tone that fit my skin tone, let alone most of my friends.”
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A few years prior, Rihanna’s <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/rihanna-fenty-beauty-diversity">makeup brand Fenty Beauty</a> proved that inclusivity — especially when paired with A-list celebrity branding — sells. Likewise, Skims relied heavily on the same message of diversity, with the slogan “solutions for every body.” Its 36-piece debut collection offered bras, underwear, shorts, and various bodysuits in nine shades from sand to onyx. Significantly, the brand offered an extensive size range, XXS to 5X, and used models representing that spectrum. In its first few minutes of launching, the brand <a href="https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/kim-kardashian-skims-launch-2-million-sales/">made $2 million</a>.
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<q>You could liken the online response to [Skims ads] to older generations seeing their pop-culture idols in a “Got Milk?” ad or on a Wheaties cereal box</q>
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Of course, branding shapewear designed to make the body look slimmer as “inclusive” is a bit ironic if not totally regressive. Still, it’s clear that millennial and Gen-Z women felt more embraced by Skims and other direct-to-consumer companies, like ThirdLove and Savage X Fenty, than legacy brand Victoria’s Secret by the late 2010s. Since about 2015, the lingerie retailer has seen a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/victorias-secret-rise-and-fall-history-2019-5">cultural and financial decline</a> due to public controversies, decreasing sales, internal issues, and a general inability to keep up with the times.
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Things ultimately took a turn for the worse in 2018 when former Chief Marketing Officer of L Brands (which owns Victoria’s Secret) Edward Razek defended <a href="https://www.wmagazine.com/story/victorias-secret-fashion-show-ed-razek-comments-trans-plus-size-models">excluding plus-size and transgender models</a> from the annually televised Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Since then, the company has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/16/business/victorias-secret-collective-megan-rapinoe.html">attempted more inclusive messaging</a>, expanded its size range, and retained high-profile spokesmodels. However, sales, particularly its <a href="https://insideretail.asia/2023/08/31/dismal-results-victorias-secret-back-in-the-red-after-sales-slump/">in-store performance</a>, have continued to plunge.
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<h3 id="cPubKT">
Celebrity Skims ads have filled a void in pop culture.
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Aside from the “inclusivity” angle, Skims has remained a dominant force in the fashion world thanks to its internet-breaking collaborations. In a short amount of time, the brand has linked up with high-fashion label <a href="https://skims.com/blogs/tv/fendi-x-skims-1">Fendi for a capsule collection</a> and sports organizations like the <a href="https://people.com/style/kim-kardashian-skims-continue-team-usa-partnership-2022-winter-olympics/">US Olympic team</a>, the <a href="https://skims.com/pages/nba">NBA</a>, and the <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/skims-name-official-underwear-partner-of-the-wnba">WNBA</a>.
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Their campaigns featuring some of the internet’s most beloved <a href="https://www.vox.com/celebrities">celebrities</a> have made Skims a premiere platform for viral photo shoots. You could liken the online response to a high-profile actor, athlete, or musician appearing in a Skims ad to older generations seeing their pop-culture idols in a government-sponsored “Got Milk?” ad or even a beloved athlete on a Wheaties cereal box. Commercials for Calvin Klein in the ’80s and ’90s, starring then-up-and-comers such as Mark Wahlberg and Brooke Shields, generated similar excitement <a href="https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/gallery/20253/5/calvin-klein-most-controversial">if not controversy</a>. In the social media era, when everyone is constantly self-promoting, celebrity photo shoots have lost a bit of their novelty. Still, Skims has managed to harness social media and the zeitgeist to deliver capital-M moments.
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Adrianne Pasquarelli, special projects editor and senior reporter for Ad Age, notes that timeliness is one aspect that works in Skims’ favor. She emphasizes that being a DTC brand helps Skims roll out these celebrity ads in a quicker fashion.
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“As a direct-to-consumer brand, they’re able to be very nimble with their marketing,” she said. “[Kim] handles a lot of the creative and can turn out that stuff on a dime, especially for a digital campaign. It’s harder to be as flexible and as fast with marketing for heritage companies with a bunch of brick-and-mortar stores and just decades of retailing.”
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It seems like Skims<em> </em>is doing something that legacy brands have struggled to deliver in the age of the internet: spotlight diverse talent in the right way at the right time and create the sort of impactful images that fans want. While Vogue has attempted to feature more people of color in and on the cover of their magazines — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/business/media/anna-wintour-vogue-race.html#:~:text=In%20a%20statement%2C%20Cond%C3%A9%20Nast,Vogue%20covers%20featured%20Black%20women.">albeit at a slow pace</a> — and Victoria’s Secret now caters to a larger range of bodies, these brands haven’t been able to totally shed the below-par reputation they’ve developed in the past or produce branding work that resonates with consumers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iS9sak">
Some of Skims’ illustrious spokesmodels include SZA, Cardi B, the Mahomes family, Ice Spice, PinkPantheress, Kate Moss, Lana Del Rey, Snoop Dogg, Brooke Shields, and Rosalía. One of their most eye-catching photo shoots was appropriately named “<a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/models/a39629867/skims-icons-campaign-tyra-banks-heidi-klum-alessandra-ambrosio-candice-swanepoel/">Icons</a>” and featured fashion and lingerie models such as Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Candice Swanepoel, and Alessandra Ambrosio, all of them previous Victoria’s Secret angels. Interestingly enough, Skims buyers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/victorias-secrets-models-are-back-skims-fans-mad-2023-8">called out Victoria’s Secret</a> for allegedly copying the campaign with their “Icons Collection,” which similarly cast ’90s supermodels.
</p>
<div>
<aside id="DoKdbo">
<q>Skims<em> </em>is doing something that legacy brands have struggled to: spotlight diverse talent in the right way at the right time</q>
</aside>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aM5VTK">
So far, unlike Calvin Klein’s ads of yore, there’s hardly any controversy involved. For the most part, Skims’ photo shoots have yet to stir an overwhelmingly negative response. The company was briefly in hot water for featuring San Francisco 49ers player Nick Bosa in a Skims Men ad last year after <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2023/10/24/kim-kardashians-skims-men-nick-bosa-deleted-tweets-19711891/">some problematic tweets</a> resurfaced. However, a short-lived, largely forgettable scandal is ironically a feat for Kardashian, whose name is practically synonymous with backlash.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WK8JP5">
The shoots are all tastefully sexy and, in some cases — like with the Mahomeses — family-friendly. Rather than leaning into a hypersexualized, male gaze like Victoria’s Secret shoots, they rely on beauty, brand synergy, and the cultural climate rather than any attempts to truly shock or titillate — well, except maybe in the case of some of their men’s ads.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GgXjKY">
Many of Skims’ splashier celebrity ads have also featured and targeted older adults. Sorilbran Stone, head of content marketing at influencer marketing company The Shelf, notes that older millennial and Gen X consumers have a more traditional, “old-school” idea of celebrity that Skims’ ads often hit upon.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4BZD05">
“I think Skims focuses on content for young consumers and campaigns for older consumers, which makes it accessible for everyone,” she said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ptoawd">
For example, in one brilliant 2020 campaign, Kardashian unveiled <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/skims-velour-collection-kim-kardashian-west-paris-hilton">Skims’ velour loungewear collection</a> with the help of her best friend Paris Hilton. The girly, tabloid-style photo shoot shows the pair exiting a grocery store and walking through a parking lot, harkening back to their early socialite days being followed by paparazzi. The casual shoot wasn’t just leaning into Y2K aesthetic trends. It was also capitalizing on <a href="https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/05/27/renaissance-woman-the-resurgence-of-paris-hilton-and-her-faithful-followers">Hilton’s reemergence</a> as a foregone cultural figure that millennials were beginning to appreciate again and Gen Z-ers were presumably becoming familiar with.
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGrAwAyn7sw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Paris Hilton (<span class="citation" data-cites="parishilton">@parishilton</span>)</a>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sUXG0u">
Stone says Skims has managed to reflect the interests of a wide range of consumers with its diverse casting.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Chz2K2">
“If you don’t listen to hip hop, then you’ve got Kim Cattrall,” Stone said. “If you don’t know who SZA is or whatever — there’s someone standing in the gap who can loop you into that world.”
</p>
<h3 id="mAlBE0">
We’re living in peak celebrity endorsement culture
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VVxv7O">
It can’t be overstated that Skims is a billion-dollar business because of the extremely famous founder Kim Kardashian, who’s constantly posting Skims products on <a href="https://www.vox.com/instagram-news">Instagram</a> to her 364 million followers. The company has also been a word-of-mouth success with many <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2021/09/skims-kim-kardashian-west.html">reluctantly praising</a> the quality of its products. Of course, there have also been detractors, regarding its <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/kim-kardashian-skims-greenwashing-plastic-packaging-b2112806.html">alleged unsustainability</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ISlliW">
“It does have to do with the extensive reach of Kim Kardashian,” Pasquarelli said. “She just commands a celebrity that a lot of others don’t.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="syR3Qm">
It’s fair to suggest that Skims’ ads also thrive because of the landscape of celebrity branding and sponcon that she helped foster. Of course, the Skims founder isn’t totally responsible for influencer marketing as a concept. Celebrity advertisements in the 1980s and ’90s really set the stage for much of what the scene looks like today, with Michael Jordan’s myriad brand deals and Pepsi and Coca-Cola commercials starring huge pop stars.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sErj4P">
Still, in 2024, there’s a noticeable level of excitement on social media when a celebrity collabs with a popular brand, and the partnership feels just right. Ben Affleck and his long-running, heavily memed relationship with Dunkin’ is a prime example. Ironically, his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuNxYAUg-5I">trilogy of Dunkin’ ads</a>, the third one airing at this year’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a>, feels like the biggest cinematic event he’s partaken in recently.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8ghC4v">
“I think the appeal of Ben Affleck for Dunkin’ is because of how much it plays into meme culture,” said Vulture<em> </em>writer Rebecca Alter, who writes about celebrity endorsements. “We’ve all seen images of Affleck looking exhausted fetching his Dunkies, and I think people find it really endearing and amusing when a celebrity plays into the meme image of themselves, because it’s an image that fans helped create.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Mw9A3t">
Usher’s Skims campaign leaned into the sexy image he’s always projected himself but certainly amped up in recent years as the singer <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/music/usher-serenades-origin-tips-rcna123329">went viral for serenading</a> his largely women guests at his Las Vegas residency. The same can be said about Lana Del Rey, who was somewhat of a surprising spokesmodel. Del Rey is more of a private figure and not particularly known for shilling anything aside from her albums and poetry books. But it seemed like her fans appreciated the direction of the shoot, a callback to the 1960s pinup look she’s embraced throughout her career. The photo shoot even <a href="https://wwd.com/pop-culture/celebrity-news/lana-del-rey-skims-collection-release-campaign-1236153468/">earned</a> Skims a whopping $13.7 million in media exposure.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RO2ydD">
Ultimately, Skims’ success formula for advertising is admittedly simple; it’ll always have the ability to impress as long as other legacy brands are getting it wrong. Time will tell whether Skims can adapt to ever-changing trends in fashion and body image. But for now, it’s proven to be more agile and forward-thinking than your older sister’s lingerie shop or the glossy editorials resting in a pile on your mother’s nightstand.
</p>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>It’s Aldgate vs. Sofiya in the P.V. Shetty Memorial Cup</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Misty and Coeur De Lion catch the eye</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ind vs Eng 4th Test | Akash Deep’s sensational debut leaves England tottering at 112/5 on Day 1</strong> - The pace bowler picked up three wickets in 10 balls in a fiery opening spell</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Football star Dani Alves found guilty of rape, sentenced to four and a half years in prison</strong> - The Alves case was the first high-profile sex crime since Spain overhauled its legislation in 2022 to make consent central to defining a sex crime</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Defending champion Saurashtra will pose a formidable challenge to TN</strong> - Both the teams enter the quarternal contest after four outright victories in their last ve league games; the home side, which has reached the knockout stage for the rst time since 2016-17, will look to continue its good run</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>BJP leader arrested on charge of running sex racket in West Bengal</strong> - Sabyasachi Ghosh and his associates have been remanded to seven days’ police custody</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy: Vaiko criticises BJP govt.</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Here are the big stories from Karnataka today</strong> - Welcome to the Karnataka Today newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories to follow today. Curated and written by Nalme Nachiyar.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Delhi HC dismisses TMC leader Mahua Moitra’s plea alleging media leakage from ED</strong> - The senior counsel appearing in the court on behalf of the former MP earlier claimed that Ms. Moitra was being “hounded”</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Here are the big stories from Tamil Nadu today</strong> - Welcome to the Tamil Nadu Today newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories to follow today. Curated and written by Lalitha Ranjani</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Many missing as deadly fire in Valencia devastates apartment block</strong> - At least four people are dead and up to 15 missing after fire razed an apartment complex in the Spanish city.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Biden announces more than 500 Russian sanctions</strong> - The new sanctions are related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the death of Alexei Navalny.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Germany set to legalise cannabis, but it’s complex</strong> - If MPs vote yes, possession will be legal, but strict regulations will make it difficult to buy.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>France expels ‘radical’ Tunisian imam for flag slur</strong> - Immigration reforms have made it easier for the French government to forcibly remove foreign residents.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Frontline medics count cost of two years of Ukraine war</strong> - Like most Ukrainian soldiers, Maj Oleh Kravchenko was not prepared for the brutality of Russia’s invasion.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A little US company makes history by landing on the Moon</strong> - “We’re not dead yet.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2005254">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Jeff Bezos’ New Glenn rocket finally makes an appearance on the launch pad</strong> - Blue Origin plans a tanking test at Cape Canaveral, then a hotfire on the launch pad. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2005444">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ransomware associated with LockBit still spreading 2 days after server takedown</strong> - LockBit’s extensive reach is making complete erasure hard. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2005464">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>ISPs keep giving false broadband coverage data to the FCC, groups say</strong> - Telcos accuse fixed wireless ISPs of claiming more locations than they serve. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2005458">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Stability announces Stable Diffusion 3, a next-gen AI image generator</strong> - SD3 may bring DALL-E-like prompt fidelity to an open-weights image-synthesis model. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=2005341">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A German buys a train ticket</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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A German man wanted to buy a train ticket to visit his friend in Naples. He goes to the Italian ticket agent and buys the ticket, but explains that he wants to reserve a seat facing the direction that the train was going. The Italian ticket agent hands the German his ticket, and he boards the train. To his discomfort, he finds that his assigned seat is facing the opposite the direction of the train. After a long journey, he gets off in Naples and meets his friend, who asks him how the ride was.
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“It was awful,” says the German man, “I was given a reverse seat, and now I feel absolutely nauseous.”
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“I’m sorry to hear that,” says the friend, “did you try explaining the situation and asking the person sitting across from you if they were willing to switch seats?”
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“I would have,” said the German man, “but unfortunately the seat across from me was empty.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Cornexclamationpoint"> /u/Cornexclamationpoint </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1axp170/a_german_buys_a_train_ticket/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1axp170/a_german_buys_a_train_ticket/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A couple visits a sex therapist.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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He asks, “What can I do for you?”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The man says, “Will you watch us have sexual intercourse? We’re doing something wrong, and it could ruin the marriage.” The therapist is a little puzzled but agrees.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When they’re finished, the therapist says “I don’t see anything wrong with the way you’re having intercourse. Here’s the name of a good marriage counselor.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
With insurance, and they only pay $50 for an office visit.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Two weeks go by, and they show up again. “The marriage counselor says he can’t help us. Will you PLEASE try again?” The Therapist agrees.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
This continues every other week for about 2 months.
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Finally, the therapist has had enough and says “I’m referring you to a doctor. What exactly do you two think is wrong?”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The man says “We know what’s wrong. We can’t go to her house because of her husband and can’t use my house because of my wife. The cheapest hotel in town charges $150; with my insurance you’re our best option.”
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Major_Independence82"> /u/Major_Independence82 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1axi00g/a_couple_visits_a_sex_therapist/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1axi00g/a_couple_visits_a_sex_therapist/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>There’s a guy who lives in Ohio…..</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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One morning, he hears a voice in his head.
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The voice says, “Quit your job, sell your house, take all your money, and go to Las Vegas.” He ignores the voice.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Later in the day, he hears the voice again. “Quit your job, sell your house, take all your money, and go to Las Vegas.” Again, he ignores the voice.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Soon he hears the voice every minute of the day. “Quit your job, sell your house, take all your money, and go to Las Vegas.”
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He can’t take it anymore. He believes the voice. He quits his job, sells his house, takes all his money, and flies to Las Vegas.
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As soon as he steps off the plane, the voice says, “Go to Caesar’s Palace.”
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He goes to Caesar’s Palace.
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The voice says, “Make your way to the roulette table.”
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He goes to the roulette table.
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The voice says, “Put all your money on red 23.”
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He puts all his money on red 23.
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The dealer spins the wheel. It comes up black 17.
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The voice says, “Fuck”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/vect77"> /u/vect77 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1axfnsm/theres_a_guy_who_lives_in_ohio/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1axfnsm/theres_a_guy_who_lives_in_ohio/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A man went to the doctor and asked, “Do you think I’ll live a long and healthy life?”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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He replied, “I doubt it. Mercury is in Uranus.” The man said, “Doc, I don’t go for all that astrology stuff. The doctor said,”Me neither, the thermometer broke."
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/JanuaryStarship2031"> /u/JanuaryStarship2031 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1axs15e/a_man_went_to_the_doctor_and_asked_do_you_think/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1axs15e/a_man_went_to_the_doctor_and_asked_do_you_think/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A group of sexually promiscuous women broke into my house. I tried to fight them off…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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…but the intrusive thots won.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/FABONJ"> /u/FABONJ </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1axhppe/a_group_of_sexually_promiscuous_women_broke_into/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/1axhppe/a_group_of_sexually_promiscuous_women_broke_into/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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