Yesterday afternoon, unsavory tweets belonging to Kelvin Pena, known to many as Brother Nature, the baby-faced animal lover known for his uncanny ability to convene with seemingly wild animals, resurfaced online. The tweets, which date back to 2011-2012, when Pena would have been a preteen (he is now 20 years old) run the gamut of detestability; he has managed to disparage a litany of marginalized communities. Some display anti-black racism (“Jay-Z look like a monkey”). Another seems to idolize Chris Brown (“when I grow up I wanna be like Chris Brown. So if my girlfriend tried to look through my phone while driving I can choke and punch her :D.”) Several of the tweets expressed anti-Semitic sentiments (Pena is of Dominican and Puerto Rican ancestry.)
Since his viral 2016 videos, like the one above featuring a band of deer he called “the money squad,” led by a doe named Canela, Pena’s social media profile has steadily grown. I have often thought of his exploits as Dr. Doolittle meets Steve Irwin, with a feel-good infusion of DJ Khaled-esque boisterousness. On Twitter, he has 1.5 million followers; his Instagram boasts 2.2 million. Lately, my feeds have been filled with people wondering when he would be offered a show on Animal Planet or Facebook Watch. The revelation of his old tweets has divided his former evangelists: should they be dismissed as typical adolescent crassness, trolling essentially, or concerning insight into the character of an adult man? Pena issued a de rigueur apology, transcribed via the Notes app, late yesterday evening. I’ve begun referring to these as “notes app-ologies.”[TMZ]
Ari and Pete’s Engagement a Hollow Spectacle
New reports are claiming that the engagement between Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson was mostly a romantic gesture, and the couple had made no concrete plans to wed. Allegedly, the couple made no moves to pick a venue, a dress, or a date. As reported here, it was previously claimed that stress from the passing of Ariana’s ex, Mac Miller, prompted the breakup. Ariana returned the $93,0000 dollar ring; she has maintained sole custody of the pig. It’s implied that the couple was dragging their feet because one or both parties weren’t quite committed.
[TMZ]
- Hailey Baldwin says she listens to sermons via her phone when she’s on the road. [Celebitchy]
- Selma Blair receives outpour of support, including from Sarah Michelle Gellar, following MS Diagnosis. [US Magazine]
- Camille Grammar remarried. [Page Six]