Here’s a Recap of went on in 2023, the Jordan year:
January to June:
The tragic death of Tyre Nichols shook the nation, as he was brutally beaten by five black Memphis officers. Nichols died days later from his injuries. The police officers were released from duty and were charged for his murder.
Former President Trump’s was indicted for his role in the January 2021 White House attack. Chris Rock made a combat on his Selective Outrage tour in response to being slapped on stage by Actor, Will Smith, the year prior. The special was aired on Netflix in Jada Pickett Smith’s hometown, Baltimore, Maryland.
Actor and Singer, Jamie Foxx had a medical emergency while on set of his film, Back in Action, in Atlanta. He was rushed to the hospital. His condition was unknown, according to the Guardian News, he made progress. He even posted photos on his Instagram page, letting fans know that he’s doing good.
LSU played against in the Iowa Hawkeyes in NCAA women basketball title. The team was led by Angie Reese. Reese made controversary when she approached Caitlin Clark, taunting her. She was seen moving her open hand in front of her face, popularized by WWE star John Cena which means “you can’t see me” before pointing her ring finger as a gesture that she won the championship. She received a lot of criticism for taunting Clark, while others defend Reese saying that Clark did the exact same thing in the tournament. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones made news when the two state representatives were expelled for speaking on the house floor on gun control following a Nashville school shooting. The Justins were later reinstated their seats (Tennessee House).
Memphis Grizzlies starting point guard, Ja Morant, already sparked controversary in March for waving a gun during a night club on his Instagram page flashes gun, but he got in more trouble for waving a gun on his Instagram page. His friend quickly put his phone down after noticing the gun Morant flashed on camera. Beyonce kicked off her Renaissance Tour worldwide, fans lined up to get tickets for the event. Beyonce later hosted the film debut of her Renaissance tour in December. and Film Debut.
Sad news in June with the Messenia migrant boat disaster. The Adriana, a severely overcrowded fishing trawler, capsized on June 14th, causing the death of more than 600 people. June followed by the Titan submersible incident. The Titan, a five-person research and survey submersible, was owned and operated by Ocean Gate. The submersible, operated by a game controller, went missing on June 18th. The five bodies were found in October, according to CBS News. The New York Times published an article, sharing that it was an accident waiting to happen.
July to December:
July started off wild with the abduction of Alabama Nursing Student, Carlethia “Carlee” Russell. She reported a toddler on the side of the highway and was taken away. She was missing for 49 hours, and it was a search to find Carlee. After the investigation, it was reported that her claims of being kidnapped were false. Russell admitted to fabricating the story on July 24th. She was found guilty on October 11th with a misdemeanor count of false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident, according to NBC News.
Usher serenaded Actress, Keke Palmer during his Las Vegas Residency Tour. Palmer was seen in the video, wearing a black bodysuit with sheer covering. Her boyfriend, Darius went to twitter, stating that he felt “the mother to his kid shouldn’t dress provocatively. His comment railed up the internet, some defeated Jackson while some even went far to posting pictures of Jackson posting in front of his mirror shirtless and complaining about him not marrying her. He reports it was meant to be in a positive spin on what happened. The following month, Usher and Keke dropped a song after the Darius Jackson drama, called “Boyfriend”.
The Alabama Boat ride was unforgettable. The August riverfront melee in Montgomery drew national attention after bystanders filmed white boaters hitting a Black riverboat co-captain and others rushing to his defense. Video of the fight was shared widely online, sparking countless memes of chairs and parodies. The parties involved later went to court.
Jada Pinkett released her book, called Worthy in October. She reveals her separation from Will Smith since 2016 in her new book. As the New York Adult Survivor Act was set to expire, filed Cassie files lawsuit against Producer, Entrepreneur, Sean “Diddy,” Combs alleging sexual abuse. Withing 24 hours, he filed a settlement with Cassie. The settlement doesn’t specify any details, but it did follow with more sexual battery allegations against the Bad Boy producers.
Jonathan Majors, who assault his then girlfriend on March 25th incident. According to CBS News, prosecutors said Majors assaulted Jabbari after she saw a romantic text from another woman on his phone and grabbed it. Jurors saw photos of what doctors confirmed were Jabbari’s broken finger and lacerated ear. Jabbari said Majors inflicted those injuries on her to retrieve his phone.
Actor Jonathan Majors, who was at the height of his career with movies like Creed III was found guilty on December 18th by a New York jury for assaulting and harassing his now ex-girlfriend. He was dropped from Marvel following the ruling.
Other 2023 news
Buffalo Bills safety, Damar Hamlin, went into cardiac arrest on January 2, 2023 during the Bills game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
1619 Project, written by Nikole Hannah-Jones, was released as a docuseries on Hulu.
Canadian Wildfire spreads in the United States.
Tory Lanez was found guilty and was sentence to 10 years in prison for shooting Houston’s rapper, Megan Thee Stallion, in the foot in July 2020.
L-R: Damar Hamlin (Timothy Ludwig/Getty Images), Nikole Hannah-Jones/1619 Project (Robert Bumsted/Associate Press), Canadian Wildfire in Quebec, Canada (Canadian Forces via Reuters), Rapper Tory Lanez (Shaderoom), Rock the Bell Festival (The Village Voice), UNC Campus Shooting (Erik Verduzco/AP), Duane “Keefe D” on trial (Las Vegas Review-Journal), Israel-Hamas War (Israel Defense Forces/Reuters), The Color Purple Cast (Hollie Adams/Reuters)
Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop
UNC Associate Professor, Zijie Yan, was shot and killed on campus by grad student, Tailei Qi
Suspect (Duane “Keefe D” Davis) arrested in the shooting death of Tupac
Israel-Hamas War
Christmas Premiere of The Color Purple, grossed $18 million, becoming the largest on Christ Day in over a decade (Forbes).