The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 11.18 Why People Are Freaking Out About Kylie Jenner, Prince Andrew's Epstein Interview, & More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you've had a fantastic Monday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. Buckle up, hit that like button, and let's just jump into it. The first thing we're going to talk about today is actually just a number of quickie updates and quickie news. And the first of these involve Kardashian-Jenner news, which if you just contrast the headlines here to that of like what you would expect 7, 10 years ago, it's wild. So you had Kylie Jenner, who of course, you know, we saw that Forbes headline in the past, youngest self-made billionaire,

Starting point is 00:00:27 although people had some issue with self-made. Whatever descriptor you wanna use there, the money is real, and in fact, now more real than ever, thanks to a report that Kylie Jenner is selling 51% of Kylie Cosmetics to Cody Ink for $600 million, which means that there's a valuation of 1.2 billion on the company, right? It confirms that Kylie Jenner is a billionaire now.

Starting point is 00:00:46 It's also just kind of an amazing thing to witness. This company didn't exist until 2015. I believe almost no money was spent on marketing, right? It speaks to the power of the individual influencer because her social media was used, right? And I mean, as the primary means to market these products. And hey, maybe in five, 10 years, when this company is worth 50 or $100 billion,

Starting point is 00:01:05 people will be like, oh, it was the wrong move. It seems like at the very least, this is a smart hedging of her bets. She makes a ton of money now, and if the company succeeds in the future, she's still a part of that, although at a 49% share. And then the other bit of Kardashian news involved Kim Kardashian.

Starting point is 00:01:19 Remember a little while ago when we talked about Rodney Reed, he's a Texas inmate who's set to be executed. You know, you had Kim Kardashian, the Innocence Project, and then also a ton of others trying to get this execution stopped. And you had Reed's attorney having filed an appeal, claiming among other things

Starting point is 00:01:32 that the state had provided false testimony. And of course, if you want the deeper dive specifics there, I'll link to our previous coverage down below. But the main point, the big news and update to this story is that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously decided to stay indefinitely the execution of Rodney Reed. This they said pending further order from the court.

Starting point is 00:01:49 Now following this news and announcement, the Innocence Project responded saying, "'We are extremely relieved and thankful "'that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals "'has issued a stay of execution "'for our client, Rodney Reed. "'The CCA has ordered the claims of Brady violations, "'false testimony, and actual innocence in Mr. Reed's case

Starting point is 00:02:03 "'back to the trial court. This opportunity will allow for proper consideration of the powerful and mounting new evidence of Mr. Reed's innocence." So very big news. It's gonna be interesting to follow what happens from here, but I also think that it is another story that I think speaks to the power of celebrity

Starting point is 00:02:17 and how that has changed in 2019. Then we had the movie Joker making movie history. It has become the first R-rated film to make over $1 billion worldwide, which is made even more amazing by the fact that it has not been released in China. It's also wild that it made that much money because reportedly it had a budget of around,

Starting point is 00:02:35 I think, $62.5 million. And then the final bit of quickie news is actually about another comic book movie, Justice League. So, you know, actually as of this weekend, it's been two years since the release of this film. You know, since the release of that film and the not so stellar reception of the movie, Justice League. So you know, actually as of this weekend, it's been two years since the release of this film. You know, since the release of that film and the not so stellar reception of the movie, there's been a talk that there was another cut. A director's cut from Zack Snyder, who if you don't know all the background, he ended up having to leave the movie because of a family tragedy. Joss Whedon then stepped in, reportedly taking over the final stages, reshooting some scenes, overseeing

Starting point is 00:03:02 the final cut. Reportedly Snyder filmed a lot that did not make it into this cut. But then, you know, time went on, a lot of people forgot it. Although when certain things happened, like HBO Max was announced, a number of people were like, I'll get it if it has the Snyder cut.

Starting point is 00:03:15 But then in addition to that, over the weekend we ended up seeing actors in the film tweeting release the Snyder cut. With Snyder then quote tweeting though, saying this ancient Amazonian can't be wrong, neither can Batman. This leading to some hope and some theories. Some thinking if the actors and director himself are saying hey we could do this that maybe it's even closer. Some theorizing that this is actually a marketing campaign for something that they will end up releasing on HBO Max. But that said there really is no certainty here. As of this morning we were

Starting point is 00:03:42 seeing reports that despite there being kind of this resurgence of hope, no announcement of a release of any such cut is imminent, with reports coming out saying likely the Snyder Cut is actually not a finished movie. This because, as Collider points out, the cut of the film would not have the benefit of finished VFX or reshoot. And to finish the VFX would be expensive,

Starting point is 00:03:59 and reshoots would be pretty much impossible since you'd have to coordinate all the actors' schedule and probably pay them more money since they technically fulfilled their contract stipulation for reshoots when director Joss Whedon came on board. Now I will say that said, I can't speak to the actor's schedule, what is filmed, what is not filmed.

Starting point is 00:04:13 But I mean, if VFX and the money connected to that are the only issues, I mean, with the launch of HBO Max, you've probably never had a better reason to do so. But hey, ultimately we're gonna have to wait and see. And of course, on any of these quickies, I would love to know your thoughts. And then let's talk about this news involving Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein.

Starting point is 00:04:30 In a BBC interview that aired on Saturday, the Duke of York was confronted with detailed accusations from Virginia Roberts Dufresne, one of Epstein's most prominent accusers. Dufresne, among other things, has claimed that she was a sex slave of Epstein's that was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew. And the Prince has been known

Starting point is 00:04:44 to stay at some of Epstein's homes, fly to have sex with Prince Andrew. And the Prince has been known to stay at some of Epstein's homes, fly on his private jet and attend parties with him. And even after Epstein was hit with his sex offense conviction, the two remained in contact. And then of course, in August, according to reports, Epstein had killed himself while in jail,

Starting point is 00:04:56 awaiting trial for federal sex trafficking charges involving dozens of young victims. Now, as far as these specific allegations, Dufresne has said multiple times that she was trafficked to the Prince in 2001 when she was 17 years old. She has swore on her story in a court deposition and has discussed it in public interviews,

Starting point is 00:05:10 saying that they had sex on three different occasions. And on the other side of this, you had Prince Andrew in Buckingham Palace denying her claims, calling them false and without foundation. However, the two are known to have met at some point based on the now infamous photograph that shows them together.

Starting point is 00:05:22 So in Dufresne's account of their encounter, she mentioned that the Duke of York was sweating profusely while they danced at a nightclub in London. She says Prince Andrew got her alcohol and eventually took her back to Ghislaine Maxwell's home. And Maxwell, who is also pictured in the photo, is one of the women accused of helping round up these underage girls for Epstein and his friends.

Starting point is 00:05:36 And so in this interview with BBC, we see Prince Andrew saying that there are issues with those claims. First, we have Andrew insisting that he had no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre. I'm convinced that I was never in tramps with her. There are a number of things that are wrong with that story. One of which is that I don't know where the bar is in tramps. I don't drink. I don't think I've ever bought a drink in Tramp whenever I was there.

Starting point is 00:06:07 He also took aim at the date of the allegation. That couldn't have happened because the date that is being suggested, I was at home with the children. When asked how he remembers that so clearly, he said that he remembered going to Pizza Express and woking with his daughter earlier in the day, which was, quote, a very unusual thing for me to do. He also addressed Dufresne's comments about his sweating. There's a slight problem with the sweating because I have a peculiar medical condition, which is that I don't sweat, or I didn't sweat at the time. Yes, I didn't sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War when I was shot at. And I simply, it was almost impossible for me to sweat. But the prince then went on to say that because of certain steps that he's taken in the years since, he can now sweat again.

Starting point is 00:07:01 We also saw Prince Andrew stop short of saying that the 2001 photo was fake, as his friends have suggested. Instead, saying that he never remembers it being taken and said that though it is clearly an image of him, he is not convinced that it is his hand around Giuffre's waist. And adding that as a member of the royal family. Public displays of affection are not something that I do.

Starting point is 00:07:20 So, that's the best explanation I can give you. And I'm afraid to say that I don't believe that photograph was taken in the way that has been suggested. And also saying that he's not sure the picture of him was taken in London because he usually wears a suit and tie when traveling there. Prince also went on to say that he did not regret his friendship with Epstein, adding that the relationship

Starting point is 00:07:42 has some quote, seriously beneficial outcomes. Do you regret the whole friendship with Epstein, adding that the relationship has some, quote, seriously beneficial outcomes? Do you regret the whole friendship with Epstein? Now, still not. And the reason being is that the people that I met and the opportunities that I was given to learn either by him or because of him, were actually very useful. Do I regret the fact that he has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming? Yes. Unbecoming? He was a sex offender?

Starting point is 00:08:19 Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm being polite in the sense that he was a sex offender. If you want to see the full interview, right, judge for yourself, I'll link to it down below. Right, and so following the comments in that video, right, it was received with a wave of backlash. And also by the following day, more photos emerged showing him publicly embracing women. Right, people saying that this contradicts one of his previous claims. According to the New York Post, in one 2007 photo, it appears that American socialite Chris Von Aspen is about to lick Andrew's face. In another 2008 photo, it appears that he has his hand on the butt of Canadian socialite, Pascale Breveaux,

Starting point is 00:08:47 as she wraps her arm around his neck. And you had the Daily Mail releasing a video of him with women at a party in the French Riviera in 2008. And we also saw a newspaper report from 2000 begin circulating because it twice referenced the Prince sweating profusely. The Prince has also been met with ridicule from British media and internet users.

Starting point is 00:09:02 You had people like Charlie Proctor tweeting, "'I expected a train wreck. "'That was a plane crashing into an oil tanker "'causing a tsunami triggering a nuclear explosion level bad.'" We also saw Lisa Bloom, who represents two of Epstein's alleged victims, telling the BBC on Monday, "'I think he's made things much worse for himself,

Starting point is 00:09:17 "'and it's much more likely the authorities "'will want to speak to him now, and they should.'" Also, on Monday, it became public news that the Duke of York's former PR advisor, who only took up his position back in September, had resigned two weeks ago after warning against doing the TV interview. Things then continue to escalate for Andrew

Starting point is 00:09:31 when a former senior British government official claimed that the Prince used the N-word during a meeting back in 2012. And according to the allegation, when the Prince was asked whether the government department response for trade could quote, be doing a better job, the Duke of York responded, "'Well, if you'll pardon the expression,

Starting point is 00:09:45 that really is the N-word in the woodpile. So not a great day or weekend for Prince Andrew. And we'll say, if you are interested in this story, I definitely recommend watching the interview. I very much agree that to call it a train wreck would be an understatement. At the very least, he came off disconnected, dismissive, unsympathetic, not understanding the weight

Starting point is 00:10:03 of what we're talking about here. And at worst, his explanations for things brought up even more questions, as well as some to many, many people just seeming not to make any sense at all. For example, there's this moment in the interview where they're talking about several months after Epstein was released, Andrew and Epstein were seen together. And Andrew says that he went to see Epstein with the sole purpose of saying because he was convicted, we can never be seen together. But regarding that, we see this. I'm just trying to work this out because you said you went to break up the relationship and yet you stayed at

Starting point is 00:10:32 that New York mansion several days. I'm wondering how long. But I was doing a number of other things while I was there. But you were staying at the house of a convicted sex offender. It's truck month at GMC. Tackle the open road with added confidence in the 2025 Sierra 1500 Pro Graphite at 0% financing for up to 72 months. With an available 5.3 liter V8 engine, 20 inch high gloss black painted aluminum wheels, off-road suspension with available two inch factory installed lift kit, plus a towing capacity of up to 13,200 pounds. You'll be ready for anything this truck month. Truck month is on now. Ask your GMC dealer for details. When does fast grocery

Starting point is 00:11:12 delivery through Instacart matter most? When your famous grainy mustard potato salad isn't so famous without the grainy mustard. When the barbecue's lit but there's nothing to grill. When the in-laws decide that actually they will stay for dinner. Instacart has all your groceries covered this It was a convenient place to stay. It might seem a funny way to break off a friendship, a four-day house party of sorts with a dinner. It's an odd way to break up a friendship. It's a difficult way of putting it. That's a very stark way of putting it. Yes, you're absolutely right. I just hear that and I go, how does that make any sense? But ultimately, that is where we are with this story now. It'll be interesting to see how this develops.

Starting point is 00:12:05 And of course, as always, I'd love to know your thoughts on this. And then finally, let's talk about Hong Kong, where right now you have people saying that they're scared that Hong Kong might soon experience a massacre like that up Tiananmen Square, where in 1989, thousands of people died in Beijing after the Chinese military opened fire on protesters.

Starting point is 00:12:19 Right, so with all that said, let's talk about what happened over the weekend, why those fears are so real for pro-democracy protesters and any other developments we've seen. Right, so last week we talked about a clash between students and police, the Chinese University of Hong Kong. I'll link to that video down below, but a quick summary.

Starting point is 00:12:32 Because of that clash, Hong Kong shut down all schools on Wednesday and Thursday, though some schools went even further, some canceling classes for a week, some even ending whole semesters early. We saw students who were originally from mainland China fleeing back over the border. And over the weekend, we saw some people complaining

Starting point is 00:12:46 that there was so much tear gas being fired in some areas that they had to wear gas masks in their homes. Other people tweeting out photos of dead birds just littering the area. Also at the same time, the Hong Kong government announced that it would stop recycling glass bottles, this to try to cut down on the protesters' use of Molotov cocktails.

Starting point is 00:13:01 And for the first time in these six months of protests, we saw Chinese soldiers being deployed into Hong Kong over the weekend. Notably though, according to reports, that was mostly just part of an effort to clean up and clear the streets. But one of the big updates to the story happened over the weekend

Starting point is 00:13:13 because we saw more protests breaking out. And this time at a different college, Hong Kong's Polytechnic University. And these protests originally started peacefully, but we also saw protesters preparing for violence, many of them making Molotov cocktails, some practicing by throwing them in the school's empty pool, other students reportedly practicing

Starting point is 00:13:27 using catapult-style slingshots and bows and arrows. And so Saturday, we ended up seeing clashes erupt as police started advancing on PolyU. In a scene that has now become pretty common over the last few months, you had riot police firing water cannons while protesters shielded themselves with umbrellas and boards,

Starting point is 00:13:41 those protesters then hurling back bricks and Molotov cocktails. Yesterday morning, we then saw protesters hurling more bricks, though this time, notably at residents who were trying to clear a road. There were also reports of some soldiers in riot gear yesterday morning, monitoring the situation from the base of the university.

Starting point is 00:13:54 However, much of the violence yesterday happened after riot police completely surrounded the university. You had protesters setting fire to a bridge that connects the university to a train station. Other protesters fired catapults and bows and arrows from rooftops, with one arrow reportedly striking an officer in the calf. You then had PolyU administrators

Starting point is 00:14:10 asking protesters to leave saying, "'The university is gravely concerned "'that the spiraling, radical, illicit activities "'will cause not only a tremendous safety threat on campus, "'but also class suspension "'over an indefinite period of time.'" During this time, you also had a Hong Kong legislator by the name of Ted Hu trying to negotiate with riot police.

Starting point is 00:14:26 Hu trying to ask police to allow protesters on campus to leave, but notably here police said no and Hu was actually later pepper sprayed. Later in the night you also had police attempting to get on campus by using an armored vehicle. That vehicle charging a barricade the protesters had set up on the bridge, then reversing course as these protesters who were trapped on campus threw Molotov cocktails and set it on fire. We later saw students attacking another armored vehicle. Also, while all of this was happening, you had students airdropping messages to one another, those reportedly asking protesters to recruit even more protesters to then surround the police.

Starting point is 00:14:53 One of those messages reading, "'The effort to surround the police at PolyU "'from all four corners is our final hope.'" And it actually seemed like that message worked because you had five other significant protests in the city all popping up last night in an attempt to draw police resources away from the university.

Starting point is 00:15:06 You also had people using their cars to block roads leading to the university, but then a big thing was announced. Police said that they would start using live rounds on rioters if they continued using lethal weapons to attack officers. We then saw police try to storm the campus again, but protesters set the entrance on fire.

Starting point is 00:15:21 And then at the same time, you had a handful of protesters managing to escape the university on motorcycle. You also had pro-democracy lawmakers and religious leaders on the streets, urging people to rescue those inside of PolyU. And this notably because they said that they were afraid that this situation could turn into a new Tiananmen Square.

Starting point is 00:15:35 A few hours later in a video, the president of PolyU tried to deescalate the situation, saying that he had negotiated a suspension of force with the police, but only if protesters left campus and turned themselves in. However, what we ended up actually seeing was people trying to flee in a mass exodus. Reportedly, they tried to rush past police,

Starting point is 00:15:51 but were hit with what one reporter said was at least 10 minutes of nonstop tear gas. Some were arrested, but many were also reportedly forced back onto the campus. So as of right now, as we're filming this video, there are still hundreds of protesters trapped on campus. You know, there are also dozens of people in the hospital because of these protests, four reportedly in serious condition. Also, at this point, there are still hundreds of protesters trapped on campus. There are also dozens of people in the hospital because of these protests,

Starting point is 00:16:06 four reportedly in serious condition. Also, at this point, you might be wondering, why is this the stand that protesters are making? Why college campuses? And the answer here is kind of two-pronged. Regarding the attacks, one PolyU alum said, the main goal is to protect the campus and prevent people from getting arrested.

Starting point is 00:16:19 So one, before last week, it was kind of this unspoken rule that police didn't go on college campuses. So that was a way for students to feel safe and to talk openly. But also too, there have been these reports that these campuses sit in areas that are geographically important to the city. So protesters don't want police to gain that foothold.

Starting point is 00:16:32 But ultimately that's where we are with this story. Now it's of course very, very concerning and very interesting to see where this is gonna go from here. And that's where we're going to end today's show. Hey, if you like something from today's show, be sure you share it. Also, if you new here,

Starting point is 00:16:44 want more of these daily dives into the news, be sure to subscribe and definitely tap that bell to turn on notifications. And hey, if you're looking for more to watch, you can check me out on that new Gus and Eddie podcast, or maybe you missed the Conversation With podcast with Eugene Lee Yang. You can click or tap right there

Starting point is 00:16:57 to watch either of those now. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 11.18 Why People Are Freaking Out About Kylie Jenner, Prince Andrew's Epstein Interview, & More

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