The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 1.29 NikkieTutorials Shocking BLACKMAIL, Kobe Bryant Washington Post Tweet Backlash, &

Episode Date: January 29, 2020

Install Raid for Free ✅ IOS: https://clik.cc/bitvG ✅ ANDROID: https://clik.cc/QoYfj ✅ PC: https://clik.cc/CloG5 and get a special starter pack 💥 Available only for the next 30 days! Check out my Conversation With Gus Johnson: https://youtu.be/b1D35haMmR0 Follow On The Podcast Platform Of Your Choice: http://Anchor.fm/aConversationWith   Check out the latest Rogue Rocket video: https://youtu.be/qqatGS7qEUA   ✩ FOLLOW ME ✩ ✭ TEXT ME: 813-213-4423 ✭ TWITTER: http://Twitter.com/PhillyD ✭ INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/PhillyDeFranco/   ✩ SUPPORT THE SHOW ✩ ✭ Buy Merch: http://ShopDeFranco.com ✭ Lemme Touch Your Hair: http://BeautifulBastard.com ✭ Paid Subscription: http://DeFrancoElite.com   ✩ TODAY IN AWESOME ✩ ✭ Check out https://phil.chrono.gg/ for 25% OFF “Mutazione” only available until 9 AM! ✭ Bell Let’s Talk: https://twitter.com/Bell_LetsTalk/status/1222499468513247233?s=20   https://twitter.com/phillyd/status/1222609055887187968?s=21 https://twitter.com/bdunkelman/status/1222607398600204288?s=20   ✭ Drinks from Skyrim: https://youtu.be/yAKSf6IznTc ✭ Max Richter: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert: https://youtu.be/oNLDJp83YAQ ✭ Casually Explained: Reddit: https://youtu.be/Uy9V_v-XV8Q ✭ Awkwafina Explores ASMR: https://youtu.be/sIyLz1YHPpw ✭ Narcos: Mexico Season 2 | Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/AGv_F9hpQ-w ✭ Everything David Dobrik Does in a Day: https://youtu.be/5N7G4fMr8FY ✭ John Oliver Fishes for Answers: https://youtu.be/fwG-92LXjdY ✭ Secret Link: https://youtu.be/YfduDq5gLnE    ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ NikkiTutorials Knows Who Her Blackmailer Is, Won’t Reveal Name: https://roguerocket.com/2020/01/29/why-nikkietutorials-wont-name-her-blackmailer/ Lawyers Appeal Sentence in Charleston Church Case: https://roguerocket.com/2020/01/29/charleston-church-appeal/ Washington Post Reporter Suspended Over Kobe Bryant Tweet Reinstated: https://roguerocket.com/2020/01/29/wapo-kobe/   ✩ MORE NEWS NOT IN TODAY’S SHOW ✩ Chipotle Fined $1.37M for Child Labor Law Violations: https://roguerocket.com/2020/01/29/chipotle-child-labor-violations/ Casino Operator Buys $163 Million Stake in Barstool Sports: https://roguerocket.com/2020/01/29/casino-company-buys-barstool-sports/   Barbie Unveils New Diverse Dolls With Prosthetics, Vitiligo, and No Hair: https://roguerocket.com/2020/01/29/barbie-diversity/ ——————————   Edited by: James Girardier, Julie Goldberg Produced by: Amanda Morones Art Director: Brian Borst   Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Cory Ray, Neena Pesqueda, Katie Calo ———————————— #DeFranco #KobeBryant #NikkiTutorials ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's up you beautiful ass bastards? I hope you're having a fantastic Wednesday. Welcome to the Gus Johnson show. The set is not real, but let's just jump right into it. Did I get the job? It's not. That's what was so disappointing to see. It's all fake. Another Wednesday, another new host of the Philip DeFranco show fired. Gus Johnson. He doesn't have a strict no facial hair policy on this show, but despite this unfortunate firing, if you'd like to watch a brand new podcast together, you can check it out right now. I actually just uploaded it before this video

over at youtube.com slash a convo with. I'll link that and the audio version down below so you can listen to it wherever you listen to other podcasts. Yeah, it's my once a week podcast where I bring on someone that I'm interested by, try and learn about them, just kind of shoot it. And this one was a really fun one.

I highly recommend you check it after today's show. But with that said, it is time for the PDS. So buckle up, hit that like button, and let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're going to talk about today is the situation around Nikki Tutorials. So if you're unfamiliar with Nikki, she's a massive YouTube personality, beauty guru. She also blew up the internet over around two weeks ago. She put out a video coming out as a trans woman. That video just blew up, getting over 33 million views. With this, she got widespread media attention.

She ended up being on the Ellen Show. One of the things with this story that really stood out was why, why was she doing this? In her video, she said she always wanted to share this information, but she admitted that she was doing it now because someone had threatened to leak her story to the press, right?

And so with that, you had people saying, that's just horrible. She had a blackmailer? Right, so since that video came out, we had fans, just people online, working hard to track down who tried to blackmail her, with people spreading their own suspicions and conspiracy theories all over social media.

Right, so there was that, and now two weeks after, Nicki uploaded another video. It's titled, Responding to My Coming Out, and she addresses the blackmailing aspect of it. First of all, I think we need to stop the witch hunt that I've been seeing going around. I've been seeing so many truth videos out there saying, Oh my God, this is Nikki's blackmailer.

Oh my God, we found the guy. Oh my God, we found the girl. This and this person are Nikki's blackmailers. Going on to say, I don't think this is your story to tell. If anyone is going to have the right to tell on these blackmailers, it's gonna be me. It's my story. No other person or media outlet should be the one

talking about my blackmailer when they only know half of the truth. You are destroying people's lives that aren't even involved in this, and I ask that you stop this." But then also on the note of the blackmailer, she went on to say that thanks to the help of police, she actually not only knows who the blackmailer is,

but also where they live, their phone number, home address, and how they treated people around her to get more information about her story. And let me tell you, when I found out exactly who was behind this all, I was shocked because this is not a person that any of you know. It is someone that I don't even personally know. Going on to say that the information

was both frightening and freeing, but it also forced her to make a difficult decision. And then going on to say, ever since finding out the true name of my blackmailer, that has been going on in my mind. If I out this person, am I gonna be doing the same as this person did to me? Do I want that?

Do I need that? Do I want to put a human being in the same position that I was in? And then adding, I don't want to lower myself to his level. No, I am creating my own level. I am better than that. And going on to say that in a way,

her blackmailer already received their punishment since they now have to live knowing that she knows exactly who they are. And I think they're gonna have a little bit of that fear that one day maybe their name is gonna leak to the press and they're gonna feel exactly the same thing as I was feeling. But adding, I think it is my right to determine

if I want that name to come out or not. Additionally, Nicki also dismissed criticisms from those who accused her of lying about being threatened and coming out as a publicity stunt. In fact, she said that she chose to delay upcoming projects to make sure it didn't seem like she had opened up about being transgender to hype up a collab. And she ends the video on a positive note.

For the people who are understanding and loving and warm and kind, thank you. Thank you for me and my community. I will say, as far as my opinion, Nikki is definitely a better person than me. If I was her and this had happened to me, I would a thousand percent destroy this person's life.

The kind of outing, in my opinion, is far different. One is exposing a personal secret that was no one else's damn business. And the other is bringing to light someone who committed a crime. That said, it is ultimately and should be her decision. And if anything, it feels like she is empowered by this choice. That said, it is ultimately and should be her decision. And if anything, it feels like she is empowered by this choice.

That said, still, I will say separately from the situation, I'm a little disheartened that a scumbag didn't fully get theirs in this instance. But hey, maybe Nikki's right. Maybe that fear that it could come out is way worse. You know how like sometimes just the thought of getting a shot is infinitely worse than actually getting the shot?

I don't know, what are your thoughts around this one? And then let's talk about the news around an especially disgusting garbage human, the man who was convicted of shooting and killing nine people in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015. I'm describing him that way because of course we don't say the names of the mass shooters or killers on this show or show their faces.

Right, people who commit these crimes in hopes of gaining press or fame or attention from it. But of course, a lot of you likely remember this tragedy that made huge national news. The shooter who admitted that he was a white supremacist killed nine black people during a Bible study at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. This disgusting monster telling the FBI

that he was hoping that this attack would cause racial divide in the country or maybe even a race war. And ultimately, he ended up being convicted on over 30 counts, many of which were hate crimes. In fact, in 2017, he was sentenced to death, marking the first time that someone was set to be executed for a federal hate crime.

Now notably, during his penalty hearing, he actually represented himself, and that is a big part of why we're talking about him today. His lawyers are now seeking to appeal his convictions and death sentencing, saying that they believe that there were discrepancies made in trial that need to be revisited as they tainted the results. And according to local reports,

his lawyer said that he was suffering from mental health issues like schizophrenia when he was representing himself, and that he should have been declared incompetent. And according to local reports, his lawyer said that he was suffering from mental health issues like schizophrenia when he was representing himself and that he should have been declared incompetent. With lawyers reportedly arguing that, it was a 22 year old ninth grade dropout who believed his sentence didn't matter because white nationalists would free him from prison

after an impending race war. With a lot of reports noting that he didn't make a strong case for himself, even still saying that he felt like he had to draw the attack out. Right, so basically his attorneys are arguing that he was mentally unfit to represent himself and that the judge should not have dismissed

what they believe are glaring mental health issues. With the attorney saying, his crime was tragic, but this court can have no confidence in the jury's verdict. But also, it is worth noting that this piece of trash has consistently denied having mental or psychological disorders. He also told the jury to ignore any claims

about his mental state and in documents from evaluations on his mental health, specifically in evaluating for autism. He said things like, "'I don't have autism. "'Nerds and losers have autism. "'There's nothing wrong with me. "'I'm just a sociopath.'"

But now his attorneys are arguing that he was intentionally trying to protect himself from being declared mentally ill and saying that when he was representing himself that he wasn't doing it in a way a competent person would. And ultimately, that's where we are with this now, though it should be updated rather soon. The Department of Justice is supposed to respond

to the brief in February. As far as my reaction to this appeal, nah. He is a proven white supremacist murderer, into the fire you go. Right, like I understand that there's a debate around the death penalty in general, but if there was gonna be like one. You know, but also, what are your thoughts on this?

And then let's talk about a story that's an offshoot from the Kobe Bryant helicopter tragedy. Because while there's a lot of love and hurt following this helicopter crash, right? Friends, families, pretty much everyone's sounding off with their feelings, their experiences, right? Also things like hashtag girl dad trending because of a viral clip talking about Kobe

and just him being a girl dad. We loved being a father of four girls and welcomed more. And he said that his wife, Vanessa, really wanted to try again for a boy, but was sort of jokingly concerned that it would be another girl. And I was like, four girls, are you joking? Like, what would you think? How would you feel? And without hesitation, he said, I would have five more girls if I could. I'm a girl dad. At that same time, there was also a story that was causing a lot of debate, right? And the story is around Felicia Sanmez, who was a political reporter for the Washington Post.

On Sunday, the same day that Kobe's helicopter went down, killing him, his daughter Gianna, and seven others, Sanmez tweeted a link to a 2016 Daily Beast article titled, Kobe Bryant's Disturbing Rape Case, The DNA Evidence, The Accuser's Story, and The Half Confession. That article detailing a 2003 accusation that Kobe had raped a then 19 year old hotel employee

at a Colorado spa. Kobe was charged with sexual assault, could have faced up to life in prison. And while he initially told investigators that he hadn't had a sexual encounter with that woman, he later admitted to an affair. However, he noted that it had been consensual. And ultimately this part of the story ended

after Kobe's accuser refused to testify in court. The case was then dropped with Bryant issuing a statement that same day saying, "'Although I truly believe this encounter between us "'was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery,

listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter. And as far as the civil side of this, Bryant reportedly later settled with the accuser outside of court. Right, and I explain that so you understand what exactly was linked.

But, now going back to that reporter, Felicia Sanmez, after posting that first link, we saw her continue to tweet about the situation on Sunday, with her later saying, well, that was eye-opening. To the 10,000 people literally who have commented and emailed me with abuse and death threats, please take a moment and read the story. With her also adding that, quote,

"'Any public figure is worth remembering in their totality, "'even if that public figure is beloved "'and that totality unsettling.'" And this seemingly extra meaningful to her because she is also a sexual assault survivor. Also in another tweet, she included an image of her email box with that image also including the names

of some of the people who'd sent her those reported threats. Right, and so following this, you had people calling for the Washington Post to fire her. And following that, we ended up seeing Felicia deleting all her tweets about Kobe. And then soon after we saw the announcement that the Post had reportedly suspended her. And in a statement, Tracy Grant,

a managing editor for the Post, said that Felicia, quote, "'Was placed on administrative leave "'while the Post reviews whether tweets "'about the death of Kobe Bryant violated "'the Post Newsroom's social media policy,' adding that the tweets displayed poor judgment "'that undermined the work of her colleagues." Felicia's suspension then sparked its own amount

of controversy and backlash online, just like you had people calling for her to be removed, you had people saying that she should be reinstated. Also, notably, some of that support came in the form of nearly 350 journalists for The Post, with those journalists all endorsing a statement from the Washington Post Guild that backed Sanmez. And in an opinion piece, media critic Eric Wemple asked,

what did she do wrong? Saying she only tweeted out a link to a quote, very good story from the Daily Beast. In that column, Wemple argues that Felicia was only reminding everyone of a real incident from Kobe's life. And also in an interview with Wemple, Felicia revealed that she had emailed two of her editors

Sunday night to tell them about the threats, saying she also included links to her tweets. Editor Tracy Grant then asked her to delete them. She says she was a little delayed in taking them down, this in part because someone had doxxed her home address. Grant then reportedly sending her another email reading that she'd be in violation of a directive from a managing editor if she didn't delete her tweet.

Semmes then did that, a move that Wemple argues provided a victory for the people who had attacked her for posting a perfectly fine news story. Wemple then going on to say that out of fear for her own safety, Felicia checked into a hotel Sunday night where she ended up learning that she had been placed on administrative leave immediately.

Grant then reportedly told Felicia that her tweets did not pertain to her coverage area and that she was making it difficult for others at the Post to do their own work. And there we see Wimple argue that if journalists can be suspended for tweeting outside of their own beat, then the entire newsroom would be on leave. Also saying that Grant's claim that Felicia

complicated others' work needs supporting evidence. And Wimple then ended his column by reciting one of the Post's main principles. The newspaper shall tell all the truth so far as it can learn it concerning the important affairs of America and the world. And so with all of that, what we ended up finally seeing was the Washington Post clearing and reinstating Sonmez, with the newspaper's editors admitting that they had been out of line and suspending her.

Grant saying in a statement, for journalistic excellence, fairness, and independence. We consistently urge restraint, which is particularly important when there are tragic deaths. We regret having spoken publicly about a personnel matter. Following this, we saw the Post's guild call the reinstatement welcome, but also noting that Grant's statement did not include an apology to Felicia. Also noting that the Post didn't take swift action

to provide her with protection and support. And kind of going even further than that, we saw on Twitter, Felicia release a statement saying, I believe that Washington Post readers and employees, including myself, deserve, Felicia release a statement saying, "'I believe that Washington Post readers and employees, "'including myself, deserve to hear directly "'from Marty Baron, the Post's editor, "'on the newspaper's handling of this matter.'"

But as of recording this video, we have not seen that, and ultimately that is where we are. And so with this story, I would love to know your thoughts. Do you feel like Marty Baron and the team above Felicia handled this horribly? Or do you think that what they did makes sense, or maybe they should have gone the complete opposite way, got rid of her? Also, do you think that it was did make sense, or maybe they should have gone the complete opposite way, got rid of her?

Also, do you think that it was wrong for Felicia to initially post that tweet and the link to the story? Was the timing the reason? Any and all thoughts, I'd love to hear from you in those comments down below. And that is where I'm going to end today's show. Of course, as always, thank you for watching my little daily news show.

Also, if you're looking for more to watch, you can definitely check out that brand new podcast I put out with Gus Johnson today, or maybe just missed the last Philip DeFranco show you want to catch up. You can click or tap right there to watch either of those right now. But with that said, of course, as always just missed the last Philip DeFranco show you wanna catch up, you can click or tap right there to watch either of those right 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. I hope you liked this video. Subscribe if you like it.