Netflix’s First Head of Inclusion Vernā Myers to Step Down After Five Years, Wade Davis Promoted (EXCLUSIVE)

according to Variety, who first reported his resignation, he was specifically praised for his work by Rosie Perez.Finnie’s exit comes just over 2 weeks after that of the film academy’s executive vice president of impact and inclusion, Jeanell English, who quit after just one year in the job. Finnie and English are just 2 of the Black Hollywood executives who have stepped down or have been laid off the last month.The others would be Vernā Myers, who exited Netflix, Latondra Newton who departed the Walt Disney Company and Karen Horne, who was laid off by Warner Bros.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer The X Games is welcoming one of its alums into the corporate fold: snowboarder Scotty James has joined the company as an investor and a brand advisor. While James is still scheduled to compete in X Games Aspen Men’s Superpipe competition in 2024, and beyond, he will now also “liaise with X Games on how to continue to strengthen the competition moving forward and serve as a brand steward to build the X Games business and external X Games partnerships.” Founded in 1995 by ESPN, the X Games’ controlling stake was old to MSP Sports Capital last October, with the new parent company committing to expanding digital livestreaming of the event. The upcoming 2023 games are set for July 21-23, with coverage to be broadcast on ESPN and ABC.

TelevisaUnivision’s Univision News division, is departing the Spanish-language media and content company after 25 years. TelevisaUnivision announced Gómez’s exit on Monday. Gómez had headed Univision News for the past two years, and served as VP of news at Televisa for 23 years before that. Gómez’s interim replacement will be executive VP of news Maria Martinez-Guzman, who will begin after his July 14 departure. During his time at Univision News, Gómez launched Univision’s fact-checking platform “elDetector,” created a number of news specials, produced “Despierta America” and “Noticiero Univision,” and garnered two Edward R. Murrow awards and three News and Documentary Emmy awards.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Celebrity chef David Chang has signed a production deal with Brent Montgomery and Jimmy Kimmel’s Wheelhouse. Previously under a production agreement with Vox Media, Chang’s banner, Majordomo Media, has set a pact with Wheelhouse, a producer on Chang’s latest Hulu series, “Secret Chef,” to exclusively develop and produce unscripted programming across food, home and lifestyle, among other genres. Wheelhouse and Chang are also focused on creating original content and developing new talent for his new FAST channel, MajordomoTV, co-developed with LG Electronics.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter ABC Signature president Jonnie Davis is exiting his role at the studio, Variety has learned. The announcement was made by Davis and Eric Schrier, president of Disney Television Studios and Global Original Television Strategy, in separate notes to the studio’s staff. “I’m forever grateful to Dana Walden and Eric Schrier for the wonderful opportunity to lead this world-class studio,” Davis wrote. “And while I will, of course, miss this outstanding team, after doing this job for over 20 years, I’m looking forward to figuring out my next creative challenge.”

Love Island looks set for explosive scenes on Thursday night as a first look teaser sees the villa in meltdown after Casa Amor. Fans will recall that hearts were broken on Wednesday night as Catherine Agbaje returned to the villa with Elom Ahlijah-Wilson, leaving partner Scott van-der-Sluis devastated.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Food Network has renewed its latest “Baking Championship” spinoff, “Summer Baking Championship, for a second season. “Summer Baking Championship” features 10 talented bakers from around the country competing in unique summer-themed baking challenges featuring the flavors, ingredients and celebrations of the season for a chance to earn the title of Summer Baking Champion and win $25,000, per the cable channel’s official description for the competition series. The show is hosted by Jesse Palmer, with Duff Goldman, Carla Hall and Damaris Phillips serving as judges.

Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky have split after 27 years of marriage, Us Weekly confirms.

EXCLUSIVE: The Talk will have new leadership.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery has walked back its decision to cut longtime Turner Classic Movies programming exec Charles Tabesh following a PR black eye over dramatic cost-cutting changes at the beloved cable network, and announced a partnership with filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson to help curate content at TCM. Tabesh, a 25-year TCM executive who had been slated to leave as part of the downsizing of TCM staff, will now stay in his post and report to Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, who Variety previously reported were slated to take oversight of the operations at the network.

Tom Hanks‘ niece Carly was the first contestant eliminated on season two of ABC’s reality competition series Claim to Fame and she launched into a screaming fit as she made her exit.

Rihanna has stepped down as the CEO of Savage X Fenty.The 35 year old Umbrella singer has announced that she will be stepping down four months after revealing she was expecting her second child with A$AP Rocky. Rihanna founded the lingerie brand back in 2018 and has been the CEO up until her announcement in a statement which was released by Vogue Business today. "It's been beautiful to see our vision for Savage X Fenty impact the industry at such an incredible magnitude over the last five years," the global icon said.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer The livestream for Netflix’s third annual Tudum fan event garnered 78 million views across all of the streamer’s social platforms Saturday, marking this version — presented in front of 11,000 people in São Paulo, Brazil — as up 86% in viewership from last year’s 41.8 million views, and more than 203% from 2021’s initial 25.7 million. Netflix likely didn’t set out to bring the in-person Tudum crowd to tears during the three-hour event — but once they started flowing, it was a fortunate side effect the streamer proudly displayed on social media. “I wish you could have been there to convey the electricity of the audience and capture those moments,” Netflix chief marketing officer Marian Lee told Variety Tuesday about the streamer’s first attempt at pulling off Tudum as a real-time presentation with an in-person audience, following two years of the virtual-version of the event. “We posted on Twitter crying fans in the audience because it was just like that sort of Beatles moment every time one of their favorites came on stage, there were just sobbing tears in the audience.”

Richard D. James is back.

Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival is in the market for a new artistic director.

“Armchair Expert” podcast with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman.“And I thought he was casting a spell on me,” he continued. In 1999, the “Iron Man” star was sentenced to three years in California’s Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison after he failed to undergo court-ordered drug tests stemming from a 1996 cocaine possession charge.However, he only served one year, getting an early release in 2000 after posting bail.The Oscar-nominated actor explained that he was transferred to a “receiving center” while awaiting prison.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Disney’s chief diversity officer and senior vice president Latondra Newton is exiting her role after more than six years, according to an internal memo obtained by Variety. An individual with knowledge of the situation says that Newton will be joining the corporate board of another company soon, and plans to devote more time to her self-owned creative company. In her role as head of DEI operations at Disney, Newton was charged with overseeing the company’s “commitment to produce entertainment that reflects a global audience and sustains a welcoming and inclusive workplace for everyone.”

Robert Downey Jr. described his experience behind bars in a new interview. The "Oppenheimer" actor spent time in prison in the '90s and after his release was later sentenced to federal prison for skipping out on probation after being arrested while driving under the influence.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer At long last, Netflix has revealed the first footage of its highly anticipated sci-fi epic from “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss — their first large-scale project at the streamer since signing a mega overall deal in 2019 — and Alexander Woo. Based on the book series by Cixin Liu, the eight-episode drama, which recently wrapped production, will launch in January 2024. Per Netflix’s logline for the sci-fi series, “A young woman’s fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time to a group of brilliant scientists in the present day. As the laws of nature unravel before their eyes, five former colleagues reunite to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history.”