Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino, & Danielle Brooks Promote 'The Color Purple' in NYC

The Color Purple,” is accusing her Airbnb host of racial profiling.“My stomach is so uneasy this morning as I’m riding back to my home in the cold and rain,” Barrino, 39, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday. “I don’t say much when people do me wrong, but I can’t stay quiet on how my family and I were just treated from a host with @Airbnb @airbnbhelp trying to kick my kids and I out at 12:00 midnight.” According to the “American Idol” alum, the host accused them “of having a party with loud noises outdoors because they saw balloons being dropped off and a game truck with no generator in the early part of the day.” The singer noted that there were no additional guests brought onto the property nor did the website state that they “weren’t allowed to have any company over.” “It’s evident from the sayings on the wall, to the outdoor fire pit/jacuzzi and a well equipped game room in the garage/poker table that people host parties and/or gatherings here on the lake often as there were weights with balloon ribbon left in the garage from a previous party at the house,” the “Lose to Win” singer continued.

Fantasia Barrino is speaking out after she and her family were racially profiled by an Airbnb host.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Danielle Brooks is having one of the most significant moments in her career, playing Sofia in “The Color Purple.” It’s a role that she portrayed on Broadway and received her first Tony nomination — but it wasn’t easy for the critically-acclaimed performer to get here. As the spirited and no-nonsense wife to Harpo (Corey Hawkins), Brooks’ Sofia is positioned as the hopeful and joyous anchor in a narrative that, at times, carries a thematic weight, craving moments of levity.

Oprah Winfrey opened up about pressures she faced when making casting decisions for The Color Purple.

Variety as she recounted her joyous reaction before hopping on a private plane chartered by none other than Oprah Winfrey. “I would tell young Fantasia, ‘You did it. Job well done.’ I don’t want to cry no more,” she said, choking up.

No matter how you slice it, 2023 is arguably the year of Colman Domingo. Just this year alone, the Emmy-winning multi-hyphenate actor starred in the drama Sing Sing, summer blockbuster Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and animated comedy Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. However, it’s his two most recent and versatile roles as Mister, the meanspirited husband to Fantasia Barrino’s Celie in The Color Purple, and the gay Black Civil Rights icon Bayard Rustin in Rustin that has carried him over into the awards season.

In response to her Golden Globe nomination Monday for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy in The Color Purple, Fantasia Barrino starts the conversation with gratitude as she swore, after playing Celie on Broadway in the musical adaptation, she would never play the character again. 

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor “The Color Purple” director Blitz Bazawule hesitated to take on the latest incarnation of Alice Walker’s sacred text. However, when he revisited the book, the first line (“Dear God, I’m 14 years old”) struck him as a way to navigate a familiar story and “keep expanding Celie’s imagination.” In the new musical movie adaptation, as Celie (Fantasia Barrino) is bathing Shug (Taraji P. Henson), an old record plays on a gramophone in the background.

Alicia Keys and Ciara had a special moment on the carpet at the premiere of The Color Purple!

It’s not often that a Hollywood premiere is met with continual cheers, gasps, tears and several rounds of applause during its screening, but that was Warner Bros.’ The Color Purple‘s force of nature at the David Geffen Academy Museum Theater Wednesday night.

Some of Hollywood’s best and brightest stars walked the red carpet at the world premiere of The Color Purple on Wednesday night (December 6) in Los Angeles.

Oprah Winfrey steps out looking amazing at the world premiere of The Color Purple on Wednesday evening (December 6) in Los Angeles.

Oprah Winfrey has shocked fans with her new slimmer figure, after years of struggling with her weight.

Taraji P. Henson is looking absolutely radiant at The Color Purple premiere!

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events As Fantasia Barrino rides the awards season buzz for her feature film acting debut in “The Color Purple,” the second season “American Idol” winner is thinking of her next moves on the big screen. “I want something very challenging,” Fantasia told Variety Tuesday night at Elle’s Women in Hollywood event in Los Angeles, where she was honored alongside her co-stars Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson.

The Santa Barbara Film Festival on Tuesday rounded out the list of recipients for its Virtuosos Award, its annual honor recognizing noteworthy performances in films this season. It marks the latest awards announcement from SBIFF, which has become a must-stop on the movie circuit in the run-up to the Oscars.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Growing up, Kris Bowers felt like he was an outsider trying to fit in. These days, he is anything but that in Hollywood. The Oscar-nominated composer has scored a wide array of projects in the past five years, ranging from “Green Book” to “When They See Us,” and worked with Ava DuVernay and Shonda Rhimes repeatedly.

EXCLUSIVE: We hear on good authority that Max Peacemaker star Danielle Brooks and Sebastian Eugene Hansen are joining the cast of Warner Bros. and Legendary‘s Minecraft movie.

Fantasia Barrino Taylor is opening up about her resilience.

Todd Gilchrist editor In a year in which evaluating the contributions of writers became a major point of contention across the entertainment industry, Variety is especially pleased to announce its list of 10 Screenwriters to Watch. Some among them are scribes whose work has already made waves — cultural as much as commercial — with others on the precipice of transforming this year’s awards season and the broader landscape of film for years to come.