Jurnee Smollett’s Best Friend

By now, everyone probably knows who actress,  Jurnee Smollett (36), is. Since she was a child, she’s taken the film industry by storm. However, many people don’t know that her best friend is Hydeia Broadbent, who also became a public figure at a very young age.

As we previously reported, Hydeia’s the former child HIV/AIDS activist who beat the odds and learned to live with the virus. But not only is she living with it, she’s thriving. Today, at age 37, Hydeia is still an advocate for HIV awareness. Over the years, she’s touched the hearts of many. In the process, she also caught the attention of Jurnee.

At a time when Jurnee was rising to fame with her roles in films, like Eve’s Bayou, and hit sitcoms, like Full House, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, and On Our Own, she noticed a 6-year-old girl on television for a very different reason. The HIV-positive little girl was featured in a mock wedding, because she wanted to get married before dying. The heart-wrenching imagery touched Jurnee’s heart.

During an interview, the two ladies reflected on the series of events that led to the birth of their beautiful friendship. Jurnee revealed what it was like to see Hydeia on television when they were children:

“She was my first image of HIV/AIDS,” said Jurnee. “And I was like, ‘Wait, she looks like me.’ This is something that could happen to me or my siblings. And also she was just so raw; she exposed her heart. Even though I didn’t know her, I had this instant love for her.”

The television program altered Jurnee’s perspective of the virus, and she, too, decided that she would advocate for AIDS awareness. Then at the age of 13, Jurnee had the opportunity to present the Black AIDS Institute’s first Heroes in the Struggle Award, At the event, which took place in Los Angeles, CA, Jurnee finally got the chance to meet the one person who had impacted her life at a young age – Hydeia Broadbent.

Hydeia Broadbent’s Reaction To Meeting Jurnee

Hydeia recalled Jurnee’s reaction to meeting her. The moment was much more emotional than they both expected:

“I remember looking at her like, ‘Why is she crying? Who is this girl?’”

The ladies laughed as they recalled the day they met. Jurnee added:

“It was incredibly inspiring. She’d had such a mighty struggle and yet was so bold and audacious when the stigma was at an all-time high. It was ground zero.”

The memorable day was the start to a beautiful friend. Despite living more than 300 miles apart, Jurnee and Hydeia have kept in contact over the years and they’ve been there for each other through really difficult times:

“In high school, the kids were scared of me,” said Hydeia, “and Jurnee kept me centered—she poured life into me.”

Throughout the evolution of Jurnee’s career, Hydeia has also been by her side.

Now, they are both working together to continue their plight to raise awareness of HIV.

“We’ve spoken to students who thought you could get AIDS from a toilet, or from sleeping in the same bed, or from tears,” Jurnee said. “What allows this disease to spread is our silence. That, and women’s lack of self-worth, because even now we’re often the last to protect ourselves. We need to rethink that. We need to take our power in relationships to say, ‘I own my sexuality and my future.’”

In addition to their success with advocacy, Hydeia has also made progress with her condition. Now that AIDS treatments have improved drastically, Hydeia has also reaped the benefits of medical advancements:

“I still have complications,” said Hydeia. “But I went from taking, like, 100 pills a day to, now, only five.”

Jurnee Paid Homage To Hydeia Online

In an online birthday post that Jurnee Smollett posted for her friend Hydeia Broadbent, she referred to her as being ‘anointed’:

“Look at God. What a blessing you are to our lives. You have an anointing on your life, and it radiates through you. Consistently using your life to better the lives of others, you are a walking example of triumph in the face of adversity…having you as my best friend has shown me what walking in your calling looks like and I feel honored to call you my boo, my soul sister, the ying to my yang…I adore you.”

Beautiful indeed.

The post Jurnee Smollett And Famous AIDS Child Activist Are Best Friends With Very Emotional Past appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Jurnee Smollett’s Best Friend

By now, everyone probably knows who actress,  Jurnee Smollett (34), is. Since she was a child, she’s taken the film industry by storm. However, many people don’t know that her best friend is Hydeia Broadbent, who also became a public figure at a very young age.

As we previously reported, Hydeia’s the former child HIV/AIDS activist who beat the odds and learned to live with the virus. But not only is she living with it, she’s thriving. Today, at age 36, Hydeia is still an advocate for HIV awareness. Over the years, she’s touched the hearts of many. In the process, she also caught the attention of Jurnee.

At a time when Jurnee was rising to fame with her roles in films, like Eve’s Bayou, and hit sitcoms, like Full House, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, and On Our Own, she noticed a 6-year-old girl on television for a very different reason. The HIV-positive little girl was featured in a mock wedding, because she wanted to get married before dying. The heart-wrenching imagery touched Jurnee’s heart.

During an interview, the two ladies reflected on the series of events that led to the birth of their beautiful friendship. Jurnee revealed what it was like to see Hydeia on television when they were children:

“She was my first image of HIV/AIDS,” said Jurnee. “And I was like, ‘Wait, she looks like me.’ This is something that could happen to me or my siblings. And also she was just so raw; she exposed her heart. Even though I didn’t know her, I had this instant love for her.”

The television program altered Jurnee’s perspective of the virus, and she, too, decided that she would advocate for AIDS awareness. Then at the age of 13, Jurnee had the opportunity to present the Black AIDS Institute’s first Heroes in the Struggle Award, At the event, which took place in Los Angeles, CA, Jurnee finally got the chance to meet the one person who had impacted her life at a young age – Hydeia Broadbent.

Hydeia Broadbent’s Reaction To Meeting Jurnee

Hydeia recalled Jurnee’s reaction to meeting her. The moment was much more emotional than they both expected:

“I remember looking at her like, ‘Why is she crying? Who is this girl?’”

The ladies laughed as they recalled the day they met. Jurnee added:

“It was incredibly inspiring. She’d had such a mighty struggle and yet was so bold and audacious when the stigma was at an all-time high. It was ground zero.”

The memorable day was the start to a beautiful friend. Despite living more than 300 miles apart, Jurnee and Hydeia have kept in contact over the years and they’ve been there for each other through really difficult times:

“In high school, the kids were scared of me,” said Hydeia, “and Jurnee kept me centered—she poured life into me.”

Throughout the evolution of Jurnee’s career, Hydeia has also been by her side.

Now, they are both working together to continue their plight to raise awareness of HIV.

“We’ve spoken to students who thought you could get AIDS from a toilet, or from sleeping in the same bed, or from tears,” Jurnee said. “What allows this disease to spread is our silence. That, and women’s lack of self-worth, because even now we’re often the last to protect ourselves. We need to rethink that. We need to take our power in relationships to say, ‘I own my sexuality and my future.’”

In addition to their success with advocacy, Hydeia has also made progress with her condition. Now that AIDS treatments have improved drastically, Hydeia has also reaped the benefits of medical advancements:

“I still have complications,” said Hydeia. “But I went from taking, like, 100 pills a day to, now, only five.”

Jurnee Paid Homage To Hydeia Online

In an online birthday post that Jurnee Smollett posted for her friend Hydeia Broadbent, she referred to her as being ‘anointed’:

“Look at God. What a blessing you are to our lives. You have an anointing on your life, and it radiates through you. Consistently using your life to better the lives of others, you are a walking example of triumph in the face of adversity…having you as my best friend has shown me what walking in your calling looks like and I feel honored to call you my boo, my soul sister, the ying to my yang…I adore you.”

Beautiful indeed.

The post Jurnee Smollett And Famous Child AIDS Activist Are Best Friends With Very Emotional Past appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Jurnee Smollett-Bell Calls Kellz A “Predator”

In a lengthy Instagram post Jurnee shared on Monday morning (April 30, 2018), she amplified the message of the #MuteRKelly and #MeToo movements. She feels that R. Kelly (51) should not be allowed to perform at any venue because  she believes he’s guilty of abusing young women and underaged girls. Here’s what she wrote:

jurneebell: A letter to our sisters. We as WOC of Times Up, recognize the responsibility we have to our sisters of all kinds, across all industries. We see you because we are you. We stand linked with our sisters and will no longer tolerate the predatory behavior of R Kelly to go unchecked. This is a call to action to #MuteRKelly. His music must be turned down and the voices of these brave survivors must be heard. We’re calling on corporations that do business with him to cut all ties with R. Kelly and insist on safety and dignity for women of all kinds. @RCARecords @Spotify @AppleMusic @Ticketmaster #MuteRKelly #TIMESUP

Jurnee also shared several calls of action against R.Kelly, including one that states:

‘We demand appropriate investigations and inquiries into the allegations of R. Kelly’s abuse made by women of color and their families for over two decades now. And we declare with great viligance and a united voice to anyone who wants to silence us. THEIR TIME IS UP.’

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiMfyn9HGdu/?hl=en&taken-by=jurneebell

The point it seems that Jurnee and the Women of Color #MeToo movement is trying to get across, is that because R. Kelly’s accusers are women of color, the masses are ignoring their claims, but not the claims of Bill Cosby’s white accusers.

R. Kelly Reacts To Concert Cancellations & “Rumors”

Apparently, Jurnee’s and others’ outcry against Kelly, didn’t go unnoticed to many college student protestors in his hometown, Chicago, IL. When many heard that Kellz was part of the concert lineup at Saturday’s (May 5th) 2018 Love Jam at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Pavilion, they took action. Natalie Bennett, director of the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center at UIC helped to organize a petition, requesting that the UIC administration shut down the concert. By Friday (4/27/18), they’d gathered 1300 signatures, enough needed to make an impact on the administrators.

Following that protest, Ticketmaster then informed fans that Kellz was no longer a part of the show, which also included Xscape3, Lyfe Jennings, and R. Kelly’s ex-girlfriend, K. Michelle.

Now that the gig was cancelled, R. Kelly has spoken out, via social media, to apologize to his fans and express his disappointment. He also dropped a few hints that he may be taking legal action as a result of his show being cancelled because of “rumors”:

https://twitter.com/rkelly/status/990766412166672384

R. Kelly: “I’ve never heard of a show being canceled because of rumors, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. … So I apologize to you guys and in the meantime, I’m going to try to get to the bottom line of it, you know, as far as my lawyers are concerned, and see exactly what happened and why I was canceled.”

The other performers will still be a part of the UIC show, but fans are being offered a refund if they choose to get one, following R. Kelly being given the boot from it.

The post Jurnee Smollet Bashes R. Kelly & Asks Fans To Help Her Fight Against Him..Kelly Reacts appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Her Best Friend

By now, everyone probably knows who actress,  Jurnee Smollett (32), is. Since she was a child, she’s taken the film industry by storm. However, many people don’t know that her best friend is Hydeia Broadbent, who also became a public figure at a very young age.

A while back, we shared Hydeia’s story with y’all. She’s the child HIV/AIDS activist who beat the odds and learned to live with the virus. But not only is she living, she’s thriving. Today, at age 34, Hydeia is still an advocate for HIV awareness. Over the years, she’s touched the hearts of many. In the process, she also caught the attention of Jurnee.

At a time when Jurnee was rising to fame with her roles in films, like Eve’s Bayou, and hit sitcoms, like Full House, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, and On Our Own, she noticed a 6-year-old girl on television for a very different reason. The HIV-positive little girl was featured in a mock wedding, because she wanted to get married before dying. The heart-wrenching imagery touched Jurnee’s heart.

During a recent interview, the two ladies reflected on the series of events that led to the birth of their beautiful friendship. Jurnee revealed what it was like to see Hydeia on television when they were children:

“She was my first image of HIV/AIDS,” said Jurnee. “And I was like, ‘Wait, she looks like me.’ This is something that could happen to me or my siblings. And also she was just so raw; she exposed her heart. Even though I didn’t know her, I had this instant love for her.”

The television program altered Jurnee’s perspective of the virus, and she, too, decided that she would advocate for AIDS awareness. Then at the age of 13, Jurnee had the opportunity to present the Black AIDS Institute’s first Heroes in the Struggle Award, At the event, which took place in Los Angeles, CA, Jurnee finally got the chance to meet the one person who had impacted her life at a young age – Hydeia Broadbent.

Hydeia’s Reaction To Meeting Jurnee

Hydeia recalled Jurnee’s reaction to meeting her. The moment was much more emotional than they both expected:

“I remember looking at her like, ‘Why is she crying? Who is this girl?’”

The ladies laughed as they recalled the day they met. Jurnee added:

“It was incredibly inspiring. She’d had such a mighty struggle and yet was so bold and audacious when the stigma was at an all-time high. It was ground zero.”

The memorable day was the start to a beautiful friend. Despite living more than 300 miles apart, Jurnee and Hydeia have kept in contact over the years and they’ve been there for each other through really difficult times:

“In high school, the kids were scared of me,” said Hydeia, “and Jurnee kept me centered—she poured life into me.”

Throughout the evolution of Jurnee’s career, Hydeia has also been by her side.

Now, they are both working together to continue their plight to raise awareness of HIV.

“We’ve spoken to students who thought you could get AIDS from a toilet, or from sleeping in the same bed, or from tears,” Jurnee said. “What allows this disease to spread is our silence. That, and women’s lack of self-worth, because even now we’re often the last to protect ourselves. We need to rethink that. We need to take our power in relationships to say, ‘I own my sexuality and my future.’”

In addition to their success with advocacy, Hydeia has also made progress with her condition. Now that AIDS treatments have improved drastically, Hydeia has also reaped the benefits of medical advancements:

“I still have complications,” said Hydeia. “But I went from taking, like, 100 pills a day to, now, only five.”

The post Jurnee Smollett & Famous Child AIDS Activist Are Best Friends With Very Emotional Past appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

‘Noah’ Broke The News, Asks Fans For Support

The cancellation news hit many loyal fans like a ton of bricks. The first person to break the news to the public was actor, Aldis Hodge. He plays the runaway slave, ‘Noah,’- the love interest of Jurnee Smollett’s character, ‘Rosalee.’ In his Instagram post Aldis wrote a touching “thank you and farewell” message.

He further explained that “After two seasons, it’s time for #UndergroundWGN to say goodbye. Unfortunately we will not be coming back for a 3rd season on #WGNAmerica. I understand that this is tough news for a lot of people to hear and I know many have personally expressed their anger. But I encourage you to repurpose your anger in a positive way by sharing your passion for this show by reaching out to the network you would like to see us on. Thank you all so much for being so supportive over these two seasons. It’s been a fantastic ride and I can’t thank you enough for all of the love.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUvEKR0j_js/

“The Show’s Official Announcement

Then came the official announcement made by Underground’s Instagram page:

“After two seasons, it’s time to say goodbye to #UndergroundWGN. We hope you keep the spirit inspired by these characters & stories alive!”

John Legend Gives Fans Hope w/ Hint Of Rebelliousness

Fans were still disappointed and it wasn’t until John Legend came through with his words of rebelliousness that kinda felt like the rebellious spirit we watched the resilient runaway slaves express in his TV series. Legend is not giving up on Underground and feels confident that with the support of we, the fans, it can and ultimately will find a new platform to be featured on:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUvKPK2hG4L/

“#RenewUnderground…drop some hints to the networks/streaming services you want to pick up #Underground. Show them who will be watching!” Legend continued “Content wins. We’re not reliant on a particular network to make great content. We’re so proud of our show and the audience that supported!” Legend also warned TV viewers about the conspiracies taking place behind the scenes of some networks, by telling them to “be wary of Sinclair though. They’re trying to make local stations mini Fox Newses, but more to the right.”

Just like the old school saying goes, ‘one monkey don’t stop no show.’ We feel you John! Make those who doubted you (and the show’s cast and crew) regret their decision and never look back…can’t wait to see Underground back like it never left real soon!

The post John Legend Defiantly Reacts To “Underground” Slave Series’ Sudden Cancellation appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Back in June 2016, Jurnee announced that she was pregnant via Instagram and then in November 2016, she’d announced the birth of her child with a loving photo of herself holding her lil’ man, but only a back shot of his head was visible.

Well now Jurnee, the 30 year old Underground superstar and her singer/actor husband, Josiah Bell, have finally shown off a frontal view of their mini-me and Jurnee captioned the photo:

@jurneebell: ✨✨My fellas. So in love…they make my heart explode 😍😍❤❤❤✨✨@josiahbell #HunterZionBell

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSmqsCPgcYr/?taken-by=jurneebell&hl=en

He’s a handsome lil’ brotha and they are beyond happy to be raising their first child together.

Jurnee Gives Behind The Scenes Look At Hardships Of Filming Underground 8 Months Pregnant

Here are a few other things we give the big sister of Empire actor, Jussie Smollett, MAJOR props for: Not sure how many of y’all have been tuning into this season of the John Legend produced hit WGN TV series, Underground, but if you haven’t, you’re missing an incredible example of a true pro’ at work. Our girl, Jurnee, has been doing the damn thing while EIGHT months pregnant on the show, as “Rosalee,” the highly sought after runaway slave.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BR9y3NYAnfl/?taken-by=jurneebell&hl=en

Jurnee had to shoot action scenes running through the woods, chopping down trees (literally) and hopping out of water, all while very pregnant with baby, Hunter, who was a trooper for the entire ride. It takes true courage and passion to do what she did and we give Jurnee a round of applause for that.

She recently posted, on Instagram, behind the scenes video, along with a lengthy message, describing the 8 months pregnant shooting as something that “stretched me beyond anything I ever thought I could do. Some of my most proudest work.” See what else she endured below, with her husband and her team right by her side…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BR-Aoa_ADUc/?taken-by=jurneebell&hl=en

Jurnee Smollett’s Snap Back Is On Point!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSMI7o9g1TY/?taken-by=jurneebell&hl=en

Jurnee is also diggin’ her post-baby body framework and has no problem posing it up for the cameras, as she embraces every new curve of her motherhood and her femininity. Just 5 months after giving birth “Rosalee” is lookin’ GOOD! Check her out getting her dance on at her photoshoot…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSMJZpLgMp_/?taken-by=jurneebell&hl=en

About Jurnee’s Husband, Josiah Bell

FYI: Anyone not familiar with her husband, Josiah, he actually made an appearance as one of the slaves on Underground, but his main career is as a musician/singer. He and Jurnee have been married since 2010. Peep one of his music videos, “Smoke and Mirrors,” featuring his wife below…

We send another congrats to Jurnee Smollett and Josiah Bell…wishing them years of happiness.

The post Awww, Jurnee Smollett & Her Singer Hubby Show 1st PHOTO Of Their 5 Mo. Old BABY appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

That’s right, Jurnee and her husband/singer, Josiah Bell, welcomed their first baby into the world on November 15th and they  couldn’t be more overjoyed.

Jurnee posted this on Instagram the other day…PAGE 2>>>

The post Actress Jurnee Smollett & Singer Hubby Welcome 1st Baby! (PICS) appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

[kkgallery kid=”2243” title=”Jurnee Smollett’s Grown Since “Eve’s Bayou” Pregnant w/1st BABY &Married”]

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The post OMG! Jurnee Smollett Shows Off 1st BABY Bump With Her Singer HUSBAND! appeared first on I Love Old School Music.