EBONY Power 100 gala co-hosts Michelle Buteau and Tone Bell celebrated the return of their hit series Survival of the Thickest in New York City on March 26. “Season two, the word that kept coming to mind when we were in the writer’s room was ‘body,’” Buteau exclaimed before the screening commenced. “Loving your body; letting people know I love my body, so you should too.”
This season, Khalil, played by Tone Bell, explores his mental wellness through therapy. “Khalil is kinda at a pit stop—not sure where he is going next. I’ve been through the same thing. So, it’s refreshing to have a storyline like this,” Bell told EBONY at the after-party held at the Lobster Club.
“‘He’s in a period of growth, and it hurts sometimes. It’s a beautiful moment to see my real life portrayed on screen. I’ve been friends with Michelle for 15 years, and this is probably a conversation we’ve had. It definitely felt like it was time to talk about it, and I can’t wait to talk about it more.”
Survival of the Thickest, Season 2, is streaming on Netflix.
Fueled by Culture Sports, a powerful event was hosted at 74 Wythe in Brooklyn, N.Y., bringing together leaders in sports and business for a live conversation on ownership, branding and athlete legacy. Speakers included Master P, Jeff Teague and the Club 520 Podcast, NBA trainer Chris Johnson, and ESPN’s Paul Biancardi, with a surprise performance by Bobby Shmurda.
This event marked the official launch of Fueled by Culture Sports — a new agency built to empower athletes beyond the game, with long-term business strategy and brand development at its core. The agency is led by former pro athlete and entrepreneur Marcus Damas, who was mentored by EBONY’s late, great Junior Bridgeman. This relationship continues to inspire Damas’ vision for legacy-driven athlete empowerment.
The Black Women Film Network honored several women at the BWFN Summit inside the Loudermilk Conference Center in Atlanta, Ga. That included pioneering media mogul and Urban One, Inc. Founder Cathy Hughes; Grosse Pointe Garden Society star Aja Naomi King; Tyler Perry Studios President of Original Content Angi Bones; Denise Williams Watts, global head of original content for Apple Music; Felicia Joseph, senior vice-president of casting for Disney Branded Television; and Katori Hall, Pulitzer Prize-winning creator and showrunner of the Starz series P-Valley.
