Goodbye Masks, Hello Friends

Art by Jack Vhay.Straight from the Interview offices—from Manhattan’s midtown to Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, sometimes L.A., and beyond—this is the Word Wide Web Bulletin—a compilation of some of the stories the internet has been murmuring about. From politics to drag, and everything in between. This week, Nicki Minaj brings back 2009, it’s mask-off season according to the CDC, and Porsha Williams from RHOA takes the crown home for Miss Messy 2021. Let’s talk about it.

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The CDC Orders Masks Off; Let The Debauchery Commence (?)

Lana Del Rey photographed by Chuck Grant.

After weeks of receiving attacks from politicians (and Meghan McCain’s hair on The View), the CDC announced new mask guidelines this week, in yet another episode of Black Mirror: The U.S. Right Now. The guidelines allow fully vaccinated individuals to stop wearing masks out in public, except if they’re in crowded spaces. In due fashion, the world rejoiced, but much like the Kombucha Girl, everyone soon mourned the comfort of the mask; the debauchery we’ve all been holding back is maybe not so ready to be seen yet. There are a few reports out there that say that health officials originally recommended masks to be worn for another year but the CDC said, much like RuPaul told Valentina during her elimination episode: “take that thing off of your mouth.” As always, the internet is battling out the issue of wearing or not wearing masks. Where do we stand, you ask? It’s a secret we’ll never tell, but all we can say is be safe, smart, and please think of others in addition to yourself.

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Barbs Rejoice, the Queen of Rap Delivered 2009 Bops

Nicki Minaj photographed by Aldo Rossi.

It’s a Pink Friday indeed! In a highly-teased Instagram live with Drake, Nicki Minaj, the self-proclaimed Queen of Rap, gave her fans (and the world) a gift that has been brewing since 2009. Minaj dropped Beam Me Up Scotty, her powerful mixtape which includes songs like “Beam Me Up Scotty” and “Itty Bitty Pig.” It is fair to say the Barbz did what they had to do, making posters for the IG live and streaming parties, in order to make the classic mixtape (now streaming everywhere) enter the Billboard 200 charts in just a few hours since its midnight release. This is of course another accolade for Miss Minaj’s impressive career, making it her 5th top 2 project and the first female rap mixtape to enter the Top 5 chart. In honor of Minaj’s return to the rap game, and her continuous domination, stream Beam Me Up Scotty all weekend long and read what Roman had to say about Lil Wayne back in 2011. Don’t you forget: ‘till the world ends, she’s Nicki Minaj—grr.

Good morning to Itty Bitty Piggy only pic.twitter.com/6efKH0xIc6

— 💫 (@heyjaeee) May 14, 2021

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Porsha Williams from RHOA Has a New (Borrowed) Man

In typically messy reality TV news, Porsha Williams from the Real Housewives of Atlanta sent the WWW on a full-on spiral after posting a picture with her baby daddy and her new fiancé Simon Guobadia—a man she borrowed for her former friend Falynn Guobadia, instantly violating all girl (and moral) codes of life, but securing her peach in the next season of the franchise. Miss Messy Williams actually invited Falynn to appear on the show (or so the internet says), appearing early on in season 13, hosting a pool party for Williams and other cast members. It’s a mess and as much as we hate to admit it—we are so here for it. One thing is certain, the internet continues to celebrate Williams, who now claims not to be friends with the former Mrs. Guobadia. Porsha girl, there are plenty of men in the world, but you do you. We can’t wait for the new season.

#PorshaWilliams aren’t you and Falynn friends? Porsha: pic.twitter.com/0qfSDzwDhc

— T.J. (@TJsBizniz) May 11, 2021

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Laverne Cox Brings a New Era to the E! Red Carpet, FINALLY

The E! Network is really into closing cycles lately. After the Kardashians announced that they would no longer film their lives (thank god), something told us change was coming. This week, the network announced none other than the 4-time Emmy Nominated actor, Emmy-winning producer, and trans icon Laverne Cox would be taking over Giuliana Rancic’s decades-long reign on the red carpet. Hallelujah, amen! We are thrilled to see the new dawn of red carpet coverage by a fresh Hollywood star. Cox’s style is out of this world, much like her ability to drive conversations where they need to be driven. Cox will officially take over Live from E! during the 2022 awards season. It’s a new dawn, it’s a new age, it’s Laverne Cox’s world, and we’re all just living in it.

.@Lavernecox is the new E! Red Carpet host! We have no words, just emojis: 👏 😍 🙌👑. https://t.co/FfkWlt1iD5 pic.twitter.com/4mfH2V1zIw

— E! News (@enews) May 10, 2021

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And The One Where The Friends Reunite 

Jennifer Aniston photographed by Alique.

It’s literally the reunion of a lifetime, and we finally have a date, plus a long and weird list of guest stars. The much-talked-about HBO Max Friends reunion will air May 27th, and the whole gang—Rachel, Ross, Monica, Joey, Phoebe, and Chandler—is back. The episode will also feature super A-list guest stars including Lady Gaga (yes, the ra ra bitch herself), David Beckham, that one late-night host everyone hates (you know who we’re talking about), and Kit Harington, just to name a few. Not much is known about the format of the reunion, all we know is that there’s a video of the back of the cast walking dramatically away from us. After you devour all the Friends seasons, make some time to read this conversation between Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock about tequila, boyfriends, and other post-Friends life updates.

THE FRIENDS REUNION ON MAY 27TH OH.. MY.. GOD… pic.twitter.com/zzztr2aVuG

— nic (@anistonily) May 13, 2021