Comedian & Radio Personality Rickey Smiley Announces the Death of His Oldest Son Brandon Smiley, However Son Was Recently Baptized…

Hello World,

On Sunday, Rickey Smiley, a popular comedian and host of The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, announced the death of his oldest son, 32-year-old Brandon Smiley, who was also a comedian. Rickey brings so much joy to so many people so it is even more heartbreaking that he and his family have to grapple with such a sad loss. At this time, Rickey has not shared how his son died, but he has shared precious memories of his son. One particularly poignant memory was his son getting baptized in November of 2022. See the video below.

Glory to God that Brandon chose the Lord before his untimely death. It is stated in the Word that those who die in the Lord will live again!!! Hallelujah!

But your dead will live, Lord;
their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust
wake up and shout for joy—
your dew is like the dew of the morning;
the earth will give birth to her dead.  Isaiah 26:19

I imagine that Rickey knows this miraculous truth and that is why he shared it with his followers. Let’s pray for Rickey Smiley and his family during this time of grief and bereavement. Rickey’s best friend  Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, senior pastor of the historic Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Nashville, Tennessee is certainly trying to encourage him at this time…

Any thoughts?

After Audio Leaked In Which Kirk Franklin Curses Out His Son, I Have to Ask, ‘Should Cursing Cancel You as a Christian/Gospel Artist?’

Kirk Franklin to Appear on Tamron Hall on Wednesday, March 17!

Hello World,

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard the explicit exchange between Gospel megastar Kirk Franklin, 51, and his estranged son Kerrion Franklin, 32. I first heard it on Saturday night, but because I was already preparing a pretty length post for the next day, I knew I would have to get to it at a later date. If you have not heard it, it is below…As I wrote above, it is explicit so if you are offended by hearing curse words, I suggest you not click on the IG post.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Swank Media LLC (@kerrionrashad)

However, if do you want the gist of it without listening to it, here’s a summary of what was said…

“You need to get your skinny motherf**king a$$ back out the go**amn way before I put my foot in your a$$… I will break your neck! Don’t you ever disrespect me,” Kirk said.

“Did he just hang up the phone? ‘I’ll break your neck.’ Is that a threat?” said Kerrion.

Kerrion posted the exchange on his IG page. Along with the audio, he wrote, “This is why I’m done. No father should speak to their children like this.” He also posted more commentary that you can read in the IG post above.

Kirk has since responded to his son Kerrion posting this private conversation. See his IG post below.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kirk Franklin (@kirkfranklin)

Since then, despite what was said, many people have demonstrated their support for Kirk Franklin including Steve Harvey and Rickey Smiley. And I have to admit that I’m a fan of Kirk Franklin, and when I met him some years ago, I thought he was so nice. That being said, I’m going to try to be as objective and fair as I can.

First of all, I must say that Kerrion was wrong to secretly record his father and secondly, he was wrong to post what was obviously meant to be a private exchange between him and his father. I have to wonder if Kerrion somehow baited his father to get the reaction that he did knowing that he was recording him. And then as Kirk pointed out, he only posted a snippet of the exchange and not the full exchange which included Kirk reaching out the family therapist for help. In his apology video above, he said their relationship has been toxic for some time and based on what was said, that is obviously true. If Kerrion was going to post the exchange, he should have posted the whole exchange, not a snippet. And for the record, this is not the first time their toxic relationship has caused headlines. In 2018, Kerrion even said his father was trying to kill him. Read that HERE. In fact, I think I’ve even read at some point that his son suffers from a mental illness…Don’t get me to lying..but I feel like I’ve read that or heard that somewhere…I could be wrong though….

Now, that being said (written), let me get into this a bit deeper. Let me start off by stating that I’m not a parent. I’ve seen various Facebook posts from parents in which they said that children can take you there sometimes. I can only imagine, but I take them at their word. HOWEVER, Kirk was flowing with those curse words like it was a song that he had written and knew very well. If somebody in his inner circle said he regularly cursed, I wouldn’t be surprised.

The word says, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45

Essentially, what is in you comes out of you…

I’m not saying Kirk Franklin is evil, I’m saying that he sounds like cursing is a somewhat regular part of his vocabulary…

Additionally, in the word, it is stated, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” James 3:10

We all know that Kirk Franklin can shonuff praise God, but using the word “go**amn” is certainly a wrong use of God’s name.

Earlier in James 3, actually, the very first verse states that, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” And the section of that chapter is about “taming the tongue.”

As a Gospel megastar with a worldwide platform, Kirk is subject to more scrutiny and rightfully so…

I’m not cancelling Kirk Franklin namely because I’m not a fan of the cancel culture…That being said, I hope he uses this revelation as a barometer to check himself. Does his persona in private match what he presents publicly. No one is perfect that is for sure. But even the everyday Christian without a platform should be demonstrably becoming more and more Christlike in their words and deeds. I have grown in some areas and some areas I have yet to grow. For some reason, I find myself arguing with people at the grocery store lately. I think it’s because it’s my only social outlet in the pandemic 🙁 But I have a mentor who has challenged me on these outbursts. We all need to people who can help us check ourselves before we wreck ourselves…

As Kirk asked for in his apology video, I will pray for him and his family. And I will keep praying for myself too…

If you like this kind of content, please click on this link to subscribe to my blog.

Any thoughts?

 

 

22nd Super Bowl Gospel Celebration Returns February 6 at 8 PM ET on BET!

Hello World,

For the eighth consecutive year, the 22nd Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will air on BET during Super Bowl LV week on Saturday, February 6th at 8/7c.

The theme “Nothing Can Stop Us” is the inspirational message for this highly anticipated night of praise and worship during Super Bowl LV. This year’s event will be hosted by national radio and TV personality Rickey Smiley and feature performances by The NFL Players Choir, Erica Campbell, Voices of Fire presented by Pharrell Williams, PJ Morton, Kierra Sheard, Koryn Hawthorne, Zacardi Cortez, and an exclusive performance by gospel music pioneer and living legend John P. Kee. Additionally, the show will feature appearances from NFL Players Desean Jackson-Philadelphia Eagles WR and Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys QB.

The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will present Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson with this year’s “Faith In Action Award.” The son of a courageous cancer survivor, Watson is one of the NFL’s youngest philanthropists and is committed to causes that support families and youth in underserved communities.

In collaboration with the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, the American Cancer Society will highlight the need to eliminate barriers to prevention and treatment in the black community during the broadcast. African Americans have the lowest survival rate for most cancers, and the pandemic has caused a devastating drop in cancer screenings. Viewers will be encouraged to donate during the show on BET by texting HOPE to 20222 to donate $10 to the American Cancer Society.

Originating at Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999, the annual event joins key NFL Players, top Gospel/Contemporary Christian, and mainstream GRAMMY® Award-winning artists, and special guests all on one stage to bring audiences an evening of uplifting music and inspirational messages.

Super Bowl Gospel Celebration (SBGC) is the largest multicultural event during the Super Bowl weekend. In its 22-year run as an NFL-sanctioned event, SBGC has featured artists including Patti LaBelle, Yolanda Adams, Gladys Knight, Natalie Grant, Mary Mary, Fantasia, Donnie McClurkin, Anthony Hamilton, among many others.

Melanie Few is the Founder and NFL Sanction Holder of the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. The show’s Executive Producer’s are Connie Orlando, EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET, Jamal Noisette, VP of Specials & Music Programming at BET, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, CEO of J. Rou Productions Inc.

For more information, visit superbowlgospel.com and join the social conversation using #SuperBowlGospel and #NothingCanStopUs.

Any thoughts?