Entertainment
Shaquille O’Neal’s Motivation to Lose 55 Lbs Was to ‘Become PHAT’ on September 19, 2023 at 8:30 pm Us Weekly

Shaquille O’Neal opened up about his recent weight loss journey — including the acronym he used as motivation.
“I wanted to become PHAT: pretty, hot and tempting,” O’Neal, 51, exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, September 18, while chatting about his partnership with Fantasy Lab Las Vegas. “I just had to change the way I ate. I started taking my supplements, GF-9 and just a lot of exercise and working out and it’s great. So now, when I go back to the Fantasy Labs, I can take my shirt off and I could be sexy while I’m in Vegas.”
As for his current motivation, O’Neal joked, “I want to be able to take my shirt off on Instagram more than last time … I got a four pack, but I want a 12 pack.” Currently at 350 lbs., the athlete told Us his goal is to get to 325 lbs.
Last month, O’Neal revealed he couldn’t walk up the stairs before adopting a new diet and losing 55 pounds. Despite his goal to become PHAT, the former NBA star told Us it is still hard to find the motivation to stay active.
“I was the world’s greatest athlete. It was easy, but now, you wake up and you got so much to do,” he explained. “My excuse is, ‘I’ll do it later,’ but when I was playing, you had to do it then. So, I just had to restart my mindset. Now when I wake up, I eat fruit, I don’t eat a meal, and then, in order for me to get a meal, I got to go work out.”
In addition to his busy schedule and workout routine, O’Neal has his hands full as Fantasy Lab Las Vegas’ official Chief Fantasy Officer. The immersive sensory experience uses technology and art to transport guests into a variety of colorful and creative exhibits.
Fantasy Lab Las Vegas
“It’s my job to curate the fun, curate the people there, help bring the fun experience and it’s a great job,” O’Neal shared. “It’s seven different rooms. It brings you through seven different mind changes. We have a scary room. We have a room that’s just going to let you just feel free. … This is a place that we would love to make it a go-to destination in Las Vegas.”
He continued: “It’s just going to help elevate your mind, help let your mind be free. We have great food, we have great drinks. We know Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, but if you want to enhance your fantasies, come to Fantasy [Labs].”
The experience is one that the whole family can enjoy. O’Neal, however, has yet to experience it with his own kids. “They’re working and they’re in college and they’re doing their thing,” he stated. (O’Neal shares daughter Taahirah, 27, with ex Arnetta Yardbourgh, and kids Shareef, 23, Amirah, 21, Shaqir, 20, and Me’arah, 17, with his ex-wife, Shaunie O’Neal. The basketball star is also stepfather to Shaunie’s son, Myles, 26, from a previous relationship.)
Fantasy Lab Las Vegas’ new exhibit, SHAQ’s Fantasy Lab, launches to the public in October.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
Shaquille O’Neal opened up about his recent weight loss journey — including the acronym he used as motivation. “I wanted to become PHAT: pretty, hot and tempting,” O’Neal, 51, exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, September 18, while chatting about his partnership with Fantasy Lab Las Vegas. “I just had to change the way I
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Entertainment
What We Can Learn Inside 50 Cent’s Explosive Diddy Documentary: 5 Reasons You Should Watch

50 Cent’s new Netflix docuseries about Sean “Diddy” Combs is more than a headline-grabbing exposé; it is a meticulous breakdown of how power, celebrity, and silence can collide in the entertainment industry.
Across its episodes, the series traces Diddy’s rise, the allegations that followed him for years, and the shocking footage and testimonies now forcing a wider cultural reckoning.

1. It Chronicles Diddy’s Rise and Fall – And How Power Warps Reality
The docuseries follows Combs from hitmaker and business icon to a figure facing serious criminal conviction and public disgrace, mapping out decades of influence, branding, and behind-the-scenes behavior. Watching that arc shows how money, fame, and industry relationships can shield someone from scrutiny and delay accountability, even as disturbing accusations accumulate.

2. Never-Before-Seen Footage Shows How Narratives Are Managed
Exclusive footage of Diddy in private settings and in the tense days around his legal troubles reveals how carefully celebrity narratives are shaped, even in crisis.
Viewers can learn to question polished statements and recognize that what looks spontaneous in public is often the result of strategy, damage control, and legal calculation.
3. Survivors’ Stories Highlight Patterns of Abuse and Silence
Interviews with alleged victims, former staff, and industry insiders describe patterns of control, fear, and emotional or physical harm that were long whispered about but rarely aired in this detail. Their stories underline how difficult it is to speak out against a powerful figure, teaching viewers why many survivors delay disclosure and why consistent patterns across multiple accounts matter.
4. 50 Cent’s Approach Shows Storytelling as a Tool for Accountability
As executive producer, 50 Cent uses his reputation and platform to push a project that leans into uncomfortable truths rather than protecting industry relationships. The series demonstrates how documentary storytelling can challenge established power structures, elevate marginalized voices, and pressure institutions to respond when traditional systems have failed.
5. The Cultural Backlash Reveals How Society Handles Celebrity Accountability
Reactions to the doc—ranging from people calling it necessary and brave to others dismissing it as a vendetta or smear campaign—expose how emotionally invested audiences can be in defending or condemning a famous figure. Watching that debate unfold helps viewers see how fandom, nostalgia, and bias influence who is believed, and why conversations about “cancel culture” often mask deeper questions about justice and who is considered too powerful to fall.
Entertainment
South Park’s Christmas Episode Delivers the Antichrist

A new Christmas-themed episode of South Park is scheduled to air with a central plot in which Satan is depicted as preparing for the birth of an Antichrist figure. The premise extends a season-long narrative arc that has involved Satan, Donald Trump, and apocalyptic rhetoric, positioning this holiday episode as a culmination of those storylines rather than a stand‑alone concept.
Episode premise and season context
According to published synopses and entertainment coverage, the episode frames the Antichrist as part of a fictional storyline that blends religious symbolism with commentary on politics, media, and cultural fear. This follows earlier Season 28 episodes that introduced ideas about Trump fathering an Antichrist child and tech billionaire Peter Thiel obsessing over prophecy and end‑times narratives. The Christmas setting is presented as a contrast to the darker themes, reflecting the series’ pattern of pairing holiday imagery with controversial subject matter.
Public and political reactions
Coverage notes that some figures connected to Donald Trump’s political orbit have criticized the season’s portrayal of Trump and his allies, describing the show as relying on shock tactics rather than substantive critique. Commentators highlight that these objections are directed more at the depiction of real political figures and the show’s tone than at the specific theology of the Antichrist storyline.
At the time of reporting, there have not been widely reported, detailed statements from major religious leaders focused solely on this Christmas episode, though religion-focused criticism of South Park in general has a long history.
Media and cultural commentary
Entertainment outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, Forbes, Slate, and USA Today describe the Antichrist arc as part of South Park’s ongoing use of Trump-era and tech-world politics as material for satire.
Viewer guidance and content advisory
South Park is rated TV‑MA and is intended for adult audiences due to strong language, explicit themes, and frequent use of religious and political satire. Viewers who are sensitive to depictions of Satan, the Antichrist, or parodies involving real political figures may find this episode particularly objectionable, while others may view it as consistent with the show’s long‑running approach to controversial topics. As with previous episodes, individual responses are likely to vary widely, and the episode is best understood as part of an ongoing satirical series rather than a factual or theological statement.
Entertainment
Sydney Sweeney Finally Confronts the Plastic Surgery Rumors

Sydney Sweeney has decided she is finished watching strangers on the internet treat her face like a forensic project. After years of side‑by‑side screenshots, “then vs now” TikToks, and long comment threads wondering what work she has supposedly had done, the actor is now addressing the plastic surgery rumors directly—and using them to say something larger about how women are looked at in Hollywood and online.

Growing Up on Camera vs. “Before and After” Culture
Sweeney points out that people are often mistaking normal changes for procedures: she grew up on camera, her roles now come with big‑budget glam teams, and her body has shifted as she has trained, aged, and worked nonstop. Yet every new red‑carpet photo gets folded into a narrative that assumes surgeons, not time, are responsible. Rather than walking through a checklist of what is “real,” she emphasizes how bizarre it is that internet detectives comb through pores, noses, and jawlines as if they are owed an explanation for every contour of a woman’s face.
The Real Problem Isn’t Her Face
By speaking up, Sweeney is redirecting the conversation away from her features and toward the culture that obsesses over them.
She argues that the real issue isn’t whether an actress has had work done, but why audiences feel so entitled to dissect her body as public property in the first place.
For her, the constant speculation is less about curiosity and more about control—another way to tell women what they should look like and punish them when they do not fit. In calling out that dynamic, Sweeney isn’t just defending herself; she is forcing fans and followers to ask why tearing apart someone else’s appearance has become such a popular form of entertainment.











