Over the past several weeks, headlines have been filled with news of Megan Thee Stallion, Tory Lanez, and their fateful encounter on July 12. In the wake of the news that Tory had been arrested, it was revealed that Megan had been shot, opening a sorely-needed, but poorly-conducted discussion about the dangers faced by Black women in America — even the most famous of them.
Here’s a timeline of what we know:
Megan And Tory First Appear On Quarantine Radio
The pair first sparked rumors — and light admonishment from fans — about their relationship when they appeared on Tory’s Quarantine Radio livestream from Megan’s house. While the lighthearted stream found the two laughing it up as Megan failed to teach Tory the latest TikTok dance, some fans noted that their activities seemed to be violating social distance guidelines. For the most part, though, it seemed as though the two were having a good time and made a fun — if odd — couple.
News Of Tory’s Arrest And Megan’s Injury
The first signs of trouble in paradise arose when news broke in mid-July that Tory had been arrested for carrying a concealed weapon while Megan, a passenger in his SUV at the time of his arrest, had suffered an injury to her foot. At the time, the injury was reported as a cut from broken glass as a result of the altercation that sent police looking for Tory’s vehicle in the first place. Witnesses at a party the couple attended described an argument and multiple gunshots before the car peeled away, and video of the arrest showed Meg leaving behind clearly visible, bloody footprints as she exited the vehicle.
Megan Reveals That She Was Shot
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCrBV3vlHvA/?utm_source=ig_embed
After a few days of speculation from fans, the first solid tidbits of information began to trickle out and in an attempt to get ahead of the rumor mill, Megan revealed that she’d been shot in what she called the “result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me.” She promised that she was focused on recovery so that she could get back to making music, noting that she hated “that it took this experience for me to learn how to protect my energy.”
Social Media Reacts To Megan’s Shooting
https://twitter.com/bigbaobuns/status/1287984556306509824
Once Megan revealed that she had indeed been shot and TMZ reported that Tory was the suspected shooter, people on social media went wild with reactions. 50 Cent reposted a demeaning meme — which he later deleted and apologized for — while video model Draya Michele joked during an interview that she wished someone cared enough about her to shoot her. Other transphobic and misogynistic jokes surfaced as well, with some men seemingly approving of Tory’s actions and Black women once again forced to lament that they are often the butt of jokes that are more dangerous than funny.
Megan Condemns Jokes, Defends Herself
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDKJ61IF7v4/
Megan herself re-entered the conversation to call out those who’d joked about her predicament, streaming a frank and vulnerable talk on Instagram in which she admitted that Tory had shot her in both feet and detailed the resulting trauma. She also took to Twitter to censure Draya’s comments as the model met harsh repercussions across the board, reportedly getting dropped as a Fenty ambassador as Fenty founder Rihanna, Lizzo, and Beyonce all reached out to wish Meg a speedy recovery with thoughtful gifts and messages.
As of now, we don’t know what the ultimate outcome of this situation will be, anymore than we know how or why things escalated to the point of violence. Tory Lanez is currently under LAPD investigation for assault, while Megan returned to social media to assure fans she would return to releasing music soon. However, the situation does highlight a very grave issue: Black women are increasingly forced to stand up for themselves and each other against misogynistic men both in real life and online, and that’s a fact that needs to change.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
