Gentlemen do not kiss and tell
Know that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas
Agentleman never tells. People used to love this motto. It is concise, discreet, mysterious, classy – qualities every true gentleman should possess.
It meant more than simply being respectful about a love conquest. The man who said it didn’t need to brag about his love life in order to gain some fake approval from pals.
The phrase was intended to end a conversation by making it clear that details will not be shared. It implies a betrayal of confidence, typically (but not necessarily) when referring to an encounter of a sexual nature.
In 2013, American singer Ray J released a track called I Hit It First. The song is a reference to Ray J’s past relationship with TV reality star Kim Kardashian, who at the time was involved with rapper Kanye West.
Ray J had earlier made a pornographic sex tape that helped launch Kim’s career. Kardashian’s star was soaring while Ray J’s was average at best. The song had this chorus: She might move onto rappers, and ball players, but we all know I hit it first.
The song also hinted at Kanye with the lyrics: But now baby chose to go West.
The public backlash was swift and Ray J, the younger brother of the talented artist and actress Brandy Norwood, has never scaled Kanye and Kim’s career heights.
Closer to home, there we were worrying about the fourth wave of Covid-19 and whether we’d be forced to vaccinate when singer and presenter Jub Jub distracted us with his penile peccadilloes.
In a now infamous podcast with Macg, Jub Jub felt the need to tell us that he’d “smashed” actress Amanda Du Pont when they dated years ago. Du Pont, who had since moved on with her life, was not amused. She revealed the abuse she suffered at the arms of the Uyajola99 presenter. Moja Love suspended him as more women claimed Jub Jub had raped them.
Jub Jub this week apologised for the “humiliation and hurt” his lewd comments caused the Skeem Saam actress. However, the saga is far from over as Du Pont and Macg exchanged legal threats while Jub Jub himself announced he would be laying charges of crimen injuria and defamation against his alleged rape accusers.
This was not Jub Jub’s first apology after he released a song with Tshepo Tshola asking for forgiveness after serving prison time for his role in a car crash that killed four Soweto pupils.
I’m grateful for the second chance. Now I know where my life stands, with a purpose. I just wanna tie up all loose ends. No more wrong turns, he sang in 2017. The public received Jub Jub’s apology favourably and his career took off.
Now, I wouldn’t accuse Ray J and Jub Jub of being gentlemen, but they are both public figures who ought to know their deeds and words spread wider than most. A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.