In 2004, the New York Post described Star Jones as a bridezilla who used her upcoming nuptials to Al Reynolds as a marketing and sponsorship opportunity to the highest bidder. I have a vague recollection of her then when she was at the height of her arrogance and self-centeredness on The View, and her co-stars becoming annoyed and exasperated by her endless prattling and sales pitches to venders. According to the Post, Jones tried to get sponsors for a “spa tent” for her bridal party because it was an “outstanding product placement opportunity,”Oscar-style swag bags, and free flights from Continental Airlines. One celebrity wedding planner who wished to stay anonymous said, “I’ve never heard anything as declassé as a celebrity seeking this kind of sponsorship. It’s unbelievably cheap.”

“But seriously, this kind of thing cheapens what we do and it is disrespectful to the people who are providing a service,” said Marcy Blum, a wedding planner and author of Weddings for Dummies. Seems like Jones wanted the glamorous wedding and the husband was just a nice accessory. Had she spent more time obsessing over the marriage and less on a snagging a fancy wedding for free, she might have noticed her husband was using her as his beard.

Here is a prime example of a successful and accomplished black woman who is a lawyer, author and former television personality who mingled around the top escelons of society but was too tone deaf to realize that her classlessness eventually alienated her to the point where she was left without any allies when she was ousted from The View.  Her arrogance, entitlment, and refusal to adhere to the etiquette rules and protocols for short term gain produced long-term failure, heartache, and embarrassment. Star Jones had once been a fan favorite, but her lack of decorum and humility completely empied the bank of good will she had aquired.

The Post article closes with this biting zinger: “Just a thought. Rather than the $10,500 silver tray Star requests on her Tiffany gift registry, maybe one of her best friends should buy her a copy of “Ms. Manners’ Etiquette” instead.”

Fastforward 14 years, and it looks like Star Jones has gotten a clue and a second chance at happiness. She just married Ricardo Lugo while on a cruise in the Bahamas. Judgeing from her Instagram, there seems to be no “brought to you by the Acme Company” on anything.

Star Jones and Ricardo Lugo Wedding on Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas.
https://www.maringvisuals.com/starandricardo02abcd
https://app.asana.com/0/32923395333443/607800591546754/f
Photography by Maring Visuals.

My baby @ricardolugochicago hosted the most fabulous #Birthday party last night for me at sea @royalcaribbean @_anthemoftheseas_ #AnthemToLove Photos @jennifermaring @togetherinstyle #maringvisuals

A post shared by starjonesesq (@starjonesesq) on Mar 25, 2018 at 5:02am PDT

They look very happy and in love. She seems to be giving off a much more relaxed energy. And this time around it appears her discretion, thoughtfulness and humility has once again endeared her in the press, because I haven’t seen one negative article about her trying to hustle sponsors for this wedding. This might be a prime opportunity for her to relaunch her stalling career if she plays her cards right.

Critics of Pink Pill (there are a few; but not many) suggest that any black woman who goes to a good school and gets into a well-paying job will acquire the “soft skills” of navigating through the greater society through osmosis. Like with this example, Star Jones had amazing success in her career, but her lack of etiquette and class minimized all the accomplishments that came before, and it has taken over a decade to climb up from that.

Psst…if you haven’t yet joined the Pink Pill, maybe you should today. We do a complete video case study in our private group. We’re doing this a lot, and trust me…you’re missing out on a lot of vital information. To enroll in the course and be admitted into the private group, click here.

Oh! And if you haven’t already, check out my new column, The Pink Pill, on Eurweb! Here’s the first installment.