Lupita Nyong’o doesn’t own a TV, gets her news summaries from friends

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Here are some photos of Lupita Nyong’o out and about in NYC yesterday. She’s a princess!! My God, this shot of her wearing a scarf over her hair, with those sunglasses and the ugly Dolce & Gabbana dress… she’s just stunning. She changed clothes for her Good Morning American interview too, and that dress was so much better. Lupita is currently promoting her voice work in The Jungle Book. I could basically watch Lupita talk for hours.

That’s cute that John Boyega sent her a special message. I love the way they say each other’s names too. Do you think their relationship is really brother-sister or something else? I ask because I’d like to see Lupita get together with Michael B. Jordan. I think they would be smoking hot as a couple.

Meanwhile, Lupita recently talked to Stylist about how she lives at home in Brooklyn. But Lupita isn’t curled up at home watching Game of Thrones and Better Call Saul. That’s because she doesn’t own a TV. Some highlights from her Stylist interview:

Having her own space: “It’s vital. I make sure I spend time with myself every morning.”

How she stays on top of the news: “I don’t own a TV, but I do get my news in other ways. I have friends who are avid news readers, they give me the summary. They’re like human news apps, they’re the best kind.”

Making a home in Brooklyn: “I’ve made a home for myself here. I grew up in a family that travelled a lot and so being away from home feels very natural to me. But I do have all my family back home in Kenya so I will always feel drawn to my motherland.”

What she makes for dinner parties: “I’d cook a whole fish with kale and rice. There’d be a lot of talking with good music.”

She loves ‘Hamilton’ too: “Hamilton changed my life. I’ve watched it three times and I can’t wait to see it again.”

Her recent reading list: “Leymah Gbowee’s autobiography Mighty Be Our Powers, Zadie Smith’s The Embassy Of Cambodia and James Lipton’s An Exaltation Of Larks bring a logophile like me great joy.

[From Stylist]

Logophile = lover of words. Just FYI. Maybe we would have known that if we didn’t spend our time watching TV! I’ve gone through phases of my life where I didn’t watch a lot of TV, but at this point, I do side-eye people who are like, “Oh, I don’t even own a TV.” Granted, Lupita could be watching stuff online and maybe she travels so much, she doesn’t want to spend the money on cable. But still… to live without a TV in your 30s???? Nope.

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Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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50 Responses to “Lupita Nyong’o doesn’t own a TV, gets her news summaries from friends”

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  1. lower-case deb says:

    i didn’t own a tv until i got married 🙂
    technically speaking, of course.

    the tv was my roommate’s, and i would occasionally join her in her room to watch some stuff.

    then, the internet rendered tv somewhat useless. now my tv is actually a computer monitor too. the family tv is for the kids and the husband. between Barney and football, i have better chance of watching for myself on my computer or my phone.

    it’s funny how i now find myself feeling bored without access to youtube or streaming sites or candy crush. sometimes when the connection is down, i’d catch myself remarking to my husband: “now what am i going to do?” and then i remember my crochet 🙂

    i remember a time when i was a productive crocheter… those were the good ol days…

    • Chris says:

      I crochet too and often forget about it for long periods of time and pick it up again. It’s silly because I do watch tv so in theory I could be crocheting everytime I watch tv. I am back on the crochet train right now because two of my cousins are having babies and I am easily motivated by baby items.

    • Cran says:

      I have only been exposed to TV since mid March as I moved in with a person who has four. I stopped watching TV when it went digital. I have missed nothing. The majority are reality shows or Law & Order and its spinoffs. All of which are repeats. I am more informed on news events worldwide than the majority of people I come in contact with.

  2. Jess Young says:

    I don’t own a TV and I don’t miss it. I get my news from NPR and websites. Like this one…

    • zannoub says:

      Neither do I. I watch news on my cellphone thru the newschannels apps, and I agree that I get some news from celebitchy 🙂

      • Skyblue says:

        I don’t own a television either right now. I get my news from Celebitchy, twitter, NY times and Seattle times updates. I haven’t subscribed to cable in about ten years.

    • asiont says:

      same here! me and my husband haven’t had a tv for 6 years now and it really is time saving! we still watch some series online and read news but it is not as time consuming and mind-numbing as sitting in front of the telly and watching whatever is on.

      • Amy says:

        Ditto! Haven’t had TV channels or cable since 2006 (well i spent half of those years overseas anyway) but by the time I got back it was pointless. Why spend 15-25% of your TV time in advertisements when you can pay Netflix or ad-free Hulu a few dollars and be thoroughly entertained. (I prefer to read my news anyway – less drama that way.)

    • JenYfromTheBlok says:

      I was an artist/ stoner most of my 20’s so I didn’t integrate good grown up habits like staying abreast of politic and world affairs. I’m a late bloomer in all things non-narcissistic. Now I love the news but rely on smarter friends for discussions and historical context.

  3. T.Fanty says:

    Oh, I am so over actors who go with the whole “I’m such a luddite” affectation (because she’s also implying that she doesn’t do cellphones, either). It’s absolute nonsense, and I don’t believe it for a second. In terms of actor cliches, it’s up there with “I don’t work out” and cheesy-actor-praying-hands in response to applause.

    I would be so impressed and entertained by an actor who announces that they have googled themselves and found the results glorious/horrifying.

    • V4Real says:

      I agree T.Fanty
      I don’t buy this BS either. Not only do they try to pretend that they don’t watch or own a TV, they pretend that they only concern themselves with news and books as if they are trying to show us how refined they are.

      And I bet she has Googled herself. I will give RDJ and Ann Hathaway credit for that. They admit that they have done it. Unlike Brad Pit who claims he didn’t even know how to use the internet on his phone.

  4. Locke Lamora says:

    Apparently none of the actors these days own TVs. Eyeroll.
    She’s stunning, a good actress and I really hope her career will keep being great, but I find her so annoying. You can kinda see she comes from money.

    • V4Real says:

      But what’s going on with her movie career?I know that she’s on Broadway but she’s in two major films and all she did was voice over. You don’t get to see her.

      I know some people make a big deal about her being on Broadway but that’s not a far stretch for actors. NeNe Leaks from The RHOA has been on Broadway. So has Fantasia and they are not even huge celebrities. They come from reality shows.

      • lisa2 says:

        Yeah I’m disappointed that she hasn’t really hit it in a Movie. I know she is in some talked about films; but they are really not about her. Even The Jungle Book or Star Wars. She is doing Americanah so hopefully that will film sometime in the near future.

        I don’t want her to become just about her fashion. That will never be a winning road in the end.

  5. Als says:

    I would not bother providing information regarding the latest news to someone that does not own a TV. It seems a waste of time. I am not anyone’s personal CNN.
    And I know what logophile means in spite of all the TV that I’m watching.

  6. Jen says:

    I can totally see no tv if you have a crazy schedule and you just want to unwind at home, reading and knitting, maybe some music for background noise (oh, that would be me!). And she could watch guilty pleasure shows on a laptop or something. But I do think it’s odd that she herself doesn’t read the papers for news (maybe she does, but I think she’d say so). It gives you something to discuss with those human news apps instead of just nodding along!

  7. Jenns says:

    Didn’t she say that she likes to get into bed and watch Game of Thrones? Maybe I’m thinking of someone else.

    But I feel “I don’t own a TV” is the new “I’m a vegan”.

  8. Pandy says:

    Well
    Isn’t she too fabulous for words!

  9. lucy2 says:

    She is so stunning.

    But what is all her furniture pointed towards!?! 😉
    I always get a kick out of people who proudly declare they don’t watch TV, and the proceed to list all the TV shows they’re watching online. Especially nowadays when TV is often offering better material than most films.

  10. Lindy says:

    I think she’s pretty fascinating, more than I realized.

    I don’t own a TV either (also in my 30s). Partly it’s because I’m hearing impaired and have to watch with captions, so after a day of staring at computer screens for work, doing it in the evening isn’t very restful or fun for me.

    But partly it’s because I guess I never developed a TV habit. To each her own. If someone loves keeping up with favorite programs, then go for it. If someone else finds pleasure in other activities, I don’t think it’s weird or worthy of side-eye.

  11. paolanqar says:

    I ditched my tv 5 years ago. I never missed it once and all i need to know is available on the internet for me to read and watch. At least I don’t get brainwashed with selected tv programmes or news.

    • V4Real says:

      Get a Smart TV and you don’t have to worry about selected TV programs or news. Everything that I have on my smartphone I just screen mirror to my TV and watch what I want. YouTube, videos, movies, games, etc. Whatever is on the internet I can send to my television. Currently when I have time I’m catching up on Supernatural which I screen mirror from my phone to my TV. Sometimes I hate watching things on a computer screen or Note. So I love having this option.

      • truthSF says:

        Holy crap, I’m binge watching Supernatural too. I love me some Jensen “Dean Winchester” Ackles.

  12. Colette says:

    I have several friends in their 30’s and 40’s who don’t own a tv.Of course they occasionally watch tv when they visit family or friends.She didn’t say she NEVER watches tv.Also many shows are available online.

  13. Babsie says:

    There aren’t words to describe my love for Lupita. She has such class and style. Someone above said you can tell she comes from money – I didn’t know that. But it’s not a shock. She carries herself as someone who has tons of self-respect and self-esteem. She is a wonderful role model for young women, IMO. Beautiful, articulate, talented, and sophisticated. (Take note Kardashian-Jenners).

    PS: I own a TV, but I don’t watch it much. And bypassing the news isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, my therapist actually prescribed it during my bout with depression.

  14. Tiffany says:

    I cannot wait for The Jungle Book. It looks, awesome.

    I really want Lupina to get back in the live action game. Voice is lovely, but so is the rest of her.

    • Cee says:

      I saw it last Sunday and it was BEAUTIFUL. I honestly forgot the animals weren’t real (except they were talking animals LOL). I loved Baloo, and Mowgli was such a cute young actor and interacted flawlessly with the animated animals.

      Go see it if you can, it’s definitely worth the ticket money.

  15. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I think she’s so adorable. I watch tv, but I get my news from radio mostly. I can’t watch TV news, at least local, because it makes me scared to go outside.

    • Naya says:

      Same here. I fell in love with BBC World Service so I just have that playing in the background most of the day. I supplement that with a couple of websites and thats about it.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        I think they focus on moreworld news. Our local news is rape murder fire rape murder fire. It makes me neurotic.

  16. OTHER RENEE says:

    We have a tv but no tv service. The original excuse was so that my step kid wouldn’t watch it 24/7 which turned out to be kinda dumb because you can watch anything on Netflix or Hulu. Now we just wouldn’t have the time. My husband and I work and are in grad school and up til ridiculous hours as it is.

    But as for the news, I call BS. I get it off my phone. How pretentious is she?

  17. NeoCleo says:

    I just love looking at her.

  18. Veronica says:

    *shrugs* I’m 30 and have never owned a TV of my own. There’s little I enjoy watching on basic, I refuse to pay for cable, and what I do like, I’ll watch on Netflix because it allows me to watch things at my own pace rather than work around my crazy schedule. I find television media to be pretty biased as far as news goes, so I tend to I stick to blogs and news sites to balance it out. I spend more of my time reading or listening to podcasts. I feel like I get more out of it.

    I’m high-fiving her for Zadie Smith. I love her work and really need to catch up with her last two.

  19. AlmondJoy says:

    I know lots of people that don’t own a TV but I do find it weird when actresses and actors say this.. Still it’s like ok whatever floats your boat! I see no reason to lie about it.

    This is a fierce look for her. She’s so effortlessly chic!

  20. thaisajs says:

    “..but I do get my news in other ways. I have friends who are avid news readers, they give me the summary. They’re like human news apps, they’re the best kind.”

    Actually, no. That’s an excellent way to get your “news” from a small, self-selected group of people who share your world view. It doesn’t allow you to hear about what’s going on in the world from independent sources or others who don’t share your world view. Which means, ultimately, you really are terribly ignorant of what’s going on in the world around you.

    There are plenty of ways to get news from sources other than TV. It says a lot about her that she doesn’t care enough to try.

    • v says:

      this. i’m so surprised ppl are focusing on the tv comment and not the fact that she gets her news from her friends.smh.

    • Veronica says:

      She said she had other ways, emphasis plural, and then mentioned her friends as one of them. I get a fair amount of news from friends in academia that you won’t see in local media simply because it isn’t considered newsworthy. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure the woman owns a smartphone.

      Beyond that, I’d point out in the age of corporatized media and highly polarized politics that it’s not particularly difficult to put yourself in an echo chamber of your own beliefs even if you do go to traditional news sources. If you don’t think so, try sitting down for a few hours one day and watch MSNBC and Fox News completely undermine anything resembling journalistic integrity.

  21. HK9 says:

    Loving the outfit and the shoes though!!

  22. Cee says:

    I own a TV but not cable, I just use my TV for streaming services and some apps, and for my dvd player. Maybe that’s what she meant. Although you can definitely check out the news in other ways such as the radio, the papers or the Internet.

    Anyway, I don’t automatically feel awe or respect for people who do not read the news. I feel that we have to know what’s going on. But that’s just me.

  23. AnotherDirtyMartini says:

    Love her. During my 20’s I rarely watched any tv. Now I’m more of a homebody plus there’s SO much great television to watch.

  24. jsilly4e says:

    I’m a tv person. I have multiple tv’s, and a home theater. I also have a library with lots of books and my Kindle app. I find it funny when actors state they don’t own a tv yet that’s where so many people watch THEIR shows, movies, award shows, tv interviews etc. I’m not saying to be glued to your television but why can’t I watch Sherlock or Elementary while I’m folding clothes? Why can’t I put my son to bed and watch The Flash with my husband? Am I supposed to feel like a loser because I grew up watching television and still do?

    Also, my eldest sister is a narcissist and I recently overhear her telling people how she did an experiment and got rid of her TV and how it’s so wonderful she doesn’t miss it anymore. Well set aside that she is 49 years old and doesn’t work or have savings and lives off my parents and bad to get rid of cable because she couldn’t afford it. Uh, what about your Netflix account? And watching shows streamed online? Or your DVD collections? Because when someone tells me they don’t own a tv just because you’re getting your news and shows and movies elsewhere doesn’t mean you’re still not sitting on your butt watching stuff. And that doesn’t make you better than me. Or worse! Sheesh!

  25. blairski says:

    I’m such a Lupita fan. I hope she finds her way in film or television and that she has a long career!

  26. elimaeby says:

    I’m 30 and don’t have a TV, mainly because I subscribe to every streaming service possible (Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, Sundance Doc Club, you name it) and I prefer to enjoy shows snuggled in bed with my pup on my already too-expenseive laptop. Who needs the added cost of a TV set? All those services combined are 1/4 as expensive as local cable service, as well.

  27. Felice. says:

    Then how did she watch the Oscars in her PJs the year before she won? #busted

    (I jest)

  28. boo says:

    My sister in law is always telling me “I don’t watch TV”, because my elderly mom (she’s 88) has her “programs” that she likes to watch (I take care of my mom). It really bugs me when she says this, like she’s better than us because “she doesn’t watch TV” but you can’t get her off her iPhone, who she’s attached to at the hip! She bought my mom Netflix and got her an iPad and signed her up on FB. My mom hates FB, it’s boring she says, who cares what these people are doing and the iPad leaves her cold, she’s never watched Netflix, she hates all the movies wants to watch PBS, loves all the programs there. I just laugh, I like Netflix and TV is ok as a back drop but there is nothing on there that I like, from time to time I go on the internet, I’m too busy for all this crap. Thanks for my rant, I love Lupita though, she’s the bomb.

  29. Tara says:

    She has the cutest little face. I barely watch television. With the internet you don’t really need it to be entertained. I don’t think it’s that odd to not own a television because of all the notebooks and tablets on the market to easily entertain you. Television is boring right now anyway.

  30. Magnoliarose says:

    With her schedule and living in New York I can believe it. A lot of people don’t watch TV anymore, I hardly do because I can watch my shows online. I DVR some things.
    She’s very regal and pretty. I like her.

  31. Corgis4Life says:

    I have a TV but I don’t have cable. I stream things from my laptop to the TV and have an ad blocker so no commercials EVER. I will never pay for cable again i love this! I just watch my favorite shows and read the nytimes and this website to catch up on my news. I went to my parents house and could feel how the commercials were making me agitated and annoyed – why pay a monthly bill for that?

  32. Kiki says:

    I am so proud of Layouts. I think she is gorgeous and redefine. I Don’t love TV anymore and I detest film these days. But I love theater.

    So Layouts, just keep going. Everyone loves you.

  33. Gabby says:

    I saw her on Broadway (in the show Eclipsed) and she was amazing, as were all the other cast members. Fun fact: the show was written by Michonne from the Walking Dead 🙂

    And, like most other commenters here it seems, I also don’t have a TV and don’t want or need one.