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‘Twitter Queen’ Dionne Warwick opens up about her social media fame

What makes a social media star? Usually it’s a perfect blend of direct honesty, zesty wit and a down-to-earth way of communicating on the fly. So really, is it any surprise that sensational music icon Dionne Warwick has won the title Queen of Twitter? I think her thousands upon thousands of followers—or as she calls…

By

Heather Wake

Dionne Warwick twitter, Dionne warwick tiktok, Dionne warwick today show
Photo credit: Twitter – Dionne Warwick on 'The Today Show' via Twitter.

What makes a social media star? Usually it’s a perfect blend of direct honesty, zesty wit and a down-to-earth way of communicating on the fly. So really, is it any surprise that sensational music icon Dionne Warwick has won the title Queen of Twitter? I think her thousands upon thousands of followers—or as she calls them, her “babies”—would give a resounding “no.”

“The Today Show” recently interviewed Warwick to discuss adding internet fame to her many, many, many accolades. The pop icon noted that learning the platform gave her “a chance to to meet some really wonderful kids … and some grown ups that finally figured out how to do it.”

“Auntie” Dionne first came to Twitter at the suggestion of her social media savvy niece, Brittani Warwick. Brittani, also Dionne’s branding director, knew her auntie’s inherent “nosiness” would be well received. She told People, “The great thing about Aunt Dionne is she brings such joy just by being herself, even if she’s being very firm and stern with you, it’s through love.”

Though she is “not writing a bio,” Dionne has been delighting celebrities, corporations and fans alike. Everyone is fair game.

Revisiting some of her top-tier tweeting moments—both infamous and obscure—it’s easy to see why this 80-year-old woman is dominating the app while making friends (not to mention endorsement offers) along the way.


The tweet to Snoop Dogg that started it all.

Warwick’s playful spirit showed up in her tweet asking “How do send a tweet to @SnoopDogg? Did I do this correctly?”

Yes, Dionne, you nailed it. We don’t even care about the improper grammar.

(And yes, Snoop Dogg did reply eventually)

Which led to roasting Chance the Rapper…

Warwick must have gotten the hang of the platform pretty quickly. Only two days later she jokingly called out Chance the Rapper’s stage name.“Hi, @chancetherapper. If you are very obviously a rapper why did you put it in your stage name? I cannot stop thinking about this.” She went on to start calling herself “Dionne the Singer.”

…and The Weeknd…

On a savage streak, Dionne chose to hit R&B artist The Weeknd, tweeting: “The Weeknd is next. Why? It’s not even spelled correctly? @theweeknd”

…​​and​​ a music collaboration for charity.

What started as social media comedy has now turned into a collaboration. Dionne (the singer), Chance the Rapper and The Weeknd have a new song coming out this week (on Nov 26). The single, titled “Not Impossible,” will go to support charities SocialWorks, Hunger: Not Impossible and Kind Music Academy; and it will help launch 12 Days of Giving, a campaign focused on keeping those in need warm and fed during the cold winter months. Warwick always uses her imminent power for good.

Her honorary staff position at Twitter

Warwick’s tweets (or “twotes,” as she prefers to call them) have made such a digital splash that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey told her he wanted Warwick on his staff, referring to her as “Employee of the Month.” Dionne immediately let the world know about her new position.

When she gave some loving advice to a stranger

Proving that she really is “everybody’s auntie,” Dionne dished out some wisdom to a stranger having a rough time.

Her airport humble brag

In her defense, Dionne is cute everywhere she goes. And she did just apologize.

That time she reached out to let us know she is, in fact, not dead

As one commenter wrote, “you ain’t famous until a media source says you’re dead while you’re trying to eat breakfast.”

When she became a Swiftie

A kinship was already forged when Warwick initially tweeted to Taylor Swift wishing her good day. But she also weighed in on the case of Taylor’s missing red scarf (the one Jake Gyllenhaal was rumored to still have post-breakup). She even offered to pay postage for Gyllenhaal to return it.

The whole thing sparked an online debate as to whether or not the scarf was really a scarf at all, or whether it was actually a metaphor for Taylor’s … well … let’s just say something else that can be lost but not returned.

Her hilarious and “unnecessary” brand deal audition

She told Twitter: “All these children, babies, youngsters, are grabbing on all of these wonderful commercial that they’re doing. somethings wrong with this picture. Why aren’t these brands coming after people with my age demographic?”

Then she decided that maybe they were waiting for an audition.

Her video included a hilarious throwback to Hellmann’s mayonnaise, where she reiterated that she was a hell no for mayo in coffee.

All of the brands replied back to tell Miss Warwick that an audition was not necessary. Rightfully so.

Becoming the new face of Oreo

People were quick to eat up this branded co-op idea.

One person tweeted “I would buy them in a heartbeat.”

Though Dionne promises not to pick a weird flavor, I think people would even flock to an Oreo that tasted like salmon, if her image appeared on the packaging.

When she championed Megan Thee Stallion, and women everywhere

When one person responded to Dionne’s tweet saying “miss Warwick, you’re a hot girl??? what you know about Megan?” she had the perfect response:

“I know that she is a smart young lady with a good heart!” she replied.

She added “I don’t know what a ‘hot girl’ is, but women support women in this house! I am happy to see kind people receive recognition. That’s all. (I’m turning 80. Please do not tell me what a ‘hot girl’ is ).”

Her sweet reminder that she’s spreading love, not throwing shade

I think this person sums up our collective response: “I’ll take Auntie shade or love or whatever you throw my way.”

And lastly, her SNL appearance, meeting “herself”

Dionne’s Twitter fame is so vast that “Saturday Night Live” featured a scene where Dionne Warwick tells herself (played by Ego Nwodim) “Darling, I’m not perfect. I’m just very very good.”

Indeed she is. Thank you Miss Warwick for brightening up the internet and bridging the gap between generations, inspiring everyone to engage in more lighthearted interactions.

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    13-year-old’s unique ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ rendition was so impressive it even wowed Queen

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    Mark Toothaker’s CT scan revealed the source of his seizure. Photo Credit: Canva Photos

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    www.allproreels.com — Washington Football Team at Atlanta Falcons from Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA October 3rd, 2021 (All-Pro Reels Photography)

    Whatever it is, Toothaker says he’s grateful to Koo: “I know it wasn’t his best moment…For [Malory] and I to be belly-laughing at his expense, which I feel terrible about now, but it all worked out in the end, that for me it couldn’t have been a better moment.”

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    Bidets have been found to be better for your health, the environment, and your wallet, but Americans still won’t switch from paper to a little spritz of water. If the runs on TP during the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t inspire Americans to change their ways, maybe nothing will. 

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    How women in fake beards made one of the most iconic scenes in ‘Lord of the Rings’ history

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    Heather Wake

    The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is widely regarded as the most action-packed installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Battle of Helm’s Deep alone was a juggernaut of a fight scene, wherein thousands of Riders of Rohan (the good guys) go up against the forces of Saruman’s infantry of Uruk-hai, Orcs, and Dunlendings (the bad guys). 

    And of course, valiantly fighting in disguise as a Rider of Rohan, or the Rohirrim, in the third and final installment of Lord of the Rings (i.e. Return of the King) is Eowyn (played by Miranda Otto), one of the only three female leads in the trilogy. Funny to think that Eowyn wasn’t, in fact, the only cross-dressing female in this iconic movie moment…not by a long shot. 

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    A BTS story that stuck

    Major LOTR nerds might remember this story being shared in the extensive behind-the-scenes footage that came with the DVD. In it, we see the female extras getting fit (one even jokes, “I am a girl! See?!”), as well as Viggo Mortensen, aka Aragorn, coyly admitting that he may or may not have had a crush on one with a strawberry blonde beard. 

    While this kind of bonus content is, in some ways, a thing of pop culture past, this story lives on online as part of LOTR lore, occasionally resurfacing from time to time to either shock those who were unaware, or give aficionados reason to brag, “Yeah, I already knew that.” Either way, it’s always an opportunity to find newfound appreciation. It also highlights how the best kind of filmmaking often relies on practical solutions that subtly reshape what audiences think they are seeing. 

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    Both the Lord of the Rings books and movie series are highly regarded for the way they portray masculinity and male relationships. But as we see, both in obvious and not-so-obvious ways, the women in LOTR brought to life some of the story’s most defining moments. 

    And really, even more than that, this story speaks to the collaborative nature of filmmaking. As a new rendition of Lord of the Rings is currently being created—in a time when so many vitally human aspects of filmmaking seem to be at risk—one can only hope this element stays within its DNA. 

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    ‘Wheel of Fortune’ fan conducts wild 6-year study and finds bizarre pattern with male contestants

    “Peak use of free will.”

    Heather Wake

    Sure, there are several hacks Wheel of Fortune players might use to increase their odds of success—calling out common letters, using “Express Wedges,” etc. But when it comes to keeping a marriage alive post-show, there’s really only one winning strategy: compliments.

    A very specific (and very committed) investigation

    Who’s to say what prompted a man named Joey to devote six years to watching “nearly 2,000 episodes” of the hit game show to see how many of its married male contestants were “kicked to the curb” after competing. But regardless, his findings were…surprising, to say the least.

    After examining episodes that aired between 2010 and 2019, Joey discovered that male game players who didn’t use “complimentary adjectives” (think “gorgeous,” “amazing,”  “fantastic”) to describe their wives during their introductions were far more likely—3x more likely, in fact—to get divorced within five years than their honey-tongued counterparts. 

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    Image of divorce papers Photo credit: Canva

    Apparently, 15% of the hubbies who forgot to attribute some kind of heavenly descriptor to their spouse got the boot, while only 5% of the complimentary group suffered the same fate. 

    Joey saw more or less the same gap among the 185 Wheel of Fortune winners who were married men. Seven percent of the praising fellas eventually got divorced, while 17% of the tightlipped ones saw their relationship disintegrate.

    @joeytoks

    This took me 6 years to make btw #wheeloffortune #datascience

    ♬ original sound – Joey Toks

    The Internet reacts: “Peak use of free will”

    It wasn’t long before this wild study went viral online. People were shocked, yes, but mostly incredibly impressed by Joey’s “investigative journalism.” 

    “Peak use of free will. It’s people like this that got us out of caves and into the future.”

    “I can appreciate weird obsessive behaviors. Love this.”

    Fellow data nerds were particularly enamored. 

    “This is a data analyst with hyperfixation. So niche, and now will giggle when i listen to the men introductions. No one will get when i say, ‘divorced 5 years!’ and if they ask.. i’ll come back to this comment!”

    “As a data analytics student i’m obsessed with this and this just opened a whole world of opportunity for me and my spare time tysm.”

    One Wheel of Fortune insider even shared, “This is wild because the WoF casting people go out of their way to prep you to say something complimentary about your spouse. I remember trying to come up with something really unique to say about my husband, but the takeaway is that I knew I HAD to use some kind of complimentary adjective. So, not doing this means you actively worked against the coaching.”

    As for Wheel of Fortune itself, the show’s verified TikTok account could only muster, “Bruh” in the comments section, along with a “mind-blown” emoji. 

    Why compliments actually matter in relationships

    marriage, wheel of fortune, divorce
    A happy, smiling older couple Photo credit: Canva

    These findings, however seemingly niche, do reflect a larger bit of general relationship wisdom. According to renowned marriage specialist John Gottman, publicly complimenting your spouse is a powerful tool to build a “culture of appreciation”, which strengthens the relationship’s emotional foundation. It demonstrates fondness, admiration, and pride in your partner, contributing to the crucial 5:1 positive-to-negative interaction ratio needed for a healthy marriage.

    In other words, it might not guarantee a jackpot, but a few kind words can go a surprisingly long way. And unlike solving a puzzle on national TV, this move can be practiced every day.

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