Filmmakers and celebrities (including Keough herself) read it in one sitting. Forgie, who is unhappy with the film because she feels it glamorizes sex trafficking, told. Jessica Rae Swiatkowski maintains that she did not prostitute herself that evening, that Zola was the only one "trapping." But based on her quotes from the rest of the interview, it seems she's. Rolling Stone interviewed Zola shortly after her thread went viral and she freely admitted she'd embellished reality for dramatic effect. The trip was narrated by Zola a.k.a. While Wells' story may have seemed "crazy," however, and while Wells herself is hilarious, there's nothing unusual (or funny) about its sheer level of violence. That weekend, they motored down to Tampa with Jessica's boyfriend, the stumbling, pitiful Jarrett (renamed Derrek and played by Nicholas Braun in Zola), and a man named "Z," eventually identified as Rudy (Colman Domingo, who goes by X in the film). Best seller in waiting. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Zola and Jarrett fly back to Detroit, and then a few days later Zola gets a call from Las Vegas. ", alongside several images of two girls posing together. Director Janicza Bravo and costume designer Derica Cole Washington explain the sartorial symbolism and subversion of expectations in the movie inspired by A'Ziah "Zola" King's 2015 Twitter odyssey. Despite the chaos, Wells and Scott stuck around: Wells because she had no way home, Scott because he hoped he could bring Swiatkowski home with him. xo., Jessica Rae & Zola the Stripper aka Aziah King: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Hashtagged #TheStory, the stripper sagain which King, 19 at the time, was lured to Florida for a weekend of exotic dancing, only to be roped into something far more nebulous (and dangerous)trended around the globe. The upcoming release of Aquaman 2 has already been marred by controversy due to the recent legal issues surrounding Amber Heard which has left many As Vivek Ramaswamy enters the 2024 GOP presidential race, we take a look at the biotech CEOs net worth compared to his competition. According to both Wells and Scott, that was not the end of Rudy's menacing behavior. It's kind of long but full of suspense," reads the first tweet, which included a photo of Wells and Swiatkowski. State police drove the girls to a local gas station, but they had no way to get home from there. It's Jessica, saying she's been arrested for selling sex and discovered "Z was wanted for kidnapping 15 underage girls & is linked to 6 murders". The indie flick heavily leans into the comedic chaos of a friendly strip trip that went criminally south, its flashy trailer flush with women on poles, cash, and guns, but at its core, Zola is an unsettling account of how young women can quickly fall victim to the seedy underworld of sex trafficking. Jessica Rae Swiatkowski | Facebook Forgot Account? The Twitter threads movie adaptation, createdby Janicza Bravo (who also directed the picture) and Jeremy O. Harris, hit theaters Tuesday. "There has still been no sentencing because there is NO PROOF!" Jessica (left), known as 'white b****' in the epic tale that was posted to Twitter this week, admitted to the part about stripping as did her ex Jarrett (right) According to Zola's account the. She is judging the circumstance that they found themselves in, but she isnt judging that work. https://instagram.com/p/9eBWkXjZpO/?taken-by=jessraeswiat. Pella said that Swiatkowski, who was in the room with them, did nothing to stop it. Zola said she hoped her Twitter story, which she posted and deleted twice before it went viral, would raise awareness about sex trafficking. After hitting it off, Jessica invited Aziah to join her, her boyfriend Jarrett, and her pimp "Z" to Florida. For others, it's manipulation, coercion or psychological abuse. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. A 2016 KOLO-TV report notes that investigators determined that Rudy lured three Michigan women between 19 and 21 to Reno, Nevada to work as sex workers shortly after the events in Zolas thread. Zola presents itself as its own artsy acid trip, a rose-colored Florida funhouse experience set to the rapid-fire tune of incoming tweets (and, eventually, gunshots), injected with just enough chill to make you shiver. Jessica Rae Swiatkowski's Michigan Voter Registration. The thread concludes with Zola departing Florida and receiving a collect call four days later from Jessica, who was in a Las Vegasjail. Among friends, he went by "Rudy Uwedjo," at least on Facebook, where his photo is a hulking black pitbull. Jessica Rae Swiatkowski to be exact, at the Hooters where she worked when she was 19. Both Zolaand Jarretttold Rolling Stone that didnt happen either. Opinion The woke mob says catching COVID makes you a bad person. Letsgetstarted. The White Bitch Jessica is actually Michigan mother Jessica Rae Swiatkowski. The story captivated Twitter, attracting the interest of Missy Elliott and Solange Knowles, with When They See Us director Ava DuVernay commenting: Drama, humour, action, suspense, character development. Theres so much untapped talent in the hood. I had no idea Jess did this to someone else.". Zola couldn't tell how much of Jessica's plea was manipulation and how much stemmed from genuine fear, but she stayed, worried that if she left it would spell trouble for both Jessica and herself. In March 2016 AZiah married a man named Sean, who also works as a Dj under the name DJ Diamond, in Las Vegas while pregnant with their child. The murders aspect is definitely an embellishment but the sex trafficking arrest is certainly not. "All I can say is that I was literally brainwashed by Rudy.. He was surprised by the amount however and gives AZiah $500 of it because hes impressed that she helped Jessica make that much. It happens. And Zola also denied claims that she too sold sex on the trip, but insisted what happened was broadly true. Zola told Rolling Stone she made that part up for dramatic effort. She can write! Jessica says she's really pissed her photos spread (some including her kid) like wildfire when Zola's story took over the Internet. AZiah Wells King in the Janicza Bravo directed A24 film out in theaters now. "Ended up reading the whole thing like I was watching a movie on Twitter.". In the Rolling Stone story from the time, she said she herself was a victim of Rudy. Steven Lorenzo sentenced to death for 2 Tampa murders, Central Florida reporter, girl killed as multiple people shot near earlier slaying. He showed her kindness and offered her a safe haven of sorts. Zola maintains that she didnt do it herself but instead helped Jessicacreate a more lucrative Backpage than the one that Rudy had arranged for her. The gossip site says that Zola wants Meagan Good or KeKe Palmer to play her. But how much is actually true? According to her Facebook page, Jessica lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her fiance George Young. BothPellow and Forgie alleged tothe Washington Post in 2015 that JessicaSwiatkowski was in on the scheme but she has never been charged with anything. He wasn't scary or anything.". She also makes it clear that shes a former stripper., Selma director Ava DuVernay had praised Zolas story telling abilities. "That Zola story wild," tweeted the rapper and producer Missy Elliott, one of more than 200,000 people to tweet about Wells's story in the past week. That only came out when Rudy, a hulking guy with small, flat eyes, got really upset. Zola, aka AZiah Wells, published her astonishing account in 2015 of what she claimed had happened when she went to Florida with a stranger one weekend to perform in strip clubs which quickly became a nightmare of sex trafficking and bloodshed. var sc_security="6134e3f5"; We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. . She was sweet, she was cute.. Afterward, AZiah was shocked to find that the selfies Jessica took of them at the strip club were used by Jessicas pimp to create a Backpage ad. in 2015 that she did indeed meet a Jessica, a 21-year-old. Aziah King in 148 tweets, which was a roller coaster ride for both of them. Jessica Forgie, who was 19 at the time, told told Oxygen.com this week that she is one of the three Michigan women mentioned; she said her best friend Breeonna Pellow andJessica Swiatkowskiwere the other two. The most humane thing about her story (is) that she tells people that, Yes, the life of a Black girl is hard and it is rife with traumas, like the lives of many girls. Drama, humor, action, suspense, character development. It may be out soon to rent VOD, however. 11 Riley Keough, left, and Taylour Paige in the trailer for the film Zola about the stripper's legendary Twitter thread Credit: A24 11 Meanwhile,Jessica has claimed that Zola was doing sex work herself. 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In mid-March, 20-year-old Jessica Swiatkowski said she went for lunch at a Hooters restaurant in Roseville, Michigan. Who now refuse to talk. What happened that night is still difficult for Pella and Forgie to relate. "All that stuff you see on TV, on (Law & Order) SVU that's real. Zola Wells. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Subscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter. Both in Wells' telling and that of others who knew him, he didn't generally speak with an accent. Jessica Forgie, who was 19 at the time, told told Oxygen.com this week that she is one of the three Michigan women mentioned; she said her best friend Breeonna Pellow and Jessica Swiatkowski were the other two. Swiatkowski, the single mother of a baby girl whose father had recently gained sole custody, was living in the Detroit suburbs with her boyfriend of one month, Jarrett Scott, and Rudy, a longtime friend. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". After Forgie, Pella and Swiatkowski gave their statements to police, the women were referred to the department's Victim Services Unit, which put them up in a hotel and arranged for them to fly home. While she had previously denied ever being in Reno, police records show that she was in fact with Rudy in Nevada at the time of his arrest. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". First off, King -- who used the pen name "Zola" to tell her story on Twitter -- claims that she met a woman named Jess at a Hooters in Michigan where she worked. Age: 29. The full Zola story, as it's known on Twitter and everywhere after Aziah King's full "Zola story" went viral, has prompted the other characters in Zola's story to respond online. On October 27, Zola, real name Aziah Kin g posted a story to Twitter about how one night while she was working. In lieu of other options, the girls posted SOSes to Facebook. Now, that string of 148 tweets, written in 2015 by 19 year-old Detroit waitress. Why is diversity the hot issue in Florida higher education? At one point in her story she learns that Jessica and Akporode have lured many girls into this, which means there are many victims. Dennis Swiatkowski. The pair exchanged numbers after discovering they were both dancers, and a few days later Jessica texted Zola asking if she wanted to come to Florida to dance with her. A few days later she said Jessica invited her on a trip to Florida; Zola said that her new pal claimed it was to make money dancing. Wells may be called upon to retell her story again, in fact: "Z," the pimp from Wells's saga, is on trial in January on charges ranging from sexual assault to trafficking. In #TheStory, King described how she met Jessica Rae Swiatkowski (renamed Stefani and played by Keough in the film) while waiting tables at a Hooters in Detroit. On March 27, Swiatkowski, Wells, Scott and Rudy whose real name is Akporode Uwedjojevwe packed into Rudy's fiancee's car and took the 17-hour trip from Detroit to Tampa. Tampa police confirmed to The Post that no incidents matching Wells' description happened the weekend of March 27. Zola's thread became known as #TheStory and went viral around the world - but how true is it? Organizations like the Sex Workers Project have proposed a number of solutions to situations like the ones that played out in Tampa and Reno. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Voter Info. Back in October of 2015, Aziah Wells (nicknamed "Zola") logged onto Twitter to tell a story about a crazy weekend she spent with another young woman named Jessica Swiatkowski, Jessica's. As Vulture's Allison Davis wrote in her June 2021 profile of King, #TheStory started in a rosy flush of friendship, turned into a wild, careering two-day nightmare, and ended (maybe) with a gunfight. The film depicts an (albeit dramatized) version of the raucous weekend that captivated so many in short spurts of 140 characters. While there's been a lot of question marks around the details of Wells's story, the gist is that she met a white woman named Jessica Rae Swiatkowski back in March 2015 when Swiatkowski came. Rudy gave him and Wells enough money to get back home to Detroit, Scott said. Later that same dude tries to kidnap and murder the whole group for encoraching on his territory. King's riveting 148-Twitter-thread served as a Trojan horse of sorts, drawing readers into a thrilling and storytelling-medium-busting chronicle that's really a treatise about sex trafficking. Literally brainwashed by Rudy of other options, the girls to a gas... 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