TMZ.com Home

Jussie Smollett's going from "Empire" star to "punk ass bitch," IF it turns out he staged the homophobic, racist "attack" -- so says Reza Farahan who adds ... an apology won't be nearly enough payback.

We got the "Shahs of Sunset" star out Monday in L.A. and he didn't pull a single punch in his assessment of the latest Jussie news. Reza tore him to pieces as soon as we brought up the story TMZ broke -- that the Osundairo bros. told cops Jussie rehearsed the "attack" days before it all went down in Chicago.

Watch the clip ... Reza's anger came pouring out because he says he had passionately defended Jussie.

Jussie Smollett is now the face of racist parody movie posters that have sprung up in Los Angeles in the wake of his alleged attack in Chicago and an unraveling narrative.

At least two posters popped up Monday at a bus station near Fox Studios in Century City, which feature Jussie's mug photoshopped onto the backdrop of posters for "BlacKkKlansman" and "Black Panther." Both mock claims Jussie made about the alleged attack.

The "Black Panther" poster shows Jussie as T'Challa in the 'BP' costume and the title has been changed to "Black Prankster."

The "BlacKkKlansman" poster depicts Jussie from his 'GMA' interview with a photoshopped MAGA hat and coat on, with the phrase "This is MAGA country!" superimposed in the background. Both posters are jokingly offering Jussie for consideration for "Best Fictional Story" and "Best Actor in a Drama.

The posters have been signed by conservative street artist Sabo ... the same guy that put up the Meryl Streep "She Knew" posters in 2017 after the Weinstein scandal broke.

Floyd Mayweather is TRIPLING DOWN on Gucci ... rocking the brand from neck-to-toe -- but he ain't about to hear comments on the matter -- dude disabled 'em from his social media!!!

Gucci has faced major criticism over the past month after the apparel giant released a sweater that many called "racist" because it appears to be blackface -- but Floyd's still riding with them.

Mayweather backed them on a massive shopping spree last week ... he backed them on his private jet just a day later ... and on Monday, he took it one step even FURTHER.

The boxing legend posted a pic in a Gucci shirt, Gucci socks AND Gucci shoes -- writing, "BORN A LEADER."

The most interesting part of the post? Floyd disabled all comments.

Remember, Floyd's been ripped by all kinds of celebs for backing the brand ... with 50 Cent attacking the guy on social media and T.I. making a whole rap song devoted to the issue.

Seems Mayweather's done hearing their take.

For Gucci's part, François-Henri Pinault -- the guy who runs the brand's parent company Kering -- explained, "We didn’t understand the sensitivities of the African-American community, which is reflected in that mistake."

T-Pain ain't down for shots to the face -- even if it's just a beach ball -- and his fans definitely know that now after he abruptly pulled the plug on a weekend concert.

We got this video from his Sunday set at the BBYO (B'Nai B'Rith Youth Org.) Convention in Denver, and you see him rapping "Bartender" as the beach ball comes flying through the air, bouncing off the side of his dome!

It definitely looked funny, but T-Pain wasn't in a playful mood. He immediately beelined for the exit. Fans at the concert tell us T-Pain was only about 30 minutes into his set when he bounced.

Tension was building because witnesses tell us T-Pain had already warned the crowd he was leaving if they threw another ball onstage. We're told T-Pain's people tried to get him to go back on ... but he refused.

Draymond Green spared no expense when he proposed to his girlfriend last month -- TMZ Sports has learned the ring he used to pop the question is worth $300,000!!!

Remember, Warriors coach Steve Kerr accidentally broke the news a few weeks ago that Green got engaged to actress and "Basketball Wives" regular Hazel Renee ... but now, we've got deets.

There was a helicopter. There was a yacht. Oh yeah, and a big ass ring.

Turns out, Day Day hit up Jason of Beverly Hills for the 6-carat flawless diamond ring ... and the NBAer had his fingerprint on the whole thing.

"Draymond was very involved in the design process," Jason Arasheben, CEO Jason of Beverly Hills tells us.

"I took multiple trips up to the Bay to show him stone options and to choose the setting. He was very particular about the quality of the center stone. He wanted only the best for Hazel."

... and he got it!

Congrats to the couple -- and if you're wondering when the two will actually tie the knot, maybe ask Steve Kerr (he seems to know things).

Sorry, Travis Scott -- something tells us you're not in Kansas City anymore -- which is info he coulda used before his Astroworld tour made a stop ... in St. Louis! Oops.

The hilarious blunder went down Sunday night as he was wrapping up his gig at Sprint Center. The crowd was roaring and fireworks were going off before Trav shot off, "St. Louis, I love you. Get home safe." Nice sentiment, but a bit misplaced because he was actually in Kansas City, Missouri.

Turns out Travis got ahead of himself -- he's actually gonna be in St. Louis Monday night. Hey, it happens to the best of 'em ... especially when you're living life on the road.

Some perspective ... after his STL gig, Travis will be in Indianapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee and Columbus ... all this week. So, it's easy to see how he got lost. No word if fans went into psycho mode after Travis' gaffe.

The mishap reminded us of this funny Southwest commercial and yes, we're sure Travis wanted to get away. Pretty sure he's flying private, though. Sorry, Southwest!

Jussie Smollett rehearsed the "attack" against him days before the incident and it was all staged for the camera, this according to what the 2 brothers told cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Abel and Ola Osundairo told cops they got in a car with Jussie and scouted a location, settling on the one right outside the actor's apartment. The brothers said Jussie chose the spot because he believed a camera would have captured the action.

Our sources say the brothers told police Jussie said he wanted to make it a "physical thing," but not to the point he'd be seriously injured.

On the night Jussie says he was attacked, the brothers claim they showed up at the scene but were extremely nervous because, just as they played out the scene, a car drove by and they were worried they'd be ID'd.

Our sources say the brothers performed per the rehearsal -- they screamed out they recognized Jussie from "Empire" and then hurled the racist n-word and the homophobic f-word.

The brothers told cops they "made contact with Jussie's face" but it was "weak." They said they didn't know how he suffered the bruises but the staged fight was not designed to injure him.

Check out this video of Abel ... if he wanted, he could do a lot of damage.

TMZ broke the story ... when cops arrived, Jussie took them down to the area he said the "attack" went down and pointed to the camera, saying it was good the incident was captured on video. What he didn't know was that the camera was pointed in the wrong direction and didn't capture the incident.

Anthony Hamilton says the NBA wanted a pre-screening of his All-Star game National Anthem performance -- most likely to avoid another Fergie-ish disaster.

Anthony came on "TMZ Live" to break down the reasons why he sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" the way he did -- which got rave reviews Sunday night ahead of the tip-off. AH says Colin Kaepernick actually played a role in how he arranged it.

Check out his explanation ... it's interesting, especially now that Kap has settled with the NFL.

We also asked him about the elephant in the room -- his predecessor's widely mocked version from last year. He says the league had some specific guidelines, including getting a preview of his rehearsals for the gig.

Turns out the NBA's got good taste in music ... because Anthony won over the crowd in Charlotte -- his hometown, BTW -- and also everyone watching at home ... based on the immediate reaction on social media.

It's a miracle Demaryius Thomas wasn't killed in his car crash Saturday morning -- with a key witness telling TMZ Sports he watched DT's car flip 3 times ... and was SHOCKED when he saw the NFL star get out of the vehicle mostly unharmed.

We spoke with Michael Tafoya who happened to be driving in the Denver area around 12:20 AM when he saw the vehicle lose control, hit a curb and launch 20 feet into the air. The car then rolled 3 times before finally landing in a grassy median.

Tafoya -- who's a registered nurse -- says he ran over to the crash scene to help out and tried to get the door open to help the passengers, but it was stuck.

Cops arrived to the scene a short time later and took over -- managing to free Thomas and both of his passengers. Tafoya says officials used the Jaws of Life to help free Thomas from the car.

The ex-Broncos star and the 2 passengers are expected to be fine, according to officials -- but Tafoya tells us Thomas had a "hellacious knot" on his head.

Michael tells us the whole thing looked like a scene out of an action movie ... adding, "I thought those people were dead."

Thomas played for the Broncos for nine seasons before being traded mid-way through this past year to the Texans. He's now a free agent after Houston released him last week.

Cops say the cause of the crash is under investigation.

The Grand Jury was notified it would hear the Jussie Smollett case Tuesday, but there is now a 50/50 chance it could be delayed for several days ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We broke the story, the Grand Jury will hear testimony, specifically targeting the actor, for allegedly filing a false police report.

Our sources say the 2 brothers who claim they carried out the staged attack at Jussie's behest -- will appear voluntarily. They have not been subpoenaed.

We're also told the 2 brothers -- Abel and Ola Osundairo -- have not received immunity from prosecution, although we're told they did not file a false police report or give false information to the cops. Law enforcement says Jussie is the one who lied.

Our sources say there may be a delay in the testimony, because cops want to make sure they have all the records necessary for Grand Jurors to reach a conclusion on whether to indict Smollett.

Like any good secret agent, Henry Golding isn't spilling the beans on his next move ... which, one could speculate, makes him the perfect choice to replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond.

We got the "Crazy Rich Asians" star at LAX, where we asked him about his chances to play 007 in the 26th Bond film. As if his 'CRA' success wasn't enough, the buzz is Henry is on a short list of stars being considered to play the ultimate spy.

When we brought it up ... Henry flashed a huge grin, and then went into coy mode.

As you know ... Daniel is reporting for duty again in "Bond 25," but the race to find a new Bond is wide open -- with Idris Elba and Tom Hardy joining Henry as some of the best bets.

Read what you will from this, but Henry definitely puts the secret in secret agent.

The Navy sailor who passionately kissed a woman to celebrate the end of World War II -- captured by a photographer in what's easily one of the most iconic images in American history -- has died.

The sailor, George Mendonsa, died Sunday at age 95 after falling and suffering a seizure at an assisted living facility in Middletown, Rhode Island. George's daughter told the Providence Journal her father was living at the facility with his wife of more than 70 years.

The woman George kissed was Greta Zimmer Friedman ... a dental assistant. The pic, snapped by Alfred Eisenstaedt, was taken in Times Square on August 14, 1945, after Japan surrendered to the U.S.

As for what compelled George to kiss a perfect stranger ... George told CBS News, "The excitement of the war bein' over, plus I had a few drinks. So when I saw the nurse I grabbed her and kissed her."

Greta -- who died in 2016 at the age of 92 -- said, "I did not see him approaching, and before I know it I was in this tight grip." George said the kiss didn't last long.

R. Kelly was acquitted in his child porn case because of witness intimidation, evidence tampering, physical threats and payments to witnesses ... so claims attorney Michael Avenatti.

Avenatti does not get specific as to why he believes the various misdeeds were allegedly committed during the 2008 trial.

Kelly's current lawyer, who was not involved in the 2008 case, tells TMZ, the lawyers who repped R. Kelly had the highest integrity and Avenatti's claims are baseless.

Avenatti has been actively involved in the R. Kelly case ... he has turned over a new tape to Cook County prosecutors, which he says shows R. Kelly having sex with and urinating on a 14-year-old girl. As we reported, in the wake of the new tape, several women have come forward claiming to be victims of the singer and have been interviewed by prosecutors. A grand jury has been convened and we're told the tape and various witnesses are being presented to the panel.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova says she's done her research and now believes more than ever transgender athletes physiologically born as men should NOT be allowed to compete against women.

"It's insane and it's cheating," Martina says in an op-ed posted in The Sunday Times.

"I am happy to address a transgender woman in whatever form she prefers, but I would not be happy to compete against her. It would not be fair."

Martina has become passionate about the issue after an online spat with transgender cyclist Rachel McKinnon -- who won the Masters Track championship in L.A. back in October. The woman who came in 3rd place, Jennifer Wagner-Assali, said the fact McKinnon was allowed to compete against women is "not fair."

Martina initially sided with Wagner-Assali -- which led to McKinnon labeling the tennis great as "transphobic."

So, Martina says she decided to dedicate months of her life to researching the topic -- and now feels even STRONGER that trans women have an unfair advantage and shouldn't be allowed to compete against cisgender women.

"Simply reducing hormone levels -- the prescription most sports have adopted -- does not solve the problem. A man builds up muscle and bone density, as well as a greater number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, from childhood," Martina wrote ... "Training increases the discrepancy."

"Indeed, if a male were to change gender in such a way as to eliminate any accumulated advantage, he would have to begin hormone treatment before puberty. For me, that is unthinkable."

Martina says she's up for having the tough conversations on the issue -- but feels there's a "growing tendency among transgender activists to denounce anyone who argues against them and to label them all as 'transphobes.'"

Jenna Dewan's boyfriend is stepping up to the plate, proving he's daddy material by enjoying/surviving a day at Disneyland with her 5-year-old girl.

The actress hit up the Happiest Place on Earth Saturday with BF Steve Kazee and Everly, her daughter with Channing Tatum. Everly got the cush stroller ride around the park with potential-future-stepdad Steve on push duty.

Jenna, Steve and Everly seemed to have a great time riding rides and goofing around, and looked totally comfortable with their new family dynamic ... in the wake of Jenna and Channing's split.

That's not to say Channing and Jenna can't get together from time to time for the sake of their daughter -- they did exactly that this past Halloween, posing together for a selfie while taking Everly trick-or-treating.

Successful post-divorce co-parenting has become a thing in Hollywood -- Chris Pratt and Anna Faris most recently got it down pat ... and Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow have been at it for years.

We're all here for this trend.

Would you pay more than $2,000 for Julian Edelman's discarded beard shavings?!?

That's the going rate for the NFL star's recently shorn facial follicles -- which Ellen DeGeneres famously shaved off earlier this month after the Patriots won the Super Bowl.

Ellen collected the trimmings off the floor of her show and donated them to CharityBuzz -- which is now hosting an online auction with the proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.

The opening bid was $1,000 ... but that was quickly surpassed and as of the time of this post, the leading bidder has offered up $2,100!!!!!

Think it's gross to buy someone's used beard?? Maybe ... but Edelman's face fuzz was a piece of Patriots history.

The WR rocked the scruff during his Super Bowl MVP performance in New England's SIXTH Lombardi Trophy-winning game.

Besides the cash raised from the auction, both Julian and Ellen donated $10,000 each to the Boys & Girls Clubs ... so, props to them!!!

The bigger issue ... what does the winning bidder do with the beard? Display them? Throw them away? Clone Edelman?