TMZ.com Home

Samuel L. Jackson says Donald Trump was spot-on when he bragged he's done more for African Americans than Presidents past ... and it's all thanks to Trump's massive "plantation."

We got Samuel L. Monday at LAX and asked him about Trump's shot at Spike Lee in which Trump said, "Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres!"

Jackson shot back ... essentially calling Trump a slave owner.

R. Kelly is a free man again -- it was total pandemonium as he walked out of jail -- and he'll have to pay off a 6-figure child support tab almost immediately if he wants to avoid getting locked up again.

Kelly's $100k bond -- 10% of his $1 million bail -- was finally posted Monday after he appeared in court and entered a not guilty plea to all 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. As he walked out of jail, wearing his blue down coat, Kelly was swarmed by photogs and reporters.

There also seemed to be a number of protesters yelling at Kelly, calling him a pedophile and asking how he'd feel if someone urinated on his daughter -- but they used more colorful language.

Sources in Kelly's camp tell us he paid the bond with a bank cashier's check ... so, there won't be any issues with his check clearing.

Although Kelly's out, he's staring down another deadline. TMZ broke the story ... he has to pay about $160k in back child support to his ex-wife, Drea Kelly, by March 6. If he doesn't, it's right back to County lockup.

The Kelly sources tell us he plans to make arrangements to pay the child support by next week, so he can focus on his criminal defense ... and avoid jail.

It's possible he could be facing additional charges after attorney Michael Avenatti dropped an additional bombshell -- a NEW tape showing Kelly having sex with the same 14-year-old girl from the other tape. Avenatti has now turned over both tapes to Cook County prosecutors.

5:05 PM PT -- R. Kelly made a pit stop after leaving jail, stopping off at McDonald's for some quick eats.

We're told Kelly ordered a quarter pounder meal with BBQ sauce on the side, washing it down with a soda and some coffee. We're told Kels got cream and sugar with his coffee, but he went back to the counter and asked for more.

We're told the singer sat down and ate with his team inside the fast-food restaurant for about half an hour, and they left after a small crowd began to gather.

R. Kelly's got a full plate of problems right now -- but at least he also had a full plate of decent grub while he was in the hokey waiting to be released on bond.

The singer got sprung from jail Monday after his lawyers posted the necessary $100k he had to cough up to fulfill his $1 million bond. The question on everyone's mind since he turned himself in on Friday though ... what the hell did Kels eat behind bars???

We now have the answer based on the Cook County Jail's monthly menu, which TMZ has obtained. We gotta say ... it sounds like he ate pretty well this past weekend.

Here's what R. Kelly was fed on Saturday and Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Saturday:

B -- Breakfast square, bread, jelly, margarine, drink mix (whatever that is), applesauce

L -- Cured turkey, bread, egg (just one???), chips, cookie, mustard, drink mix

D -- Meatballs, teriyaki sauce, fluffy rice, carrots, bread, margarine, pudding and milk

Sunday:

B -- Breakfast square, bread, jelly, ginger snap, peanut butter, drink mix

L -- Turkey salami, bread, cereal, cookie and salad

D -- House fried rice, mixed veggies, bread, margarine, iced cake and milk

11:47 AM PT -- According to court documents, Kraft paid for a threesome on Jan. 19 -- with two women taking turns "manipulating his genitals."

Once Kraft finished, the women cleaned him up and he gave them each a $100 bill.

11:17 AM PT -- Officials have described the case against Kraft in graphic detail ... saying his first incident occurred on Jan 19. The second incident occurred on Jan. 20, the day the Patriots were playing the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

As for incident #2 -- officials describe it in the following way:

"[employee] escorted Kraft to a room identified as JPPD Cam 2. There, the two hugged each other and Kraft took off all his clothing, laid face up on the massage table and [employee] hugged him again. At approximately 1102hrs. (Employee) began manipulating Kraft’s penis and testicles and then put her head down by his penis. This went on several minutes.”

"After a few minutes, [employee] wiped Kraft in the area of his genitals with a white towel, helped him get dressed and hugged him again. Kraft gave [employee] one $100 bill plus at least one other unidentifiable bill."

Officials say Kraft was only at the Asian massage parlor for a total of 14 minutes on January 20 -- and exited to a waiting 2015 blue Bentley.

Cops say Kraft was wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt, blue baseball cap and blue shorts.

By the way, Kraft then flew to Kansas City to watch the Patriots defeat the Chiefs 37 to 31 in an overtime thriller.

11:16 AM PT -- Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg says Kraft is facing up to 1 year in jail if convicted on the 1st degree misdemeanor charge of soliciting another to commit prostitution.

A maximum sentence includes ... up to a 1 year jail, 100 hours of community service and completion of a class on the dangers of prostitution and human trafficking.

Prosecutors in Robert Kraft's prostitution case will be holding a press conference addressing the Patriots' owner's involvement in the scandal ... and TMZ Sports will be streaming it live.

Kraft is accused of soliciting prostitution at least twice in visits to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida ... and the presser regarding his potential charges is set to begin at 11 AM PT.

Remember, investigators say they have surveillance videos from inside the massage parlor showing all of the men suspected of paying for sex acts at the massage parlor -- including Kraft -- and the footage is graphic.

It's all part of a massive sting operation which involved multiple law enforcement agencies including the Dept. of Homeland Security, the IRS, Jupiter P.D., the Indian River County Police and more.

Officials say the investigation took more than 8 months -- and exposed a massive human trafficking and prostitution ring operated out of Florida.

The 2 women suspected of running the operation are accused of essentially importing women from other countries -- mostly China -- and forcing them to work as sex slaves at various massage parlors in Florida.

Officials say some of the victims were forced to live at the parlors in terrible living conditions -- sleeping at the businesses and cooking their meals in the back areas.

Cops say they had obtained a warrant to put a covert surveillance camera INSIDE a massage room a the Orchids of Asia Day Spa which captured at least 25 men receiving sex acts in exchange for money.

Kraft has been named as one of the men captured on the surveillance video.

A spokesperson for Kraft has strongly denied the allegations -- saying, "We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further."

But, the day after the scandal broke, Kraft didn't seem bothered -- hitting up Barry Diller's pre-Oscars party Saturday afternoon in Beverly Hills.

As for the Day Spa, it's already become a tourist hot spot -- with all sorts of people flocking to the shop over the weekend ... including a naked man.

Originally Published -- 10:53 AM PST

R. Kelly's upcoming global concerts are still a go -- even though he's currently tied up right now -- and it doesn't sound like refunds will be issued until push comes to shove.

Concerts Stuttgart -- a promoter for a couple German concerts R. Kelly is supposed to perform at in April -- sent an update to ticket holders Monday, saying they're holding off on selling more tickets, given R. Kelly's legal sitch here in the States.

CS goes on to say (in rough English translation) ... "At the moment, and we also have to admit that, the chances of the tour are rather bad, yet we would like to wait for the outcome of the (case). It is also correct that Robert had to (surrender) his passport for now."

Even on the slim chance R. Kelly shows up to perform -- the guy's still behind bars as of Monday afternoon -- the group says it is not giving out refunds until they see how his case plays out.

Interestingly enough, other promoters around the world that hired R. Kelly seem to be following the same plan. Sources tell us that shows in Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands that R. Kelly was booked to perform at this year have not been canceled ... at least not yet.

Ric Flair thinks Bradley Cooper would be the perfect fit to play him in the upcoming Hulk Hogan biopic.

Ric came on "TMZ Live" Monday, which happens to be his 70th birthday, and we asked who he wants cast as Nature Boy in Todd Phillips' new movie ... and without skipping a beat, Ric's wife, Wendy, shouted her answer.

Ric's a smart man, so he ran with it. Happy wife, happy life.

Hey, when your wife throws you a surprise birthday bash with tons of celebs, ya gotta listen to her!

Wendy might actually be on to something here ... Todd often works with Bradley, so we're guessing the director would be down to cast him alongside leading man Chris Hemsworth.

Jerry Seinfeld is going after the classic car dealer that sold him what they claimed was a rare Porsche, because he thinks the car's certification wasn't legit ... this according to a new lawsuit.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ, Jerry says he bought what he thought was a 1958 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster for $1.2 million in 2013 -- and the seller, European Collectibles, gave him a certificate of authenticity.

As we reported, Jerry auctioned the car off 3 years later for $1.54 million ... and the winning bidder, FICA FRIO Ltd, later challenged the car's authenticity, and sued the comedian for hawking a bogus Porsche.

So, now Jerry wants European Collectibles to pay up. In his lawsuit, Jerry says he relied on European Collectibles' certification when he bought the vintage whip, and had no clue it might be bogus until he got sued.

In the docs, Jerry says he doesn't know if FICA FRIO Ltd's allegation about the Porsche's authenticity is true, and he wants no part of the dispute. He says it should be sorted out between FICA FRIO and European Collectibles.

Jerry's suing to get European Collectibles to cover his damages if the court finds the car's certification is indeed bogus.

Jerry's attorney, Orin Snyder, tells TMZ, "Jerry has no liability in this matter, but he wants to do the right thing, and is therefore bringing this action to hold European Collectibles accountable for its own certification of authenticity, and to allow the court to determine the just outcome."

Karl-Anthony Towns says he had a "5 percent chance of surviving" the scary car accident he was involved in last week ... and he's "blessed to be alive" and mostly uninjured.

The Minnesota Timberwolves star was heading to the Minneapolis airport for the team's trip to New York last Thursday ... when the car KAT was traveling in was hit by a semitruck traveling at 45 miles per hour.

Towns -- who missed the Wolves' past 2 games as a part of being in concussion protocol -- gave details on the accident at practice on Monday ... saying he knows it could have been MUCH worse.

"I'd say I had a 5 percent chance of making it out alive," KAT says, "I hit the 5 percent mark. I'd say 4 percent was to be seriously injured and 1 percent was to be minorly injured ... and I came out in the 1 percent."

No word on who was behind the wheel, but Towns -- who was also traveling with the team's assistant strength and conditioning coach -- was NOT driving.

"In all honesty, I probably should not have made it out like I did."

KAT didn't suffer any major injuries from the crash ... but he missed the first 2 games of his career ... ending his games played streak at 303.

10:10 AM PT -- Avenatti spoke Monday morning at the courthouse, claiming the race of R. Kelly's alleged victims played a huge role in the delay of justice -- calling it R. Kelly's "reign of abuse and assault." He has now turned the tape over to the State's Attorney.

Prosecutors are about to get another sex tape in the R. Kelly case, and sources tell us it is even more shocking than the most recent one.

Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ ... attorney Michael Avenatti will turn over a 55-minute VHS video Monday to Cook County prosecutors. We're told the video shows R. Kelly having sex with the same 14-year-old girl depicted in the first video Avenatti obtained, which was shot in 1999. This second video was shot around 2000.

We're told, just like the first video, there are multiple references to the girl being 14 years old. Our sources say R. Kelly is repeatedly "coaching" the girl through various sexual situations.

At one point, we're told R. Kelly is seen choking the girl while having anal intercourse. Our sources also say there's a part where he takes some sort of lotion and "sprays" it all over her face. We're told he then chokes her, mounts her from behind and turns her face to the camera for a reaction shot.

We've also learned Avenatti is in the process of procuring a third tape showing R. Kelly with a different girl -- who, at the time, was somewhere between 13 and 16 years old. Our sources say Avenatti's team has identified the person in possession of the video and is attempting to get it.

Tom Brady and Gisele are standing by Robert Kraft in the wake of his prostitution scandal -- with Tom hugging his boss Monday morning after flying with him on a private jet from L.A. to Boston.

Tom, Gisele and Robert were all spotted getting off the same private jet at an airport in Boston early Monday ... all of the celebrity passengers smiling after the 5 to 6-hour flight.

In fact, Tom and Robert were seen talking on the tarmac -- with Tom eventually bringing his Patriots boss in for a big hug.

The big question ... did Tom and Gisele talk with Kraft about the criminal case against him in Jupiter, Florida -- where the 77-year-old is accused of paying for sex acts at an Asian spa on two different occasions?

The New England Patriots owner has adamantly denied wrongdoing in the prostitution case -- despite officials claiming to have graphic surveillance video showing Kraft engaging in a sex act.

Kraft had been in Los Angeles for a pre-Oscars bash over the weekend. Tom and Gisele had been hanging out in L.A. after their family vacation in Costa Rica. Clearly, they all felt it was better to fly back to Boston on the same plane.

As the stars got off the jet, one of their assistants could be seen grabbing a framed L.A. Times newspaper article commemorating the Patriots victory over the Rams in the Super Bowl. The headline on the paper says, "Ramshackled."

They both looked pretty amused when they saw that!

Of course, the Patriots silenced the Rams in Super Bowl LIII earlier this month -- holding L.A. to a measly field goal in a 13-3 win. Tom threw for 262 yards and a TD en route to winning his 6th Super Bowl ring.

Brady and Kraft have been close for almost 20 years -- it was Kraft's Patriots who selected the Michigan quarterback in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

DMX is back in action, because he's making a surprise cameo in Danielle Bregoli's new music video ... and it's awesome.

Bhad Bhabie just dropped the video for her new single, "Bestie", featuring Kodak Black and it features a masked psycho killer clown. Turns out the man behind the mask ... is X.

Sources close to the music vid's production tell TMZ ... Danielle felt DMX was perfect for the part, and she loves shocking people with her cameo choices. We're told she reached out to DMX, and he was totally down to collab.

Danielle's only 15, so DMX had already released his biggest albums and starred in tons of movies before she was even born ... but we're told she still considers X one of her favorite artists.

As you know ... DMX just got released from prison, and he's been looking forward to getting back to work. We gotta say, it's nice to see him back in the music scene.

If you're wondering why Kodak's absent from the vid ... we're told the rapper just couldn't find time to be on set.

8:18 AM PT -- Sources close to the Kardashians say the family is calling BS on Jordyn's story -- citing the fact party-goers were told to put their phones away when Jordyn arrived -- which shows Woods wanted her rendezvous with Thompson private. Our sources say Jordyn also drove herself home from the party ... something she wouldn't have done if she was wasted.

Jordyn Woods can't handle her booze and that's why she was down to make out with Tristan Thompson and blow up her relationship with the Kardashians ... that's her story, anyway.

Sources close to Jordyn tell TMZ ... she has been begging her ex-bestie, Kylie Jenner, for forgiveness ... ditto with Khloe. And, while she admits she made a stupid decision ... we're told she's blaming it on the a--a-a-a-a-alcohol, as they say.

We're told Woods was wasted before she even went to the house party where witnesses say she snuggled up to Tristan. She's saying she was actually blackout drunk ... as in, she doesn't even remember how she got to the party or anything that happened there.

Our sources say Jordyn started crying when she was told what she did and as we told you, Kylie also couldn't fathom the news. We're told Jordyn rarely drinks, but when she does ... it usually ends badly. Although, this time it's next level.

We're told the hookup seems to be a one-off -- Jordyn and Tristan don't follow each other on social media, and even Kylie doesn't believe they had secret texts or DMs. As one source put it, there'd be NO way for Jordyn to hide it ... she and Kylie were that tight.

Woods seemed to address the situation at a launch event for her new eyelash line Thursday night, saying ... "It's been real."

So are hangovers.

8:31 AM PT -- Sources close to R. Kelly tell TMZ that Williams' attorney tried to shake down the singer prior to filing the lawsuit. In a letter sent to R. Kelly's legal team -- obtained by TMZ -- Williams' attorney, Jeff Deutschman, says R. Kelly's lawyers should contact him if they want to resolve the matter outside of court. Deutschman also writes that no response from R. Kelly's camp would result in the lawsuit being filed.

Clearly, they didn't come to terms.

R. Kelly is now facing a lawsuit from a new accuser who says he sexually abused her when she was 16 years old.

Heather Williams filed the suit in Cook County, Illinois ... and in the suit, she says she met R. Kelly in late May of 1998 while she was walking down a street in Chicago. She says the singer was driving by, and stopped and spoke to her ... then sent his people to meet her and her family at a restaurant.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, R. Kelly's associate told Heather and her fam ... that R. Kelly wanted her to come to her studio and appear in one of his videos. She admits she was "starstruck."

She claims in June, R. Kelly began sexually abusing her. She's not specific about where it happened but says they had sexual intercourse and oral sex. In her suit, Heather says the sexual abuse continued until she was an adult.

Heather says she was seeing a therapist in June 2015 when she "broke through her repressed memory" and could finally speak about the alleged abuse. She says she's suffered shame, guilt, self-blame and depression -- and she's suing the singer for at least $50,000.

Jamie Foxx couldn't be happier for Spike Lee after he won his first Oscar ever, because he thinks the honor was long overdue ... and couldn't have gone to someone more worthy.

Jamie shared his thoughts with us Sunday after the show at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, and he told us Spike walking up to accept his first Academy Award for "BlacKkKlansman" was one of the best moments of the night. You can see he's truly overjoyed for his pal.

As an Oscar winner himself, Jamie tells us that hard work -- which Spike has undoubtedly cranked out for years now -- sometimes gets lost in the shuffle ... for a number of reasons, controversies and otherwise.

But, he says the Academy got it right this year, and the fact Samuel L. Jackson was the one to read his name made the moment even sweeter.

Jamie goes on to make a point about big-time Hollywood players who've been in the game for a long time, like himself and Spike. He says they came a long way for the success they've gained ... and he's just ecstatic that Spike finally got his.

Of course, there's at least one person who wasn't happy for Spike ... President Trump. Spike turned his acceptance speech political when he told voters to "do the right thing" in 2020.

Yeah, DT didn't take too kindly to that.

Lil Pump is off the hook in his Miami airport criminal case in which he had a showdown with cops ... just days after TMZ published body cam video showing a cop getting in his face.

Pump's attorney appeared in a Miami court Monday morning where the State Attorney dropped the disorderly conduct case against the rapper ... this according to Pump's attorney, Kenneth Weisman.

TMZ broke the story ... Pump was busted back in December after he was yanked from his flight bound for L.A. Cops accused the rapper of secreting weed in his luggage. When Pump insisted the bag wasn't his, a cop went nuclear on him.

Body cam footage, obtained last week by TMZ, showed the intense showdown with cops ... you hear a cop shouting in Pump's face, saying, "It's your bag now" after Pump insisted it wasn't his.

Pump and his manager were arrested for disorderly conduct ... but it's now Pump's in the clear.

Pump's attorney tells TMZ, "I commend the State Attorneys Office’s for concluding that the underlying incident was nothing more than an emotionally charged police-citizen encounter that involved no criminal wrongdoing on the part of [Lil Pump]."