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Kanye West's former friend and G.O.O.D. Music associate, Malik Yusef, is being sued for allegedly forging Ye's signature and making millions of dollars in the process.

Gentle Monster -- a Korean-based fashion brand known for its eyewear -- claims Yusef scammed the company out of $2.5 million by promising Kanye would create a video for the company. GM says Yusef even set up a meeting between Kanye and a rep for the brand, making it seem like Ye was on board for the whole thing. Kanye allegedly had no clue there was any type of business deal in place.

According to the lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- Kanye wasn't the only celeb Yusef promised to deliver ... he also claimed Pharrell, Jaden Smith and others would help out with the project.

GM says Yusef's scam was elaborate -- spanning over 9 months -- and included forged signatures from Kanye and phony invoices made to appear like they were sent from legit talent agencies.

The lawsuit claims GM became suspicious of Yusef's plan when he finally submitted a video to them in February 2019 that barely reflected any of the brand's wishes. The ending credits allegedly said both Kanye and Pharrell wrote and produced the music.

Gentle Monster released the project -- touting Kanye's involvement -- and to the brand's horror, Kim Kardashian tweeted her hubby had nothing to do with it ... causing GM to pull the video.

Colton Underwood thinks Kelly Ripa is too far removed from modern-day dating to understand "The Bachelor" ... and her criticism proves just how out of touch she really is.

We got this year's Bachelor couple, Colton and Cassie Randolph, Thursday at LAX and got their response to Kelly's comments from earlier this week, when she ripped the show as creepy and insisted the idea of dozens of women fighting over one guy is disgusting.

As 2 people with a unique perspective, Colton and Cassie tell us Kelly's critique is way off ... and they feel she just doesn't understand how dating works for younger generations growing up with Tinder and other dating apps.

Colton says the 'Bachelor' is just like Tinder, only it's on national TV ... and he thinks Kelly just doesn't know what it's like to have countless dating options.

Kelly's been married to Mark Consuelos since 1996 ... so she ain't swiping left or right.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro's baby mama, Jen Harley, has been arrested for a New Year's Eve incident when she allegedly threw an ashtray at the reality star ... TMZ has learned.

Harley was arrested in Vegas early Thursday around 3 AM on a warrant that was issued last month. Law enforcement sources tell us ... Jen actually called the cops early Thursday morning and said someone had a gun. Cops responded, came to the house and when they did a background check found she had an outstanding warrant.

TMZ broke the story ... Ronnie filed a battery report against Harley on January 3 after the two got in a blowout fight at a Vegas club on New Year's Eve. At some point during their argument, Harley allegedly hurled an ashtray at Ronnie, striking him in the face, and cutting his nose, lip and forehead.

We obtained video from the club that night which showed Ronnie leaving and bloodied.

The fight didn't just end there ... when Jen got home that night, she allegedly found her home ransacked ... accusing Ronnie of smashing a flat-screen TV, picture frames and a vase. He was also recorded smashing the security camera at her front door back in December.

3:25 PM PT -- TMZ Sports just received a statement from Ric's wife, Wendy Barlow, who says she expects the WWE legend to make a "full recovery."

"Due to ongoing health complications, Ric was taken to the hospital and is expected to undergo a procedure tomorrow morning, after which he expects to fully recover."

Ric Flair was rushed to a hospital Thursday morning after suffering a medical emergency, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told Flair was in the Atlanta area when something went wrong. The 70-year-old WWE legend was initially taken to the emergency room to be treated.

The specifics are unclear at this point -- but we're told the situation is "very serious."

We reached out to Ric's camp for comment -- so far, no word back.

Flair had a previous medical scare back in 2017. He was placed in a medically induced coma for 11 days after his intestine ruptured. Flair was in critical condition and on the verge of dying.

But, "The Nature Boy" pulled through -- and a year later, he married his longtime girlfriend Wendy Barlow ... who stuck by his side throughout the entire medical scare and subsequent recovery.

Ric had been doing great recently -- and had a massive star-studded bash for his 70th birthday back in February ... with a guest list that included Todd Gurley, Charles Barkley, Jeff Hardy, Triple H, Evander Holyfield and Dennis Rodman.

I.M. Pei -- the famed Chinese American architect best known for his work at one of the most famous landmarks in Paris -- has died.

Pei died Wednesday night, according to architecture critic and writer Paul Goldberger, who says he got the news from Pei's son.

Pei -- who launched his career with a New York real estate developer in 1948 after graduating from Harvard -- is best known for designing the glass and steel Louvre Pyramid ... which serves as the entrance to the Louvre Museum. It was completed in 1989.

His other major works in his long and illustrious career include the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in D.C. in 1978 as well as the JFK Library in Boston and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland in 1995.

All in all, Pei designed over 50 projects in the U.S. and internationally -- including in France, China, Japan, Luxembourg and Qatar -- many of which won awards for their excellence.

Goldberger says his buildings in Boulder, Colorado are among his best and most underrated.

Pei was 102.

Logan Paul's musical feud with the hip-hop band Flobots is now coming to a courtroom -- the band's had enough of Logan's sense of humor, so it's suing his ass.

The Flobots and Logan have been going back and forth ever since the YouTube star decided to parody their song, "Handlebars" with his cheeky take entitled, "No Handlebars." Based on the lawsuit, it seems it was all fun and games until Logan told one of our photogs he's "not really sure" who the Flobots are.

Burn.

So now, the band is letting them know who they are. In their lawsuit, the Flobots rip Logan for jacking their song. Parody is one thing, but the band says he crossed the line by copying way too many elements of "Handlebars."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, they say Logan's song deliberately emulated their trumpet riff, their melody ... and "the lyrics are nearly identical for four successive bars."

Flobots are suing to get an injunction shutting Logan's song, and to get the profits he made off his parody. According to the suit, Forbes estimated in 2017 that Logan made $150k per Facebook post and $80k for his sponsored IG posts.

Their point ... dude's got money by the buckets, and we want our cut.

Kelly Ripa has no idea what the hell she's talking about when it comes to "The Bachelor" and her take on it is downright rude -- at least it was to Hannah Godwin, who was a finalist just last season.

We got Hannah Wednesday night at Craig's in WeHo and got her take on what Kelly said earlier this week -- that the show is creepy and the idea of 25 exceptional women fighting for 1 "ordinary" guy is disgusting.

As one of those exceptional women, Hannah G thinks it sucks that Kelly's dissing all of Bach Nation. Yes, you can tell Hannah's a bit conflicted because she loves her some Ripa ... but ultimately, she wants Kelly to know the show worked out just fine for her.

Of course, 'Bachelor' creator Mike Fleiss and 'Bachelor' host Chris Harrison have also gone on the offensive, saying, "Easy, @KellyRipa ... #TheBachelor franchise pays your salary!"

Harrison tweeted, "Look out #BachelorNation @KellyRipa is coming after you and your 'disgusting' Monday night habit." Goes without saying ... it's gotten ugly.

Britney Spears is looking free and ready to take the stage ... and she's not muting Michael Jackson.

Britney showed off her moves, dancing around her home workout area. She had MJ's "Scream" going while she flaunted her choreography ... and the whole scene could be a response to what her manager told us ... that Brit's just not ready to perform.

We can't tell if the clip she posted Thursday is new or a #tbt. She didn't use the hashtag, but her outfit looks identical -- right down to her necklace -- to one she wore in a March 2018 workout vid.

Either way, it seems like a clapback, because just Wednesday ... Spears' longtime manager Larry Rudolph told us she's not fit to return to her Vegas show, saying, "From what I have gathered it's clear to me she should not be going back to do this Vegas residency, not in the near future and possibly never again."

As we've reported ... Britney's been dealing with family and mental health issues at home since being released from a facility last month.

Her parents are also in the midst of a conservatorship showdown as fans spread the #FreeBritney movement online.

Jenelle Evans and her husband, David Eason, showed up in court Thursday to fight a judge's order that removed her 3 kids from the family home. About 15 minutes before Jenelle and David left, several kids with blankets over their heads were placed in a CPS vehicle and driven away.

Jenelle and David were in no mood to speak as they left the courthouse in Columbus County, North Carolina.

As we reported ... Ensley was the last of Jenelle's 3 kids to be removed from the home she shares with David. Ensley was removed just days after a judge ordered that 4-year-old Kaiser be removed from the home and 9-year-old Jace as well. Jenelle has visitation rights with Jace -- her mother, Barbara, has custody -- but the judge doesn't want Jace near Jenelle's home.

The removal came on the heels of CPS launching an investigation after David brutally killed their dog ... after it nipped at Ensley.

Our sources say as of Wednesday Jenelle was still living with David. She is not the target of the CPS probe ... it's all about David and his violent temper.

Farrah Abraham's got down and dirty for her latest fashion photo shoot ... leaving little to the imagination.

The former 'Teen Mom' and 'Backdoor Teen Mom' star went all out by showing off her bare backside and front side in a series of racy pics for the fashion label, PrettyLittleThing.

Check it out -- Farrah's rocking several different looks ... all of them very naked.

It's hard to pick a favorite among the provocative shots ... but riding a sheep-shaped shrub without any sort of saddle underneath is definitely Farrah's most risqué (and risky).

Gotta admire her courage.

'Love and Hip Hop' star Safaree Samuels knows which hill he wants to die on -- marching and screaming for his right to wear luxurious furs ... animal abuse be damned.

Safaree, rocking a flowing fur coat of course, was shouting at the top of his lungs in front of NY's City Hall on Wednesday to protest a proposed ban on fur sales in Gotham. As you'd imagine, things got very heated ... with Safaree's pro-fur supporters clashing -- at least verbally -- with a slew of anti-fur protesters.

He marched and shouted, "Leave us alone! Stop picking on us. Our fur, our right!! Our choice, our right!!" Safaree wasn't alone, either ... he was reportedly joined by about 150 people distressed over the possible fur ban.

But, when anti-fur protesters reminded him of the rampant animal abuse behind the fur industry, Safaree's retort was far from educated.

He said, "I didn't do it. Go to China with that. This is America."

Safaree's also making his protest about race ... claiming the fur sales ban is being done purely to target the black community.

When he barked that people should be more concerned with police brutality against African Americans, the crowd rage went through the roof -- and Safaree unleashed a string of obscenities.

Anti-fur protesters followed him all the way to his waiting SUV which was flanked by some huge bodyguards.

Safaree's weakest argument might be that NYC is a fashion mecca, and therefore ... MUST have fur.

Fact is, fur farming is already banned or very tightly regulated in several European countries, including the UK ... home to London, another fashion capital.

Just sayin' ...

4:40 PM PT -- Carlos' surgery went well and he was released from the hospital.

The Garden Bros Circus performer who nearly front flipped into a deadly fall during a steel pendulum act is about to go under the knife.

TMZ's learned the 31-year-old acrobat, named Carlos, initially thought he'd escaped unscathed after that nasty fall he suffered Monday night in Toledo. Carlos tells us he had a series of tests and scans immediately after the accident that didn't show any major injury.

Then on Wednesday, further testing revealed a fracture in his left foot near the ankle.

Carlos says doctors recommended surgery, requiring a plate and screws to set everything in place, and it'll be about 6 weeks before he can walk on the foot afterward. He's nervous but hopeful ... saying he plans to return to performing, because it's all he's done since he was 17.

Despite the fact several spotters failed to break his fall, Carlos says he doesn't blame anyone for the scary mishap -- he's chalking it up to timing and says it was just an accident. He doesn't really remember what went wrong ... he's just thankful he landed feet first and not on his head.

His surgery is scheduled for later Thursday, and Carlos says Garden Bros is covering the medical costs.

Wendy Williams is enjoying all the perks of being a bachelorette in New York City -- there's nothing stopping her from fun dinners with friends ... and making new ones.

The newly single talk show host was out with her pal, Blac Chyna, Wednesday night after the 2 dined at Pergola ... and it looked like they were having a blast.

Wendy tells us single life is treating her wonderfully, and it sounds like she's keeping her options wide open when it comes to dating again.

As we've reported ... Wendy filed for divorce from her husband, Kevin Hunter, on the heels of his alleged infidelity, and despite him seeking spousal support, she recently claimed on her show the process was going "pleasantly."

Williams also told her audience she's a "young and pretty New York City girl" who's actively dating and has the ultimate bachelorette pad ... and she's "rediscovering my love of men."

Khloe Kardashian says she tries to keep the peace around her baby daddy, Tristan Thompson, for the sake of their kid ... who she believes can sense when something's amiss.

The Kardashian dished with Disso Queen Laura Wasser on her hit podcast, 'Divorce Sucks!' which drops Monday. Khloe and Tristan weren't married, but they share a child together ... and definitely went through a nasty breakup that might as well have been a divorce.

Khloe tells Laura she monitors the energy she puts out around baby True, who -- at only 13 months old -- can still pick up on bad vibes ... according to her mom.

That's why Khloe says she didn't have an issue with Tristan coming to True's first birthday party last month -- where she says they were civil with each other and made it work.

More importantly, Khloe says she wants to afford her daughter the same types of experiences and memories she had growing up ... and Daddy's gotta be a part of that.

Bottom line for Khloe ... she'll do what it takes for her daughter, and that includes putting on a happy face when needed. Anything for mommy's little girl, it seems!!!

Halsey's doing her part to keep Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" at the top of the charts by TWERKING to the hit ... while wearing chaps, and not much else!!

Halsey was heading out to a party Wednesday night when she decided to show off her outfit -- cowboy hat, boots and black leather assless chaps. Her ensemble woulda been enough, but then she went and started strutting and twerking to 'OTR.'

Juvenile probs be like "Slow motion for me."

Anyway ... she captioned her post, "When someone says 'cowboy themed birthday party' and you already own the chaps."

Not that Lil Nas X, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, needs the help. It's been number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 6 consecutive weeks -- and it's been streamed more than 140 million times since it dropped last month.

The rapper's been in hot demand ... he performed at Cardi B's spring/summer line collection launch just a couple weeks ago.

As for Halsey's vid ... Lil Nas X had a simple one-word response ... "ayeee." Says a lot, though.

Oprah, Andy Cohen and Seth Meyers were just some of the slew of celebs who made their way to Liberty Island Wednesday night for the opening of the Statue of Liberty Museum.

The parade of stars was pretty incredible ... from Gayle King, Tony Bennett, Jeff Bezos and David Letterman to Hillary Clinton and her pregnant daughter, Chelsea, the stars were all out in full effect for an occasion that, tbh, has long been overdue.

As you know ... the Statue of Liberty draws millions for an up-close look at Lady Liberty but since 9/11, security's been incredibly tight and visitors have been restricted from visiting inside the statue.

Enter the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation ... which poured $100M over 2 years to build a museum where visitors will learn about how the French made the 150-foot-tall gift to 'Merica.

There's also the original torch that was on the Statue when it opened in 1886. It was replaced in the 1980s.

Enough U.S. history ... check out the pics 'cause there are some serious meetings of the minds happening ... with Hillary at the center of it all. BTW ... Tony Bennett and Gloria Estefan performed and Oprah was awarded with the Inaugural Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Award.