Gossip / Rumors

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is flat-out denying he called a woman the N-word while a member of the Duke men's basketball team ... saying the interaction simply never happened.

Halleemah Nash -- an author, speaker, and Duke alum -- dropped the bombshell allegation on social media on Tuesday ... claiming, "I've only been called the N word to my face by a white man once in my life and it was on the campus of Duke University while I was doing work with the basketball team."

"And today he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world."

Dr Disrespect is opening up on allegations he inappropriately messaged a minor several years ago -- leading to his ban from Twitch in 2020 -- with the streaming superstar admitting he did communicate with an underage person, but he's adamant "nothing illegal happened."

The conversation in question went down in 2017, and the ban was four years ago, but the story gained traction again this week ... when a former Twitch employee finally revealed the alleged reason Disrespect, who at one point was one of the most popular streamers on the platform, was booted.

"He got banned because he got caught sexting a minor in the then existing Twitch whispers product," the employee claimed. "He was trying to meet up with her at TwitchCon. The powers that could be read in plain text. Case closed, gang."

Kevin Costner bowed out of "Yellowstone" to avoid the drama-filled rodeo ... and that's not a reference to the script.

The actor talks about how his return for S5's second installment was so intense, he found his decision to throw in the towel came pretty easily. As he explained to THR, "It was a necessary decision to say, 'Hey, OK, I don't want to really talk about this anymore. It's time to move on.'"

KC also said ... "I gave this thing five seasons. I was really happy to do it. And I don't need drama. So, let's just take that drama away, let's take the guessing [away]."

Andy Cohen's swooping in to defend Jennifer Lopez -- this after Meghan McCain added fuel to the star's online hate brigade by shading her big time.

The Bravo star went on his 'Daddy Diaries Podcast' Friday to say he's baffled by the mean social media backlash towards Lopez lately amid her personal woes -- and also blasted a particularly harsh article about the singer's "unlikeability factor."

Andy shared his own firsthand experience with J Lo ... saying she's made 4 guest appearances on 'Watch What Happens Live' -- and he insists ... there was absolutely no drama whatsoever with her during those times.

The Boston Celtics' championship parade came and went -- and while it was a pretty laid-back affair, the big takeaway is who joined Jaylen Brown for the celebration.

Eagle-eyed viewers spotted WNBA star Kysre Gondrezick sitting in Brown's duck boat as it made its way from TD Garden through the Beantown streets on Friday in honor of the Celtics' 18th NBA title.

Kysre -- a member of the Chicago Sky -- looked rather thrilled to be with the Finals MVP ... smiling as Brown waved to the tons of fans in attendance.

Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente filled in for Tom Brady on Father's Day ... looking after her and TB12's kiddos as pops made his broadcast television debut.

The supermodel and her jiu-jitsu trainer boyfriend had Benjamin and Vivian Brady in tow Sunday as they went paddleboarding for a second straight day in Miami ... all but confirming they are still together and going strong ... despite some rumblings they were dunzo.

On the contrary, GB and JV look very much so like a couple -- and here ... they looked like your run-of-the-mill blended brood ... with Tom and Gisele's kids tagging along.

Jennifer Lopez still has kind words for her man Ben Affleck ... wishing him a Happy Father's Day despite their recent marital woes.

The singer-songwriter shared a pic of a young Ben to her Instagram story in black and white ... and small lettering appears, one letter after another, under it. The message reads, "Our Hero. Happy Father's Day."

She also tossed in a white heart emoji ... letting everyone know she's still got a lotta love for her husband of nearly two years who is dad to Violet, Seraphina and Samuel and stepdad to her kids Max and Emme.

Armie Hammer's reflecting on viral cannibalism claims upending his life ... laughing at how ridiculous they are before adding he's "grateful" for everything he's experienced.

The actor sat down for a wide-ranging interview with the low-key "Painful Lessons" podcast ... opening up about how the online hate against him transformed his life -- in some ways for the better.

Hammer starts by saying he's able to look at all his trials and tribulations at a distance and finds them hilarious ... thinking it was totally ridiculous anyone thought he could eat another person.

Josh Altman says Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's mega mansion is appropriately listed at $65 million ... 'cause they're probably gonna take a hit, which is factored into the price.

We caught up with the celeb real estate broker -- who's repped a ton of stars in his career -- in L.A. Wednesday, where he told us why he thought the high price tag for their crib, which they're trying to sell quietly, is actually perfect ... getting into the nitty gritty with us.

Check it out ... JA says he's very familiar with their property, and thinks they got it for a steal at $60 mil when they bought it last year -- but because of the new mansion tax in Cali, not to mention commission they'll have to pay ... they're already in the hole at about $6 mil.

Rep. Lauren Boebert says there's nothing romantic going on with her and 50 Cent after they appeared flirty on Capitol Hill ... this despite what the internet thought.

The Republican from Colorado was at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday when a photog asked her about all the online speculation there was something brewing with Curtis Jackson, based on how they tweeted about their White House meeting.

Lauren says they just took a cute photo and Twitter/X ran with a wild theory ... but she notes here -- there's no truth to rumors they have something going on.

Jennifer Lopez may be trying to send a signal about her marriage to Ben Affleck ... a signal that doesn't align with the fact everyone -- literally -- seems to be moving on.

J Lo hit up Giorgio Baldi restaurant in Santa Monica Saturday night, wearing her wedding ring. She was there with a pal ... Ben nowhere in sight.

TMZ broke the story ... Ben and J Lo have now put their $60 million home up for sale in an off-market listing with realtor Santiago Arana from The Agency. The house has been quietly shown for the last 2 weeks.

6/7/24 -- We found the shirt that Rihanna was wearing, and here's what it says in full ... "I'm Retired, This Is As Dressed Up As I Get." The question ... is the "retirement" mystery over???

Rihanna is either sending a message or trolling with her fashion choice in the Big Apple ... and it's all about what's on her shirt.

RiRi hopped out of an SUV in New York City Thursday and walked past photogs in a graphic tee -- which has the words "I'm Retired" emblazoned across the front ... pretty interesting given that she hasn't released an album since 2016 and is now a mother of two.

Rihanna's fans are surely gonna read between the lines here ... and she didn't say much else as she made her way into a building, other than joking with a pap about Ozempic.

50 Cent says his entire interaction with Rep. Lauren Boebert was blown out of proportion because the photo-op everyone's talking about is all he had time for, plus he ain't exactly looking for a new GF.

Of course, that's not the impression 50 or Lauren gave the internet after they posted flirty exchanges to go with the cozy pics they snapped Wednesday at the White House.

We caught 50 out in NYC promoting the final season of "Power Book II: Ghost" and he laughed off the notion he and LB have a congressional romance blossoming.

Taylor Swift rushed to Lady Gaga's aid, an Amazon tribe rushed to porn websites after getting the internet for the first time, and *NSYNC star Chris Kirkpatrick rushed back to the field after a softball injury ... all this and more on TMZ Hot Takes.

Lady Gaga is NOT pregnant despite some wild rumors and on "TMZ Live" Charles and Derek explain why Taylor Swift suddenly got involved.

50 Cent and Rep. Lauren Boebert hung out at the White House during the rapper's visit to Capitol Hill ... and there are some definite flirty vibes in the air, or so it seems.

Fiddy and the Colorado Republican cheesed for the cameras Wednesday in D.C. ... and as you can see, they're locked into a pretty snug embrace here and flashing some huge smiles to boot. So yeah, they're definitely cozy.

Boebert fired off the first flirty social media post ... telling 50, "I'd still love you if you flipped burgers at Burger King ... I used to do that myself! Thanks for the photo, great to meet you!"