Lady Gaga came way too close to the edge of glory when she invited a fan onstage and leapt into his arms ... because he was not ready for the spotlight.

Gaga was in the middle of a performance for her Las Vegas residency show, 'Enigma,' Thursday night at Park MGM when she brought the fan, Jack, up to join her.

Jack looked like he didn't want to let go when Gaga gave him a hug, so she obliged and decided to jump up and wrap her legs around his waist ... and that turned out to be a very bad choice.

After a few little hops and twists, everyone's laughs and cheers turned to gasps as Jack took a misstep off the right side of the elevated stage and went tumbling off ... still holding on to the star of the show.

The 2 crashed hard, and it looked like Jack came down on top of Gaga. Here's another angle.

The good news ... everyone seemed to be uninjured after the nasty spill, and Gaga announced to the crowd that everything was okay. She added ... "The only thing that’s not okay is we need some stairs for the damn stage so I can get back up."

The singer also consoled Jack, who was apparently in tears after the fall, and invited him back up to sit with her as she played piano and performed "Million Reasons."

She told him ... "Could you promise me something? Could you forgive yourself right now for what just happened?" and added, "I think that’s amazing. We f****g love each other so much we fell off the damn stage."

The man in this video is NOT the lion king, but for a few intense, near-death moments ... he thought he was while sitting nose-to-nose with the big cat in its zoo enclosure.

This insanity went down Thursday at a zoo in Delhi, India where a 28-year-old man hopped a fence and plopped himself down inches away from a male lion that seemed totally puzzled by the guy's presence.

It's impossible to look away from the scene -- the guy stood in front of the lion, then crouched down in front of it. Simba was almost motionless for several seconds, then suddenly lunged toward the guy and it looked like ... dinner was served!

What happened next is baffling -- for some reason the lion backs down! Moments later, zoo officials fired a tranquilizer at the animal, and managed to get the man out alive.

The showdown was even closer than the one that went down in the Bronx Zoo a few weeks back when a woman who was allegedly high on something taunted a lion. At least she had a moat between her and the cat.

Jenelle Evans' ex-BF, Nathan Griffith, now has legal problems of his own ... because he just got arrested for DWI.

The "Teen Mom 2" star was busted Thursday around 5:30 PM in Cary, North Carolina. Nathan was arrested outside a grocery store where he was handcuffed and taken into custody.

The 32-year-old, whose home address is listed in South Carolina, posted $10k bond and was later released. He's due in court next month.

As you know very well by now ... Nathan and Jenelle were in a nasty custody dispute this summer over their 5-year-old son, Kaiser. Nathan even got into it with Jenelle's hubby, David Eason, and it wasn't pretty.

Michael Strahan's not holding up his end of the child support deal he struck with his ex-wife, and it's going to take him more than half a mil to square up ... at least according to her.

Jean Muggli claims in legal docs ... the former NFL superstar's on the hook for some big-time equestrian expenses for their twin teenage daughters -- Sophia and Isabella -- along with owing hundreds of thousands in back child support.

Jean says a huge chunk of what Strahan owes her is to cover their daughters' horseback riding bills ... which she claims amount to $450,802 since 2017. According to the docs, Michael agreed to go halfsies with Jean but hasn't paid up ... so she's seeking more than $225k from him.

In docs he filed, Michael says he never agreed to such an arrangement.

On top of that, Jean claims Michael has underpaid child support since 2010 ... because the monthly amount he pays hasn't been adjusted for cost of living. The docs say she wants $321,654 in back support to make it right.

In his filing, Michael admits part of their agreement does call for cost-of-living adjustments -- but adds, the language about how to come up with that number is "vague and indefinite." Translation: We need to agree on a formula to come up with the correct number.

That being said, by Jean's current calculation ... she's looking to get more than $547k.

We broke the story ... the exes were in a Manhattan court last month to face off over their previous settlement.

Michael and Jean married in 1999 but split in 2006, and the judge eventually awarded Jean $15.3 million in their divorce and ordered him to pay $18k/month in child support.

However, that amount was decreased to just under $13k a month in 2009 ... according to the docs.

Jean claims his monthly income is way more now than it was in '09, due to his gigs on "Fox NFL Sunday" and "Good Morning America," among other projects ... so he can afford to increase his child support again. She wants him to pay $18,378 a month going forward.

Jared Black, the guy who lost control of Kevin Hart's Plymouth Barracuda, is back behind the wheel and doesn't look the worse for wear.

It's pretty remarkable because Jared was really messed up after the crash. He and Kevin suffered serious back injuries and law enforcement tells us Jared also suffered chest injuries when he slammed into the steering wheel. Jared was airlifted to a nearby hospital.

The CHP issued its findings a few days back and concluded Jared was at fault because he was recklessly driving the vehicle. CHP investigators determined he gunned the 720 horsepower engine and lost control.

But here's Jared, with his fiance Rebecca Broxterman, who was in the back seat of the '70 Cuda when it crashed into a fence and ended up in an embankment.

Jared's the personal trainer of Kevin's wife, Eniko Parrish.

As for Kevin, he continues to get intensive outpatient therapy but is making progress. He recently shot promos for "Jumanji."

Elton John and "Rocketman" star Taron Egerton performed Thursday night in L.A. ... but lots of fans were super pissed they sang a grand total of 2 songs.

Fact is ... it was always billed as the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra playing the soundtrack to the movie "Rocketman" at the Greek Theatre. But, the billboard for the concert clearly says it features Elton and Taron ... so lots of fans felt shortchanged.

After the Symphony did its thing, Elton and Taron came out and performed "I'm Gonna Love Me Again," and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" ... but that was it.

Dennis Rodman has been charged with misdemeanor battery in Florida for allegedly slapping a man at his own birthday party back in May -- but The Worm is adamant he's innocent.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... cops say Rodman was at the Buddha Sky Bar in Delray Beach on May 17 when he "unprovokedly turned around and smacked" 30-year-old Jeff Soulouque.

Soulouque claims Rodman immediately began apologizing for the incident and invited him out to dinner the following night in an attempted peace offering.

But, Soulouque told TMZ Sports he was really hurt -- and went to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a left corneal abrasion. He went to cops the day after the incident and filed a report.

Cops launched an investigation and called up a witness named David Lee Roth -- who, shockingly, is NOT the Van Halen singer. Still, cops say DLR corroborated Soulouque's story.

"Roth stated he was about twenty feet away and he saw Rodman turn around and open hand smack Soulouque two times," the report states.

Prosecutors later charged Rodman with misdemeanor battery -- and on Thursday, DR's attorney appeared in court on his behalf and pled not guilty.

It's a big deal for Rodman -- the charge carries a maximum sentence of a year in jail, 12 months probation and a $1,000 fine.

And, with Dennis' criminal history, it's possible a judge could throw the book at the NBA legend if he's convicted.

One of El Chapo's sons is now being held by Mexican authorities, and a massive shootout is going down in the city where the drug kingpin's offspring was arrested.

According to multiple reports, El Chapo's son Ovidio Guzmán López has been taken into custody in the Mexican city of Culiacán ... and masked gunmen are now trading fire with Mexican security forces.

Ovidio is said to be an active member of El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel. He's reportedly facing charges in the U.S. for conspiracy to traffic cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine.

In video posted on social media by journalists in Mexico, you can see a massive police presence carrying out an apparent operation to bring in Ovidio. There are tons of armed officers on foot, plus trucks and jeeps with mounted weapons following behind.

Folks in the city are also sharing terrifying footage of the aftermath of the arrest ... men riding around the city with machine guns who are NOT part of the Mexican army.

As we've reported ... El Chapo was sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. back in July, after being found guilty for engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds, international distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other drugs and use of firearms.

Story developing ...

If people don't want Gina Rodriguez and others to drop the n-word while singing along to their favorite songs, then the artists should stop including it in their lyrics ... so says Amara La Negra.

The "Love & Hip Hop Miami" star tells TMZ ... she doesn't believe Gina had malicious intent when she used the term "n***a" while singing along to Lauryn Hill, so it shouldn't be a big deal at all.

Amara's take is if you're offended or sensitive about a non-black person singing the n-word, you should blame the creator of the song ... not the fans of the singer trying to mimic them.

Amara adds she's Latina like Gina, but believes the "Jane the Virgin" star is getting more flak for this because her skin is lighter than Amara's ... and that's a whole other complicated issue.

She concedes that Rodriguez probably should have known better than to post a clip of herself singing the n-word, but she's certain she wasn't trying to harm anyone ... so her apology should suffice.

Besides, Amara says a lot of Latinos are raised alongside African-Americans and are used to hearing the word and feel it's acceptable for them to use it ... once again, as long as they aren't using it maliciously.

As we told you ... a 7-year-old clip of Gina saying "n***a" in a comedy sketch resurfaced on the heels of her current controversy, lending credence to the notion that she's got a pass to say it.

The estate of Bernie Casey no longer has a legal cloud hanging over its head ... it's settled a lawsuit from a woman alleging he attacked her the week before he died.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the former NFL-star-turned-actor's estate has settled with Cheryl Castillo for a cool $250k. Cheryl had previously claimed she and Bernie were husband and wife but has since filed docs clarifying they were never married and only lived together.

In docs, the estate agrees to pony up the dough once it sells off Bernie's house. The settlement also allows Cheryl to live in the house until it's sold.

TMZ broke the story ... Cheryl sued the "Revenge of the Nerds" star back in June 2018 claiming Bernie violently tackled her to the ground just 1 week before his death in September 2017.

Cheryl alleged she got into an argument with Casey over their cars when he suddenly grabbed her by the arm and tackled her to the ground "as though [she] was a football player."

Casey -- who was U.N. Jefferson, the Tri Lambdas' leader, in 'Nerds' -- was a Pro-Bowl wide receiver for the L.A. Rams in the '60s.

Cam Newton's days as an NFL superstar are NOT over ... so says his Panthers teammate, Greg Olsen, who tells TMZ Sports he's got all the confidence in the world Cam will be back.

"Don't bet against Cam," Olsen says.

Newton has had a rough last few seasons battling injuries and poor play ... and the Panthers have actually been BETTER without him this season, going 3-0 in the games that he's missed.

So, when we saw Greg out in NYC this week ... we had to ask, is it over for the Carolina QB???

That's when Olsen told us no way, saying, "Don't bet against Cam. Once he gets himself right, he'll be ready to go."

As for the foot injury that's sidelined Newton for the past month ... Olsen says from everything he's seen, Cam is progressing just fine.

"I think he's feeling good," Olsen says. "I think he's feeling better."

Before this brown-eyed girl started starring in movies and topping the charts, she was born and raised to humble beginnings in Texas. She got her first taste of entertainment with a role on "Barney & Friends" before catching her big break when she earned a recurring role on "Hannah Montana."

She moved to Los Angeles after she was cast for the lead role in "Wizards of Waverly Place," and her career kept taking off.

She scored her first record deal when she was just 16, and she's been hinting at a new album. She also famously dated Justin Bieber for years.

Wendy Williams says there are only two things a man must have to find the way to her heart ... good conversation, and a good chunk of change!!!

We got the beloved talk show host Thursday, moments after she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and our guy asked what it takes to snag a date with her.

Wendy didn't hesitate at all ... laying out exactly what she's looking for in the opposite sex now that she's living life as a single woman after filing for divorce from husband Kevin Hunter.

You'll recall ... Wendy brought a young hunk home from California back in June, taking him with her to New York City for shopping sprees and fancy dinners, but it seemed to all be on her dime.

Sacramento Kings star Harrison Barnes has stepped up and will pay for the funeral of Atatiana Jefferson, the woman who was shot and killed by a police officer while she was in her own home.

Jefferson's story has made national news -- a neighbor had called police early Saturday morning to check on Jefferson after he saw a door was open at her home in Fort Worth, Texas.

When the officer, Aaron Dean, arrived at the home ... he saw a person inside, and before ever announcing he was a police officer, he opened fire and shot Jefferson, killing the 28-year-old.

Dean has been charged with murder. He's currently out on $200,000 bail.

Jefferson had been peacefully, innocently watching her 8-year-old nephew at the home.

Now, Barnes -- who played for the Dallas Mavericks for 3 years before being traded to the Kings -- has offered to help out the family and foot the bill for the funeral, which is scheduled for Saturday in Dallas.