R. Kelly's being accused of sexual misconduct by two women who are telling their story for the first time at a news conference scheduled to begin around 11 AM PT ... and TMZ will be streaming it live.

The women -- who have never spoken publicly before about the allegations -- will be flanked by their attorney, Gloria Allred, in NYC. We're told the women will describe what they claim happened to them after they attended an R. Kelly concert and after-party. They will also explain why they are coming forward now.

As we reported ... a grand jury has been convened to investigate the alleged sex tape that Michael Avenatti handed over to Cook County's State Attorney's Office. Avenatti says the VHS tape shows Kelly having sex with a girl who seems to be 14 years old.

It's unclear if the women speaking today are among the women prosecutors flew to Chicago to watch the new tape to see if any of Kelly's surroundings looked familiar ... or to identify the girl.

8:12 AM PT -- Trump has now weighed in on the situation, calling Jussie's allegations "racist and dangerous."

.@JussieSmollett - what about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 21, 2019

7:10 AM PT -- The Police Superintendent just expressed his outrage at Jussie Smollett for allegedly betraying the African American and LGBT communities to further his career in a "publicity stunt." The superintendent said Smollett created the ruse because "he was dissatisfied with his salary" on "Empire."

The Superintendent also said the wounds on Smollett were most likely "self-inflicted."

The Superintendent added that Jussie sent a "false letter" -- presumably the letter that was sent to Fox Studios 8 days before the incident.

4:15 AM PT -- Jussie has turned himself in and is under arrest. He's been booked and will be taken in custody to the courthouse where he will be going to bond court at 1:30 PM CT. He will either post bond or be released on his own recognizance. He will not enter a plea.

Jussie Smollett has just been indicted for a felony ... disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, and the stakes are 3 years in prison.

A Cook County Grand Jury handed down the indictment late Wednesday, after grand jurors heard testimonies and evaluated evidence. 

We're told Ola and Abel Osundairo -- the 2 brothers -- told Grand Jurors they staged the so-called "attack" at Jussie's behest and even got paid for it. The brothers were caught on camera buying a bunch of supplies before the incident ... including ski masks, gloves, bandanas, sunglasses and red hats.

Although police officially called Jussie a "victim" until recently, multiple law enforcement sources have told us the police had real doubts about Jussie's story early on. They found it weird he kept the rope around his neck for 42 minutes after the "attack," and were suspicious when he took them to the scene and immediately pointed to a camera which he said captured the incident. Turns out, the camera was pointed in the wrong direction.

Abel and Ola told police they drove with Jussie in the days prior to the incident scouting a location and even rehearsed the "attack."  

Law enforcement believes Jussie timed the "attack" for January 29 because he knew the Osundairo brothers were leaving for Nigeria that day.

As for the hate mail sent to Jussie at Fox Studios in Chicago ... our sources say the F.B.I. questioned Ola and Abel and are checking to see if the postal stamp on the letter matches stamps police seized at the brothers' home ... or if the ripped out magazine pages found at their pad match the cut-out letters used in the racist and homophobic letter.

We know the brothers told police they had nothing to do with the letter, and only saw it in a photo on Jussie's phone. 

6:18 PM PT -- Jussie's attorneys, Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson, released the following statement ... "Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked." 

"Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense."

Originally Published -- 2/20/2018 5:03 PM PST

Kanye West looks like he's got a lot on his mind these days ... and we're guessing neon sherbet might be one of them. 

The rapper was out Thursday heading to his office in Calabasas when he stepped out with a new hairdo. It's pretty colorful. A little purple here, a little green there and tons of red. Whatever the case ... make no mistake about it, Ye looks like a man on a mission.

Kanye's no stranger to giving his hair a remix. Remember that one time he decked his dome in some bright ass red? At the time, the new style came on the heels of a music video shooting scare with Tekashi69.

This time around, the hairdo comes after an awesome Kenny G surprise for Kim K on Valentine's Day. A lot less dramatic, for sure, but still makes him easy to spot in a crowd!

Whatever the inspiration, we are diggin' the flair. Do you, Ye.

Tom Green's counting down to November 3, 2020 ... because that's when he can finally vote for President, now that he's a U.S. citizen!!!

The comedian went through the naturalization oath ceremony Wednesday at the L.A. Convention Center along with hundreds of others. As you probably know, Tom was born in Canada but he's lived in the U.S. for two decades.

Check out the clip ... Tom couldn't contain his excitement as he proudly waves a U.S. flag. BTW, the same could NOT be said of President Trump who had a message for the newly naturalized citizens.

The obvious question ... what took so long? Tom tells TMZ ... being a standup comedian and commenting on society is great, but after living in America for 20 years now, he wanted the opportunity to vote and take part in the democratic process.

Make no mistake ... Tom bleeds Canada's red and white, and he's in no way turning his back on Canada. He's just now making room for America's red, white AND blue. And, he's showing both countries love ... 'cause now he has dual citizenship.

He knows his U.S. history too -- bet ya can't name every prez as Tom did while on "Celebrity Big Brother."

Congrats. Welcome!! Enjoy the taxes.

Danielle Staub and Marty Caffrey finally closed the deal on their bitter divorce ... and she's ecstatic to say goodbye to their less than 10-month marriage.

We got "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star leaving the courthouse Thursday in Bergen County, NJ and she happily flaunted her divorce papers. She also had a parting bird for Marty.

Danielle told us she's beyond relieved to be done with Marty, and took a shot at his last name. Don't think Danielle's soured on love, though ... because she says she's already back in the dating pool. She's just avoiding a certain type of guy from now on.

As for their divorce agreement ... Danielle tells us she's buying their $2 million dollar home and keeping all the wedding presents, despite reports she has to return them. For what it's worth, Marty told us on the way into court he hoped they could remain friends. Fat chance ... according to Danielle.

We broke the story ... just months after their May wedding in the Bahamas, things started getting really nasty when Danielle claimed she was blindsided by Marty listing their house without telling her. 

Marty called BS, telling us she knew in advance he was listing the home. Things took a darker turn last month when cops responded to a domestic disturbance at their home. Danielle filed a protective order against Marty, but he claimed she was making up bogus allegations because everyone hates her on 'RHONJ.'

The good news -- they're both free to move on to the next relationship now. This was Danielle's third divorce ... and Marty's second.

Danielle's also making plans to move on professionally. This might sound a little strange, but she pitched us her idea for a new series ... one that focuses on her tragic childhood.

As you might know, she's written about being repeatedly raped as a child, and she's ready to bring that story to TV. 

Kudos to Danielle ... she still found a way to smile at the end of her pitch.

Peter Tork -- the lovable member of the pop band, The Monkees -- died Thursday after a decade-long battle with tongue cancer.

Peter's sister reportedly confirmed the musician's death but did not reveal where he passed or the cause. The Monkees singer was diagnosed in 2009 with a rare cancer ... adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Tork was known as the wise-cracking, self-described "dummy" of the made-for-TV music group ... who played bass guitar and keyboard.

His biggest claim to fame, musically, might be the piano intro on the group's mega hit, "Daydream Believer."

He also contributed on vocals, singing the lead on tracks like "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?"

Peter was also the oldest member of the group, at 24, when "The Monkees" show first aired on NBC in 1966 ... and instantly became a sensation thanks to the trail blazed by Beatlemania.

Tork left the group after its huge success in the late '60s and tried to make it on his own as a solo artist, but returned to The Monkees in the mid-'80s for major reunion tours.

Peter's survived by his wife, Pamela, and his 3 kids -- 2 daughters and a son.

He was 77. 

Lil Pump had an intense showdown with Miami cops -- shouting back and forth -- moments before they arrested him for misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

TMZ's obtained police body cam footage from the rapper's December arrest before his flight outta Miami. You can see an incredibly frustrated Pump repeatedly tell cops a bag that smelled of weed, according to TSA, was definitely NOT his.

In the video, you can also see Pump's manager mount the same defense ... but clearly, it fell on deaf ears because cops were adamant the bag belonged to Pump. Check out the video ... Pump gets visibly angry and that triggers a cop to shout right back at him.

TMZ broke the story ... the rapper was hauled off his flight from Miami to L.A. after he was accused of carrying drugs in the bag that smelled like weed. Our law enforcement sources eventually confirmed Pump's version of events -- he was NOT carrying any drugs.

Pump's manager was also arrested for disorderly conduct. Both men entered not guilty pleas. 

Tisha Campbell-Martin and Duane Martin have finally come to terms -- at least temporarily -- on how they'll handle exchanges of their kids ... a promising sign in their nasty divorce.

The exes filed new docs, obtained by TMZ, saying they've agreed to joint custody of their kids and detailing how they're gonna handle drop-offs. They're ditching the neutral police station meetup they'd previously used, and doing it at Starbucks now. 

Per their agreement, Tisha and Duane say exchanges of their two children will now take place by either dropping them off at school, or at a specific Starbucks in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley. There won't be any face time between the parents though.

For a Starbucks drop-off, Tisha and Duane say that one parent will be inside while the other remains in the car as the kids come in or out. They'll only text to assure the safe transfer of the children -- and when they do, they'll only communicate through a third-party app. 

Their agreement requires each of them to respond to a text within 24 hours. If one parent is going to be absent during their custodial time, they have to give the other a heads-up.

While custody seems to finally be settled, the rest of their divorce continues.