TMZ.com Home

A Houston Astros exec allegedly taunted a group of female reporters about a star player's domestic violence allegations ... but the team says that ain't exactly how it went down.

The man at the center of the controversy is assistant GM Brandon Taubman -- one of the top execs of the team -- who was reportedly fired up about star pitcher Roberto Osuna after their ALCS win Saturday night.

FYI, Osuna allegedly assaulted his baby mama in May 2018, while playing for the Blue Jays -- but the charges were dropped when the alleged victim disappeared to Mexico and refused to cooperate with prosecutors.

MLB suspended Osuna for 75 games and the Blue Jays, looking to get rid of his ass, traded Osuna to the Astros.

Fast-forward to Saturday night when Taubman ... Sports Illustrated cites a reporter (who was there) and several witnesses who say this happened during the locker room celebration.

"Taubman turned to a group of three female reporters, including one wearing a purple domestic-violence awareness bracelet, and yelled, half a dozen times, 'Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so f*cking glad we got Osuna!'"'

Yeah, sounds bad. REALLY bad.

But, the Astros are disputing the report ... seemingly acknowledging Taubman made the comments, but didn't intend them to be an offensive attack toward the women.

"The story posted by Sports Illustrated is misleading and completely irresponsible."

"An Astros player was being asked questions about a difficult outing. Our executive was supporting the player during a difficult time."

The team added, "His comments had everything to do about the game situation that just occurred and nothing else -- they were also not directed toward any specific reporters."

"We are extremely disappointed in Sports Illustrated’s attempt to fabricate a story where one does not exist."

Since the S.I. article came out, the Houston Chronicle says two of its reporters confirm the S.I. account.

So far, no footage of the incident has surfaced. But, we're guessing SOMEONE in that locker room caught something on video.

Elliott from 'E.T.' went from riding a bicycle under the influence of an alien ... to allegedly driving a car under the influence of a terrestrial substance.

Actor Henry Thomas was arrested Monday for DUI in Oregon. The Tualatin PD -- the agency that picked him up -- tells TMZ ... another motorist called 911 around 8:30 PM to report that someone was stopped in the middle of a residential intersection.

We're told that when cops arrived, they found Henry passed out behind the wheel, and officers had to wake him up. Although we're told that Henry's car didn't reek of booze to the police, they took him to the Washington County Jail on suspicion of DUI based on other signs of being intoxicated, which the Tualatin PD wouldn't clearly convey to us.

Either way, he was booked for misdemeanor driving under the influence of intoxicants. Of course, Henry posed for this bleary-eyed mug shot too. As of now, it doesn't seem like he's been released yet. Presumably, cops are letting him sober up in jail.

The guy is obviously most known for his lead role as young Elliott from Steven Spielberg's iconic 1982 film, in which he befriends an extraterrestrial. He's gone on to act in tons of other stuff over the years ... most recently, in Netflix's "The Haunting of Hill House."

When it comes to this though ... ya gotta wonder if Henry was given his one "phone home" call. We can only hope so!!!

Originally Published -- 9:36 AM PT

Ronda Rousey absolutely DESTROYED her real-life husband, Travis Browne, in an underground fight club on Monday ... and it was all for an episode of the show, "9-1-1."

Ronda is a regular cast member on the FOX hit -- and this week Ronda's character, Lena, brought her firefighter coworker, Eddie, (played by Ryan Guzman) to a parking lot fight club to work out his anger issues.

But, Ronda wasn't a spectator, she was there to fight -- and her opponent is a giant, bearded tattooed man ... whose face you never really see.

But, when we slowed down the tape, it was obvious that dude is Browne -- a 6'7", 250-pound former UFC fighter!!!

The fight doesn't go too well for Browne ... Ronda's character easily ducked a few punches before hitting him with a flying knee.

She followed up with a superman punch, slammed his head against a truck, hit him with a judo throw and then obliterated his face with some elbow strikes from the top position.

All in all ... pretty good stuff!!!

Remember, it ain't all glitz and glamour for Rousey ... who seriously JACKED UP her finger in real life while shooting a scene for the show earlier this year.

As for Browne, he was 18-7 as a pro-MMA fighter -- with wins over guys like Matt Mitrione, Fabrício Werdum, Brendan Schaub and Alistair Overeem.

Monica is officially flying solo -- her divorce from ex-NBA baller Shannon Brown is now finalized after spending a few minutes Tuesday morning before the judge.

The singer and her attorney, Tanya Mitchell Graham, arrived at the courthouse in Fayetteville, GA ... but her now ex-husband, Shannon, was a no-show. That made for a quick, drama-free hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes. The judge granted Monica's divorce and -- as she requested -- restored her maiden name. She's now back to Monica Arnold.

Their split moved pretty quickly, legally speaking. You'll recall, filed for divorce back in March after nearly 10 years of marriage to the former Lakers star. They had separated about a year ago.

They have a 6-year-old daughter together, Laiyah. As for an agreement on child support ... the details were sealed in court. No word on if either will pay spousal support.

Either way ... Monica seemed satisfied with the outcome, as she left court smiling and surrounded by family members.

Kylie Jenner's no fool ... when she sees something that's hot, she tries to own it, which is what she wants to do with the catch phrase, "Rise and Shine."

Kylie filed legal docs asking the feds for ownership of a slang version of the famous wake-up call ... "RIIISE AND SHIIINNEE."

The trademark would cover belts, pants, coats, dresses, footwear, gloves, headbands, headwear, jackets, loungewear, scarves, sleepwear, socks, swimwear and undergarments ... as well as cosmetics.

Kylie did a YouTube tour of her office earlier this month, walked into Stormi's room -- where she was sleeping in her crib -- and began singing "Rise and Shine" to wake her up. It exploded online and the Kardashians/Jenners are nothing if not brilliant business people, so what better ploy than to ride the wave and take advantage.

Lori Loughlin may not go to trial after all in her college admissions case, because our sources say there's an opening now for a plea bargain in the wake of Felicity Huffman's superlight sentence.

Multiple sources involved in the various college admissions cases say Lori's big break came with the probation department's sentencing report for Felicity ... specifically, the part where the dept. says no one suffered a loss as a result of the actress's conduct. Prosecutors argued someone who took the SAT was probably denied admission somewhere because Felicity's daughter scored higher than she should have because of a rigged test. Probation said ... not the case.

As we reported, our U.S. Attorney sources tell us prosecutors wanted a year behind bars for Felicity. The fact that they only got 14 days, and the probation department would have been fine with no prison time and straight probation has caused concern for the U.S. Attorney.

Prosecutors, we're told, are worried it will become an embarrassment for the office if Lori goes to trial, gets convicted and gets a short sentence. And remember, Felicity rigged an SAT test that potentially affects every applicant. With Lori, even though she paid way more ($500,000), the bribe didn't really affect anyone else.

Sources with direct knowledge on the subject tell us the U.S. Attorney is open to plea discussions, and that is far more likely now that a possible sentence for Lori could be measured in weeks and not years. Remember, if you look just at the charges, Lori faces a maximum of 40 years. It won't look good if prosecutors go to trial, win a conviction and she gets 3 or 4 weeks behind bars.

So, the smart money now ... plea bargain before trial.

Kevin Hart's slowly but surely getting back on his grind, and that includes carving out time to hang with good friends like Jay-Z.

Kev and Jay were out Monday night in Bev Hills with an impressive crew at Avra. The mogul and the movie star kicked it with Murder Inc. honcho Irv Gotti and LeBron James' right-hand man, Maverick Carter.

They all hung out for about 3 hours inside the joint ... where they played poker, broke bread and exchanged hugs on the way out. We're guessing everyone was congratulating Kevin -- who seemed to be moving around well -- on his amazing recovery from last month's scary crash.

As we've reported, Kev continues to get intensive outpatient therapy, and based on this video ... it is definitely working.

Kim Kardashian just entered the last year of her 30s and as a gift ... her husband, Kanye, got her something she seems to appreciate more than any one material item.

The middle Kardashian sister hit the big 3-9 Monday, and to celebrate ... it appears she kept it relatively low-key with her closest loved ones -- including Ye and the kids. She posted a few videos of what she described as a "home cooked meal" from Carousel Restaurant ... which cooks up Middle Eastern cuisine. KK and co. also had a beignet truck pay 'em a visit.

The biggest revelation came a bit later in the night though, when Kim posted a photo of a letter she'd received ... which said a million-dollar donation had been made in her name.

Kim says Kanye gave the money to her fave charities -- which focus on prison reform, which she's obviously passionate about -- and got the kids in on it too. The charities included Cut 50, Buried Alive Project, Equal Justice Initiative and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition.

The idea of a donation as a gift may seem a little Costanza-ish -- remember "Festivus?" -- but these orgs are very much real ... and a million bucks goes a long way toward the cause.

She sure has come a long way, huh? Happy birthday!!!

Barack Obama, Tim Cook and Robert De Niro likely all have a spot on the list of celebs people want to have dinner with ... and the trio was seated at the same table Monday night in NYC.

The former U.S. Prez, the Apple CEO and the movie star met up at Yves restaurant in the City's Tribeca neighborhood for a meeting of the minds ... and we're told they dined for several hours.

So, the big question here -- other than who picked up the check -- is what the heck did they talk about? Politics? Technology? Movies? Streaming services? De Niro's appearance on CNN last month?

Gotta think they reminisced about that last one for sure.

Anyway, Obama's New York visit's been pretty low-key other than the power dinner -- no big speeches or fundraising galas on the books -- and he's even crashing at a friend's place.

Lindsay Lohan simply can't hide the animosity she has toward Cody Simpson ... and it seems she doesn't think much of Miley Cyrus either.

Lindsay's beef with Miley's new man apparently stems from his time dating her sister, Aliana. She shared a photo of Cody with Ali Monday night, writing ... "When you realise you failed. And you settle for less."

She added ... "family is everything you won the masked singer but you lost on your future."

So, yeah ... shots definitely fired in Miley's direction, even though Lindsay tried to take them back by deleting the post.

Lohan first revealed her issues with Simpson on Australia's inaugural season of "The Masked Singer" -- she's one of the judges -- as she guessed the masked man in the Robot costume was Cody.

Turns out she was right, but before he was unmasked Lindsay dished the dirt, saying ... "If it is you, we have a lot to talk about, and this is not the arena for it. I want my furniture back! Because I bought your furniture for your house in Venice!"

The crowd and the other judges loved the drama, but Cody got the last laugh by being crowned the winner ... even though Lindsay thinks he's still taking the L.

As for Lohan's furniture claim ... her fellow 'Masked Singer' judge, Jackie 'O' Henderson, says Lindsay told her she furnished Ali and Cody's new place in Venice Beach back when they were dating in 2018.

Shortly after, Cody broke up with Ali and they moved out of the pad ... and apparently, Lindsay never got her stuff back. It's unclear if Cody even knew what she was talking about ... because he was still in the Robot suit.

Stay tuned for more.

Nicki Minaj says she's married to her high school sweetheart -- and we have every reason to believe her, because the handwriting was on the wall weeks ago.

The Queen MC made the big announcement Monday evening, telling her 106 million followers that her new name is "Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty" ... taking the last name of her new boo, Kenneth Petty ... whom she's been with since at least late last year.

Nicki also posted footage from what appears to be the day they tied the knot ... "10.21.19." In the video that she posted, NM shows off custom bride and groom caps and mugs -- it would seem she and Ken had themselves a party ... this might've been the aftermath.

As we've reported ... Nicki and Ken obtained a marriage license back in June, but told her radio audience in mid-August that she'd gotten it renewed that month ... and would be getting hitched about 80 days from then. Looks like she was right on the money.

Nicki seemed to fall for Kenneth quickly, once they went public. The reason, of course, was they were old flames ... who simply rekindled their romance.

We learned about Ken's old rap sheet -- which includes convictions for manslaughter and attempted rape -- but Nicki made it clear she believes that's all in his past.

Selma Blair says she's coping pretty well with her multiple sclerosis a year after being diagnosed, but she got choked up talking about her battle helping others.

We got Selma Monday at LAX, where our camera guy told her just how big of an inspiration she's become since going public with her MS diagnosis. He's not wrong ... she's shared her highs and lows with her fans.

She tells us she's actually doing well with her treatments -- which have included chemo and a stem cell transplant -- and that, despite her sometimes choppy speech, she's generally been doing great. Selma revealed the toughest part of her public appearances now.

She also opened up about continuing to act. As our guy puts it, she's become a powerful voice for other MS patients. She's still acting FWIW -- Selma was just featured in the new Netflix show "Another Life."

Selma says she hopes she can keep going because she believes it's important for folks to see people with MS and understand ... there's room for all.

It'll just take one secret ingredient from folks ... and Selma shares that with us.

Future's pulling out (figuratively speaking, that is) all the stops to ghost a new alleged baby mama ... so she claims in a new paternity case alleging he's fathered his EIGHTH CHILD!!!

Cindy Renae Parker has filed legal docs in Nueces County, Texas alleging Future is the father of her 3-month-old son, Legend Ary Wilburn. No, you didn't read that wrong. Anyway ... according to docs, obtained by TMZ, Cindy claims she's made repeated attempts to serve the rapper with papers, but to no avail.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Cindy says Future agreed to a paternity test but then he went radio silent on her when it came time to get it done. We're told taking Future to court was Cindy's last resort and she wanted to solve this amicably and on their own.

Our sources say Cindy got a judge's permission to serve Future's lawyers in his home state of Georgia ... because cause he's harder to track down than Jimmy Hoffa.

This baby mama drama, of course, is becoming a ritual of sorts for Future. TMZ broke the story ... nearly 2 months ago to the date, Eliza Seraphin filed legal docs in Florida alleging he fathered her 6-month-old daughter.

Eliza, like Cindy, alleged Future ghosted her after she gave birth in April. That case is still pending. No word if Maury Povich has volunteered to offer his services.

Suge Knight's rise and fall is going to be immortalized in writing ... and he says he's tapped Nick Cannon to write the book.

Suge shared the big news Monday during a phone call from his state prison in San Diego ... revealing Nick's plan to author the story of his life.

So, why Nick?!? Suge says he considers him one of the most respected people in Hollywood, and that's why he's trusting Nick with the monumental biography task.

Nick's joining Ray J in helping Suge cash in on his legacy ... as we first told you, the former Death Row Records boss signed over his life rights to Ray J, giving Ray the green light to use his likeness in movies, music, publications and all types of media.

Suge clarified that Ray J won't be the only one calling the shots, saying his fiancee Toi-Linn Kelly has his power of attorney. However, we've seen the contract with Ray, and it gives him creative control.

In fact, Suge says Ray is also going to handle the future of Death Row Records, and it sounds like there's a new album in the works.

Suge sounds confident he'll be out of prison sooner than later. As we've reported, he struck a 28-year plea deal in his murder case last year, but due to prison overcrowding and getting credit for time served ... he could be released in little over a decade.

One thing's for certain ... Suge's got a helluva tale, so Nick's got his work cut out for him.

"He’s still a great player, not a hall of famer yet, though."

That's Michael Jordan talking about ... get this ... STEPH CURRY!!!

His Airness made the statement on Tuesday's "Today" show -- when he was backing an old claim that the 4 dudes he would select in a pickup game would be Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson and James Worthy.

When Craig Melvin asked if Steph Curry should be offended that he isn't on MJ's list, Jordan replied ... "I hope not. He's still a great player. Not a Hall of Famer yet, though."

Of course, Curry is a LOCK for the Hall of Fame -- 3x NBA champ, 2x MVP, 6x NBA All-Star ... and he's widely considered one of (if not) the greatest shooter of all time.

Guessing Curry won't take this too seriously ...

During the interview, Jordan also revealed he no longer plays pickup basketball because he's afraid his hyper-competitive nature will kick in and "it will take over."

Melvin says MJ is concerned that he would compete TOO HARD and end up hurting himself.

Jenelle Evans' ex-BF, Nathan Griffith, has an excuse for why he shouldn't have been busted for DWI ... he says he wasn't even in his car when he got stopped by cops.

As we reported ... the "Teen Mom 2" star was arrested outside a grocery store last Thursday in North Carolina ... and now Nathan is calling his arrest BS.

Nathan tells us his keys were actually locked inside his vehicle and he was walking to meet friends at a restaurant when he got stopped by police, who he claims were responding to a report of a man sleeping in his car.

The way Nathan tells it ... he'd already been walking for 5 minutes when cops showed up and escorted him back to his vehicle. He says police grilled him about driving and sleeping in the car before administering a field sobriety test ... and ya gotta hear him describe the procedure.

We've reached out to law enforcement multiple times ... and we're still waiting on the police report.

Bottom line for Nathan ... he thinks he shoulda been popped for public intoxication not DWI.