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"The Bachelor" finally has an African-American male calling the rose ceremony shots -- Matt James is the show's next leading man.

ABC made the announcement Friday morning, saying it's "privileged to have Matt" as the first black Bachelor. Saying it's been a longtime coming is an understatement ... it hadn't happened in 40 seasons of the franchise.

Rachel Lindsay was the first black female lead on season 13 of "The Bachelorette" ... way back in 2017. It's undeniable Matt finally got the nod due to the whole country becoming laser-focused on equality and increasing diversity.

In fact, ABC said, "We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we're seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in, and we are proudly in service to our audience. This is just the beginning, and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise. We feel privileged to have Matt as our first Black Bachelor and we cannot wait to embark on this journey with him."

The lack of a black 'Bachelor' has been a big issue for the show for years, and most recently an online petition calling the franchise's lack of diversity "unacceptable" got nearly 100k signatures. At least 'Bachelor' producers, like many companies and individuals, finally seem to be listening and learning.

As for Matt ... he's no stranger to 'Bachelor' Nation. You'll recall he was cast on Clare Crawley's season of "The Bachelorette" in season 16 though nobody really got to know him because production was shut down due to the pandemic.

Here's what ya need to know: The 28-year-old works in real estate, and was a football player at Wake Forest University. He tried to make it on a couple NFL teams, but no dice. Hey, at least he's the 'Bachelor' now.

BTW, Matt is also one of Tyler Cameron's best friends, and at one point even roommates who quarantined together.

An NFL owner has FINALLY come forward and voiced his support for racial justice ... with Ravens honcho Steve Bisciotti delivering a powerful message alongside his players Friday.

The video -- in which players, staffers and Bisciotti himself talk about the need to end racism -- runs for roughly 10 minutes ... and it's emotional.

Everyone from star QB Lamar Jackson to backup QB Robert Griffin III to kicker Justin Tucker, who's white, delivers messages promoting unity and equality.

But, the most notable is obviously Bisciotti ... who's now become the first owner in the league to step forward and voice his support on video for his players in the fight for racial justice.

"Ask the questions, ask the uncomfortable questions," Bisciotti says. "And you will come to the conclusion -- I hope -- that I have, that you don't feel it enough, and that you don't live it enough if you're not willing to say it: Black Lives Matter."

Bisciotti added in the video, "To say stick to sports is the worst possible thing that you can feel and say."

"If my players, both white and black, don't speak out about this injustice to their communities, then they're considered sellouts or hypocrites. If I don't defend my players, then I'm the worst kind of hypocrite."

Bisciotti's move is a big step for the NFL ... even though Roger Goodell publicly admitted to bungling kneeling protests and vowed to do more to combat racial injustice -- league owners have been widely panned for staying quiet on the issue.

In fact, Richard Sherman just went after Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for his lack of vocal support on the matter ... saying this week, "his silence speaks volumes."

"It’s not pulling [NFL owners] like it is the rest of the country,” the 49ers cornerback added. "Because if it was, then they’d speak."

Dave Chappelle responded to Don Lemon's call for celebs to speak out on the death of George Floyd in a big way ... tearing into the CNN anchor on a surprise special he dropped early Friday morning.

Netflix released the Chappelle special on its YouTube comedy channel, and it's all about Dave addressing Floyd's killing by police and the ensuing protests to end racism and police brutality.

Chappelle also blasted Lemon for urging celebrities to use their platforms to talk about Floyd and the national unrest his death caused ... saying people don't need or want to hear from celebs right now. As only Dave could put it ... "Do we give a f**k what Ja Rule thinks?!"

He added ... the streets are speaking for themselves, and he isn't about to get in the way of trying to speak over that. Fittingly, the special is titled "8:46" ... the length of time accused murderer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on George's neck.

The surprise stand-up special was filmed outside on June 6 in Beavercreek, Ohio, in front of a masked, socially-distanced audience, and it's a lot less comedy than usual for Dave ... and more powerful commentary.

If you're wondering... Don's seen it, and he isn't pissed.

Friday morning, Lemon said he's honored to be mentioned by his favorite comedian and even jokes his nieces and nephews will think he's cool now, but also concedes that Dave makes a good point ... a lot of people don't care about celebrities' opinions.

Don says he welcomes Chappelle's criticism and encourages it because it brings more attention to the topic, and still thinks it's important for people like Dave and himself to use their large audience to spread that message.

Starbucks is now saying "my bad," and will allow employees to wear Black Lives Matter attire ... after getting intense backlash for banning it.

The coffee store giant announced Friday morning it's reversing its policy prohibiting workers from wearing anything highlighting the Black Lives Matter movement. And, to take things a step further ... Starbucks will distribute 250k BLM themed t-shirts to its employees.

The move comes just days after Starbucks said it feared employees wearing BLM attire could be misunderstood by customers and incite violence. But, after customers called for a boycott, Starbucks is now saying it hears their employees and supports them standing up for justice.

Starbucks announced, "Together with our Black Partner Network, we've designed a Starbucks t-shirt for every U.S. and Canada partner to express our solidarity during this historic time. Until these arrive, we’ve heard you want to show your support, so just be you. Wear your BLM pin or t-shirt. We are so proud of your passionate support of our common humanity."

It should be noted ... Starbucks hands out pins and special attire to celebrate LGBTQ rights and marriage equality even though there's a policy in place against wearing personal, political or religious attire.

It's not the first time Starbucks has been schooled on racial equality. You'll recall back in 2018 the coffee chain closed its stores for anti-bias training after 2 African-American men got hauled off to jail for hanging out and waiting for a friend inside a Starbucks in Philly.

The incident created an uproar and triggered protests.

The mayor of the nation's capital is calling for Washington's NFL team to finally ax the "Redskins" nickname ... saying it's "past time" to come up with something else.

The name controversy has raged for years -- with U.S. Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez most recently calling out the team and demanding a re-brand.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke about the issue to The Team 980 & 95.9 FM .. and she's siding with AOC.

"I think it’s past time for the team to deal with what offends so many people and this is a great franchise with a great history that’s beloved in Washington," Bowser says. "And it deserves a name that reflects the affection that we’ve built for the team."

Bowser was also asked if the team's name is hurting its chances of getting a new stadium in D.C. ... and she believes it's an "obstacle."

"It’s an obstacle for us locally but is also an obstacle for the federal government who leases the land to us."

"Vanderpump Rules" producers saw the writing on the wall for Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni when their racist tweets first resurfaced, and immediately started phasing them out ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to 'VP' production tell us ... season 8 was already shot, in the can and about to premiere in January when rookie cast members Max and Brett's old tweets were exposed. So, behind the scenes, producers started re-editing episodes in order to reduce their precious airtime.

We're told portions of their footage were switched up or even left on the cutting room floor. Ditto for their confessional interviews.

Our sources say because of the 2011 and 2012 tweets -- in which Brett and Max both used the n-word -- 'VP' producers knew they wouldn't be back for a second season. We're told production found the tweets "inexcusable."

As we reported ... Bravo recently fired the guys, along with 'Pump' OGs Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute, for their past racist behavior.

Lisa Vanderpump took some heat for allowing Max and Brett to continue on her staff long after learning of their tweets, but said she forgave them for their actions years ago. Plus, she had to wait for Bravo to make the final call.

Remember the social media blackout triggered by George Floyd's death? Cameo did something very similar and it raised $225k for the NAACP thanks in part to some huge names in music and TV.

Randy Jackson, Chaka Khan and NeNe Leakes are just 3 of the celebs who teamed up with Cameo -- the celebrity shout-out service -- to help benefit the NAACP Empowerment Programs. Here's how it worked.

In the spirit of #BlackoutTuesday on IG, for 2 days last week Cameo's homepage featured only African-American celebs. As you're aware by now ... Cameo is a platform where people can pay to have a celeb record and send a short custom video -- and all the fees from that day were donated to the NAACP.

We're told it generated nearly a quarter of a million bucks, thanks to over 500 talents opting to donate their proceeds. Cameo also donated 100% of its proceeds.

BTW, the NAACP Empowerment Programs aim to engage primarily in training, education, and advocacy as the nation finally comes to terms with how to best deal with racial inequality and social injustice.

Former Playboy Playmate Ashley Mattingly -- a domestic violence survivor at the hands of Lane Garrison -- took her own life with a gunshot to the head ... according to her autopsy.

The Travis County Medical Examiner's Office says Ashley put a handgun in her mouth when she pulled the trigger. The rest of the report reveals graphic, and quite frankly, obvious details we don't need to get into here.

The ME's report, obtained by TMZ, also includes toxicology results that show Ashley had opiates and benzos in her system when she died.

TMZ broke the story ... Ashley died back in April at her home in Austin, Texas, leaving a suicide note. Her family told us Ashley was struggling with substance abuse and alcohol abuse.

While they acknowledge she had many demons, they also say she was trying to get her life back on track.

Ashley was 33.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's son was arrested Wednesday after cops say he stabbed his Orange County neighbor multiple times, TMZ Sports has learned.

28-year-old Adam Abdul-Jabbar -- who appeared on "Celebrity Family Feud" with his famous father back in 2017 -- has been booked on 1 count of assault with a deadly weapon, records show.

Cops tell us ... officers responded to call about a stabbing on June 9 around 10 PM in San Clemente, CA.

"The suspect, who is the neighbor of the victim, was arrested without incident," a police spokesperson tells us.

Cops say the victim transported himself to the hospital "with multiple non-life-threatening injuries."

According to his booking sheet, Abdul-Jabbar stands 6'7" and weighs 180 lbs. He has since been released from custody, cops say.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, officials tell us.

Before this happy little lad was making the world smile with his rocking music and unmatched good looks, he was just another cool kid growing up on the mean streets of the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.

Even though this well-dressed dude looks good in a pair of overalls ... he turned into a style icon with one-of-a-kind fashion sense and is often spotted on the front row of very important fashion shows.

Try not to let his short hair fool you ... this musician is most recognizable with long beautiful locks.

YG's about to release the music video you could call the fruit of his extensive labor ... pulling together that massive Black Lives Matter rally last weekend in Hollywood.

We're told his new "F**k the Police" vid will drop early Friday, and while the song -- for obvious, lyrical content, reasons -- won't get a lot of radio airplay, you know it'll be all over the Internet. The song itself already has several million plays on YouTube.

As we reported, YG shot much of the music video during Sunday's Hollywood BLM rally, which he helped organize. With an estimated 50,000 people turning out, it was L.A.'s largest protest since George Floyd was killed -- and we're told parts of YG's speech, which kicked off the march, will be featured in the video.

As the Compton rapper said Sunday, "This s**t been going on for too long. I'm tired of waking up, looking at my phone, seeing another one of my people killed by the police."

He added, "I know if my brother Nipsey Hussle was here, he'd be right here with me."

Donald Trump trampled the constitutional rights of protesters when he ordered law enforcement to unleash tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets on them ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The President is being sued by 3 protesters who claim they were demonstrating outside the White House at Lafayette Park on June 1 -- the day POTUS took his now-infamous church photo-op.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the protesters claim they were part of a peaceful demonstration and the dispersal warnings to the crowd were not clear or intelligible. They say all of a sudden officers in riot gear charged them with their batons, firing rubber bullets and using pepper spray.

In the docs, the protesters claim the crowd-clearing tactics violated their constitutional rights, including freedom of assembly under the First Amendment and their right to be free from excessive force under the Fourth Amendment.

In fact, they invoke the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt saying June 1 is "a day that will live in infamy."

The protesters also claim the Trump Administration later lied about the amount and kinds of force used to disperse the crowd.

According to the suit, the protesters want an injunction allowing them to exercise their right to protest without fear of retribution and to restore access to Lafayette Park, which has since been closed off by fences.

The protesters also want a finding that the use of tear gas, flash-bang grenades, smoke bombs and rubber bullets was unconstitutional.

Oh, and in addition to President Trump, they are also suing Attorney General Bill Barr, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and D.C. National Guard Commander General William Walker ... and they want damages for injuries.

Donald Trump's return to campaign rallies is already controversial for the date and location, and now his supporters have to promise not to sue him if they get COVID-19 while attending.

Here's the deal ... the President's 2020 reelection campaign just announced details behind his highly-controversial move to host a rally next Friday in Tulsa -- and it includes a disclaimer: By registering to attend you are automatically agreeing NOT to sue if you contract the coronavirus. Always read the fine print.

The rally is going down June 19 at the BOK Center ... an arena that holds more than 19,000 people. Not the best idea in the middle of the pandemic -- as cases and hospitalizations are spiking in many places, including Oklahoma.

The Trump campaign website has a legal notice for anyone thinking about registering to attend, and it reads ... "By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present."

The notice continues ... "By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.; BOK Center; ASM Global; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury."

Trump's rally was already under heavy criticism for the fact it's being held on Juneteenth -- the holiday commemorating the end of slavery -- Tulsa was the site of a 1921 massacre of America's wealthiest Black community.

White mobs killed an estimated 300 people that day -- which is why Trump critics have called his rally an absolute "slap in the face" to Black America.

Da Brat's feeling like a new woman since deciding to come out of the closet and publicly celebrate her engagement, and says it's all because her fiancee's made her feel so loved.

The ATL rap icon joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and explained her decision to come out after more than 20 years, and gushed over her relationship with Jesseca Dupart.

Da Brat says she no longer feels like she's imprisoned and is finally free to share her truth, in part because she's established her career after 2 decades, but mainly because Jesseca is such a great woman.

It's easy to see she's head over heels for Jesseca, the CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair Products ... telling us why they click and how they push each other to be better.

As you know ... Da Brat revealed her sexual orientation back in March with a super sweet Instagram post thanking Jesseca for an early birthday gift -- a white Bentley wrapped with a huge red bow -- and is on the cover of Variety mag's Pride Issue.

Ed Gordon's all for reparations, and thinks any reasonable person who acknowledges America's history of racial injustice toward black people should be too ... so he's calling on Joe Biden to take a stance.

The journalist, author of "Conversations in Black: On Power, Politics, and Leadership" and BET staple hosted a virtual NAACP town hall with the presidential candidate Wednesday night, and when asked about reparations ... Joe seemed open to the idea but had some stipulations.

Ed joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to share his take on the issue of reparations, and also told us whether Biden's missing the mark.

The Presidential hopeful revealed he wanted Native Americans to be part of any reparations program, but Ed told us why he doesn't think that's necessary.

He says the reality is black people have received unfair treatment since the days of slavery up to the present ... and it's way past due to stop denying it.

Not only that, but he believes the onus of rectifying the centuries or racism simply can't fall on the oppressed -- white people need to work on it too.

Kelly Clarkson is heading to splitsville after nearly 7 years of marriage to Brandon Blackstock.

The singer filed divorce docs exactly one week ago in L.A. County Superior Court to end her marriage to the talent manager. The soon-to-be-exes tied the knot in October 2013 in Blackberry Farms, Tennessee and have 2 children together -- 5-year-old River Rose and 4-year-old Remington. Brandon has 2 children from a previous relationship.

Kelly's filing comes a little over a month after the couple put their L.A. home on the market for $10 million -- a listing that now seems pretty clearly tied to the split.

They're also still trying to unload a Nashville mansion -- but that one's been on the market for nearly 2 years now, so probably not related to their divorce.

Kelly and Brandon reportedly met in 2012 at Super Bowl XLVI courtesy of Brandon's dad ... Narvel Blackstock, who managed Kelly.

After 10 months of dating, Brandon popped the question and Kelly confirmed the news in December 2012 while announcing it to her fans on social media.