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Lil Nas X's Satan Shoes won't see the light of day, because although Nike settled its lawsuit against the manufacturer of the merch ... the shoe giant really won the battle to block the controversial kicks.

Nike tells TMZ ... it's reached an agreement with MSCHF, the company producing the custom shoes based on Nike's Air Max 97. The so-called Satan Shoes were inspired by Lil Nas' demonic-themed music video for his new song, "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)."

The footwear giant tells us the settlement calls for MSCHF to launch a voluntary recall to buy back all Satan Shoes it's sold for their original retail prices in order to remove them from circulation.

Remember ... MSCHF was hawking the limited-edition kicks for $1,018 a pop, an ode to the bible scripture emblazoned on the side, Luke 10:18, which references Satan's banishment from heaven. Buyers snatched up all 666 pairs within minutes after last month's release. The shoes feature an inverted cross, bronze pentagram and a drop of human blood.

As we reported ... Nike filed suit against MSCHF last week, claiming MSCHF was infringing on its trademarks by selling the altered Air Max 97 without Nike's authorization. A judge had already granted Nike an injunction to block all future sales of the shoes.

Taylor Swift die-hards are paving the way for her highly anticipated re-release of her sophomore album, "Fearless" ... making sure none of the old stuff gets in the way.

If you haven't heard, Taylor's been in an all-out war over her masters, and has decided to re-record her original songs and albums and release them again ... and "Fearless: Taylor's Version" drops Friday.

So, a horde of Swifties out there are banding together to make the OG "Fearless" album disappear ... on Spotify at least.

The Twitter account -- Taylor Swift Updates -- has a how-to guide to hiding all the old versions of her albums and songs on Spotify ... ensuring that Swift's fans automatically get the re-records.

It's pretty simple, albeit a little time-consuming, but for Swifties who want to heed Taylor's call to stop supporting her old albums and devote their ears to her re-releases ... it's pretty much mandatory.

As we've told you ... the first step in Swift's campaign was releasing her redo of "Love Story" back in February -- the smash hit from "Fearless" -- and if its success was any indication, Friday is going to be a very big day.

Tim Stark -- famous for being one of the animal park staffers on 'Tiger King' -- threatened to take his own life after taking a loss in court ... and now police are involved.

Here's the deal ... Tim went on Facebook Live Wednesday night after an Indiana judge banned him from owning animals, and made several threats against himself and anyone coming to his property.

As you can see in the video, Tim shows what appears to be a syringe attached to his arm, which he claims is filled with drugs used for euthanasia.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police are aware of the video and they contacted Tim Thursday to investigate the incident. At this point, they say he is fine, but add ... they'll continue monitoring his Facebook for any possible criminal activity.

The suicide threats are alarming and so is this -- law enforcement tells us Tim threatened to potentially shoot anyone who comes to his home. Cops have not yet made physical contact with him.

DMX has not regained any brain function nearly a week after his overdose, and the family may soon be faced with a tormenting decision ... whether to withdraw life support.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, the battery of tests performed on X Wednesday showed no improvement in brain activity since he was rushed to the hospital after suffering the OD late Friday night. As we reported, he had little brain function after being deprived of oxygen for nearly half an hour.

DMX remains in a coma and, as it was put to us, the test results are "not good." We're told the family has asked X's longtime friend and manager, Steve Rifkind, to fly to New York Friday ... another sign that hope is dwindling.

As we reported, there's been a massive show of support for DMX. Hundreds of people -- including his kids, fiancee and mothers of some of his children -- crowded outside the hospital Monday night for a prayer vigil. We're told only a limited number of family members have been allowed inside the ICU because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The man who slaughtered 5 people Wednesday -- including 2 children -- at a home in South Carolina has been identified as former NFL player Phillip Adams, according to reports.

Officials believe 32-year-old Adams -- a 7th-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft -- stormed a home in Rock Hill, SC on Wednesday afternoon and shot 5 people to death.

The victims have been identified as 70-year-old Dr. Robert Lesslie, his 69-year-old wife, Barbara Lesslie -- and their grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie.

A 5th victim, 38-year-old James Lewis, was working at the home when the gunman opened fire, killing him.

A 6th person was shot -- but that person survived and is being treated at a nearby hospital.

A furious manhunt was underway for the gunman.

But, the case took another dark twist on Thursday morning ... when sources say officials found the body of Phillip Adams, who appeared to have taken his own life around midnight Thursday morning, by way of gunshot.

According to the reports, there was a prior connection between Adams and the victims -- the football player's parents live in the area and Phillip had reportedly been previously treated by Dr. Robert Lesslie.

Adams was a star defensive back at South Carolina State in the late 2000s before being drafted by the 49ers in 2010.

He bounced around to the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders -- playing in 52 NFL games before his NFL career ended following the 2013 season.

Geraldo Rivera has seriously pissed off his fellow Fox News pundit Leo Terrell by challenging his cred in the Black community -- and they just went HAM on each other!!!

Geraldo and Leo were on Bill Hemmer's "America's Newsroom" Thursday to talk about race and policing, particularly in St. Louis. That city's Mayor-Elect Tishaura Jones -- a Black woman -- questioned the "lived experience" of white allies in leading a population that is nearly 50 percent Black.

That remark got Leo all hot and bothered, and as he started going off on Mayor-Elect Jones ... Geraldo jumped in with, "Hey, Leo! When was the last time you were in the ghetto?"

Explosion in 3, 2 ...

Leo -- a famed civil rights attorney for several decades -- damn near jumped through the TV screen in his rage at Geraldo. Both men exchanged inner-city resumes, barking out their hometowns. FYI, Leo's reppin' the West coast, and Geraldo the East.

You gotta see the fireworks. Far as we can tell, the only real winner is Fox News' ratings. We doubt Geraldo and Leo will be breaking bread anytime soon.

The prosecution in the Derek Chauvin murder trial is trying to poke major holes in his defense ... with a doctor's powerful testimony that any healthy person would have died if treated like George Floyd.

Dr. Martin Tobin, a physician specializing in pulmonology and critical care, took the stand Thursday and ripped into the heart of Chauvin's defense -- that Floyd allegedly died from a drug overdose and not by Chauvin's knee on his neck.

The doc goes into pretty deep detail on why, in his expert opinion, a healthy person would not have been able to survive a knee to the neck for 9 1/2 minutes.

Dr. Tobin testified that, by his calculations, Floyd lost all of the oxygen in his body about 3 minutes BEFORE Chauvin lifted his knee off George's neck. Tobin's being called the prosecution's star witness, as his testimony's been one of the most powerful moments in the courtroom, so far.

The doc went on to say George died from a low level of oxygen causing his heart to stop, essentially attributing his death to him being handcuffed face down on the pavement with Chauvin's knee pinned to his neck.

Remember ... Chauvin's defense attorney Eric Nelson told the jury last week Floyd "put drugs in his mouth" when confronted by cops and said the autopsy found meth and fentanyl in his system.

But, Dr. Tobin's testimony is clearly the prosecution's attempt to blunt that OD theory.

Jay Glazer knows a lot about anxiety and depression because he's struggled with both for years ... which is why he's now offering mental health therapy for people working out at his gym.

FOX NFL Sunday's "NFL Insider," has been in therapy for years, so he got his therapist to essentially hang her shingle at his West Hollywood gym, Unbreakable Performance, to help people work on their mental as well as physical health.

Members can get a 50-minute session or shorter, and Jay says it could be a lifesaver. He says a lot of people are ashamed to admit they are struggling, but he wants to destigmatize mental health issues by offering readily available therapy.

As Jay says, he lives in "the gray" -- a reference to his struggle with depression and anxiety -- and he says there's no shame in it. He's learned how to handle his issues and wants to help others do the same. As he put it, "It's okay not to be okay."

A tradition unlike any other turned into a pain unlike any other for Rory McIlroy's dad at The Masters on Thursday ... 'cause the dude got drilled in the leg by one of his son's wayward shots!!

The surreal moment all went down on the 7th hole of McIlroy's opening round ... when the golf superstar tried to bend a shot around a tree to hit the green from the rough.

The problem? McIlroy's approach never turned -- and it made a beeline right for his dad!!

Rory tried to give his pops a heads up ... he shouted "Fore right!" as soon as the ball left his clubface -- but it was too late, and just moments later, Gerry McIlroy's poor calf ate the golf ball.

Gerry was seen limping shortly after the strike ... but it seems he's OK -- 'cause he joked with reporters after the direct hit, "I should ask for an autographed glove."

The shot sucks for both McIlroys ... but Rory's currently got some bigger issues on his hands -- he's +3 through 10 so far, and a possible missed cut seems to be on the horizon.

Sakura Kokumai was minding her own business while training in a park when she was accosted by a stranger ... in the latest disturbing example of anti-Asian sentiment in America.

The U.S Olympic karate athlete says she was at a park in Orange, CA last week when the angry man began yelling at her out of nowhere ... so she recorded it.

The man makes several threats and hurls insults at Sakura before finally getting in his car to leave, but not before she says she heard him drop some racial slurs as well.

She describes the incident as horrible, adding ... "I don’t know which was worse, a stranger yelling and threatening to hurt me for no reason or people around me who witnessed everything and not doing a thing."

Sakura says toward the end of his rant, a woman finally did ask if she was okay.

The Olympic athlete says she decided to share her experience as a reminder this is happening all over the country ... and we need to take better care of each other.

She also told reporters ... "I was aware about the anti-Asian hate that was going on. You see it almost every day on the news. But, I didn’t think it would happen to me at a park I usually go to train."

Diddy is calling out General Motors ... saying the company needs to step up and open its wallet for Black businesses, claiming GM's promise to shell out big bucks has fallen short.

Diddy penned a scathing letter Thursday, opening with, "The same feet these companies use to stand with us in solidarity are the same feet they use to stand on our necks." Diddy says that his REVOLT network was an example of Black-owned media GM promised to support through advertising, but he doesn't feel the company has done enough.

In his letter, Diddy claims GM spent $3 billion on advertising in 2019 and by his estimation, only $10 million of that was invested in Black-owned media.

As for what he thinks needs to happen, Diddy says, "If the Black community represents 15% of your revenue, Black-owned media should receive at least 15% of the advertising spend."

Howard Weitzman, an influential and wildly successful attorney who represented some of the biggest names in Hollywood has died.

He died this week in Pacific Palisades, CA after battling cancer ... according to his family.

Howard spent over 50 years repping celebs, including O.J. Simpson, John DeLorean, Michael Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Magic Johnson, Marlon Brando, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sugar Ray Leonard, Justin Bieber, Ozzy Osbourne, Diddy, Ivan Reitman, Ron Meyer and countless others.

He represented Michael Jackson's Estate from the get-go, and also repped the singer in the civil lawsuit brought by Jordan Chandler.

Howard famously repped O.J. Simpson in the murder case, but only for a day. The video above was shot when Weitzman and Simpson left LAPD headquarters after O.J. was interviewed the day after the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Howard quit the case the next day ... the story goes his wife, Margaret, urged him to withdraw.

When he helped free DeLorean from a cocaine charge in 1984, Howard popularized those press conferences you see on the courtroom steps.

Howard was born and raised in Los Angeles, playing baseball as a kid and studying at Los Angeles City College and USC Law School before founding the law firm Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump LLP, where he was the lead trial attorney in over 300 criminal and civil jury trials.

He also served as vice president of corporate operations for Universal Studios from 1995-98 and lectured at USC Law School, Harvard, Georgetown Law Center, UCLA and other law schools.

Howard often made the rounds as a guest on national TV, going on "CBS This Morning," "Good Morning America" and "Dateline."

He's survived by his wife, Margaret, and their children, Jed and Armen.

Howard was 81.

Khloe Kardashian is speaking out after an unauthorized photo of her surfaced over the weekend, causing many on social media to comment, critique and bully her appearance.

Khloe looked great in an untouched, unedited video from her bathroom Wednesday, showing fans her unfiltered appearance ... she also included a lengthy statement.

Khloe says, "When someone takes a photo of you that isn’t flattering in bad lighting or doesn’t capture your body the way it is after working so hard to get it to this point ... you should have every right to ask for it to not be shared - regardless of who you are."

The photo -- showing Khloe poolside in a bikini without any substantial photo edits or airbrushing -- was quickly pulled by Khloe's team, and publications were asked to take it down.

Khloe says the criticism she's faced her whole life, being called "the ugly sister," questions as to whether Robert was her real dad and accusations of weight loss surgery have taken their toll on her mentally.

She continues, "It’s almost unbearable trying to live up to the impossible standards that the public have all set for me. For over a decade now in photos, every single flaw and imperfection has been micro-analyzed and made fun of to the smallest detail and I am reminded of them everyday by the world."

In closing, Khloe says that while her family has been a tremendous foundation of support and positivity, "You never quite get used to being judged and pulled apart and told how unattractive one is, but I will say, if you hear anything enough then you start believe it."

If Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson does indeed run for U.S. President as he's hinted he might, he nearly has all the votes needed to win already ... at least based on a new poll.

The former WWE superstar turned Hollywood A-lister has the support of 46 percent of adult Americans if he were to make a Presidential run in 2024 ... according to a recent online poll of 30,138 potential voters between April 2 and April 4.

The same poll found 29 percent would support dual campaigns by The Rock for POTUS and Matthew McConaughey for Texas Governor ... something the actor's also suggested he's considering.

Other notable poll results include 30% support for Angelina Jolie for Prez, 27% for Oprah ... and a shockingly low 22% for Tom Hanks.

Overall though, nearly 2 out of 3 adults polled said they believe celebs make good politicians if they have a good team and possess "political aptitude."

As ridiculous as that may seem to some, it also makes sense. Ex-Prez Donald Trump still has major support in the Republican party, and several other past Hollywood stars went on to make big political splashes ... Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, Al Franken and Ronald Reagan, just to name a few.

As for the Rock ... he's been floating the idea of a White House run since 2016, and added fuel to the fire on 'Ellen' in 2017 and 'The Late Show' in 2018 by continuing to say he's seriously considering it.

The woman who's been taking care of her keratin for nearly 3 decades said so long to her world record fingernails ... but she needed a power tool to do it!

Ayanna Williams HAD been the Guinness World Record holder for longest fingernails on a pair of female hands since 2017 -- when they nearly measured a combined 19 feet -- but she turned in her title for a much-needed manicure ... and it's pretty insane to see.

Williams went to Dr. Allison Readinger of Trinity Vista Dermatology in Texas earlier this month to get her fingernails sawed off with an electric rotary tool, after revealing she'd been growing them for about 29 years.

She told the doc she had "mixed emotions about my babies going" but said the time had come, because she'd grown tired of them ... for obvious reasons, we think.

After the procedure, Williams said she felt a lot of relief and her knuckles seemed to really loosen up. BTW, her chopped-off nails are on their way to Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum in Orlando.

Killer Mike's had some awesome run-ins with DMX over the years, and says his fellow rapper taught him, and others, great lessons about love and vulnerability ... while making great music.

We got the ATL rapper and activist Wednesday in Bev Hills and he made it clear ... he's still pulling for a miracle that keeps DMX with his 15 children and other loved ones. That being said, Mike recalled his first run-in with X ... a gambling showdown that ended up costing one of them a few racks.

He also remembered the last time he saw DMX, and told us he was spreading happiness in a Waffle House by singing Christmas carols. We gotta imagine X was doing his classic version of 'Rudolph' for some late-night customers.

We covered one other topic with Mike ... and that was Cher's apology for saying she could have saved George Floyd if she were in Minneapolis on that fateful day.

Mike says he's not the one to hand out "forgiveness passes" for Cher, but he did say it's obvious to him she has a level of "care and concern" that he wants to encourage in all Americans ... especially "white, powerful women."