TMZ.com Home

Michael Costello says he's not out for revenge after claiming Chrissy Teigen's trolling nearly drove him to suicide, but he does want her to contact him if she's genuinely interested in expressing remorse.

The "Project Runway" star tells TMZ ... he's still waiting for Chrissy -- and anyone else who bullied him -- to reach out to him. He says if she truly acknowledges her past actions were wrong, he'd welcome her with open arms for a real conversation.

He said, "I want to be clear -- I do not wish ill on anyone. We are all works in progress and we deserve the opportunity to prove that we can do better. But progress takes time. We must show through actions that we have changed. After all, action speaks much louder than a 10-minute apology written on a notepad."

As we reported ... Michael accused Chrissy of a yearslong campaign to get him blacklisted from the industry after she mistakenly thought he posted something racist back in 2014.

Michael says that post turned out to be doctored, and though he tried his damnedest to set the record straight with Chrissy -- he claims she instead used her power to get brands and companies to drop him.

Michael says he suffered so much from all of this, he thought about taking his own life. He adds, "Nothing takes away from the years of trauma being bullied and blacklisted in the industry has left me. I am not out for revenge. I only wish to only speak my truth because I have been silenced for so long."

Harvey Weinstein could see a change of scenery soon ... a judge just ordered his extradition from New York to Los Angeles, where he's facing additional sexual assault charges.

Weinstein learned his fate Tuesday when a judge in Erie County, NY ordered the extradition over Weinstein’s opposition. We’re told prosecutors in New York believe officials in L.A. will transfer him to California at the end of June or by mid-July.

The disgraced movie producer appeared virtually for Tuesday's court hearing from the New York prison where he's serving his sentence for rape ... but his legal team tells us they still intend to fight for their client’s safety.

Weinstein's attorney, Mark Werksman, tells TMZ ... they're filing a petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court to prevent the L.A. County District Attorney from transporting Weinstein to L.A. "until he can receive the medical care he desperately needs in New York."

As we reported ... Weinstein's hoping to stay put in NY, claiming his health is failing. His legal team claims he's technically blind, has major dental issues and is suffering from cardiac issues, diabetes, back pain and sleep apnea.

Another of Weinstein's attorneys, Norman Effman, argued Tuesday Weinstein won't get the same standard of medical treatment in the jail system in L.A. ... but prosecutors called BS, saying L.A is "not some remote outpost that doesn’t have medical care."

Jon Stewart going off about COVID-19 originating from a Chinese lab -- seemingly embracing that unproven theory -- could have a negative impact on scientists working to combat future pandemics ... so says vaccine expert Dr. Peter Hotez.

Dr. Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital, takes serious issue with Stewart's Monday night rant on Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' -- the first episode in-studio since the pandemic began, no less.

ICYMI ... Jon shared his thoughts with his late night buddy on where the virus might've come from, making a big show and strongly suggesting what he thinks is obvious -- namely that it leaked from a lab in Wuhan that studies the virus.

It's certainly a possibility that's that's been given more legitimacy in recent weeks from the scientific community -- this after largely being written off as a conspiracy theory at first.

Despite that, Dr. Hotez told us on "TMZ Live" that Jon really needs to check himself before putting that theory out as gospel ... at least until a full investigation can be done, which many have been calling for lately.

He says Jon's words will become fodder for unwarranted attacks against legit scientists.

Check out the doc's rationale here -- you can understand why he and his colleagues might wanna rein in this theory before it gets prematurely taken as fact. As he notes, scientists are being demonized over this, and worse yet ... they're being harassed and threatened.

Turns out Jay-Z CAN knock the hustle ... or at least he's trying to 'cause he claims in a new lawsuit the photographer who shot his debut album cover is making tons of dough off the rapper's back.

The music mogul is suing Jonathan Mannion and his company, Jonathan Mannion Photography LLC, claiming Mannion's exploiting Jay-Z's name and image without the rapper's consent. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Jay says Mannion has Hova's name and likeness plastered all over his website and sells photos of Jay-Z for thousands of dollars.

Problem is ... Jay-Z says he never gave Mannion permission to do so -- and he claims when he asked Mannion to quit using his image, the photog demanded tens of millions of dollars. Jay claims Mannion is making an "arrogant assumption that because he took those photographs, he can do with them as he pleases.”

Jay hired Mannion in 1996 to shoot the cover for "Reasonable Doubt." Jay says Mannion took hundreds of pics and Roc-A-Fella Records used some of the photographs for his album covers and paid Mannion handsomely for those uses.

Jay-Z claims Mannion continues to prominently display Jay's image on the landing page of his website, where he sells Jay-Z pics and merch.

Jay says he has strict control over whether and how his name, likeness, identity and persona are used ... and Mannion never got the green light to continue hawking the pictures.

Jay claims it's "ironic that a photographer would treat the image of a formerly-unknown Black teenager, now wildly successful, as a piece of property to be squeezed for every dollar it can produce. It stops today.”

The rapper's suing to put a stop to Mannion selling the pics, stat, and wants him to fork over any of the profits he's made off his likeness. We've reached out to Mannion, so far no word back.

Noooooo!!!!!

Boxing superstar Teofimo Lopez -- one of the best fighters in the world -- has tested positive for COVID, forcing promoters to postpone this weekend's championship fight.

The undefeated 23-year-old -- the unified lightweight world champ -- was supposed to take on George Kambosos in Miami on June 19.

But, Lopez tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday morning -- and to make things worse, he's symptomatic.

As a result, the fight -- along with the entire card -- is being pushed to August 14 to allow Lopez to recover.

The event -- part of the Triller Fight Club series -- was set to feature some sick musical performances during the event ... headlined by Meek Mill.

Myke Towers and Reggaeton star Lunay were also booked to perform as part of the Triller Live Concert Series.

As for the entertainment portion of the evening, no word on that -- we're working on details.

Teofimo Lopez is 16-0 -- and coming off an incredible victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko, who (at the time) was considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

28-year-old George Kambosos Jr. is also undefeated (19-0) -- and believes a victory over Lopez would rocket him into boxing superstardom.

He's not wrong!

Tiger Woods is back in Los Angeles just 4 months after that horrific crash -- and for a guy who almost lost his leg, he seems to be moving around pretty well!

The golf legend's private jet touched down at an L.A. airport on Monday -- he was joined by his girlfriend, Erica Herman.

Once they deplaned, 45-year-old Tiger -- sporting a black compression sleeve on his right leg -- was moving around on his own, using a pair of crutches.

You can see in the video ... there are moments where Tiger is putting some pressure on the injured leg, though he's still moving with a noticeable limp, as expected.

No word on why Tiger is in town -- it's possible he's here for follow-up treatments with some of the doctors who initially worked on the leg, but we just don't know.

As we previously reported, Woods was very badly hurt during the Feb. 23 crash -- suffering comminuted open fractures in his right leg, which means the bone was shattered in at least 2 places and broke through the skin.

The crash report described the injuries in detail -- "knocked unconscious, laceration to the lower front jaw, bruised right and left rib cage, fractured right tibia and fibula, possible right ankle injury."

A team of surgeons used a rod, screws and pins to stabilize the injuries -- and after weeks of treatment, he was discharged and allowed to go home in mid-March.

He's been recovering at his home in Florida ever since -- but now he clearly feels well enough to travel.

Woods told Golf Digest in May the rehab process is "more painful than anything I have ever experienced."

The guy facing criminal charges for making himself at home in Nancy Pelosi's office during the Capitol riot says he lost his job as a window salesman, and restrictions put on him by the court are making it tough for him to earn a living at his new gig.

Attorneys for Richard Barnett -- who was famously photographed plopping his feet onto the Speaker of the House's desk on Jan. 6 -- just asked a judge to allow their client to travel more than 50 miles from his home for work purposes, which is all he's allowed at the moment.

Per the docs, obtained by TMZ, the lawyers explain Barnett's primary source of income these days is flipping classic cars -- this after he lost his job as a window salesman following the Capitol riot.

Due to the nature of his new gig -- not to mention his location in rural Arkansas -- they say he often has to go upwards of 200 miles to track down, negotiate and sell these vehicles ... and his current 50-mile restriction just ain't cutting it. In order to pay his bills and provide for his fam, the attorneys request a longer leash as part of the conditions of his release while his case is pending.

The attorneys cite Barnett's apparent good behavior in following all the release conditions ... saying his pretrial services officer can vouch for that. BTW, these are the same attorneys who argued his note to Pelosi said "biatch" instead of "bitch."

Gunna's gonna need a neck brace and darker shades after his star-studded birthday bash ... 'cause that's a lot of shiny bling around his neck and wrists.

The Georgia rapper turned 28 on Monday and went all out for his birthday event, which kicked off with dinner at an Aston Martin dealership -- his guests dined inside a freakin' vault!

That makes sense ... since there were stacks on stacks on stacks of cash sitting right on the dinner table. Gotta eat your greens.

The crew later hit up the Highlight Room in Hollywood where some heavy hitmakers rolled through ... including Drake, Future and Young Thug. Doja Cat, Tristan Thompson, Wale and Nav also showed face at the bash.

The party was presented by Noir Blanc Champaign, owned by Cash of XO Records, so the bottles were flowing. You can see Gunna's friends showered him with even more cash ... including music producer Wheezy, who shelled out a cool $20k "for the years we didn't know each other."

Then there's the bling. So. Much. Bling. Gunna's pretty stoked about his massive diamond-encrusted pinky ring. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

One thing is crystal clear ... it pays to be Gunna 'cause he's an incredibly well-liked dude. As we reported ... Lil Baby gifted Gunna $100k for his bday. Hell, even strangers love Gunna.

The Black woman dragged from a Washington, D.C. bar by her hair says management has A LOT more work to do to be good in her book ... starting with contrition, and a heart-to-heart on race.

Keisha Young's attorney, Brandon Burrell, tells TMZ ... his client feels she was singled out, in part, because of her skin color. She alluded to this during her on-the-street interview, saying she felt profiled when the rationale that surfaced for the brutal dragging was .... she "fit the description" of someone who'd broken the rules Saturday night in Nellie's Sports Bar.

To Keisha and co. ... this reeks of racial profiling, despite the fact that the guard who pulled her out was Black himself. Her suspicion here is that, he and the security team at large, were under strict orders, which Keisha feels helped put a target on her back -- and protesters outside the bar seem to agree.

That leads us to what Keisha wants now, and -- as you'd imagine -- Burrell says, first and foremost, the bar owners and upper management need to apologize to her directly.

We're told their statement simply wasn't enough to right their wrongs ... and they didn't even bother addressing Keisha by name. Not just that, but we're told the Nellie's team hasn't spoken to her personally since the incident.

Beyond that, Burrell says Nellie's needs to seriously look at itself in the mirror ... and honestly discuss how they're treating patrons who are BIPOC. And BTW, we're told that if they want Keisha in on that conversation, she's more than willing to come to the table.

As for how Keisha's doing ... we're told she's mentally shaken up and, physically, suffered bruises -- but Burrell says they'll be getting official word from doctors on her prognosis. It sounds like they're ramping up to sue.

Shyla Walker is getting court ordered protection from her YouTube channel co-star, Landon McBroom ... she claims her baby daddy physically abused her and tried to swipe their kid.

Shyla beelined it to court last month and got a temporary restraining order ... to keep Landon away from her and their daughter. Shyla claims Landon has a history of abuse against her.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Shyla claims Austin McBroom's brother shoved her during a May 10 argument, resulting in a visible injury, and claims 5 days later he tried to kidnap their daughter.

In the docs, Shyla claims Landon took the kid from their home and handed her over to an employee before telling the guy to take the child and get the hell outta there. Shyla claims she only got the child back when she called the cops.

Shyla says she's afraid Landon will try to kidnap their daughter again ... and she's also worried he will take the family dog, claiming he's in debt and their bulldog puppy is valuable.

Pooh Shiesty might not have shot the club security guard in Miami after all -- at least that's what the alleged victim's saying now ... claiming he doesn’t remember giving his original statement to cops.

PS's attorneys, Bradford Cohen and Saam Zangeneh, filed a new motion this week with what they say is sworn testimony from the guard in question ... who now claims he was on a powerful painkiller and unaware of what he was saying to the police when they first spoke.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Frivin Dor's transcribed interview with Pooh's legal team is documented ... and he's on record saying he was given Dilaudid -- a powerful opioid painkiller -- when he first arrived at the hospital that night, which he now claims knocked him on his ass as he spoke to a detective about the matter, 'cause he doesn't remember a thing.

In this new account, Dor suggests the commotion in the club might have been caused by a fan (the spinning type, not a person) that fell in a parking garage nearby. He also says he doesn't recall Pooh aiming at him or even shooting at him.

According to the docs, he also said he doesn't want to press charges, and doesn't want officials in FL to contact him about this matter either ... which Pooh's lawyers say is enough for prosecutors to at least reconsider the decision not to release Pooh on bond.

Not-so-fun fact about Batman -- he doesn't go down ... or so we've learned after DC Comics dropped the hammer on an oral sex scene in the "Harley Quinn" animated series.

Producers of the HBO Max adult animated series really tried to push the envelope, but co-creator Justin Halpern says he was told by DC he "absolutely cannot do that" because a) heroes don't do that, and b) how are they supposed to sell Batman toys if the hero's performing oral sex?

Halpern told Variety they get a lot more creative freedom when it comes to writing and developing villains -- they can do pretty much anything -- but there are all kinds of rules for the superheroes.

He says the cunnilingus confrontation went down during production of the upcoming third season of 'Harley.' BTW, you gotta love their retort to the DC suits. According to Justin, "So, we said, ‘Are you saying heroes are just selfish lovers?’"

You might notice DJ Khaled is now trending, with many fans joking that he's actually the Caped Crusader. If you're wondering why, look it up -- there's only so much we can say here.

"Gone Girl" actor Lisa Banes has died after suffering injuries from a hit-and-run accident caused by an electric scooter ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Banes died Monday after more than a week in the hospital in critical condition.

As we reported ... Banes was struck while using a crosswalk on the Upper West Side in NYC on June 4, witnesses said Banes had the right of way -- but the scooter driver barreled through a red light, striking her, and kept going. The scooter was described as red and black in color.

Cops have not yet made any arrests and have not released a more detailed description of the driver.

A rep for Banes -- who was best known for her roles in "Gone Girl" and "Cocktail" -- told ET, "We are heartsick over Lisa's tragic and senseless passing. She was a woman of great spirit, kindness and generosity and dedicated to her work, whether on stage or in front of a camera and even more so to her wife, family and friends. We were blessed to have had her in our lives."

Banes was 65.

The Shake Shack manager accused of poisoning police officers' drinks last summer claims he was treated like a first-rate criminal ... and now he wants someone to pay.

Marcus Gilliam -- the man who was running the Manhattan restaurant when this went down about a year ago -- just sued a number of NYPD cops, a few police unions and the City of New York for what he says was a rush to judgment and a gross overreaction, all based on nothing.

In his suit, obtained by TMZ, Gilliam alleges he was arrested and taken in for questioning that night, and was kept in custody until the wee hours of the morning ... supposedly getting grilled and accused of spiking 3 cops' shakes with bleach, even though he says he actually hadn't.

ICYMI -- 3 NYPD cops rolled up to Shake Shack, said their milkshakes tasted funny ... and before you knew it, had a whole bunch of unions tweeting out accusations that their officers had been intentionally poisoned.

Gilliam points out what we had reported ... that a "thorough investigation" proved that was a bogus allegation. In the interim, Gilliam says he was getting treated like crap by cops, being falsely held against his will for something he clearly hadn't done.

As it turned out ... the "funny taste" in the shakes might've been the machine not being cleaned properly. In any case, Gilliam claims his detainment was BS, because there was a mountain of evidence -- like surveillance video -- that the NYPD should have checked to clear his name before they hauled him into custody.

He alleges he was not only falsely arrested, but defamed as well when the suspicion turned into "fact" and spread like wildfire ... and he's asking for damages.

Joe Exotic has a new venture that could put him in high spirits -- he's launching his own cannabis line all while doing hard time in federal prison.

The 'Tiger King' star cooked up the idea last July and the wheels have been in motion ever since. His attorney, Brad Small, tells TMZ ... they have a deal locked for Joe to partner with Tango Hotel Charlie Group, LLC and Cannaxxs LTD to launch Joe Exotic Cannabis.

We're told Joe's been directly involved in the biz through calls and emails with his attorney. The deal includes the various companies ponying up the dough with Joe's name attached to the products.

Small tells us the products include CBD edibles and will be sold in dispensaries throughout California, Colorado and Oklahoma. While recreational THC is legal in Cali and Colorado, only medicinal is kosher in Joe's old OK stomping grounds.

We're told part of the reason Joe's doing this is to help people who need cannabis to ease their pain from various ailments.

Small says the launch will happen within weeks, and a share of Joe's profits will go towards captive tiger care. As we reported ... Joe said in the year since the Netflix docuseries 'Tiger King' dropped his life had been a living hell.

Lights, camera, PAYTON!

That's New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton getting all Hollywood in Louisiana ... where he's shooting a new movie based on the fallout from the NFL's "Bountygate" scandal.

Kevin James is playing Sean Payton in the flick, called "Home Team" -- and even though they don't look exactly alike, you get the point.

Payton has a cameo in the film -- looks like he's playing a mechanic or something?!

As for the movie itself ... here's the backstory.

Payton received a 1-year suspension from the NFL in 2012 for Bountygate  -- when Saints players were getting cash payouts from 2009 to 2011 for targeting and injuring opponents during games.

During his suspension, Payton coached his son's youth football team -- and reportedly used the time away from the league to "reassess his life and put it in some perspective."

The movie will focus on Payton's time away from his job -- and how he grew as a person because of the experience.

The movie is being produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions -- so it seems the flick will be a lighthearted, family-friendly depiction of the situation ... despite the heavy and despicable nature of the suspension in the first place.

The cast includes stars like Taylor Lautner and Rob Schneider -- as well as Isaiah Mustafa ... aka the Old Spice guy!!