Aubrey O'Day Criticizes Money-Run Justice System ... After Diddy-Cassie Settlement
Aubrey O'Day isn't down with the way the justice system worked in the Diddy-Cassie lawsuit settlement -- and AOD's letting everybody know it!!!
The singer -- who was signed to Diddy's label "Bad Boy" in the 2000s -- weighed in on Instagram about Friday's stunning settlement after Cassie sued Diddy in federal court one day earlier, claiming he had raped her and engaged in human trafficking over the years.
O'Day wrote, "Money > accountability. Every time. Welcome to another chapter of the system is well in place."
In other words, O'Day is saying that the system didn't work because Diddy likely shelled out big bucks to put the suit to bed. Details of the settlement have not been disclosed.
DECEMBER 2022
After Cassie filed the bombshell suit, O'Day took to IG to give Diddy a shot, writing, "Been Trynna Tell Y'all For Years." The New York Post also spoke to O'Day, who threw her "complete support" behind Cassie.
In the past, O'Day has given several interviews in which she alleged Diddy made unwanted sexual advances -- which she would always rebuff -- and he was involved in shady business practices.
For example, she accused Diddy of offering the publishing rights back to her group, Danity Kane, with an NDA attached, which she found annoying and never signed. It wasn't clear what ultimately happened with the deal.
Diddy has not addressed O'Day's claims, but he released a statement after the settlement with Cassie became official, saying, "We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love."
Cassie commented as well, stating, "I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans, and lawyers for their unwavering support."
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Taylor Swift Devastated By Fan's Death At Concert ... Pens Heartfelt Letter
Taylor Swift is grieving over the death of a concertgoer in Brazil ... saying the tragedy has left her devastated with a "shattered heart."
The pop star took to Instagram and posted a heartfelt letter after her Friday night "Eras' tour show at Estádio Olimpico Nilton Santos stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Taylor wrote, “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this."
She then said there was little information about what happened, except that her admirer was female and "so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”
Taylor also pointed out that she would not speak about the death when she hits the stage Saturday night because she is “overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it.”
Taylor wrapped it up by saying her heart breaks for the fan's family and friends, noting this tragic event was the last thing she wanted to bring to Brazil.
Meanwhile, during Friday's 3-hour performance, Taylor made sure all of her so-called "Swifties" in the crowd were given plenty of water to keep them hydrated in the 100-degree heat.
In a video posted to X, Taylor is seen onstage telling someone to bring water to overheated fans.
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Cassie and Diddy We've Settled Explosive Lawsuit 'Amicably'
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update
11/18/23 -- Diddy's attorney, Ben Brafman, tells TMZ ... "Just so we’re clear, a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing. Mr. Combs‘ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best."
And just like that it's over ... Cassie and her ex, Diddy, are settling the bombshell lawsuit she filed just one day ago, alleging he'd raped her and engaged in human trafficking ... and they say they're doing it "amicably."
Both parties released statements late Friday night saying the legal war was over. Cassie said, "I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans, and lawyers for their unwavering support."
Diddy similarly said, "We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love."
The stunning announcement comes as the dust was still settling from the jaw-dropping allegations Cassie had leveled against Diddy.
As we reported, the civil suit she filed Thursday in federal court accused the Bad Boy Records mogul of raping her in 2018, and forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes multiple times over the course of their relationship -- parties she referred to as F.O.s or freak-offs that were held in hotel suites in Miami, NYC, L.A., Beverly Hills and Atlanta.
Although many of the allegations, if true, were criminal ... TMZ checked with law enforcement agencies in all of the above cities, and with the FBI, but there were no open investigations against Diddy.
His attorney denied all the claims immediately, and accused Cassie of filing the suit as a last resort money grab -- claiming she had threatened for months to write a tell-all book if Diddy didn't give her $30 million.
The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, and neither party's statement makes reference to any money being exchanged.
Cassie's suit spurred a lot of people to weigh in on the saga ... some for her, others a bit more skeptical. In any case, it's all over now.
Originally Published -- 11/17/23 8:41 PM PT
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Suge Knight Hot Take Coming On Cassie v. Diddy!!! Especially Parts About Him
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Suge Knight will directly address Cassie's claim Diddy once grabbed a bunch of guns to go confront the ex-Death Row Records boss ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned, although Puffy might have already beat him to the punch.
The ex-Death Row Records honcho will tape the Diddy convo on his "Collect Call" podcast in the next couple of weeks, right after he drops his Thanksgiving Day episode ... according to sources involved in the production. That was the plan, anyway, before Diddy and Cassie suddenly settled Friday night.
As we reported ... in Cassie's lawsuit against Diddy, she'd claimed that one night while she was at home with Diddy, one of his security staff burst into the room to inform him that Suge had been spotted at the popular L.A. eatery Mel’s Drive-In Diner.
Cassie alleges Diddy immediately got dressed, retrieved multiple firearms from a safe and ran out to go confront Suge. It doesn't appear any public altercation ever went down.
Like we said, the ex-Bad Boy singer was seeking major damages in her lawsuit against Diddy, claiming she endured savage beatings over several years of sex and alcohol-fueled benders. But late last night, she and her ex put their differences aside ... both saying they were "amicably" settling the matter.
Diddy's legal team had told us the suit was nothing but a classic shakedown for $30 million.
Suge and Diddy's history dates back to the mid-'90s at the height of the East Coast/West Coast rap wars that eventually ended with the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie -- so, not surprisingly, we're told Suge won't hold back with his take on Diddy's new legal drama.
Speaking of Pac, that Thanksgiving episode of Suge's pod will tackle Keefe D's arrest for the 1997 murder.
Suge and Breakbreak Media CEO Dave Mays launched "Collect Call" back on Halloween ... and their next couple episodes are shaping up to be their most explosive.
It remains to be seen if the settlement affects Suge's plan to talk all things Diddy in the near future -- lord knows people would still be willing to hear his side of the story either way.
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Bill Maher Stop the Online Circle Jerk NOW!!! Everyone Doesn't Need Opinions on Everything
Bill Maher has an interesting take on us Americans -- we have way too many opinions on stuff that doesn't matter, and maybe we should all shut the f*** up.
The 'Real Time' host made people think Friday night -- think back just a few decades when we could consume news without making every story a battle cry about something we know little or nothing about.
Bill's got a point ... take Kylie Jenner, who posted she stands with the people of Israel and then almost immediately took that post down. As Bill says, that's kinda the opposite of standing with.
Get this -- 59% of us buy or boycott products based on the company's political or social views ... views that have nothing to do with the product itself. Just ask Anheuser-Busch or Target.
Bill says there's virtue in having NO opinion because the more we draw lines in the sand, the more divided we become. As BM grouses, Thanksgiving has become a time when family and friends can gather together and fight about Donald Trump.
So, as Bill says, stop the online circle jerk and muzzle it once in a while.
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ONLYFANS MODEL DANII BANKS Sorry For My Boob Flash, Parents ... But No Way Kids Saw Me!!!
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Model Danii Banks understands the main gripe with her flashing boobs at an NFL game -- the fact lots of kids were in the stadium -- but she's confident no little ones saw her top drop.
The OnlyFans model tells TMZ, she was in a 21 and up section when she freed her nipples during last Sunday's Las Vegas Raiders game ... and it wasn't like she and "the girls" were featured on the stadium big screen.
So, Danii believes kids couldn't possibly have seen her brief topless moment. Well, unless they had binoculars in a nearby section -- but what are the chances of that?
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Danii, as we first reported, ended up getting booted from Allegiant Stadium for the sexy stunt, but says it was only security guards and police who had a problem when they saw the nudity.
DB did post a blurred version of her going topless on her social media ... which is now littered with comments from haters saying she never should have flashed her boobs around young fans.
She says she understands those concerns, to an extent, and apologizes to any parents if their kids happened to get an eyeful of Banks' assets.
Not everyone is mad at Danii though ... she says she's gotten thousands of new OnlyFans subscribers since last Sunday night, and she tells us how a bachelor party played a big role in her top coming off.
Translation: blame Vegas.
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Stars and Scars You Be the Judge
Shaquille O'Neal Defends Draymond Green ... I Woulda Choked Rudy Gobert Too!!!
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Shaquille O'Neal is refusing to criticize Draymond Green for his role in a wild fight earlier this week ... telling TMZ Sports straight up, "I woulda did the same thing!!"
Everyone's piled on the Warriors star after he put Rudy Gobert in a chokehold and wouldn't let go during a tussle at Tuesday night's Golden State vs. Minnesota game ... but when we got The Diesel at his charity event in Los Angeles on Thursday, he said he just couldn't join the masses on this one.
The Warriors and Timberwolves got chippy just two minutes into their in-season tournament game 😳
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 15, 2023 @SportsCenter
Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels were all ejected. pic.twitter.com/m7UvULewa2
As for why ... Shaq said it's simple -- "you've got to stick up for your teammate."
"If me and you are having an interview and somebody comes here," Shaq told our photog, "I'm going to have to whoop their ass. Because you're my homegirl."
Of course, Warriors coach Steve Kerr wouldn't exactly agree with Shaq on this one ... while he said he appreciated the fact that Green was defending Klay Thompson during the scuffle, he told reporters this week the Dubs forward just took things way too far.
"Draymond was wrong," Kerr said. "He knows that. It's a bad look."
As we reported, the NBA has banned Green five games over the ordeal ... and so far, the Warriors are 0-1 without him.
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Marlon Wayans Trans Son Support Getting High Marks ... From LGBTQ Groups
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Marlon Wayans publicly supporting his transgender son and being open about his own learning process as a parent is earning him praise from leaders in the LGBTQ+ community.
The comedian is being applauded by honchos at the National Center for Transgender Equality, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the LGBT Centers in San Francisco and Los Angeles ... they say he's setting a great example for parents of transgender people.
Remember, Marlon recently revealed his eldest child is transgender and now identifies as a male with the 23-year-old transitioning from Amai to Kai.
Marlon's calling Kai his son ... and says it took quite a bit of education to go from complete denial to loving and accepting his kid.
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, the Executive Director for the National Center for Transgender Equality, tells TMZ ... "We celebrate Marlon Wayans supporting his trans son and showing parents everywhere that acceptance is possible, even when it's hard ... let your child know that you love and support them, no matter what. It's amazing for Marlon to model that for other parents out there who may not understand it yet."
As you know, trans rights are a lightning rod right now ... making Marlon's acceptance even more important in the eyes of LGBTQ+ groups.
Dani Siragusa, Director of Development and Communications at the SF LGBT Center, tells TMZ ..."Marlon's unconditional support of Kai is so powerful because in the face of anti-trans hate, society needs to continue seeing examples of beautifully diverse families, and our communities need to continue uplifting stories of trans-affirming love between parents and trans children and vice versa."
Meanwhile, Shannon Minter from the NCLR tells us ... "In the current political climate -- with so many anti-transgender bills being pushed by hostile legislators -- being the parent of a transgender child can be lonely, difficult, and even frightening. By publicly embracing his transgender son, Wayans has provided a much-needed beacon of hope and light for these families. He is a powerful reminder that all young people need adults to support and protect them."
Closer to home, Marlon's being praised by the L.A. LGBT Center for not only being open about his transgender son, but also tackling the topic on his new comedy special, "Rainbow Child."
Mariana Marroquin, Associate Director of Trans Wellness at the L.A. LGBT Center tells us ... "We applaud the Wayans family's affirmation of queer joy and identity while using comedy to hold community around the experience."
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What's The Big Frigin' Difference?!
Try not to get "Lost" in THIS "Kingdom" of "Aquaman" hunk Jason Momoa ... who always brings his own flare to the fashion table. Decked out in holes, boots and scarves, it seems the only item he left at home were his stripes!
The actor has been in New York City, gearing up to host this weekend's "Saturday Night Live" and was snapped signaling to the paparazzi in front of a Benz earlier this week in NYC.
Can you capture the changes made to the images? This is your kingdom now!
**HINT: There are THREE differences in the above Jason Momoa photos!**
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Chuck E. Cheese Discontinuing Animatronics Not Influenced by 'FNAF' Movie
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Chuck E. Cheese is getting rid of its kiddie robot characters in the near future -- except for one location -- and people think it's because of this new horror movie ... but it ain't so.
Alejandra Brady -- the head of communications for Chuck E. Cheese -- tells TMZ ... all the speculation about the discontinuation of its animatronic creatures -- affectionately known as "Munch's Make Believe Band" -- being a direct result of "Five Nights at Freddy's" is total bunk.
While it makes sense some might think one directly led to the other -- seeing how the videogame-inspired flick came out 2 weeks ago, and it's all about killer animatronic robots at a defunct Chuck E. Cheese-like play place -- Brady says nothing could be further from the truth ... this decision to phase out the machines has been in the works for a while.
Brady tells us the CEC brass have been wanting to pivot into the 21st century for a while here -- believing that having live performers do their Chuck E. Live! Show will be a better experience for guests ... and it'll be completely state-of-the-art and interactive.
Whereas the old bots would just stand there and jerk around with levers and pullies -- this new show is going to be completely rebranded ... and more importantly, it's been the game plan for years now, dating back to 2017 when Chuck E. Cheese first announced this move.
The latest news folks heard the other day about ditching all the animatronics was actually just to let 'em know that the old school robot show is gonna happen at only one location going forward ... and that would be Northridge, CA -- which they call the "residency" show.
Of course, people conflated that announcement with the release of 'FNAF' ... and figured Chuck and co. were running scared based on the flick -- again, it shows murderous bots.
That's not the case, though ... Brady assures us they've been looking for a change for years now -- and it just so happens to going down during this 'FNAF' craze -- call it coincidence!
And if you're wondering what they'll do with all those deactivated robots, we have an answer ... Brady says they'll reuse the good parts for the sole Northridge spot, recycling what works to keep their classic characters up and running at full speed.
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AD We Gotta Respect Snoop's Wishes ... Smoking in Studio Will Get You KO'd!!!
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AD is in utter disbelief Snoop Dogg is quitting smoking THC for good but if Dogg has officially puffed his blunt, he can count on AD's support -- spiritually and physically!!!
TMZ Hip Hop caught AD at LAX, and he tells us he's fully prepared to assist Snoop in his smokeless journey, especially with the family being involved in his decision.
Snoop threw everyone for a loop on Thursday when he announced he's done with "smoke" and immediately got the backing of his son Cordell.
The post had an interesting choice in wording ... Snoop's abandoning "smoke" -- not "smoking" or "weed" -- leaving many fans to believe his post is really about switching to some sort of vape or edible alternative.
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The 'Cuhmunity' podcast host tells us he's confident Snoop has the willpower to pull it off, and doesn't think he'll get hate for it ... 'cause how could anyone hate on the legend?
AD joked (we think) he's willing to give any violators of Snoop's no-smoke zone a few beats on the head, and he wasn't talking about headphones.
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Thigh-High Hotties Guess Who!
Fall so hard for these luscious ladies showin' off their long legs who are bound to catch you way off guard! These boots were made for walking guessing, so kick off your weekend with famous chicks in thigh-high kicks!
From actresses to singers to models and everything in between, strut into our gallery where you'll see bountiful baddies in boots. And, while these famous faces may not be wearin' much ... their gorgeous gams are definitely kept cozy and covered!
Before these boots walk all over you, put your celeb knowledge to the test and guess the celeb in the pic!
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Paula Jai Parker on Cassie Questions Diddy Abuse Claims ... Getting Dragged Online
Paula Jai Parker is questioning Cassie's sexual abuse allegations against Diddy ... and now she's getting tons of backlash for doing so.
The actress shared her 2 cents on Cassie's explosive lawsuit with a series of tweets ... and at one point said, "I'm sorry but I don't get it, I used to be 19 and I was in the industry and I was quite capable of saying no."
As you know ... Cassie is accusing Diddy of rape and human trafficking, among several other claims, in a federal suit ... and a lot of folks are already taking her side.
But, Paula's taking a more skeptical stance. She says she's sexual abuse survivor and adds ... "By 19 we're all strong enough to make choices that affect the rest of our lives. If you can't say no you're not built for it. Take that midnight train now before you get yourself in trouble."
She also says ... "I'm trying so hard to see the victim here, but do sex slaves usually get to pick their sex partners in 5⭐ hotels?😩🤷🏽♂️."
On social media, folks are ripping Paula for "victim blaming" ... and people are throwing out alleged NDAs, threats and fear as potential reasons why it took Cassie so long to speak out.
For her part, Paula is standing by her comments ... she has yet to delete any of her tweets about Cassie and Diddy.
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Speaker Mike Johnson Releases Jan. 6 Tapes ... Protesters Casually Strollin'
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The new Speaker of the House dropped a huge batch of videos recorded inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 -- and some conspiracy theorists will, no doubt, say they prove confirmation bias.
Speaker Mike Johnson just released a massive cache of surveillance footage from inside the Capitol that was shot on that fateful day -- and you can imagine, it shows varying moments of activity as demonstrators broke in and stormed the premises.
Yes, there are instances when rioters are casually strolling through the grounds once they get inside ... and in some cases, they're actually walking right past police officers and other security personnel -- which, obviously, isn't a great look for law enforcement.
You can even see some elected officials shuffling through the halls ... and they're not necessarily sprinting as they're being escorted by armed guards. Par for the course -- a ton of conservative personalities are latching on to this as evidence Jan. 6 wasn't actually an insurrection ... but rather, a peaceful protest that's been blown out of proportion.
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While those conservatives might think their point is made in this video dump -- fact is, there's even more video -- which we've all seen -- depicting the utter chaos and violence that actually unfolded.
There are countless videos of rioters squaring up and fighting cops outside -- with batons being swung, and mace being sprayed. Also not in dispute, Capitol Police officers lost their lives in the line of duty that day ... and one protester, Ashli Babbit, was shot and killed inside. So, this wasn't some kumbaya get-together.
When I ran for Speaker, I promised to make accessible to the American people the 44,000 hours of video from Capitol Hill security taken on January 6, 2021. Truth and transparency are critical. Today, we will begin immediately posting video on a public website and move as quickly…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) November 17, 2023 @SpeakerJohnson
It's interesting that Rep. Johnson -- who's known to be very Donald Trump-friendly -- was the one who ended up releasing these. Previous Speaker Kevin McCarthy had a lot of pressure on him to do the same before he was ousted, but ultimately never did.
Johnson says he decided to release the footage to let the American people decide for themselves. Something tells us folks are already in their corners on this issue though ... and no one's crossing over.
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Olympics Star Suni Lee I Gained 45 Pounds ... Due To Kidney Illness
Suni Lee -- the Olympics star who won gold in Tokyo in 2020 -- just revealed her kidney issues this year caused her to gain 45 pounds.
The 5-foot gymnast made the revelation in an interview with USA Today this week ... just a few months after she left Auburn to get a handle on the ailment.
"I couldn't fit into any of my clothes," Lee told the outlet. "My eyes were swollen shut. It was just so scary."
Thankfully, Lee says she's doing better now ... and, according to USA Today, she looks "very much like the gymnast" who competed in the Games nearly three years ago.
"I haven't had a really bad day in a while," Lee said. "But in the beginning it was like I was waking up swollen. My fingers were so swollen they wouldn’t fit into my grips and I couldn't hold on to the bar."
She added, "My whole body was swollen because I was retaining water, so I couldn’t do a flip. … So it was really different and I had to learn how to work through it."
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Lee said she's made some changes to her diet -- eliminating a lot of her sodium intake -- which has allowed her to reignite her pursuit of more medals at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
"We're still working on trying to figure out how to balance all of it because I do have good days and bad days," Lee said. "But with the good days I just take advantage of what I'm able to do, and on the bad days I just do basics and try and stay as safe as possible."
The Olympic trials begin in June in Minneapolis.