TMZ.com Home

Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable character is sparking a furious online debate over whether he should be named one of the top 10 TV dads -- this after all of his legal woes involving sexual assault.

Cosby played the role of Cliff -- the beloved doctor -- in the popular '80s sitcom, "The Cosby Show," and, as a result, became an instant icon to all families.

But all that came to a crashing halt in the 2010s when he was accused of drugging and raping multiple women. In one case, Cosby was prosecuted and convicted of aggravated indecent assault, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. But Cosby's conviction was later overturned, and he was released after nearly 3 years behind bars.

Twitter users have compiled a list of the 10 best TV dads -- starting with Danny Tanner (Full House), then Dan Conner (Roseanne), Tim Taylor (Home Improvement), Philip Banks (Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air), Carl Winslow (Family Matters), Phil Dunphy (Modern Family), George Lopez (The George Lopez Show), Andy Griffith (The Andy Griffith Show), Mike Brady (The Brady Bunch) and Al Bundy (Married... with Children).

People are asking whether Huxtable should be on the list for obvious reasons -- but it seems many on Twitter are arguing on his behalf, although they still have mixed feelings.

One person wrote, "So Cliff Huxtable is trending because he wasn't included in a list of top 10 TV dads. Who can't forget about a rapist who played an OBGYN that conducted vaginal exams in his basement?"

Another person said, "Cliff Huxtable was one of the greatest TV dads of all time. Bill Cosby is a sexual deviant who got away with rape because of a technicality. We can say one without compromising the other."

A third individual pointed out ... "Separating Cosby from Cliff Huxtable is a tough ask, but the character was undeniably a great one -- and an important one. He belongs on the list."

So we gotta ask ...

Roger Waters is clapping back at criticism over the Nazi-themed getup he wore during two recent Berlin concerts ... insisting he's not a fascist.

The rock star took to Twitter Friday, posting a lengthy statement detailing his defense of his Gestapo-like appearance during his May 17 and May 18 performances.

Berlin Police have opened a criminal investigation to see if Waters' outfit -- a black trench coat with a red armband -- incited the crowd by glorifying Nazis and, therefore, disturbed the peace. Waters was flanked by men dressed as Nazi stormtroopers firing toy machine guns.

Waters now says his critics have launched "bad faith attacks" designed to "smear and silence" him because they don't agree with his political and moral views.

He says his performances were trying to convey the opposite message in the fight against "fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms." He claims Nazi-infused imagery has been woven into his music since the release of the 1979 record, Pink Floyd's “The Wall."

Waters went on to say he has spent his life condemning authoritarianism and oppression and reminded everyone his parents battled the Nazis in World War II. He noted his father died making the ultimate sacrifice.

Taylor Swift is going full throttle supporting Ice Spice ... bringing her onstage Friday in the middle of her Eras Tour in New Jersey.

TS and IS performed the "Karma" remix at MetLife Stadium which was, of course, packed to the gills.

Taylor clued the crowd in on how the collab went down ... "She [Ice Spice] reached out and said, ‘If you’d ever like to do a collab, I would love to.' And what she didn’t know at the time is that when I was training for the tour, I was listening to pretty much exclusively just her music every single day. All day … So I said, ‘Absolutely, when can we do it?’"

She went on, gushing about Ice Spice ... "So we immediately went into the studio and I just not only fell in love with her, but just decided she’s the entire future. … I’ve been around so many artists and so many artists just starting out, but I’ve never been around an artist who’s so prepared and curious and focused on what she wants.”

There was no reference to Taylor's BF, Matty Healy, and the racist comments he made back in February. Healy has apologized, but lots of her fans still aren't buying it.

Paul Walker's memory is truly living on ... thanks to his brother Cody.

Cody Walker and his wife, Felicia, honored Paul by naming their third son after the late 'Fast & Furious' star, who died in a car crash nearly 10 years ago.

After the baby was born April 30, the couple quickly decided on the name, Paul Barrett "Bear" Walker.  They posted an Instagram photo of the baby held by his 2-year-old brother, Colt Knox Walker.

Cody told PEOPLE ... "This November will mark 10 years since we lost my brother, Paul, and I just felt now was the appropriate time (to honor Paul)."

Turns out Cody is the second member of the Walker family to celebrate Paul's memory. Their older brother, Caleb Walker, and his wife, Stephanie, named their 5-year-old son Maverick Paul Walker after the actor.

In the latest F&F installment "Fast X," which was released this month, Paul is briefly seen in a flashback at the beginning of the film.

The city Tina Turner once called home is planning to honor the music legend in a big way ... with a beautiful statue of her.

Bill Rawls Jr., mayor of Brownsville, TN, tells TMZ ... he wants to prominently display the work of art, and he's getting a ton of support from local leaders.

Mayor Rawls wants the piece placed in Brownsville's Heritage Park ... near Carver High School, which Tina attended. Tina was born in Brownsville and lived there during much her youth.

Brownsville's already home to the Tina Turner Museum, so it seems fitting to have the piece smack dab in the middle of her hometown.

He adds, "When Tina stepped on stage, she owned it. We want this statue to represent that passion. Tina was an inspiration to the entire world ... She showed the people of Brownsville no matter where you start, you own your story about where you end up."

Todd Chrisley's son, Kyle Chrisley, is no longer facing criminal charges after being arrested for allegedly telling his estranged wife he'd kill her ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors in Georgia say the charges against Kyle have been dropped because the alleged victim is no longer cooperating.

The DeKalb County D.A. tells TMZ … "After further investigation, review of the evidence and discussion with the victim, based on all facts and circumstances our office declined to prosecute the case."

TMZ broke the story ... when Kyle was picked up by cops in Oklahoma on drug charges back in May 2019, police also found out he was wanted in Georgia for allegedly threatening to kill his estranged wife.

The woman, Alexus Chrisley, initially told authorities in Georgia, Kyle had made death threats against her in January 2019 via text message.

As we reported ... Alexus claimed Kyle sent her a text, saying ... "[N]ot before I end you. Im going to the streets I will get my s**t and take care of this problem with you because if I'm not with you nobody will be. Bye Alexus."

Alexus told police she texted back, "thats a threat to my life" ... to which Kyle allegedly answered, "yes :Lexi it was. Goodbye."

Cops say Alexus also claimed Kyle sent photos of himself pointing a weapon at his head.

While Kyle is off the hook in this case, he's still got other legal issues ... as we first reported, he was booked for felony aggravated assault in Tennessee back in March after allegedly brandishing a knife during a fight.

Jay-Z and Beyoncé not only bought the most expensive property in Cali's history, they paid cash!!! And speaking of money, take a look at Lauren Sanchez's 20-carat sparkler! So we gotta ask ...

Get ready, Sin City ... Dana White tells TMZ Sports he's planning to bro down with Tom Brady way more in Vegas now that the former NFL star is in line to be part-owner of the Raiders!!!

The UFC honcho sounded thrilled at the idea of it all, too ... saying he'll even pick up the checks when the two pal around at dinners!!

Of course, Brady is not quite a Raiders boss just yet ... while he and Mark Davis have agreed to a deal for minority ownership in the NFL franchise, the league still requires at least 24 of its other owners to give their stamp of approval before it's all greenlit.

But, that feels like nothing more than a formality at this point ... which has Dana pumped.

If you weren't already aware, the two have been buds for years -- Brady actually owns a small piece of the UFC -- and White made it clear their friendship is about to get way more fun.

"I think there's more opportunity for us to hang out now that he's around more in Vegas," White said. "I don't know about working!"

As for how he sees things going with the Raiders once Brady's officially got his stake in the game, White told us he has no doubt Vegas will benefit big time.

It's action-packed when the 'Spider-Man' star Hailee Steinfeld walks out the door, but in this grand exit of hers... she's brought along two daring Spidey-stans who are ready for their next mission. Spin your finest web and capture the discreet differences in these two images.

Giving off-the-shoulder vibes in a power suit... the actress recently made the rounds to promote her latest film, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," and as Spiderman famously says ... "With great power comes great responsibility", so go ahead and shoot your best shot and trap the changes!

Derek Hough says Ariana Madix makes perfect sense for the next season of "Dancing With the Stars" ... he feels it's the right move for her now that she's captured America's attention.

We got Derek at LAX and the 'DWTS' alum told us Ariana follows the formula for the dancing competition show ... the perfect candidate.

That formula, as Derek explains, loosely goes like this, at least for reality stars ... they get their big break and become household names, then go on 'DWTS' to raise their profile.

Ariana's a textbook example ... she's been dominating headlines since March when she found out her longtime boyfriend Tom Sandoval was cheating on her with their "Vanderpump Rules" costar Raquel Leviss.

Derek says he's been consumed with planning his upcoming wedding rather than paying attention to the Scandoval ... but he knows a good story when he hears one, and he quickly endorses the Ariana move.

The stars were poppin' off on the gram all month long ... clearly feeling themselves and ready like no other for summer. From hot shots by the water to skin-baring selfies ... gear up for the hot days and sunny rays to come with the stars who are showin' off their tums and bums!

Stars like Kendall Jenner hit the beach hard and captured a smokin' bikini shot, Cristiano Ronaldo flashed his sun-kissed abs and threw an underwear shot to his millions, and Christina Milian looked back at it with her buns in the sun ... Summer 2023 here they come!

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello are enjoying more live music together ... and this time they're at a Taylor Swift concert.

The singers went together Friday to Taylor's show at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ ... more evidence they're going strong after linking back up at Coachella.

Check out the pics ... Shawn and Camila are side by side in their suite, and she even puts her hand on his shoulder at one point as they chat before Taylor takes the stage.

Shawn and Camila weren't the only celebs in their group ... Cara Delevingne is there too.

As for their concert outfits ... Shawn is showing off his muscles with a sleeveless white shirt and some blue jeans, while Camila is wearing a black vest, some flashy pants and hoop earrings.

We saw Shawn and Camila earlier this week in New York City, walking around the city with coffee, holding hands and making it look like they're back together.

Remember ... Shawn and Camila dated from 2019 to 2021 and then seemingly got back together last month at Coachella, making out at the famous music festival.

We also saw them together in Santa Monica a couple days after Coachella, so the hookup wasn't just a one off.

Beyoncé says any fan of hers is a fan of Tina Turner ... so she had her concert crowd pay tribute to the late singer.

During her Friday tour stop in France, Beyoncé took a minute from her set to thank Tina for paving the way for her, then told the crowd to show their love to Tina.

Beyoncé told the packed house at her "Renaissance" world tour ... "I want you guys to just scream, so she can feel your love."

Naturally, the place went nuts.

Selena Gomez, Lenny Kravitz, Kris Jenner, and Natalie Portman were also in attendance.

As you know ... Tina died Wednesday at her home in Switzerland at age 83 and tributes have been pouring in from all over the globe.

Lizzo honored Tina onstage in Arizona ... getting emotional as she performed one of Tina's hits, "Proud Mary."

Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty, who wrote "Proud Mary," also paid homage to Tina at a concert in England.

Beyoncé's shared the stage with Tina before ... back in 2008, they performed together at the Grammys.

Here's a cool piece of United States history going up for sale ... the proclamation George Washington issued making Thanksgiving a national holiday.

America's first President issued the proclamation way back in October 1798, designating a Thursday in late November as the first official Thanksgiving holiday.

The founding father's handwritten proclamation, complete with his signature at the bottom, is going up for sale through Moments In Time ... with a whopping $15 million price tag.

The historically significant document is being sold by a private collector, and its value has risen exponentially over the years as it's changed hands.

When the piece first hit the open market in 1977, it sold for $3,000 ... and when it was on the market again almost 7 years ago, it sold for $6.5 million.

Now it's going for $15 million ... which is an awful lot of Thanksgiving dinners.

Alarming behavior from Raz B -- breaking a window at a hospital and climbing onto the building's roof, forcing police to get involved ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

The scary incident went down Thursday in Kansas City, the morning after the B2K singer posted a video on Instagram where he repeatedly said he didn't feel safe.

Raz B claimed to be at a Hilton hotel in Kansas City on Wednesday night, saying he was "fighting to stay alive" and didn't want to "have this surgery here." He also posted the address for a Kansas City hospital.

TMZ obtained video showing Raz on a roof of that same hospital ... as shocked onlookers watched in horror from a window across the way.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... officers were dispatched to Saint Luke's Hospital at 10:20 AM Thursday after being called by off-duty cops and hospital security.

Police say when they got there they determined he had broken a window in order to climb to the roof.

There was concern Raz might jump off the ledge ... cops say the fire department responded to the scene too and placed mats down below, just in case he did.

Police say a negotiator got involved too, and he ultimately came back through the window peacefully and was treated by medical staff.

Bam Margera wants a judge to dismiss his divorce pronto and let him hang out with his son ... but his estranged wife Nikki is pushing back.

Bam's legal team just filed new docs asking a judge to set an earlier court hearing on Bam and Nikki's divorce, with the former "Jackass" star making it clear he doesn't want to wait 2 more months for his day in court.

The hearing is currently set for July 11, but Bam says Nikki's not allowing him to see their son, Phoenix ... so he wants the judge to step in and get the ball rolling ASAP.

TMZ broke the story ... Nikki filed for legal separation back in February, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for legal and physical custody over Phoenix, as well as spousal support.

In his emergency filing, Bam is also claiming he was never legally married to Nikki in the first place.

Nikki also filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, claiming there's no reason to rush everyone back in front of a judge. Nikki says she's abiding by the custody orders and Bam is still able to see their kid.

In the docs, Nikki shades Bam ... she says he can see their son, as long as he's in California and not under the influence.

Nikki's attorney, David Glass, tells TMZ ... "Mr. Margera continues to claim to be the 'injured' party because he isn't seeing Phoenix – even though he placed himself 3000 miles away after exposing the child to abuse and drug/alcohol abuse."