Celebrity Feuds

Major controversy in the video game world -- the lady who's voiced 'Bayonetta' for years says she was offered chump change for part 3 ... and now wants the new entry boycotted.

Actress Hellena Taylor posted a series of videos Saturday, in which she accuses the honchos of "Bayonetta 3" of grossly lowballing her to reprise her character ... in an alleged amount of only $4,000, which she considered incredibly low and something to turn down in the end.

She ticks off her professional credentials -- not to mention her storied legacy as voicing Bayonetta since its inception in '09 -- as reasons why she thinks her talents are worth more.

According to HT, though, the companies behind 'B3' didn't think her services for the entire game deserved anything above a few thousand bucks ... which she says is insulting, and reason enough to stand up and speak out -- despite an apparent NDA she's breaking.

Taylor claims she even wrote the game's creator/ED, Hideki Kamiya, to explain why she thought it'd be a huge disservice to write her off and go with someone else ... and goes on to say he wrote her back with an empathetic message, and the final offer of $4k.

In the end, PlatinumGames/Nintendo -- which are behind the uber-popular 'Bayonetta' franchise -- tapped legendary voice actress Jennifer Hale ... a veteran in the gaming world, who almost certainly got paid more than just $4,000 -- that's what Twitter thinks, anyway.

Taylor says her beef isn't with Taylor -- whom she wishes the best -- but also notes ... this woman has no right to claim herself as Bayonetta, as the character as been helmed by herself since the beginning. She also slams the video gaming industry at large for what she says is a systematic practice of screwing over talent and keeping all the profits for execs.

PG and Nintendo have remained silent on the allegations so far, but Kamiya has fired back online with a somewhat ominous message ... "Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That's what all I can tell now. By the way, BEWARE OF MY RULES."

Lil Baby has no love for DJ Akademiks, and he let it be known a couple of times on his new album “There’s Only Me.”

The controversial journalist first gets mentioned in the song “From Now On,” featuring Future … where Baby goes into Ak’s pockets, quipping “Akademiks know he ain’t as rich as me!!!"

Baby then applies further pressure on Ak via the song “Top Priority” which sounds more threatening … “‘Akademiks N****s’ think they can't get touched/Ion be on computers much, CED turnt me on to YouTube.”

Ak reacted with surprise to the tracks and has been fishing for the reason behind Baby’s aggression for some time.

On a recent broadcast, Ak explained how Lil Baby blocked him on Instagram -- only to DM him on Twitter, leaving him confused about the status of their relationship.

Ak was caught in a downpour last night ... as Baby’s disses dropped, he was busy denying rumors he was fighting with a woman in Miami after a viral altercation involving him and several women made its rounds on social media.

Ak later clarified he was actually breaking up a fight between his girlfriend and a pair of autograph seekers -- but apologized for raising his voice and blamed alcohol all across the board.

Nicki Minaj and Latto are at each other’s throats ... arguing about which Grammy categories their songs belong in and there's nothing sacred in this war, as they're both putting private convos on front street.

Both rappers had been subtweeting each other for weeks about the Grammy's decision to move Nicki’s smash hit “Super Freaky Girl” from the Rap category to Pop, and Thursday night the feud erupted like a volcano.

As Nicki sees it, Latto should have spoken up in her defense ... seeing as how the Grammys left her record, “Big Energy,” in the Rap category, despite having the same bubbly pop sound.

Nicki then began to retweet Barbz who were dissing Latto's silence on the subject ... prompting Latto to tweet, she "can't win for losing." That's when Nicki posted a DM convo where Latto agreed with Nicki's viewpoints, but said she didn't like the fact Nicki put her in the beef.

Then the gloves really came off.

Nicki called Latto a "Karen" and "Scratch-Off" ... posted more DMs, including one where she turned down Latto's attempt to collaborate on the "Big Energy" remix.

Latto fired back, calling Nicki a 40-year-old bully, and uploaded a recorded phone conversation they had on the Grammy topic ... and you hear both women going at it!!!

Latto accused Nicki of having "only child syndrome" because, at one time, she was the only female rap star in the game -- to which, Nicki scolded her with, "You didn't do your research!"

As of now, there's no resolution, and fans don't expect one.

Draymond Green says he will be able to coexist with Jordan Poole and compete for a championship together ... but when it comes to being buddies again, he's "not sure" that's going to happen.

Green addressed the media for the first time since rejoining the Warriors on Thursday ... and made it clear he's ready to put last week's practice altercation behind him and focus on the season.

Draymond says he hung out with his kids during his time away from the team ... and had some "long days" dealing with the aftermath of the practice punch.

When it comes to repairing his personal relationship with Poole, which used to be tight, Green says the ball is in his court ... and it certainly doesn't sound like he's holding his breath.

"I'm not sure," Green added. "As I said before, that's not up to me. Nor do I think there's much relevance."

"Quite frankly, we both know how to play basketball and that is the most important for us. We're paid to do a job and we're gonna come and do that job to the best of our ability. We wanna continue to win so we gonna do what we have to do to win."

As TMZ Sports previously reported ... the beef between Draymond and Poole started in the parking lot and escalated at team practice last Wednesday, where our sources on site say Poole called several fouls during a scrimmage, and Draymond called him a "bitch" multiple times as a result.

Sources say Poole has been getting "cocky" lately over an upcoming contract, but multiple players have flat-out denied that's the case.

Cardi B celebrated 30 trips around the sun not only with her closest friends and family, but also with Offset, who has been the target of some recent drama with his former rap pals.

Cardi and Offset entered the rapper's cabaret-themed bash Tuesday at Poppy nightclub in West Hollywood walking arm and arm -- certainly showing a united front. Cardi, dressed in a red flapper ensemble, looked amazing ... while Offset -- dressed in white and red -- looked stoic.

Inside, guests were treated to burlesque dancers, a lip-sync performance from Cardi herself and hours of dancing. At one point, Cardi also took shots in front of party-goers.

Celeb guests in attendance included her sister Hennessy Carolina, O.T. Genasis, Chance the Rapper, Tyga, Alexander Edwards, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Wale, Tiffany Haddish, DDG, Jamie Foxx, Karrueche Tran, Destiny Odom, Shenseea, Terrance Mann, YG, Coco Jones and Chloe & Halle Bailey.

As for the drama with Offset, it was last week when his former Migos members Quavo and Takeoff dropped a debut album as a duo.

On one of the songs, "Messy," Quavo seemingly alludes to Offset hooking up with his ex-gf, Saweetie, rapping, "Bitch f***** my dawg behind my back, but I ain't stressin' (Not at all)/You wanted the gang, you shoulda just said it, we would have blessed it (You shoulda just said it)/Now shit got messy (Uh)."

Lizzo acknowledged the fact Kanye West name-dropped her on primetime television to decry obesity -- but it sounds like she's taking the high road ... straight to Canada, apparently.

The singer was performing at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena Friday when she stopped at one point in the show to address Ye's comments about her during his appearance on Tucker Carlson's show this week -- and her response was to seek refuge there up north.

Lizzo says everyone in America has something to say about her, this while she just minds her business. She prefaced that with "fat, Black, beautiful" to hit her point home.

She then asks if she can stick around, to which the audience cheered. Lizzo openly wondered if she could marry someone for dual citizenship ... and got a good laugh.

She didn't mention Kanye explicitly ... which is a similar approach she took when Aries Spears recently trashed her. There, too, she didn't really lay into him ... but simply said she'd let her success do the talking -- despite people wanting her to "clap back." Ditto for Ye, it seems.

Remember, Kanye used Lizzo to make a point about folks supposedly booing the notion of bettering themselves through weight loss ... something he called "demonic" and the "genocide of the Black race."

Ryan Reynolds despises his one-time costar T.J. Miller -- at least according to T.J. Miller ... who's kinda giving the guy even more cause to not like him after these spicy remarks.

The ex-'Deadpool' star sat down for a chat on 'The Adam Carolla Show' -- where he revealed part of the reason why he believes he might not be in the forthcoming second sequel (aka, 'Deadpool 3') and, in his eyes, it all has to do with RR hating his guts for some reason.

He recounted a story in which he claims Ryan berated him during the filming of a scene in one of the first 2 films. He says Ryan, playing Wade/Deadpool, improvised some super mean lines while addressing him in character as Weasel ... but TJM thinks he was actually just operating under the guise of acting to take some pot shots at him personally.

Miller says Ryan, as Deadpool, told him/Weasel that no one really liked him and that he wasn't funny ... and that he only served as temporary comedic relief that nobody (including the audience) cared about ... basically calling him unnecessary for 'Deadpool' at large.

It was a pretty awkward exchange, so says T.J. -- who claims the crew was just as stunned by the on-set teardown which felt very real. Since then, he says, his relationship with Ryan has soured -- and, obviously, it has with the studio since he isn't going to be in 'DP3.'

But the way T.J. frames it here ... he makes it seem like he's the one who wants nothing to do with Ryan -- saying he wouldn't work with him ever again, going on to openly wonder why he dislikes him so much ... and going further by suggesting RR was jealous/insecure.

T.J. has a lot to say about what he perceives as flaws in Ryan's character ... especially as he got incredibly more famous with the Deadpool gig. He even makes some observations about Blake Lively and their image -- or "brand," as he and his pals call it -- as a couple.

It should be noted ... right as 'Deadpool 2' was coming out, Miller was dealing with very serious sexual misconduct allegations, which he denied. Still, you gotta imagine that may have played a part in either Ry and/or studio heads weighing his future involvement.

Beyoncé is calling out music duo Right Said Fred for accusing her of sampling their biggest hit without permission ... she says it's BS and the group was paid handsomely for the song.

Here's the deal ... Right Said Fred ripped Beyoncé as "arrogant" for allegedly sampling their hit "I'm Too Sexy" on her new song "Alien Superstar" without asking or paying them in an interview with The Sun.

Now Beyoncé's camp is firing back, telling TMZ the accusations from Right Said Fred are erroneous and totally false.

Beyoncé's team says not only did she get permission to use the song, Right Said Fred spoke publicly of their gratitude for being on her "Renaissance" album and they were paid a "substantial portion."

Queen B says she has the receipts ... Beyoncé says she asked Right Said Fred's publisher for permission to sample the song composition on May 11, with the publisher approving the use on June 15, prompting an August payment to RSF.

Right Said Fred also claimed they didn't have a co-writer credit on Beyoncé's track ... but her team says that's just not true either. Instead, Beyoncé says RSF writers own more than any other writer on "Alien Superstar" and have a co-writer credit.

Lil Kim is reaffirming her allegiance with Cardi B ... and probably at the perfect time too, because her BFF just might be heading into a full-scale rap war.

The legendary rapper is set to kick off BET's "Rap City" reboot, and in an upcoming interview with host Big Tigger ... Kim gushed over her friendship with Cardi, and even admitted to taking her advice when it comes to navigating life and career.

We're told the early episodes will feature appearances from DJ Drama, Remy Ma, Rapsody, G Herbo, Ice Spice and more ... with the premiere coming tonight at 8 PM ET/PT.

Kim's allegiance to Cardi is just the latest development in the female rap battle -- things are getting extremely feisty in the wake of Cardi and City Girl rapper JT's recent spat online.

On Monday, JT congratulated GloRilla for her first entry into the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 ... her "Tomorrow 2" single co-starring Cardi B -- only JT didn't name Cardi, prompting fans to instigate.

JT recently appeared on Nicki Minaj's "Super Freaky Girl (Remix)" ... so saluting Cardi B would be considered a slap in the face in the Barbz' eyes.

However, the Twitter chatter alerted Cardi ... and she proceeded to lay into JT for needing her help to pad City Girls' video stats. JT didn't let the criticism slide and then chastised Cardi for using writers to help with her songs.

The pettiness didn't end there ... Nicki entered the fray by changing her Twitter avatar to a photo of JT -- to which Cardi countered by changing her avatar to Nicki's longtime nemesis Remy Ma.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says Kyrie Irving has done something "more destructive, insensitive, and just plain silly" than his COVID-19 vax stance ... going off on the NBA superstar for sharing a controversial Alex Jones video on social media.

The Brooklyn Nets guard came under fire last month after reposting a 2002 clip of the "InfoWars" host ranting about a New World Order that would release plagues into society for financial gain ... which featured the caption "Alex Jones Tried To Warn Us."

Irving's Jones endorsement came weeks after the talking head apologized in court for claiming the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax ... so the timing was a bit odd to say the least.

Now, KAJ is weighing in on Irving's actions ... saying if it weren't for young basketball fans, he'd be "dismissed as a comical buffoon."

"Alex Jones is one of the most despicable human beings alive and to associate with him means you share his stench," the Lakers legend said on his website.

"When I look at some of the athletes who have used their status to actually improve society-- Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, and more -- it becomes clear how much Irving has tarnished the reputations of all athletes who strive to be seen as more than dumb jocks."

Abdul-Jabbar says people shouldn't just scoff at Irving -- there should be action -- and he wants those outraged to write to the All-Star's sponsors to demand they cut ties with him.

"Irving does not seem to have the capacity to change, but we have the capacity to keep fighting against his brand of destructive behavior."

FYI -- Irving's deal with Nike is most likely up after this season, but KAJ points out he still has deals with Pepsi and 2K Sports.

Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook have had their share of battles over the years ... but the guys are far from enemies, and have even seemingly become buddies in the process.

Beverley made the remarks at Lakers media day Monday, recalling a never-before-told story when Russ looked out for Bev's sister one night.

Bev said Russ -- a member of the Rockets at the time -- got his sister courtside tickets so she could see Pat play.

"I'm in so much game mode that the only thing I hear is my sister," Beverley said. "I turn around like what the f*** is going on.

"I absorb what he says. I look at my sister, she's on the floor."

Beverley said he went up to Westbrook during the game and acknowledged the gesture ... saying, "That's real as f***. That's real."

Pat -- who was traded to the Lake Show in August -- said from then on, things have been smooth sailing for him and Russ, despite public perception.

"If I was to name a best friend," Beverley said, "I been on the team three weeks, four weeks, It'd easily be him. We work out together. We lift weights together. We chat all the time."

Jerry Jeudy was so furious with Shannon Sharpe for criticizing his play on Sunday night -- he took to Twitter to fire away at the Broncos legend ... and his burn featured no chill at all.

Sharpe blasted the Denver wide receiver for dropping some passes in the Broncos' ugly win over the San Francisco 49ers -- at one point tweeting during the contest, "Jeudy does all this route running in the off season and can't catch a FCKING pass."

When Jeudy got wind of the criticism following the game -- he didn't take it lying down.

The 23-year-old quote-tweeted Sharpe's words ... and said, "And you be doing all that talking during the season while your breathe be smelling like your ass."

He added, "#BigWin."

Jeudy eventually deleted the tweet. He said in another post later Sunday night, "Lmao ima be the bigger man and let him have that lol good win today doe #GoBroncoz."

Sharpe has yet to respond -- but we're sure some sort of clap back from the now-polarizing TV personality is coming.

Jeudy, meanwhile, has not gotten off to the best start this season ... catching just seven of his 16 targets in three games for 130 yards and one TD.

Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh did NOT get into a war of words on the set of "Don't Worry Darling" -- despite a report claiming so -- according to dozens of crew members.

40 people who worked on the film have signed a letter, obtained by People, completely refuting the characterization put out by Vulture -- namely, that FP was angry with OW for allegedly being absent from the set and actually getting into a "screaming match" with her.

The letter reads, in part ... "As a crew, we’ve avoided addressing the absurd gossip surrounding the movie we’re so proud of, but feel the need to correct the anonymous ‘sources’ quoted in a recent article. There was never a screaming match between our director and anyone, let alone a member of our cast."

They went on to heap praise on Olivia, saying ... "We are happy to put our names on this, as real people who worked on the film, and who have witnessed and benefited from the collaborative and safe space Olivia creates as a director and leader. We're also thrilled that the movie is in theaters this weekend. We can't wait for you to see it on the big screen."

A producer for 'DWD' doubled down in a separate statement for good measure, saying any reports/rumors of a feud or screaming match between Olivia and Florence are unfounded.

BTW, the 40 crew members who signed this are big shots in the production ... everyone from the DP to the lead production designer and just about every key job in between -- including EPs and screenplay writers -- have attached their name to this. There are even a good amount of folks in smaller roles, like APs and gaffers, who've signed on as well.

While it's certainly noteworthy that this amount of people would publicly shoot down any notion of friction on set -- the fact is, 40 crew members don't account for even half of the people that worked on that flick. There's well over 100 people credited on IMDb.

Point being ... this doesn't really invalidate Vulture's story. It's possible these folks simply weren't aware of anything going on themselves -- that, or they're running cover for WB.

At any rate, the saga is over ... the movie did well at the box office this weekend -- raking in a little more than $19 million, higher than expected -- and everyone seems to be moving on.

Tyler Perry has long been dogged over his signature character, Madea, and stereotypes some feel she upholds -- but he's defending himself ... especially against Spike Lee.

The movie studio mogul sat for an interview with Chris Wallace as part of his new program on HBO Max -- "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace" -- which was scrapped from CNN+ ... and repurposed on their main streaming app.

Chris asks Tyler about a criticism that Lee once lobbed against him in describing his Madea movies -- in which he called the character and/or those movies "coonery buffoonery" in '09.

From Spike's POV ... Madea is a caricature of Black people, women in particular, and he thinks it's a cheap, over-the-top impersonation that Tyler has monetized with a lot of success. There are at least 10 movies of his in which the character appears.

While TP was once quoted as saying Spike can "go to hell," he's a bit more nuanced in explaining why he loves the character and the thinking behind her makeup. He says Madea represents women he grew up around, whose stories he wanted to convey in a humorous way ... with truth sprinkled in. In other words, he seems to see it as an homage.

Tyler also invokes Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance to reinforce his point ... noting this convo has been happening way before Spike's salvo.

Now, it should be noted ... this old beef, while still discussed today, seems to be long and buried. Back in 2019, when Tyler opened his movie studio lot in Georgia, Spike was actually among the many famous guests who came to check it out. And TP even named one of the soundstages after him ... telling us at the time that his legacy was bigger than their feud.

There's been more said about the off-set shenanigans on "Don't Worry Darling" than the actual movie -- and it looks like that'll actually help it at the box office ... go figure!

The early numbers are in, and all the whispers have apparently attracted the public's attention ... based on estimations thus far -- 'DWD' is on track to rake in about $21 million this weekend, a huge W for WB, seeing how the movie only cost around $35 mil to make.

On Thursday alone, the movie pulled an impressive $3.1 million in previews (with limited screenings). When it opened wide on Friday, however ... it cashed in another $6.3 mil.

As of now, the movie's made about $9.4M total ... and at this rate, it'll have beat projections -- which had this thing fluctuating in the mid-to-high-10s, considering all the negative publicity surrounding the project ... particularly between Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde.

Speaking of FP ... she actually went out of her way to post some behind the scenes shots from her days on set, and her collection make it seem like everything was super chill.

There's a photo of her and Olivia in there as well ... but it should be noted, it's a still frame from a scene in the movie -- as opposed to a true BTS shot, of which she has several with other castmates. At any rate, it seems Florence is trying to put out the fire here too.

She shouted out some crew members from the film -- not Olivia though -- and went on to say, "This film was such an epic story on such a large scale to shoot, all while during peak Covid times. For that I will always be grateful. To all of you who helped make this, your dedication and love was seen daily - thank you."

The timing of her post is interesting, because a bombshell report from Vulture on Friday alleged that all the rumored drama between Florence and Olivia was, in fact, real ... and it did, indeed, have to do with Olivia supposedly being absent a lot, going missing with none other than Harry Styles. Per Vulture, FP and OW got into a "screaming match" on set.

The report says it left Florence fuming ... and she had to go into negotiations with Warner to make sure she'd promote the movie at the absolute bare minimum -- which she has.

That -- coupled with #SpitGate and suggestions that Harry and Olivia have split (which don't seem to be true) -- is the ultimate cherry on this messy sundae. And yet, it's cleaning up!

Never mind the terrible reviews ... and the so-so plot/performances from everyone except Florence. Box office is still king in this town, and Warner probably loves to see it. 😮‍💨

LL Cool J is coming to the defense of hip hop's pioneers ... as he blows a gasket over DJ Akademiks calling older rappers "dusty," and not as rich as the new generation of artists.

In a fiery Instagram Live, LL picked apart Akademiks' stance -- noting how music fans don't check the pockets of legends like Miles Davis, John Coltrane or popular rock musicians. His point is simple ... why do it for hip-hop icons?!?

Ak questioned the validity of some older rappers' stake in the culture on account of their bank accounts -- which LL calls a "misinformed" opinion.

LL also pointed out that when rap started, there were no managers, endorsement deals or big label budgets ... and hip hop stars of the past literally had to create the movement from the ground up.

The Rock The Bells Festival founder said comments like Ak's are exactly why he started the event ... to preserve the foundations of rap, and advised the blogger to never play himself, noticeably checking his composure to prevent from exploding!!!

LL's thoughts immediately garnered plenty of backup -- Busta Rhymes, DJ Premier, Royce Da 5'9, and Pharoahe Monch were just a handful of pioneers who cosigned the message.

LL didn't want to mention Akademiks by name ... but his fellow hip hop legend, former Hot 97 standout DJ Mister Cee, connected the dots and found Ak ranting about older rappers on one of his Twitch streams.