Celebrity Feuds

A Black Superman film might be among us soon -- but a Black actor who already starred in a DC flick is pouring cold water on it, re-affirming his claim he experienced racism on WB's watch.

Ray Fisher -- who played Cyborg in 2017's 'Justice League' -- reminded folks Saturday that as hyped as they were on the idea of Michael B. Jordan potentially donning the red cape ... there are still issues he believes run deep at the studio.

He resurfaced claims he made last year against Warner Bros. and a handful of WB execs, including Walter Hamada ... whom Fisher alleges swept his concerns under the rug, and tried covering for another exec, Geoff Johns, while using other folks involved in 'JL' as scapegoats.

It's a long story, but essentially ... Fisher claims director Joss Whedon (who replaced Zack Snyder mid-shoot) was abusive on the set, while also alluding to racist behavior -- without getting into the nitty-gritty. Fisher alleges when he brought these issues to the attention of Hamada -- the Prez of DC Films -- the guy gave him lip service and brushed him off.

On top of all that ... Fisher claims WB's independent investigation into his claims -- which found no evidence to back his characterization -- was also BS, and hindered by Hamada.

The backdrop to all this, of course, is that it was reported this past week author Ta-Nehisi Coates, an African-American, would be penning a new Superman reboot -- with J.J. Abrams attached to produce -- and that WB's "intent" was to intro a Black Superman.

That kicked the rumor mill into high gear that MBJ would be brought on -- which had been speculated about some years back. Some say he could play Val-Zod ... a Black character from Krypton who's part of DC canon, and who's got all of Kal-El's superpowers.

It's a neat idea, but Fisher seems to think it's nothing but an empty make-good -- in light of what he claims happened to him. For the record, WB denied Fisher's claims before, and doubled down again Saturday ... saying there's simply no truth to it.

A rep for the studio says, "As we have stated before, an extensive and thorough third-party investigation was conducted. Our executives, including Walter Hamada, fully cooperated, no evidence was found of any interference whatsoever, and Warner Bros. did not lie in the press." They add, "It’s time to stop saying otherwise and move forward productively."

Vanessa Bryant is NOT HAPPY with Meek Mill over a lyric referencing Kobe's helicopter crash ... calling it straight-up "disrespectful."

The Philadelphia rapper has been under serious fire over the past week for one particular lyric in his new collab with Lil Baby which says:

"This b**ch I'm f**kin' always tell me that she love me, but she ain't ever showed me // Yeah, and if I ever lack, I'm goin' out with my chopper, it be another Kobe."

The clip ultimately got to Vanessa Bryant who sounded off on Meek -- and explained why she's so offended.

"Dear @meekmill, I find this line to be extremely insensitive and disrespectful. Period," Vanessa posted on IG ... "I am not familiar with any of your music, but I believe you can do better than this."

Bryant continued, "If you are a fan, fine, there's a better way to show your admiration for my husband. This lacks respect and tact."

WNBA star Candace Parker -- who's extremely close with the Bryant family -- immediately posted a statement supporting Vanessa.

"I'm sorry YOU and your GIRLS have to continually deal; with S**T like this," Parker said ... "It's not fair and it's not right."

"We love you and I am continually in awe in your ability to take the high [road]."

Vanessa lost her husband and her daughter, Gianna, in the Jan. 26, 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA. Seven other people also perished in the crash, all of whom had a close connection to the Bryant family.

RIP

Prince Harry & Meghan Markle are not having a change of heart about stepping down as senior royals -- the Palace says they're donezo for good.

According to Buckingham Palace ... "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family."

Queen Elizabeth's rep added that in stepping away from their Royal work, it's not possible for Harry and Meghan "to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service."

The statement makes it seem like this was a trial separation, but now they will be stripped of their "honorary military appointments and Royal patronages" ... which now go back to the Queen for redistribution to other working royals later. Ouch.

It all sounds pretty harsh and contentious, especially since Buckingham Palace ends by saying ... "While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family."

Basically, the British version of "bless their hearts."

The Palace announcement makes it sound like this final parting of ways was all on Harry and Meghan, though they put out their own statement saying they remain committed to their duty and serving the UK "regardless of official role."

Meek Mill's enemies list might be growing ... after he pissed off a lot of fans with new lyrics about Kobe Bryant referencing the late NBA star's fatal helicopter crash.

The rapper's upcoming collab with Lil Baby has leaked, and people are paying special attention to Meek's bar about Bryant -- "And if I ever lack I’m going out with my chopper, it be another Kobe."

Understandably, the line is being perceived as insensitive and disrespectful ... and there's the inevitable online movement to cancel Meek.

MM's already responding to the backlash by suggesting the masses are blindly following an anti-Meek narrative. He tweeted, "somebody promo a narrative and y’all follow it.... y’all internet antics cannot stop me ....shit like zombie land or something! Lol" He added that it's "almost like mind control."

As we reported ... Meek already has an ongoing beef with Tekashi 6ix9ine, and the 2 almost came to blows last weekend outside a Miami nightclub.

Along with that, Meek's also been criticized recently for being a part of packed shows in Houston -- along with Bow Wow -- as COVID-19 cases were surging nationwide.

Taylor Swift's experiment with her old songs is proving to be fruitful out of the gate -- the early numbers are in for the first song of the big batch ahead of her, and they're not too shabby.

Billboard documented the single-day download and radio play data that has come in since Taylor released "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" on Friday ... the initial, re-recorded mega-hit track of hers in what could be a long line of re-releases she's vowed to distribute anew.

Based on the figures, it's doing alright ... especially compared to the OG on the same day (Feb. 12, 2021). Billboard reports MRC Data for Feb. 12 show Taylor's new version got downloaded some 10,000 times, compared to just 200 downloads for the 2008 track.

There's also a radio play element here that has yet to bear out fully -- Billboard notes that Taylor's new 'Love Story' (which sounds virtually identical to the old one) has not gotten a big push by her team for it to be played on radio ... but a handful of stations across the country did blast it on Friday -- and even those numbers are greater than the OG's same-day stats.

"Love Story (Taylor's Version)" got 144 radio plays among 89 stations on Friday, compared to the original ... which got just 67 plays on Friday. 2008's "Love Story" is still king (for now) -- as we know, it sky-rocketed in the charts over time -- so Tay-Tay's got a ways to go before her new take comes close. Still, pretty promising early signs of what's to come.

Remember, Taylor's doing this to stick it to Scooter Braun and other execs who have come to control her catalog since she left Big Machine Records and settled at UMG. She wasn't able to get the rights to her masters, and decided she'd reclaim them by re-recording all her hits.

The catalog is now in the hands of a private equity group -- and Scooter made a bundle in the sale -- but TS is still moving forward. She teased the refreshed 'Love Story' in a Match.com commercial featuring Ryan Reynolds, and there was hardly a discernible difference ... leading many to believe her other re-recordings will follow suit.

WWE Superstar The Miz says Bad Bunny better think twice before entering the ring at WrestleMania ... telling TMZ Sports he will straight-up BREAK THE DUDE'S JAW if he even tries!!

There's major beef between the two after the Puerto Rican rap star made his wrestling debut at Royal Rumble earlier this month -- BB helped eliminate Miz and his partner, Morrison, from the match ... and hit 'em with a frog splash in the process.

We spoke with The Miz about rumors BB could team up with Damian Priest to continue his feud with M&M at WrestleMania ... and the dude has some advice for the newcomer.

"Let's put it this way," Miz tells us. "Bad Bunny is an amazing artist, right? He has a ton of people, a ton of fans. He has like 1.1 billion views on his YouTube videos, all his music videos have so many people watching."

"Stay in your lane! Like that's what you do! I'm a WWE superstar! That is what I do, that is my job! You are a musician! Be a musician!"

He didn't stop there -- "Look, he makes a lot of money being a musician. So, go do that. Keep on making that money because the fact is, if you come into the WWE ring, I'm gonna break your jaw and when I break your jaw, you're gonna need a lot of money."

Miz says the ship has sailed for BB's chances at being a WWE Superstar ... and he simply hasn't put in the time to deserve a shot at WrestleMania.

"It takes years upon years to be a WWE Superstar, to get into a WWE ring and WrestleMania. These are moments that we have that we worked for."

Miz has A LOT more to say ... and explains what happens when he first asked Bad Bunny to collab in the studio. Here's a preview:

"You don't come to my house and put your dirty shoes on my carpet. You just don't. You get thrown out the house."

Kansas City Chiefs star Tyrann Mathieu claims Tom Brady crossed a line during the Super Bowl ... saying the Buccaneers QB "called me something I won't repeat" in their heated exchange.

Mathieu and Brady butted heads several times during the big game -- most notably after the Bucs scored a late touchdown before the end of the first half -- with many accusing the Chiefs safety of being the instigator.

The 28-year-old went to Twitter to share his side of things following the crushing loss ... saying he's done nothing but admire Brady for years, and it was the 7-time champ who went too far.

"He called me something I won't repeat but yeah I'll let all the media throw me under the bus as if I did something or said something to him," Mathieu said in a since-deleted tweet.

"Go back to my previous games against TB12 I showed him nothing but respect. Look at my interviews about him ... I show grace."

Mathieu also spoke about the altercation after the game ... where he had a much more vague response.

"It's football," he said. "Guys are gonna go back and forth."

TB12 has yet to respond to the accusation ... we'll keep you posted.

Bygones are apparently bygones now in both Tampa Bay AND New England ... 'cause just days after Tom Brady praised the Patriots, Robert Kraft said he's rooting like hell for the QB in the Super Bowl!

Kraft, in an interview that's slated to air in its entirety Sunday on WBZ-TV, said he's holding no hard feelings about the way Tom left the Pats ... and, in fact, he's now hoping TB12 gets ring #7 on Sunday.

"I’m rooting for Tom Brady,” the 79-year-old Patriots owner said. “I’m so excited. We’ve had some great communications and he is such a special human being."

"We were privileged to have him here for two decades, and he’s one of the finest human beings I’ve ever met."

Things weren't always the rosiest between the two parties ... you'll recall, after Tom and the Pats split this offseason -- it all appeared to be pretty awkward.

But, time has clearly healed any and all wounds ... Brady reflected fondly of his tenure with the Pats earlier this week, saying he still has "a lot of love for Boston and all of New England."

The feeling's clearly mutual on Kraft's end ... 'cause Tom's former boss added, "[Tom] knows how to lead, and I wish him well and I really hope he wins Sunday.”

Of course, Tom's former teammates are in the same boat as Kraft ... we spoke with Pats captain Lawrence Guy this week, and he told us he and the rest of Brady's former squadmates are all backing the QB against the Chiefs as well.

Wendy Williams is beaming about Lifetime's movie and documentary covering her life and career, and not only because they're helping her get revenge on her ex-husband.

The talk show host joined "TMZ Live" Friday and in true Wendy fashion was not afraid to throw equal amounts of shade -- for Kevin Hunter -- and praise ... for the cast of her biopic.

Wendy tells us she developed a friendship with Ciera Payton -- the actress playing her in "Wendy Williams: The Movie" -- and says she really put her all into the role. Same goes for Morocco Omari -- who Wendy says she hand-picked to play Kevin.

As you know ... Kevin and Wendy were together for more than 20 years, have a son together and worked together, but things ended very bitterly. Actually, as she explained, it was bitter long before the end.

"Wendy Williams: The Movie" and the companion documentary, "Wendy Williams: What a Mess!" premiere Saturday night on Lifetime -- and yes ... she'll be watching.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants to reach across the aisle to fix the Robinhood investors controversy -- as long as she doesn't have to work with Sen. Ted Cruz, who she says he tried to get her killed.

AOC blasted Cruz on Twitter after he agreed with one of her Thursday tweets questioning Robinhood's trading halt amid the GameStop stock surge ... she says he needs to sit this one out or resign because of his role in the failed coup.

In her scathing response, AOC says Cruz "almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago" during the insurrection ... and she's happy to work with "almost any other GOP that aren't trying to get me killed."

Remember ... AOC said she thought she was toast when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in search of lawmakers, detailing her harrowing experience in an eye-opening video.

Russell Westbrook and John Wall went IN on each other in their first matchup since their blockbuster trade this offseason ... with the two stars getting T'ed up after a fuming trash talk sesh Tuesday night.

Emotions were certainly running high at the Toyota Center in Houston ... with Wall and Russ getting into a heated exchange after the Rockets guard fouled the former MVP late in the 4th quarter.

Both guys started jawing at each other -- and the refs were having none if it ... choosing to hit both superstars with technical fouls.

Brodie addressed the trash talk with reporters after the 107-88 loss to the Rockets ... saying, "Listen, I don't start talking s***. I defend myself 'cause I don't allow people to just say anything."

Unclear exactly what was said, but Westbrook felt Wall went after him because the Rockets have been in a groove -- "I think they're just talking s*** 'cause they just started winning. We will play them again."

As for Wall, he chalked it up to just being competitive and wanting to prove he can still play to the organization that traded him.

"That's what two competitive guys do." the former Wizard said. "Russ been kicking my ass for years. This is only my 3rd win against Russ, I think, since I've been in the league. So, that means that he's a hell of a talent."

He added ... "I just feel like the organization thought I was done, no matter how much hard work I put in over the summer. They came and watched me. I thought they thought I was done. That's why I came out here and did what I did."

Rockets big man DeMarcus Cousins -- who’s very familiar with on-court exchanges -- felt it wasn't a big deal at all.

"That’s nothing. Just two competitors. Trash talking is a part of the game, as much as they don’t want it to be. Two alphas."

Phil Collins and his ex have not had a groovy kind of breakup, and it seems she don't care anymore ... because she's damn near giving away his awards and gold records.

Orianne Cevey has put multiple gold LPs and "Assorted Phil Collins Awards" on the auction block in the latest bitter development in their legal war ... which has already seen Phil evict her from his Miami Beach mansion.

Now that Cevey's moved out, she's unloading items that no longer "spark joy" in a Marie Kondo-esque move ... and those items include a gold record of Robert Plant’s "The Principle of Moments," which Phil got because his label, Es Paranza, released it.

There's another Gold LP Award for the Plant album, "Pictures at Eleven" -- on which Collins played drums -- and all the records have an opening bid price of $100. According to the auction site, Kodner, which was first reported by Page Six, 10 percent of the proceeds will go to the Never Give Up Foundation.

If this seems like a super bitter ex move ... Cevey's rep says it's just downsizing. Orianne's moving to a smaller home, and is also getting rid of some of her clothing and jewelry. Not sure that'll make Phil feel better, but we're pretty sure she's not thinking about that.

As we've told you ... things went south for Phil and Orianne near the end of 2020, when he decided to kick her out of his house after she allegedly secretly remarried another guy in Vegas in August.

She later claimed he promised her 50/50 ownership -- while also accusing him of living like a hermit and having poor hygiene -- but he accused her of lying to try to extort him.

The hits keep on coming for Conor McGregor -- this time, it's Floyd Mayweather trashing his old boxing opponent ... "Con Artist McLoser."

In fact, Floyd says the positive way Conor continues to be treated by the public even after multiple losses -- while Mayweather still gets constant hate -- is proof racism is still alive and well.

"The world knows Con Artist McLoser can steal everything from me and be loved but I’m hated," Mayweather posted on IG after Conor got knocked out by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.

"That just lets you all know that racism still exist."

Remember, Floyd beat up Conor in their 2017 boxing match -- dominating from start to finish ... with the ref stopping the fight in the 10th round.

Then Floyd really dug and unloaded on Conor ... suggesting Conor also ruined his shot at a high-profile boxing match with Manny Pacquiao.

"Just know, that bum will never be me or be on my level. I’m just built different, my mindset is on another planet, my skills are second to none, I’m a natural born winner and yes I talk a lot of trash, but every time I back it up!"

"This is what they hate. It’s sad that you can be a poor black kid from the ghetto that has dealt with racism your whole life and work extremely hard to put yourself and your family in a better position, and most of the hate come from my own people."

"Connor [sic] cannot even win in his own sport, but talking about coming back to boxing to fight Pacquiao. Nobody wants to see that, it's like my leftovers eating leftovers."

So, what now for Conor? He's gunning for a rematch with Dustin Poirier ... and Khabib Nurmagomedov ... and also Floyd.

Rosie O'Donnell is just days away from being able to declare victory over her longtime nemesis, President Trump, and says the cherry on top would be him standing trial and going to prison.

Rosie was at LAX Monday when she opened up about how she's feeling as Trump's final days in office wind down. Not shockingly, she's thrilled to see him go, but still wants justice for the events of January 6.

She believes Capitol rioters should be punished to the full extent of the law for sedition ... and insists people who compare Jan. 6 to Black Lives Matter protests are way off base. Rosie's also pretty adamant Trump's a shameless criminal -- she hurled an allegation to that effect while discussing the stack of pardons he's about to sign.

Remember, they were enemies for a decade before he entered politics, but Trump infamously took a shot at Rosie during a 2015 Republican debate. He also claimed no one feels sorry for Rosie during a later debate with Hillary Clinton.

If Jake Paul wants to run his mouth and call his older brother a "fake fighter" ... Logan has a simple solution -- "Let's box!!!"

Remember, Jake recently gave his thoughts to TMZ Sports about Logan's upcoming exhibition against Floyd Mayweather ... saying "It's bad for the sport. I think it's just for clout."

Logan is finally reacting to his lil' bro's comments ... and while he mostly takes the high road, he also makes it clear he'll put Jake in his place in the ring.

"I fully support Jake," Paul says. "Whatever drama he wants to stir or create, it really doesn’t bother me. Like, 'Oh, you’re a fake boxer.' Okay. Let’s box, because Jake is the kid that gets beat up by my sparring partners. That's that kid."

Logan admits Jake may have said the comments just to raise hell and get attention ... but either way, he's unaffected by the criticism he's received leading up to the fight against TBE -- even if it's coming from his own brother.

"I've become like rubber sheet metal, dude. In this fight, everyone’s saying a lot of things. And, for good reason. I’m fighting Floyd f**king Mayweather. So I’ve literally become immune to [everything], I’ve heard it all."

One of the biggest critics has been superstar Canelo Alvarez, who told us it was a "lack of respect" for pros to go up against YouTubers in the ring.

Mitt Romney endured a mighty long 4-hour plane ride to our nation's capital, because he was basically flying Air Trump -- a loud group of Trump supporters calling him a "traitor" to his face.

The Utah's GOP Senator got on a flight Tuesday headed for D.C., where he was confronted by backers of the Prez who asked him if he planned to stand against certifying the 2020 Election results ... something a handful of other Republicans vowed to do Wednesday.

Mitt stands firm ... telling them no, flat-out -- and explaining he's going to follow the process laid out by the Constitution. They basically threatened to vote him out in a future primary, but ya gotta see how the Senator handled it. Pretty cool customer.

However, the real chaos started inside the cabin of the aircraft -- it appears there were at least 2 different times while Mitt was in his seat that several other passengers literally jeered at him, chanting "TRAITOR!" over and over and over again.

Of course, it's no surprise Senator Romney's taking heat -- but it's different seeing it play out in public like this, especially from his own constituents. He's long spoken out against Trump, especially lately as it pertains to trying to contest the election without rock-solid evidence.

At least we know the guy's consistent 🤷🏽‍♂️