CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

3:30 PM PT -- Police raided the home of the 2 men who cops picked up at the O'Hare Airport Wednesday night ... this according to WBBM TV reporter Charlie De Mar, who says he spoke to the family of the 2 men. Both men are Nigerian and were extras on "Empire." Based on what the cops have already said, it appears these are the same men who were captured on the surveillance video.

According to the report, police seized 5 bottles of bleach, a red hat, 2 laptops and other items.

The family said the 2 men left for Nigeria the day of the alleged attack. This is consistent with what law enforcement sources previously told TMZ ... that the men left for Nigeria and returned Wednesday night, and the police tracked their travels and were waiting for them when they landed in Chicago.

By the way ... when we broke the story about the various details of the alleged attack, our Jussie sources said the actor identified the 2 men as white. We do not know the skin color of the 2 men from Nigeria.

Important to note ... the red hat may be a red herring, because Jussie never said the men were wearing MAGA hats ... rather, he says they screamed "MAGA country."

2:50 PM PT -- Chicago PD has confirmed ... the 2 men taken in for questioning are the same men in the surveillance video screen grab. The PD confirms transportation records, along with interviews with Jussie and other witnesses, led to the ID of the 2 men.

Jussie Smollett is being questioned again by Chicago PD ... and officers are also talking to another man, an actor who has also appeared on "Empire" ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the case tell us the actor, not Jussie, was picked up by Chicago PD Wednesday night right after he flew into O'Hare Airport. We're told Jussie was brought in Thursday morning for additional questioning. Another man who was with the actor at O'Hare was also taken in for questioning.

The two individuals are being questioned as "persons of interest." Police won't say if they are the same 2 people seen in the grainy image released last month. But, law enforcement sources tell TMZ, they believe the 2 people were at the scene of the alleged attack.

As for how cops ID'd the 2 people they're questioning -- we're told they used rideshare and/or taxicab records to track their locations the night of the alleged incident.

Jussie is on record saying he believes the 2 men in the grainy image are the ones who attacked him.

Story developing ...

Tisha Campbell-Martin is cutting her estranged husband, Duane Martin, a huge break, but not for his sake ... TMZ has learned.

Tisha and Duane were both in court Thursday for a hearing on her restraining order, and she told the judge she wanted to drop it in the name of co-parenting. Tisha said she's still in fear of Duane, but for the sake of their kids wanted to make it easier for them to take care of them and attend activities.

She said they've agreed to give each other advance notice if they're both going to any events for their 2 sons.

As we reported, Tisha previously got a temporary restraining order against Duane, after accusing him of physical abuse.

She claimed he recently flew into a violent rage, and had been physically, emotionally and mentally abusive throughout their marriage. Duane is vehemently denying the allegations.

Comedian Russell Peters got involved in a serious situation at a jewelry shop, when he hopped to action and helped take down a wannabe thief ... and it's all on the security footage.

In the vid, obtained by TMZ, Peters is seen walking around the NYC Diamond District store Tuesday scoping some bling with one of the workers, while a man in a dark stocking cap is being attended to nearby by another employee.

All of a sudden, the guy in the cap gets up and darts away but gets stopped at the door ... which gets Russell's attention. The employee appears to try to apprehend the man, who gets physical and tries to make a break for it, but Peters and the other worker quickly grab him and hold him down before an officer shows up.

Law enforcement sources tell us the 27-year-old perp attempted to make off with a ring valued at $150,000 before he was apprehended by witnesses. Peters is listed on the police report as one of those witnesses.

If you're surprised the funny man is such a badass, don't be. Russell's trained in jiu-jitsu for years under famous black belt Jean Jacques Machado, who also trains Joe Rogan.

Basically, the suspect's lucky Russell only slapped an armbar on him!

Cops have charged the man with robbery and criminal possession of stolen property.

Our sources say Russell was at the store because he's friendly with the owner, and it's safe to say ... his friends and family discount just went up a little bit.

1:18 PM PT -- A law enforcement official told The New Yorker that an indictment is pending and Kelly could be arrested soon. We haven't been able to independently confirm that report.

12:21 PM PT -- A source close to R. Kelly says it's unfair to accuse the singer of any wrongdoing without first trying to authenticate the video.

R. Kelly made a sex tape -- a new, never-before-seen one -- with a girl who seems to be 14 years old ... this according to Michael Avenatti, who says his office discovered the video.

Avenatti says the 45-minute long VHS recording was uncovered after multiple clients came to him alleging Kelly had sexually assaulted minors. He claims the video clearly shows Kelly engaging in multiple sex acts with a girl.

CNN first reported the new video's existence, and says they've seen it. According to their report, the girl calls the man -- who appears to be Kelly -- "daddy," and also shows her urinating at his request. After that, he urinates on her. CNN says the girl is seen on tape referring to her body parts as "14 years old."

Avenatti makes it clear this is NOT the video for which Kelly stood trial in 2008 ... when he was acquitted.

Avenatti says he has presented the video to the Cook County State Attorney's Office in Illinois. He does not say when the recording was made ... but believes it's within the statute of limitations.

We've reached out to R. Kelly's team for comment ... so far, no word back.

Alfonso Ribeiro making the "Carlton Dance" popular on 'The Fresh Prince' doesn't mean he legally owns it ... according to the feds, and it could mean a big L for him in his battle with Fortnite.

The bad news became public this week in court -- a registration specialist for the U.S. Copyright Office told Alfonso's attorney that the actor's bid to lock down the rights to the dance is being denied. The copyright pro said Alfonso's moves amount to nothing more than a "simple dance routine."

As if that wasn't enough of a shot at Carlton ... the expert broke down the dance step-by-step, saying ... "The combination of these three dance steps is a simple routine that is not registrable as a choreographic work."

We broke the story ... Alfonso is suing the creators of Fortnite -- as well as the creators of NBA 2K -- for allegedly ripping off the dance without his permission.

Aside from the fact that he'd never tried to copyright the dance in the 27 years since it debuted on 'Fresh Prince' -- as NBA 2K lawyers point out in a motion to dismiss the suit -- Alfonso also admitted on camera the dance was inspired by others. That credit goes to Courteney Cox and Eddie Murphy.

9:00 AM PT -- Cops say they have identified 2 "persons of interest," and have questioned them ... but add there is no evidence they were involved in Jussie's attack. Neither has been charged with a crime.

While PD won't confirm the persons of interest are the ones in the dark, grainy image -- the ones Jussie says he's sure attacked him -- our law enforcement sources say the people in the image are the only people who were seen on camera the night of Jussie's attack.

Jussie Smollett says he's certain ... the 2 men in the surveillance photo released by police are way more than persons of interest ... they are the men who screamed homophobic and racist epithets at him, tied a noose around his neck, poured bleach on him and beat him.

Jussie appeared on 'GMA' Thursday, and was clearly frustrated some people don't believe his story.

The 2 men in the surveillance photo are considered "persons of interest" but not suspects by the Chicago PD. Cops tell us the video shows the 2 men on the other side of the street from Jussie, but there is a 60-second gap in the video.

Jussie went on to explain why he refused to give his phone to cops so they could validate his story that he was talking to his manager at the time of the attack and the manager heard it go down. Jussie explained he had various private photos, videos and phone numbers and did not want that data compromised.

He tells Robin Roberts about his injuries and why he kept the rope around his neck until police arrived.

21 Savage may be deported, and not because he's ineligible to stay in the United States ... it's because of Donald Trump.

We now understand MOST of what went down with 21's arrest and looming deportation. Here's how it goes.

Sources directly connected to the case tell TMZ ... the decision to arrest and deport 21 Savage was made months ago by the Atlanta bureau of ICE. At that time, ICE decided it would arrest Savage and hold him without bond until he could be deported.

As for why ICE wanted Savage held without bond, we've learned they incorrectly believed 21 had a felony conviction, which would have disqualified him from being able to post bond. As we reported, 21's 2014 drug conviction was vacated and sealed in the Fall -- which effectively erases it -- but court records weren't updated, so all ICE saw was the conviction.

Now, this is super weird ... we've learned just days ago ICE headquarters in Washington D.C. got involved in the case, and when they did, ICE had already figured out 21 was not a felon and therefore should have been released on bond. Our sources say ICE in D.C. IGNORED the fact that the conviction was erased and doubled down, saying 21 should NOT be released. No one we've spoken to has any idea why D.C. took such a position when it was not supported by the facts.

Keep reading ... we're getting to Trump.

We've confirmed ICE was on the scene with various other local and federal law enforcement agencies when 21 was arrested on Super Bowl Sunday with a plan to arrest him. We're told ATF first took 21 into custody and literally handed him over to an ICE agent on the spot.

Our ICE sources say they had no other involvement in the other arrests at the scene ... they were only there to arrest Savage. It is unclear why ICE needed to be part of that operation ... why didn't they just go to 21's home and arrest him in the months prior to the sting?

As we reported, 21's lawyers went to court Tuesday and convinced a judge to bond 21 out. As for next steps, 21's application to stay in the U.S. will be processed, and it's virtually certain it will be approved because he qualifies on every count. He has dependents in the country, he has no convictions, and he's been here more than 10 years. There are no obstacles in his way ... EXCEPT TRUMP.

Turns out Trump changed the immigration policies from Obama and Bush. We're told Trump's marching orders are to deport people who have a pending visa application -- even if it's a slam dunk -- and they can come back if and when it's approved.

We've learned, before 21 Savage was released Tuesday, ICE agents told him they would drop deportation proceedings if he voluntarily left the country. We're told he passed and will fight to stay.

BTW ... 21 filed his application to stay in the U.S. in 2017 and it takes around 4 years for ICE to process it, so the stakes are high.

Rapper YNW Melly has been arrested and charged in the double murder of two of his friends.

The Miramar Police Department announced Wednesday Melly -- real name Jamell Demons -- and Cortlen Henry have each been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. According to cops, Demons and Henry were involved in the killings of two men in October.

Cops say after their investigation, it was determined Demons shot the men and then he and Henry staged the crime scene to look like a drive-by shooting.

YNW took to his Instagram just before turning himself in to police, saying, "To all my fans and supporters ... I want you guys to know I love you and appreciate every single one of y'all, a couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want to find justice.. unfortunately a lot of rumors and lies are being said but no worries god is with me."

Cops say it was forensic evidence that linked the two men to the crime.

YNW Melly was an up-and-coming rapper who most recently was among several rappers working with Kanye West on his new album in Miami.

6:40 PM PT -- A show source tells us Safaree just arrived to the reunion in the last hour ... making a dramatic entrance halfway through the reunion. We're told he failed to make his contractual obligation of the full day and it's still possible there will be consequences from the network.

Safaree just did a total 180 on his commitment to attend the 'Love & Hip Hop' reunion ... a move that could cost him some serious cash.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ, Safaree was supposed to appear in Atlanta Wednesday to shoot the 'LHH' show. We're told last Friday he was committed to do the special -- but he had a change of heart on Monday -- backing out due to what he called safety and mental health concerns.

Our sources say VH1's parent company, Viacom, promised Safaree they'd put necessary measures in place to make sure he felt safe -- including additional security if a fight broke out -- but he wouldn't budge.

Safaree's no-show certainly didn't sit well with network honchos ... who fired off a legal letter warning Safaree if he didn't attend, he could be on the hook for substantial damages.

Safaree's manager, David Weintraub, tells us he's encouraged the reality star to fulfill his obligations to the network. However, the decision on how he handles his contractual commitments is ultimately up to Safaree.

Tisha Campbell-Martin's estranged husband is vehemently denying allegations of abuse leveled by his ex -- and furthermore, he's pointing out what he calls fishy timing.

Duane Martin filed new legal docs responding to Tisha's temporary restraining order which she got last month. Duane calls all of Tisha's claims of physical abuse "fabricated" and "false."

You'll recall ... Tisha claims Duane once punched her in the chest with a closed fist, adding that he's allegedly abused her since the start of their marriage in '96.

Besides issuing a blanket denial, he points out her abuse claims never surfaced even after Tisha filed for divorce in February 2018. He says she's only coming out with these claims now to give her leverage in their pending custody case.

As you might know ... Tisha and Duane are in the middle of a bitter divorce, and claims of bad parenting have been fired off by both sides.

In the docs, Duane says Tisha has filed two police reports over the past year to claim past alleged abuse -- but that she wasn't able to provide any real evidence, and that's why the L.A. City's Attorney's Office declined to file charges.

21 Savage got his first taste of freedom in 10 days, and immediately hopped on a private jet to fly back home ... TMZ has learned.

We got this shot of 21 and his mom boarding the plane at a landing strip near the immigration detention center in southern Georgia where he'd been held since ICE arrested him over Super Bowl weekend.

For good reason ... the rapper had a huge grin on his face as he headed home.

21's lawyer, Alex Spiro, saw our pic and said, "That's how we take people home when they win."

We're told 21 Savage's homecoming will include a meeting with friends and family in the ATL area.

A ton of celebs voiced messages of support for the rapper while he was locked up. Kendrick Lamar, Jesse Williams, Future and Post Malone -- who sported a 21 Savage shirt at the Grammys -- were just some of the A-listers.

21's not out of the woods ... he still faces deportation. We're told his people are going to fight this tooth and nail, and it appears the big issue is whether 21 has been convicted of a felony. It's true ... 21 pled guilty to felony drug charges in 2014, but that conviction was expunged last year so there is not a felony on his record. Although ICE isn't giving us any information, it appears they still view 21 Savage as a convicted felon.

The rapper has applied for a U-Visa, having been in the U.S. more than 10 years, but the conviction seems to be the sticking point.

Ex-Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle adamantly denied rape allegations in court Tuesday ... saying he didn't commit a crime because, "she never said no."

The former NFL player was arrested last September in Sedgwick County, Kansas for allegedly raping a woman for hours ... and was later hit with 11 charges including rape and aggravated criminal sodomy.

He appeared in court Tuesday to face the charges ... and told a judge he was innocent, saying, "She didn’t tell me. She never said nothing. She never said no. So how am I supposed to know?”

The alleged victim said otherwise ... testifying that Randle had gotten drunk, punched her in the face and forced her to have sex with him.

The woman claims she was able to escape ... and half-nakedly ran to her neighbor's home to call 911.

A Wichita Police officer testified in court Randle reeked of booze when he showed up to the scene.

Randle adamantly denied everything ... yelling at the judge multiple times -- which caused the judge to fire back at the ex-RB for speaking out of turn.

Randle did not enter a plea -- the arraignment portion of his hearing has been postponed to a date later this month.

His defense attorneys argue the 27-year-old -- who's been in and out of jail and mental health facilities for months -- isn't mentally competent to stand trial at this time.

The judge said he didn't agree ... but acknowledged Randle's mental health issues could be brought up in the case at a later date.

Mischa Barton's new beginning to the year might see her bank account take a huge dent ... 'cause she owes more than $300k and now her checks from 'The Hills' reboot are being targeted.

A little backstory ... a judge ordered Mischa in 2016 to fork over $250,410.94 to screenplay writer Daniel Lief for blowing off her role in his movie, "Promoted." As we reported ... Daniel sued Mischa claiming recasting the lead cost him more than $300k.

Fast forward to now and, according to docs filed by Lief's production company ... Mischa STILL hasn't paid a cent. Lief's attorneys at Mendelson, Goldman and Schwarz want the court to order Mischa to pay off the debt from any money she earns moving forward.

That's where "The Hills: New Beginnings" comes into this.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, dozens of companies and studios that could potentially cut Mischa a paycheck are listed -- and MTV is among them.

As you know ... Mischa started filming 'The Hills' reboot for MTV last October. A judge still has to approve the garnishing of her wages. We've reached out to Mischa's camp, but no word back yet.

BTW, the docs say her tab has ballooned to $310,921.20. Gotta love interest!

Unless you're Mischa.

2/13 -- We just spoke to Mystikal, and he tells us he's grateful for the opportunity to get back to being a father and creating music. He says being on the outside again is a surreal feeling.

The rapper tells us he spent a lot of his time behind bars writing memoirs and music, and fine-tuning songs he had written before but never released.

Mystikal's getting a taste of freedom ... after spending 18 months behind bars on rape charges, he's finally posted a very hefty bond ... TMZ has learned.

Mystikal's attorneys tell us the rapper was able to scrape together $3 million for the bond ... securing his release from a Louisiana prison. We're told the money came from an advance for a new recording deal, and funds raised by Mystikal's family and friend.

TMZ broke the story ... Mystikal -- real name Michael Tyler -- was ironing out the final details last month. He'd been behind bars since August 2017 when he was booked for first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping.

Mystikal's attorney, Tim Yazbeck, tells TMZ ... "It's been a long time coming for Mike, but now he can get back to being the artist he is, doing what he loves, and seeing his kids again."

The rapper's now free until his pending trial in May.

Mystikal's other legal eagle, Joel Pearce, tells TMZ ... they're confident in their case. Pearce said, "Based on all of the evidence we have, we strongly believe that an amicable resolution is not only possible but probable as an outcome in this case and that Michael Tyler will never be made to return to jail for a crime he didn't commit."

The guy who created that freaky King Cake Baby character -- the New Orleans Pelicans mascot -- claims the movie "Happy Death Day" jacked his freaky face ... and now he's suing to get revenge.

The man behind the suit is Jonathan Bertuccelli -- an artist who created the intentionally weird looking mascot back in 2009. It's been seen everywhere from NBA games to Mardi Gras and even "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

In his suit, Bertuccelli claims he was shocked when he saw the killer in the movie "Happy Death Day" and the upcoming sequel "Happy Death Day 2U" wore a mask that looked just like his KCB mask.

Bertuccelli says NO ONE involved in the movie ever called him up to ask for permission -- or even credited him -- and he's pissed at Universal City Studios, Blumhouse Productions and everyone else attached to the film.

"A side-by-side comparison of KCB and Happy Death Day mask clearly shows that the visual attributes and aspects which have made KCB a celebrity mascot were copied and so substantially similar that the two are seen to be the same."

Bertuccelli also cites numerous people on social media who pointed out the similarity over the past few months.

So, what does he want?? Money. Lots of money.

In fact, Bertuccelli believes the movie has made more than $200 MILLION in revenue -- and he feels entitled to at least 50% of the profits.

3:45 PM PST -- Kim's lawyer, Marty Singer, tells TMZ, "The lawsuit filed against Kim Kardashian is ridiculous and absurd. The parties entered into a binding settlement agreement 2014 in which Kim gave up multi-million dollar claims against Mr. Liebensohn and his partners. Mr. Liebensohn waited more than 4 years to claim the agreement wasn't binding on him. Kim commenced an arbitration in December 2018, and after Mr. Liebensohn was unsuccessful in stopping the arbitration he filed this meritless lawsuit. We feel very confident we will get the case dismissed."

Kim Kardashian West launched her popular Kimojis with the help of an app developer, who says she left him high and dry and screwed him out of serious cash ... as in 9 figures!

David Liebensohn claims he and his business partners created an app called CensorOut that caught the attention of Kim, and they eventually agreed to team up on Kimojis ... the animated emojis and GIFs of the Kardashian clan.

According to docs ... Kim agreed to cut Liebensohn and his partners in for 60 percent, and they agreed on a deal in 2014. He claims Kim insisted she would file the trademark paperwork for "Kimoji" to cover the cost and make things simple ... but they were in it together.

That's when it gets weird. In his lawsuit, Liebensohn says in August 2014 -- right around when Kim filed for the trademark -- she informed him one of his partners had shared some of her personal information ... so she was backing out of their deal.

Liebensohn claims Kim and co. lawyered up and tried to pressure him into dropping the case, but he refused. He also says Kim already knew about the alleged sharing of her personal info before they struck a deal ... and simply used it as an excuse to cancel it.

He's suing Kim for at least $100 mil for breach of contract, fraud and for the profits he believes he's lost by being left out of the Kimoji biz.

We reached out to Kim ... no word back yet.