Controversial S#!T

Tessica Brown's Gorilla Glue ordeal is NOT over ... her attempt to pay it forward is getting blocked because too many people think she's a fraud.

TMZ broke the story ... Tessica's planning to donate $20k -- the lion's share of the money in her GoFundMe account -- to a charitable org that provides reconstructive surgery ... but now she can't withdraw the cash.

Tessica says GoFundMe has frozen the account after it got flooded with claims she's pulled a fast one. As you probably know, there's a conspiracy theory out there that Tessica didn't really Gorilla Glue her hair, and she cooked this all up to milk the Internet for sympathy dough.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... GoFundMe has asked Tessica for an update on where the $23,000 in the account will be donated. We're told she's provided that info, and is now waiting for a response.

When she first set up the fundraiser -- to cover medical costs -- she only asked for $1500, but as the saga dragged on for more than a month, the money kept coming.

Tessica's donation is going to the Restore Foundation. As we first reported, Dr. Michael Obeng -- who got the glue out of Tessica's hair for free -- is also reaping benefits. His Bev Hills practice has been flooded with new customers ... for regular plastic surgery, not glue removal.

Demi Burnett -- a 'Bachelor' alum who appeared on Colton Underwood's season -- is saying she's sorry for wearing a controversial Yeezy jacket ... with a symbol of hate plastered on it.

Demi posted an apology video Tuesday night, in which she claims she just thought she was wearing a cool jacket made by Kanye West ... and didn't even think about the Confederate flag emblazoned on the arm.

She says ... "I just wore it for that one night, it was a Yeezy jacket, I thought it was so cool, I was like, 'yeah, Yeezy!' And, I didn't even like, pay attention to that. That's ignorance."

Demi adds she didn't realize how harmful the symbol is to people, and says ... "I am so f***ing sorry. Like, I'm disgusted with myself. I'm embarrassed. It doesn't even matter how I feel. I'm just so f***ing sorry because that is not what I stand for, that is not what I'm about. And, I'm really mad that I ever wore it."

She claims the jacket was a gift from the father of her ex -- musician Slater Davis -- and he shared the pic on his Instagram story ... so it seems it was taken last year before they split.

Demi's jacket scandal comes amid a much larger race-related controversy in 'Bachelor' nation ... as host Chris Harrison's stepped away from the show for allegedly excusing historical racism -- and specifically for defending the past of current 'Bachelor' contestant, Rachael Kirkconnell.

A mayor in Texas has thrown in the towel after going on a heartless rant ... calling residents lazy and crybabies as the state suffers from massive power outages in frigid temps.

Tim Boyd said he's resigning as Mayor of Colorado City, Texas ... just hours after he posted a lengthy rant on Facebook, grousing, "no one owes you or your family anything" and that "the city and county, along with power providers or any other services, owes you NOTHING!"

The diatribe came as most of the Lone Star State has gone without power and water for at least 3 days. Texas and much of the South is being slammed with a once-in-a-generation snowstorm ... resulting in at least 5 deaths.

But, even as the weather brought Texas to a halt and sent residents literally running for warm cover ... Boyd called the dire situation a "sink or swim" moment for residents. He also said he's "sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout."

Amy Cooper -- better known as Central Park "Karen" for making a false report against a Black man -- is off the hook in her criminal case after getting some therapy.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has agreed to dismiss Cooper's charge of falsely reporting an incident because she completed a program intended to address racial bias.

According to Assistant D.A. Joan Illuzzi ... due to Cooper's lack of a criminal background, she was offered an "alternative, restorative justice resolution; designed not just to punish but to educate and promote community healing." It's similar to a plea bargain.

Illuzzi says Cooper entered the program and completed 5 sessions, and her therapist reported it was a "moving experience" for Cooper and she learned a lot.

As you'll recall ... Cooper was filmed on May 25, 2020 by a birdwatcher in the park named Christian Cooper (no relation) calling the police on him and falsely claiming ... "There's an African-American man threatening my life."

After their interaction went viral, Amy was fired from her job and briefly lost custody of her dog. Christian decided he did not want to cooperate with prosecutors, saying ... "She's already paid a steep price. That's not enough of a deterrent to others? Bringing her more misery just seems like piling on."

A popular blogger has been calling Tessica Brown -- aka, 'Gorilla Glue Girl' -- a bold-faced liar who made the whole saga up and scammed the world ... but Tessica is now saying the blogger better shut it, or risk getting dragged into court.

An attorney repping Tessica's management team fired off a cease and desist letter to the person who appears to run the IG and Twitter accounts @gossipofthecity_ -- telling them to stop spreading the claim TB hustled everybody into thinking she sprayed Gorilla Glue into her hair.

The account has been posting about it for several days now, including messages and videos to both accounts -- which have close to 610,000 combined followers -- insisting Tessica is a liar and that she pulled a fast one ... especially on those who donated money to her.

The account even re-posted a 15-minute video from another woman who claimed to have sprayed Gorilla Glue in her own hair, trying to debunk Tessica's account. The post read, "Salute to this sister who actually deserves the money y’all donated to that liar. #girlbye."

To that, Tessica's lawyer says her predicament was neither contrived nor a joke, and to suggest otherwise is wrong. Her attorney, Jeffrey Klein, says Gossip of the City is defaming Tessica and warns the account's operator that they're on thin ice.

You can read the letter for yourself ... it's clear that a lawsuit could be filed if the account keeps it up. We're told this letter was sent last Friday -- yet, most of the posts still seem to be live as of now.

@gossipofthecity_ even acknowledged the cease and desist in a separate post, calling it a fake. We've been assured by Tessica's team, though, that it is very much real ... and they mean business.

Now, Tessica herself detailed the pain, embarrassment and agony she was going through with us directly on 'TMZ Live' -- and insisted this was as real (and unfortunate) as one could imagine. Remember, she went to the ER over this, and even flew out to Cali for a procedure to remove the adhesive.

Monday night's 'Bachelor' had all the usual stuff -- cocktail party, a group date, and a couple rose ceremonies -- but there was NO reference to the fact host Chris Harrison is stepping away.

'Bachelor' Matt James went about his reality dating show biz as usual, and there was no statement -- from producers, ABC or Harrison -- addressing Harrison's alleged excusing of historical racism.

As we've reported ... Harrison has stepped away from his 'Bachelor' duties amid the backlash he's received since his Extra interview last week with former 'Bachelorette' Rachel Lindsay, during which many people believe he downplayed current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell's past. She was photographed at a southern plantation-themed party in 2018.

Now, most of Matt's season has already been filmed -- so Harrison's absence won't be felt on camera until the 'After the Final Rose' episode. Still, many fans expected a statement added either before or after last night's episode.

Many fans and even its current cast have vowed to not watch the rest of this season in solidarity with the perceived mistreatment of cast members of color. Then again, the presence of Kirkconnell -- who advanced to next week's hometown visits -- might attract more viewers.

Moneybagg Yo said he's made a bundle during the pandemic and that he didn't want it to end -- something he immediately regretted and took back.

The Memphis rapper issued a mea culpa Monday after a pair of cringe-worthy tweets about the coronavirus -- and how it had affected him (and his net worth) as well as others (in his eyes, anyway). All the tweets still seem to be live on his profile.

At first, he wrote ... "Not gone lie I made a couple Ms in da pandemic, ion want it to end Smiling face with open mouth and cold sweatHundred points symbolMan shrugging."

Moneybagg followed up by saying he thought the pandemic had helped a lot of people, but didn't really elaborate on how. Either way, it was a terrible take ... for which he apologized.

After catching backlash, Moneybagg wrote, "I apologize to everybody I offended my comment was very insensitive it was not my intent to hurt anyone." Seems he got the message that ... yeah, the pandemic actually hasn't been great for a lot of folks, despite his good fortune.

And yes, MY has had a relatively good year -- he dropped an album last January (pre-pandemic) which charted well on the Billboard 200 ... and then dropped a new single, "Said Sum," this past November, which has also found its way onto the charts with staying power.

Chris Harrison excusing historical racism has left former Black contestants from the franchise divided on how to proceed with the host's future -- some say he needs teaching, others want him gone for good.

We spoke to several Black 'Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette' alums from recent years, and the consensus is they're disappointed with the longtime host's downplaying of Rachael Kirkconnell's past ... which many have called straight up racist.

We're told Chris' apparent lack of interest in understanding why Rachael's prior actions were upsetting ... came off as him talking down to the Black community.

So, what does that mean for his future on the shows? Well, Marshana Ritchie ('Bachelor,' Season 12) and Leslie Hughes ('Bachelor,' Season 17) tell us Harrison needs a long break, and a lot education on Black history ... plus, sensitivity training before he returns.

Marquel Martin ('Bachelorette,' Season 10) and Robyn Jedkins ('Bachelor,' Season 17) both think Chris should be given a second chance -- and probably shouldn't be burned at the stake, but they add ... he needs to do better at understanding the Black perspective before speaking on these issues again.

Fan fave Mike Johnson ('Bachelorette,' Season 15) says he wants to see Chris do work in the African-American community before coming back, while genuinely attempting to connect to Black viewers ... who might see the show as skewed toward white audiences.

Now for some of the harsher takes, courtesy of DeMario Jackson ('Bachelorette,' Season 13) and Jubilee Sharpe ('Bachelor,' Season 20) ... they both want Chris gone permanently.

DeMario and Jubilee tell us they don't think Chris should be allowed to return as host, and that 'Bachelor' execs should turn the page entirely ... both in a new host, and a new environment within the franchise that's more inclusive of POC, from the top-down.

Jubilee says she sensed producers tended to focus more on the white, blue-eyed/blonde contestants more than anyone else. DeMario echoed that to us, and went on to say it was time 'Bachelor' producers truly cater to Black people if they really want to make them part of the fan base. Up to now, he feels it's been a lot of pandering.

Draymond Green thinks it's complete "bulls**t" for an NBA team to bench a player while seeking to trade him ... just like the Cavs are doing to Andre Drummond.

Green's Golden State Warriors destroyed the Cavs on Monday in a 129 to 98 thrashing ... but it wasn't until after the game that Draymond REALLY went off.

"To watch Andre Drummond before the game, sit on the sidelines, then go to the back and then come out in street clothes because the team is going to trade him is bulls**t."

Here's the backstory ... it's no secret the Cavs are looking to move on from 27-year-old Drummond in favor of the new 22-year-old center Jarrett Allen.

The trade deadline is March 25 -- and Cavs GM Koby Altman has said Drummond would no longer be active for games until a deal is done.

FYI, Drummond is reportedly making $28.7 million this season as part of a 5-year, $127 million contract.

Clearly, Draymond feels it's unfair for Drummond -- a 2-time NBA All-Star -- claiming it's a disrespectful move that's also bad for Andre's mental health.

"When James Harden asked for a trade, and essentially dogged it -- no one's going to fight back that James was dogging it his last days in Houston -- but he was CASTRATED for wanting to go to a different team," Draymond said.

"And yet, a team can come out and say, 'Oh, we want to trade a guy,' and then that guy has to go sit?! And, if he doesn't stay professional, then he's a cancer?! And, he's not good in someone's locker room, and he's the issue."

"And, we've seen situations of Harrison Barnes getting pulled off the bench ... DeMarcus Cousins finding out he's traded in an interview after the All-Star Game, and we continue to let this happen. But, I got fined for stating my opinion on what I thought should happen with another player, but teams can come out and continue to say, 'Oh, we're trading guys, we're not playing you.' And yet, we're to stay professional?!"

Draymond continued, "At some point, as players, we need to be treated with the same respect and have the same rights that the team can have. Because as a player, you're the worst person in the world when you want a different situation."

Green says it's crazy that "a team can say they're trading you and that man is to stay in shape, he is to stay professional. And if not, his career is on the line. At some point, this league has to protect the players from embarrassment like that."

"And then, when Kyrie Irving says, 'Oh, my mental health is off,' everybody goes crazy about that too! Do you not think that affects someone mentally?"

"As much as we put into this game to be great, to come out here and be in shape, to produce for fans every single night, and most importantly, to help your team win, do you think that doesn't affect someone mentally?"

Green ended the conversation this way ...

Stacey Plaskett -- one of the House impeachment managers for Donald Trump's Senate trial -- clearly isn't pleased with his acquittal, but she thinks he'll face worse punishment ahead.

The Virgin Islands Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives joined "TMZ Live" Monday in the wake of Trump's second Senate acquittal, and she didn't hold back her feelings, calling the former President straight-up evil.

Now that the Senate trial is over, Plaskett told us she's all for the multiple state and federal investigations that could potentially lead to criminal charges or civil lawsuits against Trump. She strongly suggests he deserves "criminal punishment or otherwise for what he has done."

Plaskett also touches on a recent tragedy that befell her colleague -- lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin -- whose son, Tommy, took his own life on December 31.

The insurrection is dividing heavy metal band Iced Earth ... the lead singer and bassist quit after the group's founder was arrested for allegedly raiding the Capitol.

Stu Block and Luke Appleton announced Monday they're no longer rocking with Iced Earth, citing Jon Schaffer's role in the deadly riot as the catalyst.

Stu, the lead singer, says the insurrection caused him to re-evaluate his life, work and future ... and Luke, the bassist, says he had no choice but to resign after what went down in D.C.

As we reported ... Iced Earth's founder turned himself in to the feds last month, and the FBI claims Schaffer sprayed Capitol police with "bear spray."

Schaffer's facing 6 charges in connection with the insurrection ... including violent entry, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building, among others.

With Stu and Luke out of the band, Iced Earth is down to just 2 members ... drummer Brent Smedley and Schaffer. Meanwhile, Iced Earth guitarist Jake Dreyer is distancing himself from the band.

A Papa John's employee says he got canned after refusing to make pizza with no running water in the building so he could be sanitary ... and now, it sounds like he's lawyering up.

A TikTok user who goes by @mommarhodey posted a video she says her brother sent her from a Papa John's location in Colorado Springs, where he films his working conditions in below freezing temps ... which he shows left their pipes frozen, and no water to use at all.

The guy says he decided he didn't wanna keep baking pies in that type of environment, as he felt it was gross ... Y'know, because he wasn't able to wash his hands. So, he left his shift early -- but before doing so he wanted to set the record straight on what he was dealing with.

The employee shows a water heater in the corner of the room, and a tiny portable heater next to it that he says his manager set up in hopes of getting the thing working again ... and water running in their restaurant. He also tries turning on faucets all around him, to no avail.

His sister's the one sounding the alarm about this on his behalf -- she posted some follow-up videos explaining what happened next ... and would you believe it, she claims her bro was fired over it. As you can imagine, she's super pissed ... calling it a "wrongful termination."

She says she called the local public health department there, who apparently told her the Papa John's in question was shut down until they could get running water back. However, that doesn't jibe with what sis here says she's heard from the Papa John's staff.

She claims they've been continuing to work, despite the stop-order from officials. MommaRhodey says she's alerted the BBB, and Papa John's corporate office.

We reached out to the Papa John's location in question ... they had no comment. No word from their corporate office either at this point.

Frankie Staton -- a Nashville musician who's worked to increase diversity and inclusiveness in country music -- doesn't think Morgan Wallen's really getting what he deserves ... and it sounds a lot like what's described as white privilege.

Staton -- who co-founded the Black Country Music Association in an effort to produce Black country stars -- isn't among folks willing to accept Wallen's apology for using the n-word ... at least not so readily.

She suggests Wallen's situation is more of a societal issue, but the consequences he's experiencing demonstrate the difference in a fallout between a popular white celeb ... and someone else.

To prove her point, she mentions how Wallen's popularity and sales are skyrocketing despite dropping a racial slur ... so it seems his career won't be adversely affected by his actions.

We asked if she thinks that's fair -- Frankie says "not really." However, she says she doesn't like seeing other musicians' careers go down the drain because of a mistake ... but as a Black woman, she underscores what Wallen said is unacceptable.

Three Phoenix police officers didn't realize they were being recorded while secretly disparaging BLM protesters last year -- openly pining to inflict violence onto them ... seemingly exposing their bias.

The officers are unidentified for now, but on the body-cam footage -- obtained by ABC15 -- they're yammering away in a squad car, referring to a group of protesters in October in vulgar terms.

You hear one cop call them "dickheads" and "ass**** kids," while another wonders why they (the cops) didn't just stomp out the protesters when given the chance ... literally, put boot to body.

One male officer suggests they should've just gassed the whole lot of them, adding ... "who gives a s***?" The 3 officers also discuss how they and the public are "sick" of these protests, while going on to lament the fact they have to wear bodycams ... because they force them to be squeaky clean.

For example, the officers' details how once upon a time ... they used to be able to stomp out little baggies of drugs that they might not have made arrests for, but now have to because they're being monitored by the camera. The irony is they're being recorded at that very moment.

Later, as they were driving away, you hear someone on the street yell at them to go home. The officers' joke about it, and one caps off the convo by calling that person a "f**king liberal piece of s**t."

ABC15 has also documented "challenge coins" that were allegedly being bought, sold and distributed among different Phoenix PD officers ... almost as tokens for who could hurt protesters in certain parts of their bodies, including in their groin areas.

Phoenix PD's Chief issued the following statement: "I know that unprofessional, disrespectful and inappropriate behavior from even one of our officers tarnishes the badge but more importantly, it hurts the community we have sworn to protect." He adds, "I will not allow the actions and speech of a few of the 4,000 men and women of the Phoenix Police Department destroy the trust and credibility of those we serve. When that conduct does not show respect, you can expect that I as the chief will take swift and decisive disciplinary action."

Donald Trump will not have to answer for the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol -- he's been acquitted during his latest impeachment trial ... and thus, can run for federal office again.

The final vote came in Saturday, with a tally of 57 guilty votes to 43 not guilty votes for one article of impeachment -- namely, inciting an insurrection against the U.S. government. There needed to be a 2/3 majority to convict, but fell well below that ... closer to 57%.

The votes were mostly cast along party lines -- a majority of Dems voted guilty, and plenty of Republicans held strong on not guilty. There were, however, a few exceptions for the latter group ... including Senators Collins, Burr, Cassidy, Romney, Murkowski, Sasse and Toomey.

Senators Burr and Cassidy came as surprises, as they seemed to be firmly in Trump's camp -- but appear to have had a change of heart during the proceedings, which ended up being a wild ride ... full of viral moments, mockery, jokes (mostly at Trump's team's expense).

The trial lasted less than a week -- things kicked off Tuesday with opening arguments ... and evidence was presented on both sides in favor and against conviction. Democratic House leaders had strong presentations, which documented everything from Jan. 6 and even before ... in terms of the former President riling up his base and inviting them to D.C.

Of course, there's the bombshell video of him on stage on the day of ... where he told them to "fight like hell" and to march toward the Capitol to let Congress know how dissatisfied they were with the certification process that was underway. It seemed clear that he was at least, in part, responsible for unleashing them and their fury -- but enough Senators disagreed.

Trump was slow to publicly call on his supporters to stop, and even when he finally did ... he was light on them, saying stuff like "we love you" and almost excusing the behavior. Eventually, after much backlash, he came out and condemned the riot and violence.

He came out with a new statement shortly after the results came down ... and would you believe -- he called it a "witch hunt" again! Trump says ... "This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country. No president has ever gone through anything like it, and it continues because our opponents cannot forget the almost 75 million people, the highest number ever for a sitting president, who voted for us just a few short months ago."

He adds, "I also want to convey my gratitude to the millions of decent, hardworking, law-abiding, God-and-Country loving citizens who have bravely supported these important principles in these very difficult and challenging times."

Now that he's been acquitted (twice), the lane is clear for Trump to make another presidential run if he wants to. To be continued ...

Chris Harrison is stepping away from 'Bachelor' duties -- including moderating the 'After the Final Rose' ceremony -- and is once again apologizing for defending a contestant's alleged racist past.

The longtime 'Bachelor' host issued a new, lengthier apology Saturday ... this after he posted a quick one on Instagram a couple days ago that many felt was not up to par in addressing his recent remarks. Some said he was dismissive and excusing of racist behavior alleged against Rachael Kirkconnell -- one of the final few women vying for Matt James' heart.

Chris' statement is much more heartfelt than perhaps his initial remarks. He says ... "I have spent the last few days listening to the pain my words have caused, and I am deeply remorseful. My ignorance did damage to my friends, colleagues and strangers alike."

He goes on to say by excusing historical racism, he defended it ... and now realizes that was wrong, especially doing so in an interview with none other than Rachel Lindsay, the franchise's first Black 'Bachelorette.' He says he's been educated and open to being taught more about this topic, and promises to be more mindful about these issues in the future.

That said, Chris also broke some news about his time on camera ... saying, after consulting with ABC execs, he's decided it's best if he skips the 'After the Final Rose' ceremony, where the lead man/woman gets to reflect in front of a live studio audience.

It's unclear how long Chris plans to be absent from the series -- usually, 'The Bachelorette' starts taping immediately after 'The Bachelor' wraps. In any case, he's taking some time off.

Now, as for what the heck this is really all about ... Chris basically stepped up to defend Kirkconnell after old photos of her at a college antebellum party surfaced -- which many say celebrates the South's racist past, and is part of Confederate culture. It's a bad look.

There's also a TikTok video out there that chronicled Kirkconnell's social media history -- including stuff she'd posted and liked in recent years ... and there appears to be a lot of pro-Trump stuff, Confederate flag backdrops, MAGA shots and Blue Lives Matter posts.

She's also alleged to have made fun of white friends of hers in high school for dating Black guys -- but the evidence for that seems to be a little thin and less documented.

She'd been mostly silent over all the outrage that had been building, until Friday ... when she issued this statement and an apology -- copping to some of the social media activity, but not all of it.

Kirkconnell says a lot of the posts and behavior she engaged in occurred when she was young, and says she's a different person now ... realizing the hurt she inflicted. She notes her apology doesn't mean she's deserving of forgiveness, but she's asking for it anyway.