Controversial S#!T

This is Logan Paul like you've never heard him before ... almost sounding like a parent who is worried Gen X is producing a population of addicts in the grips of something more dangerous than drugs or alcohol.

We got Logan in Bev Hills Friday night leaving Mastro's, and he couldn't be more down with Prince Harry, who wants to put the brakes on Fortnite.

Logan confesses, he too was once an addict ... addicted to another video game, and it took over his life.

Lori Loughlin looked like she didn't have a care in the world as she yukked it up with her daughter, Isabella, Friday afternoon, but there's no doubt this is all for the sake of appearance.

Lori and Isabella were out and about in Bev Hills and were all smiles and laughs as they waited for the valet to bring their car around.

It's anything but a fun time in their lives these days. Lori and hubby Mossimo Giannulli face felony charges for allegedly paying a $500k bribe to get Isabella and Olivia Jade into USC by hook or crook.

Prosecution sources tell TMZ, any plea bargain they strike will have a prison recommendation attached, although it's ultimately up to the judge.

Olivia Jade, who clearly didn't really want to go to college, reportedly isn't speaking to her parents she's so pissed off and distraught over the whole mess.

Sorry, James Harden ... you are NOT the MVP of this year's NBA, so says Rip Hamilton -- who tells TMZ Sports, "I might have to go with Giannis."

The Association's MVP race is basically down to Harden vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo with only a handful of games left to play ... and Rip tells us he's giving the nod to the Bucks star for now.

And, why? The Detroit Pistons legend says he's gotta reward Giannis' win-loss record.

"You gotta give credit to Giannis, man. He's on the No. 1 team. He could be All-NBA on defense. So, right now, with Giannis being the best team, I might have to go with Giannis."

Antetokounmpo's Bucks are No. 1 in the East with a 59-20 record ... while Harden's Rockets sit at No. 3 in the West at 51-28.

But, Harden's numbers KILL Giannis' ... James is averaging almost NINE more points per game AND more assists and steals per contest too.

Beyonce did NOT walk out of a meeting with Reebok because it lacked diversity contrary to reports ... this according to the shoe company.

A rep for Reebok tells TMZ ... "The report that Beyoncé walked out of a meeting with Reebok due to lack of diversity is categorically false. Our discussions with Beyoncé and her team continued for several months after our initial meeting. We are disappointed that false information is being reported as fact."

It is not yet clear why the deal ultimately fell through.

ICYMI ... ESPN reported during a segment on Rachel Nichols' show, "The Jump," claiming Bey walked out of a meeting with Reebok after realizing its corporate structure wasn't at all diverse.

As we reported ... it was just announced Beyonce ultimately signed with Adidas, which will relaunch Bey's Ivy Park line.

9:05 AM PT -- Rini initially refused to provide fingerprints when he talked to investigators who met him at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, but authorities say he absolutely claimed to be 14-year-old Timmothy Pitzen. However, he agreed to the DNA testing.

When officers confronted him with the results, which proved he's NOT Timmothy, he immediately copped to being a phony. According to the U.S. Attorney, Rini said he'd seen Timmothy's story on an episode of "20/20" ... and cooked up the idea to impersonate him in order to get away from his own family.

He said, "He wished he had a father like Timmothy's because if he went missing, his father would just keep drinking."

And there's this ... the FBI says Rini's done this kind of thing twice before -- pretending to be a victim of juvenile sex trafficking. He was exposed both times through fingerprints.

The U.S. Attorney says if Rini's convicted this time he faces up to 8 years in prison.

8:51 AM PT -- Authorities have just announced that Rini has been charged by the FBI for making false statements to a federal agent.

The FBI released a statement, saying, "False reports like this can be painful to the families of missing children and also divert law enforcement resources in order to investigate these untruthful claims."

They continue, "Law enforcement takes dishonest reports very seriously, and we caution that people making false claims can and will face criminal penalties."

8:21 AM PT -- Federal and local law enforcement will be providing an update of the situation at 8:30 AM PT. We will be live streaming.

7:05 AM PT -- It appears the relevant law for which Rini's being held prohibits people from engaging in a "trick or scheme" to falsify, conceal or cover up a lie.

7:00 AM PT -- It appears Rini's accused of making false statements to law enforcement. Since the FBI conducted the DNA testing ... he most likely lied to FBI agents, and that's why the feds will be taking him into custody.

The guy cops say posed as missing child Timmothy Pitzen is now getting all the attention he wants ... in jail.

Brian Michael Rini was busted in Hamilton County, Ohio late Thursday night, and his mug shot raises a lot of questions. The 23-year-old who posed as Timmothy -- who would now be 14 years old -- is rocking a 5:00 shadow!

The case just gets more and more bizarre.

ICYMI ... someone called 911 on Wednesday to say Rini was wandering around and claiming to be Timmothy, who went missing 7 years ago -- a case that drew national attention, and was even recently featured on the A&E show, "Live PD." Local cops and the FBI responded and picked up Rini ... but immediately did DNA testing to confirm if he was really Timmothy.

On Thursday, the test came back negative, and law enforcement knew they had an impostor. It's still unclear what Rini's motive was and what he's being charged with for pretending to be Timmothy -- but we know the U.S. Attorney's Office is on the case. So, he's going to be charged federally.

He was detained Thursday night in Ohio, and the feds have scheduled a news conference for 8:30 AM PT ... which TMZ will live stream in this post.

Rini, as it turns out, has a lengthy rap sheet. He just got out of jail a month ago after doing 18 months for vandalism and burglary. He's also been convicted of unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Jussie Smollett's lawyer says the actor will not be intimidated by the City of Chicago's latest move -- to recover $130k in investigative costs -- hinting he might sue the City for defamation.

Jussie's lawyer, Mark Geragos, fired off an angry letter to the city, saying Jussie "will not be intimated," calling the claim his client faked the "attack" "false and defamatory."

As we reported, the City is preparing a civil lawsuit to recover the $130k it spent in investigating Jussie's claim that he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack. The lawsuit is significant, because it effectively puts Jussie on trial and the standard of proof is much lower than a criminal case.

Geragos says the attack was real, and points to the Osundairo brothers as the culprits.

And, Geragos is quick to point out, the State's Attorney dropped all 16 felony charges against his client.

He then threatens that he will grill Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson like cheeseburgers in depositions if the City goes through with the lawsuit. Both men were extremely critical of State's Attorney Kim Foxx for dropping the charges, saying Jussie did indeed fake the attack.

Tommy "Tiny" Lister -- best-known for playing Deebo in the "Friday" movies -- got a visit from cops after his girlfriend's live stream captured him arguing with her and smacking a phone out of her hands.

Police in Chandler, Arizona tell TMZ ... officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at the actor's home this week for a verbal altercation between Tiny and a woman.

We're told no one was arrested, and neither party wanted to press charges, but as you can see in the video ... Tiny and the woman were bickering during a car ride home. Several times during the argument he tries to swipe the phone away. While they were in the garage, he lunged at her and she screamed, "don't f***ing hit me!"

There's nothing "Tiny" about Tommy ... he's 6'5" and still looks like the neighborhood bully he played in "Friday."

Tiny tells TMZ ... he never put his hands on the woman and was only trying to get the phone out of her hands. For the record, he calls the woman his "girlfriend," and adds ... he and his wife are separated, but not divorced.

As for the argument ... Tiny says he was upset because she kept egging him on. He claims police looked at the video and advised him to get a restraining order against her.

Rihanna's dad is facing more legal blowback for allegedly pretending to rep her ... but this time, it's a social media star threatening to sue.

First, a little background ... you'll recall back in January, RiRi sued her pops, Ronald Fenty, claiming he's fraudulently profiting off her brand by falsely advertising himself as her rep through a talent development company called Fenty Entertainment.

That case is ongoing, but it appears to just be the tip of the iceberg. Harvey Justice -- aka Chef Henny -- is going after Ronald for doing exactly what Rihanna claims in her lawsuit.

Harvey's attorney, Alex Spiro, fired off a legal letter to Ronald claiming Ronald told Harvey multiple times he repped Rihanna.

What's more ... Harvey -- who made a name for himself on YouTube with more than 9 million views from parody videos, always showing him cooking with Hennessy -- claims Ronald told him Rihanna plays a central role in the company.

Harvey says he trusted Ronald so he signed with him back in April 2018 and was promised a $750k marketing budget but says he's only gotten $50k. Where's the rest? Harvey claims Ronald keeps telling him it's being held up by a South American investor.

The chef says he wants what he was promised plus additional damages ... or else.

If Conor & Khabib don't chill out with their vicious and very serious beefing, someone's gonna get seriously hurt ... as in shot ... so says UFC star Kelvin Gastelum.

Khabib and Conor have been going at it on social media lately, after McGregor lobbed what some thought was an anti-Muslim insult directed at Khabib, prompting Khabib to launch an ultra disrespectful clap back.

We got UFC Star Kelvin Gastelum -- who was in L.A. promoting his UFC 236 title fight against Israel Adesanya -- and he says if the rhetoric from both men has the potential to end up tragic.

"I think there are some lines that have been crossed, and it's escalating to a point where it shouldn't have to. I feel like if it keeps going the way it's going, somebody's gonna end up injured, somebody's gonna end up hurt, somebody's gonna end up shot."

Kelvin is 100% serious and you can hear it in his voice, he told our camera guy he believes there's only so much Khabib and his side will take.

"Khabib don't play no games, man. This is real life for him."

We should say, Conor seemed to apologize for his statements on Twitter yesterday, along with a pledge to be better in the future. But, is Khabib accepting it?

Does this look like a man with two healthy knees?!?

That's the question that's surrounded Todd Gurley for MONTHS -- and when TMZ Sports got him out at Craig's in L.A. on Wednesday with what appears to be a hitch in his gate -- it had us asking it all over again.

The L.A. Rams superstar seemed to have some sort of limp after dinner ... and if ya watch the clip, he ain't exactly moving like an RB ready to carry the ball 250+ times next season.

TG appears to use his buddy as a crutch as they exit the restaurant ... and while he's making his way to his car, there seems to be SOMETHING going on with his leg.

Of course, Todd battled a knee injury late last year -- sitting out the final two games of the Rams' regular season -- and struggled throughout the playoffs when he returned.

But, both Gurley and Rams coach Sean McVay have said the guy is OKAY ... and, in fact, team officials tell us Todd's been at the facility working out THIS WEEK and looks just fine to them.

So, does this clip prove anything?? We're not sure, but it's a helluva lot of fun to debate.

Jussie Smollett ain't out of a job in Hollywood ... at least according to Taraji P. Henson who says the embattled actor is slated to return to "Empire" ... assuming it officially gets greenlit for season 6.

Taraji dropped the news Thursday after Joy Behar straight-up asked on "The View" if Jussie's gonna be on the show -- currently in hiatus -- next season. Taraji didn't beat around the bush saying, "Yes. I haven't heard anything else." There is, of course, wiggle room here -- she may not be looped in.

The fifth season of "Empire" wrapped up last week but there's been no official word on whether season 6 is a go ... but Taraji made it sound as if it's all but official.

Check out the vid ... Taraji's also asked if she still talks to Jussie. Her answer might surprise you. Or not.

As you know ... prosecutors dropped Jussie's case but he's still in the city of Chicago's crosshairs.

Anthony Davis gave a fan the bird on Wednesday ... and we ain't talkin' Pelicans.

The NBA superstar was caught flipping off a fan after the Pels vs. Hornets game in NOLA ... after he claims the person disrespected him first.

According to Pelicans Wave, the Instagram account that initially posted the encounter, AD alleges the fan said something that rubbed him the wrong way, which prompted the reaction.

Davis -- who publicly requested a trade earlier this season -- denies any bad blood toward the team or NOLA, saying, "Never disrespected the city and never will. But of course they not gonna show what the fan said"

However, the fan who captured the video, Bradley Wehmeyer, says the fan on the receiving end of the gesture flipped AD off first ... but never actually said anything.

Jahlil Okafor defended his teammate, saying, "People can’t possibly think AD just looked at a fan and decided to flip him off for no reason. Cmon now."

It's definitely not the first time we've seen these kinds of interactions between fans and players this season ... Tristan Thompson flipped off fans back in December, there were several incidents of Kevin Durant yelling profanities at fans, and Russell Westbrook threatened to "f**k up" a fan and his wife after receiving racial verbal comments.

Prince Harry's officially in dad territory -- using his royal platform to blast Fortnite, calling it addictive and damaging to kids, and he's getting destroyed for it.

Harry took on, arguably, the world's most popular video game while visiting a YMCA Wednesday, saying ... "A game like Fortnite, for instance, may not be so good for children. Parents have got their hands up, they don’t know what to do about it. It’s like waiting for the damage to be done and kids turning up on your doorsteps and families being broken.”

He added, "That game shouldn't be allowed."

Twitter's response to Harry? Pretty simple ... Off with his head!!

Several users pointed out Harry's out of touch and doesn't realize many people play video games as escapism because, "Not everyone has the means to go wherever, whenever they want."

Others advise him to stick to killing animals on his royal hunts ... or maybe just try to get better at Fortnite.

As Twitter tees off on him ... it's worth noting Harry also ripped social media for being "more addictive than drugs and alcohol." He even said it's worse because there are no restrictions on it. He's been beating this drum about video games and social media since last year, actually.

Harry might still be weeks away from the joys of fatherhood -- Meghan Markle's reportedly due sometime this spring -- but he's already pissed off millions of kids who worship Fortnite.

Guess, Drake and Ninja won't be doing tea with Harry and Meghan anytime soon.

The Big Show is about to pin John Oliver's scathing critique about professional wrestling ... saying the sport is safer than it's ever been, and pointing to himself as proof.

Oliver DESTROYED the WWE on his HBO show, saying the organization is unsafe and exploitative of its workers, pointing to the untimely deaths of several of the past wrestlers as proof.

We got Big Show out in NYC -- gearing up for Wrestlemania35 -- and asked him what he thought of Oliver's 20-minute tirade ... and he said wrestling has cleaned up its act, and used himself as the proof.

"The industry's changed. It's done everything it can to protect the athlete and create longevity for the athlete. I'm 47 and I'm still rocking and rolling, so they're doing something right."

Show also says wrestlers -- including himself -- know the dangers before they sign up, and that's gotta mean something.

"I've had a lot of injuries, I knew from day one stepping through the ropes that it was not an easy job, it was a job that was gonna put myself at risk. I took the paychecks, I took the fame, I took the fortune."

Martha Stewart abruptly canceled her book signing in New York after getting interrupted by an anti-fur activist ... and it's clear the demonstration ruffled her feathers.

We've just obtained video from Martha's book signing at the Macy's in NYC's Herald Square Wednesday night, and it's wild ... you see the demonstrator come charging at Martha, holding up a sign about killing animals, ranting about Canada Goose and Martha having "blood on their hands," as security guards quickly haul her away.

Martha's clearly freaked out by the whole thing ... we're told the signing was called off shortly after the incident.

It's unclear why the activist targeted this event ... as best we can tell, Martha doesn't have any connection to Canada Goose.

Democratic Presidential hopeful Andrew Yang wants to soften the perception he's taking a hard stance against circumcisions, and as we learned ... it's no laughing matter to him.

We got the NY entrepreneur Wednesday afternoon in Times Square and asked him to clear up his position on circumcision. If you haven't heard ... Yang made headlines last month when he said he opposed the practice.

Andrew says everyone who is on his jock needs to cut him a break. The candidate told us people have twisted his words, because his official position simply isn't that cut and dry. He cleared things up with our photog, and made it known ... he meant no offense to his Jewish homies.

One last tip: Watch all the way to the end, you'll get a glimpse of the candidate's sense of humor. Then again, maybe our guy's just not that funny.