Controversial S#!T

Jay-Z and his legal eagles are jumping to the defense of a Wisconsin man wrongfully, and violently, arrested -- and although cops know they nabbed the wrong guy ... he's still facing charges.

TMZ Hip Hop has learned Jay-Z's Team ROC org has enlisted powerhouse lawyer Alex Spiro to rep Jermelle English Jr. and his family ... in hopes of getting all charges dropped, and possibly to sue the Kenosha PD.

English was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest back in July, after Kenosha cops investigating a hit-and-run burst into the Applebee's, slammed him onto the ground and deployed pepper spray in the presence of his 1-year-old child.

Applebee's employees recorded video of the whole violent encounter.

The video shows officers repeatedly pummeling English as he lay on the ground ... prompting several protests in the local area, especially once the full details -- that cops grabbed a completely innocent man -- were uncovered.

The true hit-and-run suspects were actually found later hiding inside the restaurant’s bathroom.

Team ROC Managing Director Dania Diaz tells TMZ Hip Hop, “The reckless arrest of Jermelle English Jr. and the careless endangerment of his infant child by the Kenosha Police Department is an absolute travesty ... the Team ROC team is here to support Jermelle and his family through this traumatic experience, demand justice and hold the Kenosha police officers accountable."

Kenosha PD's Leo Viola tells us the department is still undergoing an internal investigation, and plans to be extremely transparent with the public once it's completed. He adds, the Dept. initiated its probe without any outside pressure.

Popular TikToker Pinkydoll is brushing off accusations she's lightening her skin online, but Vic Mensa thinks the issue is much bigger than just a simple camera filter.

TMZ Hip Hop got the Chicago rapper Tuesday outside Dash Radio, and he shared his insight on the subject -- as it turns out, his new song tackles the very same topic!!!

On "Blue Eyes," Vic lyrically details the internal struggle he had as a kid yearning to be a lighter complexion ... even admitting he yearned to be white, at one point.

Vic doesn't know Pinkydoll, but says he knows her scenario all too well, telling us the dark vs. light skin debate precedes everyone's lifetime ... and Pinkydoll was programmed to follow European beauty standards since birth, whether she's aware of it or not.

Pinkydoll's explanations for her skin color looking so different on TikToK vs. real life have been an all over the place. She blamed it on being in and out of the sun when we spoke to her at LAX -- but on Wednesday's "TMZ Live," she said it was lighting and a filter to make her "look more Japanese."

Vic says he won't cast judgment on Pinkydoll or anyone like her, but thinks it's best for everyone's mental health to learn to love themselves as they are.

Josh Seiter says he didn't correct the fake death post about him for a full 18 hours because his priority was figuring out who hacked into his Instagram account ... it's all very puzzling.

The ex-'Bachelorette' star appeared on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we peppered him with questions about the long, long period of radio silence ... both from him and his family.

Josh says he was trying to manage a ton of texts and calls from concerned friends/family, which raises the question ... why didn't someone he called tell media outlets -- including TMZ -- the death post was a hoax?

Fact is ... we called Josh just after the death announcement was posted, but didn't get a call back until the next day. We also called family members, and they either hung up or said "no comment."

He recognizes he's going to get scrutinized, but he says he handled it the best way he knew how and is standing firm -- he was hacked.

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The mom of Spain's embattled soccer president, Luis Rubiales, has reportedly been hospitalized after refusing to eat for a third straight day ... all in support of her son as he fights to save his job.

Angeles Bejar, Rubiales' mother, was admitted to Santa Ana hospital in the Motril area of Spain, according to the local parish priest, who told local outlets Luis' mom was feeling tired and stressed as a result of the hunger strike and the controversy involving her son.

Bejar locked herself in a nearby church days ago as a way to protest what she believes is the unfair treatment of Luis.

Of course, Rubiales is under fire for his actions in what should've been the happiest of moments ... when Spain won the Women's World Cup against England. Luis was seen kissing Jenni Hermoso, a soccer star on Spain's team, on the lips.

Despite an immediate backlash, Luis has refused to resign his position, despite Spain's entire soccer club vowing not to play if he remains president.

On Saturday, FIFA suspended Rubiales for 90 days ... but he could still lose his job.

A Black surfer in Florida says several of his white counterparts stole his board and nailed it to a tree in a racist act ... and the allegations are so disturbing, cops tell TMZ Sports they're now investigating the matter.

The surfer's name is Andrew Sherlock Mills ... and on Tuesday, he explained in a social media post that the incident went down last weekend in Jupiter.

He claimed that when he turned his back after riding in the ocean waters, his board was nabbed and then pinned high up on a nearby palm tree.

"This is how real the racism and hate is in Jupiter, Florida," Mills wrote in an Instagram post. "They can't stand to see a Black man in their waters. I was told I'm not welcome. Stole my board when I turned my back and they did this. Said it was a message. They nailed it to the tree like a lynching."

Mills said he did not call cops ... and instead, "took the board down, stayed and surfed the whole day with a small board to show face."

"A few locals that were there were apologizing and agreed it was wrong," Mills added. "They did said, after what happened, I'm welcome to surf their waters freely and no one will bother me. I'm just going to leave it in God's hands."

We reached out to the Jupiter Police Dept. for comment on the situation ... and a spokesperson told us officers were made aware of the claims through social media and have since launched a probe.

Drake's "It's All a Blur" tour stop in Vancouver got a healthy dose of "Utopia" last night ... as Travis Scott joined him as the night’s special performer!!!

The 2 megastar rappers performed their latest collab "Meltdown" live for the first time ever -- Timothée Chalamet diss and all -- and followed up by performing their Diamond-selling duet "Sicko Mode" for the Canadian crowd.

The show was originally set for Monday, but was postponed over issues with the new video board installed inside Rogers Arena.

Travis made a grand entrance into the stadium using WWE legend The Undertaker's theme music as his walk-up soundtrack ... fitting since the performance seemed to have the crowd in a chokehold.

Amy Sedaris celebrated Michael Jackson on his birthday this week -- but some aren't happy about her giving him a shout-out ... proving he's still divisive, even today.

The actress threw up a major bday tribute to the late entertainer Tuesday, which marked what would've been his 65th birthday if he was still alive. She attached a bunch of MJ clips, showing off his talent and iconic cultural moments in showbiz ... including music videos.

She wrote, "On what would've been his 65th birthday, let's all groove to some of the timeless music that @michaeljackson made." Amy also added the hashtag #heavenlybirthday.

Clearly, she's a fan of the guy -- at least on the professional front -- and felt it was appropriate to honor him 14 years after his death ... but many of her followers were pissed.

There's a handful of naysayers who don't approve of Amy giving Mike the spotlight ... and, yes, it all has to do with his controversial history of being accused of sexually abusing minors -- something MJ denied throughout his life, and for which he was famously acquitted.

Still, that doesn't mean people are over it ... and they let Amy know in her comments. One person wrote, "Let's not glorify him anymore." Another chimed in, saying ... "We still out here celebrating pedophiles, smh." Even Bravo's Andy Cohen commented, writing ... "Oops!"

Now, Amy doesn't appear to have responded to any of these folks ... but the fact a good amount of people are responding this way is a testament to an unspoken rule among A-listers in Hollywood -- don't talk about Michael, and just leave it to the normies. FWIW, Mike has many, many defenders online ... but not very many who are notable public figures.

Fact is, high-visibility stars tend not to address the topic one way, or another these days -- and it seems obvious why ... there are still countless individuals who believe all his accusers.

Seeing how Amy is bucking that trend and giving him love regardless is interesting ... she seems able to separate the art from the artist -- that, or she believes he's innocent, period.

The abuse allegations persist in 2023 ... namely, through the claims of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who are pushing lawsuits through the CA court system.

The famous TikTok lady you see acting like computer game characters on "LIVE" says she isn't trying to trick anyone into thinking she isn't Black ... despite claims of critics and some visual evidence.

We got internet sensation Pinkydoll at LAX Tuesday, where we asked what she made of people being demonstrably shocked over her recent appearance onstage at the 2023 Streamy Awards ... where she did her whole "NPC" shtick while presenting an award.

If you're unfamiliar ... it's a big fad on TikTok, and other live-streaming apps, where hosts repeat silly catchphrases and mimic a non-player character from video games -- something gamers apparently LOVE watching, so much so, they send her digital gifts and money!

Pinkydoll is easily the most recognizable face in that world lately ... but, as you can see here on camera, she's a dark-skinned African-American woman -- and looks quite different from how she usually does on her NPC livestreams, where her skin's much lighter.

Twitter was perplexed to see Pinkydoll is actually darker in the flesh ... and some accused her of trying to purposely bait people into thinking she's some race other than Black.

She's strongly denying that, though, telling our camera guy she's proud of her melanin -- and she offers an explanation for the obvious skin tone difference. Now, whether you buy it ... that's up to you.

One thing that isn't debatable is Pinkydoll's NPC personality is bleeding over into real life ... watch the video, 'cause it feels like we were talking to a bit of a robot in person.

With that said, she makes clear this profession is paying the bills and then some -- and she's gonna keep doing her thing, even though a ton of wannabes are hopping on her bandwagon.

Mmmm, ice cream ... thanks for the roses! 😋

For more influencer news, tune in to the TMZ Verified podcast. Dropping every Thursday on all podcast platforms.

Nick Carter is pushing back against a woman who claims he sexually assaulted her on his yacht when she was 15 years old ... he says her lawsuit is full of false allegations.

The Backstreet Boys singer is being sued by a woman who says Nick sexually assaulted her multiple times back in 2003, when she was 15 and he was 23 -- she claims Nick forced himself on her aboard a yacht, and on a bus after plying her with alcohol.

But Nick is vehemently denying it happened, claiming the lawsuit is full of BS.

This accuser has filed her lawsuit anonymously, and she's now the third woman suing Carter for sexual assault.

Carter's lawyer, Dale Hayes Jr., tells TMZ ... when the woman made her allegations against Nick 2 decades ago, authorities investigated her claims and found no merit to move forward with charges.

Nick's lawyer says the accuser is simply "repeating the same false allegations in a new legal complaint" but he says that "doesn’t make them any more true."

As we first reported, Nick is also being sued by a woman named Shannon Ruth, who filed a lawsuit in December claiming he sexually assaulted her after a concert in 2001, when she was underage ... but he says he has witnesses who will testify Ruth is lying.

Singer Melissa Schuman is also suing Nick over an alleged 2002 sexual assault. He denies her allegations, as well.

Travis Scott is ready for a nationwide tour performing his new album ... and he's making a couple tour stops in Texas, with one notable exception ... Houston.

The rapper just announced dates and cities for his upcoming "Utopia" tour, and he's got shows in almost every major American market, except for the place where his infamous Astroworld concert left 10 dead and dozens injured.

Travis going with a full tour -- 26 stops in the U.S. plus two in Canada -- makes it seem like he's not sweating Astroworld all that much ... but it's interesting he's skipping Houston in favor of two other shows in Texas, performing in Austin and Dallas instead.

Of course, a grand jury in Houston recently decided against indicting Travis on criminal charges for the deadly November 2021 concert in H-Town.

Travis is still facing some civil lawsuits in Houston over Astroworld, and with that in mind it seems his hometown is not safe territory ... at least for this tour.

Sorority sisters who were trying to have a transgender woman booted from their org just got gut-checked in court -- 'cause a judge tossed their lawsuit -- saying the court had no business telling the sorority how to define "woman."

U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson dismissed the complaint filed by 7 members of the University of Wyoming's Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter -- who sued their own sorority earlier this year for allowing 21-year-old Artemis Langford, who's trans, to join their ranks in recent months.

The reason, per court docs obtained by TMZ ... the court says it has no right to intrude on how the chapter defined "woman" for the purposes of admitting prospective members. The judge found Kappa Kappa Gamma clearly felt Langford was qualified to join when it voted her in ... and going back to disqualify that now is out of bounds.

Judge Johnson breaks it down like this ... "The delegate of a private, voluntary organization interpreted ‘woman,’ otherwise undefined in the nonprofit’s bylaws, expansively; this Judge may not invade Kappa Kappa Gamma’s freedom of expressive association and inject the circumscribed definition Plaintiffs urge."

In other words, the judge is saying this is an issue Kappa Kappa Gamma dealt with in-house -- and it was inappropriate for a court to interfere.

As for how Langford feels about this latest development ... her attorney, Rachel Berkness, told AP the claims never should've made it into a legal filing to begin with -- so, it sounds like her client is happy.

The sorority sisters who brought this before hizzoner alleged Langford -- who's described as 6'2" and 260 lbs., and with male genitalia -- would get sexually aroused around the women within the house. The sisters claimed they were living in constant fear with her around.

An Atlanta-area high school football coach was arrested after punching one of his players in the stomach on the sideline during a game, and the entire ordeal was captured on video.

The disgusting act occurred during the 1st quarter of the Mays H.S. vs. Douglas County H.S. football game at Henderson Stadium in Georgia on Saturday afternoon.

The Peachtree TV broadcast captured the assistant coach in his player's face, number 24, before decking the boy with a right to his gut.

The player -- a junior defensive back according to Max Preps -- backed up after the sucker punch and appeared to hunch over in pain as the coach continued to yell.

Atlanta Public Schools didn't waste any time ... they told us the coach, who is not a teacher, was taken into police custody shortly after the act of violence.

"Video from the live broadcast of the game appears to show the lay coach physically assaulting a player," APS said in a statement.

"The adult will be charged with simple battery and faces administrative charges from the district as well."

"The safety and well-being of all APS students remains a high priority for the district and all APS employees are held to the highest standard of conduct and professionalism."

Vivek Ramaswamy is calling for peaceful protests if Donald Trump is tried and convicted in any of his 4 criminal cases because he says he firmly believes violence is not the answer.

The 2024 Republican Presidential candidate joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" and we asked if he would publicly discourage and denounce violent protests in the wake of a potential Trump loss in court -- a scenario lots of folks fear could happen.

Vivek, who emerged victorious in the first GOP debate, says peaceful demonstrations and self-expression are a core part of American life ... but he says he's dead set against violence in this country.

That's in line with his publicly stated view of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The businessman-turned-politician says Trump's actions that fateful day were a "very bad decision," but he's not sure it rises to the level of a crime. That might seem like a backpedal from him ripping Trump's Jan. 6 behavior as "abhorrent" in his book, "Woke, Inc." ... but Ramaswamy says both statements can be true.

Vivek's also called Trump the best president in the 21st century, and yet, he told us would not be Trump's vice president ... if Trump wins the GOP nomination instead of him.

The conversation also features Vivek's thoughts, or lack thereof, on the strikes in Hollywood ... which he says don't have much of an impact on Americans by and large, so he hasn't given the issue much thought.

Vivek also touches on racism, white supremacy and discrimination ... and there's a pretty healthy debate.

NBA players aren't the only ones dragging Noah Lyles for smearing the NBA's "World Champion" title ... Drake took time out from his 'Blur' Tour to rub the track star's nose in his commentary!!!

Drake reps Toronto first and foremost, but even he had to cringe at Lyles' comments and hopped on DJ Akademiks' page to react  ... "He thought this speech was gonna be so hard in the mirror the night before...now the whole league doesn't rate u 😂😂😂"

Lyles' NBA slander also proved to be easy fodder Monday for Charlamagne tha God's "Donkey of the Day" -- countless previous 'DoD' culprits have hailed from the state of Florida and Noah, being born and raised in Gainesville, found himself to be no exception.

Lyles, dominated over the weekend at the World Athletic Games in Budapest, Hungary ... winning 3 Gold medals and many think he got too big-headed to formulate a serious thought.

As Charlamagne -- and several NBA stars noted -- the league attracts the best players from all over the WORLD, and the last 3 MVPs have all been non-American ... and 2 of them won back-to-back!!!

Neil deGrasse Tyson is happy UFOs are being taken more seriously by our government ... but he highly doubts we've been visited by aliens, and he's got one big reason.

We got Neil at LAX, and he jumped on the subject of aliens visiting planet Earth, saying it's highly improbable out-of-this-world visitors could escape omnipresent video from cellphones.

Neil says he'd love for our government to be more open about any recorded phenomenon, but he doesn't think a full-on invasion has gone down that officials are keeping a secret.

In case you missed it, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie had a laugh during the Republican debate over UFOs... but promised to give Americans the 411 if he gets elected.

Megan Thee Stallion hasn't gallivanted much in public since Tory Lanez got sent to the slammer for 10 years -- but she's out there now ... and, boy, is this a look or what?

The rapper hit the town Saturday in Beverly Hills with some pals in tow -- and she was wearing quite the eye-popping outfit ... and that's because her greatest assets were on display in a very sheer dress that you could see right through, right down to the skin.

Don't worry, her top half is actually covered by some nipple pasties -- so, technically, no harm, no foul there ... but she was definitely pushing the envelope and getting risqué.

Even from the side and behind ... she was quite the sight for sore eyes, and her friend seemed to recognize that too, offering a little handsy support as they boarded a waiting SUV.

Indeed, MTS was flaunting her stuff and then some ... which we suppose telegraphs how she might be feeling in the wake of this ugly saga that just ended with her one-time friend/lover being sentenced to a decade behind bars. Remember, Meg wasn't there for the hearing.

While she skipped the in-person appearance, Megan did speak out in a victim's statement -- saying she still suffers trauma from the shooting incident and urged the judge to hand down a stiff punishment ... which ultimately happened. Tory, meanwhile, has said he refuses to apologize or show remorse, insisting he was convicted for something he didn't do.

Meg performed at Outside Lands in SF shortly after the sentencing, and she said "F*** all my haters" during her show, which is really the only direct messaging from her post-sentencing.

With this latest showing though -- the first time she's been out like this since Tory's fate was decided -- it's safe to say Meg's unfazed. No love lost here, and certainly no regrets either.