Dating

Max Verstappen is breaking his silence on Nelson Piquet's controversial comments about Lewis Hamilton ... saying the 3-time champion was wrong to use the language he did, but insisting his girlfriend's father is not a racist.

"Everyone is against racism, I think it's very straight," Max told reporters ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix.

"I think the wording that was used, even though, of course, we have different kind of cultures and things that were said when they were younger, is not correct."

As we previously reported, Piquet was discussing an accident between Hamilton and Verstappen at the 2021 British Grand Prix in an interview with Motorsports Talk ... when, according to a translation by CNN Brazil, he referred to Hamilton as a "little n*****."

Piquet has since apologized ... but adamantly denied any racial intent behind his comment, saying it was a term used in Brazilian Portuguese to mean "guy" or "person."

Max backs the man up ... saying he's known Nelson to be a good man.

"I've spent a bit of time with Nelson," said Max -- who's dating Piquet's daughter, Kelly. "And, he's definitely not a racist and he's actually a really nice and relaxed guy."

Verstappen says the backlash can be a lesson for all people to keep from using the word in question ... calling it "very offensive."

As for Nelson's ban from the F1 paddock ... Max is against the punishment.

"When you ban people, you are actually not helping the situation," Verstappen said.

Andrew Bogut ain't apologizing for slut-shaming Kendall Jenner last week ... in fact, the former #1 overall pick has just doubled down on his crass barbs.

If you missed it, last Friday -- hours after Thursday night's NBA Draft had concluded -- Bogut threw a jab at Jenner over her reported split with Phoenix Suns superstar Devin Booker.

"With the 2022 @NBA draft completion yesterday, one big name has yet to find a home," the 37-year-old former #1 overall draft pick said on his Twitter page. "Which team will snap up @KendallJenner??"

"Solid talent, versatile. ?? marks around team culture + habit of endless self promotion. Doctors will need to do medical as body has been banged up."

Many on social media found the remarks to be offensive ... as they were clear digs at Jenner's past relationships with multiple NBA stars.

After nearly four days of hearing the criticism, Bogut didn't walk back the remarks ... and instead, the ex-Milwaukee Bucks center pressed further with the trolling.

"I would like to formally apologize for this tweet," he said. "My scout take forgot to include the elite level of rebounding. I will do better in the future."

Jenner is no stranger to the heckling ... she's, in the past, actually addressed fans who have taken shots at her over dating NBA players, saying on an episode of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians," "I'm not ashamed that I have a type, and I'm also a genuine basketball fan."

The beef's still hot between Noella Bergener and her ex-husband, James, 'cause she says they're not on speaking terms, nor are they "in a great co-parenting place" ... but she's not losing any sleep over the situation.

We caught up with "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star in NYC outside the Baccarat Hotel where she told us things are anything but amicable right now. She sounds hopeful things might change in the future, but for now, she's moving forward professionally and romantically.

Noella's partnering with Seeking -- she was walking into an event for the dating site --  and hoping her own experience inspires other women and men. She says she's single and mingling, but not just looking for fun -- she's actually down to marry again if she finds a Mr. Right.

BTW, she met James on Seeking back in 2015. Interesting, that she's not gun shy even after their split.

We broke the story, James Bergener -- a personal injury attorney known in SoCal as "Sweet James" -- filed for divorce in August 2021. The couple dated for 5 years and were married for one.

Joe Exotic is back in the dating game, after just splitting with his prison fiancé ... we've learned he's rekindled things with a former boyfriend.

Joe and his ex-boyfriend, Seth, are back together after Joe's would-be-husband John Graham got sprung from prison and moved on ... this according to Joe's lawyer Autumn Blackledge.

Seth and Joe met over the Internet back in 2021, when Seth found out Dillon Passage and Joe were splitting. Later that year Joe held an online 'Bachelor King' competition, accepting applications to be Joe's new boyfriend, and Seth was the lucky winner.

They dated for a few months but grew apart and fell out of touch. Joe then met fellow inmate John Graham at the FMC in Fort Worth.

As we reported, Joe and John called it quits earlier this month ... ending their 'Twilight'-esque relationship. Autumn told us ... John quickly ended his relationship with Joe after he got released, and almost immediately Joe reconnected with Seth.

We're told Joe and Seth communicate through letters and talk on the phone daily. Joe says he got back together with Seth because he got his "head out of his own a**" and realized he really liked Seth.

Joe says, "Seth is an amazing human being, wants the best for me and we understand each other," ... adding he's taking this one slowly.

As for seeing each other face-to-face ... Seth has yet to get the approval from prison staff, but he plans to see him as soon as he gets the green light.

Kim Kardashian wanted to make sure she waited long enough before introducing her kids to new BF Pete Davidson, consulting therapists and asking friends in similar situations how much time should pass before an appropriate meeting.

Kim was on "Today" Tuesday -- chatting about everything from Kanye to Marilyn Monroe's dress and her skincare line, SKKN by Kim -- but she also dished about things behind the scenes with her and Pete.

Hoda Kotb asked Kim about the timing on introducing her 4 kids to Pete. Kim says she met with friends who had experienced introducing their kids to new partners and even spoke with therapists -- who all recommended 6 months ... so that's what she did.

Remember, it was in April when we first saw Pete with one of Kim's kids, when he and North were spotted cruising around in a golf cart. Considering the first time we saw Kim and Pete together in public was back in October, it appears she truly did follow the 6 month rule.

Since then, we've even seen Pete with Saint at Walmart and making a stop at The Grove shopping center in L.A.

Murda Beatz and reggaeton megastar Anitta are officially a pair, TMZ Hip Hop can confirm.

We're told the hip hop super-producer and Latina trap star have been dating for a few months, hung out together during Coachella and Murda recently made the trip to her home country of Brazil to meet her family ... where he made a good impression.

They went IG official this past Sunday ... which was Brazilian Valentine's Day and have been packing on the PDA ever since.

It's not all pleasure, though ... they're also making music together. On Thursday, MB announced his star-studded "NO MÁS" single featuring Pharrell, Quavo, J Balvin and Anitta -- dropping July 8.

Murda, having built his platinum empire making beats for Drake, Migos, Cardi B, Travis Scott and many more ... now has a girlfriend with whom he can drop hits.

It appears Logan Paul has a new lady in his life -- the YouTuber/boxer was spotted out with Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Nina Agdal in London this week ... and we're told they were packin' on the PDA.

Sources tell TMZ Sports the 27-year-old social media star and 30-year-old beauty were getting cozy at Novikov on Wednesday night ... and at one point, they even shared a kiss as they sat at a table with friends.

We're told Logan and Nina tried to keep it lowkey as they left the restaurant ... exiting several minutes apart from each other as they headed out to go clubbing.

It sure seems the two are hitting it off -- Agdal recently followed Logan's mom and his closest friends, George Janko and Mike Majlak, on Instagram.

Paul previously had long-term relationships with model Josie Canseco and actress Chloe Bennet ... and Agdal famously dated Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Brinkley-Cook.

Paul's been killing it lately -- he fought Floyd Mayweather, crushed it at WrestleMania and launched his Prime Hydration drink line ... just to name a few highlights.

Now he's getting close with one of the most attractive women on the planet??

Alex Rodriguez has turned a new page in his love life after Jennifer Lopez -- although, he seems to be revisiting a similar chapter when it comes to vacations ... aka, Italia.

The Yankee great and ESPN broadcaster was recently out with girlfriend Kathryne Padgett in European waters, enjoying the island of Capri and one of its nightclubs called Taverna Anema e Core ... which looks like a swinging hot spot with live music and dancing.

That's exactly what A-Rod and Kat were doing during one of their date nights ... KP, especially, led the charge with a trusty old tambourine that she was shaking and tapping.

Alex got some rattles in too, and eventually ... they shared a kiss. Looks like a pretty sweet, romantic getaway that they're on. And while AR looks quite happy in his new relationship, we can't help but notice a bit of similarity here to what he once shared with J Lo.

Of course, we're talking about Summer 2018, when he and his then-GF were also sailing all over the Amalfi Coast. Granted, that trip was more fitness-geared than this one seems to be.

While things looked pretty magical at the time -- from the outside looking in -- we now know Jen and Alex weren't that great of a fit ... evidenced in her moving on to Ben Affleck, and once again getting engaged. Meanwhile, A-Rod appears quite happy with his new boo.

Rebel Wilson has a very special person she wants the world to meet, coming out in an Instagram post and introducing the world to her new girlfriend.

In a post Thursday, Wilson says, "I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess #loveislove."

The woman is Ramona Agruma, a clothing and jewelry designer, who owns Lemon Ve Limon, based out of Los Angeles.

While it's unclear how long the two have been a thing ... they were spotted together in Los Angeles during Super Bowl Sunday back in February, the big game was held at SoFi Stadium. The two also went to Cabo in March with a group of friends to celebrate Rebel's birthday.

Rebel's recently opened up about her weight loss -- dropping close to 100lbs -- as a personal health decision. However, she said her own management wasn't necessarily down with the decision, she spoke about their hesitation in a recent interview, "'Why would you wanna do that?' Because I was earning millions of dollars being the funny fat girl and being that person."

Kanye West has another female friend in his life, and she's someone he's previously mentioned in his music ... swimwear and OnlyFans model Monica Corgan.

Ye had previously been linked to model and Kim Kardashian look-alike Chaney Jones, but sources tell us they're no longer a thing. Corgan and Ye popped up together at a showing of "Top Gun: Maverick" over the weekend ... leading to speculation she was Kanye's new fling.

However, sources connected to the two tell us they've actually been off and on for a while now, so the movie date wasn't totally shocking.

What's more ... Kanye's rapped about Corgan in the past in a leaked song with Andre 3000 when he said, "So don't text me like I'm Juanita JCV / Or more important, Monica Corgan, who was there for me."

23-year-old Corgan has done a ton of modeling collabs, and her OnlyFans account -- which is a $19/month subscription -- boasts more than 400 postings.

Farrah Abraham has jumped back into the dating pool, getting cozy with a musician who's busting out of the friend zone ... in a big way.

Farrah tells TMZ ... she's dating again -- a big step for her after leaving a treatment trauma center earlier this year -- and the lucky guy is a guitarist who goes by his stage name, Mack Lovat.

Farrah says Mack's band, Minus Gravity, is signed to Capitol Records and they've known each other ever since he slid into her Instagram DMs 2 years ago, and asked her out on a date.

We're told, they had a Covid date in a park, went to a basketball game together and then stayed in touch since then, but just as friends. As these pics of them out in Hollywood prove ... they've recently decided to upgrade to friends with benefits.

The "Teen Mom" star tells us it's nothing official, but they spent her birthday together in Hawaii ... along with her daughter, and just continued hanging out when they got back to L.A.

Regardless of labels, Farrah says she appreciates that Mack keeps a low profile away from drama, because it doesn’t negatively impact her 7 remaining months of outpatient therapy or her sobriety.

Of course, she had lots of drama back in January when she was arrested. You'll recall, law enforcement sources said Farrah allegedly slapped a security guard, which resulted in someone making a citizen's arrest. She has not been charged for the incident.

That incident prompted her decision to seek treatment for past traumas ... and with a new guy in her life, seems like life's finally trending positively for Farrah.

Forget a hot girl summer for R&B star Ari Lennox, 'cause she's all boo'd up.

The First Lady of J. Cole's Dreamville Records hit Instagram Thursday to reveal she's been chilling heavy with Keith Manley II of "Married at First Sight" fame.

Both appear to be in San Diego for a wedding with Ari sharing pics of the pair together and Keith giving it a more subtle touch with a pic of their hands bound in a loving grasp.

Keith appeared on the 9th season of 'MAFS,' and enthused audiences with the ups and downs of his marriage to Iris Caldwell ... but obviously, they're not a thing anymore.

In an interview with Essence last year, Ari revealed how she had trouble landing a man because they were scared of her dog: a large male Akita.

Nick Cannon's done enough trial and error in relationships to know marriage just isn't for him -- but he's not completely closing the door on it happening again.

The "Wild 'N Out" creator and host sat down with the host of the "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" podcast, and gave her some insight into why his ex, Mariah Carey, will most likely be the only wife he ever has.

Nick says he's onto a new journey in life, one that doesn't include marrying any romantic partners. As he put it, he'd have to be "presented with something that I've never seen before" if he were to even consider another marriage.

So, technically, he's saying there's a chance -- but watch the clip, sounds like a pretty slim one. While Nick did tell Raq he loves all of his 8 children, he also said he's had enough experience to know tying the knot just isn't his thing.

As we've reported, Nick had a gender reveal, back in January, with Johnny Manziel's ex-wife, Bre Tiesi ... for his 8th child. While they appeared to be very much together, romantically, that's clearly not the case now.

Just a month prior, Nick shared the tragic news his 5-month-old son Zen, with model Alyssa Scott, died after a battle with cancer.

Zen was Nick's 7th-born child.

Four of Nick's kids were born within an 18-month span, so he's been busy.

Shannon Sharpe is going off on all the trolls hating on Bronny James for his white prom date ... telling TMZ Sports the bashing of LeBron James' son is "utterly ridiculous."

Bronny just had his prom earlier this month -- and after he took a white classmate to the event ... racist haters came out and left nasty comments all over the photos on social media.

Sharpe told us out at LAX this past week that the attacks were BS ... saying, "People would rather you be miserable with someone your own race than you be in love with someone of a different race."

"It is so utterly ridiculous," he continued. "People need to get a life."

The Pro Football Hall of Famer's advice for Bronny was simply to ignore the noise -- and do whatever he wants to do to make him happy.

"Bronny can't live his life for someone else," Sharpe said. "He has to live for him. And, far too many people live their life for other people."

Ex-NFL star Robert Griffin III made similar comments last week ... saying in a video on his Instagram page, "Leave these kids alone."

LeBron, meanwhile, has still not commented publicly on the backlash ... though he did write a note about his daughter, Zhuri, on one of the now-viral pics from the evening.

Camille Vasquez is staying tight-lipped about speculation that she and her client, Johnny Depp, might be a thing -- but the answer is already out there.

The actor's hotshot attorney was leaving court in Virginia Tuesday with the rest of the team, head up and looking proud of the intense cross-examination of Amber Heard they'd just put on for most of the day ... particularly Camille, who was leading the charge.

A pap was outside and asked what a lot of people have suspected the past several weeks -- namely, the notion she and JD could, perhaps, be dating.

Watch ... she doesn't offer much of an audible response, but her body language is kinda telling -- a nod/smile, it seems. What it's communicating, though, is up for interpretation we suppose ... but, frankly, we already know what's behind curtain #1 on this non-issue.

As we first told you ... Camille and Johnny are not dating, despite all the innuendo and shipping going on among fans ... of which there is a lot, especially online.

For what it's worth ... Amber's shown her attorney some affection as well, but there's no online buzz about anything going on over there.

Brody Jenner has a new woman in his life ... he's dating a professional surfer he met in Hawaii.

Sources connected to the couple tell TMZ ... Brody's new girlfriend is Tiarah Blanco, a 25-year-old pro surfer with a world championship medal.

We're told Brody and Tiarah have been dating since the middle of last month, and they met in Hawaii when Brody was there on a family vacation.

Our sources say Brody and Tiarah surfed together on the islands and there was an instant connection ... bonding over a shared love for the ocean. We're told even though it's new ... it's already a real relationship.

It's a long-distance relationship, for sure ... Brody lives in Malibu and we're told Tiarah splits her time between Hawaii and Cali, but they're making it work.

The couple's been hanging out this week in Calabasas ... hitting up Erewhon Market and going on a romantic bike ride through the Santa Monica Mountains.