Exclusive Details

8:15 PM PT -- Jussie's lawyer just responded with this ... "As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying."

6:15 PM PT -- Chicago PD's Chief Communications Officer confirms the case has taken a turn based on details provided by the brothers, saying ... "The information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the Empire case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation."

He adds that police have reached out to Jussie's attorney to request a follow-up interview.

Jussie Smollett has turned from a presumed victim to suspect in the criminal investigation into the alleged racist, homophobic attack, and sources say there is mounting evidence the 2 brothers who were arrested and subsequently released were acting at Jussie's behest and reportedly paid.

Our sources say the brothers -- both of whom worked on the "Empire" set -- "completely cooperated" with Chicago cops during their interrogation over the last few days.

One law enforcement source tells TMZ at least one of the brothers turned over his phone and there is a call between him and Jussie in the vicinity of the "attack," but before it happened.

CNN is reporting the brothers purchased what looks like the rope Jussie had around his neck at a Chicago Ace Hardware store. CNN is also citing law enforcement sources saying Jussie paid the brothers to orchestrate the phony assault.

Various sources in the Chicago PD have told TMZ almost from the beginning there was wide sentiment Jussie's version of events were false, despite the party line that he was the victim of a crime.

As we told you ... the Nigerian brothers never fit the profile of Jussie's alleged attackers, even when they were arrested for battery. Not only are they not white -- which contradicts Smollett's claims from the beginning -- but "Empire" cast and crew sources tell us they're very close to Jussie ... and they're pro-LGBTQ and anti-Trump too.

Chicago PD released Abel and Ola late Friday night due to "new evidence" gathered from their interrogation ... and said they're no longer suspects.

The brothers' lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, says her clients were released based on the key info they gave the cops ... and they have a story to tell "when the time is right."

7:30 PM PT -- Cops are releasing the Osundairo brothers and they won't be charged.

Chicago PD says, "Due to new evidence as a result of today's interrogations, the individuals questioned by police in the 'Empire' case have now been released without charging."

Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi added that detectives have "additional investigative work to complete."

Police have now arrested 2 men in the Jussie Smollett investigation -- 2 men with ties to "Empire" -- and TMZ has learned they were booked for battery.

The men are brothers from Nigeria named Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, and Chicago cops are now calling them "potential suspects" ... as opposed to persons of interest. We know it was their home cops raided Wednesday and seized a long list of potential evidence ... including several bottles of bleach.

As we reported ... cops picked up Ola and Abel, their nicknames, on Wednesday night at O'Hare Airport.

A Chicago law enforcement source tells us the next step may be a lineup in which Jussie will be asked to identify the culprits. This raises a potential problem because, as we first reported, Jussie initially said his attackers were white and yelled "MAGA country."

The Osundairos, from Nigeria, just don't fit that profile.

As you know, Jussie has stated the men in the dark, grainy image released last month are definitely his attackers. Police are not confirming the Osundairo brothers are the men in that photo.

Ola played a prison inmate on season 2 of "Empire." It's unclear exactly how well they know Jussie, but we know Jussie follows their joint Instagram account. Abel also says he's worked on "Empire."

Both brothers describe themselves online as actors and models.

Ex-"Deadliest Catch" star Jake Harris is sitting behind bars -- and has been for more than 3 weeks -- after he was arrested for felony DUI and drug possession ... TMZ has learned.

The incident went down back on January 23 in Skagit County, Washington where cops say the 33-year-old wouldn't identify himself to park rangers, who tried pulling him over. Harris took off with his RV, forcing state troopers to chase him down and force him to stop ... according to docs obtained by TMZ.

Cops say the trooper noticed signs of drug use once they pulled over Harris -- pinpoint pupils, bloodshot eyes and pale face. They also say he could not stand still ... shaking the entire time and talking fast. Meanwhile, a K-9 alerted cops to drugs in the RV.

Cops say they found a half ounce of heroin and other paraphernalia associated with the selling of drugs. Cops say they also found a shotgun Harris claims he bought from someone for $150 and a "ball" of heroin. Turns out it was stolen.

He was arrested and charged with 4 felonies -- DUI, possession of a controlled substance, maintaining a vehicle or premises for drug trafficking and possession of a stolen firearm. They also hit him driving on a suspended license.

Harris was skipper of the Cornelia Marie before leaving "Deadliest Catch" in 2012, and has struggled with drugs.

His bail's been set at $200k.

Lolo Jones is unloading on Ryan Lochte -- fellow Team USA Olympian and 'Big Brother' housemate -- blasting him as an Olympic disgrace ... for no real apparent reason.

Lolo just wrapped up her stint on "Celebrity Big Brother" -- where she and Lochte seemed to get along for the most part. Lolo finished in 3rd place. Lochte was 10th.

But, when a couple of people on Twitter criticized her being a "sore loser" while praising Lochte, Jones fired back by ripping the swimmer and his arrest scandal in Brazil during the 2016 Games.

Here's how the exchange went.

Fan #1: "Who would’ve thought that Ryan Lochte would finish #CBB looking like the most mature and gracious Olympian on the show? I used to like Lolo as an athlete, but now I can’t stand #locoLolo"

Fan #2: "Maybe the difference is Ryan actually wins medals at the olympics while LoLo loses at the games. She needs anger management and to stop being a sore loser."

Lolo: "I also don’t get escorted out of the Olympic games either or lie about a whole country."

Boom.

Question is ... why? After Lochte was eliminated early in the show, she griped to other houseguests that Olympians should stick together. So, why turn on Lochte now?

Dina Lohan's alleged catfish boyfriend is going to prove he's the real deal, because he's planning to FaceTime Dina as soon as she gets out of the 'Big Brother' house ... TMZ has learned.

Dina's love interest, 53-year-old Jesse Nadler, tells TMZ ... he's going to surprise Dina with a FaceTime call Wednesday night, as soon as she's released from the "Celebrity Big Brother" house.

You'll recall, Dina got dragged by members of the 'CBB' house last week for having an exclusively online relationship for years, and she insisted he was the real deal.

Jesse confirms he's known Dina for 5 years, and they originally met on Facebook ... he says they had mutual friends because they're both from Long Island.

We're told Jesse was asked to fly out to the 'CBB' house, but he couldn't make it because his mother is battling cancer ... so he's going to use his new iPhone for his first ever foray into FaceTime.

Lindsay also got involved in the trolling, commenting about the episode and saying, "So proud of you mommy! But no more weird #catfish please."

Jesse says he's twice spoken to Lindsay over the phone, so he was pretty upset when he learned about her catfish comments ... and says Lindsay has him all wrong, telling us he would never take advantage of a woman and considers being labeled a "catfish" the worst insult imaginable.

Jesse also tells us he's full-steam ahead in his plans to pursue a relationship with Dina.

11:20 AM PT -- As for the redacted information, the rep says, "Any redacted information was intended to protect the privacy of personal contacts or high-profile individuals not relevant to the attack.

10:15 AM PT -- A rep for Jussie tells us, "Jussie is the victim here, which has been stated by the Superintendent of Police. Jussie has voluntarily provided his phone records from within an hour of the attack and given multiple statements to police. Chicago PD has repeatedly informed us that they find Jussie's account of what happened that night consistent and credible."

The rep continues, "Superintendent Johnson has been clear from day one that Jussie is a victim. We are continuing to work closely with the Chicago PD and remain confident that they will find Jussie's attackers and bring them to justice."

Jussie Smollett's submitted critical phone records to Chicago police, but those records have been rejected because they're not the real deal.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... what Jussie turned in 2 weeks after his alleged attack was a heavily redacted PDF file of his phone bill. Our sources say a PDF is subject to manipulation, meaning numbers can be added or deleted, although police are quick to point out there's no evidence they were in fact manipulated. The problem ... the only solid, irrefutable evidence is either the actual phone bill or a download of Jussie's phone.

As we reported, Jussie says he was on the phone with his manager at the time of the attack and the manager says he heard the racial and homophobic epithets. Chicago PD wants the phone records to authenticate a call was made. They asked Jussie for the records 2 weeks ago and received the PDF Monday.

Police say there are cameras everywhere in the area of Jussie's building, but there is still a 60-second gap in the video where you don't see the "Empire" star. So far there's no video of the attack.

Our sources say police have also retrieved security video from nearby stores to see if anybody bought rope around the time of the incident. Police are reviewing the video.

Police say Jussie remains cooperative and they are treating him as the victim of a hate crime.

As you know, Jussie says his attackers tied a rope around his neck ... police say there's video of Jussie with a rope around his neck in the lobby. They are not saying if the rope is around his neck outside the building because they say that would interfere with the investigation.

8:05 AM PT -- Tulsa PD tells TMZ ... no arrests were made and no injuries were reported from the chaos. However, investigators are reviewing videos online and provided by witnesses, as well as the BOK Center's surveillance cameras, to try to identify people who vandalized the arena. If police can positively ID the vandals ... they will be charged.

Travis Scott's concert in Oklahoma did not go well -- it was called off before it even started, and angry fans stuck around to voice their displeasure ... and to vandalize.

The rapper was set to perform a sold-out show for his Astroworld Tour at the BOK Center in Tulsa Monday night, but at the last minute the venue announced it would be postponed until March 26 due to "technical production issues."

Instead of heading home peacefully, a horde of Travis fans waited and grew more irritated outside the arena ... before one guy threw a water bottle, shattering a glass door.

More fans rushed at an entrance that was briefly opened by security and shouted, "Let us in!" ... but didn't get their wish. Cops dispersed pepper balls into the crowd after they began banging on the doors and moving metal barriers, and eventually ... everyone left unharmed.

For his part, Scott apologized to his fans shortly after the postponement announcement, explaining he didn't want to give them an incomplete show.

Trav's next gig is Wednesday night in Houston. He could use the hometown love.

Future bailed on a performance at Clive Davis' pre-Grammys party at the last minute -- maybe not coincidentally, considering Ciara and Russell Wilson were front and center at the event.

Eyewitnesses at Clive's Beverly Hilton bash Saturday night -- which was a who's who of Hollywood event ahead of Sunday's award show -- confirm Future was booked to perform, but hightailed it when his team realized his ex-fiancee and her new hubby were in the front row.

Our sources -- who were present during the exchange -- say someone in Future's camp accused the event organizers of being "messy" by having Ciara and Russ there, and said their guy wouldn't perform. We're told Future was briefed about it outside, and then dipped.

HollywoodLife first reported Future's departure. Now, there's another side to this story -- sources close to Future tell us he didn't bail because of Ciara or RW.

Our Future sources say the show was behind schedule by nearly an hour, and he and his team were instructed to shorten his performance significantly, which, we're told, Future wasn't down with. We're told he had no idea Ciara or Russ was there.

2:20 PM PT -- BET is making it clear the tweet targeting Nicki was unauthorized. The network says, “BET loves Nicki Minaj. We have supported her from the very beginning of her career and will continue to do so moving forward. Nicki has paved the way for so many performers and has solidified her place as one of the most powerful figures in the music industry."

The statement continues ... "Unfortunately the respect we have for Nicki was violated by this post that should never have been written. The post does not reflect how we feel about Nicki. And further does not reflect our company values. We deeply apologize for the hurt, disappointment and confusion that this post has caused. We are committed to doing everything we can to address the situation."

BET also says, "We are also conducting an internal audit to assure these types of posts are not published again. We have apologized to Nicki and her team. The post has been removed and we have taken additional appropriate action. We understand Nicki’s position and look forward to continuing our dialogue with her. Finally, we apologize to all of her fans. This should have never happened.

BET's social media team thought it was a good idea to make fun of Nicki Minaj on Twitter when Cardi B won at the Grammys... and now Nicki's getting a little payback against the network.

The "QUEEN" rapper announced Monday that she and her label, Young Money, would not be part of the BET Experience later this summer -- which is a concert series she and Cardi were booked to co-headline just days before the BET Awards in June.

Sources connected to Nicki tell us she did, in fact, cancel the gig in direct response to BET's crass joke -- and she made that quite clear with her follow-up tweets.

People were putting BET on blast, saying they owed Nicki an apology since the comment was a low blow. Nicki seemed to agree, saying ... "Meanwhile, BET is being dragged by their lacefront," adding a laughing emoji for good measure.

It's unclear who, if anyone, at the network green lit the controversial tweet, but Nicki clearly doesn't care. If she and Young Money stick to the boycott ... it's a big loss, because it means Lil Wayne's also pulling out of the BET Experience concert.

You'll recall, Nicki and Cardi have had a salty past, getting into it at a NYFW party last September -- but both women said they were squashing the beef. It sounds like Nicki's just pissed about the jab at her, not so much about the celebration of Cardi.

Originally Published -- 12:12 PM PST

Notre Dame wide receiver Javon McKinley was arrested Sunday morning after cops say he drunkenly tried to fight TWO officers, one of whom is a woman ... according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

McKinley was a STUD coming out of high school a few years back -- where he shattered many California single-season records. He had 91 catches for 1,906 and 20 TDs as a junior!

But, the 20-year-old is now in major hot water after cops say he battered 2 officers in a drunken attack.

According to court records, Notre Dame University Police officers were dispatched to help out a male who had passed out in the back of an Uber at 3:50 AM.

The officers identified the man as McKinley and tried to help him to his dorm -- noting he reeked of booze.

But, cops say during the walk to his room, McKinley freaked out, punched a male and a female officer and tried to flee.

Cops eventually located McKinley and took him into custody with the help of ND firefighters.

Both officers claim McKinley injured them when he punched them.

Now, McKinley is facing 3 charges -- 2 counts of misdemeanor battery and 1 count of misdemeanor underage drinking.

He's due in court Tuesday to be arraigned.

More beef for Baker Mayfield ... this time the Browns superstar is getting into it with Arian Foster -- blasting the ex-NFL RB for being "too cool to show any personality."

It all went down on Twitter this weekend ... when a video of Baker dancing his face off caught Arian's attention.

"Your QB could never," the Cleveland Browns official account tweeted.

"*would never," Arian responded.

Mayfield saw the shade from the former Houston Texans superstar ... and went off.

"Respected you before this... I get it dog, you’re too cool to show any personality. Everybody’s different, though. No need to speak on it."

For his part ... Foster tried to squash the beef -- sending out a tweet telling the QB to not take things so personally.

We're still waiting for Mayfield's response ...

The drama is the latest in a growing line of beefs for the QB ... remember, he's been feuding with his ex-coach, Hue Jackson, for months -- even taking a shot at him on a pregame show in January.

Doesn't seem Baker's too concerned about it all ... TMZ Sports got video of the dude out at Poppy in L.A. over the weekend with MLB superstar Christian Yelich.

Ariana Grande was quick to tweet and delete "Trash" after Mac Miller lost the Grammy for Rap Album of the Year ... what she felt was a sign of total disrespect from the award show to the late rapper and his family.

Miller -- who died in September -- received the first nomination of his career for Sunday's show for his album "Swimming." Mac was up against Travis Scott, Nipsey Hussle, Pusha T and Cardi.

Grande tweeted "Trash" after Cardi was announced the winner but clarified the shade wasn't at Cardi, saying, "Nothing to do w her. good for her. i promise. i'm sorry."

A source close to Ariana tells us she was upset because the Grammys flew Mac's parents out for the show -- a sign he was likely going to win -- and felt they disrespected him by giving it to someone else.

As we reported ... Ariana was supposed to perform at the show but later canceled the gig after a feud with Grammy honchos. She wanted was to perform "7 rings."

We're told the show's producer, Ken Ehrlich, told Ariana that song wouldn't connect with the audience, so he asked her to choose a different song. Ariana felt strongly "7 Rings" was what people wanted to hear, and when Ehrlich wouldn't budge, she said she'd take a pass.

Prince Philip won't be getting behind the wheel again any time soon ... because he's turned in his license following a scary crash last month.

A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace tells TMZ ... "After careful consideration, The Duke of Edinburgh has taken the decision to voluntarily surrender his driving licence."

Norfolk police have confirmed with us the Duke voluntarily turned in his license to officers Saturday, and tell us the investigation of the collision has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service. We're told CPS will provide "advice on how to proceed."

As we reported ... Queen Elizabeth's 97-year-old husband was fortunate to survive after flipping his SUV in a 2-car crash in January. The woman in the other vehicle suffered a broken wrist.

Philip sent the woman an apology note for his role in the accident a little more than a week later, blaming it on the blinding sun that obstructed his view of the road and oncoming traffic.

2/8 -- A spokesperson with the Georgia State Patrol tells TMZ ... a trooper noticed an orange Corvette fail to signal when changing lanes before speeding past cars in a reckless manner.

Cops say the Corvette also sped past the trooper and swerved in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed before getting stuck in traffic. But, as the trooper finally caught up, the Corvette tried accelerating and change lanes but was unable to do so due to the traffic.

That's when the trooper gave the rapper verbal commands -- get out of the car and lay on the ground, and cops say Lil Baby complied. The spokesperson said the rapper -- gov't name Dominique Jones -- was taken into custody without incident. Cops say a crowd did gather -- which is how the video was taken of the incident -- but said they were peaceful.

Cops say the rapper was turned over to a detention staff without incident. He was charged with failure to use a turn signal, reckless driving and fleeing or attempting to elude.

8:08 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Lil Baby has now been released.

Lil Baby just got arrested by police in Georgia who hauled him out of his car on a highway to slap the cuffs on him ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Lil Baby was arrested Thursday in Atlanta for failure to signal, eluding police and reckless driving. We're told he's expected to be released once he posts bond later tonight.

The video of the Atlanta rapper's arrest is wild ... it shows Lil Baby face down in the middle of the street, with his hands behind his back and a police officer pinning him to the ground. Lil Baby is in the tracksuit, laying down outside the orange Corvette.

As we reported ... Lil Baby started off the week like a boss, arriving at the Stripper Bowl in a helicopter!

What a difference 3 days make.

We reached out to the Atlanta Police Department, but they say they had nothing to do with the arrest.

Originally Published -- 4:50 PM PT

Ariana Grande says the guy who runs the Grammys is a liar for claiming she was just too frazzled to pull it together and perform on Sunday night's show ... she says it all fell apart because he utterly disrespected her.

Ariana has been promoted everywhere as one of the highlights of the show -- on TV commercials, a billboard on Hollywood Blvd., buses, and on and on. Yet, sources connected to the Grammys show tell us, Ariana never made a deal to show up or perform.

The deal she wanted was to perform her massive, #1 hit, "7 rings." We're told the show's producer, Ken Ehrlich, told Ariana that song wouldn't connect with the audience, so he asked her to choose a different song. Ariana felt strongly "7 Rings" was what people wanted to hear, and when Ehrlich wouldn't budge, she said she'd take a pass.

Fast-forward to Thursday, when Ehrlich gave an interview to AP, saying Ariana backed out because she "felt it was too late for her to pull something together."

We're told Ariana is enraged, because she actually continued to talk to the Grammys and offered to perform a song Ehrlich wanted, as long as she could sing "7 Rings," but he still wouldn't budge. She then said sayonara and, days later, Ehrlich came back and said fine, do a medley that includes "7 Rings" ... but by then, Ariana was done with him. In other words, we're told she feels like Ehrlich is lying because he knows he made a mistake and is looking for cover.

As for why she thinks he made a mistake ... "thank u, next" the album drops Friday, and it's expected to be the best-selling album so far this year, and for Ariana not to appear on the TV show will look ridiculous.

Cordarrelle Patterson is so grateful Tom Brady got him a Super Bowl ring -- he got the QB a thank-you gift ... a diamond TB12 chain!!!

Patterson just joined the Patriots this season after spending some tough years with the Minnesota Vikings and the Oakland Raiders.

So, when Brady took Patterson to the promised land ... the WR/RB went straight to his favorite bling beast, Al the Jeweler, to whip up a custom "TB12" chain for his QB.

We're told the piece is made with hundreds of diamonds and set Patterson back thousands of dollars. But don't freak, dude's in the middle of an $8.5 million contract.

Brady thanked Patterson for the kind gesture on Instagram Thursday morning ... saying his daughter, Vivian, already loves it!!!

Al's huge among NFLers -- he's made sick pieces for superstars like Stefon Diggs, Jarvis Landry and a bunch more. Now, he can add TB12 (who is rarely spotted wearin' ice) to his list!!!

It's good to be a 6-time Super Bowl Champ!!! And, possibly, the greatest football player to ever live.