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Marlon Wayans publicly supporting his transgender son and being open about his own learning process as a parent is earning him praise from leaders in the LGBTQ+ community.

The comedian is being applauded by honchos at the National Center for Transgender Equality, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the LGBT Centers in San Francisco and Los Angeles ... they say he's setting a great example for parents of transgender people.

Remember, Marlon recently revealed his eldest child is transgender and now identifies as a male with the 23-year-old transitioning from Amai to Kai.

Marlon's calling Kai his son ... and says it took quite a bit of education to go from complete denial to loving and accepting his kid.

Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, the Executive Director for the National Center for Transgender Equality, tells TMZ ... "We celebrate Marlon Wayans supporting his trans son and showing parents everywhere that acceptance is possible, even when it's hard ... let your child know that you love and support them, no matter what. It's amazing for Marlon to model that for other parents out there who may not understand it yet."

As you know, trans rights are a lightning rod right now ... making Marlon's acceptance even more important in the eyes of LGBTQ+ groups.

Dani Siragusa, Director of Development and Communications at the SF LGBT Center, tells TMZ ..."Marlon's unconditional support of Kai is so powerful because in the face of anti-trans hate, society needs to continue seeing examples of beautifully diverse families, and our communities need to continue uplifting stories of trans-affirming love between parents and trans children and vice versa."

Meanwhile, Shannon Minter from the NCLR tells us ... "In the current political climate -- with so many anti-transgender bills being pushed by hostile legislators -- being the parent of a transgender child can be lonely, difficult, and even frightening. By publicly embracing his transgender son, Wayans has provided a much-needed beacon of hope and light for these families. He is a powerful reminder that all young people need adults to support and protect them."

Closer to home, Marlon's being praised by the L.A. LGBT Center for not only being open about his transgender son, but also tackling the topic on his new comedy special, "Rainbow Child."

Jerome Ford says Kareem Hunt deserves big-time props for helping the Browns keep things together following Nick Chubb's devastating injury ... telling TMZ Sports the guy "brought the juice back" after Cleveland's star RB went down.

Ford went in-depth with us on the state of the Browns earlier this week following the team's big win over the Ravens ... and he made it clear to us that Hunt has played a huge role in Cleveland keeping the wheels on despite the loss of Chubb -- both on and off the field.

"When Nick left," Ford said, "it left a gap in the running back room. And Kareem came in and -- I really don't know how to explain it other than to say that he brought the juice back."

You'll recall, after Chubb tore up his knee against the Steelers on Sept. 18 ... Cleveland turned to Hunt on Sept. 20 to bolster its RB corps.

And, according to Ford, the roster move changed everything.

"He came in, joking and playing," Ford said. "And he gave us the juice that we needed to kind of, like, 'Yeah, Nick's down, but we gotta keep pushing.'"

The Browns are 5-2 since Hunt joined the squad ... and in those seven contests, he's scored six total touchdowns.

Ford says Chubb, meanwhile, is doing well in his recovery ... and helping out whenever he can.

Sean Strickland's the UFC Middleweight champ today, but by the end of 2024, Brendan Allen believes the top of the division will look different ... he expects to be the titleholder!

TMZ Sports talked to 27-year-old Allen, the #10 ranked 185-pounder in the promotion, ahead of his UFC Fight Night main event scrap with #13 ranked Paul Craig on Saturday in Las Vegas ... a big fight for the rising star.

We asked Brendan for his assessment of the division.

"I think I'm the best in the world. It's up to me to prove it," Allen said, adding ... "I think Sean [Strickland] will be there for a little bit. Hopefully, ending of next year it'll be 'And new' for me. That's the goal. I don't care who's there when it's my turn. But obviously, the goal is 'And new' when I get my turn."

Allen, 22-5, is coming off a win over Bruno Silva in June ... his 5th straight victory.

35-year-old Craig had lost two in a row -- against Volkan Oezdemir (July '22) and Johnny Walker (January '23) -- before rebounding against Andre Muniz in July. Paul's 17-6-1 over his pro career.

Brendan also weighed in on Paul's decision to go from 205 lbs. to the 185 lb. division ... a move that could come around to bite Craig, according to Allen.

"I think the weight cut will play a role, but it's not the sole or main reason [I'll win]. I just think that I'm gonna be too good, too fast, too strong. He may be bigger, but I'm just a different guy when it comes to this weight class, and I'm gonna show just that.," Brenda told us.

We also talked to Craig ... who is going to do his best to (at least momentarily) stop the Allen hype train.

Chuck E. Cheese is getting rid of its kiddie robot characters in the near future -- except for one location -- and people think it's because of this new horror movie ... but it ain't so.

Alejandra Brady -- the head of communications for Chuck E. Cheese -- tells TMZ ... all the speculation about the discontinuation of its animatronic creatures -- affectionately known as "Munch's Make Believe Band" -- being a direct result of "Five Nights at Freddy's" is total bunk.

While it makes sense some might think one directly led to the other -- seeing how the videogame-inspired flick came out 2 weeks ago, and it's all about killer animatronic robots at a defunct Chuck E. Cheese-like play place -- Brady says nothing could be further from the truth ... this decision to phase out the machines has been in the works for a while.

Brady tells us the CEC brass have been wanting to pivot into the 21st century for a while here -- believing that having live performers do their Chuck E. Live! Show will be a better experience for guests ... and it'll be completely state-of-the-art and interactive.

Whereas the old bots would just stand there and jerk around with levers and pullies -- this new show is going to be completely rebranded ... and more importantly, it's been the game plan for years now, dating back to 2017 when Chuck E. Cheese first announced this move.

The latest news folks heard the other day about ditching all the animatronics was actually just to let 'em know that the old school robot show is gonna happen at only one location going forward ... and that would be Northridge, CA -- which they call the "residency" show.

Of course, people conflated that announcement with the release of 'FNAF' ... and figured Chuck and co. were running scared based on the flick -- again, it shows murderous bots.

That's not the case, though ... Brady assures us they've been looking for a change for years now -- and it just so happens to going down during this 'FNAF' craze -- call it coincidence!

AD is in utter disbelief Snoop Dogg is quitting smoking THC for good but if Dogg has officially puffed his blunt, he can count on AD's support -- spiritually and physically!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught AD at LAX, and he tells us he's fully prepared to assist Snoop in his smokeless journey, especially with the family being involved in his decision.

Snoop threw everyone for a loop on Thursday when he announced he's done with "smoke" and immediately got the backing of his son Cordell.

The post had an interesting choice in wording ... Snoop's abandoning "smoke" -- not "smoking" or "weed" -- leaving many fans to believe his post is really about switching to some sort of vape or edible alternative.

The 'Cuhmunity' podcast host tells us he's confident Snoop has the willpower to pull it off, and doesn't think he'll get hate for it ... 'cause how could anyone hate on the legend?

Russ says he's the victim of a home burglary in Georgia ... telling cops thieves made off with five guns, a pair of designer purses and his girlfriend's Mercedes-Benz.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, the Roswell Police Department says the rapper called them a little before 1 AM Friday and reported seeing burglars on his home security camera.

Cops say when they got there the front door was open and the place had clearly been ransacked ... though the alleged burglars appeared to be long gone.

Russ, who was not home at the time, got on FaceTime with the officers as they toured the home ... telling them 5 firearms were taken, as well as two purses and his girlfriend's 2020 Mercedes-Benz C-Class AMG.

Police say the "Losin Control" rapper told them the guns taken included a pair of Glock 19s, a CZ Scorpion and two Walther handguns ... all 9mm firearms.

As for the designer bags ... Russ claims thieves made off with two Chanel purses, a pink one valued at $15k and a black one valued at $9k.

Cops say an initial review of surveillance footage shows at least two people entering the home from the basement patio door around 10:15 PM Thursday ... before walking right out the front door around midnight with backpacks and suitcases.

Russ dice que fue víctima de un robo en su casa en Georgia y le dijo a los policías que unos ladrones se llevaron cinco armas de fuego, un par de bolsos de diseño y el Mercedes-Benz de su novia.

De acuerdo con el informe de la policía obtenido por TMZ, el Departamento de Policía de Roswell dice que el rapero los llamó un poco antes de la 1 AM del viernes para reportar que vio a los ladrones a través de su cámara de seguridad.

Los policías dicen que cuando llegaron vieron la puerta principal abierta y el lugar claramente saqueado, aunque los presuntos ladrones parecían haber desaparecido hace mucho tiempo.

Russ, que no estaba en casa en ese momento, se puso en FaceTime con los oficiales mientras estos recorrían la casa y les dijo habían tomado cinco armas de fuego, dos bolsos y el Mercedes-Benz Clase C AMG 2020, de su novia.

La policía dice que el rapero de "Losin Control" les dijo que las armas correspondían a un par de Glock 19s, un CZ Scorpion y dos pistolas Walther, todas armas de fuego de 9 mm.

En cuanto a los bolsos de diseño, Russ afirma que los ladrones se llevaron dos bolsos Chanel, uno rosa valorado en $15k y uno negro valorado en $9k.

La policía dice que la revisión inicial de las imágenes de vigilancia mostró a al menos dos sujetos entrando a la casa por la puerta del sótano alrededor de las 10:15 PM del jueves. Luego caminaron hacia la puerta principal hacia la medianoche con mochilas y maletas.

News flash ... lab-grown diamonds are REAL diamonds and there's really no difference between man-made rocks and their natural counterparts ... according to a famous jeweler.

Jean Dousset, a descendant of Cartier founder Louis Francois Cartier, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and schooled us on lab-grown diamonds ... explaining why they are indeed a diamond in every sense of the way.

JD says even the most seasoned gemologists cannot tell the difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds ... and they're both graded on the same scales under the same rules and principles.

It's pretty interesting to consider ... seeing as there's controversy surrounding engagement rings these days. Based on what Jean's telling us here, it sounds like a man would be able to safely pass off a lab-grown diamond engagement ring as a natural one and the woman would never know.

Of course, Jean says most couples are shopping together for rings nowadays and he's not advocating for people to get engaged on a lie ... but the window of opportunity is definitely there.

Jean's got his own jewelry store in West Hollywood and this year he started selling only lab-grown diamonds. He's previously designed engagement rings for Paris Hilton, Eva Longoria and Amy Adams and says couples can get more bang for their buck with lab-grown diamonds.

Memphis Bleek is in such disbelief that Coach K thinks Jeezy is a bigger artist than Jay-Z, that he thinks the label boss must have been talking about anything other than music.

We caught up with the Memph Man along with his Warehouse Music Group crew out in NYC and by his calculations, weight is the only way Jeezy is outsizing Jay in terms of their career.

Coach K, who managed Jeezy at one point, recently argued that the trap rap legend eclipsed Jay's popularity and relevancy at the time of his artistic peak, but Bleek still couldn't be convinced.

Don't get him wrong -- Bleek says he remembers when Jeezy first hit the scene and commanded his "Snowman" nickname but in terms of their current streaming numbers, there's really not much indicating that the teacher surpassed the master.

A changing of the guard Bleek does think is doable, however, is Usher besting Rihanna's Super Bowl viewership -- which currently ranks as the highest viewed of all-time!!!

The chances of that happening are likely higher than Bleek getting his Jay-Z collab album off the ground ... apparently Hov's been too frightened of Bleek's rap skills to hop in the booth with him!!!

Bill Cosby is facing yet another lawsuit over alleged sexual assault -- only this time, it's from a woman who years ago had an infamously awkward interview with Don Lemon about her claims.

The comedian is named in a new suit that was filed by Joan Tarshis -- who's an actress and former comedy writer -- and she outright accuses Cosby of rape ... this after claiming he drugged her on two different occasions back in the early '70s.

In her docs, obtained by TMZ, Tarshis says she first met Cosby at the age of 19 through a mutual friend ... and got invited to the studio where they filmed the 'Cosby Show' for a one-on-one writing session.

She claims while alone with Cosby in his private bungalow there on the lot, Cosby gave her a drink, which she accepted and consumed ... only to start feeling dizzy shortly thereafter. Tarshis says she quickly passed out, and woke up to Cosby undressing her.

Tarshis says she was disoriented while she tried fighting Cosby off, and claims he overpowered her ... forcing his penis into her mouth without consent.

About a year after this, Tarshis claims Cosby reached out to her again in NYC ... offering to take her to a music fair he was performing at -- which she says she reluctantly agreed to.

Tarshis alleges she was given another drink while traveling with Cosby to the venue and she says she again started to feel weak ... and eventually lost consciousness. Tarshis claims she woke up naked in bed next to Cosby ... and that she felt she'd been penetrated vaginally and anally.

Tarshis is alleging assault, battery, infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment ... and seeking major damages. Cosby's rep had no comment.

It goes without saying ... this is far from his first allegation. He's been sued numerous times over by countless women -- and even went to trial in Pennsylvania a few years ago ... where he was found guilty of assaulting Andrea Costand, only to have his conviction later reversed.

Shaquille O'Neal sigue retribuyendo, esta vez la superestrella del baloncesto decidió reformar una cancha de baloncesto del club Boys & Girls Club de Los Ángeles, y luego pasó la tarde con los niños, ¡quienes estaban en la luna!

TMZ Sports estuvo allí cuando el Salón de la Fama, funcionarios locales, y representantes de Icy Hot (socio de Shaq desde hace mucho tiempo) abrieron el Comebaq Court, una iniciativa lanzada por la Fundación Shaquille O'Neal que tiene como objetivo arreglar las canchas y campos para los niños de todo el país.

"Vine aquí una vez y vi que la cancha necesitaba una reforma", nos dijo O'Neal el jueves, y añadió: "Pregunté por el arreglo. Me dijeron que sí y este es el resultado".

"Si podemos ayudar a uno, si podemos ayudar a 100, podemos ayudarlos a todos".

Para su información, esta es la quinta cancha de Comebaq de Shaq hasta la fecha. También han arreglado espacios en su ciudad natal, Newark, Nueva Jersey, además de otros lugares como Atlanta, Miami y Las Vegas, donde ha pasado un tiempo considerable.

Y, hay más por venir.

Es posible que O'Neal obtenga la mayor parte del crédito de los medios de comunicación, pero Shaq se apresura en reconocer a sus socios menos famosos que hicieron esto posible, incluyendo la Fundación Icy Hot y varios consejeros que ayudaron a contribuir.

"Esos consejeros, los que trabajan como voluntarios todos los días, deberían llevarse la mayor parte del mérito", afirma Shaq.

"Si necesitas ordenadores, portátiles, pintura fresca... entonces llamas al tío Shaq".

La leyenda de la NBA ganó casi 300 millones de dólares en sus 19 años de carrera solo por concepto de salario. Eso, sin contar todos los endosos y los lucrativos negocios que O'Neal ha hecho durante y después de sus días como jugador profesional.

Así que tiene el dinero, pero esto es mucho más que firmar un cheque. Shaq se preocupa por el bienestar de los niños y eso es impresionante. Al fin y al cabo, son cosas como estas las que hacen de Shaq uno de los atletas de la NBA más adorables de todos los tiempos.

Con las vacaciones a la vuelta de la esquina, le preguntamos al jugador de 51 años qué iba a hacer para Thanksgiving, y al más puro estilo Shaquille nos dijo: "No hago nada en mi casa".

Shaquille O'Neal continues to give back ... this time the Big Fella refurbished a basketball court at a Boys & Girls Club in Los Angeles, and then spent the afternoon hangin' with the kids, and they were over the moon!

TMZ Sports was there at the BGC of Metro LA when the Hall of Famer, local officials, and Icy Hot (Shaq's longtime partner) reps opened the Comebaq Court ... an initiative launched by the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation which aims to fix courts and fields for kids across the country.

"I came here one time and I saw the court need to be refurbished," O'Neal told us on Thursday, adding, "I asked about the refurbish. They told me 'yes' and this is the result."

"If we can help one, if we can help 100, we can help 'em all"

FYI, this is Shaq's fifth Comebaq Court to date ... he also has fixed up courts in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, in addition to several other places like Atlanta, Miami, and Las Vegas, where he's spent significant time.

And, there's more to come.

O'Neal may get most of the credit from the media, but Shaq is quick to recognize his less-famous partners who made this possible, including Icy Hot and various counselors who helped contribute.

"Those counselors, the one who volunteers every day, they actually should get most of the credit," Shaq said.

"If you need computers, you need laptops, fresh paint -- then you call Uncle Shaq."

The NBA legend made nearly $300 million over his 19-year career in NBA salary money alone. That's not counting all of the endorsements, and lucrative business moves O'Neal has made during and after his basketball playing days.

So, he's got the money, but this is about much more than writing a check. Shaq cares about the kids' well-being ... and that's awesome. At the end of the day, it's things like this that make Shaq one of the most lovable athletes of all time.

With the holidays coming up, we asked the 51-year-old what he was doing for Turkey Day... and in true Shaquille fashion he told us ... "I don't do anything in my house."

50 Cent no está en peligro por tirar un micrófono hacia la multitud durante un show en Los Ángeles, o al menos, por ahora. El incidente ocurrido en agosto dejó a una espectadora con múltiples lesiones en la cabeza y en su cara.

La locutora de Power 106 Bryhana Monegain presentó un informe a la policía tras el incidente del 30 de agosto. Originalmente, la policía había presentado el caso a L.A. County D.A. como un delito grave, pero la Oficina del Fiscal más tarde lo pateó a la Oficina del Fiscal de la Ciudad de Los Ángeles.

Ahora, la oficina del Fiscal de la Ciudad le dice a TMZ que no se han presentado cargos criminales contra el rapero de 48 años y no se presentarán, siempre y cuando él mantenga su nariz limpia.

Nos dicen que el caso permanecerá abierto durante 1 año a partir de la fecha del incidente y podría ser reevaluado si hay más incidentes entre 50 y Bryhana.

Todo comenzó cuando 50 Cent actuó en el Crypto.com Arena de Los Ángeles. Un video lo mostraba muy enojado lanzando su micrófono a la multitud y golpeando a Bryhana en la frente tan fuerte que necesitó asistencia médica.

50 Cent is in the clear, for now, for chucking a microphone into the crowd during his L.A. show back in August ... an incident that left a spectator with multiple lacerations to her head and face.

Power 106 radio host Bryhana Monegain filed a police report following the incident on August 30 ... and cops originally presented the case to the L.A. County D.A. as a felony -- but the D.A.'s Office later kicked it to the L.A. City Attorney's office.

Now, the City Attorney's office tells TMZ no criminal charges have been filed against the 48-year-old rapper, and won't be filed as long as he keeps his nose clean.

We're told the case will remain open for 1 year from the date of the incident ... and it could be re-evaluated for possible criminal charges should there be any further incidents between 50 and Bryhana.

This all started when 50 Cent performed at L.A.'s Crypto.com Arena, and video showed him angrily throwing his mic into the crowd ... and it smashed Bryhana in the forehead so badly, she needed medical assistance.

11/21 -- 10:05 AM PT --  The class action lawsuit against Coach USA has been voluntarily withdrawn.

12:11 PM PT -- Colin Emberson, VP of Commercial for Coach USA tells TMZ ... "We have become aware of an incident that took place on Tuesday, November 14 wherein charter customers from another bus company were left stranded on their way to a rally in Washington, DC. Coach USA was not in any way involved in this incident. In fact, Coach USA successfully carried passengers on 74 charter buses from New Jersey and Maryland to the rally on Tuesday as planned."

A bus company is being taken to court after allegedly failing to deliver on its contract to transport protesters trying to get to the March for Israel rally after its drivers refused to drive them ... and the plaintiff is claiming it's owed damages for religious discrimination.

A guy named Doron Orbach is suing Coach USA in a class action lawsuit, alleging violations of several federal anti-discrimination laws -- including the Civil Rights Act -- that he claims Coach is liable in connection with his attempt to get folks to the D.C. protest in support of Israel.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Orbach -- who's Jewish and Israeli -- says the Israeli American Council had booked buses through Coach to transport upwards of 900 individuals that day to go from various pickup points across the East Coast ... and to pull up for the march in D.C.

But Orbach claims Coach never picked up these folks like they were scheduled to -- and he alleges it was all due to a coordinated effort on the part of its drivers/employees refusing to do the job based on their "discriminatory animus" towards Jewish people.

The lawsuit says that multiple Coach bus drivers staged a "sick out" that day as a way to avoid picking up these hundreds of people ... a majority of whom, Orbach says, were Jewish or of Israeli origin.

As a result of this alleged discrimination ... Orbach claims his civil and human rights were violated -- as were those of everyone else who missed the rally as a result. Orbach says Coach knew or should have known about the possibility of its drivers backing out and failed to take measures to prevent it ... and it suing for unspecified damages.

Una compañía de autobuses está siendo llevada a los tribunales por, supuestamente, no cumplir con su contrato de transportar a los manifestantes que trataban de llegar a una Marcha por Israel. Todo esto, después de que sus conductores se negaran a llevarlos, y el demandante está reclamando daños y perjuicios por discriminación religiosa.

Un tipo llamado Doron Orbach está demandando a Coach USA en una demanda colectiva, alegando violaciones de varias leyes federales contra la discriminación, incluyendo la Ley de Derechos Civiles. El sujeto afirma que Coach es responsable por no haber llevado a los adherentes a la protesta de D.C. en apoyo de Israel.

Según los documentos obtenidos por TMZ, Orbach, que es judío e israelí, dice que el Consejo Americano de Israel había reservado autobuses a través de Coach para el transporte de más de 900 personas ese día. Estaban previstos varios puntos de recogida en toda la Costa Este, que tenían como destino final la marcha en Washington DC.

Pero Orbach afirma que Coach nunca recogió a estas personas como estaba previsto, y alega que todo se debió a un esfuerzo coordinado por parte de sus conductores/empleados y su "animadversión discriminatoria" contra los judíos.

La demanda dice que varios conductores de la empresa organizaron un "despido por enfermedad" ese día para evitar recoger a estos cientos de personas, la mayoría de los cuales, dice Orbach, eran judíos o de origen israelí.

Como resultado de esta supuesta discriminación, Orbach afirma que se violaron sus derechos civiles y humanos, al igual que los de todos los demás que no acudieron a la manifestación. Orbach dice que Coach sabía o debería haber sabido sobre la posibilidad de que sus conductores se retractaran y no tomó medidas para evitarlo. Por ese motivo están demandando por daños y perjuicios no especificados.