Famous Food

The L.A. frozen yogurt shop Demi Lovato called out over its sugar-free items is debunking the rumor she made amends with a large donation ... and it says it doesn't want one.

The Bigg Chill claims online messages and photos suggesting Demi donated $100k to the shop and wrote a private letter of apology for her behavior are fake and Photoshopped.

The fro-yo store adds ... "We have not heard anything from Demi since her 'sorry, not sorry' apology on Monday. We have not heard from her team." Finally, The Bigg Chill says it's not changing its menu ... and thanked everyone for their support.

As we reported ... the "Dancing with the Devil" artist picked a fight with the fro-yo shop over the weekend, publicly calling it out Saturday for its placement of sugar-free items, which she claims are triggering for folks with eating disorders.

After The Big Chill defended itself, Demi doubled down Monday by complaining about the store's "diet culture" cookies and dropping a "customer is always right" DM on them.

Ultimately, Demi sort of apologized for seemingly using her celeb status to take down a small business. She says that's not her intent, she just wanted to start a dialogue on the issue.

Demi Lovato isn't backing down in her diet food war with a frozen yogurt shop -- she's now warning the store about messing with her ... but also walking back her comments a bit, saying she was having a really bad day.

The singer continued going back and forth with The Bigg Chill -- the fro-yo shop she attacked Sunday for its placement of sugar-free items -- by sending a DM to them, complaining about the "GUILT FREE" label on cookies in the store. TBC defended itself saying the pic was old.

Demi swatted back ... insisting they carried another, similar "diet culture" cookie -- and also warned TBC to stop fighting with her, and that they didn't wanna mess with her. She even dropped the ol' ... "customer is always right" on 'em.

However, Demi's apparently seen the some of the backlash against her, because she just went live on IG, and restated her initial complaint -- her visit to TBC seriously triggered her eating disorder issues -- but she hopes she's opened a dialogue with TBC about relabeling some products.

She added that she had a very bad day and weekend afterward, and feels like she needs a mental health day. Demi apologized if it seems like she's a big celeb using her power to take down a small biz.

Demi Lovato has a lot of people scratching their heads over this one -- she got mad that a fro-yo shop advertises "diet" options ... something she considers triggering and harmful.

The singer took to IG Saturday to call out a frozen yogurt joint called The Bigg Chill ... which apparently has low-sugar/low-fat/fat-free goodies positioned toward the front of one of their stores and/or checkout counters.

She writes, "Finding it extremely hard to order froyo from @thebiggchillofficial when you have to walk past tons of sugar free cookies/other diet foods before you get to the counter."

Demi went on to tell them to "do better" ... and hashtagged her gripe with #dietculturevultures. If you're confused about what the heck she's upset about ... you’re not alone.

However, she elaborated with another comment, saying she's gonna use that hashtag to call out "harmful messaging" from brands that she believes perpetuate a society that enables and also praises disordered eating.

What she SEEMS to be saying ... by this place putting these low-cal foods in people's faces like this, they're also gaslighting/shaming them, and making them feel bad for wanting a treat, which Demi sees as hurtful -- especially for those who have eating disorders and body issues.

TBC responded to Demi in her DMs, which she published. They explained they have those alternatives for diabetics, folks with Celiac disease, vegans and a host of others who might want (or need) the so-called "diet" options. Demi appears to have realized ... she jumped to conclusions and perhaps even overreacted, as noted in her response.

She recommends that they label things better to be more inclusive. 🤷🏽‍♂️

A Polish woman's gotta be feeling pretty flaky about the panicked phone call she made to animal control to report a strange creature lurking in a tree ... that turned out to be a pastry!!!

Okay, before ya toast the concerned lady too much ... take a look at the mystery beast in a Krakow neighborhood.

If ya didn't know better, it could be a GIANT caterpillar-ish thing or something of that ilk. 🤷🏽‍♂️

The woman told animal welfare officers people were afraid to open their windows for fear the big puffy creature might scurry into their homes. After all, she said it had been stalking them, just sitting there -- all brown and buttery -- for 2 whole days!

When asked to described the "animal" ... she said it looked like an iguana. The officers were skeptical, but went to check it out, only to discover ... they shoulda brought coffee or a cup of tea. It was just a croissant.

The belief is someone threw it out of their window to feed the birds and it got stuck, setting off the hilarious chain of events. Animal control said it was a funny false alarm, but encouraged the public to err on the side of caution and report anything suspicious. Y'know, like a shady scone.

Sylvester Stallone has hung his hat in Florida, but a recent report saying he's become a member of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago is flat out wrong ... TMZ has learned.

A story ran earlier this week claiming Sly was a newly-minted member of the club, having recently been spotted inside Mar-a-Lago's walls.

Sly's reps, however, say Sly is not, and has never been, a member at Mar-a-Lago. The rep tells us he was recently an invited dinner guest at the club, but does not own a residence on the golf course, nor has he paid for a membership.

While he isn't a member at Mar-a-Lago, we're told Sly remains a member of The Breakers Club, also located in Palm Beach.

Move over, Count Chocula and Cap'n Crunch ... Nick Chubb is coming to the cereal game -- the NFL star is launching a new breakfast treat that's set to benefit an awesome charity!!

The Cleveland Browns running back made the announcement Tuesday ... explaining "Chubb Crunch" is currently in the works with plans to hit grocery store shelves VERY, VERY soon.

Chubb partnered with PLB Sports & Entertainment -- the same people who created Doug Flutie's famous Flutie Flakes -- for the concoction, and Nick's cereal is promising to be amazing.

A spokesperson for the company tells TMZ Sports the food will be similar to Cinnamon Toast Crunch ... and will feature a superhero depiction of Chubb on the box.

The best part of it all? Chubb and the company say a portion of the proceeds will go toward First Candle -- an org. with a mission to eliminate Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

It's a cause close to Chubb's heart ... the 25-year-old reportedly had a nephew tragically die from SIDS -- and he said Tuesday, being able to help that cause with the cereal is huge for him.

"It's always been a dream to have my own cereal," Chubb said, "especially that it benefits a cause that is close to my family."

The family of an aspiring actress just received a whopping $29.5 million verdict, after the woman became a quadriplegic after suffering a severe allergic reaction and not getting proper care from paramedics.

Chantel Giacalone was in great distress back in 2013 when she went into anaphylactic shock after eating a peanut butter pretzel. At the time, she was at a convention at the Mandalay Bay South Convention Center in Vegas, modeling clothing at the MAGIC Fashion Trade Show.

Paramedics from MedicWest Ambulance were on-site and attempted to help Chantel, who appeared in "The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations" and "Hollow Walls." The problem ... the paramedics did not have IV epinephrine, an adrenaline treatment, which Nevada law requires paramedics to have on hand. She lost oxygen for a period of time, which ultimately devastated her body.

Chantel now lives in her parents' dining room and must be fed through a tube. She can only communicate with her eyes and requires round-the-clock care.

Chantel's mom said after the verdict, "At least my daughter will be taken care of. I'm happy about that." Her dad added, "All the anguish that we've been through for the last eight years, I'm not happy about. I just hope MedicWest changes their ways."

The launch of Dolly Parton's new ice cream flavor had folks screaming for a scoop, but not quite enough to drop a grand on it ... despite the efforts of online hucksters.

Here's what's going down -- the country music legend teamed up with Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams to create her very own flavor, Strawberry Pretzel Pie, and it created pandemonium this week ... both on Jeni's website and at its actual store locations.

Because so many customers and Dolly lovers were clamoring for her new ice cream, those who apparently managed to get their hands on some tried to cash in ... by listing pints on eBay for $1,000!!!

Talk about rich ice cream!

As beloved as Dolly is, nobody was desperate enough for the Strawberry Pretzel Pie to shell out that kinda dough for ice cream in the mail (delivered on dry ice) ... but that didn't stop people from trying to hook a buyer.

That's not all -- other eBay users were hawking the "Specially made for Dolly Parton" ice cream posters from Jeni's ... but at a much more modest $35. Some of those actually sold.

ICYMI ... Dolly's flavor was released April 8 to benefit Imagination Library, a program she founded to gift free books to children from birth to age 5.

Things are getting back to normal -- look no further than celeb hotspot The Nice Guy as Kendall, Kylie, Drake, Justin Bieber and more were all together under the same roof again.

It looked like a scene straight out of 2019, with expensive cars on the curb, flashing camera bulbs and some of the most famous celebs on the planet gathering Thursday in West Hollywood.

Inside, Kendall -- who was joined by her NBA superstar bf Devin Booker -- poured shots of her new 818 tequila from behind the bar ... it appears the A-listers had the whole place rented out for themselves.

Chris Brown, Tyga, MGK, Megan Fox and Drake were there too, in fact, Drake had such a good time, he wanted to take it with him, leaving Nice Guy with a drink in hand.

Killer Mike's had some awesome run-ins with DMX over the years, and says his fellow rapper taught him, and others, great lessons about love and vulnerability ... while making great music.

We got the ATL rapper and activist Wednesday in Bev Hills and he made it clear ... he's still pulling for a miracle that keeps DMX with his 15 children and other loved ones. That being said, Mike recalled his first run-in with X ... a gambling showdown that ended up costing one of them a few racks.

He also remembered the last time he saw DMX, and told us he was spreading happiness in a Waffle House by singing Christmas carols. We gotta imagine X was doing his classic version of 'Rudolph' for some late-night customers.

We covered one other topic with Mike ... and that was Cher's apology for saying she could have saved George Floyd if she were in Minneapolis on that fateful day.

Mike says he's not the one to hand out "forgiveness passes" for Cher, but he did say it's obvious to him she has a level of "care and concern" that he wants to encourage in all Americans ... especially "white, powerful women."

A man tragically died during a taco-eating contest in California's central valley -- and now, his son wants the owner of the org that hosted it to pay up.

Marshall Hutchings is suing Fresno Sports and Events -- the company that owns the Fresno Grizzlies minor league baseball team -- for hosting what he calls an inherently dangerous amateur taco eating competition at Chukchansi Park back in 2019 ... during which his father died.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Hutchings claims his dad, Dana, wasn't warned or told about the risks involved in devouring as much grub as possible in a short amount of time ... and, as a result, began choking on "chewed and unchewed" taco remnants.

Hutchings says people attempted to save him with CPR and a defibrillator, before paramedics arrived to rush Dana to the hospital ... where he was pronounced dead.

Hutchings asserts FS&E had no business holding an event like that with novices -- because he says professional food eating is serious business, and requires preparation and training on the participants' part ... insisting Average Joes aren't equipped to compete safely. Long story short, Hutchings claims the event was too dangerous, and the company didn't take proper steps in running it -- which ended up costing a life.

Step aside, Cinnamon Toast Crunch ... Flamin' Hot Cheetos has raised a man's shrimp tails and rat poo claims with a bullet ... at least that's what a father in Montana's claiming.

Bow Horn Weasel of Elmo, Montana tells TMZ ... he bought the bag of chips Saturday at a local convenience store and his 6-year-old son broke it open Easter Sunday for a lil spicy chow down.

We're told the boy found the bullet at the bottom of the bag after devouring the chips. The bullet appears to have Hot Cheetos' red coating on it. Bow scoffs at the doubters, saying a bullet didn't just drop out of the sky into the bag ... and don't even get him started with people who think the whole thing is made up.

Bow says he reached out to Frito-Lay on Facebook and also fired off an email. He claims it wasn't long before a company rep reached out with a specialist who told Bow they're taking the matter seriously. Bow says Frito-Lay's sending him a kit for some sort of testing.

Bow says he's not looking for compensation. He just wants Frito-Lay to take a hard look so this thing doesn't ever happen again.

We've reached out to PepsiCo, Frito-Lay's parent company ... so far no word back.

Kodak Black and his entourage were ambushed outside a fast food joint in Florida, and the shooting left one of his security guards in serious condition ... according to police.

Gunfire erupted around 3 AM Monday morning in the parking lot of a McDonald's in Tallahassee. Law enforcement tells us the shooter opened fire from a car that was tailing Kodak and co.

Law enforcement sources say the rapper's entourage was being followed by several cars attempting to cut them off as they left a nightclub, and Kodak's camp pulled into the McDonald's and blocked the entrance with a car while KB went inside to pick up an order.

We’re told one of the cars tailing Kodak went to the McDonald's, left and then came back ... and that's when people inside the vehicle started shooting.

Kodak's security guard was shot in the leg and rushed to a local hospital with serious injuries, police say, while Kodak was whisked away in an armored car and was unharmed.

Kodak was in town headlining a Sunday music festival, Cultur3 Fest, and the security guard is reportedly undergoing surgery after one of the shots apparently hit an artery.

Things Lincoln Riley is good at ... coaching football, drawing up plays and winning games.

Things the OU head coach is bad at ... brisket -- clearly.

The 37-year-old Sooners head man showed off his Easter dinner on social media Sunday ... and the meat he cooked was so dry, some questioned whether it was actually pumpernickel!!

Check out the photo Riley shared ... the meat was cooked to a crisp -- and the poor dude was ROASTED over it!!!

The comments were relentless ...

"Dear Lord, please see what real TX brisket looks like and never cook a brisket again.  Ever."

"If you drop your phone in water you could put it in a bag with this brisket to dry it out."

"This mf loves football so much he eats it for dinner."

"Did you pull that out of Jesus’s tomb?"

"I don’t know why everyone is roasting this. That pumpernickel looks delicious."

For his part, Riley seemed to defend the cooked cow in the wake of the backlash ... writing to one critic, "Haha ask @BwylieSTRONG if it was legit....."

That guy, OU's Director of Sports Performance Bennie Wylie, had Riley's back ... adding, "Unbelievable... Brisket tacos on point!"

A woman in Memphis made it clear -- she's having it her way or else -- and when she didn't get what she wanted, she unloaded a couple rounds inside the fast-food joint.

Cops say the suspect was beefing with employees because she felt she was waiting too long at the drive-thru. She got out of her car and the argument got more intense.

It escalated further, turning violent when she grabbed a gun from her car and, according to cops, fired shots through the window ... sending employees scurrying in terror as they fled through the back door. Thankfully no employees were hurt.

The woman was brazen ... staring right into the surveillance cam right before she unloaded her gun.

According to cops ... the suspect got back in her car and sped off with a man behind the wheel. No arrests have been made but cops are on the hunt.

The Weeknd is getting involved with the military conflict in Ethiopia -- donating a million dollars, which will provide food for people who need it there.

The singer, who is of Ethiopian descent himself, partnered with World Food Program USA -- a UN World Food Programme affiliate -- to send over a million bucks toward relief efforts in the North African country ... which has been mired with bloodshed and chaos for months.

Specifically, Abel's money will provide the equivalent of 2 million meals for citizens there who have been caught in the middle of the feuding factions ... many of whom are running out of resources, like food.

TW says, "My heart breaks for my people of Ethiopia as innocent civilians ranging from small children to the elderly are being senselessly murdered and entire villages are being displaced out of fear and destruction." He goes on to encourage others who can to donate as well.

If you haven't heard, Ethiopia has been embroiled in a bitter battle with its own people since November -- when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered an attack on the Tigray People's Liberation Front -- the ruling party in the northern part of the region.

The PM accused them of attacking a government military base and attempting to steal weapons and artillery. Keep in mind, this all came to a head after tensions had been brewing between the two groups for quite some time, and as the country had been fully attempting to transition into a democratic system of government. Safe to say ... it's complicated.