Fired

The man in charge of directing Friday's Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony has just been fired hours before the start of the event ... after it was discovered he made a Holocaust joke in 1998.

Kentaro Kobayashi was canned Thursday after video surfaced of him making the wildly gross and inappropriate comment during a comedy act over two decades ago.

In the old clip, Kobayashi reportedly can be heard bringing up the Holocaust and saying, "Let's play the genocide of Jews."

Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said Thursday when the footage was brought to his attention ... he and other officials acted swiftly, removing Kobayashi from his high-ranking role.

"We found out that Mr. Kobayashi, in his own performance, has used a phrase ridiculing a historical tragedy," Hashimoto said.

"We deeply apologize for causing such a development the day before the opening ceremony and for causing troubles and concerns to many involved parties as well as the people in Tokyo and the rest of the country."

48-year-old Kobayashi later released an apology in a statement ... saying, "Entertainment should not make people feel uncomfortable. I understand that my stupid choice of words at that time was wrong, and I regret it."

The troubling news comes just days after one of the composers for the opening ceremony, Keigo Oyamada, pulled out of the event after he admitted to bullying a disabled classmate in the 1990s.

Hashimoto, though, insisted the opening ceremony will go on as planned despite it all ... saying Thursday, "we are going to open the Games tomorrow under this difficult situation."

As we previously reported, spectators will NOT be allowed at the ceremony ... as officials hope empty stadiums will help keep coronavirus from spreading.

Kelly Dodd may no longer be part of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" cast, but she's kicking the reality TV drama into overdrive anyway ... and directing her ire at Braunwyn Windham-Burke.

As we told you, both ladies will not be returning for the new season of 'RHOC,' and Kelly is placing the blame for that squarely on her former castmate ... and not pulling any punches.

She just shared a recent text exchange with Braunwyn that started with Braunwyn checking in on her -- something Kelly described as "audacity" -- and then Kelly responded by going off on her for their ousting from the show.

According to Kelly ... if Braunwyn "didn't make things so dark and ugly and brought all that political 'woke' BS" to the show, she believes they'd still be on it. Kelly also says Braunwyn calling her a racist and homophobe was "horribly destructive."

Kelly's attack on Braunwyn is apparently in response to Braunwyn going on a podcast and addressing the 2 of them -- along with Elizabeth Lyn Vargas -- not being invited back for the next season.

Kelly wrote ... "She said she was fired from the show because we all didn’t like her because she’s gay. Not because she’s a horrible person. Not because she treated everyone like s**t and made no effort to be friends with us."

Then Kelly went really hard, calling Braunwyn a "terrible mother," "horrible person to her husband" ... and a "f***ing nut job classic narcissist!"

We listened to the podcast, and while Braunwyn did say Kelly has made a lot of controversial comments and admits "the two of us were diametrically opposed on social justice issues" ... she also called her "the most interesting person on the cast" and added, "Kelly does have a good heart underneath it all."

The audacity!!!

We spoke to a production source who was adamant, telling us Dodd was not let go from the show because of the storyline around Braunwyn or her sexuality -- but the source would not specify what did trigger Dodd's departure.

The cast of ''Real Housewives of Orange County' is about to look a whole lot different, with some very familiar faces NOT returning for the new season ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us the show is set to start production in July, but cast members Braunwyn Windham-Burke, Kelly Dodd-Leventhal and Elizabeth Lyn Vargas will not be a part of the production.

It's currently unclear if it was a decision by Bravo to not bring the women back or if it was a mutual thing ... but either way, they won't be on camera. We're told some women -- including those who are making a return -- learned of the network's decision early Tuesday night.

As for the women returning -- we're told Shannon Beador, Gina Kirschenheiter and Emily Simpson will all be back. We're also told Heather Dubrow -- wife of "Botched" Doc Terry Dubrow -- will make a return to the series, she was previously on seasons 7-11.

As we reported, Dodd came under fire back in January when she was spotted mocking COVID at a restaurant with friends, leading a group cheers, while someone in her group appeared to call the gathering "super-spreaders."

The woman who jumped into a spider monkey enclosure at the El Paso Zoo might wanna see if the zoo's hiring -- because she's been fired from her job as a litigation assistant.

The Lovett Law Firm in El Paso told KVIA they recognized the woman, Lucy Rae, as one of their employees at the firm's personal injury division and fired her on Monday after identifying her as the trespasser.

A spokesperson reportedly said it does not condone her actions nor had any advanced knowledge of her intentions. Translation: She embarrassed the firm, so she's gotta go.

Rae's actions were described as "stupid and lucky" by the zoo's director because the monkeys could have done substantial damage. Rae jumped into the monkey pen over the weekend and fed Hot Cheetos to 2 monkeys, Libby and Sunday.

The zookeeper said Rae didn't just put herself in danger, but she also put the monkeys in danger because they're on a specialized diet, and the Hot Cheetos could cause stomach problems and bowel disruptions -- and who's gonna clean that up??!!

An elderly man who was confronted about dragging his dog down the highway with his truck didn't appreciate it much ... so he went after his accuser with a broom.

The incident was shared on TikTok last month, but the story's full of twists and turns since then ... and thankfully the poor pup is okay. According to the accuser ... the old man, Malcolm Taylor, dragged his dog down the highway at 50 mph, but he denies even going down the highway.

When he's told he almost killed the dog, the old man acknowledges it ... but suggests it was an accident. He says the dog was in the back of his pickup and he didn't know it jumped off. The dog's collar does look like it was nearly yanked off its head.

The old guy gets a bit heated as he's being scolded, and when the accuser says he's going to report him ... the old man pulls a broom out of his truck and chases him away.

Here's where it gets really weird -- the accuser, Brett Young, is now claiming he's the one in a legal mess over this. He says the old man is pretty high up in the community -- with connections to the mayor of Hackleburg, AL -- and got him fired and evicted for reporting his alleged animal abuse.

However, the mayor, Darryl Colburn, tells us he only knows Malcolm Taylor through acquaintances ... and to say he has any pull in the city is incorrect. Colburn also tells us he's spoken to Young and asked him to retract his claims about being evicted/fired because of Taylor's ties to the mayor ... telling us that scenario is totally false.

Gina Carano -- ex-MMA fighter turned "Mandalorian" star -- has seemingly Instagrammed her way out of the 'Star Wars' universe after posting offensive content about Jewish people on social media.

The 38-year-old -- who's previously posted anti-liberal and anti-COVID mask content on social media -- shared a post comparing her perceived mistreatment of conservatives in the U.S. to the millions of Jews who were slaughtered in the Holocaust. Seriously.

"Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors ... even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views," the post read.

The wildly offensive post breathed new life into the #FireGinaCarano movement (which began in 2020 due to other insensitive posts she had made) ... and ultimately caught the attention of her bosses at Lucasfilm.

"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," the company said in a statement.

"Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."

Carano played former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune in the Disney+ series -- the latest in a series of high-profile action roles for the actress.

She previously had key roles playing tough-guy characters in "Deadpool" and "Kickboxer: Vengeance."

Before storming Hollywood, Carano fought her way to the top of the women's MMA world -- racking up a 7-0 record before getting smashed by Cris Cyborg in 2009.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene just got the old heave-ho ... she's been tossed from her two House committees after she embraced conspiracy theories and violence against Democrats.

The House voted to remove MTG from her committee assignments Thursday by a margin of 230-199, with 11 Republicans supporting her removal.

Now, the newly-elected Congresswoman from Georgia is no longer sitting on the Budget Committee and the Education and Labor Committee.

MTG spread false claims that the 2018 school shooting at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was a "false flag" or a hoax. Her old Facebook activity also suggests she supported executing Dems like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi.

There's been a growing chorus for Greene's expulsion from Congress, and D.L. Hughley told us he wants to see her expelled, prosecuted and never allowed to hold public office again.

Here's a shocker ... the Indiana high school basketball coach who went viral for throwing a chair on the court during a game last week has just been fired.

The wannabe Bobby Knight is Gary Lighthouse College Prep Academy coach Nick Moore -- who lost his mind Friday during a game against Bowman Academy in Gary Indiana.

Moore's team was down by 8 with 6:41 left in the game -- and in their comeback attempt, one of his players was called for a travel ... which set off the coach, who obviously disagreed with the call.

In the vid, you can see Moore's coaching staff TRIED to restrain the guy as he reached for a chair ... but he eventually got his hands on one and LAUNCHED IT on the court!

The tantrum continued and Moore tried throwing yet another chair -- but he was thwarted again. So, he grabbed a ball and hurled that instead -- forcing the refs to eject him from the game.

The incident triggered the Indiana High School Athletic Association to launch an investigation into the incident ... and on Monday, Moore revealed he'd been fired.

"I have been relieved of my duties by LCPA as boys coach," Moore said on Facebook ... "I would also like to thank the parents and players for letting me lead them day in and out it was a pleasure and great ride."

Over the weekend, Moore told the NWI Times he "had a chance to reflect" on the incident and admits he could have handled the situation better.

"We talk to our kids about sportsmanship, and we don't condone technical fouls and the type of acts that I displayed. I never want any of my players to display that kind of behavior, so I probably could've found a better way."

FYI, Bobby Knight was only suspended for ONE GAME when he threw a chair onto the court during an Indiana vs. Purdue game in 1985.

The UFC just fired one of its top rising stars -- undefeated Ottman Azaitar -- after he allegedly committed one of the most INSANE safety violations we've ever heard.

Ottman -- who's 13-0 as a pro with some crazy highlight-reel knockouts -- allegedly stole a page out of a "Mission Impossible" movie to sneak an unapproved guest into the Fight Island area on Abu Dhabi, risking the health of EVERYONE there.

FYI, 30-year-old Ottman was scheduled to fight on the main card at "UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor" on Saturday night -- taking on 30-year-old Matt Frevola (8-1-1).

But, that fight was removed from the card on Friday due to a "health and safety violation."

So, what the hell happened?! Dana White explained to BT Sport ... and man, the allegation is bad.

"So [Ottman Azaitar] and his team cut off their wrist bands, gave 'em to somebody outside the bubble," White explained ... "I don't know how they even did it."

"That guy taped [the wristbands], showed up here [on Fight Island] with a bag, went into a room, shimmied across 4 balconies, went in [Ottman's] room, dropped the bag off, changed his clothes and then left."

WHAT?!!??!?!

Dana continues ...

"Now, when security tried to stop him, he wouldn't stop either way and yeah it's just bad."

Dana said he fired Ottman on the spot -- "He's gone. He's no longer a UFC fighter and he's not fighting [Saturday night]."

Wow.

The big question -- what was inside the mystery bag?!!?!? Our UFC sources say they have no clue at the moment. Guessing they're going to try and find out.

As we previously reported, the Fight Island area is incredibly secure -- with multiple COVID testing points and crazy security to keep everyone safe. One violation could compromise the entire thing.

Taco Bell employee Lonna Wells is out of a job after ticking off a co-worker, who filed a complaint about Lonna's past ... as a porn star, but Taco Bell claims that's not what happened.

Lonna claims the fast-food joint in Newport, Arkansas canned her less than a week after she landed the job. She'd reportedly started working at Taco Bell after she stopped doing porn so she'd avoid catching COVID-19.

Wells was no slouch in her previous job -- she's been featured on PornHub ... and scored two AVN Award nominations.

She told the Daily Beast she was about to clock into work when her manager called to drop the hammer. Wells is pissed because she says she told the hiring manager about her sex work during the interview and even asked if it was going to be a problem.

Taco Bell, however, claims Wells was not fired for her porn creds. Instead, the company says, "This former team member worked for a franchise location and the franchisee has informed us that the accusations made are not accurate and that she was instead terminated for violation of their policies and procedures."

New York Mets GM Jared Porter -- who had just helped the team land Francisco Lindor in a blockbuster trade -- has been fired ... after he admitted to sending a penis picture to a female reporter.

The journalist -- described in a bombshell ESPN report as "a foreign correspondent who had moved to the United States to cover Major League Baseball" --- told ESPN through an interpreter under the condition of anonymity that she had met Porter while he was working in the Chicago Cubs' front office in 2016.

The woman says the two had seen each other in an elevator at Yankee Stadium and exchanged business cards. Soon after, she claims he began texting her.

Copies of the texts were obtained by ESPN ... and they showed Porter and the woman initially had casual conversations. But, the baseball exec began complimenting her, messages show, calling her "pretty," "beautiful," and "gorgeous."

At one point, she says Porter asked if she had a boyfriend.

The messages show Porter invited the woman repeatedly to meet up with him in different cities across the U.S. ... and, eventually, the messages show Porter sent her a picture of a man with a bulge in the groin area on a bed in front of a TV.

The woman says she stopped responding after that photo ... but says Porter kept on messaging.

The woman claims Porter sent over 60 texts to her ... with one featuring a naked, erect penis. She says after he sent her that photo, she demanded he stop.

"This is extremely inappropriate, very offensive, and getting out of line. Could you please stop sending offensive photos or msg," the woman wrote.

The woman says Porter later apologized.

When reached by ESPN for comment, Porter admitted to texting with the woman ... adding, "the more explicit ones are not of me. Those are like, kinda like joke-stock images."

The Mets said Monday they would look into it all ... and early Tuesday morning, team owner Steve Cohen announced he was firing Porter.

"We have terminated Jared Porter this morning," Cohen said. "In my initial press conference I spoke about the importance of integrity and I meant it. There should be zero tolerance for this type of behavior."

Team president Sandy Alderson added in a statement, "Jared's actions, as reflected by events disclosed last night, failed to meet the Mets' standards for professionalism and personal conduct."

A UT Chattanooga football assistant coach has just been fired ... after school officials say he penned an "appalling," "unacceptable," and "totally inappropriate" political post on social media this week.

Chris Malone, the Mocs' now-former offensive line coach, went to his personal Twitter account on Tuesday to fire off a vile tweet over the Georgia runoff elections results.

In the four-sentence statement, Malone took aim at Georgia politician and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams -- who many have credited for helping the democrats flip the Peach State blue.

"Congratulations to the state GA and Fat Albert @staceyabrams because you have truly shown America the true works of cheating in an election, again!!!" Malone said in the tweet.

"Enjoy the buffet Big Girl!! You earned it!!! Hope the money is good, still not governor!"

The tweet -- and Malone's entire social media account -- were eventually taken down ... but school officials still dropped the hammer on the guy, firing him Thursday morning.

"Last night, a totally inappropriate social media post by a member of our football staff was brought to my attention," UTC director of athletics Mark Wharton said. "The entire post was appalling."

"The sentiments in that post do not represent the values of our football program, our athletics department or our university. With that said, effectively immediately, that individual is no longer a part of the program."

Added UTC head coach Rusty Wright, "Our football program has a clear set of standards. Those standards include respecting others. It is a message our players hear daily. It is a standard I will not waiver on."

"What was posted on social media by a member of my staff is unacceptable and not any part of what I stand for or what Chattanooga Football stands for. Life is bigger than football and as leaders of young men, we have to set that example, first and foremost. With that said, effectively immediately, that individual is no longer a part of my staff."

Malone was in the middle of his second stint at UTC before his firing Thursday -- he had previously coached for the Mocs in 2014 and 2015.

Malone worked at Old Dominion in between the two UTC stops from 2016-2018.

It's finally over.

The NY Jets have officially fired head coach Adam Gase after one of the worst seasons in team history.

The Jets only won 2 games in 2020 -- after starting off the season 0-13 -- finishing up with a pathetic 2-14 record.

The Gase-era -- which started with a bizarre press conference in 2019 -- ended with a sad 9-23 record. Not great.

"This evening, I informed Adam Gase he will no longer serve as the Head Coach of the Jets," NY Jets CEO Christopher Johnson said in a statement Sunday night.

Johnson praised Gase and his family but ultimately said moving on is the right thing to do. No kidding!

"While my sincere intentions are to have stability in our organization -- especially in our leadership positions -- it is clear the best decision for the Jets is to move in a different direction."

Johnson added, "To our fans, it is obvious we have not been good enough. We are committed to building a strong organization, on and off the field, and will continue to provide the necessary resources to field a team that you can be proud of."

The 2020 campaign was the 2nd worst season on NY Jets history -- following an infamously terrible 1-15 season back in 1996.

Gase was just bad all the way around -- he was hailed as a QB whisperer who could help out Sam Darnold ... but Darnold looked terrible this season and the Jets finished the year with the 32nd ranked offense in the league.

Louisville Metro PD is about to fire 2 cops involved in the Breonna Taylor raid ... one of whom was responsible for getting the search warrant for the deadly raid.

Detectives Joshua Jaynes and Myles Cosgrove both received pre-termination letters from LMPD's Chief Yvette Gentry ... according to their lawyers. Cosgrove was one of the officers present during the raid and did fire shots.

Jaynes was not there but filed the paperwork with a judge to get a warrant. He had said that was based on information from a postal inspector that drug suspect -- Breonna's ex-boyfriend -- had received packages at her home -- but Jaynes later admitted he never verified that info with the post office.

According to the New York Times, the letters both officers got said, "These are extreme violations of our policies."

LMPD previously fired Brett Hankison, saying he had "violated obedience to rules and regulations," and use of deadly force while serving the warrant.

Hankison is also the sole officer the grand jury indicted on a wanton endangerment charge. He was not charged for the shooting of Breonna ... he was charged with shooting into a neighboring apartment.

Faith Stowers -- the former Black cast member on "Vanderpump Rules" -- is glad Bravo isn't cutting checks for Jax Taylor ... and she says he needs to bone up on Black culture.

We got Faith outside of BurgerRock Media in Downtown Los Angeles and asked her reaction to Jax and his wife, Brittany Cartwright, leaving the show amid tons of controversy.

Faith, who has a long history of beef with Jax, says he's not a good fit for Bravo and she's glad the network finally agrees.

Remember, Jax accused Faith of stealing, and ripped her on the show and off-air. He's the latest 'Rules' star to leave, following Stassi Schroeder, Max Boyens, Brett Caprioni and Kristen Doute out the door ... that foursome was 86'd after racist comments and behavior surfaced.

Faith tells us what Jax and Stassi did is not in line with what Bravo stands for ... and she thinks folks who watch the network are also glad they're gone.

There's some debate about whether Bravo fired Jax or they mutually decided to part ways ... a source close to him told us he wasn't fired ... but Faith thinks Jax was probably canned, and says he got what he deserved.

Jax Taylor and his wife are out of a job ... the costars have been canned from "Vanderpump Rules."

Jax and Brittany Cartwright announced Friday they'd been given the ax ... and honchos at Bravo confirm the couple won't be returning to the show.

Jax was one of the reality show's OG cast members, carving out a bigger role over the past 8 seasons, and Brittany has been featured for the last 5 seasons.

While Jax and Brittany's fates are sealed, the future of 'Vanderpump Rules' as a whole is unclear, because restaurants in Los Angeles are still shuttered due to the worsening pandemic.

Sources close to production tell us execs haven't yet determined when the show will return.

Jax and Brittany are the latest 'VR' stars to be shown the door ... as we reported, back in June the show 86'd Stassi Schroeder, Max Boyens, Brett Caprioni and Kristen Doute ... due to racist behavior and comments that came to light.