Fired

The longtime Wendy's employee with Down Syndrome -- who was recently fired -- is now getting a happy ending, complete with a huge party and a major key.

Here's the deal ... Dennis Peek was unceremoniously canned a few days back after working at a Wendy's in Stanley, North Carolina for 20 years. The news was particularly devastating for Dennis' family -- his sister and guardian, Cona Young Turner -- tells TMZ ... Dennis doesn't know he was terminated, and instead thinks he's retiring.

The family is being super sensitive about the situation, but we've learned the city of Stanley is kicking in to give him a proper retirement send-off. Cona says during the party, Dennis will be presented with a key to the city and a commemorative plaque.

She says the Carolina Restaurant Group -- which operates the Wendy's where Dennis worked -- offered Dennis his job back and the family at first agreed, but she says the family ultimately decided against it.

We're told Dennis previously mentioned to his family he wanted to retire ... so his sister thinks it's best for him to move on from Wendy's.

Cona says Wendy's offered to cover costs for the retirement party, but as of now the city will foot the bill ... and folks in town are chipping in too.

The retirement bash is set for Nov. 5, and the family's also asking people to send Dennis "Happy Retirement" cards.

While Cona was initially looking into filing a wrongful termination lawsuit of a special needs worker, she tells us ... the family will NOT pursue legal action.

The Matt Rhule era in Carolina is over -- the Panthers just announced they're parting ways with their head coach after a 1-4 start.

It's no secret -- the Panthers have been a mess so far this season ... and have really struggled during Rhule's tenure, going 5-11 and 5-12 in his first two years on the sidelines.

The decision comes just weeks after Panthers owner David Tepper said the organization would be "patient" with Rhule.

The Panthers lost 37-15 to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday ... and after the game, he was questioned about his job security.

"I've got nothing to say about that now, just here to talk about the game today," Rhule said. "Would never want to make this about me."

Rhule had four years left on his $62 million deal ... but it was clear the organization felt it was time to make a change ASAP.

Prior to the Panthers, Rhule was the head coach Baylor University, where he turned the program around. In his first year the team went 1-11. In 2018, his second year, they went 7-6. Then, in 2019, the team, ranked as high as 7th in the nation, went 11-3, and played in the Big 12 Championship.

He won the Chuck Neinas Coach of the Year Award in 2019, which is voted on by fellow coaches.

Before Baylor, Rhule coached at Temple ... going 28-23 and bringing success back to the program.

Steve Wilks will serve as interim head coach.

The sister of the longtime Wendy's employee with Down Syndrome who was recently unceremoniously canned is lashing out at the franchise.

Dennis Peek worked at a Wendy's in Stanley, North Carolina for 20 years, was fired without notice a few days back, and now his sister claims managers at the fast food joint told her Dennis couldn't do his job like a "normal" person.

Dennis's sister, Cona Young Turner, wrote on Facebook, "I am heart broken to say they have fired him ... They told me was unable to perform the duties of a normal persons job."

She went on ... "His dream was to retire from there some day and he was looking forward to a huge retirement party, we may just give him that party and tell him he has retired because he does not understand being fired."

She now says Wendy's has offered Dennis his job back, but he's not biting. She also says she's looking into filing a wrongful termination lawsuit of a special needs worker.

Cona says Dennis was deeply hurt by the firing, but she's gonna throw him a big retirement bash.

A San Antonio police officer is out of a job after shooting a teenager who was eating a meal in a car parked outside a McDonald's ... and the incident is all on video.

The shooting went down Sunday night at a Mickey D's, but police just released bodycam footage showing the cop firing multiple shots into the car.

The officer walked up to a parked car, opened the driver's door and the teen behind the wheel freaks out in between bites of a burger. The kid then reversed to drive away and the cop started shooting.

Several gunshots ring out as the car drives off into the night, with the officer giving chase.

As it turns out, San Antonio PD says the officer was at the fast food joint for a disturbance call unrelated to the vehicle from the shooting.

Cops say the officer approached the car because he thought it was the same vehicle that allegedly evaded police the day before.

The teen reportedly suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. He was initially charged with evading detention and assault on a police officer but those charges have since been dismissed, and the case is closed.

The "Try Guys" are pushing forward as a party of 3 after firing Ned Fulmer for having an affair with one of their producers ... who we've learned isn't suffering the same fate as Ned.

Sources close tell TMZ ... Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang are rock solid on continuing their productions without Ned. We're told they're trying to get back to business as usual after the news broke last week, and Monday's candid explanation from all 3 guys was a big step in that process.

There's a possibility Ned could be replaced in the future, but no decision has been made yet, and, if he is it won't be in 2022.

Our sources also specify why Ned got canned, noting it wasn't because he cheated on his wife -- but, because he, as an owner of the company, hooked up with an employee he directly supervises.

As we reported, Ned got booted last week after admitting he had an ongoing relationship with Alex Herring, a 'TG' producer. BTW, Alex is not getting fired -- we're told the guys understand she wasn't in the position of power, like Ned was, and they feel they need to protect their employee.

It's unclear, though, if she will choose to stay.

Keith, Zach, and Eugene posted an explanation video Monday ... breaking down the incident as it was revealed to them. Keith added the team was just as shocked as everyone else when they learned about Ned's affair.

Rough week for 'Try Guys' star Ned Fulmer ... he just got kicked out of the group after being accused of being unfaithful in his marriage.

The popular YouTube group 'Try Guys' announced Tuesday that Ned was no longer working with the group's 3 other members -- Keith Habersberger, Eugene Lee Yang and Zach Kornfeld -- following allegations Ned cheated on his wife, Ariel.

It's pretty messy, Ned was recently filmed kissing producer Alex Herring, who also works on projects with the crew, in a New York club.

The 'Try Guys' -- famous for trying all sorts of things, from food to women's clothing -- say they cut the cord with Ned following an internal review, explaining they did not see a path forward together.

It appears Ned is already being scrubbed from a ton of 'Try Guys' content ... eagle-eyed fans say he suddenly disappeared from some recent videos, and he's been absent from the group's recent podcasts.

A meteorologist is looking to clear the air about why he got canned from his job ... saying it's all about what he did on a webcam site that's extremely NSFW.

Two-time Emmy nominee Erick Adame took to Instagram Monday to address his recent termination ... saying he wants to share his truth, "rather than let others control the narrative of my life."

He says he secretly appeared on an adult webcam website while still being employed with Spectrum News NY1 ... stating he acted out his "compulsive behaviors, while at home, by performing on camera for other men."

Erick claims the interactions were "100% consensual" ... noting he didn't make any money for the things he did on camera.

He goes on to apologize to his employers at Spectrum, who eventually found out about his actions ... as well as his audience, family, friends, and coworkers for any embarrassment he's caused.

He makes it clear, though -- "I don't apologize for being openly gay or for being sex-positive."

He goes on ... "My psychiatrist calls my actions, "compulsive behavior," others would call them reckless, stupid or brazen. I'm not in a position to argue with any of these descriptions."

He gives a final message to potential future employers ... saying "Please judge me on the hundreds, thousands of hours of television that I am so proud of ... not the couple of minutes of salacious video that is probably going to soon define me in out 'click-bait' culture."

The chemical engineer who hurled homophobic slurs on an airplane was also dropping a ton of other bigoted bombs as well -- namely, the N-word ... which got him into a fight.

Zachary Easterly -- the now-fired, ex-GlaxoSmithKline-employee -- alluded to being racist in the first video we got of him freaking out ... and now, we have the proof. Here's new video, obtained by TMZ, showing him on Tuesday throwing the epithet around like it was a frisbee.

This clip picks up with him being escorted off the plane, and he's literally dropping the N-word left and right -- in front of Black airline employees, no less -- with no shame.

As others hear him on his way out -- now entering the main terminal area of the airport -- he starts to get accosted and confronted by outraged bystanders ... who tell him to watch his mouth, or suffer the consequences. He chose to do the latter, and all hell broke loose.

Two men are seen tussling with Easterly at one point, and they even pin him down onto the ground -- seemingly in an attempt to make a citizen's arrest ... you can hear them talk about police/security. It's unclear if Easterly was ever detained or arrested, however. Philadelphia PD tells us they're looking into whether a case was opened in this matter or not.

What we do know is that he's without a job ... as GSK canned this man shortly after the video was posted and went viral. Once a proud chemist, now some jackass on the internet.

Easterly had suggested he was somewhat intoxicated during this, but that's obviously no excuse ... sounds like he got some things off his chest that he'd been holding in a long time.

In one of the dumbest moves we've seen made by a person freaking out as they were kicked off a plane, a chemical engineer has now been fired from his job after announcing where he works to the entire flight.

The incident, which happened Tuesday night on a flight scheduled from Philly to Dallas, included the man seen in the video going off on passengers and flight attendants.

Shockingly, and maybe sarcastically, the man exclaims he's racist because he's a white male with a black bag which he states is, "a better bag than most of y'all can afford." But, he wasn't done yet ... admitting he was a little intoxicated.

Then things take a turn, the man starts hurling homophobic slurs ... calling everyone on the flight "liberal f******."

However, just before exiting the plane -- the man let everyone know he was a chemical engineer with pharmaceutical and biotechnology company GlaxoSmithKline.

We reached out to GSK, who tell us, "We immediately conducted an investigation and as of Thursday, he is no longer employed at GSK. The person’s remarks were reprehensible and do not reflect our company culture."

GSK takes it a step further, saying, "At GSK, diversity, equity and inclusion is embraced and celebrated and we are committed in policy, principle and practice to maintaining an environment which prohibits discriminatory behavior and provides equal opportunity for all persons."

As for what caused the freakout, one person on social media claimed the now-former chemical engineer was bothering a woman sitting next to him. We don't yet know his name.

One of Kenny Lofton's former employees is now suing the ex-MLB star ... alleging the famous baseball player exposed one of his female subordinates to pictures of his penis.

Brandyn Toney -- who claims he was hired by an investment firm and NFT marketplace back in 2021 that Lofton founded and co-owned -- made the allegations on Monday in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the documents, Toney says he began working for Lofton's companies, Centerblock Asset Management LLC and Proxime Corporation, in December 2021 and was promised a salary of $85,000.

Toney, though, says issues began popping up just a few months after officially signing on.

Toney claims he wasn't paid a cent for his work -- and then on June 8, he said a female employee who was hired to monitor Lofton's Instagram account told him the ex-Cleveland outfielder had been sending photos of his penis to various women through his direct messages on the app.

Toney says shortly after the conversation, he approached the companies' in-house attorney to make them aware of Lofton's sexually inappropriate actions.

But, Toney says he was fired within two hours of making his complaint.

Toney is now suing Lofton, the baseball player's companies and others in the orgs ... claiming he was fired in retaliation for reporting Lofton's behavior and complaining about wage and hours violations.

He's asking for damages and more in the suit.

"Lofton and his executive team thought they could fire our client for objecting to obvious sexual misconduct and even thought they could get away with not paying him for his work," said Toney's attorney, Ronald L. Zambrano. "That speaks to the arrogance and dysfunction at play every day at Centerblock and Proxime."

Longtime WWE executive John Laurinaitis -- recently caught up in a report alleging Vince McMahon paid hush money to former employees -- has reportedly been terminated by the promotion, according to PWInsider.

Laurinaitis -- a former wrestler who served in multiple roles with the company since 2001, including Head of Talent Relations -- was terminated recently, likely within the last week, per the outlet.

The split with Laurinaitis was handled quietly behind the scenes, the outlet reports ... and comes on the heels of McMahon's resignation as chairman and CEO of the sports entertainment conglomerate.

Laurinaitis's future with the company has been in doubt since The Wall Street Journal published the report ... accusing now 76-year-old Vince and John of engaging in inappropriate behavior with WWE employees.

Vince -- the face of WWE since 1982 -- has been accused of paying multiple women he allegedly had relationships with "hush money" ... in exchange for their silence.

"The board’s investigation, which began in April, has unearthed other, older nondisclosure agreements involving claims by former female WWE employees of misconduct by Mr. McMahon and one of his top executives, John Laurinaitis, the head of talent relations at WWE, the people said," a June WSJ article read.

Laurinaitis -- brother of late "Road Warrior Animal" Joseph Laurinaitis -- started as an in-ring performer with WWE ... before moving over to management.

As a result of WWE's investigation, Laurinaitis was removed from his role with the company ... and placed on administrative leave in June.

Longtime Oklahoma assistant Cale Gundy -- who's been helping coach the Sooners football team for over two decades -- has resigned ... after he says he uttered a "shameful and hurtful" word during a team meeting last week.

Gundy explained the situation in a lengthy statement on his social media page Sunday night -- saying he inadvertently used the word while reading off a player's iPad in a film session.

"I instructed my players to take notes," said the 50-year-old, who had just been tapped this offseason to coach the Sooners receivers this year. "I noticed a player was distracted and picked up his iPad and read aloud the words that were written on his screen. The words displayed had nothing to do with football."

He continued, "One particular word that I should never -- under any circumstance -- have uttered was displayed on that screen. In the moment, I did not even realize what I was reading and, as soon as I did, I was horrified."

Gundy did not say which word he used, but he did say it was "shameful and hurtful."

"The unfortunate reality is that someone in my position can cause harm without ever meaning to do so," Gundy said. "In that circumstance, a man of character accepts accountability. I take responsibility for my mistake. I apologize."

Gundy -- whose older brother, Mike Gundy, is Oklahoma State's famous head coach -- leaves his position with the Sooners after having coached the team in some capacity every year since 1999.

The former OU quarterback initially joined Bob Stoops' staff in '99 as a running backs coach. In the ensuing seasons, he held multiple different roles -- and had just been retained by new OU head coach Brent Venables this offseason.

"It's with sadness that I accept Coach Gundy's resignation," Venables said Sunday night. "He's dedicated more than half his life to Oklahoma Football and has served our program and university well."

"We're thankful for that commitment. We also acknowledge that in stepping aside he's placed the program and the welfare of our student-athletes first. In coaching and in life, we're all accountable for our actions and the resulting outcomes."

Ex-Sooners star Joe Mixon took to Twitter following the news and defended Gundy -- saying the coach "is not a racist in any way nor has a racist bone in his body, mind, or soul."

L'Damian Washington will now serve as the interim receivers coach.

Juri Vips has just been fired by Red Bull Racing ... less than two weeks after the F2 driver was captured using a racial slur on a hot mic on a video game stream.

RBR just made the announcement, saying after completing its investigation into the junior driver, it decided to terminate Vips' contract.

"The team do not condone any form of racism," RBR said in their announcement Tuesday.

Red Bull Racing initially launched its probe into Vips last week ... after the 21-year-old used the n-word while playing "Call of Duty" on a live stream.

Vips did apologize following the incident ... saying in a statement on his social media page, "This language is entirely unacceptable and does not portray the values and principles that I hold. I deeply regret my actions and this is not the example I wish to set."

"Black Ink Crew" star Ceaser Emanuel wants to set the record straight about the viral video of him abusing his dog, and he's claiming someone set him up.

Ceaser was out in NYC Thursday night -- hours after TMZ broke the story VH1 fired him over the horrible video of him at home hitting one of his pets with a metal folding chair. He claims the video isn't what it seems, and he was simply breaking up a fight between his dogs -- until one of them went for him.

He does say he wishes he could take it back, but adds, in the moment, he felt like he had to back down his dogs any way he could, and was afraid of what could happen next.

As for the video, Ceaser says the clip came from his home security camera -- and he thinks someone had it out for him, since the video was leaked online.

Of course, none of that is an excuse for abusing an animal.

Ceaser also claims both dogs are fine now, but says he had to give one away ... and get the other into some serious obedience training.

Amy Schumer had to call it quits with Penn Badgley's wife, who was working as her doula while recovering from her C-section ... and looks had EVERYTHING to do with it.

Amy told the "You" star about firing his wife Domino Kirke on his podcast "Podcrushed" Tuesday ... she says qualifications weren't an issue here -- but she was like a goddess roaming her house, while Amy was feeling less than perfect.

A doula acts as a labor assistant for someone that's going through or just finished their pregnancy, providing emotional and physical support ... while it sounds like Domino did her job well, Amy just couldn't get over that perfect look.

She says the "floating siren" made her feel vulnerable after having her 1st kid ... and she couldn't stand melting to her touch for one second more. She admits she feels pretty bad about giving her the boot.

Amy and her husband Chris Fischer welcomed baby Gene in 2019 -- their first kid together. The comedian decided to document her entire experience through the docuseries, "Expecting Amy."

VH1's "Black Ink Crew" star Ceaser Emanuel has been fired from the show after a video surfaced allegedly showing him abusing dogs ... TMZ has learned.

A spokesperson for VH1 tells TMZ, "We have made the decision to cut ties with Ceaser Emanuel from Black Ink Crew New York. Since next season was close to finishing production, this decision will not impact the upcoming season."

Sources familiar with the situation tell us they are wrapping production, but keeping it open in order to properly address the situation in the show. We're told producers also found the viral video appalling.

A video surfaced Wednesday that allegedly shows Ceaser beating and abusing dogs -- the clip made many fans sick to their stomachs, instantly.

Ceaser's co-star Donna Lombardi reposted the clip online and said "I don't even get into the life of this man, but this video made me so upset."

She called on the network to cancel him completely ... adding "I pray the people see you, @ceaserblackink, as the monster you are."

The show is currently in production for its 10th season, and Ceaser's been a part of the series since its 2013 premiere.

The show follows the daily operations of his shop, Black Ink tattoo, in Harlem ... the guy also owns studios in Brooklyn, ATL, Orlando and Houston.