Fired

Two police officers who busted Stormy Daniels during her 2018 strip club gig in Ohio are outta work for what police now admit was a bogus arrest.

The Columbus Police Department announced its decision Thursday after it found officers Steven Rosser and Whitney Lancaster violated rules when they arrested Stormy on 3 counts of illegal sexually oriented activity. The department also said the officers lied during an internal investigation about the basis for their sting operation.

As you might remember, Columbus PD hauled in Stormy for motorboating an undercover cop. Ohio has strict laws on touching strippers. Stormy's attorney at the time, Michael Avenatti, accused officers of setting her up and alleged the arrest was politically motivated -- she'd gone public about her alleged affair with Donald Trump.

City officials ultimately determined Ohio's no touching law should have only applied to regular performers and NOT Stormy, a guest performer.

Stormy's charges were dropped within 24 hours, but she later sued the department and won a $450,000 settlement. The controversy also resulted in the police department disbanding its controversial vice squad following a federal corruption investigation.

The federal probe determined Rosser lied about the purpose of the strip club sting ... saying he was searching for an underage stripper. The search never happened, and instead, they arrested Stormy. Two other officers were suspended for the arrest.

Panera Bread got burned by one of its own, according to a former employee who says she got canned for posting a Tik Tok of the restaurant's mac and cheese ... in all its frozen glory.

The video was posted last week and showed someone place a plastic pouch of frozen (😢) mac and cheese in boiling water, remove it and then pour it into a bowl to be served.

Some Panera customers teed off on the clip ... leaving pissed off comments about the chain not dishing freshly cooked fare. Others were more realistic and chalked it up to being standard ops for a fast-food chain.

Dana White says BJ Penn will never fight in the UFC again after brawling in the street in Hawaii -- advising the Hall of Famer that he needs to get his personal life in order.

"He wont fight again. That's it. That's a wrap" White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

TMZ Sports broke the stories ... 40-year-old Penn has been at the center of TWO street fights in Hawaii over the past few months. Most recently, he got knocked out in a slug fest outside the Lava Shack on the Big Island in a fight captured on video.

So, was the Lava Shack fight the last straw for Dana?

"It's not even that this was the last straw, it's ... I didn't love him continuing to fight anyway, but when you have the relationship that he and I have and he's getting me on the phone begging me for another fight, begging me for another opportunity, it's hard for me to turn him down."

"But, after what I saw on that video, BJ needs to ... he needs to focus on his personal life, get himself together before he worries about fighting again."

Penn is on a 7-fight losing streak in the UFC -- but Dana had said he would let Penn take one last fight against Nik Lentz later this year. Clearly, that's not happening now.

As for BJ, he claims he was NOT the aggressor in either Hawaii street fight -- and insists he was trying to DIFFUSE the situation outside the Lava Shack before things escalated.

"What I saw in that video was sad," White added ... "And, I love the kid and I hope he gets his life together."

Michael Madsen's recent DUI charge is already costing him a big payday -- even though he hasn't been convicted, he's been 86'd from a movie.

Sources close to production on the upcoming flick, "Chronicle of a Serial Killer," tell TMZ ... Michael's reps were notified Thursday he's been canned from the cast. That's no small loss for Madsen, who was supposed to earn $100,000 for gig.

We broke the story ... Michael was just charged with 2 misdemeanors for DUI after smashing his Land Rover in Malibu last month. Our sources tell us that's the reason he's getting booted from the movie.

Filming begins next month in NYC, and we're told production is worried Madsen won't be around to shoot ... because he could be heading to jail. Michael's a repeat DUI offender, and mandatory sentencing guidelines mean he could get anywhere from 4 to 364 days in county lockup ... if convicted.

It's kinda ironic ... Michael was cast to play an NYPD officer in 'Serial Killer,' a psychological thriller/drama co-starring Tara Reid, DMX and Brendan Sexton III.

A replacement is already in the works. We're told James Russo just signed on to the cast ... most likely to fill Michael's role.

Hue Jackson was so furious after getting the axe from Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam after a Week 8 loss to the Steelers, he cussed at his boss and threw him out of his office.

This is all according to an explosive new ESPN report which says ... if you couldn't tell ... things were a MESS behind the scenes in Cleveland this year.

Haslam reportedly went to Jackson's office to deliver the news after the team had chalked up another loss -- sending their record to 2-5-1 on the season.

When Haslam told Jackson that the team had "quit" on him and the Browns were firing the head coach, Jackson reportedly said, "Get the f*ck out of my office."

So, why such anger in a moment EVERYONE saw coming?

According to the report, Jackson's position is that Haslam had given him a vote of confidence behind the scenes -- telling him the team would be firing offensive coordinator Todd Haley, not Jackson.

When Haslam decided to move on from Hue on October 29 ... Jackson didn't see it coming (despite an overall 3-36-1 record with the organization) and lost his cool.

The article also paints Haslam as a guy who's in over his head -- who was adamant on selecting Johnny Manziel in the 2014 NFL Draft over Teddy Bridgewater because "something about Bridgewater's handshake rubbed Haslam the wrong way."

Of course, Manziel flamed out of the league while Bridgewater ended up being a pretty solid QB (despite injuries).

Haslam also reportedly nicknamed ex-VP of football operations Sashi Brown, who is black, "Obama" because of his Harvard degree ... which made people in the Browns organization uncomfortable and came off as racial stereotyping.

Brown, however, did not find the nickname disrespectful.

Baron Davis says he wants to see Earl Watson be UCLA's next head coach ... and if that happens -- the ex-NBA superstar says he'll be an assistant on the staff ... FOR FREE!!!

B-Diddy is one of the greatest UCLA Bruins ever ... and tells TMZ Sports the former Suns head coach and ex-UCLA player is the right man to replace Steve Alford in Westwood.

In fact, Baron wants to see Earl coach the team so badly ... he says he'd be down to be on Watson's staff -- and UCLA wouldn't even have to pay him!!

"If Earl Watson was the head coach, I would coach for free. I would do whatever for free."

Of course, lots of ex-UCLA players agree with Baron ... guys like Matt Barnes and Lonzo Ball have already made it clear Earl would be their choice for the job too.

Mariah Carey says she was betrayed in a huge way by the former personal assistant she hired ... an assistant Mariah says secretly recorded her doing "embarrassing" things and then threatened to release the vids unless the singer coughed up $8 million ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ has obtained a copy of a lawsuit Mariah just filed against Lianna Azarian, also known as Lianna Shakhnazarian. Mariah says she hired Azarian back in March 2015 as an Executive Assistant. Mariah claims it wasn't long before Azarian went to town with her credit card, buying personal stuff and also claiming to retailers she was buying things for Mariah, trading the singer's goodwill to get deep discounts.

Carey says unbeknownst to her, Azarian was secretly filming her "personal activities" ... which would be "embarrassing," and extremely damaging both personally and professionally if revealed.

Mariah says Azarian showed some of the videos to friends, saying if she was ever fired she'd sell them.

Carey claims she was paying Azarian as much as $327,000 a year, but ended up firing her in November 2017, and that's when she claims the blackmail began. Carey says Azarian demanded $8 million and if she didn't get it she'd release videos and other damaging information.

The lawsuit does not say what's on the videos ... although some are described as "intimate."

Mariah says she's demanded the videos and other evidence of criminal activity back, to no avail. She's suing for unspecified damages, but wants more than $3 million.

9:34 AM PT -- A source close to Mariah tells TMZ, "This new year welcomes Mariah's continued efforts to clean the trash from her life."

They continue, "According to a Complaint filed today in California, an executive assistant employed in 2015 to help with business and personal matters, turned out to be a grifter and extortionist. Because her threats and bad acts are too great to be ignored, Mariah has been compelled to file a lawsuit against her."

"Given that the evidence against this former assistant is vast and deplorable, we anticipate a victorious resolution. Mariah continues her streak of success this year with an upcoming North American tour and return to Vegas."

Originally Published -- 3:38 AM PT

Les Moonves will NOT get his enormous, $120 MILLION severance package, because the CBS Board of Directors has determined they had a right to fire him for cause ... and specifically, sexual misconduct.

The Board just said, "We have determined that there are grounds to terminate for cause, including his willful and material misfeasance, violation of Company policies and breach of his employment contract, as well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the Company's investigation."

The Board went on to say, "Mr. Moonves will not receive any severance payment from the Company."

Twelve women accused Moonves of various forms of sexual misconduct, including engaging in forced oral sex in his office in a 1995 meeting. Another woman claims she was "on call" for oral sex as part of her job.

Moonves has maintained any sexual encounter was consensual.

Moonves resigned his post as CEO of CBS back in September. His wife, Julie Chen, also stepped down from "The Talk" at the same time. She has, however, kept her role as host of "Big Brother" and "Celebrity Big Brother."

Hue Jackson deserved to be canned after two-plus seasons of losing AND looking like crap against the Steelers on Sunday ... so says Browns legend Earnest Byner.

It's nothing against Hue personally -- E.B. tells us the coach couldn't have been a nicer dude and even let him intern with the team recently -- but Byner says it was just time for him to go.

"I didn't like how that team looked," Earnest says ... "You'd have to say this firing has been earned."

Of course, lots of people in Cleveland would agree ... Hue was 3-36-1 since taking over the head coaching reigns back in 2016.

But, Byner's questioning how the Browns' brass even allowed Hue to make it into the start of THIS season.

"You wonder what was the process of what made them bring Hue back, especially after going through so much losing."

Ty Lue getting fired is actually a GOOD THING ... so says NBA champ Dahntay Jones, who tells TMZ Sports the coach is better off with a new team, hopefully a legit contender.

Lue is currently unemployed after the Cavs started the season 0-6 ... and, while some say the team did him dirty after 3 straight NBA Finals appearances, Jones sees it differently.

"I think it could be a positive thing for him," Jones says. "He knows how to lead stars, lead veterans and lead a team that's trying to go towards a championship that has a chance to win a championship."

Currently, with Kevin Love out for about a month ... the team has turned to rookie Collin Sexton and 2nd-year pro Cedi Osman. Jones thinks it's just not the right roster for Ty's skill set.

"He's best with teams that are already built and ready to win a championship."

Another head coach just got the axe in Cleveland -- Hue Jackson has been fired by the Browns after the team racked up its 5th loss of the season.

The 53-year-old has been the head coach of the Browns since 2016 -- but they've been historically TERRIBLE ever since he took over ... 3-36-1 over the last 3 seasons.

Of course, the team went 0-16 last year but had expected big things after bringing on studs like Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry and others this season.

But, it ain't working out -- the Browns are 2-5-1 this season and things look bad.

Now, Jackson is out (as first reported by Adam Schefter) ... and the Browns are once again a team in dismay.

Bad Fun Fact -- when it comes to career winning percentage, Jackson ranks 218th out of 219 coaches in NFL history who've coached at least 40 games in their career.

Not good.

Ty Lue is getting some love from the Rivers family -- Doc and Austin -- with Doc even saying he'd be down to hire the fired Cavs coach if he doesn't land on his feet.

Lue got his walking papers from Cleveland this weekend after a 0-6 start -- but a lot of people around the league think he got done dirty.

So, when we saw Doc and Austin at Craig's Sunday night, we asked how they felt about Lue.

Austin's never played for Ty but says he's got a ton of respect for him -- based on what he's seen and heard from other big stars in the league.

"Ty's a great dude. He's a good coach," Austin said ... "Whoever gets him will be lucky."

He added, "Heard a lot of great things about him so I think he'll be fine."

By the way, Austin and the Washington Wizards were in town to play the Clippers, coached by his father, Doc.

Megyn Kelly will NOT be back on the air at NBC after her blackface remark, barring a major miracle ... TMZ has confirmed.

"Megyn Kelly Today" aired a repeat on Thursday morning, 2 days after she uncorked the absurd comment that it's okay to wear blackface at Halloween. Sources connected to the network tell us unless a Hail Mary is thrown and caught at some point today ... Megyn is gone for good.

The split with NBC comes the day after Megyn's emotional on-air apology where she insisted she'd learned a lesson due to the backlash.

The mea culpa was clearly a case of too little, too late for the Peacock ... which, to be honest, had issues with Megyn's show even before the blackface blowup. Translation: the ratings were terrible. They'd dropped more than 30 percent, year-to-year, in her time slot.

Another NBC source tells us it didn't help that Megyn's co-workers "hated" being on air with her. One specific example was during coverage of Dr. Christine Ford's testimony -- Megyn was part of the panel with Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt, Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd.

We're told the other anchors and correspondents felt Megyn was way too bluntly conservative on air. Andrea eventually left the panel, mid-coverage.

The divorce -- which, we're told is more mutual than a firing -- isn't shaping up to be quick and easy. Daily Mail, which first reported Megyn's ouster, says she's hired high-powered attorney Bryan Freedman who's scheduled a sit-down with NBC ... no doubt to discuss the terms of her departure. She has a $69 million contract.

Megyn's talent agency, CAA, also dropped her.

NBC's already said it's airing another repeat of her show on Friday.

As for what happens Monday? Stay tuned ...

Former Miami Hurricanes head football coach Al Golden is suing his former employer -- claiming the University screwed him out of $3 million after they fired him back in 2015.

Golden says he signed a massive multi-million dollar contract to lead the Canes back in 2011 -- a deal loaded with incentives. The contract says Golden's initial base salary was $150k per year but the upside was tremendous.

For example ... as part of his deal, the University of Miami guaranteed that in addition to his base salary and bonuses, Golden would get MILLIONS from third parties for TV and radio deals.

$1.25 mil for year 1, $1.675 mil for year 2 ... and incrementally increasing all the way up to $2.94 million for year 9.

Golden would receive a $750k bonus if Miami won the BCS Championship game, $400k for a 2nd place finish, $300k for a non-title BCS bowl game 1st place finish and so on.

More bonuses include ... $25k for 10 regular season wins, $75k for 11 wins and $175k for 12 wins.

He also got $5,000 annually from UM's deal with Nike.

There's more ... Miami also provided Golden with a luxury car, paid for his membership to the fancy Deering Bay Country Club along with a bunch of UM football tickets and usage of the suite at Sun-Life Stadium.

Unclear exactly how Golden got to the $3 million he's asking for in the lawsuit -- but saying it's "separation pay" that he never received based on their deal.