Gossip / Rumors

DeMario Jackson's ex-gf -- the woman who exposed him as a villain on national TV -- is actually coming to his defense in the Corinne Olympios scandal ... but she has a strange way of doing it.

Lexi Thexton claims DeMario is nothing more than a "30-year-old man child" who parties way too much -- but also says there's no way the "Bachelor in Paradise" star would knowingly take advantage of a drunk woman ... as Corinne insinuated when she declared she's a victim.

For Lexi to say anything supportive about her ex is a big deal. Mind you, she also called him a "sh***y guy" who's completely self-absorbed ... among a list of other insults. She did offer a theory about what really happened with Corinne -- and strongly believes it's more about 2 people getting too drunk.

For non-'Bachelorette' viewers ... Lexi made a surprise appearance on the show, calling out DeMario for trying to woo Rachel Lindsay while still dating her. He got booted off the show that very same episode.

Scott Disick is mending burned bridges one flower bouquet at a time, starting with Bella Thorne.

Bella shared a pic of a gorgeous pink rose and peonies bouquet Tuesday night, and our sources say Scott's the mystery guy who ordered 'em.

Amazingly, we're told they're talking again after that Cannes vacation nightmare -- and Scott even invited her to his place once he got back from his international bender. Yes, she accepted.

As for her ex, Gregg Sulkin, with whom she's been spotted recently ... we're told it's not serious.

One note of caution for Bella, or just a huge coincidence -- Kourtney Kardashian posted a pic of flowers she got ... a few hours before Bella got hers, and it's an oddly similar bouquet.

Just sayin' ...

Don't pack for Beantown just yet, Markelle Fultz ... if Mark Wahlberg has his way you'll NEVER be a Celtic, cause he tells TMZ Sports the C's should swap the #1 pick for his boy, Jimmy Butler.

Or another big star ...

We got Wahlberg out in NYC and asked him about the Celtics' envious dilemma, whether to use the #1 pick in this year's draft on a college stud (probably Fultz) or trade for an elite NBA player.

Mark -- a huge Celtics fan -- made his position clear, he wants to slang the pick, and wouldn't mind getting his good friend -- and Bulls star -- Jimmy Butler back in return.

Your move, Danny Ainge ... second place for next five years could be yours.

LeBron James' hoops legacy is like your grandmother's old silver ... TARNISHED ... that's according to The Game who said this latest Finals loss puts MJ and Kobe ahead of LBJ FOREVER.

We got Chuck Taylor out at The Parlor in L.A. right after the final buzzer and asked the hip-hop superstar what another loss on the big stage means for LeBron.

FYI -- James is now 3-5 all-time in the NBA Finals ... not exactly dominant, but not too shabby either.

Game DOESN'T hold back (when does he?) saying LeBron isn't on the level of The Mamba & his Airness, 'cause he's just done too much losing.

Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost are NOT a one-off -- she and the 'SNL'er had another night out on the town.

They reportedly hit Manhattan's Upper East Side Saturday night for dinner and drinks at East Pole. They were seen holding hands through the meal ... according to the NY Post.

Colin and Scarlett were first seen together last month after she made a guest appearance on 'SNL's' season finale. They were reportedly hanging all over each other and making out at the cast after-party that night.

By all accounts the dinner was much more chill, but had the look of a more serious date.

Scarlett's in the middle of divorcing Romain Dauriac.

Props to Colin -- no better time to put a rebound on your stat line.

One of Rachel Lindsay's guys on "The Bachelorette" was determined, or even desperate, to be on the show ever since he was in high school.

Fan fave Peter Kraus listed his future plans in his 2005 high school yearbook. The senior at Edgewood High in Madison, WI wrote ... "Go to art school, become famous in one way or another, be on The Bachelor, live happily."

Welp ... he can knock being on the show off his bucket list, which arguably means ... he's accomplished the "famous" part too.

There's fan speculation Peter's the guy Rachel picks, and actually gets engaged to at the end of the season. She does seem really into him.

Makes ya wonder if she knows about Peter's high school ambitions.

You knew it was coming ... here's Dana White lashing back at Demetrious Johnson -- essentially calling BS on all the claims DJ made in his scathing statement about the UFC.

Earlier this month, Mighty Mouse blasted Dana -- saying the UFC has bullied, mistreated and mis-marketed him over the years ... and he feels completely disrespected.

Enter White -- who we saw in Bev Hills -- who responded to DJ point by point.

Dana on UFC contract and Pay-Per-View deals:

"He didn't want Pay-Per-View. He wanted upfront money, no Pay-Per-View. He wasn't very confident in his abilities to sell Pay-Per-Views. He has the lowest-selling Pay-Per-View in the history of the UFC in the modern era."

Dana on DJ's fighting future:

"I think a fight between him and T.J. Dillashaw would be something that people would actually be interested in and could sell Pay-Per-Views and could make money. But he absolutely refuses to fight the guy. It's ridiculous."

Dana on marketing DJ:

"We're not marketing him right? We built a TV show around him. 'The Ultimate Fighter' was about what an incredible fighter he is. We put him on Fox many times and tried to build him and it is what it is. It's not me."

Dana on where DJ ranks as a fighter:

"The media claims he's the pound for pound best fighter in the world. I think Conor McGregor is the pound for pound best fighter in the world."

Halle Berry couldn't stomach rumors she was pregnant, so she let her stomach do the talking to prove she's not.

The 50-year-old actress was leaving Cecconi's restaurant in WeHo Thursday night ... baring just enough to throw shade on everyone who jumped to conclusions based on photos taken a few days ago.

As we reported, we confirmed Halle's not having another kid, but hey ... this is hard evidence.

Another big star calling "fake news" on a major newspaper -- with Dana White saying reports he's not involved in the Mayweather vs. McGregor talks are complete BS.

The UFC honcho was at Mastro's in Bev Hills on Thursday when we asked about a Los Angeles Times article that says it's the UFC's ownership group (WME-IMG) and NOT White currently involved in negotiations.

"We live in a world right now where you can't believe anything that you read," White said in a shot at the L.A. Times ... "Who else would be running the Mayweather, McGregor deal than me?"

When we asked if WME was running point, White told us, "What does WME know about making big fights?"

"Trust me, I'm running the Mayweather, McGregor deal."

Chicago Cubs star Addison Russell is strongly denying accusations of domestic violence against his wife ... calling the claims "false and hurtful" in a statement Thursday.

Melisa -- Russell's wife of 1 year -- posted a pic on Instagram Wednesday hinting the couple had split due to infidelity. Melisa's close friend went one step further, commenting Russell had "mentally and physically" abused his wife ... sparking an MLB investigation, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

But Russell is adamant he's done nothing wrong, saying “Any allegation I have abused my wife is false and hurtful. For the well-being of my family, I’ll have no no further comment.”

Bill Cosby's wife was MIA from court for the 3rd consecutive day of his sexual assault trial, and it's standing out to the media ... and possibly the jury.

We checked, and Bill and Camille Cosby haven't been photographed together in public since April 26, when they walked separately into an NYC office building.

While Cosby has shown up for his trial in PA with 2 former co-stars this week -- Keshia Knight Pulliam on Monday, and Sheila Frazier on Wednesday -- Camille no-showing could hurt her husband's defense.

Fact is, in sexual assault cases, attorneys typically want the spouse of the accused to publicly show support. There are reports Camille will eventually be in court, but first impressions matter ... especially with juries.

Ryan Lochte NEVER thought about killing himself -- or hurting himself in any way -- after the 2016 Rio Olympics ... despite media reports suggesting otherwise, this according to Lochte himself.

Earlier this week, Lochte told ESPN he "was about to hang up my entire life" after the Rio incident -- and when asked if that meant he considered suicide, nodded his head slowly.

But Lochte tells TMZ Sports, "To be clear, yes I was in a very dark place after Rio, but I never thought about taking my own life."

"That’s the media twisting what I told ESPN. I would never do that. That’s not me."

Lochte goes on ... "I’m a fighter, always have been, and always will be. I knew that I would do whatever necessary to get through that horrible time, and most importantly to once again earn the trust of my friends, family, and the public, who have always been so supportive of me."

Lochte says he's in a great place now -- both personally and professionally -- and he's excited for his fiancee, Kayla, to give birth to their son any minute now.

That amazing water slide video -- where the guy glides across the surface of the pool -- is really fishy. Or at least one key part of it is.

Like the rest of you, we've been watching the clip over and over ... trying to understand how it could be. Admittedly, we suck at physics, but we slowed down the video and noticed the electric glider's shirt appears to be fully on as he scoots across the water. Just as he reaches the pool's edge, a woman walks in front of the camera -- after she passes, the guy is pulling his shirt back over his head.

Hmm ... seems like there could have been an edit.

Still, we also found a slew of other vids from the resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and there are NO obvious edits in these clips. Like we said ... physics. Go figure.

Big Papi says he's NOT gonna unretire and hit for the Boston Red Sox this season -- despite a big endorsement from his legendary ex-teammate, Pedro Martinez.

Pedro got everyone talking Monday when he tweeted out, "Big Papi is working out, and I know he is in baseball shape, and the @RedSox could use a bit of his bat."

So, when we saw David Ortiz at CC & Amber Sabathia's PitCCh At Foundation charity event in NYC, we had to ask if a comeback was on the table.

Unfortunately, Ortiz shoots that down ... telling TMZ Sports he's too busy enjoying his retirement and watching quality television programming.

Halle Berry is not pregnant ... repeat, not pregnant ... this according to reliable sources very close to the actress.

This pic raised some eyebrows over the weekend, but Halle shot the rumors down, saying, "Can a girl have some steak and fries??"

Now, she could be lying, but we know she's telling people super close to her it's not true, and she's not really dating anyone anyway.

The 50-year-old has 2 kids.

Usher wasn't at the One Love Manchester concert for two very good reasons -- his son needed him and, more to the point, he wasn't ever scheduled to perform at the concert.

Usher says Sunday was his son's first day at a camp for kids with diabetes. As he put it, "This was an important day for him and for myself as a proud father." He added ... "Stay strong UK."

As for why everyone was expecting him to be at the show -- a UK publicist for the concert initially announced Usher and David Beckham would be "making appearances." We're told that was a reference to recorded messages both made, which were played during the concert ... and NOT live performances or appearances.

The publicist eventually took their names off the list, but by that point ... word had spread.

Still, Usher said ... "So happy to see that last night's concert in Manchester proved that love always prevails."