LGBT

LaMelo Ball is adamant he's not a bigot ... telling reporters Sunday that even though he used some anti-gay language earlier in the weekend, he has "love for everybody."

Ball was fined by the NBA just prior to his Sunday evening meeting with the media ... after league officials deemed the "no homo" comment he made in a postgame interview on Saturday "offensive and derogatory."

Ball told journalists following the Hornets' 128-114 loss to the Cavaliers that he "really didn't mean anything" by the remark ... and he doesn't "want to offend anybody."

Lil Nas X isn't doing much to shut down dating rumors with musician Cody Jon ... planting a kiss on his fellow singer's cheek while walking around in Los Angeles Saturday.

The rapper stepped out in Studio City to do some shopping with Cody and, while the two were walking down the street, LNX leaned over and smooched him on his left cheek.

Check out the pics ... Cody smiling while Nas goes in for the kiss, making a face when his lips make contact -- though overall it seems more like he's jokingly making a face than anything.

Denzel Washington threw some shade at the producers of "Gladiator II" when he talked about a gay kiss he had in the film that was cut, allegedly over cold feet ... but it seems there is more to the story, TMZ is told.

A production source tells us ... the moment in question happened, but it was not in the script -- and done during an improvised take of which there were many for the scene.

The kiss take -- and other improvised takes -- ended up on the cutting room floor as a story choice. No prejudice went into making the decision, we're told.

Pedro Pascal may be the star of the new 'Gladiator' flick, but all eyes were on his transgender sister, Lux, at the London premiere of the action movie.

Check it out ... Pedro posed for photographers in an all-black getup for a screening at London's Leicester Square -- but the "Gladiator II" actor paled in comparison to his sister, who was by his side on the red carpet.

While the evening wasn't about Lux, she certainly stole the spotlight ... wearing a revealing black dress that boldly showed off a saucy amount of skin. The gown featured a diamond-shaped cutout situated at the bottom off her ribcage ... and ran all the way down to her lower thigh, giving photogs an ample look at her curves.

Denzel Washington brought some authenticity to his "Gladiator II" character's sexuality ... 'cause he says he straight-up kissed a dude in a scene -- but, fans won't get to see it.

The actor sat down for an interview with Gayety -- an LGBTQ+-focused media company -- and, they asked him about his character's revelation that he'd been in same-sex couplings before ... leaving them to wonder how gay the Roman Empire truly was.

DW says they didn't just reference his character's past in the flick ... they actually showed him lip-to-lip with another man in a scene -- a full-on smooch in the Ancient Rome film.

Worlds are colliding for Jonathan Bailey ... he's starring in the new "Wicked" movie with Ariana Grande, but fans won't let him forget his toe-sucking scene in a hit TV series.

Here's the deal ... Jonathan was at Monday's "Wicked" premiere in Mexico City when some folks in the crowd got his attention ... with a printed-out photo of his infamous "Fellow Travelers" scene where he sucks costar Matt Bomer's toes.

Footage from the funny exchange shows Jonathan walking past a group of fans before stopping in his tracks when he notices someone holding up the toe-sucking print. His eyes light up and he happily autographs the photo, then poses for a pic.

3:09 PM PT -- Elon Musk has responded to his transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson's desire to leave the U.S.A. over Donald Trump's election win ... by reissuing his controversial opinion about her gender identity.

As Vivian's reaction to the election results went viral, Elon posted on X and claimed "the woke mind virus killed [his] son."

The Tesla CEO expressed a similar sentiment over the summer, when he claimed that Vivian had been brainwashed by left-wing propaganda leading to her transition ... which he dubbed the "woke mind virus."

Looks like these two won't be making amends any time soon.

Elon Musk's estranged daughter says she's bailing on the U.S.A. ... 'cause even though Donald Trump's presidency will only last 4 years, the people who voted for him are here to stay.

Vivian Jenna Wilson -- the 20-year-old transgender daughter who the controversial billionaire once said was "killed by the woke mind virus" -- claims she's moving out of the country after Trump's second presidential victory.

Wilson took to Threads to explain her choice ... telling her followers she's given the decision a ton of thought -- and, ultimately, she doesn't see a future for herself in the United States.

Jason Kelce is on video using a homophobic slur in a fight where he's defending his brother Travis Kelce and his girlfriend Taylor Swift ... and the question is was this justified?

We tackle the burning issue in today's edition of TMZ TV Hot Takes ... and this one has the office firing off their opinions.

Harvey and Charles tackled the big story from the weekend on "TMZ Live" ... breaking down the video showing the heated interaction from the Penn State campus before a big football game.

Check out the clip ... and decide for yourself if Jason was right or wrong here.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Chloë Grace Moretz is voting for Kamala Harris ... saying she's going to protect gay women just like her -- the first time she's come out publicly.

The actress posted a picture of her "I Voted Early" sticker stuck to her leg ... letting people in the caption know she's already voted and voted for Kamala Harris.

CGM says there's so much on the line in this election -- specifically mentioning women's rights over their bodies and legal protection for LGBTQ+ individuals ... important issues to her, she says, 'cause she's a gay woman.

2:40 PM PT -- TMZ has just obtained exclusive video ... showing Jason clearly saying "Who is the f***** now?" 3 times to the person who first hurled the slur at him -- this after Jason got shoved to the ground by the dude.

12:56 PM PT -- More video has emerged from the incident involving Jason Kelce ... with the new angle showing the person whose phone Kelce smashed demanding it back.

A scuffle ensues, broken up by people standing near Kelce ... before he appears to yell back at the man "Who is the f***** now?" -- seemingly referencing the comment that was screamed at him earlier.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appeared to call Elon Musk a "gay guy" on the campaign trail ... but the billionaire is brushing off the apparent gaffe.

Kamala Harris' running mate was giving a speech Friday in Detroit, Michigan when he started talking about Elon getting a big tax cut.

Walz appears to say ... "If you're a billionaire, Elon Musk for example, say. That guy, that gay guy got" before stopping himself and laughing ... playing it off by saying, "Michigan knows that word."

Shawn Mendes is getting a standing ovation from Colorado Governor Jared Polis ... after Shawn opened up to a concert crowd there and revealed he's still trying to figure out his sexuality.

The "Treat You Better" singer was performing at Colorado's iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre Monday when he addressed yearslong speculation about his sexuality, saying it's a work in progress.

Gov. Polis, Colorado's first openly gay governor, tells TMZ ... "Red Rocks is a great place to share anything and everything. Colorado is a state where everyone, no matter who they are, can love who they love without fear and be who they are."

Shawn Mendes has heard the years-long buzz about his sexuality, and he addressed it head on Monday night at his concert ... saying it's a work in progress.

Shawn performed songs from his new album at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, and opened up in a stunningly honest way, saying, "The real truth about my life and my sexuality is, man, I'm just figuring it out like everyone. I don't really know sometimes and I know other times."

Mendes, who was recently linked to both Camila Cabello and Sabrina Carpenter, went on ... "I think it's kind of silly because I think sexuality is a beautifully complex thing and it's so hard to just put into boxes."

"Queer Eye" star Bobby Berk is looking to sell his Hollywood Hills estate ... and he's got a 7-figure price tag on the home he designed all by himself.

Bobby listed his 4-bedroom home this week for $2.75 million ... and the property is 2,924 square feet of modern luxury.

The primary suite has a spa-like bath and a huge walk-in closet ... and the gourmet kitchen has high-end appliances, chic brass cabinets and marble counters.

Valentina Sampaio is feeling seen and celebrated after her inclusion in the 2024 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show ... where she made history as one of the first trans models to participate in the runway event.

We caught up with the Brazilian model following her big debut, and she made it clear the significance of her runway walk is not lost on her ... confessing the moment was "a dream come true."

She said ... "One that so many people told me, 'no.' That [the dream] would be impossible for me to ever realize -- [but] I just did."

'Golden Bachelorette' star Bob Kilroy is honored to be the "accidental advocate" for the LGBTQ+ community ... but is shocked by all the attention he's received since opening up about his lesbian Thanksgivings.

We caught up with Bob at Alfred's Coffee in Marina del Rey on Wednesday, where he explained how his annual tradition, which has been dubbed "the Marina Peninsula Home for Wayward Lesbians," came to be ... and teased what's in store for future gatherings.

Watch the video ... Bob details how his Instagram and TikTok have been flooded with responses following his appearance on Joan Vassos' season of the ABC dating competition.