Xavien Howard Woman Sues NFL Star ... You Gave Me Herpes!!!

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A woman is suing Xavien Howard ... alleging the Miami Dolphins star gave her an "incurable STD."

The woman, ID'ed as "Jane Doe" in the suit, claims she met the football player back in 2018 ... and shortly afterward, began dating him. She says at the time, Howard told her he had no STDs -- and even provided her with a copy of his negative test results.

In 2019, however, she said in the suit that Howard discovered he had contracted genital herpes ... but never informed her of the diagnosis, and continued to have unprotected sex with her.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Doe says she eventually contracted the STD from Howard ... and ultimately confronted the 29-year-old over it.

She claims the cornerback -- a three-time Pro Bowler who signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension with Miami this year -- initially denied knowledge of his condition, but then came clean.

"Maaaaan I been told you I was sorry for giving it to you," she says Howard told her. "But what can I do now? The damage is done. You keep bringing it up as if it gon change sumthin. Like yo a** can't move on."

Doe is suing for negligent transmission of genital herpes and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She's asking for unspecified damages.

Kanye West Sued By Former Business Manager Ye Says Contract was 'Bulls***'

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Kanye West and his company, Yeezy, are getting hauled into court by his former business manager, who claims the rapper flagrantly violated their deal ... a deal Kanye says he was never going to honor.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Thomas St. John claims he was hired as Ye's senior financial advisor and Chief Financial Officer for a guaranteed term of 18 months ... and was to be paid a monthly, $300,000 retainer fee.

St. John says after getting the first three payments, Ye got "heated and aggressive" during a meeting at Nobu ... proclaiming he didn't want to work with St. John anymore.

St. John says he brought up the 18-month term, and Kanye responded, “The 18-month term was bulls***” and “You’re insane for even thinking I would stick to it.”

St. John is seeking $4.5M in damages -- $900K for the months missed so far, and another $3.6M for the remainder of the contract. He's gunning for punitive damages as well.

As you know, Kanye's been losing business deals left and right after his anti-Semitic rants, with Adidas being one of his biggest losses. He posted on Instagram late Wednesday night, saying he lost $2B in one day as a result.

Elon Musk Fires Top Twitter Execs ... After Purchase Made Official

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Elon Musk officially took the reigns at Twitter on Thursday … as he closed his $44 billion deal for the social media giant, but then he quickly started to clean house.

In his first order of business as the company’s new CEO, Musk reportedly went on a firing spree, picking off at least 4 senior executives.

Among those canned were now former Twitter head Parag Agrawal, Policy executive Vijaya Gadde, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and top Legal and general counsel Sean Edgett. Security guards ushered one or more of the execs out of Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, the New York Times reported.

The Tesla/Space X boss gave no formal reason for their removal... but it was no secret there was tension between Musk and the Twitter chiefs during months of legal wrangling that nearly derailed the sale of the company.

After inking the megawatt deal, Musk triumphantly tweeted late Thursday night, “the bird is free” seemingly a reference to him making Twitter an inclusive place for all voices and opinions. Twitter has received a rash of criticism for kicking conservatives -- including 45th President Donald Trump -- off its platform for allegedly disseminating misinformation and hate speech.

Musk, a self-described "free speech absolutist, has promised to reverse Trump's "permanent ban" from the service. He also plans to foster his new open vision for the so-called "digital town square," which some critics say will only exacerbate the spread of fake news and poisonous content.

But, Musk hit back at his critics, explaining ... "In the relentless pursuit of clicks, much of traditional media has fueled and catered to those polarized extremes, as they believe that is what brings in the money, but, in doing so, the opportunity for dialogue is lost."

He goes on, "That is why I bought Twitter. I didn't do it because it would be easy. I didn't do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility."

Saviii 3rd Arrested for Stolen Studio Gear And Codeine Possession

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L.A. rapper Saviii 3rd won't be getting tricks or treats on Halloween, instead, he'll be in court for an arrest -- cops say he bolted out of a studio session with over $3,000 worth of equipment.

Burbank police sources tell TMZ Hip Hop ... Saviii was recording inside Royal Rehearsal studio Wednesday night before he allegedly stole a speaker, mic, mac hard drive and a monitor ... and a few other pieces of equipment.

We're told officers detained the ex-Cash Money Records artist and his entourage in the back of the studio's parking lot. Saviii, whose government name is Tyrus Washington, identified himself as Johnnie Lee Brown ... according to cops.

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The fake name didn't help ... police searched Saviii and say they found what they believe to be methamphetamine on him. They also allegedly found codeine cough syrup, evidence of identity theft and the studio equipment.

Saviii was arrested and booked into Burbank jail. They didn't discover the fake name until they fingerprinted the rapper, and they also found an active warrant for a probation violation under his real name.

Before his arrest, Saviii's final Instagram story shows a bottle of Wockhardt promethazine codeine and several bottles of Faygo soda. It's unclear if these are the bottles cops allegedly found in his car.

The investigation is ongoing, and Saviii's due in court on October 31. No costume required.

Robert Flaxman Real Estate Developer Dies By Suicide After College Admissions Scandal Conviction

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Robert Flaxman, one of the dozens of people charged in the college admissions scandal alongside Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, has died by suicide.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Robert's friends requested a welfare check on him last week at his home in Malibu -- and cops found he'd hanged himself.

According to our sources, coroners marked the case as closed, listing the manner of his death as suicide. We're told no note was found, but authorities did say Robert had a history of depression.

You'll recall, the real estate developer was charged alongside Lori, Felicity, and 47 others in the massive college admissions scandal back in 2019 ... all for paying hefty amounts to get their kids into top-tier schools across the country.

Robert pled guilty and was sentenced to a month behind bars, followed by a year of supervised release. He was also ordered to complete 250 hours of community service and pay a $50K fine.

He was 66.

RIP.

If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

Jake Paul I'm On My High Horse!!! ... Before Silva Fight

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The Problem Child looked more like the Problem Cowboy ahead of his fight against Anderson Silva ... 'cause Jake Paul showed up on horseback to his open workout on Wednesday!!

The undefeated boxer -- who's known for his grandiose antics before bouts -- decided to one-up himself in Phoenix ... by doing his best Canelo Alvarez impression and making friends with a foal.

Of course, Canelo is known for his love of animals ... and has showcased his horse-dancing skills over the years.

Paul eventually got off his horse and got to work ... showing off his moves in the ring.

But not only did Paul ride on a horse -- he had several HPs on his wrist, too ... with a Bugatti watch he wore to the open workout!!

TMZ Sports has learned, JP was rockin' a Bugatti Chiron 16-cylinder Tourbillon watch made by Jacob and Co.

The limited edition is designed with 18k of rose gold, anti-reflective sapphire crystals, and a 30-degree inclined Tourbillon cage. Unsure what Jakey dropped ... but we're told the retail price for this bling is $380k!!!

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LOOKIN' SHARP

Silva also had his time to shine during his workout -- although, he did not have a horse.

Paul is now the favorite (-190) to beat Silva on Saturday ... after initially coming in as the underdog.

Silva says he's been training like crazy to prove the doubters wrong ... and after reports he was knocked out twice in sparring (which he says was NOT true), he released a statement confirming he's in fantastic fighting shape.

"I am fit and ready to fight and the only knockout people should be worried about is the one I'm about to deliver to Jake Paul on Saturday night."

One thing's for sure -- there won't be any horsing around on Saturday ... even if Jake's new friend is ringside.

Kanye West I'm Back On IG ... After Losing $2 BILLION!!!

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Kanye West is back on Instagram, and taking the opportunity to get his followers up to speed on his side of all his drama ... including confirmation he just lost a massive amount of wealth in a single day.

The rapper put up some posts Wednesday night and early Thursday morning after IG lifted restrictions ... one being a meme about "Ye cutting ties with Kanye West," and the other about the specifics of his designs for Adidas and Gap. Perhaps trying to add some humor, he included the caption, "I haven't got super model p**** in over a month."

Ye was pretty defiant, though, about the Adidas divorce shaving $900 million off his net worth -- according to Forbes -- and he's pinning the loss on Endeavour CEO Ari Emanuel.

He directed one post at the talent agency powerhouse that reads ... "I LOST 2 BILLION DOLLARS IN ONE DAY AND I’M STILL ALIVE THIS IS LOVE SPEECH I STILL LOVE YOU GOD STILL LOVES YOU THE MONEY IS NOT WHO I AM THE PEOPLE IS WHO I AM."

Remember, Ari publicly urged companies and individuals to cut ties with Kanye following his antisemitic comments.

After almost all of his biz partners ran for the hills, Forbes now puts Ye's net worth around $400 million.

As we reported, he's hustling to try to make new deals ... Ye hit up Skechers HQ Wednesday -- uninvited, mind you -- with the possible goal of finding a new manufacturing and distribution partner for Yeezy.

He struck out at the Jewish-owned and operated company ... as security immediately escorted him out of the building.

Elon Musk I Bought Twitter!!!

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Elon Musk is officially Twitter's new daddy -- at least according to Elon Musk -- who says he hopes the platform will continue to be a digital town square for years to come.

The Tesla/SpaceX boss explained his reasons for the $44 billion purchase Thursday, saying, "There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide in our society."

He continues, "In the relentless pursuit of clicks, much of traditional media has fueled and catered to those polarized extremes, as they believe that is what brings in the money, but, in doing so, the opportunity for dialogue is lost."

He says, "That is why I bought Twitter. I didn't do it because it would be easy. I didn't do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility."

Elon's Twitter bio reflects his new purchase as well, calling himself the "Chief Twit." There's also a video that circulated this week showing the guy roaming about headquarters with moving boxes.

Like we said ... it closes the book on what turned out to be a bitter acquisition -- one that almost didn't happen when Elon threatened to pull out at the last minute. Remember, he said he felt Twitter wasn't giving him enough info on bots and spam accounts ... and that the value of the company might not have been as high as he was willing to pay at first.

In his mind, it gave him every legal reason to walk away -- but Twitter wasn't budging without a fight. The old regime took him to court and was dead set on holding him to the original terms, and as a trial loomed ... Elon blinked first and agreed to go through with it.

There's been a lot of talk about what Elon might aim to change at Twitter now that he's in charge. You'll recall, this all started with his gripes about free speech being severely limited on the platform -- and all signs point to him loosening the rules a bit as far as what's acceptable to tweet ... much to the chagrin of many critics, including current employees.

Speaking of those folks, there've been recent reports claiming that Elon plans to gut at least 75% of Twitter's workforce -- while also bashing a lot of them as left-leaning. There've been protests to push back on this, but at this point ... it's Elon's show, and he calls the shots.

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LET THAT SINK IN

Get ready for some major changes ... including whether Twitter remains free. Now that Elon's at the helm, he's gotta find a way to generate revenue from this thing to make his co-financers happy -- and a couple more promoted tweet ad buys aren't gonna cut it.

Kanye West Peloton Swears Off His Music ... For All Future Classes

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Kanye West is persona non grata for Peloton -- the exercise company is banning his music from any new future classes.

Peloton took a stance Wednesday in a statement to Pelobuddy ... "We take this issue very seriously and can confirm Peloton indefinitely paused the use of Kanye West’s music on our platform. This means our instructors are no longer using his music in any newly produced classes and we are not suggesting any class that includes his music in our proactive recommendations to Members."

They add, "You should know this was a decision we made immediately following his remarks. Again, thank you for sharing your concerns and thank you for being a Member of our Peloton community."

The statement comes on the heels of Peloton's Alex Toussaint -- a popular cycling instructor -- declaring he would not be playing Ye's tunes during any of his classes. He said this on Monday during his Hip Hop Ride at 7 PM ET ... without ever naming the guy.

Toussaint said he doesn't tolerate hate speech and that he stands with the Jewish community -- going on to promise he would foster a safe space and not play "that artist." It seems his bosses felt that policy should apply across the board ... and it's a big deal.

There's been a lot of folks wondering what might happen to Kanye's music as he continues to fall from grace. Until now, there hadn't been many rumblings about censoring//muting his catalog -- but at this point, it appears the door's starting to be opened a bit.

This could potentially hurt him big time if it's adopted en masse -- as Forbes noted, much of his current $400 million estimated net worth is made up from music royalties. And, if enough people stop playing him all at once, that could affect his bottom line tremendously.

Celtics' Grant Williams Suspended One Game Without Pay ... For Making Contact With Referee

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The Celtics will be without Grant Williams for one game -- the NBA just suspended the forward after making contact with a referee during Boston's matchup against the Bulls this week.

The call was made during the 4th quarter of the Celtics game on Oct. 24 ... after Williams was charged with a blocking foul against Zach LaVine.

The 6'6" baller disagreed with the call and unintentionally bumped into referee Cheryl Flores as he got up with frustration.

Williams was immediately ejected for making contact ... and he was so pissed, he had to be forced into the United Center tunnel by Celtics coaching staffers.

The NBA's Executive VP Joe Dumars announced Williams was suspended for one game without pay "for recklessly making contact with and directing inappropriate language toward a game official."

This means Williams -- who's averaging 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game so far this season -- will be out for Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers ... leaving the Celtics without one of their key role players in a tough matchup with an Eastern Conference opponent.

Kanye West 'Sell Yeezy' Google Searches Skyrocket After Adidas Cuts Ties

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When Adidas decided to stop producing products for Kanye West, people from around the globe rushed to the Internet to check the temp of selling the popular Yeezy shoe.

Google searches for the phrase "sell Yeezy" skyrocketed a whopping 581% Wednesday -- according to data commissioned by Celeb Tattler -- after news broke that Adidas was dropping their contract with Ye and stopping production of his brand's products.

The numbers suggest folks are trying to figure out if it's a good idea to start selling their Yeezy gear now, or wait for prices to potentially increase in the future.

As we reported ... Adidas, Kanye's biggest corporate partner, announced Tuesday they were cutting ties with Ye in the wake of building public pressure following his antisemitic comments.

The German shoe company says a "thorough review" of the Yeezy partnership projects a $246 million loss in net income this year by ending the deal.

The big question now ... what happens with the Yeezy resale market.

Ohio Fishermen Plead Not Guilty To Charges ... In Cheating Scandal Case

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The two Ohio fishermen who left the sports world stunned after allegedly stuffing fish with weights during a tournament pled not guilty to multiple charges on Wednesday.

42-year-old Jacob Runyan and 35-year-old Chase Cominsky were indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on felony charges of cheating, attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools ... as well as misdemeanor unlawful ownership of wild animals.

Both anglers appeared in a Cleveland court on Wednesday ... but neither spoke.

Runyan, a native of Ohio, and Cominsky, a native of Pennsylvania, were on the verge of winning $28,760 for the two seven-pound walleyes fish they caught during the Lake Erie event in September.

The problem ... officials were suspicious of Runyan's and Cominsky's haul -- and once they cut the fish open, they noticed they contained weights and other fish filets inside.

Both Runyan and Cominsky had been suspected of cheating in past tournaments, though there was never enough evidence to nab the two.

Fans at the event were frustrated ... and insisted that the honchos in charge file a police report against both men.

Both were released Wednesday on personal bonds of $2,500.

Deshaun Watson Calls BS On Accuser DMs Prove I'm Innocent!!!

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Deshaun Watson is adamant he NEVER pressured his latest accuser into giving him oral sex ... claiming he has a bevy of DMs from the massage therapist that contradict her story.

Watson was sued by the woman, ID'ed as Jane Doe, back on Oct. 13 over an alleged 2020 encounter with the QB ... but in a new court filing, obtained by TMZ Sports, the Cleveland Browns star is calling BS on her allegations.

In the documents, Watson and his attorneys showed several direct messages as well as texts that they say revealed the woman was experiencing "unrequited love" with the football player.

Watson and his team of lawyers claim some of the messages were sent in Sept. 2021, nearly one year after the 2020 meetup where Watson was accused of being inappropriate with the woman.

In one of the messages, which Watson's attorneys say he did not respond to, they say the woman told the 27-year-old, "do you want to meet?" In others, they claim she said, "I have the best head in all of Houston," and, "Let me know when your ready to make big deposits."

Watson and his attorneys also say the woman sent him texts just days after their 2020 meetup, where she told him, "I'd like to see you again we should hang out."

Watson's lawyers say in the documents the woman did go to authorities with her allegations ... but they "were considered -- and ultimately rejected -- by police, the Harris County District Attorney's Office and a Harris County Grand Jury."

They also claim the woman was interviewed by Watson's counsel in 2021 over the claims ... and she said at the time, "I wasn't scared, I wasn't intimidated. I didn't do anything I didn't want to do."

In the docs, Watson and his team are asking the court to impose monetary sanctions on the woman's legal team.

Kanye West Yeezy Brand Rejected by T.J. Maxx

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T.J. Maxx is the latest company to pull the plug on Kanye West's Yeezy brand ... following others' decisions to cut ties due to the rapper's antisemitic and bigoted comments.

TJX Companies -- operators of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods -- announced its decision Wednesday ... telling CNNBusiness, "At TJX we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hate of any kind. We have instructed our buying teams not to purchase this merchandise for sale in any of our stores globally.”

As we reported, Kanye's "death con 3" post -- plus his subsequent, and repeated, claims Jewish people run Hollywood and banks -- have resulted in companies boycotting the artist. Adidas, Kanye's biggest corporate partner, announced Tuesday it was cutting ties with Ye.

Google searches for the phrase "sell Yeezy" reportedly skyrocketed a whopping 581% Wednesday on the heels of the Adidas news ... which, btw, cost Kanye his billionaire status.

Lil Durk Sued For Missed Concert Stemming From Shooting Arrest

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10:47 AM PT -- Lil Durk's attorney Ariel Mitchell tells TMZ ... “The frivolous lawsuit filed by Plaintiff and its attorneys is being publicized in an attempt to usurp the news of Mr. Bank’s exoneration from the 2019 charges to extort a payday. The lawsuit has no merit as it was the Plaintiff’s own failure to secure a visa which caused denial of entry by immigration. Further, we are confident this lawsuit will be immediately dismissed for several procedural errors. Mr. Banks looks forward to traveling the globe on tour in the near future.”

Lil Durk might have to pay a very steep price for missing a scheduled performance in the Bahamas, due to his 2019 arrest for a Georgia shooting.

According to a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ, Durk was slated for a concert in Nassau back in December, 2019 ... and promotors say they negotiated a deal with Durk, sending him $24k in up-front payments. They also claim they poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into promoting and putting on the event.

But, Durk never made it on that stage, because when he flew into The Bahamas, immigration authorities learned he had pending felony charges against him in Atlanta for a shooting earlier that year, and they refused to let him into the country. So, he was a no-show.

Interestingly, Durk fought the criminal case -- he'd been facing 5 felonies, including assault and weapons charges -- and although it took years, he eventually came out on top. As we reported ... the D.A. just dropped the case.

That being said, the concert promoters say Lil Durk kept their cash and has refused to reschedule. They also allege he's tried to milk them for an additional $200k, on top of the original fee, if they ever want him to make up the show.

Fresh Entertainment, the event organizers, claim they specifically asked Lil Durk’s people back in 2019 whether he had any legal issues that might prevent him from getting into the Bahamas, and they were assured he did not.

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GET YOUR TICKETS

They're now suing Durk for breach of contract, and seeking $350k -- which is the money they've paid him, plus what they spent planning the concert.

We've reached out to Durk for comment ... so far no word back.

Kanye West Free Ye From Candace Owens ... Says His Pal Consequence

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Kanye West’s empire is dwindling by the day, and although he still has Candace Owens on his side -- one of Ye’s closest advisors says that's not a good thing.

Ye’s longtime collaborator Consequence called out Candace Tuesday … labeling her association with the team “an experiment,” and posting a short clip of Ye greeting a crowd while wearing his infamous 'White Lives Matter' shirt.

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Cons slammed the 'WLM' shirts, calling them a bad idea from the jump.

Fact is that tarnished Yeezy gear did begin the spiral that saw Ye on the outs with the likes of CAA, Vogue, Balenciaga and now Adidas ... which cost him his billionaire status, according to Forbes.

The German shoe giant kicked Ye to the curb Tuesday due to his repeated antisemitic remarks -- but Candace has unflinchingly defended him, demanding Adidas cash him out what he's owed.

If you remember, it was also Candace who helped Ye tout the 'WLM' tees earlier this month, much to the disbelief of many of his supporters.

Cons is the first from the old G.O.O.D Music camp to speak out against the disastrous trail blazed by Ye … but his thoughts do align with Kareem “Biggs” Burke, who helped manage Ye’s career during the early days with Roc-A-Fella Records.

Biggs recently told TMZ Hip Hop ... Ye’s 'WLM' movement was harming the Black community in spite of any beef with the actual Black Lives Matter organization.

Ye once rapped about not having enough "real friends" in his corner, but as brands, banks and corporations jump ship ... that seems like more than just a lyric.