Musicians

Brian McKnight's ex-wife says there's no way he can sue her for defamation ... because he destroyed his own public image long before she talked about his relationship with their son.

Julie McKnight responded to Brian's lawsuit earlier this month ... filing an answer full of affirmative defenses.

The first of these defenses hinges upon what she says is "pre-existing self-inflicted reputational damage" ... basically, Julie says Brian was already known publicly as a terrible father -- so her own comments to that effect couldn't have caused any more damage to his reputation.

Diddy scored a major win in his defamation case against lawyer Ariel Mitchell and her client Courtney Burgess, the man who claims he has video of Diddy sexually assaulting minors and celebs.

Mitchell tried to get Diddy's lawsuit tossed out, but the judge said not so fast ... and ruled that her arguments just weren't convincing enough to stop the case from moving forward.

In the order, dated Sept. 4, the judge specifically noted that Mitchell's allegations were not mere opinion or hyperbole, finding the statements that Diddy sexually assaulted people and secretly recorded sexual partners have "precise meanings that are readily understood."

"South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are apologizing for their $100 million big-budget musical being shelved.

The Ankler first reported that Trey and Matt's untitled musical comedy film, known internally at Paramount as "Whitney Springs," has been placed on the back burner for now.

"South Park" writer Vernon Chatman penned the script ... the movie is said to be a musical comedy about slavery reparations. Kendrick Lamar helped produce, and he recorded original music for the flick.

It looks like the Spice Girls are about to spice up your life ... because they're definitely teasing something BIG ... and it's got folks riled up.

Check it out ... the girl band posted a cryptic video Wednesday -- set on the same stairs from the "Wannabe" music video -- of a newspaper ad in "The Stage."

It reads … "R U a Spice Girls fan with the ability to sing and dance? R U a superfan, a collector, a music lover? Spice Girls are a widely successful, global, choreographed, singing/dancing all female pop act with a record nine number ones in the UK and over 100 million global sales."

Kid Cudi says the First Amendment protects his decision to fire M.I.A. from his tour ... making the bombshell constitutional assertion in response to her recent legal filing.

Here's the deal ... M.I.A. filed a lawsuit against Kid Cudi -- claiming he unjustly fired her for making political comments during his tour despite her insisting he knew her politics when he brought her on board.

She also alleges she was fired to drum up publicity for the tour ... and claims Cudi caused her to miss out on a $2.8 million guarantee from Live Nation.

Kid Cudi's saying not so fast ... because the First Amendment protects his right to dictate the artistic and political content of his show and make casting decisions consistent with those decisions.

Lady Gaga and her fiancé, Michael Polansky, are NOT married ... despite speculation in a tabloid report ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the pair have NOT tied the knot and remain engaged. We're told close family members saw Gaga and Michael together within the last couple of weeks and know they are not married.

The report also suggested Gaga and Michael moved to Northern California, specifically Marin County ... but our sources say they remain Malibu residents. We're told the couple may have visited the area, but they have not relocated.

Alanis Morissette says you oughta know postpartum depression can seriously screw with your mental state ... admitting she had scary invasive thoughts during her own struggle.

The singer-songwriter joined Alex Cooper on her "Call Her Daddy" podcast to discuss dealing with the disorder ... telling Alex her postpartum became worse and worse after each pregnancy. She has three children.

Alanis says she essentially became another person ... plagued by super "harrowing" invasive thoughts -- as well as anxiety, depression and rage.

Dolly Parton's sister Stella Parton says some of her relatives were caught off guard by her death ... because not everyone in the family knew she had cancer.

Stella told "CBS Mornings" in an interview with Gayle King airing Thursday ... "She didn’t want a lot of the family worried about it. Some of us knew, the ones that were closer, but not every relative." 

The 77-year-old made a good point ... the legendary singer just "did not want people sad."

This isn't the first time Dolly's sister has set the record straight on the music icon's death.

Suki Waterhouse says she's not going to make her daughter earn a job in Hollywood the hard way ... promising she'll be "nepo-babying the hell out of her."

The singer-songwriter spoke to NYLON in a wide-ranging interview published Wednesday morning ... and, near the end of the interview, she was asked if she'd discourage her 2-year-old daughter -- whom she shares with Robert Pattinson -- from following them into the entertainment world.

There's a crazy amount of public pressure -- especially on women in entertainment, who are scrutinized at every turn ... but Suki says her daughter can be an entertainer if she wants.

Suki says she'd not only sign off on it ... she'd actively help her out by embracing nepotism!!!

Megan Thee Stallion says she never really felt good about dating NBA star Klay Thompson ... claiming she tried to make pieces fit that didn't belong together.

The rapper reflected on her short-lived relationship with Klay in an exclusive interview with InStyle ... saying she felt "on edge all the time."

Megan explains ... "I think I just kept trying to make pieces fit that didn't belong, trying to fit myself into someone else's life. I was losing myself a little bit. I am now in the space of finding me again.”

Selena Gomez has officially parted ways with her posh pad in L.A. ... because she's sold it for a cool $5.4 million, TMZ has learned.

SG said "come and get it" when she listed the Encino estate, and after a few months and about a mil off the price tag ... it's got snatched up on Tuesday.

As you can see, the kitchen is simply stunning and served as the iconic backdrop of her "Selena + Chef" cooking series.

11:49 AM PT -- In addition to D4vd, the Rivas family is suing Josh Marshall, D4vd's manager; Colleen Burke, D4vd's mom; and Sheldon Jacques, D4vd's live-in security guard.

D4vd is now facing a fight outside his criminal case ... the family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the singer.

The suit comes exactly one year after Celeste's dismembered remains were discovered in the trunk of D4vd's Tesla on September 8, 2025.

D4vd -- whose real name is David Anthony Burke -- is already charged with murdering the 14-year-old ... along with lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and mutilating a body. He's pleaded not guilty.

Blueface told Nevaeh he's done ... breaking up with her and sending her packing ... just weeks after she had his baby.

Nevaeh was in tears Tuesday as the rapper dumped her on stream ... with Blueface telling her she can stay as long as it takes to pack up her stuff.

The reason for the split ... Blueface says a recent confrontation between them was the final straw.

The streamer appears cold and callous as Nevaeh cries, talking about all the times she stayed with him despite how he treated her.

Jennifer Lopez is soaking up the final days of summer ... and she's doing it in a swimsuit that leaves very little to the imagination.

J.Lo shared two sizzling photos from her Labor Day weekend, posing in a plunging patterned one-piece covered in sparkling rhinestones and crystals.

The 57-year-old singer and actress paired the eye-catching suit with a matching silk cover-up, gold jewelry and full glam ... serving up some serious poolside star power.

Macklemore is firing back at critics who slammed his "Free Palestine" message during Ed Sheeran's MetLife Stadium concert ... insisting his comments were not an attack on Jewish people.

The rapper addressed the controversy Monday after his opening performance at Sheeran's New Jersey shows sparked backlash and calls for him to be removed from the remainder of the tour.

Macklemore says his message was about supporting Palestinian freedom and opposing the suffering of civilians ... not criticizing Jewish people.

Pink is appearing to weigh in on the controversy surrounding Macklemore's appearance at Ed Sheeran's New Jersey concert.

The singer reposted an Instagram Story from StopAntisemitism this weekend, which blasted Macklemore's performance and called the situation downright "awful" in its caption.

Pink did not add any commentary of her own to the repost ... however, sharing the criticism to her account has amplified the push to have Macklemore removed from further touring with Sheeran.