N-Word

HGTV star Nicole Curtis has one person coming to her defense after a video leaked of her using the N-word on her popular show "Rehab Addict" ... well, kinda.

Here's the deal ... the network shelved Nicole's show yesterday after the slur was made public ... and she later issued an apology, telling TMZ the use of that word does not represent who she is.

Ryan Sawtelle -- who worked on "Rehab Addict" and dated NC during the decade they knew each other -- told us he thinks Nicole's a bad person who treats others on the show like garbage ... so he's not surprised this video was leaked. He pointed to reports in the past of contractors suing her, claiming they weren't paid for their work.

However, he also added, “As much as I dislike her -- and it may be validating to see her get in trouble -- she is unequivocally not a racist. Nor has she ever said anything racially insensitive over the years we dated, and I have known her.”

Ryan -- who was actually holding the ladder in the 2022 episode clip when you hear Nicole blurt out the N-word -- told us she often used nonsensical words and gibberish to avoid cussing on the show … and calls it "unfortunate” she mistakenly blurted out the slur. RS points out ... “It was so unexpected, the crew laughed because we knew that isn’t her."

Nicole Curtis is addressing the controversy surrounding HGTV pulling her show "Rehab Addict" from its platforms following the release of leaked footage showing her using a racial slur during filming.

Curtis tells TMZ ... "I want to be clear: the word in question is wrong and not part of my vocabulary and never has been, and I apologize to everyone." She tells us she was unaware of HGTV's decision to pull the plug on her show on the same day it was set to return to air after a hiatus.

Despite the surprising split, she tells us, "I'm grateful for the 15-year journey we've shared. It's been a meaningful chapter, but my focus isn't on my career. My focus, at this moment is rightfully on my relationships, and my community -- the people who truly know my character and where my heart is."

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is spending his Thursday apologizing to fans after he used the n-word during a livestream ... saying "there's no excuse for what I said."

McMillan issued the remorseful message on Instagram ... saying, "I sincerely apologize for speaking thoughtlessly and will do better."

The first-year player was playing Madden in "The Streamer Bowl," a charity esports tournament that has Twitch streamers and NFL stars on teams as they take on challenges.

T-Mac was streaming with YonnaJay and Tamir when the moment occurred. After intercepting a pass, he shouted the slur in excitement.

A Cinnabon employee has been fired after she used vitriolic hate speech against a pair of customers ... with the whole incident caught on video.

The confrontation went down at a store in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin ... and the video picks up when one of the customers asks the worker if "sexualizing her body makes her a better person."

The worker asks the couple if they're recording her ... and, when told yes, she asks if the recorder wants to be doused with water.

'Love Island' star Huda Mustafa is paying the price for her seriously bad-timed livestream laugh ... 'cause a major makeup brand just pulled the plug on their partnership.

Huda Beauty -- the brand helmed by makeup mogul Huda Kattan -- dropped a statement Friday morning on IG, saying while they don’t believe the "Love Island USA" star’s actions reflect her true character, they still found the whole thing pretty upsetting.

The brand said that members of the community -- and on their own team -- were hurt, and they made the call to end their partnership with Huda. They’ve also scrubbed any related content from their social pages and in-store displays.

Huda Mustafa's apologizing to Olandria Carthen after her inappropriately timed live stream laugh ... while her former "Love Island" costars release their own statements on the incident.

The reality star dropped the statement on social media Wednesday afternoon ... telling fans she felt she needed to further clarify the initial statement she made after seemingly laughing at Olandria being called the n-word on a live stream with her boyfriend, Louis.

Mustafa kicks off the statement by showering praise on Olandria ... writing that she totally respects her costar -- and calling it "totally disheartening" that anyone would use the racist language she heard on the stream.

Donald Trump took the stage Tuesday in front of U.S. generals and admirals from around the world, and in the middle of a bizarre, self-aggrandizing, and grievance-filled speech, he told the crowd there are actually 2 "N-words" that are off limits.

Trump bragged, attacked, and meandered during the address, but at one point he talked about the awesome power of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and addressed the concept of brinkmanship -- how he recently made it clear to Russia he had weapons that could obliterate a very large target.

An attorney in South Carolina who's running for governor -- whose arrest may have already tanked his shot -- is finding himself in an even deeper hole now that full body cam video of his arrest is out ... showing him dropping the N-word.

TMZ obtained the clip from the Charleston Police Department -- William "Mullins" McLeod Jr., who’s gunning for the Palmetto State's 2026 gubernatorial seat -- casually tosses in the racial slur during his loud, expletive-packed tirade ... before, ironically, saying, "I better start paying more attention to this racist ass Donald Trump."

It gets wilder -- 'cause during his May arrest for disorderly conduct, a Taylor Swift song starts playing in the background. First up, her 2012 hit "I Knew You Were Trouble" (fitting, right?), followed by "Wildest Dreams" ... which was pretty on point too, 'cause things were spiraling fast!

The Breeze Airways passenger who was confronted and restrained by others on a flight allegedly threw chewing tobacco in someone's face and called a flight attendant the N-word ... according to federal law enforcement.

ICYMI ... a video went viral showing a man on a flight from Virginia to Los Angeles that had to be diverted to Grand Junction, Colorado -- and you can see a large man force the guy to sit down after cops say he acted in an unruly manner.

New documents have shed more light on the situation ... with law enforcement claiming the incident on the plane began when the man -- identified as David Leroy Carver Jr. -- called a Black flight attendant the N-word and claimed she was his "servant."