Reality TV

Joel Osteen's associate pastor, John Gray, absolutely thinks the 2 flight attendants who went toe-to-toe with his wife would've handled things differently if she were white.

Rev. Gray -- a host on "The Preachers" -- and Aventer were on "TMZ Live" Friday trying to explain why she was singled out by the American Airlines crew when she attempted to switch seats with her nanny.

Check out the clip ... John stops just short of calling it straight up racism, but he clearly thinks Aventer was treated differently because of what she was wearing, and POSSIBLY because she's black.

We broke the story ... cops were called and Aventer was briefly removed from the flight. She was ultimately allowed back on, and the 2 flight attendants got booted.

"Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta" star Althea Eaton is a free woman again after spending just over a week behind bars.

Althea cruised out of an ATL jail Friday ... already rocking her heels and looking like she's ready for the weekend.

Althea was reportedly jailed after a restraining order hearing -- her estranged fiance, Benzino, was getting one against her, and she allegedly made contact with him after court. Major no-no ... and the judge locked her up for it.

When Tori Spelling lands a guest spot on a show about a bar ... she really gets into character.

Tori was seen looking hammered Thursday night leaving the Abbey -- where we're told she was shooting a scene for the E! new reality show based on one of L.A.'s hottest gay venues.

The wife of "The Preachers" host John Gray got into a heated showdown with cops and flight attendants ... some of whom ended up getting booted off the plane ... TMZ has learned.

Aventer Gray was flying from L.A. to Texas, and as the flight was pulling back from the gate she decided to swap seats -- letting the nanny take the first class seat, while Aventer and her 2 kids sat in coach.

That didn't bode well with the flight crew, who thought Aventer was looking for an empty seat in the back. They tried to stop her, but Aventer didn't listen.

The flight attendants asked her to leave the plane, and when Aventer again refused ... they called police for backup. Aventer remained seated, but started crying during a heated convo with officers.

You can hear her going off in the video about how she has a right to sit in the seats since she paid for them. She also got her husband, Rev. Gray -- who is Joel Osteen's associate pastor -- on FaceTime ... and he was NOT happy.

Aventer eventually deplaned, and hashed things out with American. She was allowed back on, but 2 of the flight attendants were swapped out ... to avoid any further drama, we're guessing. The flight took off after about a 2 hour delay.

The video is interesting -- other passengers didn't seem pissed about the delay, but they were angry about how Aventer was being treated.

A guy claiming he had a bomb strapped to his leg went looking for Phaedra Parks in her Atlanta office Thursday morning -- but he got the wrong building.

Police evacuated the office building the man walked into on Peachtree Road and responded to the scene. According to witnesses he walked in demanding to see Phaedra and said, "I'm not leaving. I've got a bomb."

The 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star -- an entertainment lawyer -- does have an office on Peachtree, but it's a few buildings down from the one the man entered.

Police arrested a suspect. It's not clear if he really did have a bomb.

We don't even know if Phaedra was in her office. She's been in Philadelphia this week.

Story developing ...

The company behind Scrub Daddy -- the most successful product ever pitched on "Shark Tank" -- is accusing a man of tricking customers with a knockoff sponge.

Scrub Daddy says Brian Reaux's attempt to push "Scrub 'N EZ" will confuse faithful Scrub Daddy customers because of the similar name and use of a smiley face ... this according to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ.

In the docs, Scrub Daddy also has beef with Reaux marketing his sponge holder as fitting "perfectly in Scrub Daddy [sponges]."

SD has reportedly generated more than $75 mil since striking a deal with Lori Greiner on the show. The company wants "Scrub 'N EZ" to change its name, and quit using Scrub Daddy in advertising.

Teresa and Joe Giudice's wedding photos are at the center of a legal battle involving their photographer and a reality TV blog.

The wedding photog, Neil Clipper, is suing a NYC-based blog for using a pic from the Giudices' 1999 nuptials -- a shot he says he took, and the site used without his permission.

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... Neil says he owns the rights to the photo which was used for a 'Before They Were Famous' post on the 'Housewives.'

He included the pic in the lawsuit -- Joe and Teresa looked so young and innocent. Of course, Joe is 4 months into a 41-month prison stint for conspiracy to commit wire and bankruptcy fraud.

Aaron Rodgers says he has NOT watched his little bro, Jordan, compete on "The Bachelorette" -- but is clearly upset about the episode that put a spotlight on his family rift.

She's broken her nose NINE TIMES ... but WWE legend Tammy Sytch says she smells opportunity -- and now she's begging the people at "Botched" to help fix her sniffer.

"Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson's got some advice for Ted Cruz -- get off the tracks, the Donald Trump express is coming through.

We got Phil on his way out of the RNC Wednesday night and he was fired up about "Lyin' Ted" going rogue -- refusing to endorse Trump during his speech.

Check out Phil's take -- it's interesting because he admits he was a Cruz man ... until Cruz got crushed by Trump. He's moved on, and thinks it's time for Ted to do the same.

"Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" star Tommie Lee was flat out lying when she claimed she was brutalized for no reason by cops -- at least according to the police report -- but she maintains she's innocent.

Tommie blasted the Georgia State Patrol Tuesday, posting a video of an officer yanking her from the backseat of a Jeep back in January and arresting her. She claimed she was a passenger and was manhandled for no reason.

According to the police report -- obtained by TMZ -- when deputies pulled the Jeep over in the ATL area they noticed lots of movement in the vehicle.

Deputies say the guy in the driver's seat first lied, but then admitted he had switched with Tommie -- who jumped in the back.

That would explain why deputies wanted Tommie out of the backseat. They demanded she step out of the vehicle several times, but she held her ground. Deputies then pulled her out and hooked her up.

Cops say Tommie's eyes were watery, bloodshot and her speech was slurred, so she was booked for drunk driving, disorderly conduct and driving on an expired license.

And, for bad measure, she peed herself in the cruiser on the way to the station.

Jon Gosselin is proud of the work he puts in at T.G.I. Friday's, and says he donated his pay to multiple charities.

Jon went on the "Kannon and Sybil" radio show Wednesday in Dallas and was pissed his cover was blown. TMZ broke the story ... he's been clocking in at a Friday's in Lancaster, PA.

Check out the audio ... Jon's clearly frustrated and says he's calling it quits. For him, it's a trust issue with his co-workers. That being said, he also says he loves the gig.

Sources at the restaurant tell us Jon hasn't said anything about quitting -- he only requested a week off. We're told he'll be back in the kitchen after his vacay.

Jon Gosselin has gone from starring on a TV show with a brood of 8 to slinging food for a party of 8 ... at T.G.I. Friday's.

Jon's been working at the Lancaster, PA franchise for a few months, prepping and cooking family fare. The pic was taken at the restaurant when he started working there a month or so ago.

We're told JG even had to go through chef boot camp.

Friday's is giving Jon a chance to spread his chicken wings ... when he's not cooking, he gets to DJ once a month. It is his true passion, after all.

Aaron Rodgers' family drama is now front and center on the 'Bachelorette' -- and even JoJo Fletcher is pleading for the NFL superstar to reconcile with his brother.

"The Real Housewives of Toronto" producers allegedly dumped one of their cast members when her pregnancy didn't jibe with their shooting schedule.

Ariane Bellamar -- who's already been on TV as one of the "Beverly Hills Nannies" -- is nearly 9 months along and says the show was excited to have her child birth as a story line for Season 1 of the Canadian spinoff.

That all changed on Friday when her c-section date shifted by a week and ended up conflicting with an all-cast retreat. Ariane says that same day, she got a letter of termination.

Ariane is pissed -- not only about getting dropped -- but about a bunch of risky things she claims producers asked her to do during shoots. You've gotta see her "pump and dump" accusation.

We've reached out multiple times to the show's producers, so far no word back.

NeNe Leakes' streak on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" is finally coming to an end ... at least based on what's NOT been going on during season 9 tapings.

TMZ has learned they've been shooting for weeks now, and NeNe is nowhere in sight.

It seemed like she was possibly coming back to the main cast after being named a guest last season. She's been busy with a HSN clothing line, one woman tour, new game show and a stint on "Fashion Police."

Our 'RHOA' sources tell us producers have added at least one new cast member, and NeNe -- the only remaining OG ATL housewife -- doesn't look to be part of plans going forward.

We're told "guest appearances" are always a possibility, but as of now producers aren't counting on having NeNe.

We suspect Kim Zolciak might have 2 little words for her ole frenemy ...