Religion/ Spirituality

Mayor Pete Buttigieg thinks he can surprise a lot of people who believe it's impossible for him to successfully court super religious voters.

The South Bend Mayor will appear on "TMZ Live" Monday afternoon and he makes it clear ... he's not giving up on voters who believe the Holy Scriptures disqualify gay candidates.

The openly gay Mayor, who announced his candidacy for President Sunday, says voters have surprisingly open minds, and he points to something then-Indiana Governor Mike Pence was pushing back in 2015 -- a law that allowed people to discriminate against the LGBTQ community.

Buttigieg, who came out during what he calls that ferocious fight, notes that he not only had Democrats on his side but Republicans and even NASCAR fans.

Jude Law is blessed where it matters most ... and he's showing off his incredibly toned bod in a tiny white Speedo that has us rushing to the altar!!!

Jude stripped down to the tiniest swimwear you'll ever see on a religious leader, filming scenes Monday on a beach in Venice, Italy for his upcoming HBO series, "The New Pope."

This version of the pontiff really puts it all out there ... aside from rocking the grape smuggler, he's getting super handsy with his costar, Ludivine Sagnier. Props to her, BTW, for making the huge cross necklace work with a very revealing bikini.

However, the "pope" got one-upped in the skin game. More than a dozen cast members stripped bare for this scene. Group baptism?

This is probably a good time to make it clear Jude plays a fictional pope -- the first American one -- and not a real one from history.

Rep. Ilhan Omar isn't retreating after receiving a death threat from a Donald Trump supporter or even continued attacks from the Prez himself ... who, by the way, she's praying for.

We got the Minnesota congresswoman at Reagan National Airport Monday after a tumultuous weekend, during which a man was criminally charged for threatening to kill her, and the President himself put her on blast again at an event in front of Jewish Americans.

Our photog asked how she's holding up, and Rep. Omar seems to be keeping it together ... telling us she sees more importance in showing up to work than ever.

She also drops an interesting tidbit about how she's dealing with Trump's renewed accusations of anti-Semitism. Rep. Omar's appealing to a higher power -- something she alluded to on Twitter ... but hits home here with us.

As we reported ... Rep. Omar has come under fire these past few months for comments that many people labeled as anti-Semitic. The increased scrutiny has required extra security at events she's attended lately.

Kanye West is the latest huge star to pay tribute to Nipsey Hussle ... and he did it with his Sunday Service.

Ye was holding his weekly outdoor concert Sunday -- per usual -- but at one point during the show ... he played audio of Nipsey's voice delivering some inspirational words about encouragement over music that was beginning to build, courtesy of Kanye who was DJing.

The choir and live band take it from there, as they start to play out what sounds like a hymn for Nipsey. You can also see North West getting into the vibe too.

Kanye's shout-out to Nipsey follows J. Cole dedicating an entire song to the L.A. rapper during his inaugural Dreamville Fest Saturday. Big Sean held a special moment for Nipsey at the same event.

If Conor & Khabib don't chill out with their vicious and very serious beefing, someone's gonna get seriously hurt ... as in shot ... so says UFC star Kelvin Gastelum.

Khabib and Conor have been going at it on social media lately, after McGregor lobbed what some thought was an anti-Muslim insult directed at Khabib, prompting Khabib to launch an ultra disrespectful clap back.

We got UFC Star Kelvin Gastelum -- who was in L.A. promoting his UFC 236 title fight against Israel Adesanya -- and he says if the rhetoric from both men has the potential to end up tragic.

"I think there are some lines that have been crossed, and it's escalating to a point where it shouldn't have to. I feel like if it keeps going the way it's going, somebody's gonna end up injured, somebody's gonna end up hurt, somebody's gonna end up shot."

Kelvin is 100% serious and you can hear it in his voice, he told our camera guy he believes there's only so much Khabib and his side will take.

"Khabib don't play no games, man. This is real life for him."

We should say, Conor seemed to apologize for his statements on Twitter yesterday, along with a pledge to be better in the future. But, is Khabib accepting it?

Democratic Presidential hopeful Andrew Yang wants to soften the perception he's taking a hard stance against circumcisions, and as we learned ... it's no laughing matter to him.

We got the NY entrepreneur Wednesday afternoon in Times Square and asked him to clear up his position on circumcision. If you haven't heard ... Yang made headlines last month when he said he opposed the practice.

Andrew says everyone who is on his jock needs to cut him a break. The candidate told us people have twisted his words, because his official position simply isn't that cut and dry. He cleared things up with our photog, and made it known ... he meant no offense to his Jewish homies.

One last tip: Watch all the way to the end, you'll get a glimpse of the candidate's sense of humor. Then again, maybe our guy's just not that funny.

Kanye West is changing his tune on Coachella -- now saying he'll be performing his Sunday Service at the festival ... and he'll be doing it Easter morning at the crack of dawn.

Ye made the announcement Sunday on a flight he and Kim were on, getting on the intercom to tell the passengers that he'd booked another show at Coachella. Kanye says he's gonna do his weekly Sunday service there on Easter Sunday -- so, weekend 2 -- and, apparently, it'll be an early morning gig ... sunrise, he says.

The news definitely comes as a surprise considering Kanye pulled on negotiations with Coachella event organizers earlier this year after he felt they were limiting his creativity ... by not giving him the stage he wanted.

As we first told you ... Ye refused to perform on a traditional 60x40 flat stage that all performers normally use when they headline, and Goldenvoice -- the company that runs Coachella -- wouldn't budge either. In the end, they went their separate ways.

Not so anymore though. It's unclear if Coachella's gonna open their gates early for Kanye to perform on stage -- Coachella usually kicks off around 11 AM each day -- or if he'll be grounded outside somewhere with his choir like he has been for the past few months.

Either way ... Ye's definitely got a lot of practice under his belt. He's been running a Sunday Service since January. And, it's been a hit with everyone who's attended.

Kim Kardashian is a huge fan of "Mama Medium" ... and the famous psychic wants to come all the way to Hollywood to read her fortune!!!

Mama Medium tells TMZ ... she's thrilled Kim felt the urge to show her new TLC show some love over the weekend on social media, and she's ready to return the favor by traveling to Cali to meet Kim, and put her psychic powers to the test!!!

As you know, Kim has always been super interested in the paranormal ... hanging out with "Long Island Medium" Theresa Caputo and getting psychic readings from celeb seer Jayne Wallace.

Now, Kim's all about Mama Medium's new show on TLC ... and the feelings are mutual, because Mama's whole family says they're ready to venture West to meet up with Mrs. West for a glimpse into her future.

Mama -- government name Jennie Marie -- claims she can communicate with the dead as a medium, psychic and clairvoyant. She tells us she's been looking at pictures of Kim and her late father, Robert Kardashian, and feeling the presence of another spirit -- possibly Kim's grandmother.

We're told TLC producers are reaching out to Kim to coordinate a meeting with Mama Medium.

Big Sean is marking his birthday by opening up to his fans about battling depression and anxiety ... revealing how he coped with his issues, and how he came out stronger on the other side.

The Detroit rapper, who turns 31 on Monday, scrubbed his Instagram except for 3 new videos he posted late Sunday night ... detailing a spiritual journey he took starting around this time last year on his birthday. Sean says he felt lost and stepped back from life to examine why.

When his usual meditation wasn't working, Sean Don says he took the next step ... getting himself into therapy and talking about his issues -- namely, his growing discontent with his work and the state of the relationships around him, some of which he calls "toxic."

Turns out ... getting on the couch did the trick.

Sean says his therapist told him he needed clarity ... clarity on who was around him, on what he was doing ... and for what purpose. He explains that revelation put things into perspective and helped him re-prioritize a lot of things in his life.

Along the way, Sean says he also started doing things by himself for himself ... like skydiving. Now, he says he's back in love with music ... and doing better than ever.

Kanye West's Sunday Service seems to be drawing Hollywood types left and right ... seeing how Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are the latest to pay a visit.

The recently engaged couple were spotted attending Ye's outdoor concert Sunday in Calabasas -- which also doubles as a church service of sorts. They were definitely dressed for the occasion ... Katy was decked out in a pink outfit that seemed perfect for Easter season, while Orlando went more caj with a jacket and jeans.

Tyler, the Creator was there too ... making a brief cameo on Kendall Jenner's Instagram Story. Oh, and Courtney Love showed up as well, BTW.

Speaking of the KarJenner brood -- the whole fam was out in force this week for Kanye's spiritual gathering. Khloe, Kourtney and her kids and, of course, Kim K and her children were all in attendance too. No sign of Kylie among the flock though.

The new celeb sightings follow DMX's appearance last week, when he gave the "morning prayer" to kick off the service -- which has been running weekly since at least January.

Kanye West's weekly Sunday Service just had a special guest stop by to lift everyone up in God's name -- it was the big dog himself ... Mr. DMX.

X delivered a "morning prayer" Sunday ahead of what has become an outdoor concert of sorts Ye has held every weekend for the past couple months. Check it out ... you can tell the rapper has had some practice delivering the good word. He sounds like a seasoned preacher.

He touches on a few things here -- accepting Jesus, blessings, opening doors that were once closed, being highly favored by God, shooting down the devil, etc. It clearly resonated with the crowd, 'cause they were cheering him on as he kept going.

X is definitely the right guy to deliver a sermon like this too. Aside from being openly religious, he's been through A LOT of ups and downs in his life, especially lately with his tax evasion case.

BTW ... when the music kicked in, it had just about everyone singing and dancing, including young North, who was shaking what her mama, Kim K, gave her ... in full diva mode.

Kanye's church endeavor has certainly taken off since January, when he was holding these weekly choir meetups indoors and with significantly fewer people.

R. Kelly has a bizarre reason for going on national TV to address the sexual abuse allegations against him ... his "spirit" wanted him to speak his truth.

Sources close to the singer tell TMZ ... R. Kelly sat down with Gayle King because he is in constant touch with his "spirit" and tends to listen to it more than the people around him. He also said he felt he owed it to himself and his fans to break his silence and tell his side.

Of course, Kelly quickly went off the rails in the CBS interview -- his first public comments since being arrested on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse -- shouting in Gayle's face, exploding at the cameras, calling his accusers liars and wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

We're guessing his spirit didn't tell him to do all that.

After the interview aired last week, many viewers thought it was all an act, some felt he was having a mental breakdown and others used the emotional soundbites to make fun of Kelly on social media.

But, we're told R. Kelly gives "zero f***s" about how he's being portrayed, and he can't be bothered by the public's reaction ... that's not, however, apparent from the CBS interview.

Conor McGregor's bus attack drama is OVER -- and he can thank Jesus for the assist.

TMZ Sports has learned the UFC superstar has completed his sentence in his bus attack case -- where he was ordered to do 5 days of community service and complete an anger management course.

Our sources tell us ... both McGregor and officials wanted Conor to be able to serve his community service without creating a giant public spectacle, so they came up with a plan where he would work in 2 different churches in the Brooklyn area.

As for his specific tasks, one source put it this way -- "He performed manual labor."

We're also told the staff at both churches had glowing remarks about Conor -- with one source telling us, "They all loved him."

During the service, we're also told Conor had a "long and meaningful conversation with a reverend" -- though it's unclear exactly what they talked about.

The good news for Conor ... now that he's completed the terms of his plea deal, it's essentially case closed.

As we previously reported, Conor's attorneys negotiated the plea deal in the felony mischief case -- after the Irish superstar threw a dolly at a UFC bus on April 5, injuring several fighters.

Conor was initially charged with 1 count of felony criminal mischief and 3 counts of misdemeanor assault.

Back in July, prosecutors agreed to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor -- which is a big deal since a felony involving violence could have triggered permanent deportation from the U.S.

The 30-year-old UFC fighter faced up to 7 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Conor is still facing civil lawsuits stemming from the bus attack -- with UFC fighter Michael Chiesa suing McGregor for injuries he sustained in the incident.

Chiesa was on the bus when Conor threw the steel dolly and suffered cuts from the broken glass of the shattered window.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib is doubling down on supporting Rep. Ilhan Omar, saying she isn't anti-Semitic ... and raising an eyebrow at how their party's handling such accusations.

We got the Michigan Congresswoman leaving Reagan National Airport Tuesday, one day ahead of Nancy Pelosi's expected introduction of a resolution denouncing anti-Semitism.

Tlaib calls the Speaker's move "unprecedented" -- suggesting the resolution is exactly what many have called it ... a very public rebuke of Rep. Omar for her comments about Israel and Palestine.

Omar has been very vocal in her defense of Palestine. She suggested Jewish-American politicians have dual loyalties when discussing the topic -- and saying debate and criticism of Israel is often dismissed with accusations of anti-Semitism.

Rep. Tlaib tells us it's obvious "we all very much oppose all forms of hate." Her point seems to be there's NO other reason for Pelosi's resolution than chastising Rep. Omar ... even though Pelosi's measure makes no mention of Omar's name.

Tlaib urged all Americans to watch Rep. Omar's remarks and judge for themselves.

Kathie Lee Gifford isn't about to weigh in on R. Kelly -- she's leaving that to a much higher power, but she firmly believes it's not too late for the embattled singer.

We got the "Today" host Tuesday in NYC, and asked if she thought there was any way for Kelly to redeem himself after the lurid allegations involving the 2 new sex tapes Michael Avenatti turned over to prosecutors. KLG immediately got biblical on us by suggesting Kelly seek redemption in God's eyes.

As you know, he's facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse.

Kathie Lee says the legal process will run its course but adds ... Kelly should only be thinking about ONE judge right now.

Jussie Smollett needs to know he still has throngs of backers -- who will remain by his side -- IF he would just admit the crimes he's committed ... at least according to his friend, Bishop O.C. Allen.

We got the influential Bishop -- who once served on President Obama's Advisory Council -- out in Atlanta and wanted to see if he had a message for the embattled "Empire" star.

Allen told us there is unwavering support for Smollett if he changes his tune. The Bishop says it's critical Jussie admit any wrongdoing.

Jussie and the Bishop are tight. They joined Lee Daniels and Sen. Cory Booker for a 2016 Hillary Clinton fundraiser, which was held at Bishop Allen's ATL home.

You know much of the "Empire" cast and crew wanted Smollett booted off the set -- and they got their wish Friday morning.