Sex

Stick a fork in Mario Batali, he's done ... the celebrity chef is surrendering all of his restaurants in the wake of the various sexual assault allegations against him.

The Bastianich family and some of Mario's other partners bought out his stake in his eateries ... this according to The New York Times.

The sudden fire sale means Mario will no longer profit from his 16 remaining restaurants ... and he's also reportedly in the process of selling his shares in Eataly -- a fast-growing chain of Italian supermarkets.

We broke the story ... in January, NYPD closed two sexual assault cases against Mario without filing charges.

The NYPD probe started after a woman came forward on "60 Minutes" last May claiming Mario sexually assaulted her in 2005 at his Spotted Pig restaurant.

Another woman filed a police report in March 2017, claiming Batali raped her on Jan. 29, 2004 at his West Village eatery.

Soon after the allegations surfaced, several of the restaurants under his company closed their doors.

Batali confirmed the news to TMZ by saying, "I have reached an agreement with Joe (Bastianich) and no longer have any stake in the restaurants we built together. I wish him the best of luck in the future."

Roseanne Barr's struggling to find the right words to clarify her controversial comments about the #MeToo movement, but what she told us about victims probably won't help smooth things over.

We got Roseanne at LAX Tuesday night ... she tells us she didn't mean to imply ALL women who claim they've been sexually assaulted are hos, but added ... there are some who aren't describing reality in their allegations.

Roseanne says rational thinkers get it, but she believes she's being targeted and taken out of context. Then she drops this -- "I think there's a lot of women that shouldn't be going to their boss's hotel room at 3 AM for career advice, and if your daughters don't know that much you better educate them. That's not what you do."

She also asserts that sexual assault victims should go to police immediately -- not 15 years later -- but says this doesn't apply to kids ... and there are different rules for Hollywood women. Watch the clip and decipher.

As we reported ... Roseanne stirred up the controversy this weekend on Candace Owens' podcast when she suggested women who don't run out of the room when powerful men try to take advantage of them are doing sexual favors for Hollywood gigs, and "ain't nothing but a ho."

BTW -- Roseanne also tells us she misses her TV show and wants it back, and believes she'll get justice someday. In the meantime ... she says nobody's going to shut her up.

Sounds like Ricky Williams has sympathy for Robert Kraft in the wake of his prostitution scandal -- explaining simply, "Sometimes it's just better to pay for it, you know?"

The ex-NFL star weighed in on Kraft's scandal Tuesday during an appearance on the 'Domenick Nati Show' ... saying he understands why powerful people like Kraft pay for sex acts.

"I think people have different moral standards and judgments. But, from a purely ... I'll call it practical, maybe a little taboo ... sometimes it's just better to pay for it, you know?"

Ricky's not the only person who feels that way -- prostitution is legal in parts of Nevada and there's a brothel that's already reached out to Kraft in an effort to get him to bring his "business" to the Silver State.

Of course, Kraft is due back in court in Jupiter, Florida later this month to face 2 misdemeanor counts of soliciting another for prostitution. He faces up to a year in jail if convicted.

For his part, the Patriots owner has adamantly denied doing anything illegal.

Officials say they have video of Kraft going into the Orchids of Asia Day Spa on 2 occasions and receiving sex acts in exchange for money.

Michael Jackson's music really is a powerful thing, and you can tell from the look on Fat Joe's face when he even thinks about watching "Leaving Neverland."

We got Joe outside Spago in Bev Hills Monday night, and while he expressed his love for MJ, who he calls "the greatest ever" ... he admitted he hadn't seen the HBO documentary yet. But, he IS going to watch, and it's obvious he's going in with mixed emotions.

He agrees there should probably be another documentary telling Jackson's side. As for whether the King of Pop's music goes the way of R. Kelly -- Joe, at least, highly doubts it ... even after the disturbing allegations.

We also got Stevie Wonder at LAX, and he suggests it's time to leave Michael alone. For now, he's choosing to focus on MJ's music and his "legacy of inspiration."

Ex-NFL star Kellen Winslow Jr. is back behind bars following TWO new allegations of sexual deviance ... this time, he's accused of touching himself in front of a 77-year-old woman.

Remember, Winslow had been out on bail while fighting allegations he raped 3 women. Officials say 2 of the women were transients who were kidnapped by the former tight end.

A 3rd woman claims Winslow raped her 15 years ago while she was unconscious.

If convicted on all counts, Winslow faces up to life in prison. Bail was set at $2 million, which he posted back in July.

But, according to officials, Winslow has NOT been living up to the terms of his bail -- and now, prosecutors claim he committed more sexual impropriety just last month.

Officials say Winslow was working out at a San Diego area gym on Feb. 13 -- when he started touching himself and asking a nearby elderly woman if she liked it.

The very next week, the woman claims she was in a hot tub at the same gym when Winslow once again engaged in lewd conduct. The woman says she got out of the tub and reported Winslow.

She also claims Winslow reached out and touched her arm and foot as she tried to leave.

Winslow was formally charged with 2 counts of lewd conduct, 1 count of battery of an elder and 1 count of willful cruelty to an elder.

The judge in Winslow's case revoked his bail on Monday and ordered him to be locked up.

He's due back in court later Tuesday.

R. Kelly is on edge and federal investigators don't want to rock the boat ... so they've asked Joycelyn Savage's family to pull the plug on plans to conduct a welfare check at R. Kelly's Chicago home.

Sources involved in the case tell TMZ ... the feds told the attorney for Joycelyn's parents it would be best to hold off on getting police to knock on R. Kelly's door again. The reason? We're told investigators are concerned it could interfere with the ongoing federal probe.

TMZ broke the story ... Joyceln's folks wanted to join law enforcement in Chicago for a follow-up visit to check on her. Our sources say the feds believe R. Kelly is extremely "agitated" after getting arrested, charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse, and probed by the feds for possible human trafficking violations.

You'll recall Joycelyn and Azriel Clary were both in court last weekend supporting R. Kelly during his bail hearing. However, law enforcement is worried another welfare check -- the last one was in January -- might freak out the women ... who the feds will, obviously, want to interview when the time is right.

We're told the family will take the feds' lead, and stand down on the Chicago trip. They still plan to turn over what they call "physical evidence" in the case.

Robert Kraft has formally entered a not guilty plea in his prostitution case, according to court records obtained by TMZ Sports.

"The defendant Robert Kraft hereby pleads not guilty to all charges and requests a non-jury trial in the above-styled cause," the court docs state.

As we previously reported, Kraft's attorney accepted the summons from the court on Feb. 26 -- and an arraignment was set for March 27 at 8:30 AM ... the same day Kraft was expected to be at the NFL's Annual League Meeting with other team owners in Phoenix, Arizona.

Kraft had already made a public statement denying he participated in any illegal activity -- in response to allegations he solicited prostitution at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida.

Officials say they have graphic surveillance video showing the 77-year-old New England Patriots owner entering the spa on January 19 and 20 ... and receiving sex acts in exchange for money.

If convicted on both misdemeanor counts, Kraft faces up to a year in jail.

Eric Dickerson has a message for all the people throwing dirt on Robert Kraft's name -- STOP IT!!! -- telling TMZ Sports people need to quit judging over the Pats owner's prostitution case.

All sorts of people have ripped the 77-year-old NFL owner ever since officials named him as a "John" in a prostitution sting in Jupiter, Florida last week. Some people are even calling for the NFL to force Kraft to hand the team over to his son.

ED says it's just not fair to bash Kraft ... calling out all the people who have been quick to turn on him.

"A lot of these hypocrites are making comments about that situation," Dickerson says. "They're hypocrites. You never know what a man does behind closed doors."

Dickerson clearly supports Kraft, despite the recent scandal, saying, "I like Mr. Kraft. I like him a lot, I have a lot of respect for him."

As we previously reported, Kraft -- who's being charged with 2 misdemeanor counts of soliciting another for prostitution -- is set to be arraigned next month during the NFL's Annual League Meeting. He has adamantly denied doing anything illegal.

Feds investigating R. Kelly are about to get their hands on "physical evidence" against the singer ... courtesy of the family of one of his alleged victims.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Joycelyn Savage's parents are set to meet with federal investigators in New York to discuss matters related to 2 separate U.S. Attorney's Office probes into Kelly -- one by the Eastern District of NY, and another by the Southern District.

We're told the Savages will provide information on witnesses and those closely associated with Kelly ... AND turn over materials they refer to as "physical evidence." Our sources don't know exactly what that evidence includes.

The sources do say both federal investigations are "progressing very quickly" ... thanks to cooperation and testimony from several people, including Michael Avenatti and some of his clients.

As for what the feds could pin on Kelly -- we're told it could involve the Mann Act, which prohibits the transportation of minors across state lines for purposes of sex or debauchery.

TMZ broke the story, Joycelyn's parents also want to confront Kelly at his Chicago Trump Tower apartment in hopes of getting through to their daughter.

One of R. Kelly's alleged victims says the 2 new sex tapes remind her all too much of what she went through with the singer -- but the difference is she thinks prosecutors will nail him this time around.

Lisa VanAllen was on "TMZ Live" Wednesday, and she told us the descriptions of the new tapes are basically par for the course. Lisa was one of the 2 young women on the original R. Kelly sex tape, for which he went on trial, but was ultimately acquitted in 2008. She was 17 at the time that tape was recorded.

As you know ... Michael Avenatti provided prosecutors with 2 new tapes, and he says they're depraved and shocking.

Lisa tells us everything R. Kelly allegedly does in the videos -- coaching the teen through sex, choking her, calling out her age -- sounds like the same Kelly she was dating. She also believes Avenatti is on point with his allegations about Kelly's camp intimidating witnesses in the 2008 trial.

She's written a book -- "Surviving the Pied Piper" -- about her time with Kelly, which she says included a contentious run-in with Foxy Brown. She insinuates Foxy was jealous, and tried to sabotage Lisa's involvement in parts of Kelly's shows. As for why? Just watch.

Ex-NBA player Mike Bibby has been relieved of his duties as head basketball coach at Shadow Mountain High School in Arizona while officials investigate allegations of sexual assault.

As we previously reported, the 40-year-old has been accused of forcefully rubbing his penis against a female teacher on school grounds during a 2017 incident.

The teacher claims Bibby grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his car. She also claimed his breath reeked of alcohol and he made sexually charged comments.

The school and police launched investigations into the matter -- and now, a rep for the Paradise Valley Unified School District says Bibby will NOT coach the basketball team while those are ongoing.

"He is no longer eligible to volunteer as our coach pending the outcome of the investigations," a school district spokesperson said.

Bibby has been wildly successful as the coach at Shadow Mountain -- leading the varsity boys team to 5 state titles in 6 seasons.

As for the criminal investigation, a rep for the Phoenix Police Dept says, "As of now, the investigation is ongoing and no suspect has been named, nor any charges recommended."

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.

Cops are NOT planning to release the graphic Robert Kraft massage parlor video anytime soon -- and law enforcement sources tell us ... officials are still determining if they'll EVER make it public.

As we previously reported, the Jupiter Police Dept. claims they have graphic video of the New England Patriots owner inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in January showing the 77-year-old receiving sex acts in exchange for money. Officials say the footage will be used in the case against Kraft.

But, the bigger question -- will the footage ever be released to the public?

We spoke with the Palm Beach State Attorney's Office -- which is prosecuting the case -- and a spokesperson told us the only law enforcement agency currently in possession of the footage is the Jupiter P.D.

So, we spoke with a rep for the JPD who told us, "It's not releasable right now ... nothing is going to be released anytime soon."

So, why not?

We're told the JPD is currently evaluating the situation with its own attorneys to determine if it's even legal to release the tape at all.

If officials ever do decide to release the footage, it's almost a certainty the video will be heavily blurred -- in other words, if you're expecting to see lewd, raw video of Kraft, don't hold your breath.

As for Kraft, he has previously issued a statement denying he "engaged in any illegal activity" -- but never denied actually visiting the spa. Tom Brady showed his support after the news broke by embracing the Patriots honcho.

R. Kelly was bailed out by a woman who believes he's innocent -- at least for now -- and says she simply stepped up to the plate to help a friend in need.

Valencia P. Love is the Chicago businesswoman who reportedly covered the $100k bond Monday to secure Kelly's release, and she says, "There are three sides to every story, [Kelly's] side, there's (the alleged victims), and the truth."

That statement seems to acknowledge Kelly is being less than truthful, but Love also told Chicago's FOX32 ... "As a friend if he says he's innocent, I can only believe that he is innocent."

Love also insists Kelly is not a monster, and says there are much worse problems in Chicago -- like hundreds of Catholic priests being accused of sex abuse and a missing woman named Kierra Coles.

Valencia makes it clear she's not condoning any of the allegations, saying, "If he did it he is wrong" ... but believes Kelly should get the chance to clear his name.

Bebe Rexha's going after her fans who are going after her dad who didn't much like her super racy new music video ... she wants them to back the f up.

The "Last Hurrah" singer tells us her father hated the vid for her latest single -- which she admits is a little much -- but now she's upset because her fans are trashing him for expressing his disgust.

Her message to those fans when we got her at LAX Tuesday is pretty straight forward ... "Don't talk s**t about my dad!!!"

ICYMI -- Bebe shared a text screenshot from dear old Dad on her Instagram story Monday, in which he told her ... "You better stop posting stupid pornography because you make me sick. I can't take this anymore. Embarrassed to go in public everywhere I can go. I'm very upset with you, I can't believe it."

Rexha captioned it, "My dad hates me," but later deleted the texts because her fans started blasting him ... and now she's doing full damage control.

Bebe says she's taking a flight home to New York to patch things up with her father, who hasn't spoken to her in 2 weeks ... but she seems pretty confident all will be fine. As she puts it ... "My dad loves me."

As for "Last Hurrah" -- the video got flagged as "sensitive" on YouTube. It features a lot of sexed-up scenes, partying nuns and Bebe on a bed with crosses everywhere ... with "Daddy's Angel" written over her crotch. She claims this is a toned-down version.

Good luck with the chat with Dad!!!

David Caruso's ex-assistant says she went to the mat for him -- lying under oath -- and then he failed to hold up his end of the bargain, and exposed her to various forms of sexual harassment ... but Caruso says she's the one going back on her word.

The ex-assistant, who's suing as Jane Doe, says she agreed to make a false statement defending Caruso against a legal threat from another assistant. In exchange for lying to help him ... she claims Caruso offered to buy her a $250k house in Cuba, give her $200k to start her own biz and get her sister an apartment.

Doe claims she got almost none of the above ... but did get Caruso's penis on her shoulder. According to the suit, the former "CSI: Miami" star frequently made unwanted sexual contact -- brushing his hand or crotch against her butt, and on one occasion ... "stood behind [her] while she was seated and rubbed his penis against her shoulder."

While Doe, who says she's Hispanic, never got the house in Cuba, she accompanied him there on vacays she claims got pretty creepy. In the suit, she describes a December 2015 trip where Caruso was having sex with his GF in an adjoining room. She says he yelled out Doe's name, while telling the GF to ... "scream out loud that he was large like a burro."

Doe claims the next day Caruso bragged in front of her about his sexual prowess while his GF said, "No mas burro, no mas burro!!"

Caruso's ex-assistant also claims he regularly made racist comments about Jews, blacks, Latinos and gay people -- including saying his Guatemalan nannies had "brains the size of a walnut" and using the n-word.

According to the suit, all Doe got was $14k for an apartment and a leased car. She's suing him for wrongful termination, breaching their deal and fraud.

Caruso's attorney, Michael Weinsten at Lavely & Singer, tells us ... “My client vehemently denies the allegations of the complaint. This Jane Doe plaintiff gave sworn testimony in a prior matter that flatly contradicts what she is now alleging."