Versus

Larsa Pippen says she was not a fan of Michael Jordan's recent comments on her relationship with His Airness' son ... saying they were flat-out embarrassing and traumatizing.

Scottie Pippen's ex got real about the situation on the newest episode of her and Marcus Jordan's "Separation Anxiety" podcast ... saying that when MJ claimed last week that he didn't approve of her romance with his son -- it really, really bothered her.

While Marcus said he believed it was all blurted out in jest -- in fact, he suggested his dad may have been a little tipsy off tequila when he fired off the remarks -- she said she wasn't laughing at all.

"I didn't think it was funny," she said. "There's nothing funny about it."

"I was kind of embarrassed," she added.

Larsa explained that most of her issues with the comments stemmed from previous conversations she's had with Marcus and his family.

She said she had been ensured over and over again that there were no problems amongst the Jordans about their relationship -- and it had all led to her ultimately telling media members that Michael was OK with everything.

"I was like traumatized," she said. "I'm like, 'Oh, my God. What are we going to do?' People think I lied."

Marcus, though, said Michael reached out multiple times after he made the remarks and insisted he was OK with the couple. Marcus added that he believed MJ didn't outright say that last week because he didn't want it to fuel any speculation that the two were only dating in order to stick it to Scottie -- his former Bulls teammate who he's since had big beef with.

But Larsa said on the pod it's all water under the bridge at this point ... telling their audience she and Marcus have talked it out -- and they're moving forward united.

"I feel good right now," she said. "I feel like we talked it through."

Britney Spears is telling her story in her own words -- and this time it's not going to come via a social media rant -- she's finished her book, and it's due out this fall.

Britney's memoir, titled "The Woman In Me," is set to be released Oct 24 ... and she's already taking pre-orders for the highly-anticipated tell-all.

The book is being published by Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books, which is hailing Britney's memoir as "a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope."

The cover features a black and white photograph of a topless Britney ... folding her arms to cover her breasts.

We've also learned Britney's memoir was the reason she was in Las Vegas earlier this month ... she went to Sin City to celebrate finishing the project, but it all got derailed by the Victor Wembanyama slapping incident.

Nonetheless, she still stuck around for dinner at Catch to enjoy her latest accomplishment ... as much as she could.

Jamie Foxx is back!!! ... hitting up a Topgolf driving range over the weekend, and this new video, obtained by TMZ, shows Jamie's made a great recovery.

Foxx was at Topgolf in Naperville, Illinois Saturday at around 11 PM, and the swing says it all. Jamie, club in hand, showed he has a firm grip and range of motion. An eyewitness tells TMZ his swing was better than the people with whom he was competing! The eyewitness says he had a very strong swing. BTW, Jamie won.

Beyond that, he was walking around, chatting with friends and family. The eyewitness says, "He was walking regular, not dragging his leg. His arm movement were definitely good," adding, "He was just regular Jamie."

The Topgolf driving range is near the rehab facility where Jamie's been recovering from his medical emergency. He's been at the facility since late April.

We also posted video of Jamie on a boat on the Chicago River, looking chill as he waived to fans and a passing boat.

Short story ... Jamie's recovery is pretty remarkable!

The release of the highly-anticipated "Barbie" Movie is only weeks away, and the stars of the movie all turned up in Downtown L.A. for the film's biggest premiere to date.

Margot Robbie -- who plays the Mattel beauty herself -- was front and center (though she opted for a black dress over pink) for the event Sunday held at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in DTLA.

Robbie's black dress was a tribute to a 1960s 'Solo in the Spotlight' Barbie doll.

Of course, Barbie's main squeeze, Ken -- played by Ryan Gosling -- hit the premiere as well ... but the rest of the guest list was almost as impressive as the stars themselves.

Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and Nicki Minaj -- who all have songs on the movie's soundtrack -- showed face on the pink carpet.

America Ferrera, Trixie Mattel, Issa Rae, Michael Cera and Simu Liu also were in attendance ... posing for pics as they entered the venue.

Unclear where the after-party was held ... but as we reported, there's a pretty sweet Barbie Dream House up in Malibu if the cast needs somewhere to kick it before the movie's July 21 release date.

Britney Spears and NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama have critically different accounts of what went down before his security guard slapped her, and video of the incident, obtained by TMZ, supports Britney's version.

Check out the video ... you hear Britney approach Victor outside Catch restaurant in Vegas Wednesday night, screaming in a British accent, "Sir, Sir!"

Britney reaches up and taps Victor on his left shoulder. This is important because Victor described Britney "grabbing" him. The video does not support that claim.

You then see Victor's security slap her hand and either his hand struck her face or he made contact with her hand and the force of impact caused her hand to hit her face.

Either way, you hear the slap. As the police said, it does not appear he struck her intentionally ... it was more him swatting her hand away.

Britney's glasses flew off, but she did not fall as she indicated.

After the slap, you hear Britney clearly upset, screaming, still in a British accent, "That's America for you. F*** you all!"

Britney and friends went to dinner after the incident ... where a witness tells us she seemed super pissed.

As we reported, the Metro PD has closed it's investigation and no charges will be filed against Victor's security.

Originally Published -- 10:53 AM PT

The Victor Wembanyama security guard accused of slapping Britney Spears during a wild incident in Las Vegas on Wednesday night will NOT be charged with a crime, cops say.

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. ... an investigation into the allegations concluded on Friday morning -- and "no charges will be filed."

No further details regarding the police probe were revealed.

TMZ broke the story ... Spears had attempted to get Wembanyama's attention while outside of Catch restaurant in the ARIA Hotel -- but in an effort to keep the singer away from the San Antonio Spurs star, Wembanyama's security guard struck her in the face.

Spears claimed she was hit with such force, it rocked the glasses off her head ... and nearly knocked her to the ground.

She demanded an apology ... while her husband, Sam Asghari, said he wanted to see the guard punished.

For Wembanyama's part, he said he had no idea it was Spears who wanted his attention until several hours later.

The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft also told reporters Thursday that the whole incident with the guard was kicked off because Spears "grabbed" him from behind.

Spears, though, refuted that claim ... and said she simply "tapped him on the shoulder."

Photos we obtained from inside Catch later in the evening show Spears was visibly agitated at her table -- and according to one eyewitness, she seemed to be in shock ... and, at one point, made a beeline for the bathroom.

Spears has yet to publicly comment on the results of of the police findings.

Originally Published -- 9:32 AM PT

Britney Spears was extremely agitated after getting slapped by a security guard protecting NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama ... according to an eyewitness and photos obtained by TMZ.

TMZ broke the story ... Britney was outside Catch restaurant at the Aria Hotel Wednesday night when she saw Victor and made her way to him for a selfie. She says she tapped him on the back -- he says she grabbed him -- and Victor's security guy backhanded her across the face. Metro police are now conducting a criminal battery investigation.

An eyewitness who was dining at Catch when Britney walked in tells TMZ ... as she walked in she said in a "very animated voice" that the security guard "punched" her in the face, as she pointed at the guy who was sitting at another table.

The eyewitness says Britney's security guy went over to Victor's security and asked the guy to come over to her table and apologize. The eyewitness says the guy walked over and said "I'm sorry," and said something to the effect he didn't know it was her when he made contact.

Britney seemed in shock, according to the eyewitness, and angry. She said she couldn't believe it happened and beelined it for the bathroom.

We've learned so far ... neither Victor nor anyone else from the San Antonio Spurs has reached out to Britney, and she is not pleased.

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

If it wasn't already apparent, here's some more evidence as to why rapper Blueface won't win "Father of The Year" anytime soon -- bringing strippers into his home with his 6-year-old son present -- and then questioning his child's sexuality.

Blueface posted a series of videos Thursday showcasing multiple mostly-naked dancers twerking in his living room … with his son, Javaughn's mother Jaidyn Alexis, also dancing in the background.

Blueface then leaves the living room for the kitchen to show Javaughn digging through the pantry, teasing, “It's booty cheeks out here, you over here looking for chips and Slim Jim's and s***" … he then proceeded to grill his son, asking if he was gay.

After convincing Javaughn the correct answer was "no," Blueface gave the boy multiple high-fives.

Of course, many who witnessed the encounter online were pissed -- some saying Child Protective Services needed to get involved.

Britney Spears says NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama is simply wrong when he says she "grabbed" him from behind ... she insists it was simply a friendly tap.

Britney is responding to the story TMZ broke early Thursday ... that the head of Victor's security backhanded her in the face outside Catch restaurant in Vegas. The account she just posted on social media aligns with what she told the police.

Britney says, "I recognized an athlete in my hotel lobby as I was heading to dinner. I later went to a restaurant at a different hotel and saw him again." That hotel is Aria.

She goes on to describe the encounter ... "I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success.  It was really loud, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention."

Now the dispute ... "I am aware the players statement where he mentions 'I grabbed him from behind' but I simply tapped him on the shoulder."

As for the slap, she says "His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of the crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face."

Britney adds she herself was "swarmed" by around 20 fans on her way into Aria, noting, "My security team didn't hit any of them."

As we reported, Victor spoke with reporters -- including KENS 5 reporter Nate Ryan -- after practice Thursday to detail his side of how things went down.

Britney says, "“I also don’t appreciate nor do I thin this is a laughing matter. Watching the player smile and laugh was cruel and demoralizing with the situation that took place. I am 5’3 and he’s 7’4…”

Sources close to Britney tell us she hasn't yet heard from Victor's team and she's pissed about it ... thinking someone would've at least reached out to apologize.

TMZ spoke to an eyewitness who says he not only saw the head of security slap Britney, he heard the impact.  He also says Britney was furious, screaming "This is f****** America."

As we reported, Metro PD has launched a criminal investigation and interviewed Britney this morning at her hotel. We're told the case will "likely" be referred to the D.A. for review.

Victor Wembanyama says Britney Spears didn't just tap him on the shoulder before a security guard put his hand on her on Wednesday night ... the NBA star says she full-on "grabbed me from behind" -- sparking the intense scene.

The San Antonio Spurs' top pick explained his side of the situation to KENS 5 reporter Nate Ryan shortly after a workout on Thursday afternoon ... saying it all went down as he was walking into Catch restaurant in the ARIA Hotel in Las Vegas.

Wembanyama -- the most touted basketball prospect since LeBron James -- said there were a lot of people in the hallway near the eatery calling for him ... but he was instructed not to stop in order to avoid creating a chaotic scene.

One woman, though, kept asking for him ... before she ran up to him and put her arms around him.

He later learned that person was Spears.

"I didn't see what happened, because I was walking straight and we were told, 'Don't stop,'" Wembanyama said. "But that person grabbed me from behind -- not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind -- and so I just know the security pushed her away."

"I don't know with how much force, though. But security pushed her away. I didn't stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy the nice dinner."

Wembanyama said he didn't know the woman was Spears until "a couple hours later" because he never saw her face.

"At first I was like, 'No, you're joking,'" he said. "But, yeah, it turns out it was Britney Spears."

Spears' husband, Sam Asghari, also addressed his side of the incident in a pair of Instagram posts Thursday afternoon ... chastising Wembanyama's security guard for getting physical with the singer during the incident.

"The violent behavior of an out-of-control security guard should not cast a shadow on the accomplishment of a great young man on the rise @wemby," he said. "The blame should fall on the coward who did this, the people who hired him without proper vetting, and a systemic culture of disregard for women within sports and entertainment."

Sam went on to say he believed Spears was "physically assaulted," and he demanded to see changes "come from the top."

"And I look forward to those changes," he said.

An eyewitness to the Britney Spears slap at the hands of security for NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama tells TMZ ... he clearly struck her and she was furious.

Brian Grajales, a Canadian who was outside Catch restaurant Wednesday night says he saw Britney approach Victor's entourage, clearly wanting to take a photo with him.

Brian says she "infiltrated" her way into his circle, leaned in, and in a British accent, said, "Excuse me, sir ... excuse me, sir." She then touched Victor's back, and that's when he says the head of Victor's security backhanded her right in the face.

One law enforcement source told TMZ, the security guy hit Britney's hand and her hand then hit her face, but Brian squarely disputes that. He says the security guy struck her.

Brian says Britney's sunglasses flew off, but he doesn't recall if she fell, but there was a lot of commotion.

He says Victor walked into the restaurant, and, in a British accent, Britney screamed, "This is f**king America!!!"

As we reported, the Metro PD is conducting a criminal investigation, they went to interview Britney this morning, and we're told the case will "likely" be sent to the D.A. for review.

We've now gotten photos showing Britney Spears and Victor Wembanyama headed toward the restaurant's entrance.

You can see Spears come up from behind the young NBA star -- and from there, a witness said she tried to tap him on the shoulder, which led to things getting physical with security.

We just received contrary information about the police investigation from a source high up in the Metro PD. Our source says this is indeed a criminal investigation and they are taking the incident "as serious as a heart attack." The source adds the case will "likely" be referred to the D.A., although that does not mean criminal charges will be filed.

We're told Vegas police brass will be meeting face-to-face with Britney this morning to discuss the incident.

Our law enforcement sources tell us the cops who responded to ARIA reviewed security camera footage showing Smith push Britney's hand away ... and then her hand, not Smith's, struck her face. Cops did not address the velocity of the force of the swing.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, the man listed on the police report as the one who slapped Britney is Damian Smith, the Director of Team Security for the Spurs. Our sources say it is not being handled as a criminal matter, because cops determined Smith was not trying to hurt Britney but rather defend Victor Wembanyama.

Britney Spears was allegedly assaulted Wednesday night in Vegas, after a member of NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama's security backhanded her in the face, and she has filed a police report.

The incident went down at Catch restaurant in the ARIA Hotel around 8:30 PM. Britney, along with her husband, Sam Asghari, and 2 others went to the restaurant for dinner. She was swarmed by fans as she entered the casino.

Britney and co. walked over to Catch, and as they were entering the restaurant, Britney spotted Victor. We're told she's a fan and went over to him to ask if they could take a photo together. She tapped him on his back, right shoulder and, we're told the Director of Team Security for the San Antonio Spurs -- the team that drafted Victor last month -- instantly backhanded her, causing her to fall to the ground ... knocking her glasses off.

Britney composed herself and went to her table. We're told the security guy came over to the table and apologized. He said, "You understand how it is when you're being swarmed by fans." He apologized and Britney accepted it. BTW, we're told he also said when he slapped her he didn't know who she was.

Britney's security team spent time with Victor's security guy, and afterward her team filed a police report with the Metropolitan Police Dept. alleging battery.

Originally Published -- 7:35 AM PT

Keke Palmer's boyfriend isn't gonna get a rise out of her -- at least publicly -- after he insinuated her choice of attire for an Usher concert wasn't appropriate for a mom.

The "Nope" actress is telling the world she had no regrets following the very public remarks made by Darius Jackson, the father of her son, regarding her outfit while attending Usher's Vegas residency last weekend.

Keke doubled down on her sexy wardrobe selection in a recap on IG ... that made no mention of Darius whatsoever.

She posted a pic in THE outfit, and said, "I wish I had taken more pictures but we were running late! I am telling y'all right now, if you haven't seen @usher YOU MUST GO!! HE WAS SO FABULOUS!!"

Referring to Usher, Keke added ... "Where is that pic of us all together with the King himself??"

The "king" Usher sided with his VIP guest, or at least shouted her out ... thanking her for attending his show, not to mention giving his Vegas residency yet another viral moment!!!

Darius was royally pissed off Wednesday when fans ripped him for being extra critical of Keke's sheer 'fit. He said, "We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn’t want the wife & mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others & he gets told how much of a hater he is."

As of Thursday, Keke and Darius don't follow each other on Instagram.

Hey Alexa, play "Moving Mountains" by Usher. 🎶

We covered the drama on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

This will blow your mind -- an official from the government of Italy contacted Mark Zuckerberg about staging a UFC fight against Elon Musk at the most legendary battleground in the world ... Rome's Colosseum ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... the Minister of Culture reached out to Zuckerberg a few days ago about staging what could be the biggest fight in the history of the world in the most fabled fight theater in history.

Our sources say both Elon and Mark would love for the fight to go down at the Colosseum.

We're told Zuckerberg's people passed on the message to UFC Prez Dana White, whose people contacted the Minister.

As for the venue itself -- one of the 7 Wonders of the World -- there have not been large events held inside the nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheater in hundreds of years, and only a few hundred spectators can be seated in temporary seating within the theater.

Sir Paul McCartney performed inside the Colosseum in 2003 for an exclusive charity show before 400 people who paid up to $1,500 -- but other than that, all other concerts have been held just outside the structure.

It's unclear where a Musk vs. Zuck fight would go down -- inside or outside.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell us if you're gonna bet on whether this fight goes down ... wager that it's happening. We're told both Musk and Zuck are "all in," and have been negotiating with Dana about the details of a fight daily ... multiple times each day for more than a week.

The biggest obstacle is height and weight disparity, although both men have no issue with it. The question ... if the fight were to go down in Vegas -- which was the goal until the Colosseum offer surfaced -- the Nevada Athletic Commission would have to sign off. Given that Zuck is 5'7" and weighs 145, and Elon towers over him at 6'2" and weighs 230, it's a little problematic. Nevertheless, this would be an exhibition fight, so the rules might bend.

Now that Italy is interested, it opens up so many more possibilities.

Originally Published -- 6/29 9:39 PM PT

"Vanderpump Rules" is already shooting Season 11, but the person who is the centerpiece of all the drama -- Raquel Leviss -- just began negotiating with Bravo this week, and there are complications in sealing the deal ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Bravo, production and Raquel's team began talking about a new contract just 3 days ago. We don't know the specifics of what was discussed, but it's standard operating procedure in the entertainment biz to make salary item #1.

Whatever terms they have already discussed, it appears none were deal-breakers, because the negotiations are continuing.

Now the problems.

Our sources say Bravo did not want to even begin negotiations while Raquel was getting treatment in the mental health facility she's called home for more than 2 months.

The reality -- if Bravo jumps the gun, makes a deal and brings her back too early, they could face legal peril if she backslides.

So, you ask ... why did they begin negotiating THIS week? The answer -- because our sources say, Raquel will leave the facility "soon." That gives production the green light to start the negotiations.

Now here's the practical problem ... the longer 'VPR' rolls cameras, the harder it's gonna be to integrate Raquel into the storylines. No one wants to pressure her to come back too early, but they want a show with lots of drama. A source connected to the show tells us ... production is ready when she is ready.

Stay tuned ...

Vanna White has got Sony spinning these days because she won't continue on "Wheel of Fortune" unless she makes at least half of what Pat Sajak has been making ... sources tell TMZ.

Sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations say Vanna is clear -- she's the cohost of the long-running show, so the pay disparity between her and Pat needs to be squarely addressed. Point of fact ... they're introduced this way on 'Wheel' -- "Here are the stars of our show, Pat Sajak and Vanna White."

So they're introduced as equals, but their salaries are anything but. We've confirmed Vanna's salary -- $3 million a year. And get this -- we've confirmed that's what she's made for the last 18 YEARS. She has not gotten a single pay increase in all that time.

Pat reportedly makes around $15 million a year. Vanna isn't asking for that, but we're told her lawyer, Bryan Freedman, is demanding half the amount Pat makes.

One source connected to Vanna put it this way ... "After 41 years as a model employee and more the face of that show than him [Pat], asking for 50% of what he makes seems like a no-brainer."

Sony, we're told, is not on board, at least not yet. One source with direct knowledge described the negotiations as "very difficult."

Our sources also say Vanna feels like the issue is bigger than her. As one source says, "She feels like it's a statement for all women."

We're told Vanna wants to stay on the show, but if she doesn't get what she believes is "a minimum of what is fair," that's a real possibility.

Sony may be in a tough spot here because Vanna provides continuity when Ryan Seacrest takes over for Pat a year from September. It's pretty clear ... they don't want to lose Pat and Vanna at the same time.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.