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Cops say former Vine star Hayes Grier had an accomplice conspire with him during his alleged beatdown that left a man with brain damage ... and now the guy's been arrested on felony charges.

Luke Foushee, a social media star and influencer like Hayes, was arrested and booked into jail in Mecklenburg County last month in the wake of the alleged vicious beating on a man involving Grier and himself.

According to the arrest warrant, obtained by TMZ, cops believe there's evidence to show Foushee and Grier planned the attack.

Foushee is now out on bail after being booked for conspiracy and assault inflicting serious bodily injury -- both felonies -- and posing for a mugshot on his way in.

TMZ broke the story ... Grier was arrested and charged for allegedly carrying out the savage beatdown on a man and jacking a $1,200 phone. As we reported, the man was left with brain damage, bruised ribs, broken bones and more.

Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson was subjected to racist venom during his final at-bat during Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies ... being called the n-word by a fan.

Brinson was at the plate at the top of the 9th with the Rockies ahead of the Marlins by quite a bit, and with one out logged ... he stepped up to take a hack. After taking a second ball, somebody in the stands started unabashedly hurling the slur as loud as they could.

The man's words were picked up by a mic ... and you can clearly hear him saying it over and over again, seemingly in Brinson's direction -- as the guy turned around to look himself.

It's unclear if the fan was found and punished for the reprehensible language ... as neither the Rockies nor Coors Field seem to have addressed the situation just yet. Beat reporters and broadcasters who were watching/covering the game, however, have spoken out.

All of them are calling for the same thing ... for the fan to be ID'd and banned for life for using such language. As the Marlins play-by-play man Paul Severino put it ... "The level of hate that was displayed has no place in this world. Unfortunately, it's still far too prevalent. We need to be better. And soon. Awful." The sentiment was similar among the others, too.

Brinson, for his part, had been playing pretty well this series -- getting 2 hits Sunday and 3 on Saturday ... so he was giving the Rockies problems. Still, for someone to stoop to this ... it's despicable.

One other weird thing ... the MLB App isn't allowing one to watch the Rockies/Marlins game at the moment -- even though it's already over. It might still be getting archived at the moment, but it's also possible the league is scrubbing/censoring today's game in light of what happened.

Pete Davidson and Kaley Cuoco are starring in a new movie together, and it seems they're taking their on-set friendship into the real world ... and the latest stop is a theme park.

The two actors -- who are the starring leads in an upcoming rom-com called "Meet Cute," in which they play a couple -- were spotted Saturday afternoon at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey ... where they were hand in hand as they were about to embark on a ride.

Don't worry ... it's not what you think. They were more comforting each other as buddies rather than anything romantic. Kaley's happily married -- and Pete ... well, he's just Pete.

It's pretty obvious from this video TMZ obtained of them on the Sling Shot that they were simply calming each other's nerves as friends ... and perhaps preparing for some actual scenes for this new flick of theirs -- which is currently in production and filming right now.

It appears Pete and Kaley have hit it off as they prepare to shoot -- they've been goofing off together a lot lately, as seen in Kaley's recent IG Stories where she's filmed them palling around. Talk about getting ready for a role ... that's what we call method acting!!!

Anyway, "Meet Cute" sounds like it'll be a good one. It's about a BF/GF who are somehow able to go back into each other's past to shape their SO into the perfect partner.

Nebraska was under a deluge of downpour over the weekend, especially in Omaha -- where three people nearly drowned in an elevator that was completely full of water.

Local resident Tony Luu captured the terrifying moment on his social media, showing himself and two pals trapped in an elevator from their apartment building ... where they ended up neck-deep in H2O while trying to descend and get a closer look at the madness outside.

Understandable that they'd want to see the wild flooding first-hand -- it was quite a scene all over Omaha, it appears ... with water elevating rapidly in parking structures and elsewhere.

Check it out ... Luu was able to record the moment that the elevator got stuck, and when water started to pour in through the vents. He told local outlets the water quickly reached their stomachs, at which point he and his friends started to get freaked out.

As the water rose to frightening levels -- nearly reaching the ceiling of the tight space -- Luu and his friends hoisted themselves onto the elevator railing to get leverage ... and phoned 911 for help, as well as other friends of theirs -- including the building maintenance man.

Eventually, Luu's other friends from outside were able to pry the doors open from the lobby level ... and Luu says he was literally swimming out as the water came rushing out. Not to make light of this, but it almost sounds like the elevator scene from 'The Shining.' Freaky ...

Anyway, all three of them were fortunately uninjured in the end. Still, though, it could've easily turned into a deadly situation if not for some quick thinking and on-the-spot heroics.

A Black realtor and his clients were treated like first-rate criminals during a house showing in Michigan, when police showed up with the cavalry and guns drawn on a mistaken 911 call.

Eric Brown was giving a tour last week to Roy Thorne and his 15-year-old son, when all of a sudden ... they say they found themselves surrounded by a number of police cruisers outside, with some of the officers pointing their weapons at them and demanding they step out.

All three of them did what the cops asked, and they were all cuffed and briefly detained -- this while the cops asked them questions. Apparently, a concerned neighbor called in to report a break-in ... as it seems there was one that had happened the week prior, with the suspect's car at the time having a similar look to the one Eric was driving on this day.

As a result, the City of Wyoming Police Dept. came swarming in. After sorting out what was what -- with Eric explaining he was a realtor and was just showing off the place -- the police finally realized they were in the wrong ... and released everyone without further incident.

Everyone seemed to be on good terms as things wrapped up -- with the cops apologizing for the inconvenience -- but Eric and co. are still angered over it ... now claiming racial profiling.

NASA says it needs some guinea pigs to test out what life on Mars would be like for a year -- right here at home -- and they're asking for regular Earthlings to help out.

The space agency put out a want ad this week, asking for "healthy, motivated" U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents to sign up and volunteer for a year-long simulated experience ... which will apparently put 4 lucky participants together in a 3D printed bunker-like environment.

NASA has an idea of what the fake 1,700 square-foot Mars fort (of sorts) will look like ... something like what you see above.

Anyway, sounds like they're going to be doing a few of these "missions" -- with the first set to begin in Fall 2022 and take place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where they'll recreate Mars conditions and put these folks through different tests ... for, like, research and whatnot.

Some of the things one might expect to be dealing with while there ... handling resource limitations, equipment failure and other environmental stressors. There's also the strong possibility NASA will make you go through simulated spacewalks, scientific research, use of virtual reality and robotic controls and "exchanging communications" ... as they put it. 👀

There might be some pay, it seems ... but the amount isn't specified in NASA's press release. But, still, it's kinda cool ... right??? BTW, we know we said ordinary people are wanted -- but that's isn't entirely true ... NASA is seeking the best and the brightest for these simulations.

An American Airlines pilot is upset his photo was used in a story about a pilot who went off the rails during an announcement to passengers revealing he had been molested as a child.

The audio is alarming ... passengers listened as the pilot explained how his life spiraled out of control and how he became a sex addict with encounters with both men and women. It sounds like he's pushing religion in the audio, but it's not clear. It's a deeply disturbing video ... a pilot seemingly unhinged, on a plane full of passengers.

Several blogs posted the audio with a photo of a pilot ... a black bar covering a portion of his face. The American Airlines pilot in the photo is Rodrigo Ribeiro. It's clear to anyone who knows Rodrigo ... it's a photo of him. Problem is ... he was NOT the pilot who made the announcement.

American Airlines owns the photo which it had posted several years before, celebrating Pride month.

Rodrigo was understandably upset ... being a pilot is a reputationally-based job ... in other words, reputation is everything, and if Rodrigo's fellow pilots and bosses think he was the one who made the announcement, it could derail his career.

Rodrigo says he worked with American to help him get the photo removed from the blogs, but it lingered there for days. People he knew were getting in touch with him, asking if he was OK and if there was anything they could do to help him.

The photo was finally removed Saturday from at least one of the blogs, and Rodrigo wants people to know -- it wasn't him on that audio.

American Airlines tells TMZ the pilot who made the announcement was in uniform but not flying the plane that day. The airline says he got on a mic and began speaking. The airline says the story was posted on a number of blogs and it has tried to get it taken down.

You've heard of people falsifying their vaccine cards to avoid having to get the jab -- but here's another example of the same exact thing ... in the opposite direction.

The AP reports that a small handful of Americans have been caught red-handed trying to lie about their vaccination status -- this in order to receive a third booster shot before it's officially approved by Uncle Sam ... all because they're freaked out about the rising variants.

In one instance, a 26-year-old grad student named Gina Welch admitted to the AP that she'd successfully gotten her third booster already ... by simply going to a clinic and telling 'em it was her first. Her rationale boils down to ... I've done the research and I'm sick of waiting.

It's unclear if the healthcare system/her insurance company has caught on over the discrepancy yet -- but even if they have, it's too late by now ... Welch was able to prance in and get the damn thing without much checking or hassle, it seems. Ditto for at least 900 others in the country, who appear to have already triple-dipped for inoculation, so says AP.

It would appear some folks -- a vast minority at this point -- are fed up with having to respond to government entities ... which admittedly move slow on this sorta thing. That's pretty ballsy -- but it's also incredibly telling ... for a multitude of reasons, really.

For one, our own healthcare experts -- including Dr. Fauci -- have, indeed, said that a booster will likely be needed in the future to ward off Delta, Lambda and all these other COVID variants that are springing up ... and they're even working on rolling that out for the elderly and immuno-compromised right now. 'Til then, the rest of us gotta get in line.

Barry, an owl in the Who's Who of Central Park residents, has tragically died.

The nocturnal creature was struck by a maintenance vehicle early Friday in the Park. It didn't have a chance. It was flying low to the ground, looking for food, when it was struck at around 2:30 AM.

Barry was a fixture in the Park, much to the delight of runners, bird watchers and others who meandered their way around.  Officials issued a sad statement ... "It's with a heavy heart we share that a barred owl, a beloved Central Park resident, passed away early this morning. The barred owl's presence in Central Park brought so much joy, reminding all of us that the Park is a vital greenspace for all New Yorkers, including the wildlife that call it home."

The bird watchers were devastated, issuing their own statement.

"We are saddened to learn that our beloved BARRED OWL died last night in an accidental collision with a @CentralParkNYC maintenance vehicle. We will miss her wondrous and beautiful presence in the park."

There will be a vigil for Barry Monday near the hemlock tree it called home. That would have been Barry's 10-month anniversary in Central Park.

People left messages on the ground in memory of Barry.

The flight attendant who duct-taped an unruly Frontier passenger is finally speaking out -- well, at least a YouTuber is giving him a pretty hilarious voice.

Ya gotta see this spoof of a TV newscast, which starts and ends with actual news footage ... but in the middle features YouTube personality, The Real Spark, masquerading as flight attendant, Alfredo Rivera -- and if you act up on his flights, "you gonna have to attend this ass whooping!"

He explains the passenger stunk like "4 shots of Everclear and regret." He then references something that allegedly happened for real on the flight ... the passenger, Max Berry, groping a female crew member mid-flight. "Alfredo" adds, "Where he f**ked up at is when he touched my titties, 'cause I don't play that!!!"'

Just watch ... we give it an 'A' for delivery and production quality.

As you know ... the real flight attendant taped Berry to a seat after the guy allegedly groped a couple female crew members and started screaming, cussing and making a scene.

TMZ obtained new video of the incident, showing Berry ranting and raving as he was restrained. The real flight attendants involved are all on paid leave while the airline investigates ... but Frontier says it supports their actions under the circumstances.

Lil Yachty's posted up with Kanye West inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and from the look of things, Yachty's vibing on "Donda" ... while Ye's morphing into a supervillain.

The "Hit Bout It" rapper paid Kanye a visit at his makeshift ATL home ahead of the second "Donda" listening party set to go down Thursday evening -- and Kanye was wearing his usual full head cover, plus a jacket covered in giant spikes!

Seriously, looks like something from the "Suicide Squad" wardrobe.

Yachty's the latest rapper to visit him inside his quarters at the home of the Atlanta Falcons. Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa have also popped in to see Kanye.

Apple's launched a stream for viewers to "Watch Kanye finishing Donda in Atlanta," but it's intentionally muted the entire time ... which is why you can't hear any sound coming from the video Yachty posted.

As we reported ... Kanye and co. had been trying to figure out how to make this experience different from the first, which as we first reported, broke the Apple Music Global Livestream record with 3.3 million viewers.

Barack Obama nixing his epic 60th birthday bash at the last minute is creating a potential nightmare for many out-of-town guests ... who might lose out on major dough.

We did some digging around Martha's Vineyard -- where the shindig was supposed to go down -- and as it turns out, a bunch of hotels in the area are not issuing refunds for ObamaFest guests who had rooms booked this weekend.

The reason, we've learned, is many of these hotels have strict cancelation policies -- especially at the Winnetu Oceanside Resort -- where you had to have canceled by February 1st to get any money back!!! 😩

A few of these places -- like The Charlotte Inn and the Vineyard Square Hotel have a 30-day cancelation rule ... so those guests are outta luck too.

Ditto for a hotel called Hob Knob (which can run $800/night), but they'll credit you for a future stay if you cancel within 72 hours. Now, a few ... like the Harbor View ($1,300/night) will let you off clean without fees within a 72-hour cancelation window.

The problem is some of Obama's party crew were arriving Thursday ... so the Wednesday morning change of plans -- due to the Delta variant COVID-19 surge -- left them out in the cold.

Not everyone's screwed though -- we did find a small number of lenient/reasonable hotels that allow cancelations within 48, or even 24 hours.

We know what you're thinking ... why wouldn't these places all be reasonable, considering the circumstances? It's all about timing -- our MV sources reminded us this is the busiest time of year there, so hoteliers don't tend to give up summer revenue.

Hotels aside, ObamaFest is also causing a bit of a worker shortage! The event -- originally planned for roughly 500 guests, and the talk of MV since late May -- was reportedly going to employ upwards of 200 locals.

People in the know on the island say that left other MV businesses short-handed. Also, we're told cab/rental car companies have been slammed and completely booked in anticipation of the party.

"Jeopardy!" has finally settled on a new permanent host to take over for the late Alex Trebek ... and no, it's not Aaron Rodgers, it's not LeVar Burton, and it's not Anderson Cooper.

Executive producer Mike Richards is expected to take the reins of the famous game show that was hosted by Trebek for 36 years ... according to Variety. Richards is reportedly in advanced negotiations with Sony Pictures Television to become the host of "Jeopardy!" and launch a new era.

It's super interesting ... the entire season was all about big celebs vying for the dream job ... Mayim Bialik, Katie Couric, George Stephanopoulos and more. But, in the end, they went in-house. It's not like Mike Richards chose himself -- Sony bigwigs did that. But, well, interesting.

Fact is ... Richards guest-hosted the show in February and crushed it. He's hosted game shows before ... "Divided" and "The Pyramid" for Sony Pictures’ GSN cabler. He's also produced more than 4,000 hours of game shows.

Justin Bieber is apologizing for plugging Morgan Wallen's album -- saying he didn't know about Morgan's n-word scandal, but now that he does ... he admits it's bringing back bad memories for him.

The controversy started Wednesday morning when Justin posted an Instagram story saying he loved Morgan's "Dangerous" album, a post that was quickly deleted ... presumably after he got some backlash, and some knowledge about Morgan's incident.

Justin's been explaining himself ever since ... claiming he had no clue about Wallen's n-word scandal, saying he doesn't support or tolerate racism or discrimination and apologizing to anyone he may have offended by initially supporting Morgan's record.

As you know by now, Morgan was caught on video saying the n-word back in January after a night out in Nashville with friends.

Once Justin heard about that, it immediately reminded him of his own infamous, on camera, use of the n-word when he was 14. He substituted the epithet in one of his early hits, singing ... "There'll be one less lonely n***er."

Selena Gomez thinks she's the butt of a couple jokes on "The Good Fight" ... but production tells us she's got the wrong idea about the kidney transplant jabs.

Selena and her fans were upset about a couple wisecracks in a scene from the CBS drama ... where characters are discussing what kinds of jokes are NOT kosher ... but we're told the joke is going over everyone's head, though Selena's camp disagrees.

A production source tells TMZ … the Selena reference is part of a discussion the characters are having about topics that are not okay to make fun of and the idea of cancel culture and being canceled for telling a bad joke, and it's decided Selena's transplant isn't something to wisecrack about.

The clip started making the rounds on social media this week and folks got "RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ" trending for a bit, with Selena chiming in and calling the scene "tasteless."

Despite what production says, Selena's not buying it.

Sources close to the singer tell us ... context or not, the way the show wrote and delivered the scene was inappropriate and people around Selena still feel like the scene is being used as a joke not as an educational moment

Selena's dealt with this sort of thing before ... as we reported, the kidney jokes were flying in the 'Saved By The Bell' reboot and the show removed them after tons of backlash.

The man who got duct taped to his seat aboard a Frontier plane was incoherently rambling and yelling shortly before he got his trap shut for him ... and it's truly a sight to see.

TMZ has obtained new video showing a different angle of Max Berry getting restrained on his weekend flight from Philly to Miami ... and it captures much of what was happening right before a male flight attendant wrapped him up in tape, and the moments thereafter.

Watch ... after several minutes of Berry ranting, the attendant walks up and then a scuffle breaks out. Not too long after, you see Berry taped to his seat and going on a tirade about what this means big picture. To him, it signaled war was imminent ... although he couldn't seem to articulate why. Between all the cussing/shouting (and slurring of his words, perhaps) it sounds like pure nonsense.

Another weird moment ... Berry mentions that he's white and that there's nothing he can do about that. We're told he was speaking to a Black passenger at the time.

Like we said, one of the crew members eventually comes up behind him and wraps up his blowhole with a crap ton of tape, and the rest of the cabin cheers. And yet, Berry seemed able to get out of that too and continue ranting.

As we reported ... the guy was arrested on several charges over this incident.

The police report, obtained by TMZ, says witnesses claimed Berry had had 2 alcoholic drinks prior to his meltdown, and upon receiving (and spilling) a 3rd, things spiraled into what you see here. BTW, an eyewitness tells us they allegedly saw Berry drinking even before the flight.

He also allegedly grazed the backside of one flight attendant, and was accused of groping another one's breasts. He's facing multiple counts of battery, and was released after posting $4,500 bail.