You Might Want to Rethink

Cuban Doll, the female rapper Offset allegedly tried to rope into a three-way with his supposed mistress, tells us she's definitely not at fault for his breakup with Cardi B.

We got Cuban out Thursday night at Topanga Mall ... and she's adamant she NEVER hooked up with Offset, and never even spoken to CB's hubby.

The denials don't end there, because Cuban tells us she had no idea Offset was trying to have sex with her and says she wasn't even aware of his alleged threesome fantasy before it went public.

As we reported ... Cuban was thrust into the middle of Cardi and Offset's split after alleged text messages surfaced appearing to show Offset looking to set up a menage a trois with Cuban and his supposed sidepiece, Summer Bunni.

We broke the story ... Summer tearfully expressed remorse for hooking up with Offset not long before Cardi gave birth, but there's no crying coming from Cuban.

And, get this ... Cuban says Cardi recently reached out to her, and there's no beef between them.

Michael Blackson's got a few interesting points about the fallout from Kevin Hart being chosen to host the Oscars, but he's certain, no matter what ... Kevin's gonna be just fine.

We got the comedian outside Boulevard3 in Hollywood Thursday night and asked about Kevin stepping down from hosting after being slammed for old homophobic tweets.

Blackson goes to bat for his buddy (they're back on good terms), telling us all black comics have said offensive things in the past -- even the legends -- and the Academy should have been well aware of that.

Blackson says the Oscars is just as at fault for this debacle, because it either offered Hart the job without looking up his past ... or ignored it. Either way, Mike feels Kev's response should have been enough to remedy the situation ... but no such luck.

The Ghanaian native also points out there was actually one perfect black comedian who never said anything wrong, and well ... look where he's at now.

Anyway, Michael's not worried about his friend ... because he says Hart's still rich and doesn't need the hosting gig.

9:13 PM PT -- Kevin just announced he will no longer host the show, saying, "I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past."

He continues, "I'm sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again."

Kevin Hart is firing back at critics who think he's unfit to host the Oscars due to old tweets that were extremely homophobic ... and by firing back, we mean he's laying in bed and refusing to apologize.

Kevin says in an Instagram video, the hateful response to his old tweets illustrates just how PC-crazy our world has become ... and he says he's not going to let the haters bring him down.

As Kevin put it -- in a video he shot with his head still on a pillow -- he's approaching 40 and it's stupid for people to think his views haven't evolved. Basically, he's claiming he's more mature than he was when he was gay-bashing on Twitter -- including using the f-word several times.

The Academy announced this week that Kevin would host next year's Oscars, and the backlash began almost immediately.

The judge who closed out Tekashi69's child sex case now admits there was a major screwup with his original sentence, but she also suggests it's a moot point now that he's locked up.

A spokesperson for Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Felicia Mennin -- who sentenced Tekashi in October for his 2015 child sex case -- tells TMZ the error was in the plea deal prosecutors struck with 6ix9ine's attorneys.

According to the spokesperson, "The original sentence was the result of a negotiated plea. All parties involved, the prosecution, defense and the [trial] judge (not Mennin) signed off on it." Now, here comes the big BUT ... "As an error was made, the case was placed back on the calendar and the sentence corrected."

Translation: Judge Mennin dropped Tekashi's probation Tuesday, and gave him credit for time served to correct an oversight -- namely, that the terms of the plea deal were unlawful.

Remember, Judge Mennin handed down a light sentence of 4 years probation as opposed to jail time. Sentencing guidelines for a class C sex assault felony -- for which 6ix9ine was convicted -- call for a minimum of 10 years probation, and a max of 5-15 years in prison.

What's unclear is how Tekashi's time served -- less than 3 weeks in jail -- equals that minimum of 10 years probation. We asked Menin's spokesperson what the judge's sentence would have been had she initially noticed the plea deal screwup.

Cardi B's breakup with Offset over alleged infidelity just got a little more dramatic -- 'cause the girl he's accused of creepin' with was in a Nicki Minaj video.

Turns out, Summer Bunni -- who Offset allegedly solicited for a threeway with another female rapper -- starred in Tekashi69 and Nicki's "FEFE" music vid. SB posted a clip of herself in the production shooting whipped cream in her mouth.

That's what they call a star turn in show biz.

As we reported ... Summer says she feels terrible about possibly being the reason Cardi and Offset split, and tearfully told us she never meant to be a homewrecker.

It's unclear if Summer was trying to stick it to Cardi by working with her nemesis. The "FEFE" vid came out in July -- meanwhile, Nicki and Cardi's bad blood boiled over in September. So, this could all be coincidence, but drama-filled coincidence, for sure.

Scott Eastwood had a very up close and personal run-in with a couple killer whales while paddle boarding down in Mexico -- and while it's incredible to see ... it's also kinda scary.

Clint Eastwood's son posted a video of himself out in the waters of Baja California Sur, where he says he and a pal stopped for lunch before paddling out to sea after hearing some orcas in the water.

Scott says they thought the wild beasts had disappeared by the time they got out there -- but, apparently, some whale noises and splashing around made 2 orcas circle back ... and, boy, did they get close. Check out the clip -- Scott and co. could've touched 'em if they wanted.

It's a majestic scene for sure, but ya gotta wonder how risky the dip with the whales really was. While orcas aren't known to attack humans ... it's always a possibility they could.

2:15 PM PT -- Natalie's responded to Jessica directly, saying ... "I completely agree with you that a woman should be allowed to dress however she likes and behave however she likes and not be judged. I only meant to say I was confused - as a girl coming of age in the public eye around the same time - by the media's mixed messages about how girls and women are supposed to behave."

She adds ... "I didn't mean to shame you and I'm sorry for any hurt my words may have caused. I have nothing but respect for your talent and your voice that you use to encourage and empower women all over the globe."

Jessica Simpson is firing back at Natalie Portman for saying she got mixed messages from one of Jessica's famous magazine covers way back in the day.

Jessica called out Natalie Wednesday, saying she's "disappointed" Natalie is slut shaming her for posing in a bikini, while also boasting about being a virgin.

In a recent interview, Natalie told USA Today, "I remember being a teenager, and there was Jessica Simpson on the cover of a magazine saying ‘I’m a virgin’ while wearing a bikini, and I was confused. Like, I don’t know what this is trying to tell me as a woman, as a girl."

Natalie, who plays a pop star in her new movie, "Vox Lux," was talking about real-life pop stars and the virgin/vixen paradigms pushed by the music industry in the late 1990s.

Jessica thinks Natalie should know better ... telling her, "As public figures, we both know our image is not totally in our control at all times, and that the industry we work in often tries to define us and box us in."

Jessica further scolds Natalie by writing, "being sexy in a bikini and being proud of my body are not synonymous with having sex.”

The pop star's social media rant included some shade for Natalie -- “I have made it my practice to not shame other women for their choices. I encourage you to do the same."

Trina Braxton has an interesting thought about radio stations banning the Christmas song "Baby It's Cold Outside" in the #MeToo era -- and it's basically this ... Too. Damn. Far.

The singer was at LAX Tuesday where our photog gave her props for her and her sisters' new holiday album, "Braxton Family Christmas," which spurred a convo about the latest holiday controversy -- certain stations yanking 'Baby It's Cold' because critics think it promotes date rape.

If you've never paid attention to the lyrics, the song's about a woman trying to leave a date, while the guy insists she stay. One of the more problematic verses ... "Well maybe just a half a drink more // I'll put some records on while I pour // The neighbors might think // Baby it's bad out there // Say what's in this drink?"

Much as Trina defended the song, even she told us that verse is pretty shaky. Still, she says it's a classic that shouldn't be touched, and besides ... she reminds us the woman decides to stay in the end.

Lil Pump flew a little too close to the sun and got burned -- he taunted police officers in Denmark, on camera, got his ass locked up and had to cancel a gig ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the rapper tell us ... cops in Copenhagen detained him and his crew Tuesday for an unknown reason. We're told someone in the group was holding something illegal.

As they were being hauled to the police station, Pump busted out his phone and began live streaming and flipped a bird behind an officer's back. We're told the cops found out and decided to detain him much longer.

As a result ... LP's concert Tuesday night in Finland's been canceled. The Live Nation website for the show says it's due to "unexpected events."

Our sources say Pump's expected to be released in the next 24 hours. So far, he hasn't been hit with any criminal charges.

2 Chainz and TeeFLii straight-up jacked Robin S.'s club banger to make their sexed up track, "24 Hours" ... according to her songwriters.

The 3 songwriters to Robin's "Back It Up" are going after the L.A. singer and ATL rapper, claiming "24 Hours" -- TeeFLii's 2014 debut song, featuring 2 Chainz -- is practically the exact same song with very few differences.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the songwriters claim "Back It Up" is an uptempo song while "24 Hours" is the same music with slight modifications and a slowed down beat. Take a listen and judge for yourself.

"Back It Up" is on Robin S.'s 1993 album "Show Me Love." "24 Hours" came out 21 years later on TeeFLii's album "Starr" and it's enjoyed astronomical success on various platforms ... including YouTube and Spotify -- with over 25 million views and 26 million streams.

Translation: It's made a lot of money, and the "Back It Up" writers want their cut.

They're not only suing Chainz and TeeFLii -- they're also going after "24 Hours" producers DJ Mustard and DJ Ketchup. Yes, Ketchup AND Mustard together on that track!

7:29 PM PT -- Kanye clearly got the message, replying on Twitter, "The dynamics of Cher and Sonny’s relationship made Kim and I grab each other’s hand and sing 'I got you babe' please pardon my lack of etiquette. We have so much appreciation for the energy you guys put into making this master piece."

A source close to Kanye tells us ... Kanye loved the production and was taking notes on his phone. He thought the show was so beautiful that, even though he and Kim were scheduled to leave during intermission, they pushed their flight back so they could catch the end of the show.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian had a date night Monday in NYC to see the new show about Cher's life on Broadway ... but it ain't going so well, according to one cast member.

"The Cher Show" is currently in the middle of its opening night ... and tons of celebs including Kim, Kanye and Cher herself are in attendance. However, cast member Jarrod Spector -- who plays Sonny in the show -- wasn't too pleased with Kanye's audience etiquette.

Spector just tweeted, "Hey @kanyewest so cool that you're here! If you look up from your cell phone you'll see we're doing a show up here. It's opening night. Kind of a big deal for us. Thanks so much."

Kim and Kanye clearly have prime seats in the theater for Spector to be able to call him out like that ... unclear if Ye's got the message yet ... but his mentions are definitely blowing up.

Tekash69 has more legal drama on his hands, but it's got nothing to do with his federal racketeering case.

TMZ's learned Tekashi's being threatened with a lawsuit if he doesn't cough up $500k to Hits Before Fame & DMV Events ... the promoters who fired off legal letters to Tekashi's team claiming that's how much they're owed after 69 bailed on one of their concerts.

TMZ broke the story ... Tekashi was scheduled to perform during Howard University Homecoming weekend in October but the rapper angered thousands of fans when he bailed 35 minutes before doors opened at Echostage in D.C. ... forcing organizers to turn away about 400 people waiting in line.

Making matters worse ... Tekashi turned up a couple hundred miles away at Powerhouse in NJ on the same night.

According to the legal letter, obtained by TMZ, the promoters say they're out the $58,470 paid to Tekashi ... plus loss of ticket sales and rental/marketing expenses, among other things. The promoters want Tekashi to pay up or face a lawsuit.

10:41 AM PT -- The NFL just put out a statement saying its investigation continues and "it will include a review of the new information that was made public on Friday -- which was not available to the NFL previously -- as well as further conversations with all parties involved in the incident."

It's interesting ... the league's saying it will have "further conversations" with everyone involved but Kareem straight-up said the NFL never spoke to him.

Kareem Hunt says the NFL's investigation of his alleged assault on a woman never included speaking to him about it ... and he says he thinks he deserves to play again in the league.

The ex-Kansas City Chiefs running back made his first public comments about the story TMZ Sports broke -- the video of Hunt shoving a woman to the ground and kicking her. Hunt told ESPN's Lisa Salters, he'd never seen the video until we published it ... and repeatedly claimed he's "not that type of person."

He said all the usual apology phrases -- "I regret the entire thing," and claimed he was going to get treatment for anger management. He has not yet. Mind you, the incident happened back in February.

As for what led up to his violent attack that night in the Cleveland hotel/residence where he lives ... Hunt would only say, "Honestly, it was just a long night. To be exact, it don't really matter ... I was in the wrong."

He claims he'd only met the woman once before and, "Honestly, I wanted her just to leave, but it's no excuse." Hunt says after seeing the video, "I thought of myself as being ... that's not me. I was raised better than that."

The biggest shocker was his claim the NFL never questioned him. Our NFL sources say the league opened an investigation back in February -- after the incident was first reported. It's shocking the league's investigation would NOT include speaking directly to Hunt.

As we first reported, we're told the league made multiple attempts to see the video we posted -- but the hotel/apartment building said it would only release it to law enforcement, and Cleveland PD also refused to give it to the league.

The video of Kareem Hunt clearly attacking a woman is sparking a movement -- an angry, bitter outpouring of hatred ... toward TMZ.

Minutes after the Kansas City Chiefs made the decision to release Hunt ... we were flooded with emails calling us a**holes, pieces of s**t, blatant supporters of Tom Brady and many other not-so-pleasant things.

We pulled together some of the spicier responses here -- including one guy who broke up with his GF over the story.

For the record, TMZ Sports is covering Kareem Hunt because there's video of him -- a very famous NFL star -- striking a woman. A woman who went to police to report the assault. As we've reported, the case appears to be in limbo -- the Cleveland City Prosecutor is giving us a "no comment."

As for Hunt's on-field punishment? There'd been none until we published the video, and the Chiefs say he lied to them about the incident.

Point is ... the story's about something other than struggling fantasy football teams.

Tekashi69 ratted himself out -- on video, no less -- or at least that's what police think after seeing a clip of him saying he had a "30 pack" on the head of Chief Keef's cousin -- an apparent threat that lines up with an attempted shooting in NYC.

TMZ broke the story ... Tekashi FaceTime'd Keef's cousin, Tadoe, in late May and repeatedly asked for his location. The conversation went down on camera, in broad daylight, and we posted that video last week. At the end of the convo, the Brooklyn rapper clearly says, "I got a 30 pack on him right now, Blood."

The translation, we're told, is putting a $30k bounty on someone. Law enforcement sources tell us ... investigators working on the June 2 attempted shooting of Chief Keef are now convinced 6ix9ine ordered the hit.

As we reported, someone opened fire on Keef while he was outside the W Hotel in Times Square. We're told Tadoe was standing nearby at the time -- and the "30 pack" video changes NYPD's perspective on the shooting.

One law enforcement source said, "This is no coincidence. We believe the video is directly related to the crime. We believe Tekashi69 ordered the hit on Tadoe -- who we now believe is the intended target."

Cops have 2 persons of interest in the Time Square incident, and one is a "known associate" of 6ix9ine.

The confidential informant the feds are working with in Tekashi 6ix9ine's racketeering case is still a mystery ... despite online rumors that it's a popular hip-hop blogger close to the rapper.

DJ Akademiks has been accused by another hip-hop blog of being the "snitch" in 6ix9ine's crew ... but Akademiks tells TMZ it's completely untrue.

He says he "has zero connection to this criminal case against Daniel Hernandez & other co-defendants. I view them as good people to me." He adds ... "All these charges are a shock to me and do not involve me. I have never been questioned or much less cooperated in this. I am just a news reporter."

The outlet accusing Akademiks of snitching claims to have gotten its info from the lawyer of Tekashi's former manager, Kifano Jordan, aka Shotti. However ... Shotti's lawyer, Scott Leemon, also denies the allegations.

Leemon tells us ... "I never made any public statement relating to this matter. Any statement attributed to me is false. I have not given anyone an interview about this case."

We broke the story ... Shotti is one of the voices heard on federal wiretaps revealing Tekashi's former crew members talked about killing him. These recordings are separate from the ones feds say are possessed by the confidential informant ... which have yet to be disclosed.

6ix9ine's lawyer told us feds having an informant is concerning, but he believes any recorded convos with the rapper will help prove he's innocent.