You Might Want to Rethink

Chris Pratt wore a shirt that repped the "Don't Tread On Me" flag, which has now been labeled by some as "racist" and something white supremacists use ... but that's not entirely accurate.

Here's the deal ... Chris was out in L.A. with his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, earlier this week ... and he was wearing a navy t-shirt with the American flag on it and a rattlesnake superimposed, sitting atop the phrase "Don't Tread On Me." It's a mash-up of Old Glory and the Gadsden flag. 

Chris has been criticized over the past few days for repping the flag and the slogan -- originally created during the Revolutionary War as a message from the American colonies to England. It has since been adopted by the Tea Party and other far-right political groups. 

The Gadsden flag has also been used by some white supremacists in recent years -- most notably in 2014 when the bodies of 2 dead police officers were draped with the Gadsden flag that also bore swastikas. It's also been seen in the same company as confederate and Nazi flags.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled in 2016 that the flag alone could be viewed as racial harassment in the workplace, depending on the context. While it noted the flag doesn't have racist origins, today it can be "sometimes interpreted to convey racially-tinged messages in some contexts." The agency called for further investigation.

The reason why Chris Pratt is being called out might have to do with a Yahoo UK article that flat-out called his wardrobe a "white supremacist" shirt ... making the leap many other outlets wouldn't.

'Bachelorette' reject Luke P. feels used by the show and Hannah B., because we're told viewers did NOT hear a conversation that ultimately sent Luke reeling ... which led to him calling her out and allegedly slut shaming her.

Luke was dumbfounded after Hannah B. told him she had sex with another guy in the Fantasy Suite. He squarely showed disapproval, implying she wasn't the right kind of woman for him.

Folks in Luke's world tell TMZ ... he was reacting to a conversation he had with Hannah B. at a bible study during the Hometown episode, where she suggested to him she wasn't open to having sex in the fantasy suites. We're told her comment was on Luke's mind when she blurted out she indeed had sex, and that's why he reacted the way he did on camera.

We're told Luke is upset producers did not air the full bible study convo, which would have put his comments on Monday night's show in context. He comes off as a heel.

Our Luke sources say he's had hell to pay in the last 16 hours ... he and his family are getting skewered on social media and his Christian faith is being weaponized against him.

Luke, meanwhile, has already filmed the 'Tell-All' episode, and we're told it didn't go well ... with Hannah and the other guys ganging up on him. That said, our sources say he's been met with love and support from his local community ... and he's moving on.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez thinks President Trump is splitting hairs by saying he doesn't have a racist bone in his body -- 'cause he's got plenty of other bigoted body parts.

We got AOC Tuesday roaming the halls of Congress on Capitol Hill, just a day after she and 3 other Democratic congresswomen publicly rebuked Trump, again, for telling them to go back and fix the countries "from which they came." 

With the House of Representatives now preparing a resolution to formally condemn his racist remarks ... the Prez defended himself, saying, "Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don’t have a Racist bone in my body! The so-called vote to be taken is a Democrat con game. Republicans should not show “weakness” and fall into their trap."

Our photog asked the NY Congresswoman about the "racist bone" comment, and she says he's got a lot more problems in that department than just his bones. Watch.

She also gets into the delayed roll-out for the new Harriet Tubman $20 bill design -- which many people thought Trump's cabinet was responsible for slowing, but it's since been confirmed as something that was never gonna happen in 2020, even on Obama's watch. 

The short guy who lost his s*** in the New York bagel shop last week is putting his viral fame to good use ... by getting in the ring and beating the crap outta other "celebs."

Chris Morgan just inked a deal Monday with fighting promoter Damon Feldman -- who's arranged for Chris to put on some boxing gloves and go toe-to-toe with someone later this year in Atlantic City. We got him out with his new crew ... and he seemed pretty excited.

Not as fired up as he was in Bagel Boss, of course, but stoked nonetheless. Chris tells us he's willing to take on anybody foolish enough to face him ... and needs minimal training.

He might wanna rethink that, considering he got railroaded by a much bigger guy in the store. If his opponent is even a few inches taller than him -- Chris might have a hard time.

As for the fight itself, we're told the bout is currently booked for September 7 at the Showboat Hotel. And, while no definitive opponent is set in stone quite yet ... he could face someone just as viral -- Antoine Dodson (the "hide yo kids, hide yo wife" guy).

Damon says Antoine is currently on the same card as Chris -- so it's possible they might square up at some point. Money-wise, we're told Chris stands to make anywhere from 5 to 6 figures ... depending on ticket sales and online streams.

Take 2! Tracy Morgan is back in his precious Bugatti ... the one he got into a car accident with last month, and it looks as good as new -- which raises some financial questions. 

The comedian and 'Last O.G.' actor was rolling around NYC Monday in what appears to be the same luxury sports car that got slammed in Manhattan ... moments after he drove it off the lot. We broke the story, the repairs -- which didn't seem major to the eye -- were gonna cost upwards of $32k!!! The question now ... who the heck paid for this???

When the accident happened, NYPD told us the fender bender appeared to be the other driver's fault. If in fact it was ... her insurance would typically cover the damage. However, it's not everyday you hit a $2 million car, and it's unclear if the other driver had that much coverage. 

It's also possible, Tracy's insurance covered it but what's most likely is both insurance companies are slugging it out. 

Bottom line for Tracy ... he can get back to flaunting his whip around town.

R. Kelly's alleged sex slaves or, as they would say, girlfriends, are setting the record straight on where the hell they've been since the singer was arrested -- and they say ... nothing's changed.

A rep for Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary tells TMZ ... the women were sitting comfortably in R. Kelly's Chicago apartment inside Trump Tower on Sunday afternoon when they recorded this video ... addressing claims they'd been evicted from the premises following Kelly's arrest for 2 federal indictments.

In the clip -- obtained by TMZ -- Azriel does most of the talking and says they're fine and dandy, and living comfortably inside R. Kelly's pad.

They even give a glimpse of the view from the high-rise, showing off the Chicago skyline. Azriel says they're at the "Trump" ... and adds it's the same place they've been for years.

However, she insists they move freely and come and go as they like, attempting to knock down the notion they're being held against their will. This part seems to be a direct message to their parents -- who've been vocally and publicly concerned for years now.

They go on to thank R. Kelly's fans for the ongoing support amid his new legal battles.

The video comes on the heels of Kelly's rearrest in Chicago on new federal charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking and obstruction of justice. Of course, that's on top of the state charges he's been facing in Cook County, IL.

Joycelyn and Azriel's parents relayed that they were concerned for their daughters, whose whereabouts since Kelly's arrest had been unknown until now. There had been reports they were kicked out of Kelly's place ... but they claim they've always been there through the whole ordeal.

As we reported, Joycelyn's father confronted Kelly's spokesperson during a news conference, demanding to know his daughter's whereabouts. We're told Joycelyn and Azriel are denying the alleged suicide pact some family members thought had been formed.

If you're one of the 1 million-plus people planning on storming Area 51 later this year -- you might wanna rethink that ... 'cause it ain't gonna be a walk in the park.

Law enforcement sources in the Nevada area -- where the notorious U.S. Air Force base is located -- tell TMZ that all the agencies that need to be aware of a potential raid on the premises are briefed and prepared for folks who might wanna try something come September.

The viral Facebook event caught fire last week with more than a million RSVPers who say they're down to head out there on Sept. 20 ... in hopes of learning the truth about alleged captured aliens on the base. 

We're told the right people are monitoring all this online chatter about a potential raid, and the way the powers that be see it -- anyone who tries to follow through will be met with serious obstacles.

First and foremost, we're told anyone who commits a crime in or around Area 51 -- including trespassing -- will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of local and military law. Our sources also tell us local cops will work together to curb any attempts to even wander near Area 51 property .. and they're prepared to use non-lethal force, such as tear gas and pepper spray.  

There are also natural hurdles folks will have to overcome. The route to get to Area 51 follows a narrow two-lane highway about 3 hours outside of Las Vegas ... and the terrain is rough to say the least. It's not really suited to withstand tens of thousands of cars. 

If cops and the landscape don't stop ya, the desert critters just might -- the terrain surrounding Area 51 is full of snakes, scorpions and other dangerous animals.

Jenelle Evans and David Eason appear to have snapped up a couple of new pooches ... just days after she told us on camera there were no dogs in their possession.

David posted a video Sunday introducing Buddy and Junior -- two Anatolian Shepherds they've welcomed to the family -- and went on to explain that the dogs were brought in to help protect their chickens and livestock ... which apparently get attacked pretty often.

In his description of the dogs, David wrote ... "They are one of the most unique types of dog I have ever seen and have the best temperament and disposition of any dog I have ever owned. They are a livestock guardian  breed and do not mind eating and sleeping with all our animals on The Land!" 

The dogs seem to have been on Jenelle and David's property since at least Saturday -- one of the dogs appears to have been captured on video posted to her Instagram story from that day.

Interestingly enough, Jenelle told us  on Friday that there were currently no dogs in their possession as she struggled to explain what happened to their other family dog, Nugget, which she admitted was probably killed by David after it nipped at their 2-year-old, Ensley.

Though Jenelle did clarify to us ... she says she never told cops that David had, in fact, done the deed. The drama led to her and David temporarily losing custody of their kids. The children have since been returned after a tumultuous few months. 

The concern now is pretty obvious -- considering the family's history with dogs that mysteriously go missing, folks are worried these new doggos aren't in the best of hands. 

Wonder why #RacistInChief is trending today? It's because President Trump suggested some American congresswomen to go back and fix the countries "from which they came."

DT went on an especially viscous Twitter rant Sunday morning, which many people have called out as flat-out racist and xenophobic ... including some prominent members of the GOP like Meghan McCain and even ex-Fox News reporter Geraldo Rivera.

Here's what the Prez said ... "So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run."

He went on ... "Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!"

While Trump did not name anyone in particular, many took his tweets to be aimed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Ilhan Omar ... who've been in the news recently for ruffling feathers within the Democratic party and butting heads with Speaker Pelosi.

It sounds like these congresswomen believe the attack was meant for them too, because all of them directly responded to Trump with some choice words.

If Beyonce wasn't royalty before, she certainly is now -- she embraced Meghan Markle when, technically, commoners aren't supposed to touch ... unless a Royal does it first.

Bey and Jay-Z were in London Sunday for the UK premiere of the live-action 'Lion King,' and as they posed for pics on the red carpet ... none other than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived hand-in hand, and then pulled up for a stop and chat with Bey and Jay.

Someone filmed Meg and Queen Bey going in for a hug -- which was polite and brief -- and talking it up afterward. Meghan also went in to hug Jay, who was standing by.

No sign of Prince Harry in the video here, but we know he was there. Unclear if either of the power couples' kids were in attendance ... Archie gets a pass, but it'd be a tragedy if Blue Ivy wasn't in attendance. She kinda steals the spotlight anytime she's with her folks.

Anyway, the reason why the hug between Meg and the Carters is such a big deal is because -- per high society, unspoken nobility rules -- anyone who isn't an official Royal (sorry, Beyhive) is NOT supposed to make contact with a Royal without being engaged first.

LeBron James got taken to task for doing exactly that back in 2014, when he innocently put his arm around Kate Middleton in a photo-op ... a major faux pas. 

Megan Rapinoe and the rest of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team are getting a bump from an unlikely source ... Procter & Gamble is vowing to fork over more than half a mil as a step toward equal pay.

The giant consumer goods corporation -- which supports U.S. Soccer through its Secret deodorant brand -- took an ad in The New York Times Sunday, calling on the U.S. Soccer Federation and others to pay the female players as much as the men.

Then, they upped the ante by promising to donate a cool $529,000 to the team to help close the wage gap after the USWNT won the World Cup this year. That's about $23k for each of the 23 players on the team ... not a bad bonus all things considered.

P&G's ad reportedly read, in part, "Let's take this moment of celebration to propel women's sports forward. We urge the US Soccer Federation to be a beacon of strength and end gender pay inequality once and for all."

This, of course, follows the women beating the Netherlands 2-0 in the championship game last week ... but with seemingly little to zero movement to get the ladies paid as equally as the men, who don't win nearly as often as the women do. Tons of folks -- including Rapinoe herself -- have been calling on U.S. Soccer and FIFA to balance things out, but their pleas appear to be falling on deaf ears thus far. 

And, just to give you a sense of the difference in pay -- reports say the women's team have contracts that guarantee them salaries of about $100k, with bonuses thrown in for wins. The men, meanwhile, reportedly have a pay-to-play structure, with much larger payouts for wins, and even guaranteed money for losses. 

According to The Washington Post -- which claims to have seen and analyzed these contracts -- a professional female soccer player would make just 89% of what her male counterpart would make if they both played and won 20 exhibition games. If they lost all of them, the pay would be equal at $100k. When it comes to FIFA ... their prize money to the winning teams for their tournaments has a discrepancy between men and women of about 10.5%. 

Scarlett Johansson appears to be backtracking on her feelings about withdrawing from a movie where she was playing a trans person ... now saying she outta be able to play whoever the hell she wants.

ScarJo opened up about politically correct casting to As If magazine (without directly mentioning her now-debunked role in "Rub and Tug"), saying ... "You know, as an actor I should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal because that is my job and the requirements of my job."

She added, "I feel like it’s a trend in my business and it needs to happen for various social reasons, yet there are times it does get uncomfortable when it affects the art because I feel art should be free of restrictions," going on to say ... "I think society would be more connected if we just allowed others to have their own feelings and not expect everyone to feel the way we do."

Her thoughts on the issue are catching fire on social media (in a bad way) -- folks are tearing her apart for apparently believing she was perfect for the "Rub and Tug" role, with some folks calling her privileged and tone-deaf.

Interestingly enough, Scarlett's been involved in other casting controversies as well -- including in 2017 when she starred in "Ghost in the Shell," which was originally written with an Asian protagonist when it debuted as a Japanese manga series.

When she was called out for getting involved in that production, she apologized and said and she never wanted to feel like she was playing a character that was offensive to others.

Fast-forward to 2018, when she pulled out of "Rub and Tug" and issued a mea culpa of sorts, implying she'd learned a lot from the trans community about the importance of casting trans actors in trans roles ... contradicting what her rep said earlier about non-trans actors playing trans people to critical acclaim.

Now, it seems like she's flip-flopping again ... and it ain't going well. Tell us how you really feel, ScarJo.

Pablo Escobar's brother says Elon Musk ripped off the "not-a-flamethrower" idea and beat him to the punch -- but now he's got his own (hot) take on the gizmo ... and a possible legal fireball for Elon.  

The Colombian kingpin's bro, Roberto, just launched his own flamethrower -- which is basically a glorified propane torch -- and it is eerily similar to Elon's product from early 2018. There's a reason for that, according to Escobar's camp ... he claims Elon and co. jacked the idea after one of his engineers paid a visit to the family compound in mid-2017.

We're told while Elon's guy was out in Medellin that summer, he and Robeto allegedly got to talkin' about a toy flamethrower that could "burn money." Burning cash -- literally -- is apparently a favorite pastime of the Escobars ... ya know, 'cause of how rich they were from all drug smuggling and whatnot in Pablo's heyday. Torching dinero ... the new wealth brag.

Anyway, Roberto's camp claims nothing ever came of that convo -- until, suddenly, in January of 2018 ... Elon announced his 'The Boring Company Not a Flamethrower,' which raked in millions in the first few days on digital shelves. We're told the Escobars were pissed.

Now, they've got their own version out in the marketplace -- which retails for $500 -- but more importantly, our Escobar sources say Roberto and la familia are weighing their options on potential legal action against Musk and TBC for alleged intellectual property theft.

Might be an uphill battle for the fellas down in Colombia -- it's likely Elon got his own flamethrower patented from the jump ... so proving anything they're claiming could be difficult in court, if not impossible.

But hey, crazier things have happened ... like a Colombian drug lord running the international narcotics game for over two decades, or a fart app. Light it up, Escobars. 

Oh, and we've reached out to The Boring Company for comment ... so far, no word back.

DMX is the spitting image of a wanted man in South Carolina -- even though he isn't one -- but he says there's a simple explanation ... the sketch artist must've traced an old photo.

We talked to The Dog himself after a police sketch of an attempted murder suspect in Columbia, SC -- who, apparently, looks EXACTLY like X -- went viral. The similarity is SO eerie, he thinks the sketch artist straight-up drew him.

He has some theories as to how it got commissioned, but says he has no idea why.

For the record, Columbia PD's deputy chief, Melron Kelly, has come out publicly and said DMX is absolutely NOT a suspect in their investigation -- he lives in NYC for God's sake -- and has suggested the resemblance to the rapper is merely a coincidence.

Not to go down a rabbit hole of conspiracies here, but a side-by-side comparison of any number of DMX pics from the 2000s shows he's a dead ringer for the guy's profile ... minus the hair and whatnot. X might not be too far off in thinking this is a bit ... well, sketch.

Luckily for him, he's not getting hauled down to the South anytime soon to answer for any crimes. As he notes, he's already got his plate full up north, and ain't lookin' for trouble.

Karlous Miller -- an OG cast member on Nick Cannon's "Wild 'N Out" -- says his triumphant return to the show came as a result of a heart-to-heart with its host. 

The comedian -- who got fired from the show last year after a reported falling-out with Nick -- told us his guest appearance on Sunday's episode happened after he and Nick hashed out some lingering issues. The tension between them was obvious during an October interview on "The Breakfast Club." 

ICYMI ... Karlous and his 85 South Show pals aired out some dirty laundry on how he got canned -- and suggested it was because he made a crack about going on a date with his ex, Mariah Carey, and her new beau. 

Karlous (half-jokingly?) implied Nick didn't like that, and things were never quite the same in their relationship. Eventually, he says the "white people" gave him the boot, but appeared to believe it was Nick's doing. In that same interview, Nick flat-out denied it.

Fast-forward to this weekend, when Nick brought out a masked MC known as Ski Mask the Bird God ... only to reveal it was actually Karlous, shocking the audience and the cast.

They battle-rapped and even made light of the situation ... with Nick joking about Karlous getting fired on his day off. In the end, though, it was clearly all love between 'em. 

Nicki Minaj says she can't in her right conscience perform in Saudi Arabia later this month, so she's dropping out of the event ... due to personal concerns about human rights violations there.

The rapper made the announcement Tuesday, saying ... "After careful reflection I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest."

She added, "While I want nothing more than to bring my show to fans in Saudi Arabia, after better educating myself on the issues, I believe it is important for me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression."

Nicki was set to hit the stage there on July 18, but groups like the the Human Rights Foundation and others lobbied her to pull out in protest of the country's restrictive laws.

Women were only recently allowed to drive and attend sporting events in stadiums, but gender segregation is still a thing in Saudi Arabia. Same sex relations are also outlawed there.