You Might Want to Rethink

Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev did not get hitched ... despite what you may have heard on a morning talk show.

Here's the deal ... "Good Morning America" referred to Nikki as Artem's "wife" in a promo clip announcing his return to "Dancing with the Stars." Fans quickly caught on, with lots of folks under the false impression they got married on the low.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... Nikki and Artem are NOT legally married and it was just a funny accident on 'GMA.'

Our sources say Nikki and Artem both still want to get married, but they don't have a date for the wedding due to coronavirus restrictions. They're far from alone there.

We're told the engaged couple does not want a socially-distanced wedding, so Nikki and Artem are just gonna ride things out until the pandemic passes and then start planning their special day for friends and family.

With wedding plans in a holding pattern, our sources say Nikki and Artem are focusing on his return to 'DWTS' and their newborn baby.

We broke the story ... Nikki listed her home in Arizona after only 3 months living next to her sister, Brie ... and now we're told she's relocating back to Los Angeles, where Artem is shooting 'DWTS.'

Donald Trump SAYS he supports wearing masks, which is increasingly hard to swallow after watching this video of his maskless Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, greeting maskless supporters at the RNC with hugs and kisses.

If you don't believe people are making a political statement by not wearing a mask, just check out the footage, because a mask is hard to find.

Meadows is glad-handing supporters, kissing a woman and shaking hands ... and that's just the 29 seconds of video we got. This seems to be the drill at the convention.

Joe Biden is almost never seen without a mask in public, and Trump almost never wears one.

KFC is cleaning up its image ... the fried chicken chain is ditching its famous slogan due to the raging pandemic.

Colonel Sanders will no longer be hawking his secret recipe for fried chicken as "finger lickin' good" ... KFC says it's suspending the slogan after 64 years.

The move came Monday, nearly 6 months after the novel coronavirus started sweeping the globe and health officials started urging people to stop touching their faces to slow the spread. Better late than never?!?

KFC says finger-licking "doesn't feel quite right" in today's environment and it's dropping the slogan in many countries.

Across the pond in the United Kingdom and Ireland, KFC is simply blurring out the "finger lickin'" part of the slogan on buckets of chicken ... as opposed to scrubbing the phase entirely.

The good ole', finger-licking days will come back eventually -- KFC says its famous phrase will return when the timing is right.

Let's go, scientists ... hurry up with that vaccine!!!

Kim Kardashian seems to be telegraphing a clear message amid her recent marriage struggles -- she's still a classic baddie, and maybe some folks need some reminding.

KKW was down in Cabo this weekend for a beach bikini photo shoot for her KKW Beauty brand that put Kim in an environment (and outfit) we love to see. It's a skimpy pink 2-piece -- and the photogs running things had a lot of creative poses for their muse to get into. The more the merrier!

Check out the pics ... ya got Kim walking along the shore, Kim emerging from a pool (backside shot, of course), Kim looking at her phone, Kim eating ice cream ... and Kim doing a cartwheel. That last one's the most interesting -- great angle we don't often see.

We're told Kim came south of the border by herself, sans Kanye and the kids. We're told it was a business trip/photo shoot and there's nothing like a stroll on the beach to help clear her head of all the family drama lately.

A bunch of Euros who like to strip down to their birthday suits are facing a bleak reality ... their free-spirited nudo-rama won't prevent coronavirus. If anything, it's the opposite.

COVID-19 cases have spiked of late in Cap d'Agde -- a French nudist resort in the wider Herault region, where folks roam around butt-ass naked. According to local officials, there's been a 30 percent positive testing rate ... and 57 positive results last Wednesday alone.

Thus far, reports say there've been upwards of 100 positive tests -- although it's unclear just how many bodies are on the ground there now. Usually, the resort brings in tens of thousands of tourists and visitors from all over the world during the summer months.

Here's another hilarious thing about this -- serious as it is, of course ... the local government has mandated everyone in that area, including Cap d'Agde, wear masks in public, while also limiting gatherings of 10-plus people. They're also imposing curfews on bars/restaurants.

Jerry Seinfeld has a thing or two to say to anyone who thinks the Big Apple is done for amid the coronavirus pandemic -- and it can be summed up in two words ... Shut. It.

The legendary comedian penned an op-ed for the NYT titled ... "So You Think New York Is ‘Dead’ (It's Not)," and he takes aim at a specific guy who wrote a LinkedIn article claiming exactly that, while also saying the city wouldn't bounce back amid a resident exodus.

Welp, Jerry believes otherwise in pretty strong terms, and even calls that author a "putz" who should stop waling and whining about the death of NYC. He writes, "Oh, shut up," while adding ... "Wipe your tears, wipe your butt and pull it together." Well said, JS!

You gotta read the editorial yourself, but basically ... Jerry makes the argument that New York (Manhattan especially) is resilient and that the abandoned streets won't last forever. He says there's a magic in that town that'll resurge, even if it comes back slightly different.

He also says the "work from home" trend will die out too eventually, 'cause it doesn't capture the same energy as when people are together. He thinks the same applies to NYC.

Now, Jerry isn't advocating for things to get back to normal just yet -- he's just telling true New Yorkers to tough it out and wait for the storm to pass ... because in his eyes, it will.

If there's anyone you should listen to on the topic of New York life, it's the Sein. Take heed.

The Washington Nationals have fired a team employee after surveillance cameras appeared to catch the man throwing hot coffee on a woman in a disturbing scene in the Dominican Republic.

Footage from the incident is shocking ... according to ESPN, Nats employee Jazhiel Morel, who helped work with the team's academy in Boca Chica, D.R., was at a convenience store recently when he got into an argument with a cashier.

Unclear what prompted the altercation ... but you can see in the clip, the man gets so upset with the woman -- he tosses two cups of coffee straight into her face before leaving the store.

Nats general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement he fired the man immediately after learning of the video ... adding the actions in the clip were "horrific."

"We do not tolerate this type of behavior in our organization," Rizzo said.

Police in the D.R. say Morel turned himself in on Monday morning ... and say they're questioning the man as part of the initial steps of the investigation.

D.R. cops added the coffee throwing is "a punishable act of violence."

Hard to figure out ... is this more futile or dangerous?

A dude named Trevor Murphy was trying to create a fire break in the middle of the raging wildfires in Phoenix ... with his tennis shoes!

Check it out ... Trevor was out on his morning run. He's training for the 100-mile Ultra Marathon in October and runs 10 to 20 miles a day.

He came across a fire started by a lightning strike and tried to keep the fire from spreading across the hiking trail. He didn't have a hoe, didn't have a shovel, but he had some kicks.

As the weatherman from the CBS affiliate in Phoenix watched in shock on the air, Trevor was kickin' up dirt, licking the flames with his shoes.

This is both frightening and interesting ... Germany is putting thousands of volunteers in harm's way in the middle of the pandemic, to see if indoor events -- like concerts --can resume.

The research study -- sanctioned by the government -- solicited 4,000 folks between the ages of 18 and 50 ... all of whom are healthy. They have agreed to attend one of 3 concerts performed by singer Tim Bendzko.

The stated purpose of the concerts ... "to investigate the conditions under which such events can be carried out despite the pandemic."

The volunteers will get face masks and they will have tracking devices to determine if they have socially distanced and if not ... how close they got to others. They are also using some sort of electronic device which is supposed to show how aerosolized particles spread.

The first concert went down Saturday in Leipzig, Germany, where 2,000 people showed up.

The Minister of Economics and Science said, "As long as there is a risk of infection, major concerts, trade fairs and sporting events cannot take place. This is why it is so important to find out which technical and orginisational conditions can effectively minimise the risks."

A passenger on a commercial airliner was booted off the plane, but not before making a bizarre exit. With the parting words, "racism at its best."

It's unclear why the woman and her daughter were removed from the flight, but judging from the video it would appear it's because they weren't wearing masks. It looks like the woman has a mask on her arm, but she and her daughter are both maskless when they de-plane.

Now the weird part ... she screams, "racism at its best" in the direction of a woman who is videotaping her. The woman shooting video is white, so it's puzzling. Then again, trying to make sense of this woman may be a futile task.

Her daughter stops as shes being removed to blast the videographer, saying, "Don't talk to my mother like that."

The NHL is coming out STRONG against announcer Mike Milbury -- condemning a stupid, sexist comment he made on air.

Milbury was calling the Islanders vs. Capitals game on Thursday when his partner brought up the league's "bubble" environment on the air.

That's when Milbury chimed in ... saying it's great place for the hockey players because there are "Not even any women here to disrupt concentration."

OOPS.

The 68-year-old former player's comments were met with immediate criticism on social media.

Hockey writer Hannah Stuart tweeted her disapproval, saying, "What Milbury says here isn't just sexist, it's dangerous. Hockey culture already has enough of a problem re: seeing women as lesser than."

Journalist/professor Nicole Kraft added ... "Misogyny alive and well in @NHL broadcast booth/bubble."

And, now the NHL is going after him too ... saying:

"The National Hockey League condemns in the insensitive and insulting comment that Mike Milbury made during last night's broadcast and we have communicated our feelings to NBC."

"The comment did not reflect the NHL's values and commitment to making our game more inclusive and welcoming to all."

Milbury's no stranger to controversy -- he faced criticism just last week for calling out Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask for opting out of the playoffs to be with his family.

Tony Stewart says it's time for NASCAR to welcome back Kyle Larson after it fired him over his use of the n-word ... saying this week, "he served his penalty long enough."

"NASCAR has gotta get off their ass and do the right thing and give this kid an opportunity to get back in a car," the racing legend said in an interview with CBS Sports.

"I think he's paid his penalty and he's served the penalty long enough where you know we've had similar instances in the sport that have happened and the penalties didn't last as near as long as this has lasted with Kyle."

As we previously reported, 27-year-old Larson dropped an n-bomb during a virtual race back in April ... clearly not realizing his audio was streaming out to people watching along on Twitch.

After crashing during a lap, Larson apparently had a difficult time communicating on his headset and radioed out, "You can't hear me? Hey, n*****."

Larson vehemently apologized afterward -- but NASCAR and several of Larson's biggest sponsors (including McDonald's and Credit One Bank) dropped him HARD.

Stewart says the cancellation of the guy has gone on long enough ... and he's urging the sport to bring Larson back ASAP.

"It's changed Kyle's world, it turned everything upside down and not only did it affect him, it affected his family and a lot of other people that didn't deserve to be affected," Stewart said.

"So I think it's been long enough. I think it's time for NASCAR to get off their ass and to do the right thing and allow him to come back to the series now."

For his part, Larson said in an interview with the Associated Press this week he's grown tremendously since the incident ... adding, "I was just ignorant. And immature."

Kanye West will not be playing Presidential spoiler in Wisconsin ... election officials just booted him off the ballot in that crucial swing state.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission gave Kanye the heave-ho Thursday, voting by a 5-to-1 margin to exclude him from the state's ballot because he did not file signatures and paperwork before the state's August 5 deadline for independent candidates.

We'd say it's another crushing blow for Kanye's campaign if he really had a shot at winning ... which he doesn't. However, Wisconsin, and its 10 electoral votes, is a crucial battleground state in the Presidential race.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye accused the Wisconsin Democratic Party of spying on his presidential campaign after an official complaint was filed asking the Elections Commission to check his paperwork for fake signatures.

You'll recall, Badger State Democratic officials came right out and accused Trump operatives of supporting Ye's campaign in Wisconsin purely to draw votes from Joe Biden.

Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman uttered an offensive, homophobic slur while calling the Reds game Wednesday ... apparently not realizing his microphone was on.

Brennaman -- who was announcing a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals -- was heard referring to a city as "one of the f** capitals of the world."

Seconds later he snapped back into announcer mode and read a promo for the Reds Live Pregame Show ... as if nothing had happened.

But, viewers were SHOCKED ... and the clip went viral on social media in a matter of minutes.

56-year-old Brennaman has been calling MLB games since the '90s and has been the featured play-by-play broadcaster for major events like the BCS National Championship Game, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, the 2008 Sugar Bowl ... even the 2011 Pro Bowl.

He's been working with the Reds since 2006.

BE HONEST -- would you try to get your ball back if a giant alligator tried to steal it off a golf course?!!?

HELL NO, RIGHT!?

That's the question some golfers in Louisiana had to ask themselves after a 'gator tried to join their foursome this week ... and the whole thing was caught on video.

Lane Rodrigue tells us he was playing with friends at the Idlewild Golf Course in Patterson, Louisiana on Monday when  the monster walked right on to the course and snatched up his ball.

The guys were shocked -- and jokingly debated "playing it where it lies" ... but ultimately decided to let the gator keep it as a souvenir. No one got hurt. The gator is fine.

The whole thing harkens back to "Happy Gilmore's" mentor Chubbs Peterson who famously griped that a "damned alligator BIT my hand off" ... "cut me down in my prime!"

RIP Chubbs.

The Susan B. Anthony Museum's telling President Trump to kick rocks when it comes to pardoning the activist ... essentially saying it's unwanted, much less needed.

The museum's president and CEO, Deborah Hughes, said Tuesday, in no uncertain terms, "Objection! Mr. President, Susan B. Anthony must decline your offer of a pardon." She explained ... "Anthony wrote in her diary in 1873 that her trial for voting was 'The greatest outrage History ever witnessed.' She was not allowed to speak as a witness in her own defense, because she was a woman."

Hughes continued in her blog, "At the conclusion of arguments, Judge Hunt dismissed the jury and pronounced [Susan] guilty. She was outraged to be denied a trial by jury. She proclaimed, 'I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty.' To pay would have been to validate the proceedings. To pardon Susan B. Anthony does the same."

As we reported ... Trump on Tuesday pardoned the women's rights activist for illegally casting her ballot in 1872. Remember ... it was illegal for women to vote back then.

The odd choice to pardon Susan came on the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment ... so to many, it came off like pandering.

Hughes says there's a better way the President can honor Susan ... "Enforcement and expansion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 would be celebrated, we must assure that states respect the 14th, 15th, and 19th Amendments to the United States Constitution. Support for the Equal Rights Amendment would be well received."