You Might Want to Rethink

Things got testy between Kyrie Irving and a fan at MSG last night ... the Nets star was heading to the locker room during halftime when he stopped to confront a man (he thought was) heckling him.

The exchange went down as the Nets were coming off the floor, trailing the Knicks 67-50 at the half. Irving stopped and doubled back to get in the face of a fan he thought was trolling him.

In the short clip, you can see Irving tap the guy on his shoulder and exchange words with him ... before heading to the locker room with the rest of his teammates.

It's unclear what Irving said to the fan, who seemed visibly shocked Irving was there/touching him. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and the interaction didn't get any more serious.

After the game, Kyrie spoke to reporters and apologized to the fan for making contact with him ... and letting his emotions get the best of him.

"East coast basketball at its finest," Irving said. "People just yelling random s*** from the crowd. They wanted a reaction, they got one."

"I think I tapped the wrong person, so I apologize to the random guy that I tapped. He looked at me with a big surprise on his face. Somebody said something. I was just fed up with our performance."

Of course, this isn't the first time Irving got into with a fan. Earlier this year, Irving was fined $25,000 by the NBA for using the word "motherf***er" while responding to a fan giving him a hard time.

The NBA also hit Irving's teammate, Kevin Durant, for $25K after he told a fan, "you gotta shut the f*** up and sit down" during a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

A French tennis player did his best Will Smith impression after a match on Monday -- as in, he slapped the hell out of his opponent's face in a fit of rage.

Just seconds after 15-year-old Michael Kouame lost a tilt to 16-year-old Raphael Nii Ankrah at an ITF juniors tournament in Ghana ... he reached back and smacked his opponent in the jaw.

Video shows Ankrah had no idea the attack was coming -- in fact, the footage reveals that just moments before the slap, he had actually shaken hands with Kouame.

No word on why Kouame launched the open hand, but further video from the scene shows it ignited a near brawl on the court afterward.

Kouame was the tournament's No. 1 seed heading into the match -- which happened in the first round of the event.

A Nicole Brown Simpson look-alike surprised O.J. Simpson in his bedroom at 1 a.m. for a prank video -- and you can see in the footage, The Juice was SHOCKED by the impromptu wakeup call.

The clip was posted to TikTok over the weekend -- showing the Nicole doppelganger and several other young women barging into the ex-NFL star's room late at night to try to get a rise out of the guy.

The girls had their phones out -- playing music loudly -- while a man can be heard in the background saying, "Let’s go! It's party time in the house!"

One of the girls can be heard yelling "Wakey! Wakey!" ... all while the Nicole look-alike laughed.

O.J. -- who wasn't wearing a shirt -- appeared to giggle it all off ... and eventually looked like he was going to get up and entertain the guests before the video cut out.

Further details surrounding the prank -- like when it happened, where it happened and who the girls were -- are unclear ... O.J.'s yet to address it publicly.

The Grammys are underway and their MC, Trevor Noah, was on a roll in avoiding just about every controversy in the biz in his opening remarks ... except Will Smith, of course.

The ceremony kicked off Sunday in Vegas with a performance by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak -- after which, things went indoors at the MGM Grand Garden Arena ... where TN popped up again and start delving into his monologue seamlessly.

He intro'd all the big names who were in the building -- going through a list that included the likes of Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and more -- and said the night was going to be a smooth ride where they'd be singing, dancing and giving out awards.

Then came the dig ... "We're gonna be keeping people's names out of our mouths." That, he said, would help keep the night chill ... and the audience laughed it up as a result.

No name-dropping here, but it's obvious what Trevor was referring to ... that is, Will telling Chris Rock to keep Jada Pinkett's name out of his mouth during last weekend's Oscars ceremony -- this after smacking him across the face on stage, live on television.

It's interesting that Trevor went there -- albeit, lightly and not nearly as brutal as he could've been -- because the dude was seen embracing Will at an afterparty last week ... following a long chat they shared.

Seems like he struck a good balance between addressing it and sparing Will further humiliation. Dude's been getting both criticized and ridiculed in the wake of the hit.

A hot air balloon ride turned into an utter nightmare and damn near a fatal experience for a group of folks who went down from the sky ... and held on for dear life.

Check out this insane video of a young man, Nicholas McCall, is up in a balloon with others out in Perris, CA, where everything seems to be swell from within their basket. He pans around and you can see they're above some a residential area with fields/open land nearby.

Sadly, things take a turn for the worse. His caption reads, "My hot air balloon experience was going great until the winds picked up." The clip then cuts to a freaky scene.

It shows the basket hurtling down toward the ground at a high rate of speed, at which point it makes contact and starts to be dragged across the earth -- with what sounds to be the guide screaming at everyone to hang on and to remain inside at all costs.

You can hear some whimpers from the other passengers, and amazingly ... this dude was able to continue recording, even capturing some different angles of the crash.

Will Smith tried cleaning up his Oscars moment, but it may not be enough for some studios who've got projects planned with him ... as his career seems to be getting halted, for now.

THR reports that at least a couple films of his (as an actor) that were supposed to be in the works are, for the time being, getting kicked to the back burner at both Netflix and Sony -- with the former quietly pivoting away from firing up production on "Fast and Loose," and the latter hitting pause on getting things going for "Bad Boys 4," per sources cited by the outlet.

For "Fast and Loose," Will is set to play the head of a criminal organization who suffers memory loss and has to put the pieces of his empire back together. Director David Leitch was originally attached, but he stepped away a week before the Oscars last week ... and Netflix was reportedly scrambling to find a replacement -- that is, until Will hit Chris Rock.

THR says other projects of Will's may also be put on ice, which presumably means other Netflix movies he's been attached to as well -- including "The Council" and "Bright 2."

On the Sony side of things, they've reportedly put production of his next 'Bad Boys' sequel on hold indefinitely too -- this after Will had apparently received 40 pages of the script recently, with the movie chugging along full steam ahead pre-Oscars.

There are other Sony-tied films of his (either as a producer or actor) that might see the same fate -- including a 'Hancock' sequel and a 'Karate Kid' sequel. He's got a production company now ... so beyond just starring in films, he's heavily involved in making them lately.

One film of Will's that's got movie watchers anxiously waiting on is his forthcoming Apple offering "Emancipation" -- which is in the can at this point, and due to be released this year. Apple has yet announce an official release date -- so it's unclear what they're going to do.

The movie has gotten a lot of buzz, and was expected to possibly earn Smith yet another Oscar -- as he plays a runaway slave from a Louisiana plantation, portraying the man who infamously posed for a photo in which he shows off the many scars on his back.

Chris Rock's getting rowdy support from fans after the Oscars slap in the form of at least one person cussing at Will Smith, but the comedian isn't having it ... and Thursday night he quickly defused the situation.

Chris had his 2nd show at Boston's Wilbur Theater briefly interrupted when someone in the crowd shouted out, "F*** Will Smith" -- and Chris heard it immediately, repeatedly saying ... "No, no no" until the chant stopped.

Security reportedly tossed hecklers out left and right, whether they were supporting Chris or not. One kicked-out fan told the New York Post, "All we did was interact and respond to the comedian ... They are so afraid that someone is going to say something that they kicked us out before we could."

Chris did eventually crack a joke about the situation -- reacting to one heckler with, "Is that the Oscars security?"

As we reported, Chris kicked off his "Ego Death" comedy tour at the Wilbur Wednesday night, and briefly addressed the Oscars slap from Will Smith, joking "How was your weekend?"

He told the audience he was still processing what happened and wasn't ready to fully address it.

More drama between Brooks Koepka and his fans ... TMZ Sports has obtained video showing the golf superstar snatching a phone from a guy who was trying to talk to him after one of his rounds over the weekend.

We're told the incident went down shortly after Koepka beat Jon Rahm at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play tournament in Austin, Texas on Saturday.

In the video, you can see a fan put his phone near Koepka's face as the 28-year-old was carting around the course with his wife, and asked him about beating Rahm.

Koepka can then be seen ripping the phone from the man, and telling him, "Get it out of my face, man! Get it out of my face!"

We're told Koepka actually took the phone for a brief moment -- but the golfer's manager returned it to the fan just seconds later.

We're told the fan was not upset over the incident and did not seek to press charges.

It's the second time this month that Koepka has been less-than-pleasant with his fans ... you'll recall, at the same WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event last week, Koepka channeled "Tin Cup" to shut down some autograph seekers on the course.

"I don't come to your job asking for your s***, do I?" Koepka told a group of people who were yelling for him to sign. "I don't think so!"

Koepka, while brash, has not generally been known to clash with fans on the course.

Bruce Willis is no longer the recipient of this year's "Worst Performance" Razzie -- the org is pulling the title after learning the actor's battling a debilitating condition.

Willis had 8 films from 2021 highlighted within Razzie's "Worst of Hollywood" ceremony over the weekend. However, it was his work on "Cosmic Sin" that earned Bruce "Worst Performance."

Unfortunate timing for the Razzies ... just a few days later Bruce's family announced he'd been diagnosed with aphasia, a disease that hinders a person's ability to communicate and understand language.

On Thursday, Razzie co-founders Mo Murphy and John Wilson said in a statement, "If someone's medical condition is a factor in their decision making and/or their performance, we acknowledge that it is not appropriate to give them a Razzie."

Hence, they're taking back the award.

As we reported, Rumer Willis, broke the sad news, posting, "We wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities." She says her dad has stepped away from acting as a result.

TikTok star Icy Wyatt has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer and another person with a firearm ... according to court documents.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, officers say the 23-year-old was driving erratically Monday night in Sunrise, FL ...  when he stopped his car in the middle of the road. That's when cops say 2 people in another car asked him to move, which apparently set Wyatt off.

Cops say he followed them to a nearby Chick-Fil-A parking lot, where both parties got out of their cars and began to argue. Wyatt allegedly then went into his glove box, pulled out a gun and pointed it at them.

According to the report, one of the alleged victims turned back to get in the car, prompting Wyatt to strike them in the back of the head with the gun ... and Wyatt then peeled out of the parking lot. Cops say they were able to get his tag information and locate him.

When they caught up with Wyatt and arrested him, cops say he resisted and ended up kicking one of the officers in the thigh ... and then kicked the cage bars in the cop car while calling the officer a "c***" and a "bitch."

He was booked Monday night for 2 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of battery on an officer and one count of resisting arrest.

Will Smith sticking around at the Oscars, after slapping Chris Rock, is NOT what the Academy wanted -- but he dug in his heels when they tried to give him the boot.

That's the new startling claim from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which fired off a letter Wednesday, announcing their Board of Governors has begun disciplinary proceedings on Will for violating their Standards of Conduct.

In the letter they write ... "Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently."

That's pretty shocking, especially since the speculation up to this point was that the Academy and the show producers allowed Will to stay until his Best Actor category was announced -- something for which they've been heavily criticized.

They go on to say this about the whole thing in terms of logistics ... "consistent with the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, as well as California law, Mr. Smith is being provided at least 15 days' notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response."

The Board further explains that at their next meeting on April 18, they'll have a decision on his punishment -- which could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions permitted their bylaws.

One final note from them on what Will did -- "Mr. Smith's actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television. Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event."

Of course, the question now is ... when exactly did they approach him about beating it, and to what extent did they insist?

Will Smith's slap has at least one comedy club on its toes and ready to defend its talent at all costs -- going so far as to post a very clear sign ... no slapping allowed, period!

Dani Zoldan -- who owns Stand Up NY in the Big Apple -- tells TMZ ... management decided to tape up a message in their storefront window that directly addresses the Chris Rock moment, as a way to discourage would-be copycats who might now feel emboldened.

The poster is in a bit of a meme format, with the snapshot of Chris getting slapped crossed out with a big "NO" sign streaked across the front, and a shot of Will crying right next to it.

Their message, "Comedians play a critical role in our society, especially during times of chaos and uncertainty. They make us laugh, bring perspective and remind us there are different ways of seeing our reality." More importantly, they add ... "Comics must be protected."

Then comes a warning from Stand Up NY ... "Heckling and physical abuse of comics is prohibited, and patrons will be immediately removed from the showroom." Their crying WS photo has a description -- saying that'll be you if you get a little slaphappy on the premises.

Zoldan emphatically disavows Will's actions, reaffirming his establishment's note -- that comedians are here to entertain us and make us laugh ... and that they deserve respect.

As for other big-time comedy clubs ... they seem to be keeping an eye on things -- but not necessarily enacting any policy changes in response to the Will-Chris smack. That includes the Comedy Cellar in NYC, Carolines on Broadway and even the Laugh Factory here in L.A.

Justin Bieber might need a lesson in "know your audience" ... 'cause fans booed the hell out of the singer during his tour stop in Montreal on Tuesday for dissing the hometown Canadiens.

Bieber -- a MASSIVE fan of the Habs' hated rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs -- showed love for his team right before his final song of the night ... saying, "How about those Leafs though, huh?"

The "Ghost" crooner even gave a shoutout to his close buddy for scoring a goal against the Canadiens on Saturday ... saying, "Auston Matthews is really doing some work here in Montreal."

Of course, the Canadiens are hot garbage this season ... sitting at the very bottom of the standings with an 18-38 record, despite beating the Leafs over the weekend.

Biebs made sure to let the crowd know he was well aware of their struggles this season ... adding, "How's that playoff spot looking for you guys this year?" and "Maybe next year, maybe next year."

The fans weren't having it -- letting the boo birds fly and even shouting expletives as Bieber continued to diss the hometown team ... even starting a "Go Leafs, Go" chant.

The stunt comes one week after the Leafs debuted their Bieber-designed Drew House jerseys ... which they wore on the ice for their Next Gen game.

Bieber eventually got real and stopped the trolling ... saying Montreal is truly one of his favorite places to perform in the world.

Boston Bruins star Taylor Hall -- a former league MVP -- was so pissed about being shoved into the boards during a game Tuesday night ... he retaliated by sucker punching the dude who pushed him.

The wild scene all went down late in the second period of the Bs' tilt with the Maple Leafs -- after Ilya Lyubushkin hurled Hall face-first into the wall as the Boston winger was trying to cross the midline.

You can see in footage of the play, Hall clearly thought the shove was unnecessary and dirty -- so he ran up from behind Lyubushkin and socked him in the jaw.

The Leafs defenseman went down hard -- and stayed on the ice for several seconds before he wobbled off into the locker room.

No word on if Lyubushkin suffered any serious injuries in the play -- but he was unable to return to the game. Toronto said in a statement afterward that the 27-year-old was being held out for "precautionary reasons."

The NHL, meanwhile, has already announced punishment for Hall over the swing -- saying it's fined the 30-year-old $5,000 "for roughing" Lyubushkin.

O.J. Simpson apparently sees a little bit of himself in Will Smith after his Oscars slap -- saying that he, too, wanted to put hands on people back when he was in the spotlight.

The Juice sounded off on the whole saga, and his main takeaway is in his Twitter caption ... "He was wrong but I understand the sentiment." In the video, he elaborates ... explaining, yeah, Will made a mistake -- but he kinda sympathizes with him.

Check it out ... O.J. says he's also been through a lot of "crap," and on the other side of that -- presumably in reference to his acquittal in the '90s -- was often the butt of tons of jokes.

He makes no bones about how he felt about those "O.J. routines," saying he wanted to "b-slap" at least a couple of those comedians -- but acknowledges he restrained himself, almost drawing the contrast between him and Will ... which, to many, is the ultimate irony.

Bottom line ... O.J. defends Chris Rock here, saying it's comedy -- and no matter how it makes you feel, you (and Will by extension) have to accept it.

Now, here's the kicker ... O.J. theorizes that if he woulda pulled the same stunt after his Las Vegas arrest/conviction -- he believes he would've gotten life in prison without the possibility of parole, seemingly pointing out that Will's getting a pass because he's Will Smith.

In a truly shocking moment, Will Smith just smacked Chris Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith at The Oscars.

Chris was up on stage Sunday presenting for Best Documentary, but before he started naming the nominees ... he was firing off zingers to the crowd, and eventually landed on Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Chris made a comment about Jada's shaved head ... saying he couldn't wait to see 'G.I. Jane 2' -- which got some groans from the crowd, to which he just sorta shrugged off.

Chris didn't think he'd crossed a line, but Will clearly did ... because he stormed the stage and literally socked the dude in the face. A stunned Rock exclaimed, "Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s*** outta me."

The American broadcast on ABC muted, and even froze, but in other countries it continued ... and Will shouted "Keep my wife's name out your f****** mouth" twice to Chris.

Chris eventually gained his composure again and carried on with handing out the Oscar, but the room was left tense with a sense of unease.

Jada has been public with her alopecia diagnosis for a good while, documenting her struggle with hair loss.

As of now ... Will and Jada are still sitting in the crowd.