You Might Want to Rethink

Steve Aoki partied like it was 2019 Friday night, because there was absolutely no evidence of a pandemic.

The famed DJ headlined at WTR Tampa Pool inside the Godfrey Waterfront Hotel, in front of a massive, mostly maskless crowd ... you see a few masks, but that's about it. As for social distancing ... haha.

Steve broke open bottles of bubbly and sprayed the crowd, zeroing in on a few folks who got special attention and a giant gulp of champagne.

The show lasted for hours ... from midnight to 3 AM Saturday in the rollup to the Super Bowl.

There's lots more in store. Migos will play a day party Saturday followed by concerts by Diplo and 50 Cent later in the evening.

The event producers tried keeping everything COVID safe with various demands ... "Social distancing procedures will be strictly enforced, face masks will be required for all staff & guests, wellness and temperature checks will be mandatory for entrance, sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the venue, and continued cleaning protocols will provide regular sanitizing.”

Tory Lanez had a big bash Thursday night at the same venue ... again, it was packed to the gills with almost no masks in sight, and forget social distancing.

Morgan Wallen's not just losing airtime and award nominations as a result of dropping the n-word -- he's being canceled everywhere ... even the cardboard cutout biz.

The country singer's cardboard likeness -- which shows him smiling in a fancy green blazer -- is no longer available at Celebrity Cutouts. A rep for the website tells TMZ ... "We are currently in the process of removing all our Morgan Wallen products."

Morgan merch is quickly disappearing elsewhere online as well, including the popular e-commerce platform Teespring ... which now goes simply by Spring.

Spring -- which allows independent creators to upload and sell their own designs -- tells us it has strict guidelines prohibiting "hateful rhetoric and offensive language."

Though Spring says it's not affiliated with Wallen nor does it sell his official merchandise, it will "continue to flag and remove any designs which violate our policies, including items related to Morgan Wallen."

We broke the story ... Wallen casually used a racial slur last weekend after coming home from a night out in Nashville, which was caught on video by a neighbor.

Country music folks by and large rebuked him immediately afterward -- notably fellow singer Mickey Guyton -- and he's been banned from various media platforms, pulled from the airwaves, disqualified from the 2021 ACM Awards, and his label suspended his contract.

Sen. John Thune says becoming President used to be the dream for Senators, but now the bloom is off the rose ... the job's less about being qualified and a good leader and more about being famous and loud ... like a certain ex-President.

The Republican Senator from South Dakota was at the Reagan National Airport in D.C. Friday when he took a thinly veiled shot and Donald Trump ... suggesting the presidency is far less appealing due to the celeb and social media-obsessed culture.

Thune tells us the "kind of person" who would be successful as Commander in Chief these days has to run a different type of campaign than traditional methods, have a big online following ... and be more "ostentatious" than presidential.

It's a pretty stunning statement coming from a Senator, who even cites a John McCain quote about how every Senator aspires to become Prez .... until they're embalmed.

Sure seems Thune's not down with aspiring to POTUS status ... so don't expect him to throw his hat in the ring for 2024, but his take seems like it also applies to other senators as well.

The SoulCycle instructor who described herself as an "educator" in order to get the COVID-19 vaccine may have committed a crime ... but we've learned it's unlikely she'll be charged.

Stacey Griffith's looking at a possible perjury charge -- or a charge of offering a false instrument for filing -- if it's shown she knowingly submitted a false statement on the vaccine eligibility form ... this according to the New York State Dept. of Health.

Both charges are misdemeanors, and if convicted ... she'd face up to 1 year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.

A law enforcement source connected to the matter tells TMZ ... it would be rare for prosecutors to charge someone with a crime under these circumstances.

Our source says Griffith could easily make the case she thought she legitimately qualified for the vaccine. In other words, she is a teacher ... and although her conduct clearly violates the spirit of the rules ... it probably falls short of criminality.

As we reported ... Griffith caught flak after sharing a since-deleted photo of herself getting the first dose of the Moderna vaccine, while most school teachers have still not been vaccinated in NY.

She apologized afterward, claiming to have made a "terrible error in judgment."

Dr. Anthony Fauci's urging to "lay low" for Super Bowl weekend didn't get to Tory Lanez or a few hundred others partying hard in Tampa ... with zero distancing or masks.

The rapper held a pre-Super Bowl soiree Thursday night at WTR Pool in Tampa where fans packed in and swarmed around the stage where Tory was performing -- loudly singing along to his hits.

What pandemic, right?

Now, Tory's event isn't the only game in town when it comes to crowded parties -- and everyone knows Florida's been wide open for months. Even though it was held outdoors ... health officials have insisted for some time now that even while outdoors, social distancing and face coverings are essential.

It's interesting though ... promotions for the bash noted, "Social distancing and mask guidelines will be strictly enforced as per city guidelines."

As we reported, Dr. Fauci urged Americans earlier this week to cancel Super Bowl LV parties ... fearing nationwide super-spreading events.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene just got the old heave-ho ... she's been tossed from her two House committees after she embraced conspiracy theories and violence against Democrats.

The House voted to remove MTG from her committee assignments Thursday by a margin of 230-199, with 11 Republicans supporting her removal.

Now, the newly-elected Congresswoman from Georgia is no longer sitting on the Budget Committee and the Education and Labor Committee.

MTG spread false claims that the 2018 school shooting at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was a "false flag" or a hoax. Her old Facebook activity also suggests she supported executing Dems like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi.

There's been a growing chorus for Greene's expulsion from Congress, and D.L. Hughley told us he wants to see her expelled, prosecuted and never allowed to hold public office again.

Donald Trump -- the man who is about to stand trial for provoking an insurrection that could have brought down our government -- has resigned from Hollywood's labor union ... calling it "un-American."

Trump fired off a letter of resignation to SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris Wednesday ... this after the union's board was in the process of holding a hearing to boot him from the org.

In his letter, which is everything you would expect from Trump, he writes ... "I no longer wish to be associated with your union ... You have done nothing for me."

As we reported ... SAG-AFTRA's board of directors overwhelmingly voted that Trump violated the union's constitution in the wake of the insurrection, setting the stage for a disciplinary hearing that could have resulted in the revocation of his membership.

Trump groused ... "I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my membership. Who cares!"

Our SAG-AFTRA sources say the org hasn't decided if it will continue with the expulsion hearing in case he tries to re-apply. It's very much like the Senate's impeachment trial ... yeah he's gone, but they could still prevent him from ever trying to come back to 1600.

Trump takes tons of shots at SAG-AFTRA and its leader, saying he's "not familiar" with Gabrielle's work before rattling off his movie and TV credits, including "one of the most successful shows in television history, The Apprentice."

It's interesting Trump brings up "The Apprentice" ... he can't do the show again if he's out of the union.

On his way out the door, Trump also takes credit for helping the cable news biz and claims he created tons of union jobs at "MSDNC and Fake News CNN."

Morgan Wallen's been denounced and rebuked by the country music industry by and large for using a racial slur, but one group's not turning its back on him -- the NAACP.

Sheryl Guinn, President of NAACP Nashville, tells TMZ ... it seems to her Morgan's oblivious to the white supremacy that exists in this country -- despite all the recent examples, including the Capitol riots -- and she'd like the opportunity to educate the country singer.

Guinn says Wallen apologizing is a good start, but saying sorry doesn't mean a thing if he doesn't work to fix the issue that led to him dropping the n-word so casually.

The NAACP leader says some people are under the impression they can use the n-word if they think it's not being used in an offensive manner ... but obviously, that's not the case.

Guinn says the word needs to be removed from everyone's vocabulary, even if they're just talking to family, or in Wallen's case ... shooting the breeze with friends.

So, NAACP Nashville's inviting Wallen to have a conversation about what went down, and help him learn why his actions are hurtful. Guinn says the meeting would not be about condemnation ... but about love.

She adds that she'd be willing to meet with the country star privately or in a group setting -- whatever's more comfortable -- because she understands these talks are difficult to have.

Guinn tells us she also believes this could be a huge turning point for Wallen, and he could use his celebrity status for something truly progressive and impactful ... especially during these trying times.

We broke the story ... Wallen was recorded by a neighbor saying the n-word after coming home from a night out in Nashville. He apologized and took responsibility for it, but the fallout's been swift and significant.

The head of the organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics, Yoshiro Mori, says he will NOT be stepping down ... just days after he made some super sexist comments about women.

The 83-year-old -- who's been trying to help keep the summer Games on schedule despite the pandemic -- was in a meeting earlier this week when he reportedly said he believes women talk too much.

Mori, according to the Japanese national newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun, said during the virtual meeting, "Women are very competitive. When one of them raises her hand, they probably think they have to say something, too. And then everyone says something."

He reportedly continued, "If we are going to have more women directors, someone has remarked, then meetings go on for a long time unless we restrict the comments. I'm not saying who that is."

The sexist comments were met with immediate backlash ... and the criticism grew so loud, Mori was later forced to apologize.

"The statement made at the Japan Olympic Committee was an inappropriate expression, contrary to the spirit of the Olympics and Paralympics," Mori said on Thursday.

"I am deeply remorseful. I would like to withdraw the statement. I would like to apologize for any unpleasant feelings."

Still, even with the mea culpa, there's been growing pressure on Mori to step down from his high-ranking role on the Olympics committee.

Mori, though, explained he will do no such thing ... saying, "I have been working hard and helped devotedly for seven years. I will not be stepping down."

The controversy is just the latest dark cloud surrounding the Tokyo Olympics ... the planned event has been marred by issues ever since the pandemic forced its postponement last year.

In fact, some believe the Games -- which are currently scheduled to kick off on July 23 -- will have to be canceled altogether due to COVID-19.

The fallout continues for Morgan Wallen after hurling the n-word ... he's now ineligible for any awards from the Academy of Country Music.

The org announced Wednesday it informed Wallen it put the brakes on eligibility for this year's ACM Awards. In announcing the news, the ACM said it "does not condone or support intolerance or behavior that doesn't align with our commitment and dedication to diversity and inclusion." The ACM says Wallen will have no involvement in the awards show.

The ACM Awards are slated for April 18 in Nashville. Morgan was likely to bring home several awards. He recently dropped "Sand In My Boots" and "7 Summers" ... both receiving critical acclaim and has been #1 on Billboard for 3 straight weeks.

The news of his ouster from this year's ACM Awards comes just hours after his label dropped him ... as did major radio and streaming platforms. As we reported ... iHeartRadio and Cumulus Media -- the largest and second-largest radio broadcasters respectively -- pulled the plug on him.

Pandora also stopped streaming his music and Country Music Television shelved him as well. Many of his peers denounced him after TMZ posted video of him dropping the n-word.

Chris Pratt's been trending for posting horribly bigoted tweets from back before his Marvel Universe days, but he says the backlash is unwarranted ... because the tweets are phony.

A spokesperson for the "Guardians of the Galaxy" star tells TMZ ... he never posted the offensive messages that began circulating Wednesday morning. They appeared to be from 2012 and 2013, with one saying "calling another n***a a 'n****r' is hilarous idc" ... and the other "Muslims scare me so much."

You can see why fans would be upset, but Pratt's rep says, "Chris never tweeted the offensive things that are being circulated today. Any suggestion that he did is not only totally false but also defamatory."

Twitter, where the fake tweets have trended all day, was also suspicious, and a senior exec for the platform says they "strongly believe these [tweets] to be fake."

There were 2 other tweets circulating, but they were relatively innocuous jokes. Pratt's rep confirms one of them -- suggesting all the Miss America contestants are super skinny -- is real.

Sean Penn's going full Sean Penn on a pair of anonymous whistleblowers who say they're part of his nonprofit helping in L.A.'s vaccination drive ... and are getting worked to the bone.

The Oscar-winner reportedly sent a 2,200-word internal letter to his CORE employees this week -- which was leaked to the L.A. Times -- and in it he unloads on them for remarks in the comments section of a recent NYT article about Penn/CORE's efforts at Dodger Stadium.

Penn reportedly went in on the 2 alleged CORE staffers who claim the work conditions at the stadium are exhausting, and possibly illegal ... as they allege they're barely getting breaks and grinding through near 24-hour shifts.

The Times says he referred to their comments as "shameful entries" and "obscene critiques." That was the kindest part, because Penn added ... "And to whoever authored these, understand that in every cell of my body is a vitriol for the way your actions reflect so harmfully upon your brothers and sisters in arms. I have taken counsel and here will refrain from using the words with which I would otherwise choose to describe the character of your actions."

Penn might have censored his language, but you can tell there's a Tom Cruise-esque rant simmering inside of him.

He did acknowledge some CORE workers might have been working longer hours lately, saying these are unprecedented times that call for extra manpower... and it was his call.

He also added this for any of his employees who are "predisposed" to complaining or "whining" ... "It’s called quitting. Quit for CORE. Quit for your colleagues who won’t quit. Quit for your fellow human beings who deeply recognize that this is a moment in time. A moment of service that we must all embody sometimes to the point of collapse."

Morgan Wallen is feeling an immediate backlash after using the n-word -- music platforms are dropping him left and right, and fellow country artists are also condemning his behavior.

The singer's music was reportedly banned from Cumulus Media overnight, which is one of the biggest radio chains for country music across the nation. A directive from the station's brass told all their affiliates to scrub anything Morgan for Wednesday's slate of programming.

The memo, obtained by Variety, reads ... "MORGAN WALLEN — EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Team, unfortunately country music star Morgan Wallen was captured on video Sunday evening using a racial slur. Effective immediately we request that all of Morgan Wallen’s music be removed from our playlists without exception. More to follow."

Many of his own peers are decrying his use of the racial slur too -- but there seem to be differences of opinion on whether this is an isolated incident or a bigger problem that's just coming to light now.

For example, country star Kelsea Ballerini wrote ... "The news out of Nashville tonight does not represent country music," to which Maren Morris responded ... "It actually IS representative of our town because this isn’t his first “scuffle” and he just demolished a huge streaming record last month regardless. We all know it wasn’t his first time using that word. We keep them rich and protected at all costs with no recourse."

Despite that, nobody appears to be watering down Morgan dropping the slur ... or excusing it. So, there's a united front there.

TMZ broke the story ... Morgan was filmed by a neighbor Sunday night getting rowdy with his friends, and then dropping the n-word as he made his way inside, seemingly telling a buddy to rough somebody up.

He issued an apology, saying there were no excuses for his behavior ... and promising to do better. It might be too little too late though -- which is a shame for him, because MW was the king of country this past month ... breaking streaming records, and getting tons of love.

Morgan Wallen returned home Sunday from a rowdy night with friends, and as he walked up his driveway he hurled the n-word and other profanities, it's all on video and Wallen is remorseful.

The country star and a group of buddies had just spent a night out in Nashville. When they arrived at Morgan's home at around midnight, they were extremely loud ... honking horns and talking loudly ... loud enough to piss off neighbors. One of the neighbors began recording the antics.

As Morgan appears to stumble toward his house, he tells someone to watch over a guy in his group. He says ... "take care of this "p****-ass mother******" -- and then goes on to say, "take care of this p****-ass n*****" ... before finally heading in.

Video from a neighbor's doorbell cam shows the scene before Morgan hurled the profanities and racial epithet, and it's apparent why neighbors looked outside.

The video (above) was recorded Monday morning -- again by the same neighbor ... more clearly showing Morgan as he left his home with a friend.

As for Sunday, it's unclear exactly where Morgan went, but we do know he made at least one stop at Luke Bryan's restaurant, 32 Bridge, where he jumped on stage for a quick performance.

This is just the latest incident with Morgan. You'll recall days before he was slated to appear on "Saturday Night Live," video surfaced of him partying it up in a bar without a mask and interacting and kissing several women. He was axed from the 'SNL' show but given another chance a few weeks later.

Maluma got mobbed by fans during a meet-and-greet in Miami ... and cops shut the shindig down because they say it was not COVID safe.

The Colombian singer was promoting his new album, '7 Días en Jamaica,' at an art gallery in Wynwood and asked fans to show up to meet him. The crowd grew so big, cops pulled the plug.

As you see in the video, Maluma rolls up in an SUV and is instantly swarmed by a gaggle of fans. He greeted around 160 people inside the gallery, as they entered in groups of 10, but with 1,000 people still in line, it didn't appear safe ... this according to the Miami PD.

Most of the fans had masked up, Maluma included, and we're told social distancing was enforced inside the gallery ... but cops say that just wasn't enough.

Maluma, who's donating proceeds from his album artwork to 3 different environmental charities, told the crowd he's hoping to make another fan appearance this week.

Everything's rosy for Elon Musk's Starship spacecraft, except for those damn crash landings -- but somehow his engineers are keeping a remarkably positive outlook.

SpaceX's latest unmanned test flight of Starship -- designed to ferry cargo and people to the Moon and Mars -- ended Tuesday the same way it did in December ... with a fireball.

We'll say this ... the reusable capsule looked beautiful on the way up ... but it's that return flight that gets tricky. It's supposed to land vertically, but instead, it came down at an angle and burst into flames.

Bummer right? Not at mission control, where the mushroom cloud didn't stop an engineer from getting out his pom-poms to cheer up the team.

As the smoke was still rising, he bellowed, "Another great test flight" ... described everything that went right and then deadpanned, "We've just to work on that landing a little bit."

There's good reason for Captain Obvious to be so optimistic. Elon predicted Starship's initial test flights would likely crash land, and the primary objective is gathering data. See? Mission accomplished!!!