You Might Want to Rethink

Senators erupted in laughter Saturday morning when Donald Trump's lawyer demanded that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris sit for a deposition, and not on Zoom ... in person -- in PHILEEEEEEEDELPHIA!

Attorney Michael van der Veen got all theatrical when he pushed his demands on the Senate floor. He struggled with Kamala Harris' first name and then just gave up. But, the big moment came when van der Veen mispronounced the home of the Liberty Bell.

The Senate just voted to allow witnesses to testify ... this as word of a damning phone call surfaced between Donald Trump and Rep. Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy reportedly called Trump during the insurrection, pleading with him to call off the rioters. Trump's response -- "Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are." McCarthy, enraged, responded, "Who the f*** do you think you are talking to?!!?"

Tessica Brown finally washed that Gorilla Glue right out of her hair -- thanks to a surgeon -- but the painful drama means her Valentine's Day's gonna be more low key than she hoped.

We got Tessica at LAX Friday after her month-long, rock-hard hairdo saga came to a happy ending, and she tells us it's time to unwind this weekend in Louisiana with her sister ... and a little sippin' and paintin'.

Tessica says she and her sis are going to have a nice steak dinner too, while she enjoys the sweet relief. You'll recall, moments after the procedure ended Wednesday night, she mentioned having big Valentine's plans -- but sounds like she's decided to take time to recover instead.

We broke the story ... Bev Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Obeng performed a $12,500 procedure for free to help Tessica out of her jam. The whole visit took nearly 4 hours, but when it was all said and done ... she was finally able to run her fingers through her hair again.

As for the recovery ... Tessica says she's gotta leave her 'do alone for 6 weeks, but then she can really wig out.

She also suggests she's no longer considering getting litigious about what happened to her, though there doesn't seem to be any love lost with Gorilla Glue either.

Finally, Tessica wants her ordeal to be a very painful and cautionary tale for anyone thinking about getting creative with Gorilla Glue.

Sadly, that should-be-obvious advice comes too late for Len Martin ... a fellow Louisianan who apparently didn't believe Tessica's situation was as dire as she claimed. He paid the price with half of his lip.

Britney Spears' younger sister and her former business manager insist they didn't hop on Zoom for a virtual #FreeBritney rally, despite how it appeared ... we're told it was just a total catfish.

Thousands of Brit's fans were buzzing Thursday when they noticed a profile claiming to be Jamie Lynn Spears appear on the virtual rally ... but the profile's mic and camera weren’t on and just showed a stock image. Ditto for Brit's former biz manager, Lou Taylor.

The law firm representing Lou and Jamie Lynn tells TMZ ... neither woman was on the call, and instead, it was someone else posing as them by inputting their names and images on Zoom and making it appear as though they were attending the virtual rally.

The Zoom call came on the heels of Britney's latest court hearing in her conservatorship case, which as we first told you, saw the judge deny Britney's request to have her father, Jamie Spears, removed as her co-conservator.

Justin Timberlake says he's remorseful over the unkind things he said about Britney Spears after their breakup ... and while he's at it he also apologizes to Janet Jackson.

Justin posted his apology, which reads, "I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed."

He goes on to place the blame more broadly on show biz ... "The industry is flawed. It sets men, especially white men, up for success. It's designed this way. As a man in a privileged position I have to be vocal about this ... I have not been perfect in navigating all of this throughout my career. I know this apology is a first step and doesn't absolve the past."

As you know ... Justin and Britney's infamous relationship began way back in the early '90s when they were both stars on the revived 'Mickey Mouse Club,' and their puppy love blossomed years later as their popularity soared.

The 2 went public with their relationship in 1999 as Britney's "Baby One More Time" was skyrocketing and Justin was with NSYNC. When they broke up, there were rumors posted that she cheated on Justin, and Justin went on a radio show and bragged about taking Britney's virginity. He also targeted her in his hit, "Cry Me a River."

Steve Mnuchin has nothing to say about Donald Trump inciting the insurrectionists to turn on Mike Pence ... and his silence is especially interesting because Pence officiated his wedding.

The former Treasury Secretary was leaving Craig's in WeHo Thursday with his wife, Louise Linton, and actor Ed Westwick when our photog asked how he felt about Trump whipping the rioters into a frenzy over Pence, who dared to say he would certify a valid election.

His silence speaks volumes. He first tried to deflect the question, but our photog persisted and all you hear are crickets.

Our camera guy then pivoted ...

-- "Trump watched the riots on TV with glee, did that upset you at all?" -- Crickets.

-- "Josh Hawley's treating the testimonies as a joke with feet on the desk. Are Republicans turning a blind eye?" -- Crickets.

--  Based on the Impeachment Managers' presentation, would you convict? -- Crickets.

He definitely heard the questions, because our guy ended with a thank you and Mnuchin gave a thumbs up.

Louise Linton's passion project with Ed Westwick is out, and they both agree their stunt scenes were crazy ... especially the one surrounding someone's family jewels!

Louise, who's married to now ex-Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, is the writer, director and star of "Me You Madness" -- and she hit Craig's in WeHo Thursday night with her leading man Ed ... and her hubby.

We asked the trio what's the craziest scene in the action-comedy, and Ed mentioned getting his hand stabbed -- but we had to ask about the online chatter involving someone in the movie eating testicles.

It's interesting, because all signs point to Linton's character doing something like that ... but she suggests that's not the case.

Jockey Chris McIver was BANNED from racing for 1 year ... after officials say he KICKED a horse twice before a recent race.

Disgusting.

The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission found the 33-year-old jockey "twice forcibly stomped on the hindquarter" of a horse before a race last month in Queensland, Australia.

The commission slapped McIver with a 12-month racing ban.

"The penalty must not only deter Mr McIver but must also illustrate to the racing industry that these actions are not to be tolerated," the head of the QRIC said in a statement.

Sadly, it's not the first time the jockey has allegedly abused a horse.

In April 2020, McIver was given a 7-month suspension after he was seen on video in a race smacking his horse -- Absolute Bonanza -- in the head with his whip.

The suspension for the whipping incident just ended in November ... but it didn't take the jockey long before allegedly committing another abusive offense.

McIver's suspension is due to end in early 2022.

Tessica Brown, the woman whose hair's been Gorilla Glued for more than a month, finally has sweet relief -- and we have video of the surgery that saved the day.

As we first reported, Tessica took up Bev Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Obeng on his offer to perform the $12,500 procedure for free, and it was a pretty grueling process. ... about 4 hours long!

We shot the whole thing, from start to finish, and it's wild to see it play out -- and to see the relief on Tessica's face when it was all said and done.

Tessica was under a light anesthesia during the procedure, you've gotta see her reaction as she came out of it, and immediately reached for her hair. She got pretty choked up once she realized she could once again run her fingers through it.

We asked if she's done with home styling after the Gorilla Glue nightmare, and let's just say she's got big plans for this weekend.

As we reported ... Tessica had flown into L.A. from Louisiana Wednesday morning hoping Dr. Obeng could do what she'd tried, unsuccessfully, to do for more than a month now.

Remember ... in a pinch, she had swapped out her normal hair spray for Gorilla Glue Spray Adhesive, thinking she'd be able to wash it out a few hours later. Since then she's been through the wringer ... suffering severe headaches, trying at-home remedies and even went to the ER, but everything just made her scalp burn intensely.

Dr. Obeng broke down his secret recipe for us, explaining it was all just basic chemistry. We're no scientists, so watch the video for his explanation -- but in a nutshell, he combined medical grade adhesive remover, aloe vera, olive oil and a dash of acetone.

He said that's all it took to break down the polyurethane -- the main ingredient in Gorilla Glue. BTW, he didn't go in cold. You gotta see the dummy scalp Dr. Obeng used to test his solvent.

The only small relief Tessica had gotten before her Bev Hills visit, came last weekend when she and her sister used superglue remover to chop off her ponytail.

Speaking of that ponytail ... she says she can't wait to get her hair back to that length, and it is pretty amazing how much of her hair Dr. Obeng was able to save.

A Rafael Nadal heckler was ejected from the Australian Open on Thursday ... and the scene was both bizarre and hilarious -- 'cause the woman straight-up shot the tennis star the bird from the stands!

The wild moment all went down during Nadal's win over Michael Mmoh at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne ... when Nadal had to stop play mid-match over some screaming in the stands.

Turns out, a woman was yelling trying to distract the 34-year-old Spaniard ... and when Rafa kept pausing to look at her actions, she eventually flipped him off!!

Security tried to get involved ... but the fan kept going -- and the whole time, Nadal was cracking up!

At one point, announcers suspected the woman was drunk ... saying on the broadcast, "Maybe a bit too much -- a bit inebriated, I think."

One of the announcers then added, "This is chaos."

Finally, after a two- or three-minute delay, security got ahold of the woman and booted her from the premises.

Morgan Wallen says he's gained an understanding of the hate his words carry and he's a sober and changed man since video of him casually using the n-word was published.

Wallen posted a lengthy apology video Wednesday, saying he's taken the last week to gather his thoughts and get an education. Wallen revealed he's met with leaders of several Black groups and listened to personal accounts from members that shook him to his core and made him realize the true meaning of the n-word.

Morgan claims he was given "hardly any time" to respond to our video of him using the n-word and that only a portion of the words he wrote for an apology were used. For the record ... we held off on publishing the video for nearly 4 hours so that Morgan's apology could be included, and we used the apology his team provided to us in full.

Wallen says the video was shot on "hour 72 of a 72-hour bender" -- which he's not proud of -- and he's been sober in the 9 days since it was taken.

Morgan addresses his supporters too, saying while he's appreciated them standing up for him, he accepts the backlash and penalties he's received. As we reported, radio stations, merchandise websites and even award shows banned the singer.

TMZ broke the story ... Wallen was recorded by a neighbor after a rowdy night out in Nashville calling a friend the n-word.

Gina Carano -- ex-MMA fighter turned "Mandalorian" star -- has seemingly Instagrammed her way out of the 'Star Wars' universe after posting offensive content about Jewish people on social media.

The 38-year-old -- who's previously posted anti-liberal and anti-COVID mask content on social media -- shared a post comparing her perceived mistreatment of conservatives in the U.S. to the millions of Jews who were slaughtered in the Holocaust. Seriously.

"Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors ... even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views," the post read.

The wildly offensive post breathed new life into the #FireGinaCarano movement (which began in 2020 due to other insensitive posts she had made) ... and ultimately caught the attention of her bosses at Lucasfilm.

"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," the company said in a statement.

"Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."

Carano played former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune in the Disney+ series -- the latest in a series of high-profile action roles for the actress.

She previously had key roles playing tough-guy characters in "Deadpool" and "Kickboxer: Vengeance."

Before storming Hollywood, Carano fought her way to the top of the women's MMA world -- racking up a 7-0 record before getting smashed by Cris Cyborg in 2009.

Aunt Jemima's name and face are now scrubbed from the breakfast products she's fronted for more than a century -- a move in the right direction, but far from enough to do justice to the women who served as her model ... so say their descendants.

Lillian Richard and Anna Short Harrington both served as models for Aunt Jemima at different points in the early 20th century, well before the most recent version with the woman in pearls.

Vera Richard Harris -- Lillian's great-niece -- tells us she wants to see her relative's name (plus the names of all the other models who portrayed Jemima) inscribed on the new Pearl Milling Company packaging, to honor their contributions. She doesn't want cash, just recognition.

Richard Harris says she doesn't want her great-aunt, or any of the other models, to be forgotten ... which is essentially what she thinks has happened with the hard erasure PepsiCo/Quaker have opted for.

Ditto for Wanetta Cowan -- great-granddaughter of Anna -- who says these conglomerates have made a fortune off their family members' images for decades ... and now just wanna act like they never existed. The remedy, in her mind, is simple ... payment for their descendants, in the form of royalties.

Morgan Wallen's album sales are still rising -- despite the industry largely canceling him for using the n-word -- but that boost is actually helping the NAACP, financially.

The country music star's second album, "Dangerous: The Double Album," is still topping the Billboard charts and selling like hotcakes. That means more money in the pockets of Morgan and his songwriters ... one of whom, Jason Isbell, is handing over his share to the NAACP's Nashville chapter.

Jason wrote the song, "Cover Me Up," on the album ... and the 4-time Grammy winner says he's donating everything he's made from the track.

Morgan's been shelved by SiriusXM, iHeart Radio, County Music Television, Big Loud Records, Cox Media Group, Emmis Communications and the Academy of Country Music, among others ... but Jason wants fans to keep buying the album so he can keep paying it forward.

The President of the Nashville NAACP will likely appreciate Jason's gesture. As we reported, the org's already extended an olive branch to Morgan ... hoping to make this controversy a teachable moment for him.

G-Eazy just got some protection from a woman he claims keeps lurking outside his home ... but he was not able to get his ex, Ashley Benson, that same protection.

According to new legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the rapper's been dealing with a woman he believes has had a "celebrity-fixation" on him for several months.

G-Eazy claims Monika Andrody has shown up at his Hollywood Hills home on several occasions, she rings the doorbell at his gate and paces in front of it. He says he always calls the cops, but she leaves before they arrive.

But, things got really bad in November 2020 when he says she started showing up at all hours of the night and ringing the doorbell ... and he claims she did it again as recently as January 15.

The rapper says he's afraid Andrody will show up at a public event and try to make physical contact, and insists her constant doorbell interruptions have wrecked his peace of mind while he's at home.

G-Eazy filed for the temporary restraining order last week, and at the time he asked the judge to extend the protection to his girlfriend, Ashley. However, at least until there's a hearing, the judge has only granted it for him.

Rebecca Black has passed hundreds of Fridays since the release of her viral hit song, and as releases a remix ... she's hopeful and thankful for the 10-year ride.

The "Friday" singer came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday -- 10 years to the day since the OG's release -- to discuss a new spin on her classic tune, which now features Dorian Electra, Big Freedia and 3OH!3.

RB herself's rocking a wild outfit in the video ... way different from the first version when she was just 13.

Of course, "Friday" blew up in 2011 ... but not for all the right reasons. It was mocked and ridiculed at the time -- as was Rebecca, but even in light of all that, Rebecca tells us she's happy to have gone through it and come out the other side.

She says while she's glad some folks have embraced the song as their end-of-week ritual -- Rebecca also believes those who put her through the wringer all those years ago have learned a lesson in humanity.

We'll let Rebecca explain for herself -- but long story short, the bullying she went through in the early 2010s simply wouldn't be tolerated today. It's just unfortunate it took damn near a decade for everyone to realize that.

All good, though ... Rebecca's keeping her chin up. Check out the remix too -- much of the same lyrics and beat, but it's a whole other vibe.

Hoobastank's "The Reason" is all the rage with kids today ... is something you haven't heard since 2004, but the band wants to capitalize on its newfound 2021 fame.

We spoke to lead singer Doug Robb about the surge in popularity for one of his group's most famous tunes on TikTok -- which is the theme for a new challenge, where people list things they've screwed up ... using "The Reason" to wash away their shame.

The track has been used hundreds of millions of times in recent months as people post their own versions -- and of course, that's got Doug and co. thinking about how best to ride the wave ... without being cringe-y.

Check out what he says about the prospect of cranking out new tunes now that he and the band's back in the spotlight -- Doug's feeling inspired, but also explained why they won't pander to new OR old fans.

All this viral success creates a conundrum ... Doug says he doesn't wanna be the guy that milks this opportunity to the point of exhaustion, but he still wants to make the most of it.

So far, they've made a few of their own #NotAPerfctPerson renditions on TikTok -- all of which have been funny and original -- but Doug's apprehension on diving in is a phenomenon a lot of older artists are experiencing due to TikTok.

Fact is, a whole new generation is being introduced to their music for the first time -- kinda like what Fleetwood Mac went through recently with the viral skateboarder -- and it puts pressure on the OGs themselves ... to either cash in, or enjoy it for what it's worth.