You Might Want to Rethink

Moneybagg Yo said he's made a bundle during the pandemic and that he didn't want it to end -- something he immediately regretted and took back.

The Memphis rapper issued a mea culpa Monday after a pair of cringe-worthy tweets about the coronavirus -- and how it had affected him (and his net worth) as well as others (in his eyes, anyway). All the tweets still seem to be live on his profile.

At first, he wrote ... "Not gone lie I made a couple Ms in da pandemic, ion want it to end Smiling face with open mouth and cold sweatHundred points symbolMan shrugging."

Moneybagg followed up by saying he thought the pandemic had helped a lot of people, but didn't really elaborate on how. Either way, it was a terrible take ... for which he apologized.

After catching backlash, Moneybagg wrote, "I apologize to everybody I offended my comment was very insensitive it was not my intent to hurt anyone." Seems he got the message that ... yeah, the pandemic actually hasn't been great for a lot of folks, despite his good fortune.

And yes, MY has had a relatively good year -- he dropped an album last January (pre-pandemic) which charted well on the Billboard 200 ... and then dropped a new single, "Said Sum," this past November, which has also found its way onto the charts with staying power.

Chris Harrison excusing historical racism has left former Black contestants from the franchise divided on how to proceed with the host's future -- some say he needs teaching, others want him gone for good.

We spoke to several Black 'Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette' alums from recent years, and the consensus is they're disappointed with the longtime host's downplaying of Rachael Kirkconnell's past ... which many have called straight up racist.

We're told Chris' apparent lack of interest in understanding why Rachael's prior actions were upsetting ... came off as him talking down to the Black community.

So, what does that mean for his future on the shows? Well, Marshana Ritchie ('Bachelor,' Season 12) and Leslie Hughes ('Bachelor,' Season 17) tell us Harrison needs a long break, and a lot education on Black history ... plus, sensitivity training before he returns.

Marquel Martin ('Bachelorette,' Season 10) and Robyn Jedkins ('Bachelor,' Season 17) both think Chris should be given a second chance -- and probably shouldn't be burned at the stake, but they add ... he needs to do better at understanding the Black perspective before speaking on these issues again.

Fan fave Mike Johnson ('Bachelorette,' Season 15) says he wants to see Chris do work in the African-American community before coming back, while genuinely attempting to connect to Black viewers ... who might see the show as skewed toward white audiences.

Now for some of the harsher takes, courtesy of DeMario Jackson ('Bachelorette,' Season 13) and Jubilee Sharpe ('Bachelor,' Season 20) ... they both want Chris gone permanently.

DeMario and Jubilee tell us they don't think Chris should be allowed to return as host, and that 'Bachelor' execs should turn the page entirely ... both in a new host, and a new environment within the franchise that's more inclusive of POC, from the top-down.

Jubilee says she sensed producers tended to focus more on the white, blue-eyed/blonde contestants more than anyone else. DeMario echoed that to us, and went on to say it was time 'Bachelor' producers truly cater to Black people if they really want to make them part of the fan base. Up to now, he feels it's been a lot of pandering.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's attorney says the director of an upcoming docuseries who called the rapper a "horrible human being" should zip it ... because they've never even met.

Tekashi's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ ... "Supervillain" director Karam Gill is 100 percent wrong in his assessment of 69 and has no clue what he's talking about.

Gill started the war of words by telling the NY Post, "The public and media hates him because he is truly a horrible human being who has done terrible things." Gill also told the outlet Tekashi is "a toxic individual in our culture" who tries to get a reaction out of his every move.

Lazzaro tells us 6ix9ine had nothing to do with the docuseries and he's troubled by Gill's comments seeing as the director disparaged 69 without ever meeting him.

He also thinks the director is just talking to gain viewers and adds ... anyone who gets to know Tekashi realizes "he has a great heart."

Apparently, things got bloody on Valentine's Day for Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox ... and they loved it.

The actress and rapper's love day celebration was more odd/unique than yours, as MGK rocked an orb with a drop of Megan's blood inside it. He proudly displayed the first blood Valentine piece on a necklace.

Megan seemed pretty excited about it ... saying, "There goes my heart manifest outside of my body draped in the towering silhouette of a most unusually handsome boy." Pretty damn poetic!

She added, "The journey will likely be perilous but there is no destination without him."

MGK's bloody pendant ain't all that unique -- both Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie famously wore vials of each other's blood while they were married in the early 2000s.

Didn't exactly work out for that duo, but Megan and MGK are going for it, anyway.

A Papa John's employee says he got canned after refusing to make pizza with no running water in the building so he could be sanitary ... and now, it sounds like he's lawyering up.

A TikTok user who goes by @mommarhodey posted a video she says her brother sent her from a Papa John's location in Colorado Springs, where he films his working conditions in below freezing temps ... which he shows left their pipes frozen, and no water to use at all.

The guy says he decided he didn't wanna keep baking pies in that type of environment, as he felt it was gross ... Y'know, because he wasn't able to wash his hands. So, he left his shift early -- but before doing so he wanted to set the record straight on what he was dealing with.

The employee shows a water heater in the corner of the room, and a tiny portable heater next to it that he says his manager set up in hopes of getting the thing working again ... and water running in their restaurant. He also tries turning on faucets all around him, to no avail.

His sister's the one sounding the alarm about this on his behalf -- she posted some follow-up videos explaining what happened next ... and would you believe it, she claims her bro was fired over it. As you can imagine, she's super pissed ... calling it a "wrongful termination."

She says she called the local public health department there, who apparently told her the Papa John's in question was shut down until they could get running water back. However, that doesn't jibe with what sis here says she's heard from the Papa John's staff.

She claims they've been continuing to work, despite the stop-order from officials. MommaRhodey says she's alerted the BBB, and Papa John's corporate office.

We reached out to the Papa John's location in question ... they had no comment. No word from their corporate office either at this point.

The LAPD is conducting an internal affairs investigation to determine which officers shared a photo of George Floyd with the caption, "You Take My Breath Away."

The cops in question appear to work out of LAPD's Harbor Division, where the image was being passed around at work. The Department believes the original post may have been the work of an LAPD employee.

It appears a member of the LAPD saw that the post was being shared and was so offended they contacted the brass, which then triggered the investigation.

Internal Affairs is now trying to get to the bottom of it, looking to see where it was posted and who shared it. It seems that shouldn't be too difficult if the post was being shared among some of the rank and file.

Chris Harrison is stepping away from 'Bachelor' duties -- including moderating the 'After the Final Rose' ceremony -- and is once again apologizing for defending a contestant's alleged racist past.

The longtime 'Bachelor' host issued a new, lengthier apology Saturday ... this after he posted a quick one on Instagram a couple days ago that many felt was not up to par in addressing his recent remarks. Some said he was dismissive and excusing of racist behavior alleged against Rachael Kirkconnell -- one of the final few women vying for Matt James' heart.

Chris' statement is much more heartfelt than perhaps his initial remarks. He says ... "I have spent the last few days listening to the pain my words have caused, and I am deeply remorseful. My ignorance did damage to my friends, colleagues and strangers alike."

He goes on to say by excusing historical racism, he defended it ... and now realizes that was wrong, especially doing so in an interview with none other than Rachel Lindsay, the franchise's first Black 'Bachelorette.' He says he's been educated and open to being taught more about this topic, and promises to be more mindful about these issues in the future.

That said, Chris also broke some news about his time on camera ... saying, after consulting with ABC execs, he's decided it's best if he skips the 'After the Final Rose' ceremony, where the lead man/woman gets to reflect in front of a live studio audience.

It's unclear how long Chris plans to be absent from the series -- usually, 'The Bachelorette' starts taping immediately after 'The Bachelor' wraps. In any case, he's taking some time off.

Now, as for what the heck this is really all about ... Chris basically stepped up to defend Kirkconnell after old photos of her at a college antebellum party surfaced -- which many say celebrates the South's racist past, and is part of Confederate culture. It's a bad look.

There's also a TikTok video out there that chronicled Kirkconnell's social media history -- including stuff she'd posted and liked in recent years ... and there appears to be a lot of pro-Trump stuff, Confederate flag backdrops, MAGA shots and Blue Lives Matter posts.

She's also alleged to have made fun of white friends of hers in high school for dating Black guys -- but the evidence for that seems to be a little thin and less documented.

She'd been mostly silent over all the outrage that had been building, until Friday ... when she issued this statement and an apology -- copping to some of the social media activity, but not all of it.

Kirkconnell says a lot of the posts and behavior she engaged in occurred when she was young, and says she's a different person now ... realizing the hurt she inflicted. She notes her apology doesn't mean she's deserving of forgiveness, but she's asking for it anyway.

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.