You Might Want to Rethink

Lil Mo is calling out Fat Joe for referring to her as a dusty bitch crackhead during "Verzuz" ... saying he's way outta line, and totally insensitive to all people battling addiction.

Here's the deal ... Fat Joe came under fire after ripping Lil Mo and another female rap legend, Vita, during his Tuesday night musical showdown with Ja Rule. He said Ja must have found them in a "crack house."

Lil Mo tells TMZ ... Fat Joe's comments are "vile" and "disrespectful" and he should know better than to use those degrading terms, especially in light of recent celeb deaths, like Michael K. Williams, from drug problems.

In fact, Lil Mo says Joe's disses were actually triggering to her, because -- even though she's clean now -- she's dealt with her own opioid addiction issues in the past.

Fat Joe ended up apologizing publicly -- he also says he told Lil Mo and Vita sorry to their faces -- and Remy Ma rushed to his defense on social media, but Lil Mo says he shouldn't get off the hook so easy.

Usher is standing up and speaking out for his pal Jermaine Dupri ... telling us JD definitely has bangers to compete with Diddy on "Verzuz" -- despite what the latter says about it.

We got Mr. Raymond out Wednesday in Hollywood, where we asked about this back and forth his music industry friends and mentors had about a potential song-for-song showdown on the big stage.

Sounds neat, but Puff made it seem like he was too good for all that -- or too good for JD, rather ... suggesting the dude doesn't match him on hits. To that, Usher says ... hold up!

When we explained what Diddy's saying in response to Jermaine's proposed matchup -- namely, that JD isn't on his level, Usher gave us a side-eye look ... and then defended his longtime producing partner -- who literally made "Confessions" go diamond, among many other accolades.

You gotta watch how Usher breaks it down here -- because on the one hand, he clarifies that Jermaine absolutely has a catalog of hits that could stand up to Diddy's ... but he stops short of declaring who'd be the winner. His allegiance is clearly torn down the middle.

If you didn't know, Diddy gave Usher his start in the music industry and they have deep ties -- but Jermaine has worked with him more often, and has helped Usher reach unimaginable success. It's a tight rope of a convo, but Usher handles it pretty well.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Met Gala dress looks like a carbon copy of one designer's own brand -- at least according to the designer, but she doesn't want a fight ... just a collab.

An IG user who goes by the Velvet Bandit posted photos of AOC in her "Tax the Rich" dress stacked up against some artwork she claims to have designed ... and says something looks a little too familiar. Specifically, she's talking about the font and typeface of the words themselves.

VB writes, "@AOC stepped out at the Met Gala wearing a dress designed by @aurorajames that looks hella similar to my design. 😳"

Velvet continues by saying her own "Tax the Rich" thing went viral on TikTok after putting her work up all around Sausalito, CA, and she adds ... "This dress bears the same likeness as my handwriting." Sounds ominous, but she simmers down.

The street artist doesn't seem particularly litigious ... saying she admires both AOC and the designer of her dress, Aurora James, and would like nothing more than to work with them.

She says she's a lunch lady and a single mom, and doesn't have the time or influence to try to reach out to famous people for gigs.

Instead, she's asking people to tag and/or share this with the congresswoman and her designer, adding ... "They need a female street artist working on their team, dontcha think? It would be an honor. Obviously they have fabulous taste." Well ... (de)escalated quickly. 😅

Reba McEntire got the cat-stuck-in-a-tree treatment from a fire department in Oklahoma -- except the trunk she'd gone up was actually a pretty ancient building with a caved-in staircase.

The country singer was one of 7 people rescued Tuesday by authorities in Atoka, OK. Reba and a pal were touring a historic site -- the building's at least 100 years old -- when it partially crumbled inside.

Emergency Management Director Travis Mullins tells us ... the building was in the middle of being renovated when this happened -- the dilapidated stairs were already scheduled to be replaced. No word on why anyone was actually let inside, if that was the case.

Anyway, Reba and co. were, luckily, just on the second floor when the stairs collapsed ... leaving them stuck up there, and requiring an old-fashioned ladder rescue. Video of the incident shows firefighters safely leading her and others down through the window.

Reba and co. were mostly okay ... one person was transported to a hospital with minor injuries. After the fact, officials said that not only did the 2nd story stairs topple down, but the ones leading up to the 3rd story did as well ... trapping others higher up at the time.

Obviously, this could've been much worse than it turned out ... especially for Reba. Indeed, she is a survivor.

The Met Gala chef curator is defending the quality of the food served at the ritzy shindig ... this after Keke Palmer posted pics of the grub that seemed reminiscent of the Fyre Festival.

Marcus Samuelsson -- the restaurateur/chef who helped select the 10 up-and-coming chefs who created the Met Gala menu -- tells TMZ ... for starters, yes, Keke's picture is in fact some of what was served at the $30k-$50k per ticket soiree.

As for Keke's plate, Marcus tells us it was barley topped with roasted mushrooms, tomato salad with corn and zucchini slices. Marcus says food, like anything, is a matter of taste, and it tasted plenty good.

Marcus says the 3-course meal was delicious ... and the feedback he got has been incredible.

Marcus, in collaboration with Bon Appétit, selected and then challenged 10 NY chefs to create a sustainable, plant-based menu ... hence all the fruits and veggies. However ... Keke's pic, which was displaying the entree, had just about everyone talking smack on social media.

One person wrote, "This was clearly a 'eat before you get there' type of thing." Someone else said, "They feeding y'all like it's Fyre Festival."

Some of the fare included 6 hors d'oeuvres and a watermelon pumpkin salad.

Dessert included an apple topped with chocolate mousse ... because this event's about as boujee as it gets.

"I am personally responsible for all of Gable Steveson's right business decisions in his life and his gold medal and his Hodge trophy and his NCAA Division 1 Heavyweight championship."

Welp, that's wrestling legend Paul Heyman claiming ALL credit for everything positive the newly signed WWE superstar has done, telling Adam Glyn he's been behind it all.

"I had everything with Gable Steveson winning the Olympic gold medal. I arranged for Gable Steveson to train with Brock Lesnar at the University of Minnesota, which helped Gable Steveson win the NCAA Division 1 Heavyweight championship. Then he used my strategy to win the gold medal in the Olympics."

FYI, Gable won gold in Freestyle Wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics.

Heyman -- currently the special counsel for WWE Universal champ, Roman Reigns -- worked with Lesnar for years.

Of course, 21-year-old Steveson had a bunch of options after the Olympics ... but opted to sign a contract with WWE.

So, how does Heyman think Gable will fare in the squared circle?

"Now, we'll see how he does in WWE. He's not at quite the level of a Ronda Rousey or a Brock Lesnar, certainly not of the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns."

"Jeopardy!" awkwardly fired up its new season Monday with short-lived host Mike Richards ... and it's evident from watching the clip -- the editors hacked away the opening pleasantries.

You gotta imagine ... when the episode was shot and Richards was expected to begin a long run as Alex Trebek's replacement, he had some words for the audience ... we're guessing something to the effect of, "I'm honored to have this job" ... something like that.

There was no such pronouncement ... Mike got right down to business. There's an odd shot of announcer Johnny Gilbert, and it looks like he was used for the edit ... hacking out any flowery intro that followed.

Before Mike came out, there was a tribute to Alex. His family was on hand as the show unveiled a plaque, dedicating the stage to the longtime, beloved host who passed last year.

As you know for Richards, he lasted a week before giving up the hosting gig in the wake of some old social media posts that didn't sit well with Sony. A short time later he gave up his Executive Producer job as well after the staff groused about him.

A California man is in Capitol Police custody after cops found several weapons in his truck -- including a freakin' bayonet -- and Nazi swastikas all over on his ride ... as he camped out near the Democratic party's HQ.

44-year-old Donald Craighead was arrested early Monday morning in D.C. -- where cops say one of their officers noticed him lurking in his pickup outside the DNC headquarters. To the cop, he seemed suspicious ... having no visible license plate, and baring painted-on swastikas on the vehicle.

The cop approached to see what was up, and USCP says their guy saw a bayonet and a machete inside, plus a ton of other white supremacist symbols. Craighead -- who had come all the way from Oceanside, CA -- was booked for possession of prohibited weapons.

As for what the heck he was doing there in the first place, Capitol Police say Craighead told them he was on "patrol" ... and that he started spewing hate-filled rhetoric.

Cops posted pics of the weapons allegedly found during the bust, and it's a pretty eerie scene ... especially the swastikas.

Talk about a 9/11 memorial that misses by a mile ... in an incredibly disrespectful display, a parade in Porter County, Indiana featured models of the Twin Towers with smoke billowing from each.

The float in question was built by the Valparaiso Republican Party. You hear a few people in the crowd sounding off their disbelief as they watched the float tool down the street.

The float was part of the 40th Popcorn Festival which was held on Sept. 11.

It's apparent the Republicans were taking heat for the display ... they limited comments on Facebook, in which folks almost certainly expressed their outrage.

Rudy Giuliani was unhinged on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 -- going on a berserk rant where he called a U.S. military general an "a**hole" ... and denied being cool with Prince Andrew.

The former NYC mayor was attending an annual dinner in Manhattan Saturday, and when it was his time to speak on the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 ... he instead pivoted to a variety of unrelated topics ... including Queen Elizabeth, Gen. Mark Milley and China.

As it relates to Her Royal Highness ... RG was recounting what QE2 said to him and his handling of 9/11 and all the aftermath that followed. Remember, Rudy was head of the city back then -- and has often been commended for how he dealt with Towers coming down.

However, in this re-enactment of the convo, he says they had ... Rudy imitated the Queen, and did it poorly -- putting on a terrible British accent while explaining he turned down a knighthood that she and the Monarchy apparently extended to him. Then, it's on to Andrew.

He says he knows the Duke of York is suspect these days -- and then insists he never hung out with him other than on a couple of occasions where they met briefly. It's ... weird.

In another clip that was captured of his remarks, Giuliani goes off on Gen. Milley -- talking about his stars and how he wants to shove them down his throat ... all while mocking his military decisions with an air base in Afghanistan, getting back to the chaotic withdrawal.

Ashton Kutcher was invited to an ESPN set this weekend to share his thoughts on college football -- but all he got in return from the crowd was some harsh advice on his hygiene.

The actor got tapped by the network to be the guest prediction picker ahead of Saturday's slate of games, especially the big Iowa matchup later today between Iowa State and the University of Iowa -- with the latter being Ashton's alma mater.

As soon as AK touched down by jet and was revealed as the big surprise for the broadcast, he got torched by the college crowd that were standing by at Jack Trice Stadium.

They were chanting "Take a shower!" pretty damn loudly ... which the mics on set were picking up and broadcasting while Ashton was being intro'd. Doesn't seem like he heard it right then and there, but don't sweat ... the Cyclone fans had another go at it.

Not too long after, Ashton eventually plopped down on his chair for the pre-game panel ... where he was talking football and charities of his -- and there, too, the "Take a Shower!" chant picked up again. This time, it was way closer ... and Ashton probably heard.

He didn't flinch ... acting as if it didn't bother him. And, who knows ... maybe it doesn't. The guy already made fun of himself over the whole bathing fiasco earlier this summer.

ICYMI ... Ashton and Mila Kunis revealed back in July that they didn't really wash their kids daily, and only threw 'em in the shower as they saw fit, or if they saw noticeable dirt. It sparked a huge debate about kids and cleanliness -- but the Kutchers took it in stride.

Britney Spears' boyfriend had fans hoping they finally got engaged ... because he posted and deleted a pic of a ring ... but now he says things are not the way they appear.

Here's the deal ... Britney fans went nuts Friday when her BF, Sam Asghari, posted a picture of a ring on his Instagram story. Eagle-eyed fans pointed out the ring had an inscription reading, "Lioness."

But, Sam is pouring cold water on the speculation he popped the question after more than 4 years of dating ... he says his IG account got hacked and the ring pic was photoshopped.

TMZ broke the story ... Sam went shopping for jewelry earlier this month at Cartier in Beverly Hills, and appeared to be checking out a diamond ring.

Lots of folks took Sam's shopping trip as a signal he and Britney were heading toward an engagement ... because she made it clear back in June at her court hearing she had marriage on the mind.

For now, it seems like people are putting the Cartier before the horse.

Tupac Shakur's "murder car" is up for sale and it's getting lots of offers from interested buyers ... problem is, no one's hitting the magic number -- the $1.7 million asking price.

Honchos at Celebrity Cars Las Vegas, where the 1996 BMW 750IL is on display, tell TMZ ... the whip's been on the market for years, and while they've gotten 30 to 40 offers in the past year, none were willing to pay that very steep price.

No matter, Celebrity Cars is refusing to budge from $1.7 mil -- in part, we're told, because they view Pac's "murder car" as a one-of-a-kind piece.

As we told you, it's the car Pac was riding in, with Suge Knight behind the wheel, when they were shot Sept. 7, 1996 in Las Vegas after a Mike Tyson fight. Pac died 6 days later from his injuries.

With the 25th anniversary of the shooting having just passed, we're told Celebrity Cars believes interest in the BMW is gaining momentum and the car will soon be off their hands.

Celebrity Cars and Pac's "murder car" were featured on a 2018 episode of "Pawn Stars" ... when the asking price was a mere $1.5 mil. A rep for CC told Rick Harrison they were offered $900k and passed. Rick ultimately refused to pay full price.

As for the $200k bump in the asking price, we're told it's based on demand and interest.

Cam Newton is not ready to ride off into the sunset just yet -- saying he's NOT going to retire after getting cut by the Patriots ... and insisting he has "a lot of football left in me."

The 32-year-old's time in New England officially ended after just one season last week ... when the Pats decided to let the 2015 MVP go in favor of rookie Mac Jones.

Head coach Bill Belichick praised Newton on his way out ... saying he had "nothing but positive thoughts and feelings" for the QB and complimented his work ethic.

Newton posted some career lows in several categories in 15 games for the Pats last season ... but is making it clear he's got more left in the tank in an Instagram post Wednesday.

It may be too late for a team to pick Cam up as a starter, but there's gotta be a spot for his talent somewhere in the league.

Cam's teasing a "Funky Friday" chat coming up ... and it's giving "tell-all" vibes.

In a stunning move, Jamie Spears is not just asking to leave Britney Spears' conservatorship, he's asking the judge to end it altogether.

In Jamie's documents, he says the judge saw fit to let his daughter hire her own lawyer, in Jamie's mind he says if she's allowed to do that there is no longer a legal basis to impose the restrictions that go along with the conservatorship.

As he says in the docs, "In so doing [allowing her to hire a lawyer], this Court has recognized that Ms. Spears has both the capacity and capability to identify, engage, and instruct counsel of her own choice, on her own, without the assistance of the Conservator or the Court. If Ms. Spears has the capability to engage counsel on her own, she presumably has capacity to handle other contractual and business matters."

Jamie notes Britney wants the conservatorship terminated without medical evaluation, and there's no requirement under California law for such an evaluation.

Jamie now says the conservatorship has lasted a LONG time -- 13 years -- and things have changed "to such an extent that grounds for establishment of a conservatorship may no longer exist."

As Jamie says, he wants best for his daughter, and if she wants out of the conservatorship and believes she can handle her own life, he feels she should get that chance.

Jamie notes his daughter pled with the court to have her life back without the safety rails of a conservatorship, she wants to make her own decisions, and he's now good with this.

Jamie says, "Ms. Spears has told this Court that she wants control of her life back without the safety rails of a conservatorship. She wants to be able to make decisions regarding her own medical care, deciding when, where and how often to get therapy."

He goes on ... "She wants to control the money she has made from her career and spend it without supervision or oversight. She wants to be able to get married and have a baby, if she so chooses. In short, she wants to live her life as she chooses without the constraints of a conservator or court proceeding."

And, he says, "If Ms. Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes she should get that chance."

Jamie threw a little shade on Britney's lawyer, by saying, "Ms. Spears recently testified that she did not know, at least in the past, that she could petition to end the conservatorship without submitting to a full psychological evaluation. Given Ms. Spears' testimony, Mr. Spears does not know why a petition to terminate the conservatorship has not yet been filed."

Jamie also notes Britney "has recently demonstrated a level of independence that calls into question whether a conservator of the person is required." He points to the fact she's now driving again and wants to control her therapy sessions. He goes on to say there's no need anymore for Jodi Montgomery and she should also be discharged.

Being the son of one of the most famous athletes ever is a gift and a curse ... so says Alexi Lalas, who tells TMZ Sports Romeo Beckham will experience both highs and lows throughout his soccer career.

Of course, David Beckham's 19-year-old son just signed with Fort Lauderdale CF over the weekend ... the sister club to Inter Miami CF, which the soccer icon co-owns.

We spoke with Lalas shortly after the signing ... and he's giving props to the kid for taking on the challenge of following in David's footsteps.

"Probably not easy running around with that name on the back of your jersey," Lalas said.

But, AL says Romeo's probably not even concerned about living up to the pressure ... adding, "I don't think he's worried about that. I certainly don't think his father's worried about that."

"As long as he's having a good time and he's good, he can be his own man and figure it out himself."

Lalas says the Beckham last name will provide more opportunities for him ... but will also undoubtedly make certain things harder as well.

"It opens doors for you but it also can provide some barriers for you so as long as he appreciates the opportunity he has and does the work, I'm all for it."

We know what you're thinking -- is this a case of nepotism?? Lalas has an interesting take.

"We all have our different opportunities and our different privileges and our different advantages in life. That's just the way life is. Life isn't fair and soccer isn't fair but it's what you do with 'em and, obviously, you have to appreciate him and respect him."