You Might Want to Rethink

Britney Spears is getting used by U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz ... at least according to actor Nick Kroll, who took Gaetz to task for showing up at a #FreeBritney rally.

Nick was guest hosting "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Friday night, and in his monologue he went off on Rep. Gaetz ... or as he put it last night, "Florida congressman and human piece of s**t."

Like many others, Nick seemed flabbergasted as to why Gaetz was outside the L.A. courthouse Wednesday during Britney's latest conservatorship hearing -- especially because Gaetz has much bigger, and personal, fish to fry at the moment.

Kroll said, "I just love that the guy who's been accused of sex trafficking a minor is suddenly an advocate for troubled children getting less supervision."

ICYMI ... Gaetz grabbed a mic during the #FreeBritney rally Wednesday and tore into conservatorships, in general, and Britney's dad, specifically. He fired up Britney's supporters by saying, "One thing that we can all agree on is that Jamie Spears is a dick."

The crowd ate it up, but Kroll's point is, considering Gaetz's current legal situation ... he's an odd cheerleader for Britney. The congressman is currently under federal investigation for allegedly paying or gifting underage girls for sexual encounters, and taking them across state lines.

While it's fair to question the Florida congressman's motives for flying to L.A. to get some face time -- the reality is he's been on the #FreeBritney bandwagon for months now. We got him back in March on Capitol Hill, and he went on a rant about wanting Britney to testify for Congress about conservatorship abuse.

Point is ... we shoulda seen Rep. Gaetz's dog and pony show outside the court coming long before he touched down in Los Angeles.

Damon Dash just took another L in court at the hands of Roc-A-Fella and Jay-Z ... but their legal war's far from over, and they could be duking it out again soon.

A federal judge just shot down Dash's bid to get a temporary restraining order which would have blocked Friday's meeting of the record label's shareholders -- a meeting where Dash claimed Jay would try to pass bylaws restricting Dame's ability to sell his stake in RAF.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Dash says he's trying to sell his 1/3 interest in Roc-A-Fella, but claims Jay's trying to do anything he can to block him.

Dash claims he recently learned of a Friday afternoon meeting between Jay and the third RAF founder, Kareem Burke, and he raced to court to get a judge to stop it.

But, the judge denied DD ... and instead, told him he could sue later if he takes issue with whatever comes out of Friday's meeting.

Golf star Tyrrell Hatton melted down on the course at The Open on Friday ... snapping his club in half in a wild temper tantrum that was all caught on broadcast cameras.

The 29-year-old -- who's currently the #10-ranked golfer in the world -- completely lost his cool on the 18th hole at Royal St. George's Golf Course at the end of his second round.

Hatton hit his approach shot into the green about a dozen yards off target ... and after the poor shot -- he took his anger out on his iron.

Cameras captured the dude going BALLISTIC ... stomping on his club twice, before breaking it in half with his hands.

Somehow, despite the outburst, Hatton was able to get up-and-down for par ... but it likely won't matter, 'cause the dude is probably still going to miss the cut with a +2 score.

It seemed Hatton figured that was likely going to be a reality throughout his round on Friday ... 'cause the club snap was just one of THREE incidents he had on the course.

In a prior hole, cameras caught him flipping off somebody near the green.

And, at another point in the round, hot mics also captured the England native dropping an F-bomb.

Luenell has some pretty simple advice for Bill Cosby -- just say "no" to a comeback standup comedy tour ... unless, of course, he's looking to end up back behind bars.

We got the comedian and actor at LAX, where she was adamant the best thing Cosby can do with his newfound freedom is to enjoy it ... quietly, at home. She says the alternative is taking the O.J. Simpson route.

Remember, 13 years after his stunning acquittal on double murder charges ... Simpson got pinched for armed robbery of sports memorabilia in Las Vegas, and ended up doing 9 years in prison.

Luenell's theory is ... Cosby should learn from Simpson, and simply "go somewhere and sit down." She doesn't spell it out, but the insinuation seems to be Cosby's gonna get himself in big trouble again if he insists on touring -- especially because she expects he'll be facing lots of protesters wherever he goes.

TMZ broke the story ... following his release from prison last month, Cosby's been plotting a tour and his camp says several promoters and comedy clubs are interested, with the exception of NYC's famed Comedy Cellar.

To say the "Jackass" star known as "Poopies" had a crappy time filming a "Shark Week" special is a huge understatement -- a shark attacked him, and although he survived ... it's taken a huge emotional toll.

Sean McInerney got bit while attempting a dangerous stunt -- a wakeboard jump over shark-infested waters -- for Discovery Channel's collab with the "Jackass" guys. It's clear from this footage, and Poopies' own words, he came terrifyingly close to death.

Poopies knows it, for sure -- watch him relive the frightening ordeal he went through as his jump came up short, and he landed in the shark pit. He says a Caribbean reef shark almost immediately clamped down on his hand.

Poor guy broke down crying as he remembered feeling this was gonna be the end for him.

Fortunately, the nearby safety medic sacrificed his own safety, and Poopies is sure that's the only reason he's alive to tell the tale.

Millie Bobby Brown's ex is apologizing for talking about their relationship in a live stream ... he says he was drunk and, rather than ramble on, should've shut his mouth.

TikTok star Hunter Echo just explained his side of the controversial live stream ... saying he was drinking and responded to negative comments the wrong way by continuing to talk about his past with Millie.

Hunter says he shouldn't have said anything at all and he's sorry ... but it's important to note he never apologizes to Millie or claims that what he says was untruthful. In fact, he doesn't even mention Millie by name once in the apology.

Remember ... Hunter recently alluded to having a sexual relationship with Millie when she was 16 years old and he was 20, going on Instagram Live and seemingly aiming crude comments about kinky sex acts at Millie.

As we first told you ... Millie's reps say, "Mr. Ecimovic’s remarks on social media are not only dishonest, but also are irresponsible, offensive and hateful. Instead of engaging in a public discourse with him through the press or on social media, we are taking action to ensure that he stops this behavior once and for all."

Peyton Manning looked absolutely nothing like one of the greatest athletes ever on Tuesday ... botching the ceremonial first pitch at the MLB All-Star Game -- and it was pretty terrible.

The former Broncos QB was tapped by baseball officials to kick off the big night at Coors Field in Denver ... and, boy, did he disappoint in the role.

Check out the clip ... Manning took the bump, reared back with an ugly wind-up, and then fired a fastball that didn't even reach home plate.

Seriously, it wasn't good.

In fact, the ball bounced so far from being a strike ... it had to be knocked down by Rockies pitcher German Marquez to save Peyton from all-time embarrassment.

You can tell from the footage, even Manning was disappointed with the toss ... he shook his head and threw up his hands before receiving the ball back from Marquez.

Of course, Manning's been retired from being a star athlete for more than 5 years now ... so maybe the 45-year-old deserves a pass here.

'Ned’s Declassified' star Lindsey Shaw got sound advice from her "one Black friend" about how to handle her TikTok backlash for seemingly mocking Black creators -- but she went rogue, and now has a bigger mess to clean up.

Daniel Curtis Lee, who played Cookie, Lindsey's on-screen BFF on the Nickelodeon sitcom, tells TMZ ... Lindsey hit him up shortly after her inbox was flooded with hateful comments about her since-deleted video reaction to a TikTok dance trend.

He says he specifically advised her that if she was going to respond to racism accusations, it would be best if she dealt with it in a lighthearted way. Instead, Daniel says Lindsey chose the "crying route," which he says only triggered a feeding frenzy.

As we reported, Lindsey said the backlash was so intense it drove her to quit social media altogether. She posted a tear-filled vid, saying the hate was too much to handle.

Lindsey also said that the intent of her initial video was to point out generational differences between millennials and Gen Zers ... nothing racial.

Daniel says, simply put, his friend of 20 years gave a non-tasteful take, but he does NOT see the 9 words she uttered as racist.

That being said ... Daniel says her reaction video clearly offended people ... and he offers advice (AGAIN!!!) on how she can best handle this going forward.

Cardi B scored a legal victory in her ongoing battle with a blogger -- a judge just tossed the blogger's countersuit against the rapper.

The court ruled in favor of the rapper, saying the blogger, Latasha K, couldn't prove Cardi was connected to the assault and emotional distress she claims to have suffered back in 2019.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge said Latasha "failed to produce any evidence that [Cardi] herself threatened [Latasha] or made her believe that she was going to harm her."

The judge continued, "Instead, [Latasha] has only made allegations that others who may be associated with [Cardi] made these threats ... and has failed to demonstrate here that the threats ... were directed by [Cardi]" or committed by anyone working for her.

As we reported, Latasha claimed Cardi assaulted her -- even though they were never in the same room -- and she was in such fear for her life she felt compelled to reach out to the FBI.

In any event, the judge ruled there wasn't enough evidence to support Latasha's claims and dismissed them.

BTW, she got a similar reaction from the FBI, which told her to move if she was so concerned.

A woman who's being labeled "Victoria's Secret Karen" broke down in tears and pretended to pass out as she was being recorded by another woman ... who claims the 'Karen' tried to hit her.

This incredible breakdown happened at a Victoria's Secret in Millburn, NJ ... and the woman holding the camera, Ijeoma Ukenta, claims the blonde nearly attacked her right before she started recording.

Ijeoma, who is Black, claims as soon as she started rolling, the woman's behavior changed in an instant -- going from alleged aggressor to playing the full-blown victim. The switch is pretty wild to observe: she falls to the ground and starts crying, complaining Ijeoma is recording her, repeatedly demanding she stop and even chases her around the store at one point.

Interestingly, some shoppers came to the so-called Karen's defense, as Ijeoma continued to record ... something she said she was doing to protect herself from any false claims the woman might make to police. Hilariously, Ijeoma also repeatedly said she was just there for a free panty deal VS was running.

Police eventually showed up, and the woman reportedly told police she was upset about the recording because she was worried the video would be shared online -- it has gone viral -- and she might face repercussions ... such as potentially losing her job.

In the end, neither woman were arrested, but Ijeoma's unhappy with how cops on the scene treated her -- as if she was the aggressor -- and she plans to file a complaint.

Demi Lovato says they won't jump down your throat if you accidentally misgender them -- as it's not an easy pivot -- but they do ask folks to make a good faith effort going forward.

The pop singer -- who identifies as nonbinary -- came out with a new IG post that addresses the change so many have been trying to adopt when discussing them ... namely refraining from using she/her pronouns and referring to Demi as they/them -- which is their preference.

Demi writes ... "If you misgender - That's okay. I accidentally misgender myself sometimes! It's a huge transition to change the pronouns I've used for myself my entire life. And it's difficult to remember sometimes!"

They continue, "As long as you keep trying to respect my truth, And as long as I remember my truth, The Shift will come naturally." Demi ended on this note ... "I'm just grateful for your effort in trying to remember what means so much to my healing process."

You'll recall ... Demi came out as nonbinary earlier this year, saying their new pronouns were more in line with how they wanted to express their gender than the ones they used to go by ... allowing them to be their most authentic self.

Floyd Mayweather is reveling in Conor McGregor's downfall ... trolling the UFC star on social media and laughing about the fighter's broken leg.

Floyd took to Instagram on Monday to rub the salt in Conor's wounds ... posting a photoshopped pic that showed a sitting-down McGregor whose foot was turned sideways.

"Y’all got it twisted!" Floyd said, we're sure with pun intended. "I like how his shoes fit. Now, do the stanky leg."

Floyd has been basking in McGregor's loss ever since The Notorious snapped his leg in his match with Dustin Poirier on Saturday night in Vegas ... claiming he won more than $35,000 betting against Conor.

"[Dustin Poirier], thanks for getting me paid," Floyd said just minutes after the match.

Of course, the barbs are just the latest in a long-going feud between Floyd and Conor ... as the two have proven over and over again they REALLY don't like each other.

In fact, it was just a few weeks ago that Conor was throwing repeated jabs at Floyd for his whole drama with Logan and Jake Paul.

"Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide" star Lindsey Shaw is getting dragged for seemingly mocking Black creators on TikTok ... so she's tearfully quitting social media altogether.

Lindsey was in full breakdown mode -- tears streaming down her face -- as she said the flood of hateful comments in her inbox, reacting to a recent TikTok, was too much to handle.

The outrage is over her clip, where she questions -- if not outright mocks -- a new dance trend on the app, and she says a lot of folks are taking issue with the fact she's making fun of Black dancers.

In her TikTok, Lindsey asks ... "Hey, are we okay, what the f*** is this?!?" ... then mimicks the dance.

Lindsey says her critique wasn't about race ... it was simply her playing into the Millennial versus Gen Z trends. Still, she apologizes for offending people, and says she wasn't intending to belittle anyone.

Prince William says he's flat-out "sickened" that Black England soccer players were the targets of racial abuse on Sunday ... calling the disgusting comments "totally unacceptable."

Racists spewed vile words toward Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka -- who are Black -- after they all missed kicks during England's penalty shootout loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 championship match ... and it didn't take long for William to rush to their defense.

The 39-year-old issued a stern statement on social media, writing, "It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour. It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable."

William's words are certainly commendable -- given the racial abuse that the players received ranged from n-word-filled rants to flat-out threats -- but, they didn't come without some criticism from observers.

Some on social media wondered why William didn't issue a similar statement after Meghan Markle told Oprah earlier this year that she had been subjected to racial abuse from members of the Royal Family.

As for England soccer officials, they, too, condemned the racism that their players were subjected to ... saying they were "disgusted" and "appalled" by it all.

"We're disgusted that some of our squad -- who have given everything for the shirt this summer -- have been subjected to discriminatory abuse online after tonight's game," the team said.

"We stand with our players."

Added England's Football Association, "The FA strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and is appalled by the online racism that has been aimed at some of our England players on social media."

"We could not be clearer that anyone behind such disgusting behaviour is not welcome in following the team. We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible."

The Metropolitan Police say they're aware of the comments ... and are now vowing to investigate it all, saying in a statement Sunday, "This abuse is totally unacceptable."

"It will not be tolerated and it will be investigated."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also condemned the racist remarks, adding in a statement of his own, "This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media."

Wendy Williams made light of the murder of TikTok star Swavy on her TV show -- something for which his mother and brother say she now needs to apologize ... because she painted him in a bad light and outright disrespected him too.

We spoke with Swavy's mom and older sibling -- Chanell Clark and Rahkim Clark, respectively -- about the segment Wendy did earlier this week on-camera ... where she introduced Swavy to her audience by comparing social media followers, and throwing up a not-so-flattering photo of him -- this before getting to the lede ... namely, him being killed.

You can see the clip for yourself ... and it's obvious why Chanelle and Rahkim are upset -- not to mention scores of people who watched this at home, who were outraged by her handling of such a sensitive topic. The Millers are in the same boat, as it turns out.

Check out our interview ... Rahkim takes the lead on explaining why Wendy's words were so hurtful. As he points out -- this isn't just another celebrity news gossip story she may normally cover in her day-to-day lineup ... this is their own flesh and blood, and it's real life for them.

As angry as he is, it's probably nothing compared to Chanelle -- whom, BTW, says she saw her son get shot in Delaware Monday, and was actually with him during his last breaths. She flat out tells TMZ ... Wendy owes her/the fam a huge sorry for discussing her boy that way.

The Millers say they felt Wendy misrepresented Swavy as a thug or as someone who dabbled in the street, and that couldn't be further from the truth. So, they're demanding a full mea culpa ... and a correction for good measure.

Fact is ... the young man was already blowing up online, but his mother and brother feel she exposed him to a whole new demographic in the worst possible way -- tarnishing his legacy.

Dwayne Johnson is stuck between a rock and a hard place -- not being able to *easily* access a path to his car so he could get his sweat on ... all because of a hungry hawk.

The Rock couldn't really leave his house Sunday morning -- which he definitely wanted to, so he could hit the gym -- and it's all due to a gorgeous hawk that perched itself on a pillar right outside his kitchen ... with none other than some breakfast in its talons -- a tasty snake!!!

Check out the video ... DJ has a front-row seat to a feast courtesy of Mother Nature -- the hawk's got a relatively small snake in its clutches ... and it pecking away, first at its head and then at its tail. That's good eating -- at least, that's what Dwayne thinks. 😋

Anyway, The Rock laid out the sitch clearly in his caption ... writing, "I tried to open the door with some firm DJ energy and instead of flying away, he got pissed and hasn’t stopped ka kaw’ng me since 🤣." DTRJ adds, "Clearly, we both have a few things in common 😈💀 but he’s gotta eat and I gotta train…. Wish me luck, this could get ugly."

Dwayne leaves us on a bit of a cliffhanger ... although, it seems he was going to make a run for it and see if he could get past the hawk without getting scratched or attacked.