TMZ

Kevin Hart’s personal appearance in a mass public convo about his new Netflix special has received all types of interpretations — but one that Kevin himself says isn’t true is that the chat was in any way about Black women or belittling them. The comedian hopped on Instagram to address the scrutiny and backlash he’s received for joining a live Clubhouse chat room earlier this week titled “Is Kevin Hart funny??” and engaging with dozens of real people on the subject. The reason the group was started in the first place is because of Kevin’s new comedy special, “Zero F***s Given,” in which at one point he jokes about his 15-year-old daughter, saying he’s already seeing “hoe activity” from her. Of course, Kevin referring to his daughter as a hoe — even jokingly — raised eyebrows, and folks on Clubhouse decided to have an honest dialogue about whether he was promoting, wittingly or unwittingly, the degradation of Black women by evoking a trope about none other than his own kid, who’s still a minor. Welp, Kevin caught wind of the Clubhouse chat room and joined himself — and part of that conversation was captured by a third party and posted online. It looks like this thing went at least 15 minutes, if not more, and there’s a lot of voices in the room … sometimes all talking at once or over one another at various points. There were lots of topics covered, but one that kept getting revisited — and which was later dissected on Twitter as well — was the idea that Kevin’s male fans have a tendency to shut down, write off and silence Black women who criticize Kevin whatsoever … which they felt was part of a toxic culture he perpetuates. Fast-forward to Kevin’s response … and it’s pretty clear he saw it as a constructive conversation with actual people who had different viewpoints on him and his comedy. He insists the narrative that the whole Clubhouse chat was aimed at Black women or meant to pit him against Black women is completely false. You can listen to the conversation for yourself and decide what’s what, but it seems like Kevin liked talking it out with people … but just didn’t enjoy the analysis that followed — much of which was critical of him and his supporters. BTW, Kevin also touches on why he got in on the Clubhouse chat to begin with, and says the pandemic has forced his hand in getting creative for marketing and promotion. We’re all evolving, aren’t we? Read Full Article

Tristan Thompson is all about changes these days … and he’s just changed his citizenship to the U.S. of A. Tristan was sworn in as an American citizen earlier this week … shortly after deciding to join the Boston Celtics. Tristan was a Canadian citizen and came to the United States to study at the Univ. of Texas back in 2009. He was only there a year, before joining the NBA draft. Tristan says, “I came to the U.S. on a student visa and have always had big dreams. I’m now truly living the American dream.” Dude’s got a lot to celebrate. The Boston deal’s netting him $19 mil over 2 years. The athlete’s U.S. citizenship comes after news broke on November 21 that he reached a two-year, $19 million deal with the Boston Celtics as its new center. Thompson began his professional basketball career in 2011 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played for nine seasons. On the home front, Khloe says she and 2-year-old True are staying put in L.A. … she just bought a new home right next to her mom. Presumably, there will be lots of commuting. Khloe and Tristan got back together during the pandemic, and from all accounts, they’re going strong. Congrats Tristan!!! Read Full Article

Demi Lovato’s heartsick ex-fiance has found love again — or maybe it’s just a rebound — but he’s definitely trying to make it look like he’s moved on. Max Ehrich hit the beach with blazing hot Mariah Angeliq. They took a sunset stroll at the South Pointe Park Pier Friday in Miami Beach and looked, well, cozy. They were there with singer Lele Pons. Last we saw Max, he was fretting in the sands of Malibu, appearing crestfallen in the wake of his breakup with Demi … a breakup which he claims he only became aware of through tabloids, although she strongly denies it. Max, like Trump, seemed to have trouble letting go. Demi seemed super annoyed by Max’s post-breakup antics, and even leaked a song about their breakup. We’re guessing Demi’s feeling relieved. Read Full Article

Drake is in love … and it shows. Drizzy posted this super sweet pic of him, asleep on the shoulder of his son, 3-year-old Adonis, and it kinda melts your heart. Adonis lives with his mom, Sophie Brussaux, but Drake definitely spends time with his son. When Adonis turned 3 last month, Drake celebrated with him at his Toronto estate. He and Adonis are partying hard, around a swarm of white, black and silver balloons. Drake was initially coy about his parental status with Adonis, but he officially disclosed their relationship on his 2018 album, “Scorpion.” It’s nice to see something this chill and sweet during some pretty awful times … don’t you think? Read Full Article

This is outrageous … a man who was simply videotaping cops who stopped a black driver was ordered to stop taping, and it ended with the guy getting assaulted. Joe Bennett was driving home in Jeffersontown, Kentucky when he saw a number of police cars swarm a car. Bennett decided to live stream the stop on Facebook … as he said, he was doing his “due diligence as a citizen.” Joe is at least 50 feet away, and maybe further, saying “I just wanted to observe, so I tried to give them distance.” He actually says the video is “the most boring live video ever,” when at the 3-minute mark a cop walks ominously toward Bennett and orders him to stop filming, coming up with a bogus excuse that it’s a crime scene investigation — as if that’s a justification. Bennett refuses to stop, so the cop asks for his ID. Now, technically, if a cop asks for ID — even if the request violates the law — you’re supposed to comply, but Bennett says he did nothing wrong so he refuses. That’s when the cop attacks, grabbing for Bennett’s phone and slugs him. A police official told Spectrum 1, “Officers were in the area investigating and making arrests related to a check fraud scheme thwarted at the Citizens Union Bank across the street from the McDonalds.” What’s unclear … cops reportedly say a suspect claimed Bennett was the driver in the check fraud scheme. Read Full Article

Kim Kardashian’s visit with an inmate on death row in Oklahoma is being hailed as a big morale boost for the folks already fighting for Julius Jones’ freedom. Kim brought a lot of extra attention to Julius’ case when she met with him face-to-face in Oklahoma City … and we’re told it’s got his family excited and supporters energized. Folks at the “Justice for Julius” campaign tell us their website has seen a tenfold traffic increase, and thousands of emails from all over the world are flowing into the site and into the inbox at the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, urging a commutation of his sentence. Jones, a Black man, was only 19 when he was arrested for the shooting death of a 45-year-old white man named Paul Howell back in 1999. Jones was convicted of 1st-degree murder in 2002 and sentenced to death, but lots of folks say the case was racially charged with little evidence tying him to the scene. Julius claims he was framed and it was racial. Julius filed a clemency petition last year and is waiting on the parole board to recommend his sentence be commuted … a final decision is in the hands of Governor Kevin Stitt. We’re told since Kim’s visit Cleveland Browns quarterback, Baker Mayfield, who’s been wearing Julius’ name on the back of his helmet all season and has been wearing custom cleats with Julius’ face on it, is fully on board the Julius team. But, more than anything, we’re told Kim’s visit brought renewed hope and energy to the folks on the ground in Oklahoma who have been working tirelessly on the case. Julius’ sister, Antoinette Jones, tells TMZ … Kim provided the family with a sense of optimism moving forward, making good on her word to fight for Julius. Antoinette says Kim’s drive reminds her of Robert Kardashian Sr. It’s pretty heartbreaking … Julius’ sister says he told Kim he’s still broken up about not being able to take her to junior and senior prom because he was locked up, and he told Kim he wants to make it up to his sister. She says Kim feels that’s another reason why Kim wants to fight for his freedom. Not everyone is feeling great about Kim’s visit though. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter called her out for advocating for Jones, claiming “every criticism surrounding his case has been disproven” and railing against “celebrity endorsements.” Nevertheless … Kim’s making an impact on Julius’ case one way or another. Read Full Article

Nelly’s custom-made dance shoes were all the rage on this season of “Dancing with the Stars,” and now they’re going to a great cause — helping young women who are survivors of human trafficking. As we told you … the rapper wowed ‘DWTS’ fans and the judges with his slick moves and his hip hop-inspired footwear, but now that the dancing competition’s wrapped up, he’s sending his shoes to The Teen Project to be auctioned off. Our sources say Yung Swivel’s donating at least 10 pairs to the organization — which also aids young women who’ve suffered trauma and homelessness — and his entire collection is expected to fetch $50,000 … if not more. Nelly’s been a major advocate of The Teen Project over the last few months, helping the org raise $820k overall in 2020 … which is about $300k more than last year. The rapper’s been working to raise funds for Vera’s Sanctuary, a rehab facility operated by The Teen Project for victims of sex trafficking. Our sources say the money raised by Nelly has already been used to send women who’ve been through Vera’s to college. Along with the $50k Nelly’s ‘DWTS’ shoes are expected to haul in at the upcoming auction, we’re told the organization anticipates an additional $30k in donations to come in this week from Nelly’s efforts. Read Full Article

If Jake Paul wants to put the camera down and retire from YouTube, he’s got a serious future as a fighter … so says boxer J’Leon Love, who tells TMZ Sports the social media star can actually hang with the big dogs of the sport. “He can make it,” Love tells us. “He already has made it because he has the push of the fans. the skill set is there.” Of course, the 24-3-1 super-middleweight has been helping JP train for his highly anticipated fight with Nate Robinson this weekend … and Love admits he was first caught off-guard by Paul’s skills. “I was like, ‘Damn, okay. hold on. You’ve done this before,'” Love tells us. And, get this — Love says Paul has been sparring with real-deal undefeated champs in training … and the dude’s been able to hold his own. “He is becoming more and more polished every day,” Love added. “He has definitely a long road in the boxing game, but he’s on his way for sure.” Love raves about Paul’s work ethic, willingness to learn, and how serious he takes the craft … and thinks he’s improved immensely since his first two fights. “I wish you guys could see what we see in the gym.” Love says Paul would be great for the sport in AND out of the ring given how marketable he is … and thinks other fighters should follow his lead. Read Full Article

Aaron Carter is ready to rumble … and he wants to beat the crap outta any boy band-type singer willing to step in the ring with him!!! The singer has inked a deal with Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman, who tells TMZ … Aaron’s planning to fight in April or May in Los Angeles, once the coronavirus pandemic slows down. Aaron’s opponent is still up in the air, but we’re told his dream match would be against Justin Bieber. We get it … that would get the most headlines, but for lots of reasons, it’s highly unlikely. If the Biebs ain’t down, we’re told Aaron’s ready to fight anyone else of his ilk — a singer ready to put his hands to the test. Aaron’s got some experience in this arena … he fought his brother, Nick Carter, back on their old reality show, “House of Carters.” There could be a huge payday in the cards for Aaron, although a lot depends on Pay-per-view buys and a TV deal. We’re told he’s hopeful for 7-figures, but he probably shouldn’t hold his breath for that. Read Full Article

“GUARANTEEEEEED!!!!” LaVar Ball says there’s NO DOUBT in his mind his son, LaMelo, will receive the highest honors of his draft class … telling TMZ Sports the #3 overall pick is a shoo-in for the Rookie of the Year award. We spoke with Papa Ball at his family’s Thanksgiving giveaway in South Central L.A. on Tuesday … and in pure LaVar fashion, he made another bold prediction. “Teaming up with Michael Jordan and you can’t get rookie of the year?? Are you crazy?!,” LaVar tells us. It may not be as farfetched as LaVar’s predictions in the past — Melo can straight-up BALL and was once considered a favorite to go #1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020 NBA Draft. Of course, LaMelo ended up with the Charlotte Hornets … and LaVar is expecting big things when his son teams up with the GOAT. We also spoke with the Ball fam patriarch about LiAngelo and Lonzo’s future … and as always, the dude has things to say. Read Full Article