TMZ.com Home

Comedian Matt Rife is literally a stone's throw away from 'SNL' just in case its writers boycott upcoming host Dave Chappelle ... and says he'd be honored to take the gig.

Matt was standing outside 30 Rock in NYC Thursday with his friend and fellow comedian Alex "Fonzi" Cureau -- they were holding up signs reading "Will Write For Dave."

Dave's set to host 'SNL' this weekend for the first time since his controversial 2021 Netflix special "The Closer" ... which his critics have ripped as transphobic.

While all 'SNL' cast members are working with Dave, some of the writers are boycotting ... according to Page Six. As we reported, Chappelle's camp says they've seen no evidence of that all week.

But, just in case, Matt and Alex are at the ready ... and say they're not trying to make any statements about transphobia. Their message is much more simple -- "If you don't want your job I will take it."

Of course, not everyone sees it that way ... Matt and Alex were actually confronted by at least one person who had a problem with their public plea to work with Dave.

Bottom line for Matt -- who famously dated Kate Beckinsale back in 2017 -- Dave's the comedy G.O.A.T., so he's not missing out if there's a shot at writing his 'SNL' sketches.

A disturbing discovery at the site of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago has put construction on pause ... because someone left a noose in the area.

The group overseeing construction, Lakeside Alliance, says operations were halted after "an act of hate was discovered at the project site."

Chicago police are on the case ... a CPD officer was photographed leaving the construction site Thursday afternoon with what appears to be plastic bag containing the rope.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot says "Racism and racist symbols have no place in Chicago."

Meanwhile, recently reelected Governor J.B. Pritzker condemned the incident, saying he'll make sure Illinois "will make all needed resources available to help catch the perpetrators."

The Obama Foundation called the incident "shameless" and an "act of cowardice and hate ... designed to get attention and divide us."

The Obama President Center is supposed to open in 3 years ... and plans include a library, activity center, plaza, forum and a museum.

Marc Lamont Hill is standing with Megan Thee Stallion against Drake's bars -- and others in hip hop -- and he's getting flak for it online ... something that doesn't surprise the author and activist.

On Thursday, Marc -- along with Congresswoman Maxine Waters, MeToo founder Tarana Burke, Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, Tamika Mallory and several other influential leaders -- joined the Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium in signing an open letter in support of Meg.

The letter denounces violence against women, in general, but also strongly proclaims the culture "failed" Megan after she was shot in the foot ... allegedly by Tory Lanez.

Marc tells TMZ Hip Hop he was approached by Tarana about the letter ... and immediately decided to join the cause.

He says it was a bit mind-boggling seeing so many dudes angry that he spoke out against Drake's "Circo Loco" lyrics -- the ones about the "stallion lying about being shot" -- but ultimately wasn't totally surprised.

According to Marc, hip hop has allowed misogyny to run rampant in otherwise good music for years ... and when Drake is your favorite artist, you're bound to get a little defensive.

Following the track's release, Megan ripped into Drake and social media trolls as a whole ... vowing they would regret making a mockery of the alleged situation.

Her attorney Alex Spiro told us the same thing and then some ... proclaiming all the artists who publicly flipped on Megan will have a stain on their character when all the facts come out in Tory's trial.

Marc says his job as a journalist is to challenge the dominant mind from subscribing to the norm, so he's aware of the uphill battle ahead.

Cops in Thailand have a new definition for bats**t crazy after busting a young woman for devouring an entire bat ... and she could be facing some serious jail time for the clickbatting stunt.

The woman, Phonchanok Srisunaklua, uploaded the nasty clip Monday, showing her eating a bowl filled with broth, tomatoes and multiple dead bats! She's speaking Thai in the clip, but reportedly describes the meal as "delicious."

We don't know what's proper etiquette for this kinda dish, but Srisunaklua ripped the wings off before chowing down on the remaining animal.

Needless to say, her comment section was filled with shocked and disgusted viewers, at least one of whom was triggered, remembering the alleged origins of the novel coronavirus ... writing, "If you're going to die, die alone. No one will blame you. But you'll be damned if you start a pandemic."

The clip's been scrubbed off Srisunaklua's page, but authorities in Thailand reportedly arrested her for possession of protected wildlife carcasses, and for violating the Computer-Related Crimes Act of 2007 by uploading the clip. If convicted, she faces up to 5 years behind bars.

After the stomach-churning clip was taken down, she uploaded an apology video.

Dr. Patarapol Maneeorn, a wildlife vet in Thailand, expressed serious concern over the many health risks involved ... most notably the fact that bats carry tons of pathogens, adding, "There is no proof that the hot water temperature will actually kill the germs."

Columbus Short's neighbor says the actor's got it out for him so bad, he's had to go to court to get protection ... and a judge is giving it to him.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the neighbor says Columbus got in his face last weekend ... allegedly referring to himself as a "killer" while threatening to beat up the man, whose child was with him at the time. It's not clear what sparked the alleged altercation.

The man claims Columbus grabbed his wrist and tried to follow him into his home -- and a similar altercation went down 2 days after that.

That was enough for a judge to grant a temporary restraining order barring Columbus from coming within 15 yards of the neighbor, his spouse and his daughter.

We've reached out to Columbus for comment ... so far, no word back.

As we reported, Columbus was arrested back in February after cops were called to his home over an argument he had with his wife that allegedly got physical. He was charged with 2 misdemeanors, but those charges were later dismissed.

Columbus told us, "They dismissed the case from what I was told because the prosecutor felt there was no wrongdoing."

With this new case on his hands, we'll see how the neighbor drama plays out for Columbus.

"Survivor" contestant Roger Sexton has passed away ... after fighting a lengthy battle with dementia.

Family members confirmed that Roger passed away at his daughter and son-in-law's home at the end of October, surrounded by family and caretakers in Walla Walla, Washington.

His obituary states his death follows "a valiant and courageous battle with Lewy Body Dementia" -- the 2nd most common form of the disease, following Alzheimer's.

Fans of the show remember Roger from the 6th season of the reality competition series -- he was on the Tambaqui tribe, and became a leader for his team fairly quickly.

Roger lasted a total of 21 days out in the Amazon ... eventually getting blindsided by the opposing tribe, which got several members of his own team to turn against him.

Roger was a retired Marine -- he served in the Vietnam war in the '60s. He tragically lost his daughter Heather in 1992 when she died of viral pneumonia.

Roger was 76.

Score 1 for Anna Wintour in the Vogue war with Drake and 21 Savage -- a judge is forcing the rappers to shut down all their album promotions using a fake magazine cover ... at least for now.

As TMZ Hip Hop first reported ... Vogue publishers Condé Nast slapped the duo with a lawsuit over the promos they plastered around several cities and online. The phony Vogue, featuring 21 and Drizzy, was used to hype their new album, "Her Loss."

Now, a federal judge is siding with Vogue by issuing a temporary restraining order to shut down all current and future use and display of the mocked-up cover. The order also blocks them from using Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's likeness.

Prior to the album's release, Drake had posted the fake Vogue, and even shouted out Anna ... thanking her for putting them on the cover. Of course, that was all made up ... and, in fact, Condé Nast says it had explicitly told Drake and 21 they did NOT have permission to do the Vogue stunt.

Drake's taken down that post in accordance with the restraining order.

Jason Momoa and his new four-legged pal are gonna have some major philosophical differences, we think -- because Jason's still eating pork after adopting a wild pig.

We got the actor outside Jimmy Kimmel's show Wednesday in Hollywood, and asked if he was considering changing his diet now that he's taken in the little piggy he met while shooting his new Netflix movie, "Slumberland."

His answer can't be too shocking -- keep in mind, Jason admits naming the pig after 2 Hawaiian dishes made with pork ... Lau Lau and Manapua.

He told us why doing away with bacon and the like just isn't an option for him ... at least not now.

Don't get it twisted, Jason's not planning to chow down on his adopted pet ... and he's feeling sorry about not being able to stop eating the little guy's friends.

LeBron James says he knows what Kyrie Irving did was wrong ... but the Lakers superstar still came to the Nets point guard's defense Thursday, claiming the punishment KI is now facing is just too much.

James, who played with Irving for several seasons in Cleveland, took to Twitter to relay his stance on the matter to his fanbase ... writing out several tweets while he was in the middle of rehabbing a lower-body injury.

"I told you guys that I don’t believe in sharing hurtful information," James said. "And I’ll continue to be that way, but Kyrie apologized, and he should be able to play. That’s what I think. It’s that simple."

Irving was suspended by the Nets last Thursday after he repeatedly refused to apologize for tweeting out a link to the antisemitic film, "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!"

The team called the ban indefinite -- saying Irving would have to satisfy "a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct" in order to return to the floor.

According to Shams Charania, some of the stipulations included sensitivity training, antisemitic training and meetings with Jewish leaders.

James clearly feels it's all too much ... adding, "Help him learn- but he should be playing. What he’s asked to do to get back on the floor I think is excessive IMO. He’s not the person that’s being portrayed of him."

Adidas' announcement it will sell Yeezy designs without Yeezy branding should be money to Kanye West's ears ... TMZ has learned he has that in writing, but he's not getting a dime.

Sources with direct knowledge of the deal Ye signed with Adidas ... tell us there's a clause in the contract that calls for the rapper/designer to get a reduced fee if Adidas sells his designs without his branding.

That's interesting because when Adidas cut ties last month with Ye -- over his antisemitic and bigoted statements -- it said it would not pay him a single cent from that day forward. Of course, that was before Wednesday's announcement it will roll out some of Ye's shoes in 2023 ... just with the Adidas name and markings, instead of Yeezy.

TMZ asked the German shoe co. if it planned to follow through on paying Ye's reduced fee, and a spokesman said he's getting zero, zilch, null ... bupkis.

Now, there's most likely a morals clause in the contract as well -- and Adidas could easily say Ye's hate speech constituted a breach which nullified their deal. Adidas is providing no further explanation, so we've gotta read the tea leaves.

Gisele Bündchen is makin' moves ... setting up her homestead right next to her ex-hubby.

TMZ has confirmed ... Gisele closed on an $11.5M home in the Miami Beach area, right across the creek where Tom Brady is building a house.

Sources connected with the former couple tell TMZ ... Tom knew Gisele was buying the house and it all has to do with co-parenting -- making it easy for the kids to go back and forth.

Gisele's home is 6,600 square feet and has all the bells and whistles ... a home theater, a gym and a playroom for the kids. It has a dock out back, just like Tom's. Page Six first broke the story of Gisele's purchase.

Nikita Dragun was forced into the men's unit of the local jail after Monday's arrest in Florida, a decision her rep says could've been a recipe for disaster.

Nikita's rep, Jack Ketsoyan, tells TMZ ... "The situation with Nikita, who is legally female, being placed in a men's unit of a Florida jail is extremely disturbing and dangerous."

Ketsoyan continues, "This decision made by the Miami-Dade County Corrections Department directly violates their protocol, which mandates that transgender inmates are classified and housed based on safety needs and gender identity."

As we reported, the transgender influencer was arrested this week on a felony charge of battery on a police officer ... after allegedly causing a disturbance for a long period of time, walking around the pool area naked.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ ... when Nikita finally answered her hotel room door she allegedly swung an open water bottle, causing water to hit and spill on both a security guard and an officer, resulting in her arrest.

Nikita's rep adds she's since been released after being placed on a $5,000 bond. We've reached out to Miami-Dade County's Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center ... so far, no word back.

Elon Musk's Twitter regime is royally pissing off Doja Cat and she's not afraid to curse him out for it ... even though she's also asking for his help.

Doja was up early Thursday furiously ripping the new $8 Twitter Blue subscription ... and noticed she couldn't remove her Twitter subheader name after changing it to "Christmas."

Doja posed the question, "Why can't I change my name on here" -- and then aimed her scorn directly at the Chief Twit, saying ... "also f*** you Elon."

Elon got a kick out of being publicly dragged but assured the superstar artist he was diligently working on the bugs behind-the-scenes.

Doja isn't the only one feeling the brunt of the pay-for-clout subscription.

A fake LeBron James tweet about leaving the Lakers recently sent the sports world into a temporary frenzy and several high-profile accounts have vowed to stop tweeting.

Takeoff’s life is being celebrated in the exact Houston location where he was shot and killed.

The memorial for the Migos rapper -- complete with flowers, photos, heart-shaped balloons, and a sign that reads "R.I.P Takeoff" -- was set up outside of 810 Billiards & Bowling, right in the hallway where someone opened fire last week following an argument with Quavo.

As we reported, the hail of gunfire struck Takeoff and 2 other people, who survived their injuries.

Fans are flocking there to pay their respects by leaving lit candles. They've also removed petals from flowers and placed them on the ground in a line to symbolize Takeoff resting in peace.

Let It Slide -- a nonprofit anti-violence organization -- traveled from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to the memorial site to spread their message ... stopping the bloodshed and choosing peace.

As we reported, Takeoff's funeral will be held Friday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Kyrie Irving's relationship with Nike is "likely over," says Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman of the manufacturing conglomerate.

In an interview with CNBC, the billionaire commented on Irving's future with the Swoosh, saying, "I would doubt that we go back. But, I don't know for sure."

"Kyrie stepped over the line. It's kind of that simple. He made some statements that we just can't abide by, and that's why we ended the relationship. And, I was fine with that."

As we reported on Friday, the shoe giant announced it was suspending its relationship with the Nets' superstar point guard after he refused to apologize for tweeting a link to a controversial film containing antisemitic messaging.

"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech, and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the company said.

Nike's move to press pause on its partnership with Irving came after the Nets suspended Kyrie for at least five games -- the team felt that the 30-year-old wasn't contrite when he apologized for the harm he caused the Jewish community.

Like the Nets, Nike, too, was disappointed in Irving's seeming reluctance to disavow the antisemitic content in the film he tweeted, which left the company no choice but to suspend Kyrie's deal.

Knight told the outlet that when signing athletes, they consider not only how good the athlete is ... but also the kind of character the individual displays.

A Jake Paul vs. Andrew Tate fight might actually happen ... the two came face-to-face and are negotiating terms for a fight, according to The Problem Child.

Paul -- an undefeated cruiserweight boxer -- and the former kickboxing champ met up at the PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani's Kamani Club in Dubai on Thursday.

You can see the shirtless fighters face-off in front of a boxing ring in Paul's social media post ... with the caption, "Negotiations."

It's a fight that's been talked about for a long time. In fact, Tate -- a controversial influencer -- offered Jake $3 million to fight back in 2021 ... but Jake had other opponents in mind at the time.

But, during a recent episode of brother Logan Paul's "Impaulsive" podcast, Jake claimed the 76-9 kickboxer -- who also had a short stint in MMA -- doesn't really want to fight him, or Logan.

"I don't think he gets in the ring with one of us," Jake said in August.

"It's too big of a risk for him. He's 'alpha male,' right? That's his whole entire thing."

Paul added, "And when he loses -- he will lose to either one of us he fights -- his whole schtick and all the women will be like, 'Yeah!' and his whole schtick goes out the window."

The Problem Child also ripped Tate for his catchphrase.

"He runs with this whole thing like 'what color is your Bugatti?'," Paul said, "Andrew, it's not cool to tell kids that they need a Buggati to be cool."