You Might Want to Rethink

Four people got mauled by the criminal justice system ... after they dressed up in a bear costume and allegedly damaged several cars as part of a bizarre insurance fraud scheme in Southern California, authorities said.

Ruben Tamrazian, Ararat Chirkinian, Vahe Muradkhanyan and Alfiya Zuckerman were arrested Wednesday on charges of insurance fraud and conspiracy, but investigators didn't know which one sported the furry animal attire, according to the California Department of Insurance.

The L.A. area suspects are accused of scratching and tearing up 3 of their vehicles -- and filing bogus claims to insurance companies to collect a total of $141,839 in damages.

JoJo Siwa is ready to face the world again after a controversial fall ... stepping out in Los Angeles for the first time in over a month for a few caffeine-fueled errands.

Check it out ... the "Dance Moms" alum is back to business after upsetting some Beyoncé fans who thought she mocked the singer at the Industry Dance Awards in October. Seemingly shaking off the backlash, JoJo hits up a local coffee shop in L.A., where she gets a little work done on her computer -- even making time for a sweet selfie with a fan.

JoJo seems pretty energized to get back out in the public eye ... and the massive coffee in her hand may have something to do with the pep in her step.

Dwayne Johnson is comparing his new flick "Red One" to "Oppenheimer" ... and, his take is bombing online -- with fans calling it laughable to stack up the 2 films.

Here's the deal ... in a clip posted online by IMAX, Johnson told a story about going to see Christopher Nolan's World War II epic while filming his Christmas flick, "Red One" -- saying he went to the same theater where Nolan watches his films and even sat in the director's preferred chair.

While DJ says he was impressed, he claims he immediately thought about the possibilities regarding 'R1' ... basically, if you put the film in an IMAX theater it would be "game over."

Pete Hegseth's nomination by Donald Trump for U.S. Secretary of Defense has sparked quite a bit of chatter ... especially regarding the Fox News host's aim -- or lack thereof.

Footage from Pete's early Fox News days has resurfaced amid news of his big nomination ... showing the Army National Guard officer participating in an axe-throwing contest against then-costar Clayton Morris on "Fox & Friends." Despite Pete's military training, he struggles to make contact with the target ... instead striking an innocent bystander with the tool.

Check it out ... Pete stands directly in front of a wooden platform with a large target situated on top. Pete throws the axe at the bullseye, but it doesn't even make contact ... instead flying above and hitting a member of a drum corps standing on the other side.

A U.S. Government agency's effort to honor those who've served with a Veterans Day social media tribute is, instead, pissing off a whole lot of people.

In a since-deleted post, the Instagram account for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office posted in honor of vets, uploading an image of a fighter plane beneath a banner featuring the American flag.

However, it didn't take long for some eagle-eyed followers to clock that the organization had included a Chinese stealth fighter instead of America's famed F-35 jet ... and mercilessly roasted the JPO for doing so.

Mattel's got a "Wicked" big problem on its hands ... 'cause it added a URL to the back of its Elphaba and Glinda toys -- and, it turns out it's a very NSFW site.

Here's the deal ... the toy company's pushing dolls of characters from the movie based on the Broadway musical of the same name -- mainly selling action figures of the two main witches.

On the back of the dolls, they put a URL to the website "www.wicked.com" ... in case people who purchase the toys want to buy more -- except, that's not the company's website. It's a porn site!

Art Garfunkel says a recent reunion with Paul Simon brought him to tears ... 'cause Paul opened up about how bad Art's past words hurt him -- and Art realized he'd really messed up.

The singer-songwriter sat down for an interview with The Times newspaper ... saying the two estranged former pals grabbed lunch together for the first time in years.

Garfunkel says he asked his longtime songwriting partner why they hadn't met in awhile -- and, Paul told him comments he made in an interview back in the day really cut him to the core. It's unclear which comments he's referring to.

Lamar Odom's giving a whole new meaning to the nickname "dollface" ... 'cause he just ordered his own custom sex doll -- and, he wants it to look like his ex Khloe Kardashian!

The former NBA star went on a NSFW Willy Wonka-level tour of RealDoll's Las Vegas facility Tuesday ... full of totally nude female sex dolls hanging on hooks and huge realistic male organs -- and, Lamar got to touch everything in the facility.

Ya gotta watch the clip ... Lamar's walking through the facility -- picking up dildos and whipping them around before copping a feel of one doll's boobs, touching her all over and saying it almost makes him want to design women's fashion.

John Hinckley Jr., the attempted assassin who shot President Ronald Reagan in the '80s, is now getting a barrage of heinous requests online ... asking him to do the same to President-elect Donald Trump.

The jarring posts popped up on X after Hinckley posted a link to his community website Tuesday, encouraging fans to check out his new music ... only to see a number of people respond with wishes for him to take out Trump hours after DT won the 2024 presidential election.

The comments are beyond troubling, with some telling Hinckley they've "got a job for [him]" and that the country needs him "now more than ever."

The L.A. Dodgers fan who had a firework explode in his hand during a viral World Series celebration-gone-wrong last week has lost two of his fingers, his dad announced this week.

Kevin King Sr. told Fox 11 Los Angeles his 25-year-old son, Kevin King Jr., is now without the pointer finger and the middle finger on his left hand ... and has already undergone two surgeries to repair the damage the firework caused.

Unfortunately, King Sr. said King Jr. will require a third procedure soon.

Martha Stewart's criticism of Ryan Reynolds' "very serious" off-camera persona should be taken with a grain of salt ... given the fact the actor's been quite vocal about his past anxiety hurdles.

A source close to Ryan tells TMZ ... the actor has made no secret about his anxious and racing mind ... which means sometimes he shuts down around people.

As our source puts it ... Blake Lively's husband likes being quiet over being "on" ALL the time.

New body cam footage from the Florida Gators-Georgia Bulldogs game on Saturday shows more fighting in the crowd between cops and a spectator — with the n-word being thrown around like punches.

Check it out ... it starts off with two cops — one Black and the other white — approaching a Caucasian man kicking back in a stadium chair with a woman standing behind him.

The officers tell the man he needs to move because he's sitting on private property — but the guy doesn't budge and threatens to "kill a cop."

A Broadway star is slamming Patti Lupone for saying the hit show "Hell's Kitchen" is "too loud" ... saying it's a total microaggression.

Here's the deal ... Kecia Lewis -- who plays Miss Liza Jane in the Alicia Keys-inspired jukebox musical and won her first Tony Award for it back in June -- took to Instagram Saturday and directed an open letter to Lupone about her comments regarding the show.

Patti has been filmed publicly saying the show -- with a primarily Black cast -- is far too loud for her liking ... a phrase Kecia says is "racially microaggressive."

2:40 PM PT -- TMZ has just obtained exclusive video ... showing Jason clearly saying "Who is the f***** now?" 3 times to the person who first hurled the slur at him -- this after Jason got shoved to the ground by the dude.

12:56 PM PT -- More video has emerged from the incident involving Jason Kelce ... with the new angle showing the person whose phone Kelce smashed demanding it back.

A scuffle ensues, broken up by people standing near Kelce ... before he appears to yell back at the man "Who is the f***** now?" -- seemingly referencing the comment that was screamed at him earlier.

Ryan Reynolds is known for his often-humorous roles in movies like "Deadpool & Wolverine," but he isn't so funny in real life, so says Martha Stewart.

Martha was a guest on the "Rent Free" game show produced by Bilt Rewards, and she got into a discussion with Bilt CEO Ankur Jain about which celebrities are the most fun to hang out with.

She first said her good bud Snoop Dogg would make the cut before moving on to Ryan, who would likely appear on the list because he gets into costume and covers his face in his films, many of which are comedic roles.