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Da Brat's feeling like a new woman since deciding to come out of the closet and publicly celebrate her engagement, and says it's all because her fiancee's made her feel so loved.

The ATL rap icon joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and explained her decision to come out after more than 20 years, and gushed over her relationship with Jesseca Dupart.

Da Brat says she no longer feels like she's imprisoned and is finally free to share her truth, in part because she's established her career after 2 decades, but mainly because Jesseca is such a great woman.

It's easy to see she's head over heels for Jesseca, the CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair Products ... telling us why they click and how they push each other to be better.

As you know ... Da Brat revealed her sexual orientation back in March with a super sweet Instagram post thanking Jesseca for an early birthday gift -- a white Bentley wrapped with a huge red bow -- and is on the cover of Variety mag's Pride Issue.

Ed Gordon's all for reparations, and thinks any reasonable person who acknowledges America's history of racial injustice toward black people should be too ... so he's calling on Joe Biden to take a stance.

The journalist, author of "Conversations in Black: On Power, Politics, and Leadership" and BET staple hosted a virtual NAACP town hall with the presidential candidate Wednesday night, and when asked about reparations ... Joe seemed open to the idea but had some stipulations.

Ed joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to share his take on the issue of reparations, and also told us whether Biden's missing the mark.

The Presidential hopeful revealed he wanted Native Americans to be part of any reparations program, but Ed told us why he doesn't think that's necessary.

He says the reality is black people have received unfair treatment since the days of slavery up to the present ... and it's way past due to stop denying it.

Not only that, but he believes the onus of rectifying the centuries or racism simply can't fall on the oppressed -- white people need to work on it too.

Kelly Clarkson is heading to splitsville after nearly 7 years of marriage to Brandon Blackstock.

The singer filed divorce docs exactly one week ago in L.A. County Superior Court to end her marriage to the talent manager. The soon-to-be-exes tied the knot in October 2013 in Blackberry Farms, Tennessee and have 2 children together -- 5-year-old River Rose and 4-year-old Remington. Brandon has 2 children from a previous relationship.

Kelly's filing comes a little over a month after the couple put their L.A. home on the market for $10 million -- a listing that now seems pretty clearly tied to the split.

They're also still trying to unload a Nashville mansion -- but that one's been on the market for nearly 2 years now, so probably not related to their divorce.

Kelly and Brandon reportedly met in 2012 at Super Bowl XLVI courtesy of Brandon's dad ... Narvel Blackstock, who managed Kelly.

After 10 months of dating, Brandon popped the question and Kelly confirmed the news in December 2012 while announcing it to her fans on social media.

Roger Goodell and the NFL have talked the talk ... and now, they're starting to walk the walk -- pledging to donate a quarter of a billion dollars to fight social injustice.

The NFL confirmed through its website it will make the $250 million donation throughout the next 10 years.

The money will go toward charities and organizations designed to "combat systemic racism and support the battle against injustices faced by African Americans."

The NFL report also says the league would be willing to work with Colin Kaepernick on social justice initiatives.

An unnamed NFL source told NFL.com, "We wouldn't be where we are today without the work Colin and other players have led off."

"It would be awesome to engage Colin on some of the work we are doing. He's doing real impactful work. Getting him in some way would be amazing for us. There's a lot of work to do to get to that point. We're certainly open and willing to do that."

A pretty HUGE statement -- though it's unclear why the NFL is keeping the identity of that person a secret.

The NFL.com report also says league owners -- who have been criticized for not speaking out enough in the fight for social justice -- approved the allocation of the league funds.

Of course, the NFL had already been donating cash to the cause in an agreement with its Players Association ... but this new gesture could multiply the org.'s initial charity tenfold.

NFL.com also reports the league has agreed to work with players to help "address criminal justice reform, police reform and economic and educational advancement for African Americans."

As we previously reported ... Goodell said in a strong statement last week the NFL is sorry for the way it handled kneeling protests in the past -- and insists he's now committed fully to helping the cause.

The country music superstars in Lady Antebellum say they've had their eyes opened to the "injustices, inequality and biases" black people have faced, and they're responding by changing their name.

The band is dropping Antebellum and will go by Lady A moving forward, which they say is their nickname with fans anyway. The country trio says they are "deeply sorry" for the pain their name has caused and for "anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or undervalued."

If you aren't aware, the word antebellum means occurring before the war, but is commonly linked to the period of history before the Civil War ... which, obviously, includes slavery.

The band says they originally chose the name after taking their first group photos at an Antebellum-style home, and because the name reminded them of Southern-style music.

They say the choice of name demonstrates a major blind spot, and they're "regretful and embarrassed" they didn't take it into account.

As for what took them so long ... Lady A is making no excuse, saying all they can do now is fix it and take action going forward.

George Floyd's name could be worth a lot of money in the entertainment business ... and now one man is looking to lock up the rights to his name for movies and TV shows.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a man named Munemo Mushonga filed a trademark application to use the name George Floyd in the "production and distribution of television shows and movies."

It seems Mushonga is looking to capitalize on the Black Lives Matter movement that sprouted up in the wake of Floyd's killing, because he has no known connection to George's family and wouldn't tell us his grand plans.

Mushonga was mum when we asked him what he hoped to gain from the trademark, if approved, and refused to divulge why he filed the application or the inspiration behind it.

The guy could be facing an uphill battle in his quest to lock up the rights to George Floyd's name ... the United States Patent and Trademark Office generally doesn't allow trademarks for people's names unless certain conditions are met, such as getting the consent of the person, the name being very unique, or the name being part of a unique and widely recognized brand.

Ariana Grande is movin' on up ... quite literally 'cause her new pad is up in a very coveted area of the Hollywood Hills.

The singer dropped a cool $13.7 million for this mansion in the famous "Bird Streets" neighborhood ... where just about every resident is a huge celebrity. The home has 4 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms, but ya gotta imagine it's the fitness studio, wellness center and 300-bottle wine cellar that really sealed the deal. Would for us, anyway.

The floor-to-ceiling windows offer some incredible views ... whether you're craving canyon or ocean views, it's designed to take your breath away. Some sick pocket walls open up to an infinity-edge pool, perfect for parties or getting the perfect 'Gram pic.

As if all of that wasn't appealing enough ... it appears Ariana also got a steal. The house reportedly was on the market 2 years ago for $25.5 million and, more recently, for about $17.5.

Kylie and Caitlyn Jenner got all gussied up to grab a meal together ... and it looks like they made it a table for 4.

Kylie and her friend, Harry Hudson, were joined by Caitlyn and her friend, Sophia Hutchins ... and the ladies all looked super fashionable Wednesday night as they were spotted leaving Nobu Malibu.

The chic yellow duster really made Kylie stand out, while Caitlyn's dress was also a bold choice ... with some 'Tiger King' vibes.

It's been a while since we've seen Kylie hanging with her dad, but it didn't take long for them to meet up after California lifted its stay-at-home restrictions and restaurants have opened back up.

While dinner with her youngest daughter is notable, it would be a much bigger deal if Caitlyn and Khloe were out together. You'll recall ... they don't see too much of each other these days.

Vanessa Bryant got tattoos to honor Kobe and Gianna back in February -- and she's now sharing video of the ink sessions.

Vanessa hit up tattoo artist Nikko Hurtado for a house call to put two different pieces on her body.

First, a tribute to Gianna on her wrist.

"Shoutout to @nikkohurtado for coming over and helping me get my Gigi’s sweet message transferred on me. #throwbacktoFebruary," Vanessa said.

Unclear exactly what the message says.

Next, a tribute to Kobe on her neck.

"I wanted my boo boo's @kobebryant sweet message transferred on me."

"@nikkohurtado came through for me. Thank you! #inked #messagetransfer #BooBoo #throwback #tattooinmyhallway #QueenMamba #MambaMentality."

Vanessa did not reveal specific details about the two tattoos -- meaning, we don't know what the messages say -- but obviously, they are deeply meaningful to her.

Kobe and Gianna -- along with 7 others -- died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA on January 26.

Several people close to Kobe -- including LeBron James and Anthony Davis -- also got tattoos to pay tribute to the NBA legend.

After Vanessa posted the tattoo footage, a bunch of her famous friends weighed in with positive messages including Khloe Kardashian.

"So special beautiful," Khloe wrote.

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are attached at the hip again, but only for a moment. At least for now.

We've known the exes have been spending time together while co-parenting True over the past several weeks -- but at a friend's birthday party they looked very cozy again ... with no kid in sight.

In the vid, posted by Tristan's old teammate, Jordan Clarkson ... Khloe and Tristan are standing right next to each other while singing and holding up their phones. Notably, it looks like his arm is around her.

It's not as earth-shattering as those pregnancy rumors -- which were false -- but for these 2, any news is big news. Our sources say the party was going down at Tristan's home in L.A., but despite appearances, they're not back on as a couple.

We're told Tristan sees Khloe and their daughter every day ... and the pandemic has simply given them a chance to hang out more and work on their friendship.

Our sources say they still live separately, though, and insist there's no change to their relationship status ... still just friends and co-parents.

They are together on one thing, though -- we broke the story, Khloe and Tristan threatened to sue a woman for lying and defamation after she made claims he was the father of her child. Their lawyers say that's been proven false, and Tristan did eventually sue her.

Confederacy President Jefferson Davis just suffered his second biggest defeat ... a statue honoring him in the former Confederate capital is no longer standing.

A crowd cheered as the Davis statue was toppled late Wednesday night, and left it in the middle of an intersection -- continuing a trend that started last weekend of protesters taking matters into their own hands when it comes to problematic historical figures.

The Davis statue -- which stood in the former Confederate capital since 1907 -- was eventually picked up by a flatbed tow truck as protesters chanted "F**k that statue!"

Even that was a classier send off than Christopher Columbus got. As we reported, 2 of his monuments were beheaded this week -- one of which got dumped in a lake -- and in the UK, slave trader Edward Colton's statue was tossed into a river. All of this is the result of worldwide protests of the killing of George Floyd.

Ol' Prez Davis could be the first domino to fall in Richmond which also has statues honoring Generals Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson.

Fun Fact: tennis great Arthur Ashe also has a statue on Richmond's Monument Avenue. Pretty sure that one will be alright.

Karina Rodriguez isn't ready to forgive the Phoenix "Karen" who made racist comments about her, because she says the woman has yet to take responsibility for her actions ... and Karina doesn't buy her excuse either.

Rodriguez tells TMZ ... she's not going to consider accepting an apology over the gas station incident in which she slapped back at "Karen" -- whose real name is Tamara Harrian -- until she hears the words "I'm sorry" out of Tamara's mouth.

So far Karina's only received a tearful apology from Tamara's husband Bob, who claims his wife acted the way she did because she's been battling mental illness after a break-in incident more than a year ago.

That doesn't cut if for Karina, though ... and she explains why.

She tells us she doesn't believe being racist and being mentally ill have anything to do with each other, and she's willing to bet Tamara's racism dates back earlier than whatever she's been dealing with recently.

Karina advises "Karen" to immediately start working toward bettering herself if she wants a shot at redemption, but she's not holding her breath.

Blake Shelton's shout-out to a fan's new book -- written in honor of her late daughter -- is giving her a huge emotional pick-me-up, and it ain't bad for sales!

Frankie Williams is the author of "The Merdragon," a fictional children's book she wrote for her daughter, Shauntae, who passed away last year. Shauntae was only 36 and died from undiagnosed heart disease.

Frankie says, at the time, she tweeted at Shelton and his country singer friend Craig Morgan, because Craig had written a song about his son's tragic death. Blake was promoting the tune, "The Father, My Son and The Holy Ghost" ... and she found it very inspiring.

Frankie says Blake replied, saying he was inspired by people like her and Craig who find ways to help others deal with grief while still dealing with their own ... and it motivated her to write the book as a tribute to Shauntae.

Flash forward to Monday -- Frankie tweeted at Shelton saying she wanted to send him a copy of 'Merdragon' as a token of gratitude for his kind words, and he responded again ... saying he'll order it instead.

And, the kicker ... he encouraged all of his 20 million followers to order it, too!

Frankie tells us ever since Blake's tweet, her book's been selling like hotcakes. She says she doesn't have official sales numbers yet, but it's currently in the top 5 in three different children's categories on Amazon ... skyrocketing up the charts from the 400-500 range it was in before Shelton's shout-out.

Eric Garner's mother says George Floyd's death is largely responsible for an anti-chokehold bill finally getting passed in NY -- making it a bittersweet victory for her after years of fighting for it.

Gwen Carr spoke to us a few days after New York lawmakers passed the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act -- which Gov. Andrew Cuomo has already said he'll sign into law -- and said it's a step in the right direction.

Gwen's been pushing for this bill since 2014, when Eric was killed -- and it will make it illegal for cops to use a chokehold or a similar restraining move, resulting in serious injury or death. Similar language has been in the NYPD rule book since 1993, but now it's on its way to becoming state law.

Gwen told us she feels George's death was the last straw that finally got local politicians to commit to passing the legislation -- as, she notes, his killing has reverberated even beyond Eric's story.

It's heartbreaking, because Gwen says she felt like she was hearing her own son from the grave listening to George plead with officers that he couldn't breathe. New York's State Assembly was also moved, because it passed the bill just 2 weeks after George was killed -- even though Ms. Carr had been lobbying for it for nearly 6 years.

George Floyd protesters are taking their anger and frustration out on historical statues deemed to undermine the movement ... and it's happening all over the world.

A statue of Belgian King Leopold II was defaced following an anti-racism protest in Brussels. You can see the BLM letters are tagged on the statue itself. Over in Bristol, England ... you can see a statue of Edward Colston being pushed into the river.

So, who's Colston? He was a slave trader in the late 17th century who played a major role in the development of the city of Bristol. In London ... a BLM placard was placed on the Winston Churchill statue at Parliament Square.

Check out the pics ... you can see the Christopher Columbus statue painted with red during recent protests. As we reported ... Columbus statues all over the US of A have also gotten their fair share of vandalism.

Staton Island signer Eamon (full name Eamon Doyle) shot to stardom after his single "F*** It (I Don't Want You Back)" or the clean version "I Don't Want You Back" became the break-up banger of the winter of 2003 ... and reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Eamon's single spurred the release of his debut album I Don't Want You Back which included other explicit modern-day loves songs including "I Love Them Ho's," "Get Off My D***" and "I'd Rather F*** With You."

Eamon is now happily married and has a baby daughter.