TMZ.com Home

S.F. Giants pitcher Sam Coonrod did NOT kneel with the rest of his teammates in a showing of support for the Black Lives Matter movement Thursday ... saying his religion and his personal feelings about BLM wouldn't allow him to do it.

"I’m a Christian," the 27-year-old relief pitcher said, "so I just believe that I can’t kneel before anything besides God."

If you missed it, the MLB provided teams with a long piece of black fabric to signify unity before its Opening Day games on Thursday.

The Yankees-Nationals ceremony went off without a hitch -- players joined together in grabbing the sheet and kneeling ... and the moment was powerful.

But, later in the evening, when it came time for the Dodgers and Giants to replicate the moment ... Coonrod refused to drop to a knee.

After the game, he told reporters his religious beliefs made it impossible for him to join in ... but he also said he didn't believe in some of the things he believes BLM stands for.

"I just can’t get on board with a couple things I’ve read about Black Lives Matter, how they lean towards Marxism,” Coonrod said. “And … they said some negative things about the nuclear family. I just can’t get on board with that.”

Coonrod said he meant "no ill will" by his gesture ... and added, "I’m not mad at someone who decided to kneel. I just don’t think it’s too much to ask that I just get the same respect.”

For the team's part, manager Gabe Kapler -- who not only knelt for the BLM moment but also during the national anthem -- said he respected Coonrod's decision to opt out.

This guy unleashed his anti-mask fury on a poor Smart & Final employee -- flipping out like a maniac, but he changed his tune real quick when cops showed up in force.

The maskless man's meltdown happened in Paso Robles, CA -- a normally chill town known for its wineries -- and everyone in the store probably needed a drink after witnessing this public freakout.

According to reports ... the guy entered without a mask, so the female employee you see in the video gave him one, but he refused to put it on.

When she followed and demanded he wear it -- as required by California state order -- he decided to make a scene, screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs ... RIGHT in her face. Maskless too.

He was a real tough guy ... incredibly aggressive, and even lunged toward her -- but watch how quickly he piped down in the face of cops.

The Lakers made their return to the court for the first time in 135 days on Thursday ... but LeBron James had more important things to discuss afterward.

"First of all, I want to continue to shed light on justice for Breonna Taylor and to her family and everything that's going on with that situation," James told the media after a scrimmage against the Dallas Mavericks.

"We want the cops arrested who committed that crime."

James -- along with the rest of the NBA -- is pushing for social justice during the league's return to play ... especially for Taylor, who was killed by 3 Louisville police officers in her home in March.

"As one of the leaders of this league, I want her family to know, and I want the state of Kentucky to know that we feel for her and we want justice. That’s what it’s all about. What’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong."

As we previously reported, Taylor's family is well aware of the advocacy led by the NBA superstars ... and Breonna's mother told TMZ Sports she is grateful for their actions.

"Everyone raising their voices for justice are what keeps this family going each day," Tamika Palmer told us.

LeBron -- who etched ""#Justice4BreonnaT"" on his sneaker for Thursday night's scrimmage -- also weighed in on Black Lives Matter ... clarifying it's not a movement, but a lifestyle.

"When you're Black, it's not a movement," James said. "It's a lifestyle. We sit here and say it's a movement, and, okay ... how long is this movement going to last?"

"'Don't stop the movement.' ... No, this is a walk of life. When you wake up and you're Black, that is what it is."

Mike Tyson was seeing green when he signed his contract to fight Roy Jones Jr. ... puffing away on a joint that would make Snoop Dogg proud!

Check out the footage ... both Mike and Roy were all smiles when they officially signed on the dotted line last month during a Zoom call.

Our sources tell us Triller -- a social media app looking to overtake TikTok -- shelled out roughly $50 mil for the rights to the fight, looking to make a statement that they're serious about moving into the live events space.

Mike says he's personally not getting rich from the fight -- saying his cut will go to charity ... "I'm not getting anything."

Tyson says his mission in life isn't to amass wealth -- it's to help people in need, and doing this fight was a great way for him to make an impact.

As for Roy, he tells us the way his contract is structured, he has the potential to rake in more than $10 MILLION for the fight, as long as the PPV numbers are big.

Roy says he can make more money at 51 years old than he did when he was 31!

As we previously reported, the epic matchup is set to go down in California on Sept. 12 -- with no fans in attendance due to the COVID pandemic.

Mookie Betts dropped to a knee during the national anthem before his 1st game with the Dodgers on Thursday ... and some of his teammates, including N.L. MVP Cody Bellinger, showed major support for the move.

The new superstar outfielder displayed his dismay for social injustice in America by kneeling for the song before the Dodgers' home opener against the Giants ... and Bellinger and Max Muncy quickly jumped to his side.

Belli put his right hand on Betts' left shoulder, while Muncy put his left hand on Betts' right ... and afterward, the new Dodgers star said he hopes his actions can bring about change.

"I know my dad served and I'll never disrespect the flag," Betts said, "but there's also gotta be change in the world, and kneeling has nothing to do with those who served our country."

Mookie added, "Today was just to unify both sides and just to show that we are here for change."

Betts says he's unsure if he'll continue the kneeling throughout the season ... he told reporters he wants to focus more on tangible action rather than demonstrations going forward.

"I think kneeling is definitely something that shows we need change," Betts said, "but also I have to put some action into play as far as away from MLB."

No other Dodgers joined Betts in the kneeling ... however, several Giants players continued their tradition of taking knees on the opposing baseline.

Major League Baseball, meanwhile, did its part in recognizing the fight for racial equality on Opening Day Thursday... it played Black Lives Matter videos before both the Dodgers game and the Yankees-Nationals game.

The league also had players join in holding a long sheet of black fabric ... while many others on the Yanks, Nationals, Giants and Dodgers kneeled to show unity just before the national anthems began playing.

Aaron Carter is denying allegations he's abusing his dog, Nala ... and says he won't give the pug to a rescue org offering big bucks for the pup.

Here's the deal ... folks are accusing Aaron of abusing Nala by allegedly keeping her in a crate outdoors in 100-degree heat and locked in bathrooms for multiple hours a day. People are also alarmed over Aaron's new German Shepherds, worrying the big dogs could harm little Nala.

Some people even called Lancaster Animal Control on Aaron ... and Nala's got a trending hashtag, #SaveNala, which caught the attention of a pug rescue organization, The Pug Queen.

The org's founder, Izabella St. James, tells us she reached out to Aaron offering him $10,000 to rescue the pug and rehome Nala, but claims the singer threatened her with a lawsuit for defamation.

Aaron tells TMZ ... the abuse allegations are absolutely not true. He says he only had Nala in a crate for 15 minutes to separate her from his new guard dogs.

AC acknowledges animal control came to his house, but claims officers concluded he did nothing wrong ... and left after he explained he was simply separating his new pets.

"American Crime" actor Johnny Ortiz is facing a real-life attempted murder charge for his alleged role in an L.A. drive-by shooting ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... Ortiz and another man, Armando Miguel Navarro, allegedly tried to kill a man named Brian Duke in a gang violence-related incident. Though Navarro's the one accused of pulling the trigger, prosecutors also hit Ortiz with an attempted murder charge ... now we know why.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... witnesses on the scene gave a description of the car, which was pulled over about an hour later in L.A. with 4 people inside, and Ortiz driving.

We're told all 4 were taken into custody, but the D.A. only charged Ortiz and Navarro ... the other 2 were released.

Our sources say prosecutors have some video evidence linked to the shooting.

Ortiz has also costarred in "McFarland, USA" with Kevin Costner, and with Aaron Paul in "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie." He was arrested in late May and is still locked up, being held on $1,120,000 bail.

Before this snoozing little girl was opening eyes as a mega model, writer and a twitter aficionado she was just another brunette little babe with a blanket taking a cat nap in Delta, Utah.

Although this angel has her eyes closed ... she's made a name for herself in the woke movement and uses her platforms as an ally to help shine a light on political and social injustices.

This little girl has grown up to be an awesome mom and has kids of her own ... a daughter named Luna and a son named Miles.

Dr. Anthony Fauci just threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the first MLB game of the season ... and oh, boy.

The COVID-19 expert was tapped to do the honors before the Washington Nationals hosted the New York Yankees on Thursday ... and as the saying goes, it was juuuuust a bit outside.

And then some.

FYI -- Fauci is a HUGE Nats fan ... and the team was thrilled to have him on board for the big moment.

"Dr. Fauci has been a true champion for our country during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout his distinguished career," the Nats said.

"So, it is only fitting that we honor him as we kick off the 2020 season and defend our World Series Championship title."

Of course, the bigger picture here is that baseball is finally back for a 60-game season during the global pandemic ... and Fauci has been seen as a voice of wisdom through it all.

As for the players, both teams took a knee and held a black fabric before the national anthem to show solidarity ... and then stood for the rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Morgan Freeman also contributed a powerful speech on social injustice ... and several players were featured in a video on Black Lives Matter.

The pitcher's mound also features "BLM" stenciled in black.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are pissed about a paparazzi shot of their son, Archie, which they say was snapped in their own backyard, so now they're suing ... TMZ has learned.

Harry and Meghan say they took extensive measures to ensure their privacy at their new home in the L.A. area -- including putting a large mesh fence around the property to guard against telephoto lenses. Still, according to the lawsuit ... an unnamed photog recently "crossed a red line for any parent" by shopping pics of Archie.

In docs, obtained by TMZ and filed by celeb lawyer Michael Kump, the former Royals say the photos are being shopped as if they were shot during a public outing in Malibu -- but they say Archie has not been anywhere in public, let alone Malibu, since they moved to Los Angeles. They say the photog is purposely lying about the location because the person knows "unsolicited photographs of a young child in the privacy of his own home are very much unlawful."

Sources connected to Meghan and Harry say the intrusion went down at Tyler Perry's Beverly Hills estate, where the former royals are staying. What makes that especially weird ... Tyler's house is in a gated community and he lives at the very farthest point from the front gate, making it especially hard for an intruder to go undetected.

But, Harry and Meghan say they do get intrusions by air. In the lawsuit, they say "some media outlets have flown drones a mere 20 feet above the house as often as three times a day." They also say helicopters do fly-overs, and some photogs have cut holes in their security fences.

Archie's Mom and Dad point out in the suit, it's their choice when and how they share photos of their boy -- and say they have posted pics of him on social media in order to reduce the "bounty" for paparazzi photos.

They're suing for invasion of privacy, and also want an order for the photog to turn over the photos. They don't know if anyone's purchased the shots yet, but they say they're putting all media on notice ... the photos were illegally taken, and not in Malibu.

A status hearing on Britney Spears' conservatorship never went down this week ... because a group of people who had nothing to do with the case refused to get off the Zoom call so the judge could conduct a confidential hearing.

The plan was routine -- every 3 months or so, the judge calls the parties into court to catch up on developments in the conservatorship. There are reports out there that Britney and/or others were trying to end it. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... no one has EVER filed a motion nor has there ever been a court proceeding to end the permanent conservatorship in the 12 years it's been in effect.

As for the would-be status hearing this week ... we're told the judge was handling a bunch of non-confidential matters on Zoom, but then the judge "closed" the virtual courtroom by ordering everyone off who was not involved in Britney's case. We're told a group of people from the public got off the call, but then rejoined. The judge was ordering them off, but they refused to leave, so after more than 2 hours the judge pulled the plug and rescheduled the hearing.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are victims in a home burglary -- crooks hit their Montecito estate ... TMZ has learned.

According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office ... the theft went down on July 4, and cops believe their residence was "targeted due to the victim’s celebrity status."

No word on the value of what was taken but cops say some of the stolen items include high-value jewelry and watches.

The Sheriff's Office says it's working with other law enforcement agencies, as part of an extensive investigation, to see if this incident is connected to other recent celeb home burglaries.

It's unclear at this point if Portia and/or Ellen were home at the time of the break-in.

Ellen purchased the massive 8,188-square-foot, Balinese-style home in early 2019 for a whopping $27 million ... and it's easy to see why it comes with that price tag.

Cops offered up some free advice to other residents in the area -- which includes several celebrity estates -- to avoid social media posts about being on vacation and leaving lights and TV on while away.

Kim Kardashian and Larsa Pippen just aren't as close as they used to be ... and that's what triggered a conscious unfollowing between them.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Kim quietly stopped following Larsa on Instagram at the end of last year when she made a decision to unfollow EVERYONE, and bring her following count down to zero.

We're told Kim felt she needed a fresh start, social media-wise, and wanted to start over by following only accounts of her family and childhood friends -- all to reduce her feed, and keep a clear headspace.

Most folks thought Kim and Larsa were still super close -- until they noticed this week they weren't following each other anymore -- but our sources say the ladies' friendship simply grew apart over time because life got in the way.

We're told there was no drama between Kim and Larsa -- and the rumors floating around LP messed around with Kanye West or Tristan Thompson are not true.

Our sources say Kim is focused on getting Kanye healthy, her 4 young kids, law school and juggling her 3 business. Larsa, meanwhile, says she's focused on her kids, her new fitness line and her "relationships in real life."

Our sources say Kim and Larsa are just in a different place in their lives, and while they're not as close as they used to be, they have no ill will and still stay in touch. Case in point ... we're told Larsa recently visited Kim in Los Angeles.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just ripped into a colleague who allegedly called her a "f***ing b*tch" after a heated debate over a crime bill, saying she is someone's daughter and by not squarely apologizing, he is not a decent man.

AOC took to the House floor Thursday with an impassioned speech on the impact the words of Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Florida) had on her, her family and other women.

The congresswoman choked up when she said she's glad her dad, who is not alive, did not hear Yoho's comments. But, she says, her mom did, and what Yoho said cuts to the core.

Yoho offered an apology -- of sorts -- Wednesday, saying he regretted "the abrupt manner of the conversation," but never apologized for the words attributed to him by others. He had earlier denied saying it, but some people on the floor say they heard it, loud and clear.

AOC offered this ... everyone says things they regret from time to time, but when the words go beyond decency, a decent person apologizes, and Yoho did not.

She also took issue with Yoho's comment that he has 2 daughters. AOC said she's someone's daughter too, although Yoho didn't seem to care.