TMZ.com Home

Cardi B and Cuban Doll are at it again -- once again arguing over a would-be affair Offset was allegedly trying orchestrate years ago ... and CD seems adamant, he was after her.

The online war of words appears to have started with would-be subs Cuban threw Cardi's way -- at least that's how CB took it, because she immediately responded with extra firepower. A lot of Cuban's tweets have since been deleted, but Cardi's got the receipts.

According to Cardi, this all began when Cuban tweeted Saturday ... "I pray a man don't marry me just to cheat on me ... that's next level OD DISRESPECT." Cardi apparently responded to that, which set Cuban off ... and Cardi replied again in kind.

That's where things get interesting on Cuban's part ... because she appears to switch up her story here about what exactly went down back in 2018, when Offset was allegedly texting Cuban's friend to solicit a 3-way with all of them (sans a then-preggo Cardi).

Here, Cuban says Offset was, in fact, trying to "f*** me" ... different from what she told us at the time, when she denied ever meeting him or knowing anything about the drama at all. When Cardi hit her with DMs they exchanged at the time -- in which Cuban also denied any knowledge about the sitch -- Cuban asserted she'd been paid off to cover Offset's mess.

Cardi fired back, writing ... "First you said the girl was no longer ya friend, then it turned to he was fuckin her, now it’s he was trying to fuck with you? You can’t even keep up with ya own lies. Show me the receipts. You started this yet asking me what does it prove? Honey you need this moment not me."

In the end, this may well be a mistaken interpretation on Cardi's part. Cuban ended the back and forth with ... "You can't get mad I said I don't listen to your music !? Bitch it's been years the husband tweet was not bout u! It's just got that's made u mad girl bye your weird."

You might recall ... Cardi and Offset briefly split up because of this alleged philandering, but ended up getting back together, getting hitched and having more kids.

President Biden paid tribute to his late congressional colleague, Harry Reid, this weekend -- continuing a tradition of funeral-going that the Washington Post appears to take issue with.

The former Nevada senator, who died last week, was honored Saturday in his home state through a memorial service ... one which featured major speakers from the Democratic party, including Biden himself, former President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and others.

46 delivered remarks about what Reid meant to American politics, as did Obama and the rest ... but just a day earlier, WaPo published a story that was all about how Biden has spent much of his presidency doing exactly this -- with what sounds like critical tone, no less.

The story is titled "Biden, funerals and a bygone America." The text itself details how consoling families of the fallen, especially old friends of his, is very important to JB ... and how some aides apparently avoid trying to stop him, as they've found it futile to do so.

The sentiment of the story -- despite never quite stating it explicitly in the body itself -- is that Biden's constant grieving is a bit of a turnoff and somewhat of a time-waster ... which was hit home in a since-deleted tweet by the Post that they initially used as a caption.

It read, "Biden, who heads to Sen. Harry M. Reid's memorial Saturday -- his seventh as president -- uses funerals to honor his friendships and make a point about bipartisanship. Not everyone thinks it's the best use of his time."

Almost immediately, the Post started getting a massive amount of backlash -- including from Press Sec. Jen Psaki -- and they deleted the tweet, later saying it didn't accurately represent the scope of the story.

That's still up for debate to many ... who wonder, what's the point of this story??? According to critics, the whole purpose of writing this was to highlight what WaPo perceives as Biden being out of touch/overly optimistic in trying to cling to a political dynamic of the past.

Naomi Osaka announced she's pulling out of the semi-finals of an Australian Open warm-up tournament after she says her body went into "shock" from playing hard tennis ... after she took months off to focus on herself.

Now, the Australian Open -- already possibly without superstar Novak Djokovic -- could also be without one of women's tennis' biggest stars, Osaka.

Naomi, clearly bummed, announced she was withdrawing from the Melbourne Summer Set over an ab injury.

“I had a lot of fun playing here in Melbourne,” Osaka said in an official statement. “Unfortunately I have an abdominal injury which I need to rest and prepare for the Australian Open.”

Osaka expanded on the injury on social media, tweeting her body "got a shock from playing back to back intense matches after the break she took" ... forcing the former No.1 ranked women's tennis player to pull out at the last minute.

As we previously reported, Naomi returned to the tennis court in November ... after stepping away from the game to focus on herself following an emotional loss at the U.S. Open in September.

Osaka -- a four-time Grand Slam singles champion -- has been outspoken about her struggles with mental health in the past, infamously boycotting the media at the French Open.

And now, 24-year-old Osaka -- who was scheduled to play Veronika Kudermetova of Russia -- is sidelined once again ... as she tries to rehab her way back to competition.

It's a cold, cold world out there ... and it got even chillier for a handful of skiers in North Carolina, who got hosed down with freezing water while already in below-freezing temps.

Check out this insane video that was captured Friday on the Beech Mountain Resort, where officials say someone slammed into a water/air hydrant while coming down the slopes during snowmaking operations ... and apparently knocked the whole thing off.

As a result ... an enormous amount of H2O was shot straight up into the air for a good long while through the waterline down below, creating a geyser effect on the ski lift passenger directly above.

Yes, a fair amount of them got drenched passing through ... but, for some reason, it looks like these poor guests got stuck right in the middle of the water -- getting absolutely drenched. Unclear how long they stayed in this position, but it was at least 30 seconds or so based on the video above, which was shot by a bystander.

Considering the harsh conditions, you can imagine these people were worse for wear afterward. Two guests were reportedly taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries ... and some people are reported to have been blown off the chair lift altogether.

The man suspected of gunning down Young Dolph says he's waving the white flag to the authorities over the charges against him -- charges of which he says he's innocent.

23-year-old Justin Johnson took to his social media page Saturday to both profess his innocence, and to also announce he'd be turning himself into the cops. The strange part ... he says he won't be doing so until Monday.

Using his rap IG account, going by the stage name Straight Drop, Johnson writes ... "Turning Myself In Monday @201 I'm Innocent I'll Be Back Sooner Than You Can Blink." Shortly before this message, he posted a video of a local news package that covered his criminal history ... which included an interview with a criminal court judge from Shelby County, TN.

The judge recounts how Johnson had previously carried himself in a separate case, making it seem like he was compliant and, later, a well-behaved prisoner after accepting his fate ... only to be released on probation early. Johnson seems to think the judge's words here are actually vouching for his character, because he wrote ... "Next time post the REAL… BS ass Blogs."

Of course, Johnson's timeline of taking the weekend to himself definitely isn't gonna fly with the feds ... who are actively pursuing him in a manhunt right now, and probably don't want to wait until Monday to have the guy in their custody.

It's unclear where Johnson is at the moment, but he obviously has access to his Instagram page, and presumably his phone too. By the same token, he's also eluded the cops thus far -- so perhaps he really is on his own schedule at this point.

As we reported ... Johnson was announced as the prime suspect in Dolph's killing, and he's currently wanted on a slew of charges -- including first-degree murder.

He also appears to have shot a music video once upon a time at the same home where the authorities retrieved what they believed to be the getaway vehicle used the day Dolph was shot and killed.

When the Lord said, "Let there be inflation," that pretty much gave Christian landlords the green light to raise rents without guilt ... that seems to be Dave Ramsey's take, anyway.

The financial guru radio host -- who's also a devout evangelical -- took this stance earlier in the week ... and it's getting a lot of backlash now from people who think the very nature of booting a tenant because they can't afford the rent anymore is ... not very Christ-like.

Not so, according to DR ... who gave his thoughts on the subject after a fan wrote in talking about his inner turmoil regarding raising prices on his properties, and reconciling that with his faith.

It's an interesting premise (if you're religious) ... the viewer says he feels he's technically responsible for displacing someone if he chooses to evict -- and thinks that makes him a bad Christian. But, Ramsey takes the opposite view ... saying that's total nonsense.

Check out the full clip for the entire context -- in which Ramsey and his cohost say there are circumstances where you don't have to be a cold, hard capitalist -- but for the most part ... they seem to agree that there's nothing un-Christian about adapting to the marketplace.

Of course, not everyone agrees with DR and co., including some prominent Christians ... who feel like, yeah, being a landlord that's willing to put someone out on the street DOES make one a crappy steward of Christianity.

One pastor writes, "We are absolutely responsible when our actions displace others from their homes. The Son of Man had no place to rest His head, and it sounds like Dave wouldn't give him one for even a penny under what he thinks 'market value' is."

Kanye West's new girlfriend Julia Fox is no stranger to his estranged family, in fact, she might know just a little TOO much about them, as she herself admitted to being a "die-hard, OG" fan.

In a recently surfaced 2021 recap episode of her "Forbidden Fruits" podcast with co-host Niki Takesh, the two talked everything pop culture from the year that was. Of course, Kim Kardashian and Kanye's divorce was on the table, to which Julia said, "Can we talk about the Kim and Kanye divorce? Wait, can we talk about Kim and Pete Davidson, though?"

She also stated she'd watched "Keeping Up with The Kardashians" since it started in 2007, calling it "embarrassing" but admitted she'd miss the show now that it's wrapped.

Interestingly enough, Julia says, "It's like you are happy for them when something good happens to them."

From everything we've seen and been told, Kim is having a great time with Pete -- always smiling when with him -- so, weirdly enough, you gotta think Julia's proud?

The Kardashians are clearly a level of celebrity Julia and her squad have aspired to obtain over the years, with one friend recently telling The Cut, "Julia Fox is doper than Pete Davidson, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West combined. She's a legitimate sorceress."

What's more, Julia's been known to re-post Kim K's Instagram stories over the years and has openly been a stan.

Sinead O'Connor's son has died, according to police ... it appears he took his own life, and Sinead is clearly angry at people who were in charge of taking care of the teen.

17-year-old Shane O'Connor apparently was on suicide watch in an Irish hospital just one day before he took his own life, but someone was able to leave. Sinead wrote the day before Shane's body was found, "Like, how has a seventeen-year-old traumatised young person WHO WAS ON SUICIDE WATCH in Tallaght Hospital's Lynn Ward been able to go missing???"

She went on ... "Hospital of course so far refusing to take any responsibility. Anything happens to my son on their watch? Lawsuits."

Police in Ireland issued this statement ... "Following the recovery of a body in the Bray area of Wicklow on Friday, 7th January 2022, a Missing Person Appeal in respect of Shane O’Connor, 17 years, has been stood down."

Sinead's rep confirmed her son's death, and she posted the tragic news as well, saying, "My beautiful son, Nevi'im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God."

She goes on ... "May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace:"

Police had been looking for Shane since Thursday, with Sinead pleading in a tweet, "Shane, your life is precious. God didn't chisel that beautiful smile on your beautiful face for nothing."

Her pleas got more desperate ... "This is a message for my son, Shane. Shane, it's not funny any more all this going missing. You are scaring the crap out of me. Could you please do the right thing and present yourself at a Gardai station. If you are with Shane please call the Gardai for his safety ... My world would collapse without you. You are my heart. Please don't stop it from beating. Please don't harm yourself. Go to the Gardai and let's get you to hospital."

The news has devastated the 55-year-old singer, who referenced a Bob Marley song ... "This is for my Shaney. The light of my life. The lamp of my soul. My blue-eye baby. You will always be my light. We will always be together. No boundary can separate us."

Shane's father is Donal Lunny, an Irish folk musician. He and Sinead are no longer together.

Shane was 17.

Novak Djokovic's attorneys say Australian border officials screwed up when they denied the tennis star entry into the country ... claiming he had COVID-19 last month, meaning he didn't have to comply with the vaccine mandate.

Attorneys for the 34-year-old tennis superstar filed docs with an Australian court on Saturday, according to the NY Times, arguing officials went against the advice of their own immunization advisory group when they canceled Novak's visa, believing he received a bogus exemption allowing him to skirt Australia's strict vaccine mandate.

Djokovic's lawyers say Australian health officials previously suggested recent COVID infections could exempt travelers from needing the vaccine. Novak's lawyers say their client had COVID in mid-December ... and should've been granted entry.

In fact, the attorneys say border officials "radically and fundamentally" misapplied guidelines set forth by the immunization health officials.

FYI, it wasn't publicly known that Djokovic had COVID in December 2021. However, it was known he contracted the virus in June 2020.

Of course, the defending Australian Open champ had his visa canceled when he landed in Melbourne on Thursday. Novak opted to appeal the decision, so rather than instantly being deported, he was taken to a quarantine hotel run by government officials.

Novak's family says he's being held captive ... while Australian officials have insisted the #1 tennis player in the world can leave whenever he wants.

Even before Djokovic touched down in Melbourne, his impending arrival kicked off a raging debate in the country ... with many upset, believing the tennis star was going to get preferential treatment.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison even got involved ... vowing to investigate the medical exemption Djokovic received, in order to check its legitimacy.

Djokovic has a hearing on Monday ... where his fate will be determined. If the cancelation of the visa is upheld, Novak won't only have to worry about missing this year's tournament. He could be banned from entering Australia for several years.

The lawyer for Travis McMichael claims the judge in the case was pressured by the President, former Presidents and celebrities to hand down the harshest sentence.

Attorney Jason Sheffield tells TMZ, he believes the die was cast from the jump, saying the "decision-makers" were under a microscope. He says he's referring to the police, prosecutors, judge and jury.

Sheffield says anyone who voiced sympathy for his client was criticized and threatened, adding, "So the decision-makers face the same fate if they don't acknowledge the narrative that has been perpetrated by Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, as well as the national media, former presidents Obama, Trump and [current President] Biden, and top-level sports athletes and entertainers."

All 3 defendants were convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery. Travis and Gregory McMichael were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, after the judge described their lack of remorse and callousness. William "Roddie" Bryan was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

Sheffield calls the sentence "scripted, because nobody wants to be on the other side."

Former President Barack Obama said of the case when he spoke at an HBCU graduation ceremony during the pandemic, "We see it when a Black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn't submit to their questioning. Injustice like this isn't new."

Donald Trump called the cellphone video showing the horrific murder "very disturbing."

President Biden's statement ... "Ahmaud Arbery's killing -- witnessed by the world on video -- is a devastating reminder of how far we have to go in the fight for racial justice in this country."

Pete Davidson whipped a crowd into a frenzy Friday night, when he jumped on stage and performed with Jack Harlow!!!

Jack was performing at The Novo in L.A. when he invited Kim Kardashian's BF to join him, and Pete didn't miss a beat. They danced around the stage as they performed "SUVs (Black on Black)."

You hear folks in the crowd saying they can't believe Pete joined Jack. It just underscores how Pete's celebrity has skyrocketed since hooking up with Kim. It's not to say Pete wasn't a celeb before, because he was, but Kim brought the whole thing to another level.

Betty White was a known animal lover who supported a number of organizations throughout her life ... now one of them is stepping up to honor her in one of the best ways possible!

The CEO for Guide Dogs for the Blind, Christine Benninger, tells TMZ ... Betty was a true friend of the org for more than 35 years ... and that's why they'll be naming one of their Golden Retriever puppies after her.

The name of the pooch -- BettyRose. It's is a nod to Betty's character on "Golden Girls."

The doggie will go to a puppy raiser when she's around 6 weeks old. Betty herself became a raiser when she adopted a Golden Retriever named Pontiac. He was her puppy for many years.

We're told there will also be a tribute to Betty in October in San Fran ... where staff and volunteers will share stories about Betty and play a video montage to honor her decades of dedication to the organization.

GDB is the largest guide dog school in North America, and Betty's legacy will continue to live on through the org and little Ms. BettyRose.

Shawn Mendes may be something of a poser, but give the guy a pass!!!

Shawn looked great as he emerged from the ocean blue Friday in Miami. He spent about 2 hours on the sand ... outside the Soho House.  One sunbather tells TMZ Shawn looked "pensive, almost like he was meditating."

Apparently, he went down to the beach with friends, but spent at least some of the time in solitude, although he did jump in the water from time to time.

The question ... are Shawn and Camila Cabello back together? They were out walking their dog together the other day. We say "together" because they got the Golden Retriever, Tarzan, together during quarantine. Now they announced their breakup so it could just be Shawn wants some time with the pooch. But, people are buzzing that this looks like more than just a canine custody arrangement.

Whatever's going on with them ... Shawn's making it clear if he is indeed single, he's in top dating shape!

JoJo Siwa chatted with a 5-year-old cancer patient before surgery ... telling her everything would work out and she would kick cancer's butt.

As you see in the conversation between JoJo and Blakely Bergenfeld ... JoJo's a pro at putting her young fans at ease ... patiently answering the little girl's questions.

Blakely's parents, Jason and Kimberly Bergenfeld, tell TMZ ... the cancer diagnosis was sudden, after the little girl began experiencing headaches and fevers during a recent family ski trip.

We're told Blakely's parents took her to a pediatrician when they got back to L.A., and the doctor noticed her liver was swollen and rushed her to the ER at L.A. Children's Hospital.

Blakely's dad says his daughter underwent a series of tests, and that's when doctors discovered cancer in her kidney. She underwent surgery to remove a giant tumor on her kidney Friday.

We are told the surgery went even better than planned. She had to have her kidney removed because it was close to rupturing and would have been terminal if they had not treated it in time. The doctors also found tumors on her liver and lungs, which were removed. The doctors will know in the next few days exactly what stage and type of cancer she has, but she is stable and past the first step on her road to recovery.

It's been a whirlwind few days ... we're told Blakely had appeared completely healthy before she started feeling ill.

JoJo got involved after learning of Blakely's diagnosis through 'Dance Moms' star Kira Girard and her husband, who are close friends with the Bergenfelds.

Blakely is a huge JoJo fan and was supposed to meet her at the Nickelodeon awards last March before it was canceled due to COVID.

Amy Schneider is on a roll ... she just became the 4th player in "Jeopardy!" history to rake in more than $1 mil in non-tournament play, and she's still in the game!!!

Amy, the first transgender contestant to qualify for the show's Tournament of Champions, won her 28th game on the show that aired Friday night, taking her winnings north of $1M ... to be specific, $1,019,001.

She was stoked, saying, "It feels amazing, it feels strange. It's not a sum of money I ever anticipated would be associated with my name."

Amy has now won more loot than any other female contender, and she's now the record-holder for most consecutive wins by a female contestant.

She joins 3 others who broke the million-dollar mark -- Ken Jennings, who pocketed $2,520,700, James Holzhauer, who scored $2,462,216, and Matt Amodio, who won $1,518,601.

Amy's had a tough time recently, after getting robbed a few days ago.  She said, "Hi all! So, first off: I'm fine, But I got robbed yesterday, lost my ID, credit cards, and phone. I then couldn't really sleep last night, and have been dragging myself around all day trying to replace everything."

It's unclear if the robber/robbers knew she was on a "Jeopardy!" winning streak.

She also fell ill after the robbery. But, things are clearly looking up.

So, as Kim and Pete travel the world, Kanye has hooked up with a new gf, or so it seems. And, Trump was in Biden's crosshairs on Jan 6th. So, we gotta ask ...