TMZ.com Home

Thom Brennaman is officially OUT as Cincinnati Reds play-by-play man ... the 57-year-old formally resigned from his position weeks after he used a homophobic slur on air.

Remember, back on Aug. 19, Brennaman was broadcasting the Reds-Royals game ... when he was caught on a microphone referring to a place as "one of the f** capitals of the world."

Brennaman had been indefinitely suspended by the team over the comment ... but on Friday, Thom announced he was officially stepping away from the broadcasting position for good.

"My family and I have decided that I am going to step away from my role as the television voice of the Cincinnati Reds,” Brennaman told WCPO in Cincinnati.

"I would like to thank the Reds, Reds fans and the LGBTQ Community for the incredible support and grace they have shown my family and me."

It's obviously a big deal ... Brennaman had been working with the Reds since 2006 -- and was regarded as one of the best announcers in MLB prior to his suspension.

Brennaman has repeatedly apologized for his use of the slur ... and recently claimed he's now a "better person" after weeks of reflecting on the incident.

Brennaman -- who was also booted from his role as an NFL play-by-play announcer for Fox -- told WCPO he's hoping to one day return to a headset again.

"I have been in this profession that I love for 33 years," Thom said. "It is my hope and intention to return. And if I'm given that opportunity, I will be a better broadcaster and a much better person."

Megan Thee Stallion's got more beef with Tory Lanez ... her camp is accusing him of launching a smear campaign against her as retaliation for her accusing him of shooting her.

Megan's team alleges Tory's camp is creating fake emails in an effort to plant false stories about MTS in the media. Her attorney, Alex Spiro, tells TMZ ... "We have been made aware of manipulated text messages and invented email accounts that have been disseminated to the media in a calculated attempt to peddle a false narrative about the events that occurred on July the 12th."

TMZ has received some of the allegedly doctored texts and emails to which Spiro is referring.

For instance, Megan's camp claims Tory's reps sent one to several media outlets posing as a promoter at LIV Nightclub in Miami. The email falsely claims her management at Roc Nation influenced the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against Lanez, claiming the rapper went on a menacing attack in the club.

Roc Nation denies any involvement in that lawsuit.

Another email, from a phony Gmail account, pointed the media to a YouTube video of a man claiming to be Tory's ex-bodyguard, who said he'd never seen the rapper get violent with women. However, he also admitted he had no clue what happened with Megan, because he wasn't there the night of the shooting.

As you know ... Megan is adamant Tory pulled the trigger and shot her during the wee hours of July 12 after a night of partying in the Hollywood Hills.

Tory had been silent about the incident until he released new music last night. In the lyrics, he accuses her team of "framing" him for the shooting, and also questions whether Megan was even shot at all.

A rep for Tory says they "strongly deny sending emails or otherwise creating a false narrative. The only commentary which has been made on this topic was the creative output on the album. We are investigating who could be sending these false emails and intend to take action against them.”

As for the shooting investigation ... our sources say police have the bullet that was taken from Megan's foot -- and you'll recall, she posted pretty gruesome pics of her injuries.

Conor McGregor says he's got his next fight on deck ... and it's not in the Octagon -- it's a boxing match against Manny Pacquiao!!!

So ... is this real, or is the dude blowing major smoke??

Here's the deal -- Conor went on a mini-rant on Twitter on Friday ... posting Instagram DMs with Dana White that seemingly show he was begging for a fight prior to his retirement in June.

"I was pushing hard for the season," Conor says. "Multiple opponents, multiple dates offered throughout. All to take place back to back."

He added ... "Then when covid hit and the talk was that I would have to wait for crowds again, I walked away from the situation. I was waiting long enough at that stage."

This all came to a head after Hall of Famer Diego Sanchez said he wanted his retirement fight to be against McGregor ... which Conor seemed to be down with back in February, according to the DMs.

Nothing was able to come to fruition ... and now Conor is telling his 8.2 million Twitter followers he'll be back in the fight game ... just not for UFC.

"Anyway all water under the bridge who gives a fook," Conor tweeted. "I’m boxing Manny Pacquiao next in the Middle East."

While the news is extremely exciting, it must be taken with the biggest grain of salt on the planet -- Conor has been known to use his platform to express his frustrations in the past.

It IS pretty interesting, however, that Conor recently posted footage of himself training in the ring ... so, coincidence??

White has also previously spoken on the possibility of setting up a Conor vs. Manny fight -- saying, "I don’t care about that s**t."

So ... there's that.

Story developing ...

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's longtime trainer said goodbye to the late Supreme Court Justice with an ode to their notorious workouts ... doing push-ups in front of her casket.

Bryant Johnson dropped down and gave RBG 3 push-ups as he paid his respects before her casket Friday, which is lying in state in the U.S. Capitol.

It was a powerful moment ... and Bryant said farewell by doing the exercise in a full suit, though he made it look easy. It's not.

As you know ... Ruth was famous for her rigorous workout routine, which helped keep her working on SCOTUS until she was 87. RBG even invited Stephen Colbert to D.C. to show him how she kept fit in the gym, and Bryant was right by her side during the 'Late Show' segment.

Princess Love just sucked the air out of Ray J's love-still-in-the-air moment ... saying their marriage is now beyond saving.

We got Princess Love Thursday in WeHo, walking into Catch ... and wanted to get her take on what her estranged hubby said on "The Real" earlier this week. ICYMI ... Ray J told the panel he spent all weekend with his kids and Princess Love and realized they still have "a really, really good thing." When the panel asked if he'd now be down for counseling ... Ray J said he would be up for it and whatever it takes to keep both parents together.

Well, it's all news to Princess Love, who made it crystal clear -- Ray J's last-ditch effort falls way short. And, she seems to be okay with moving on ... acknowledging she's happy and hopes the same for Ray J. Ouch.

Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, says the death of her daughter has indeed made her an angry Black woman … incredibly angry because Black people -- men, women and children -- keep dying at the hands of police and getting away with it.

Tamika’s powerful message following a grand jury's decision to not charge any of the cops for fatally shooting Breonna was delivered by Breonna’s aunt, Bianca Austin.

According to Tamika … she never had faith in Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron, and claims she felt from the get-go he lacked proper experience and had "already chosen to be on the wrong side of the law."

Breonna’s mom says Wednesday’s grand jury results solidified her belief that the legal system and law enforcement in America are designed to not protect Black people or give them justice … and the whole system failed her daughter.

Tamika makes it clear though — this has not defeated her, and she will continue to fight for her daughter. She says the system robbed the world of a queen … but she’s certain they will remember her and continue to say her name.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump opened the press conference with a fiery speech calling out AG Cameron and all the apparent discrepancies between the evidence he presented to the grand jury and evidence that’s been widely reported.

This led to a very public call for Cameron to release the grand jury transcripts, and Crump’s co-counsel, Lonita Baker, echoed that demand and took it a step further … by questioning whether the grand jury actually decided not to charge the officers who fatally shot Breonna, or if Cameron made the call himself.

Other speakers included Tamika Mallory from Until Freedom, and Jacob Blake’s father … who traveled from Kenosha, where his son is still recovering from being shot in the back by a cop.

Freshly out of jail after being arrested while protesting Thursday night, Kentucky State Rep. Attica Scott also said a few words. She’s known as the sponsor of “Breonna’s Law,” which helped put an end to “no-knock” warrants in the state in wake of her killing.

This was the first public appearance by Breonna's family together since it was announced only one of the 3 cops involved in her case was being charged ... and NOT for killing her.

As we reported ... on Thursday, the grand jury indicted now ex-officer, Brett Hankison, on charges of wanton endangerment. Hankison was not charged for the shooting of Breonna, but for firing his weapon into Breonna's neighbor's apartment.

The incident has sparked outrage across the country in the form of protests and angry words from celebs, athletes and politicians.

The hero father who took a bullet to protect his 3 kids during a frightening shooting at a car dealership is on the mend ... but he's now out of 2 jobs and his kids are still in shock.

Anthony Jefferson's wife, Danica Jefferson, tells TMZ ... Anthony is currently unable to walk after taking a bullet to the right thigh earlier this week when a gunman started shooting inside a Bronx car dealership.

Danica tells us that due to his inability to walk right now ... Anthony was fired from his 2 jobs as head painter at a maintenance company and as a construction worker in NYC. She was not comfortable naming the companies.

Anthony's been discharged from the hospital, but still has the bullet lodged in his leg, and Danica says he'll need another surgery in the near future. And, then there's the trauma on their children.

As you know ... Anthony shielded his 6, 5 and 2-year-old when the gunfire erupted. Mom says they're reluctant to go outside, crying in their sleep and the youngest asks, "Why did the man shoot my daddy?"

They're hoping to get the kids in to see a therapist as soon as possible.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is making history one final time -- she's now become the first woman to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol.

RGB's casket arrived Friday morning for a memorial service at Statuary Hall attended by Presidential candidate Joe Biden, Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other dignitaries.

A military honor guard carried RGB's casket into the Capitol and then Statuary Hall. For perspective, only about 30 Americans -- including 12 U.S. Presidents -- have lain in state at the Capitol since 1852, all men.

It should be noted ... Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks was given a lying in honor tribute at Statuary Hall in 2005, and the Rev. Bill Graham got the same honor in 2018. But, RGB becomes the first woman -- and the first Jewish person -- to receive this honor. It marks the close of 3 days of memorials.

As we reported, President Trump paid respects Thursday while she lied in repose at the Supreme Court, but was greeted with boos and chants of "vote him out". Neither Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence attended Friday's ceremony.

Kyle Rittenhouse -- the 17-year-old armed civilian arrested in the killing of 2 people during the Kenosha protests following the shooting of Jacob Blake -- might be heading back to Wisconsin to face homicide charges.

Rittenhouse appeared for an extradition hearing Friday in his home state of Illinois, where a judge was expected to decide whether to send him to Kenosha to let the case play out there. However, the judge says that decision will wait until the next heading on Oct. 9.

The judge did approve lawyers bringing laptops into the jail where Rittenhouse is being held to show him video. The teenager from Antioch, IL is accused of killing 2 people and wounding a third on August 25. He's been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide. If convicted, he's looking at a mandatory life sentence.

As we reported ... Rittenhouse traveled the roughly 21 miles from Antioch to Kenosha -- armed with a semi-automatic rifle -- to walk the streets with other armed vigilantes, claiming to be there to quell rioters.

Video showed Rittenhouse running on the street with his gun while witnesses told cops he shot someone. After falling to the ground and appearing to be accosted by others, cops say he opened fire ... killing one person and injuring another. He then appeared to walk toward police with his hands up, and was permitted to simply keep walking and leave. He wasn't arrested until the next day.

Tory Lanez finally broke his silence about allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion, but only in song -- he dropped a new record that includes a full denial.

The rapper released a 17-track album Thursday night called "DayStar," and nearly every song seems to be about the altercation with Megan back in July when they were out partying with Kylie Jenner in the Hollywood Hills.

Megan has accused him of shooting her, but Tory's basically calling her a liar on his opening track, "Money Over Fallouts." The lyrics include, "How the f*** you get shot in your foot, don’t hit no bones or tendons?"

He continues ... "How the f*** your team is trying to pay me in some whole millions? / 
I just lost like 10 million dollars because this cold business
 / But I got like 10 million followers that’s gon' roll with me / 
Fans that support me because they know my heart."

Along with poking holes in Megan's account of what went down between them on July 12, he suggests she's been influenced to lie about him. On other tracks, he hints that he hopes to speak with Megan again and even reconcile ... but also that he's moved on with a new GF.

Tory's new album also addresses rumors Kylie was the reason he and Meg were fighting that night -- a theory Megan's firmly denied. Still, Tory raps, "Me and Kylie still off in the pool / We was chilling, kicking s**t was cool / Both of us didn’t know you was tripping / Even though I got a crush on Kylie, I woulda left with you if I knew you was dipping, for the simple reason / You invited me, but I can’t act like shawty didn’t excite me."

Earlier Thursday, Tory apologized to his fans for his silence and implied he'd be opening up about things at 9 PM PT -- when his album dropped. Many thought he'd own up to shooting her and apologize. He went in the other direction.

After weeks of speculation and uncertainty about what went down back in July before police swarmed Megan and Tory's SUV and she walked out with bloody feet ... Meg flat-out accused Tory of shooting her in an August 20 video, stating she was tired of the lies from his side.

Megan said the 2 of them -- along with her friend and Tory's driver -- were all arguing in the vehicle after leaving Kylie's house in the Hills after 4 AM, and she tried to get out and walk home. That's when she alleges Tory started shooting at her out the window, hitting her feet.

As we've reported ... Tory was arrested for possession of a concealed weapon -- a handgun was under his seat -- and Megan was taken to a hospital and treated for a "gunshot injury."

Though Tory's finally broken his silence publicly on the incident, TMZ previously learned he'd texted Megan an apology about 15 hours afterward, saying ... "I know u prolly never gone talk to me again, but I genuinely want u to know I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart."

LAPD is investigating after a truck drove through a crowd protesting the Breonna Taylor grand jury decision ... sending at least one person to the hospital,

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the terrifying incident went down Thursday night around 9 PM after protesters had gathered at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Video of the incident shows the crowd chanting, "No justice, no peace" when, out of nowhere, the pickup truck plows through and slams into one person who was violently thrown back onto the road. Protesters quickly swarmed the truck, banging on it to make the driver stop ... but they fled down Sunset Blvd.

We're told the driver -- who was ID'd and detained by cops but not arrested -- claimed they were trying to escape after being attacked. Police are now investigating to see if the driver was genuinely the victim of an assault or a hit-and-run suspect. As for the protester who was hit ... we're told they were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A photojournalist told the Los Angeles Times the truck was traveling against the flow of the crowd and definitely instigated the incident.

Police are also investigating a separate incident ... after cops say a white Toyota Prius tried to drive around the same protest.

Joe Exotic thinks the walls are closing around Carole Baskin ... and he's hoping her missing husband's family finally gets some answers and justice.

The 'Tiger King' rips his longtime nemesis in a phone interview from jail, and says Carole's about to pay for years of what he sees as bullying.

A source close to Joe tells us the interview was recorded long before Carole started "Dancing with the Stars" -- back when he was behind bars in Grady County Jail Oklahoma -- but it's clear he's all for Don Lewis' family putting renewed attention on his mysterious disappearance.

During the call, part of a new Discovery ID special, Joe says it's high time Don's fam finally finds out what really happened to him.

As you know ... Carole's always maintained her innocence in Don's case, but the Lewis family recently put out a $100,000 reward -- and during a commercial aired during 'DWTS' they asked, "Do you know if Carole Baskin was involved?"

As for his case ... Joe's still insisting he was set up, and also offers an explanation for why he put down 5 tigers at his infamous zoo.

A third man has been arrested in connection with the murder of Floyd Mayweather boxing prodigy Danny Gonzalez, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Cops say 28-year-old Joseph Goldsmith turned himself in Monday and was arrested for 1st-degree murder.

He's now the third suspect officials have booked on murder charges stemming from the Sept. 7 incident.

As we previously reported, 22-year-old Gonzalez -- who signed with Mayweather's The Money Team in 2016 -- was killed on Labor Day in Moreno Valley, Calif.

Authorities say Gonzalez was shot along with two other victims ... and succumbed to his wounds shortly after they arrived on the scene.

Authorities booked 27-year-old Andre Richee and 32-year-old Lee Mooring earlier this month on first-degree murder charges ... and had been hunting for Goldsmith before he finally turned himself in this week.

All three men are now facing the death penalty if charged and convicted.

What's still unclear is motive surrounding the killing ... cops have not yet released why they believe Danny was targeted.

Demi Lovato won't be walking down the aisle with Max Ehrich ... TMZ has confirmed the singer and actor called off their engagement.

Demi and her former fiancé have officially called it quits, splitting just over 2 months after he popped the question on the beach in Malibu.

A source close to the singer tells TMZ ... "It was a tough decision, but Demi and Max have decided to go their separate ways to focus on their respective careers."

The source adds, "They have respect and love for one another and will always cherish the time they spent together."

Demi and the "Young And The Restless" actor started dating back in March, just as quarantine was beginning, and their relationship moved quickly. He proposed in July and slid a huge rock on her finger.

At the time of their engagement, Demi said she knew she loved Max the moment she met him and was "ecstatic to start a family and life" with him.

The timing of the split is interesting ... coming only 10 days after Max allegedly got thirsty on social media over Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande. Demi had defended him, though, claiming screenshots of his alleged messages were faked.

Regardless, they're no longer getting married. People first reported their split.

Gigi Gorgeous says 'Harry Potter' used to mean something to her, but on the heels of a new anti-trans controversy involving J.K. Rowling ... that's all changed.

The popular trans influencer was leaving Delilah in WeHo when we asked her about Rowling promoting an online store that sells transphobic merch. Gigi told us enough is enough with the author's continual acts of disrespect and dishonor to her community.

As you'll recall ... even 'Harry Potter' himself, Daniel Radcliffe, ripped Rowling a few months back over her incendiary tweets about gender identity.

Rowling has also offered opinions about, and against, transitioning and bathroom rights for trans people in the past.

The latest backlash she's getting stems from tweeting a link to a shop that sells a witch-themed t-shirt she likes ... in order to support women-owned businesses.

Edgerrin James will be riding in STYLE to the Hall of Fame ... TMZ Sports has learned he's tricked out a classic car for the special occasion -- and it's DOOOOPPEEEE!!!

We're told shortly after Edge learned of his HOF selection this past February ... he handed off a 1975 Chevy Caprice to a body shop in Florida to get it Canton-themed.

And, while it ain't all the way done yet -- it's clear the ride's a BEAST!!

The owner of the body shop tells us damn-near everything on the car is new ... from the HOF wrap job to the 28-inch gold Dayton Wire Wheels.

We're also told the shop replaced the engine with an LS3 supercharged Corvette motor ... so the thing is pretty AND fast!!!

The shop's owner says James is already thrilled with the ride ... and is planning to take it to his induction ceremony -- which has been rescheduled to next August due to COVID.

From there, the shop's owner says James will have the rest of the inductees sign the car ... and then the former Indianapolis Colts great has plans to auction it off.