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Andy Cohen just responded to Brandi's claim about the video she says he sent her -- and he now says she's blowing it out of proportion.

He writes, "The video shows Kate Chastain and I very clearly joking to Brandi. It was absolutely meant in jest, and Brandi’s response clearly communicated she was in on the joke.  That said, it was totally inappropriate and I apologize."

Brandi Glanville is putting Bravo's parent company and others on notice that she's prepared to take them to court over this whole 'Girls Trip' drama she's been roped into ... and lays out her grievances in no uncertain terms in a letter that her attorneys just fired off.

The 'Real Housewives' star has lawyered up with the likes of Mark Geragos and Bryan Freedman -- big shot lawyers in Hollywood -- and they sent NBCUniversal a demand letter Thursday that threatens a lawsuit on behalf of their client ... and they're telling the network to preserve all potential evidence as Brandi prepares for what could be a messy legal battle.

The letter, obtained by TMZ, spells out exactly why Brandi is considering suing here -- and according to her legal team ... she feels like she's been chewed up and spit out by Bravo and all other parties involved in producing and airing a show that makes them millions.

They're strong, writing ... "Over the past year, Ms. Glanville has been subjected to a vicious media campaign based on false allegations of sexual misconduct. The false narrative, which NBC and Shed Media have apparently decided to foment, arises from Ms. Glanville’s experience on 'Ultimate Girls Trip: Morocco.'"

Her attorneys add ... "While the experience has been a nightmare for Ms. Glanville, it is far from the first time Ms. Glanville has been used and abused by NBC, Bravo, Warner Bros., and Shed Media. Indeed, Ms. Glanville has long been taken advantage of by the institutions with which she is indelibly tied personally, professionally, financially, and in the public mind."

Brandi's lawyers claim that while she's been loyal to NBCU over the years ... she's only received mistreatment in return -- including this latest saga with fellow 'Housewife' Caroline Manzo, who recently sued Bravo claiming she was the victim of sexual misconduct from Brandi during the filming of 'Girls Trip: Morocco,' but BG defends herself here.

Long story short ... Brandi's attorneys say that Caroline's narrative of being forcibly kissed and groped by Brandi during the filming of that show was actually consensual -- with Brandi's team claiming Caroline was inviting that sort of behavior, which she also alleges was facilitated and even encouraged by producers during the filming.

There's another salacious allegation that Brandi's attorneys float in this letter they sent -- evidence for which is not attached in their correspondence -- that invokes the name of Andy Cohen.

Brandi's team claims that in 2022, Andy subjected Brandi to sexual harassment by sending her a video -- one in which she claims he boasted of his intent to sleep with another Bravo star that night ... and allegedly inviting her to watch it all via Facetime.

Her attorneys characterize her role in all this one of a "sacrificial lamb," and they say Brandi isn't going to take it anymore ... so she's telling Bravo and co. to get ready to go to battle.

She hasn't sued just yet ... but it sounds like she's ready to go to war if they can't resolve things outside of court. We've reached out to NBCU for comment ... so far, no word back.

Mel Gibson was on the shortlist for the leading role in "Schindler's List" ... but despite his interest, the director was never going to pick him.

When the producers were casting the lead role in the iconic 1993 movie, Mel's name came up ... according to Hollywood agent and CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz, who helped make the film.

Ovitz told The Hollywood Reporter Mel was interested in the project and his agent tried to land him the part ... but he says director Steven Spielberg was looking for a "non-movie" star as his leading man.

Mel was, and still is, a huge name in Hollywood ... and by 1993 he had just starred in his third 'Lethal Weapon' movie ... and already had a bunch of popular credits to his name.

Ultimately, Liam Neeson was cast as Oskar Schindler ... and he helped the film win 7 Oscars at the 1994 award show, including Best Picture.

The irony here ... we first reported on Mel's racist and antisemitic comments during his 2006 DUI arrest. So it's wild that he was considered for this film back then -- which is obviously all about the Holocaust.

Jack Harlow's currently dominating the Billboard Hot 100 -- but says the real celeb is his pet pooch ... and he's got a tight leash on the animal's true identity, which he won't reveal.

We shot the breeze with JH in Bev. Hills this week as the Kentucky-born rapper's hit is killing the charts -- his "Lovin On Me" smash hit returned to #1 for the sixth time this week ... and Jack humbly tells us he's currently the act to beat in the rap game.

He totally has the motion to back it up ... his cameo in Ben Affleck's star-studded Dunkin Donuts ad earned high marks on Super Bowl Sunday -- allowing for all the exclusive merch to sell out in minutes!!!

Jack says Ben's relatability made shooting the spot easy-peasy... apparently, they gelled through their connection as actors -- something JH says he appreciated as they collab'd.

Jack's clearly not running from the limelight but when we asked his dog's name, he refused to give it to us ... out of respect for her privacy!!! Aww ... 🥰

The adorable doggy helped JH sell the single to the masses -- he used the doggo in promoting it -- but we respect the insistence on secrecy all the same. Dogs have rights too, dammit!

Nobody knows her name at this point ... and it sounds like Jack's keeping it that way.

One last thing that was kinda funny about this ... we're not 100% sure, but it looks like Jack's pup here might've left a little mess behind. Hard to tell for certain if the crap came from his dog -- it looks a little big for that small thing if we're being honest -- but there it lay.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's manslaughter trial kicked off Thursday, and both the prosecution and defense have revealed their hands for the court battle ... with the prosecution laying the blame squarely on HGR while the defense is pointing to a broader institutional failure.

The "Rust" armorer -- who was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins -- appeared in a New Mexico court, and the opening statements took place not long ago.

The prosecution started the whole trial by first saying they believe it was Gutierrez-Reed's fault the live round that killed Hutchins ended up on set in the first place.

Prosecutors say Hannah didn't always adhere to safety protocols on set ... for example, they claim she didn't offer to show the actors the rounds inside the weapon or have the gun inspected in front of them -- a protocol prosecutors insist she was supposed to follow.

Hannah not following protocols was common on set according to the prosecution, which claims they'll provide several witnesses who will testify about Gutierrez-Reed not adequately performing her duties.

They say she regularly left guns and ammo just lying around the set ... and even allowed live ammo to make its way on set. They even claim Hannah couldn't recognize a live round when it was sitting in her lap.

In Hannah's defense, her lawyers say she was tasked with multiple jobs on set when she was just 24 -- both armorer and prop assistant -- which was a lot to ask her to do. Her team claims Hannah's age and relative anonymity make her an ideal scapegoat for the tragedy.

And, they're also saying she did her job well ... noting she even asked the production manager for more armorer days -- because she was splitting time between jobs and wanted to focus on her responsibilities in that domain. Her lawyers say her request was ultimately denied by the production.

In addition, the defense says OSHA -- a government agency in charge of health and safety for workplaces -- found numerous mistakes in the production overall that can't just be pinned on Reed individually. The defense added OSHA fined the production ... a fine they say was one of the largest in New Mexico's history.

Alec Baldwin was also mentioned ... with Hannah's layers saying he violated the most basic gun safety rule -- don't point a gun at someone unless you want to shoot them. They say he either had his finger on the trigger or pulled it ... but either way, it wasn't Hannah's fault.

The trial's supposed to run through March 8 ... filled with what we imagine will be a ton of twists and turns.

Hollywood is collectively saying "howdy" to cowboy hats ... hopping on a trend that's being fueled by Beyoncé's transition to country music.

With Queen B playing some poker on the charts, celebs lately are going full country ... and busting out their Western wear ... particularly above the shoulders. Kim Kardashian, Pharrell Williams, Diplo and Bella Hadid are among the stars being lassoed in to this latest look.

Of course, the poster child for the cowboy hat resurgence is Beyoncé. She's been rocking these 10-gallon hats a lot in recent months ... and we gotta say, she wears them well.

Bey incorporated the look into her "Renaissance" tour, but it's really catching fire now that she's galloping into country with two new songs ... "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages."

Some celebs are really going all in, like "Selling Sunset" stars Emma Hernan, Chelsea Lazkani and Chrishell Stause ... pairing their cowboy hats with cowboy boots and chaps, plus a riding bull to boot!!! Safe to say, the cowboy/cowgirl look is all the rage.

Madonna brought out a special guest for her concert north of the border, playing to the crowd with a fan favorite and national treasure ... none other than Pamela Anderson!!!

Madonna was performing in front of a sold-out crowd Wednesday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver -- when Pamela, the hometown hero, joined her onstage.

The two icons hugged and kissed on the cheek before sitting down together for Madonna's hit song, "Vogue." TMZ has it all on video ... Pamela and Madonna act as judges as models turn the stage into a runway, strutting their stuff and striking a pose in front of them.

As you can see, Pamela and Madonna are holding up scorecards as they judge the fake pageant on stage ... and it's mostly 10s across the board.

Madonna's obviously in full hair and makeup for her "Celebration" tour, but Pamela was fresh-faced and au naturel ... hey, no complaints here!!! BTW, this all-natural look is actually something Pam has been rockin' a lot lately -- it's kind of her new thing, in fact.

She's got a new skincare line out called Sonsie ... and the whole idea here about her products is that it's all about promoting minimalist beauty -- something PA is sticking to out in public. She's not wearing any makeup these days ... even when she's next to Madge!

Kelly Rowland is passing on an opportunity to explain exactly what happened on the "Today" show ... and as she makes clear here, she only wants to discuss her new movie.

The singer was directly asked about her recent "Today" controversy during an interview Wednesday with WGN News in Chicago -- where she was plugging her upcoming movie, "Mea Culpa" ... and based on this alone, you can tell she ain't gonna spill the beans.

The news anchor asks Kelly if she can clear up what happened on "Today" -- because, as he notes, there's all these different reasons out there as to why she bailed on cohosting the show. Remember, some suggested she was actually peeved over Beyoncé questions.

Anyway, Kelly sticks to her guns here ... and kinda dug her heels in on refusing to talk about it -- and we'll be honest, it's kinda awkward. Check it out ... she says straight up, nah.

Kelly explains that she's not going to talk about it because she wants to keep the spotlight on her new Netflix film ... though she does say she loves the "Today" show and Hoda Kotb.

Like we said ... it's bizarre that continues to refuse to just address the elephant in the room. In fact, you could argue that her trying to ignore it is only making the legend grow -- and at this point, it seems to be all anyone wants to talk about ... even though she insists on just promoting. On its face, her strategy seems to be backfiring ... but she's not cluing into this.

While Kelly's not getting into the deets -- we did get to the bottom of this ourselves ... as we first told you, the true reason why she bolted from the "Today" set was, in fact, the dressing room thing. Namely, her not being satisfied with NBC's rinky-dink rooms to get prepped.

Some have accused her of being a diva -- but Hoda and co. appear to be falling on the sword for Kelly ... profusely apologizing and begging her to come back, while also publicly acknowledging their dressing rooms do actually suck. It's been a little cringe to watch, TBH.

Of course, Hoda and them have since invited Kelly back ... and they're hoping for a whole do-over, with refurbished and upgraded dressing rooms ready for the Destiny's Child alum.

Based on what Kelly's saying here ... it sounds like she might, perhaps, take 'em up on it.

Bobbi Althoff says she and her estranged husband have settled their divorce just weeks after news of their filing broke -- and yes, it was pretty freaking fast.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ ... Bobbi claims she and Cory Althoff have "reached a global marital settlement agreement" and have resolved any issues related to property rights.

BA asked for joint legal and physical custody of the couple's two children, but there are no further details about the settlement in the docs. She also checked the box requesting they pay their own attorney's fees.

Remember ... Cory filed for divorce earlier this month after about four years of marriage.

They both cited irreconcilable differences, asked for joint legal and physical custody, and wanted to block the court's ability to award spousal support.

Seems like the exes are on the same page ... a somewhat rare sight in Hollywood divorces. But, it makes sense given the reasons we're hearing the couple decided to call it quits.

Sources told us Bobbi's fame didn't jibe with Cory's desire to live a more normal, low-key kinda life. We were also told the split had nothing to do with cheating allegations that blew up after Bobbi interviewed Drake while lying in bed together.

While their divorce isn't finalized -- a judge has yet to sign off -- it seems it's only a matter of time before it becomes official.

A FOX News host is under fire for suggesting Donald Trump's new sneakers will win over Black America -- and one rapper from Detroit seems ready to cosign that message.

Raymond Arroyo was on the air and talking about DT's "gold" kicks -- which cost about $400 -- and he said something controversial ... namely, implying all Black people love sneakers, and because of that -- Trump's new endeavor will bring them over to his side in droves.

Here's what he said ... "This is connecting with Black America because they love sneakers. This is a big deal, certainly in the inner city. So when you have Trump roll out his sneaker line, they're like, 'wait a minute, this is cool.' He's reaching them on a level that defies and is above politics."

Naturally, Arroyo's comments sparked outrage online -- with many calling his sentiment outright racist ... and playing into harmful stereotypes that just aren't true. As many rightly noted ... Black people are NOT a monolith, and neither is any other group for that matter.

And yet ... Peezy -- who's got a pretty big following -- appeared to back Arroyo's argument ... hopping online to explicitly plug Trump's "Never Surrender" shoes, and even saying he's trying to get his hands on a pair. Indeed, he endorses Trump here -- and slams Biden as well.

Peezy put out an APB for a size 13 for the sold-out sneakers ... while making his political affiliations clear ... saying "F*** Joe Biden, I'm rocking with Trump," before adding a "f*** Kamala Harris" for good measure. He also said "Free Trump" ... so yeah, he's a fan.

Of course, Peezy is in no way speaking on behalf of others here -- he only represents himself and his own views -- but it is interesting that he's coming out swinging on behalf of DT and his kicks.

Big picture though ... Arroyo's remarks are being viewed as problematic, but by the same token -- there's clearly some Black people who actually dig Trump and his merch. Again ... not a monolith -- so no surprise there, really.

We'll say this ... if Trump is able to sway more African Americans to vote for him this year -- it probably won't be because of these shoes, specifically -- despite what FOX News thinks.

Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with aphasia and dementia -- the same disorder Bruce Willis has -- and the news comes ahead of a new doc chronicling her recent troubles.

The news came down Wednesday from her care team, who blasted out a press release with what they characterized as a very personal update ... which they say is an effort to bat down rumors and speculation about her health.

Her team says everyone already knows she struggles with Graves' Disease and Lymphedema -- but they say others started to wonder what was going on in moments when Wendy would lose her train of thought or act erratically ... and now, they say it's because of this condition.

They write, "In 2023, after undergoing a battery of medical tests, Wendy was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)."

Her team here also says this ... "Wendy would not have received confirmation of these diagnoses were it not for the diligence of her current care team, who she chose, and the extraordinary work of the specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine."

They add, "Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires."

Wendy's team goes on to say that they're revealing this about Wendy in hopes of raising awareness of these conditions she's been afflicted with -- but to also protect her from fervent gossip that's sure to kick up anew this weekend with the release of this new Lifetime doc.

The team finishes with this update on WW herself ... "Wendy is still able to do many things for herself. Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way."

Machine Gun Kelly's new blackout tattoo has really done it for Joe Exotic ... 'cause the 'Tiger King' star is apparently pretty into it ... and pretty into him too.

The Netflix star openly pined for MGK on X Wednesday -- from his account, no less -- by sharing a snap of the rapper showing off his upper torso inking along with the flirtatious message ... "A tiger and a bit of meth, I can make MGK gay."

In the pic's caption, Joe wrote: "Anyone remember that line from Tiger King? @machinegunkelly." As if his head-over-heels infatuation wasn't obvious, he shared another MGK snap meme, adding ... "Once you go Tiger King you'll forget about the Fox."

Yup, looks like Joe might have a bit of a crush here.

Joe -- who's currently behind bars -- already appeared to manifest their relationship and personally pleaded with the "Bad Things" hitmaker to help him get the hell outta prison.

He added an extra text caption over one of the memes, writing ... "Now that we're practically a new item. Help me get the hell out of here."

So ... he's kinda begging Kelly for prison help too now, something he's been throwing out there lately with certain celebs.

Unfortunately for Joe, MGK most likely won't be down to explore anything romantic -- as we all know, he's in a pretty committed relationship with Megan Fox.

Also, MGK explained on IG that his new tat was for spiritual purposes, and he wanted to steer clear of chaos from his life -- which probably won't mesh well with Joe's colorful and wild ways.

Joe might have to keep looking for his partner in crime ... MGK probably ain't interested.

Darius Rucker is a big fan of Beyoncé joining his genre ... saying he's loving her new country music, and hopes it finally lands her a coveted Album of the Year Grammy.

The legendary singer-songwriter -- who's one of the few Black artists who's broken through into country successfully -- was at LAX Wednesday when a photog asked him about Beyoncé's latest offering, "Texas Hold 'Em."

Darius is fairly brief and succinct in his review -- but he's clear ... he's digging Bey's twang.

He says 'THE' is a great song and even throws good luck her way over the prospect of Beyoncé's foray into country music finally earns her a Grammy award for Album of The Year ... something that's still missing from Bey's mantle.

Remember ... Jay-Z made a big stink about Beyoncé's lack of an AOTY award during a speech at this month's Grammys, so lots of folks are wondering if a country album will get Bey over the hump ... Darius included.

Of course, Beyoncé's going to have to beat out Taylor Swift -- and others -- to win AOTY ... Taylor's got a new album coming out too, and Darius actually addresses Taylor too here.

The cameraman asks Darius if he thinks Taylor should go back to country -- something that another bystander next to DR actually weighs in on before has a chance to. As for Darius, he says Tay Tay should crank out whatever type of music she wants ... ditto for Beyoncé.

One last thing Darius addressed here about Bey and country ... namely, John Schneider's ugly remarks about her last week -- when he likened her to a dog marking its territory.

Like many people ... he agrees that John's words were laced with a racist undertone -- and he says gatekeeping country music is absolutely silly. On the question of whether Beyoncé is a "lightning rod" ... Darius scoffs at that notion as well in this interview.

Long story short ... Darius is all for Beyoncé getting into country music -- he's definitely a fan.

Johnny Manziel says he withered from 210 pounds all the way down to 170 just months after his NFL career ended ... explaining his body morphed due to "a strict diet of blow."

The former Heisman Trophy winner opened up about his struggles following his Cleveland playing days during a recent, two-hour interview with Shannon Sharpe.

In the chat on the "Club Shay Shay" podcast ... Manziel admitted he was at nearly rock bottom once he had failed the Browns in 2015 at 23 years old -- so he turned to the Las Vegas party scene to pick him up.

Apparently, his trip to Sin City included a lot of cocaine ... something he says changed his figure into an unrecognizable one.

"At that point in time, man," Manziel said, "I would look in a mirror and I didn't see myself any different than when I was in Cleveland. Until I stepped on a scale at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, I didn't realize I had lost 40 pounds at all."

"I remember these pictures came out," he continued. "I was like, 'Damn. What am I doing? Ah, whatever, we'll figure that out later. Let's go again.'"

Manziel said in addition to coke, he was also using OxyContin and Percocets.

Johnny Football went on to lament other parts of his life in his talk with Sharpe -- including his strained relationship with LeBron James.

After Cleveland had drafted the Texas A&M QB, LeBron signed him to his agency ... and throughout his time with the Browns, Manziel said the NBA superstar tried to take him under his wing. But, while battling poor play and subsequent depression, he said he pushed the hooper away.

"LeBron would text me every week to come over to the house and watch a game or play poker with the boys and just tried to be there," Manziel said. "And I was so depressed for the first time in my life that even my biggest role model and inspiration in my life couldn't get me out of bed to come and hang out with him."

Manziel added that he still feels to this day he let the future basketball Hall of Famer down.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reunited down under -- and their first order of business as a couple was to go back to the zoo she was just at the day prior ... talk about déjà vu.

The lovebirds were seen hand in hand Thursday walking through the Sydney Zoo -- taking in the sights and peeping all the animal exhibitions. Tay Tay seemed to take the lead in showing him around ... which makes sense since she was literally there 24 hours before his arrival.

The attraction must've left a good impression on her, 'cause she clearly thought it'd be worth taking TK for round 2. Indeed ... she was playing the tour guide, as seen in these sky pics obtained by Australia's Channel 9 News. Heck, Traylor even fed a kangaroo at one point!

Now, they came off like they usually do as they moseyed around ... namely, super in love and tied at the hip. Not only were they holding hands, but they were locked in a hug a few different times as well. So, yeah ... they're still going strong and very into each other.

As we reported ... Travis was en route to Sydney Wednesday after hopping on a private jet Tuesday night from L.A. and making a pit stop in Hawaii.

Now, in terms of privacy ... it doesn't appear Taylor and Travis had the place shut down for themselves -- there were other zoo sightseers walking around, but they did seem to have their own little bubble without being bombarded by fans and gawkers. Thank you, security!

They got a few days together through the weekend -- however, Taylor will be busy ... as she's got 4 shows to do. Safe to say, Trav will be in attendance.

Ya gotta wonder what else they'll get into ... Sydney's a cool town, and there's lots to see/do. We'll be on the lookout for some bridge shots -- everybody heads there down under.

Have fun, you two!

The apple ain't fall too far from the tree with Cristiano Ronaldo and his 13-year-old son, CR Jr. ... 'cause the two look just alike -- even down to their shredded abs!

The proof's in the photos that 39-year-old Ronaldo dropped Thursday on Instagram featuring Cristiano Jr. ... giving his 622+ million followers a view of their physique during their workout sesh.

"Today with my partner ❤️," Ronaldo said in the caption.

The father-and-son snap got over 9 million likes within five hours ... and more than 76K comments, with one writing, "The king and heir to the throne🔥"

Of course, this father-and-son training session comes just a day after Ronaldo scored his 876th career goal in the AFC Champions League, helping lead Al-Nassr to the quarter-finals with a win over Al Feiha in the round of 16.

Like pops, Cristiano Jr. also plays soccer. He spent two seasons with the Juventus youth team before signing with Al-Nassr U13 last October.

And, as an ode to his superstar dad ... he also wears No. 7.

Elton John's swapping out that yellow brick road for another made of 24-karat gold ... 'cause a collection he curated for Christie's sold at auction -- and they fetched a bundle.

The legendary singer-songwriter partnered with the popular auction company to sell a ton of iconic items, and Elton made out like a bandit on the auction's first night -- with all 49 lots selling for a total of around $8 million.

Among the items sold ... Elton's silver leather platform boots circa 1971 for $94,500, prescription sunglasses for $22,680 and even his beloved 1990 Bentley Continental which brought home $441,000.

A series of luxury wristwatches sold for prices in the six figures ... and Elton even parted with "Flower Thrower Triptych" -- a painting by enigmatic artist Banksy -- to the tune of just over $1.9 million. The auction house says Elton got the Banksy piece "directly from the artist" ... which presumably means EJ has met the elusive man (or woman) himself.

BTW, Wednesday was only the first night of The Collection of Sir Elton John: Goodbye Peachtree Road sale ... more items are set to be sold off in person Thursday and Friday.

Also ... deep-pocketed purchasers who'd rather buy from the comfort of their own home will have about a week to pick up more one-of-a-kind collectibles.