Celebrity Feuds

Katt Williams’ viral interview is pushing Steve Harvey and Mark Curry’s longstanding feud into the public eye -- and while Mark says it's water under the bridge, he still hasn’t forgotten!!!

We got the veteran comic Monday at LAX, where he told us Steve hasn’t said a word to his face about stealing his jokes back in the day, but Mark made it clear he's not sweatin' it.

He says Steve can have his old material, because his pen stays producing new material all the time!

Katt roasted Steve on Shannon Sharpe's “Club Shay Shay” for not only swiping Mark’s stand-up bits but also repurposing the premise of his “Hangin With Mr. Cooper” sitcom for his own “Steve Harvey Show” years later.

Mark’s currently delivering new routines on Katt’s “Dark Matter Tour” and tells us it’s perfectly fine if Steve wants to keep the old jokes he stole … he’s confident they’re still being used.

MC credits Katt for being more than an outstanding tour partner — he says Katt got in between him when he went to confront Steve in person.

We recently spoke to Torrei Hart, who’s also on the tour with Katt ... and she sang similar praises about him always taking care of his people.

As fate would have it, Gary Owen also spoke out about his experience dealing with Steve and his producers, saying it didn't go well -- professionally or financially -- when he appeared on Steve's self-titled talk show.

Shannen Doherty is sticking by her claim that Alyssa Milano got her fired from "Charmed" ... getting choked up telling a crowd that she knows her truth, despite AM's recent denial.

Check out the video ... it's pretty dramatic. Shannen tells Orlando's MegaCon audience Sunday she's simply telling the truth about the situation "as opposed to the narrative that others put out there for me" -- this with her former costars Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan sitting supportively beside her.

She clearly gave a lot of thought to what she was gonna say ... even writing it down in pre-prepared notes which she read from during the "Who's the Boss?" panel.

Shannen makes it clear she and Holly weren't being "mean" when making the claims against Alyssa on her 'Let's Be Clear' podcast in December ... in fact, they say they later edited down the podcast to get rid of any extra deets that would likely cause more drama -- but remains adamant what remains is the truth "because the truth actually does matter."

Welling up with emotion, Shannen admits she felt compelled to address the matter following her stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis ... because there was no time more important than the present on getting the truth out there, at least what she considers the truth anyway.

SD says ... "There is no revisionist history happening in the truth that I know we told … There is no lateness to set, there is no mediator for months on end. I recall the facts as if I was still living in them."

Shannen reflects on the seriousness of the matter ... noting that while someone may call it all dramatic, it was an actual trauma she had lived with for an extremely long time -- and her cancer battle only served to heal her from the livelihood that was taken away from her and her family because "somebody else wanted to be No. 1 on the call sheet."

There's clearly no budging on Shannen's end -- and same for Alyssa, it seems ... who indirectly denied SD's allegations in another panel at the convention Friday ... saying she's "sad" by all of the "toxicity" surrounding the show. She added she was also upset that "people can't move past it" ... and that this was overshadowing the success of the show.

Shannen Doherty se mantiene firme en su afirmación de que Alyssa Milano hizo que la despidieran de "Embrujadas". Se emocinó diciéndole a la multitud que ella sabe su verdad, a pesar de la reciente negación de Alyssa.

Échale un vistazo al video, es bastante dramático. Shannen le dice a la audiencia de Orlando MegaCon el domingo que dice la verdad sobre la situación "en contraposición a la narrativa de otros", con sus ex coprotagonistas Holly Marie Combs y Rose McGowan sentadas a su lado apoyándola.

Ella claramente pensó mucho en lo que iba a decir, preparando unas notas de antemano que leyó durante el panel de "¿Quién es el Jefe?".

Shannen deja claro que ella y Holly no estaban siendo "malas" al hacer las afirmaciones en contra de Alyssa en su pódcast "Let's Be Clear" en diciembre, de hecho, dicen que más tarde editaron el pódcast para deshacerse de cualquier detalle extra que probablemente causaría más drama, pero sigue siendo firme en que lo que queda es la verdad "porque la verdad realmente importa".

Lleno de emoción, Shannen admite que se sintió obligada a abordar la cuestión después de su diagnóstico de cáncer de mama en estadio 4, porque no había momento más importante que el presente en conseguir la verdad, o al menos lo que ella considera la verdad.

Shannen dice: "No hay una historia revisionista en la verdad que dijimos, no hay retraso que establecer, no hay mediador durante meses y meses. Recuerdo los hechos como si todavía estuviera viviendo en ellos".

Shannen reflexiona sobre la gravedad del asunto, señalando que mientras alguien puede tildarla de dramática, fue un trauma real con el que vivió durante un tiempo extremadamente largo, y su batalla contra el cáncer solo sirvió para curarla del medio que le fue arrebatado a ella y a su familia porque "alguien más quería ser el número 1 en la hoja de llamadas".

Está claro que no hay ceder en el extremo de Shannen - y lo mismo para Alyssa, que al parecer negó las acusaciones de Shannen en otro panel en la convención del viernes, diciendo que está "triste" por toda la "toxicidad" que rodea el espectáculo. Añadió que también estaba molesta de que "la gente no puede moverse más allá de ella" y que esto estaba eclipsando el éxito de la serie.

2:09 PM PT -- Ayo Edebiri stood shoulder to shoulder with Jennifer Lopez for a new 'SNL' promo that just dropped -- and it's hard to say if there's any sour feelings between them after this pod news dropped.

Check out the three promos that were just uploaded on the 'SNL' page ... it's Ayo standing in the middle with Jen to her right and Heidi Gardner (a cast member) to her left. They rattle off some lines, and the first take seems to show Jen and Ayo expressing their mutual fandom.

Like we said, there's no true way to tell if Jen's mad -- the body language is pretty neutral. It's possible they shot these before the news dropped ... so we'll see how Saturday goes!

Well, this is awkward ... Ayo Edebiri eviscerated Jennifer Lopez's talents 4 years ago -- well before she was super famous -- and now ... the 2 of them are doing 'SNL' together.

The 'Bear' star is this weekend's host, and Jenny is the musical guest -- so you gotta imagine her resurfaced comments could make it a little bit awkward during rehearsals ahead of the big show tomorrow night.

Ayo was featured on a podcast in 2020 with a woman named Laci Mosley who hosts "Scam Goddess" -- which is dedicated to uncovering "scams" in the public eye and gossiping about them. In this particular episode, she had Ayo (who, again, was not a big-time TV star yet).

Right from the get-go, they start to discuss one "scam" they perceive ... and that would be the "career" of J Lo -- their words, not ours. Ayo then trashes Jen in very harsh terms.

You can listen to her remarks for yourself -- but essentially ... Ayo and Laci are yukking it about the notion Jennifer just isn't that great of a singer, at least in their eyes -- and they believe she's fooled the masses into thinking she's this fantastic vocalist.

Ayo herself even leans into this long-standing (and unfounded) rumor that J Lo has allegedly used ghost singers in her career ... something AE runs with as fact, and just further evidence (from her POV) that Jen has fleeced the industry. Like we said, this is rough.

There are more mean comments that Ayo and Laci make, which we won't include here.

Anyway, the bigger point is ... Ayo and Jen are literally in the same building right now, and they will most certainly see each other over the next 24 hours, so it'll for sure come up.

The question, of course, is ... will they be able to play nice and get through the show?

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... this incident with Ayo was long ago, and that she is most certainly a fan of Jenny right now -- we're told she's excited to work with her and be in her presence. As for Jen ... our sources tell us she doesn't usually let these sorts of things bother her -- and that her mantra is about moving on and moving forward.

We're told J Lo is looking forward to working with Ayo this weekend.

Nicki Minaj's "Big Foot" song left a bad taste in many fans' mouths, but not Trinidad James ... Nicki and Megan Thee Stallion's acidic disses represent the spirit of hip hop competition in his book.

TMZ Hip Hop got Trinidad at LAX and got his take on rap's biggest beef at the moment ... fans of Nicki told her the track left much to desired, but TJ isn't validating those reactions.

Trinidad says Nicki's the Queen of Rap and wearing the crown opens her up to more scrutiny than any other rapper ... it just comes with the territory.

Fans think Nicki crossed the line by teasing Megan about her deceased mother -- a direct response to Megan ribbing Nicki on her "Hiss" single about her husband Kenneth Petty being a convicted sex offender.

Trinidad is a student of the art form and says all is fair in war and hip hop -- even if family members catch stray shots. He notes Jay-Z and Nas' historic battle had its share of mud-slinging and fans never gave them half the crap Nicki's getting for her sharp tongue.

He says Nicki can't afford to have her creativity stifled to appease a few hurt feelings.

Bueno, esto es incómodo ... Ayo Edebiri destripó el talento de Jennifer López hace 4 años, mucho antes de que fuera súper famosa, y ahora las dos estarán juntas en "SNL".

La estrella de "The Bear" es la anfitriona estrella este fin de semana y Jenny es el invitado musical, así que tienen que imaginarse que han estado cruzándose bien seguido durante los ensayos de esta semana. Por eso, sus comentarios podrían poner las cosas tensas.

En 2020, Ayo estuvo en un podcast junto a una mujer llamada Laci Mosley quien presenta el show "Scam Goddess", dedicado a descubrir "estafas" en el ojo público y cotillear sobre ellas. En este episodio en particular, Ayo era la invitada (cuando, de nuevo, aún no era tan famosa como ahora).

Desde el primer momento, empezaron a hablar de la "estafa" que percibían sería la "carrera" de J Lo. Son sus palabras, no las nuestras. Ayo, luego, destroza Jen en términos muy duros.

Pueden escuchar sus comentarios por sí mismos, pero en esencia, Ayo y Laci se ríen del hecho que Jennifer simplemente no es tan buena cantante, al menos desde su perspectiva, y creen que ha engañado a las masas con la idea de que es una vocalista fantástica.

La propia Ayo incluso se apoya en este viejo (e infundado) rumor de que J Lo supuestamente ha utilizado cantantes fantasmas durante su carrera, algo que ella considera un hecho y una prueba más (desde su punto de vista) de que Jen ha desplumado a la industria. Como hemos dicho, esto es duro.

Hay más comentarios mezquinos de parte de Ayo y Laci que no vamos a incluir aquí.

De todos modos, el punto más grande es que ahora Ayo y Jen están literalmente en el mismo edificio y lo más seguro es que se sigan topando durante las próximas 24 horas.

La pregunta es ¿serán capaces de jugar limpio y seguir con el espectáculo?

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que este incidente con Ayo fue hace mucho tiempo y sin duda es fan de Jenny en este momento. Incluso nos dicen que está emocionada de trabajar con ella. En cuanto a Jen, nuestras fuentes dicen que no suele dejar que este tipo de cosas la molesten y que su mantra es seguir adelante y adelante.

Nos dicen que J Lo está ansiosa por trabajar con Ayo este fin de semana.

Charlamagne Tha God is giving Megan Thee Stallion the 'W' over Nicki Minaj in their rap war by TKO, telling us the aftermath of Nicki's "Big Foot" was enough to sway his decision!!!

Charlamagne and DJ Envy mulled over the latest developments Wednesday morning in Meg and Nicki's face-off -- after a select group of Barbz posted the location of Megan's mother's burial site.

TMZ broke the story ... the Texas cemetery where Holly Thomas is laid to rest beefed up security measures after the address went viral, and local authorities in the area were put on high alert at the same time.

Charlamagne noted how Megan's "Hiss" track caused Nicki to spiral on X all weekend ... and wrote off her "Big Foot" response as a weak one.

Do remember, Nicki's own fans bombarded her with thousands of messages telling her the track was trash, so CTG is in the majority with his opinion.

Charlamagne also scolded "groupie ass" young fans for foolishly riding behind celebs, and, in this case, thinking it was a good decision to threaten someone's grave.

He predicts curses will soon come their way!

Fans have been going for broke over this battle ... a TikToker claiming to be from Queens recently posted a vid giving the impression he was cocking a gun as he threatened Meg if the beef kept going.

Megan Thee Stallion's beef with Nicki Minaj has taken an ugly turn -- cops are getting involved to protect her late mother's gravesite, this after doxxing by her arch-rival's fandom.

The Texas cemetery where Megan's mom, Holly Thomas, was laid to rest after passing away from brain cancer in 2019 -- tells TMZ ... they've notified local authorities and increased security personnel at their facility in light of the escalating feud.

What's more ... we're told PSC will continue to monitor the situation as they take all matters regarding safety and security seriously -- and lately, things have been getting too real.

They do add ... as of yet, thankfully nothing has happened to the gravesite, but they emphasize they're on high alert regardless.

The extra precautions come after some of Nicki's "Barbz" -- AKA, her army of fiercely loyal supporters -- first leaked the location of Holly's burial site on social media ... encouraging others to go and desecrate her grave as a way to get back at MTS for her OG diss.

It all kicked off last week when Nicki distastefully cracked a joke about MTS' mother on the streaming platform Stationhead. Her exact line at the time was ... "You better go conjure up your mother and apologize. That's disgusting." It seems some of her fans took that to heart.

No doubt, ya gotta figure that was particularly heartbreaking for Megan to hear ... as she's been super candid and emotional over the years about her mother's influence in her life.

Megan has also been very open about what the loss of her mom has meant to her -- and by all accounts, it's been very difficult ... something that's been well-documented and discussed.

Now, Nicki did later explain that she only took the shot at Meg's mom cause MTS was coming after her own family. In particular, MTS seemed to reference Nicki's husband, Kenneth Petty, in her new track "Hiss" -- making a "Megan's Law" reference that many interpreted as shade toward Petty's legal trouble.

So, tit for tat really ... many felt Nicki had just gone too far, and doubly so for any one of her supporters who was seriously considering heading over to Holly's grave.

Megan Thee Stallion's beef with Nicki Minaj has invoked a famous law aimed to protect people from sex predators -- and the father of the girl it's named after isn't happy about it.

Richard Kanka -- whose daughter, Megan Kanka, was murdered in the '90s by a sex predator who, at the time, wasn't legally required to identify himself in his neighborhood, and who Megan's Law is inspired by -- is fuming over MTS casually dropping his daughter's name in "Hiss" ... the diss track that kicked off this new feud between her and NM.

He tells TMZ that Megan dragging his late daughter's name into the expletive-riddled song aimed at Nicki is as disrespectful as it gets, from his POV -- and he notes that MTS actually appearing to shed light on the law, which she does, doesn't change his sour feeling.

Kanka tells us that using his daughter's name in such a graphic/offensive manner was highly offensive to the pain his daughter and family felt ... and while he says he hasn't heard the track with his own two ears just yet, he has read the lyrics -- and it's still a no-go for him.

For the record, the lyrics in question are: "These hoes don't be mad at Megan [referring to herself], these hoes mad at Megan's Law" -- a reference Meg was using to take a shot at Nicki's husband, Kenneth Petty, who is a registered sex offender in New York.

A bit of a morbid history lesson ... the bill that turned into Megan's Law came into effect a month after the brutal murder and rape of Richard's 7-year-old daughter -- devastation Richard still lives with to this day ... so, understandably, it's a deeply sensitive subject.

He does admit Megan's music (rap) isn't his cup of tea ... so the only way he found out about it was when one of his kids told him. RK says he still chose not to listen though -- and instead read the "Hiss" lyrics to see what exactly was said about his daughter. Like we said, the guy still takes offense over it ... even though some see MTS's use of it positively.

There's also this ... Richard tells TMZ that the song left such a bad taste in his mouth that he's actually considering looking into his legal options to see if Meg's track went too far.

Unfortunately for Richard ... there's probably not much he can do on that front. Artists have liberties when it comes to wordplay/referencing big moments historically -- which is exactly what Megan did here ... so even though he's mad, a threat of legal action feels empty.

Anyway, this beef has only escalated since Meg threw the first shot -- Nicki's fired back with her own diss track, "Big Foot," and people have mixed reactions to it ... good and bad.

Cher quiere poner a su hijo en una tutela, pero él dice que no hace falta, y por ahora, un juez sigue estando de su lado... negandole a la actriz y cantante una vez más la solicitud para encerrarlo.

Elijah Blue Allman estaba con cara de poker en dirección a su audiencia de nombramiento temporal el lunes, donde un juez tuvo que decidir si Cher podía finalmente poner a su hijo adulto en una tutela. A principios de este mes se le negó aquella petición.

A principios de enero, el tribunal bloqueó el esfuerzo de Cher para poner Elijah en una tutela - del lado de los abogados de Elijah cuando argumentaron que no se les había dado tiempo suficiente para hacer su caso en contra de la tutela ... además, no conseguir documentos que necesitaban para combatir su solicitud.

Cher citó la batalla en curso de su hijo con la adicción como la razón clave por la que quiere que el aparato legal utilizado en él - alegando que no se puede confiar para manejar sus finanzas por su cuenta.

Ella dice que los pagos regulares que recibe de un fondo fiduciario que dejó su difunto padre, Gregg Allman, es probable que se desperdicie debido a los problemas que afirma Elijah sigue experimentando, pero él afirma que todo es mentir, diciendo que ha cambiado para mejor.

Bueno, el juez escuchó los argumentos de nuevo y una vez más derribó a Cher y a su equipo, simplemente diciendo que no habían demostrado que Elijah no tuviera la capacidad para manejar sus propios asuntos, pasando a decir que un supuesto diagnóstico de trastorno bipolar, en sí mismo, no significa necesariamente que es incompetente. Como dijo el juez, que no se ocupa de la capacidad.

El tribunal también reconoció que Elijah ha demostrado en la documentación que se ha mantenido limpio y sobrio, además, también ha demostrado que está manejando su dinero muy bien.

El juez fijó una fecha futura para un juicio sobre esta cuestión - donde presumiblemente se decidirá de una vez por todas - y pasó a sugerir Cher y su hijo la cabeza en la mediación, STAT. Cher sonrió en BTW a distancia ... era solo Elijah, su esposa y todos los abogados en la corte hoy.

Nuestro fotógrafo encontró a Elijah y a sus abogados a la salida y tuvieron unas palabras.

Cher wants to put her son into a conservatorship, but he says he doesn't need one -- and, for now, a judge is still siding with him ... yet again denying her request to lock him down.

Elijah Blue Allman was stone-faced heading into his temporary appointment hearing Monday -- where a judge will presumably decide if Cher will, in fact, be tapped to head up a conservatorship for her adult son ... this after temporarily denying her earlier this month.

In early Jan., the court blocked Cher's effort to put Elijah into a conservatorship -- siding with Elijah's attorneys when they argued they hadn't been given enough time to make their case against the conservatorship ... plus, not getting docs they needed to combat her request.

Cher cited her son's ongoing battle with addiction as the key reason why she wants the legal apparatus used on him -- claiming he can't be trusted to manage his finances on his own.

She specifically says that regular payments he receives from a trust fund left behind from his late father, Gregg Allman, are likely to be squandered because of issues she claims Elijah continues to experience ... but he's called BS on that, saying he's cleaned up his act.

Welp, the judge heard the arguments anew ... and he once again shot down Cher and her team -- simply saying they hadn't proven Elijah doesn't have the capacity to handle his own affairs ... going on to say that an alleged bipolar disorder diagnosis, in and of itself, doesn't necessarily mean he's incompetent. As the judge said, that doesn't address capacity.

The court also acknowledged that Elijah has proven in paperwork that he's remained clean and sober of late ... plus, he's also proven that he's handling his money just fine.

The judge set a future date for a trial on this issue -- where it will presumably be decided once and for all -- and went on to suggest Cher and her kid head into mediation, STAT. Cher beamed in remotely BTW ... it was only Elijah, his wife and all the lawyers in court today.

Our photog got Elijah and his lawyers on the way out as well ... and they had some words.

Megan Thee Stallion parece no estar preocupada por la disputa con Nicki Minaj, porque salió de fiesta el sábado y mostró algunos movimientos de baile arriesgados en la pista.

Así es la cosa, hay unos videos circulando en línea que muestran a Meg luciendo una peluca rubia grande y un pequeño top blanco de fiesta en Los Ángeles, y tuvo a todos los ojos y teléfonos puestos sobre ella cuando empezó a bailar para su compañera y cantante Victoria Monét.

Échale un vistazo al video, Megan se acerca a Victoria, a la que puedes ver preparándose para el viaje de su vida. Victoria luce un estilo de proxeneta, con el traje a rayas y el abrigo de piel colgando de sus hombros. Toda una gángster.

Monét consigue cerca de 30 buenos segundos de twerking, grandes sonrisas en sus dos caras mientras Megan sacudió su enorme trasero.

A propósito, el baile tiene a los fans de Megan y Victoria especulando si a caso habrá una colaboración próximamente, aunque todavía no hay noticias al respecto.

Definitivamente es un momento de luz para Megan teniendo en cuenta que está en medio de una intensa disputa con Nicki Minaj.

En caso de que no lo sepas, Meg comenzó la polémica cuando pareció disentir del marido de Nicki, Kenneth Petty, en su nueva canción "Hiss". Minaj respondió compartiendo algunas barras de su pista "Bigfoot" -que sale hoy- en Instagram Live que parecía dirigirse a Thee Stallion sobre el tiroteo de Tory Lanez.

Después de ese diss, Megan ha permanecido en silencio - aunque Nicki no ha dejado de ir tras su nuevo adversario, agrietando una broma salvaje sobre la madre de MTS que falleció en 2019 e incluso la publicación de un aspecto angustiado Meg junto con el anuncio de "Bigfoot" en Twitter ... aunque ella mantiene que no es una pista diss.

Megan Thee Stallion seems unbothered by the beef blowing up with Nicki Minaj ... 'cause she went out partying Saturday -- and put some risqué dance moves on display.

Here's the deal ... videos are circulating online showing Meg -- big blonde wig and tiny white top on -- partying in L.A. And, she got all eyes and phones trained on her when she started grinding on fellow singer Victoria Monét.

Check out the vid -- MTS' slowly grooves back to VM ... who you can see's getting ready for the ride of her life. Victoria's in her pimp era BTW with the pinstripe suit and fur coat hanging from her shoulders. Straight gangster!

Monét gets about 30 good seconds of twerking, big smiles on both their faces while Megan shook her moneymaker.

BTW ... the dance has Megan and Victoria fans speculating -- and they're hoping a collab's in the work. No word on that yet ... but it looked like an awesome time for the stars regardless.

Definitely a light moment for Megan ... one she could use given she's in the middle of an intense feud with Nicki Minaj.

ICYMI ... Meg kicked off the beef when she seemed to diss Nicki's husband Kenneth Petty in her new song "Hiss." Minaj responded by sharing a few bars of her track "Bigfoot" -- coming out today -- on Instagram Live which seemed to roast Thee Stallion over the Tory Lanez shooting.

After that diss, Megan's stayed mostly silent -- though Nicki hasn't stopped going after her new adversary, cracking a wild joke about MTS' mother who passed away in 2019 and even posting a distressed-looking Meg alongside the announcement for "Bigfoot" on Twitter ... though she's maintaining it's not a diss track.

Nicki Minaj fans are getting a new song Sunday ... and while everyone’s speculated it’s taking shots at Megan Thee Stallion -- NM says she’s not calling it a diss track.

Here’s the deal ... Nicki was up late Saturday night when she announced on X she was dropping her new song “Bigfoot” Sunday afternoon. The song’s already generated tons of buzz with Nicki playing part of it during an Instagram live session Friday night when she seemed to take shots at Meg.

Among the lyrics ... “Bad bitch, she like 6 foot, I call her big foot / The bitch fell off I said get up on your good foot,” -- many speculated she was making fun of Megan since Tory Lanez shot her in the foot back in July 2020.

Nicki added even more fuel to those rumors by posting a pic of Thee Stallion looking concerned with the announcement ... so, it seemed like the whole song was gonna be one big MTS BBQ.

But, Nicki tossed some cold water on that hot rumor ... responding to one article in the comments, "Who tf said “diss track”?????? don’t play tonight. Fix your tweet."

It's easy to see where lots of people got confused ... since Nicki's basically been taking shots ever since Meg put out "Hiss" -- calling Thee Stallion a "disgusting serpent" and cracking a joke about her mom who passed away in 2019.

As we reported ... all of this was in response to what appeared to be a dig at Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, when MTS rapped about "Megan's Law" ... a federal law that makes it mandatory for registered sex offenders -- like Kenneth -- to have their info made public.

The song's coming out at 3 PM PT ... just a couple hours away -- so grab those headphones and popcorn. This feud just keeps growing.

Hugh Hefner's ex-wife Kimberly is defending the Playboy founder against an onslaught from his widow Crystal ... 'cause Kim suggests Crystal's just bashing Hef to make a buck.

Kimberly -- who was married to Hef from 1989 to 2010 and had two kids with him -- tells TMZ ... Crystal, in her mind, has no credibility and goes on to claim it was actually her who was exploiting Hef while he was still alive, not the other way around.

As we've reported ... Crystal has a new memoir out about her marriage to Hef and their life at the Playboy Mansion, and she's taken a ton of shots at both ... ripping his bedroom skills, calling their relationship toxic and backward and saying she felt trapped/hypnotized.

But Kimberly's firing back on behalf of her ex-hubby, saying ... "As a few people speak their version of their idea of events in hopes of riding a wave of headline relevance, and making a quick buck, we should all ask ourselves whether we want to live in an environment where people refuse to take accountability and use words loosely like 'force' and 'survive' to describe choices they made willingly at a certain point in their own lives." Oof, talk about harsh!

The way Kimberly sees it ... Crystal wasn't forced into marrying Hef or living at the Playboy Mansion Crystal now despises. Kimberly tells us Crystal made choices that gave her "notoriety, opportunity, and money."

Now that Crystal seems to have turned on Hef, who has been dead since 2017, Kimberly adds ... "We should be wary of those who try to destroy things because they are no longer benefiting from them."

Remember ... Crystal's also told us she felt like she lost herself in her marriage with Hugh,  and she's said she wants to drop his famous last name because it's not clear if it's helping or hurting her these days.

Kimberly says it's not fair Hef's not here to defend himself ... praising him as a "pioneer of free thought and expression" and a "leading voice behind some of the most significant social and cultural movements of our time, advocating for free speech, integrity, sexual freedoms, and civil rights."

La ex-esposa de Hugh Hefner, Kimberly, está defendiendo al fundador de Playboy de la embestida de su viuda Crystal, sugiriendo que solo lo está criticando para ganar dinero.

Kimberly, que estuvo casada con Hef desde 1989 hasta 2010 y tuvo dos hijos con él, le dice a TMZ que Crystal, desde su perspectiva, no tiene credibilidad y asegura que en realidad era ella quien estaba explotando a Hef mientras él aún estaba vivo y no al revés.

Como hemos informado, Crystal tiene un nuevo libro de memorias sobre su matrimonio con Hef y su vida en la Mansión Playboy, y ha lanzado un montón de dardos en contra de ambas experiencias, llamando a su relación tóxica y diciendo que se sentía atrapada.

Pero Kimberly está disparando en nombre de su ex-marido, diciendo: "Mientras unas cuantas personas dan su versión de los hechos con la esperanza de subirse a una ola de relevancia en los titulares y ganar dinero rápido, todos deberíamos preguntarnos si queremos vivir en un entorno en el que la gente se niega a asumir su responsabilidad y utiliza palabras vagas como "forzar" y "sobrevivir" para describir decisiones que fueron tomadas voluntariamente en un momento determinado de sus vidas". Uf, ¡qué duro!

Para Kimberly, Crystal no fue forzada a casarse con Hef o a vivir en la mansión Playboy que ahora desprecia. Nos dice que Crystal tomó decisiones que le dieron "notoriedad, oportunidad y dinero".

Ahora que Crystal parece haberse vuelto en contra de Hef, que está muerto desde 2017, Kimberly añade: "Debemos tener cuidado con aquellos que intentan destruir las cosas porque ya no se benefician de ellas".

Recuerden, Crystal también nos ha dicho que sintió que se perdió a sí misma en su matrimonio con Hugh, y ha dicho que quiere dejar su famoso apellido porque no está segura si la está ayudando o perjudicando en este momento.

Kimberly dice que no es justo que Hef no esté aquí para defenderse y lo elogia como un "pionero del libre pensamiento y expresión" y una "voz líder detrás de algunos de los movimientos sociales y culturales más significativos de nuestro tiempo, abogando por la libertad de expresión, la integridad, las libertades sexuales y los derechos civiles".