Fights & Feuds

Justin Timberlake's deal to make a documentary about his blockbuster album "The 20/20 Experience" isn't sitting well with the project's director, who's now suing JT for years of hard work ... according to a new lawsuit.

The singer is being sued by John Urbano, who claims JT recruited him back in 2012 to shoot and edit a documentary film about the making of his third studio album.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Urbano claims Justin proposed an arrangement where he would share profits from the film with Urbano instead of paying him his normal fee -- but Justin shelved the doc, which is why the director feels he got the shaft.

Urbano claims he filmed Justin for a total of 60 days all across the world and spent about 2,500 hours editing the footage into a documentary titled, "The Making of The 20/20 Experience."

The director says if he had been paid on the front end for the project, his filming and editing fees would have reached $2,450,000 ... but he says the only money he's seen out of Justin is a modest $20,000 upfront fee, plus reimbursements for expenses incurred while filming. According to his math, Urbano's been paid just $7 per hour for the project.

Urbano claims Justin was moved by the documentary at first, but after his album became his most successful solo project he lost interest in the doc, which has never been released.

The problem for Urbano ... he says Justin promised to share profits with him, but if the doc sits on a shelf, the promise of a big payday goes out the window.

Urbano claims Justin used his network of agents, managers, and handlers to stop the director from getting paid ... and he wants compensation for an allegedly breached agreement.

The director wants Justin to cough up lots more money, and he also wants a judge to declare he owns all the rights to the documentary.

Phoenix Mercury star Skylar Diggins-Smith just took a dig at her own head coach -- calling the woman a clown following comments she made on the WNBA's newly-announced All-Star rosters.

Vanessa Nygaard made the remarks on Wednesday -- the day after the WNBA All-Star starters and reserves were announced -- slamming the game's voters for not putting Diggs' teammate, Diana Taurasi, on a roster.

"I reiterate that she [Diana Taurasi] should be an All-Star," Nygaard said. "There will be a game in Chicago, but it will not be an All-Star game because Diana Taurasi's not playing."

Diggins-Smith -- who signed with the Mercury in 2020 -- caught the clip and was clearly furious over it ... considering she actually had made the roster and is slated to go to the big game.

Diggins-Smith retweeted the video with a 🤡 emoji ... definitely taking the remarks as shade.

Of course, Diggins-Smith and Taurasi have had an icy relationship recently ... just last month, the two got into a heated exchange right on the bench and had to be separated by teammates.

Rumors have spread on social media that Austin Butler and Ezra Miller got into a physical altercation overseas ... but TMZ has learned that's nowhere near the truth.

Sources close to Austin tell TMZ the incident never happened, and Austin never even stepped foot in a pub during his time in Japan as the initial claims suggested.

Not to mention, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department tells TMZ they have no record of the incident.

Austin has been in Tokyo recently to promote his new "Elvis" movie as part of his press tour.

The rumor stated Ezra has been "terrorizing Tokyo" ... walking up to Austin in a bar and yelling at him, causing Austin to punch the 'Flash' star.

Xzibit is ready to bury the hatchet with MTV parent company Viacom over his "Pimp My Ride" legacy -- but says they first need to acknowledge he got screwed in the first place.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the West Coast vet after he unloaded on Viacom, claiming it's essentially erasing him from the show's history, and in the process, digging into his pockets!!!

X to the Z claims Viacom gave him the shaft by cutting his "image and likeness" from the show in order to get around paying him royalties over the years since the show was in production.

He says episodes cut for DVDs and streaming were also re-edited to remove his music, and DVD covers removed his image and likeness. We checked, and that tidbit appears to be true.

Xzibit was in his prime as a rapper when the show was shooting ... laying platinum albums with Dr. Dre and hitting sold-out shows with Eminem and Snoop Dogg, and he says his celebrity boosted the show's visibility.

In the suit, X calls Viacom's actions "petty," but he told us he's willing to move forward and still hopes to conduct business with them down the line.

D.L. Hughley isn't wasting any more time on Mo'Nique after their public spat over her contract ... even though she's tried to make nice with an apology to his family.

We got D.L. at LAX Wednesday, who not-so-coyly pretended he didn't even know who Mo'Nique was, and claimed he hadn't even heard about last week's apology Mo'Nique offered to D.L.'s daughters and wife.

If you missed it ... the comedians recently got into a very public feud over who was supposed to headline the Fox Theater in Detroit last month. Mo'Nique felt she hadn't been paid appropriately for the gig ... and things spiraled from there.

After trading digs online, Mo'Nique then posted an old clip of D.L. recounting how he initially didn't believe his daughter when she said she'd been sexually assaulted.

He called Mo'Nique a "monster" and said the character she played in 2009's "Precious" ... earned her an Oscar for "being exactly who you are."

Fast forward to our convo at LAX, D.L. says arguments like the one he had with Mo'Nique aren't worth his time. D.L. recently came back from a comedy benefit show for those affected by the Buffalo shooting, so it appears he's looking at things from a new perspective.

Jake Paul says Tommy Fury has an easy way to get to the United States, but is moving like molasses to actually make it happen ... claiming TNT is using his travel issues as a reason to back out of their fight.

As we previously reported, Fury posted an Instagram video earlier this week explaining he was denied traveling to the U.S. for Wednesday's press conference for the Paul fight ... saying he had no idea why he wasn't able to make the trip.

TMZ Sports has learned it all stems from the Fury family's ties to MTK Global founder Daniel Kinahan, who's currently under investigation for his alleged involvement in a massive drug operation ... and any boxer, promoter or manager with even the smallest ties to the guy is getting cut off from traveling to the States.

The Problem Child clearly wasn't convinced with the reasoning ... so he took matters into his own hands and called Tommy's lawyers to get to the bottom of it.

"They’re all advising him to just go to the embassy to get his visa," Jake said Wednesday. "That's all he has to do. But, Tommy is showing no urgency. He hasn’t gone yet. He is not communicating with us on what he is doing."

"This is just another case of Tommy Fumbles just being scared to fight me."

Of course, we're told that's not what's happening here -- but Jake goes on to say he believes this is Tommy's way of trying to get the fight location switched to the U.K.

Paul's solution?? He's down to move the fight over to Fury's home turf ... if it comes with a $15 million payday.

Former Formula 1 champ Nelson Piquet is apologizing for the controversial comments he made about Lewis Hamilton in an interview last year ... but claims there was zero racial intent behind his words.

Piquet was discussing an accident between the Mercedes superstar and his daughter's boyfriend, Max Verstappen, after the 2021 Silverstone Grand Prix ... when, according to a translation by CNN Brazil, he referred to Hamilton as a "little n*****."

The 69-year-old says he would never use such a disgusting term ... claiming the translation was completely inaccurate.

"What I said was ill-thought-out, and I make no defense for it, but the term used has widely and historically been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for 'guy' or 'person' and was never intended to offend," Piquet said in a statement Wednesday morning.

"I would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations," he added. "I strongly condemn any suggestion word was used with aim of belittling a driver because of his skin color. I apologize wholeheartedly to anyone affected."

Piquet praises Lewis as an incredible driver and apologized for the hurt he caused ... saying, "Discrimination has no place in F1 or society and I am happy to clarify my thoughts in that respect."

Lewis has yet to respond to the apology ... but tweeted a call for change within the sport on Tuesday.

"It’s more than language," the 7-time champion said. "These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action."

Tommy Fury's fight with Jake Paul could go up in smoke ... after TNT claims he was denied entry into the United States ahead of their scheduled press conference in New York.

Just when it seemed like the bout was FINALLY going to happen, Tommy shared the crappy news on his Instagram on Tuesday ... saying his team showed up at Heathrow Airport to hop over the pond ... but they were shut down.

"As soon as I entered the airport, I was pulled to one side and told by a Homeland Security officer that my ESTA had been denied and that I wasn't able to travel to the USA for a reason I apparently know," Tommy said in a video.

Tommy, boxing superstar Tyson Fury's younger brother, went on to say he's done nothing wrong ... and claims he's totally dumbfounded as to why he's not allowed to travel to the U.S.

"I've been training for a fight this whole time and that's all I've been doing," Tommy said. "I have no clue why I'm not allowed to travel and neither does my team or my lawyers."

"Now I've got to go to the embassy trying to resolve it and I'm in the middle of training. I don't know why this has happened a huge shock to me and my team."

As we reported, Tommy and Jake agreed to fight each other at the world's most famous arena -- Madison Square Garden -- in NYC on Aug. 6 ... but Tommy says the issues he's currently facing are bigger than the fight.

What's interesting -- Tommy was able to travel to California last month without issue ... something his nemesis pointed out.

Of course, this isn't going to sit well with fans who've been clamoring for the two boxers to fight after years of trash talk and failed negotiations.

The presser between Tommy and Jake was originally scheduled for Wednesday ... but it's been postponed, according to Most Valuable Promotions.

Despite the travel mishap, Jake isn't letting Tommy off the hook easily ... tweeting, "Tommy, no matter how hard u try to get out of this fight, I'm going 2 do everything in my power 2 not let u weasel ur way out."

AEW star Jake Atlas is breathing easier today ... his domestic violence case has been dropped, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court documents, a month after Atlas was arrested for allegedly scratching his boyfriend following an altercation in Orlando, officials said they were declining to prosecute the 27-year-old.

"From the investigation which has been made," officials wrote in docs that were filed last week, "it is the opinion of the writer that this case is not suitable for prosecution."

Court records show a hearing in the case that had been slated for Tuesday has been canceled, and the matter is considered closed.

As we reported, Atlas -- real name Kenny Sanchez Martinez -- had been hit with a misdemeanor domestic battery charge after he allegedly got physical with his BF on May 23.

The two, according to police documents, quarreled over a sexual encounter. Atlas had been accused of scratching his boyfriend and tearing the man's tank top during the tiff.

We've reached out to prosecutors for comment, but so far, no word back yet. Atlas' attorneys, meanwhile, declined to comment on the case.

Rudy Giuliani's alleged felony assault in a grocery store was captured on surveillance video, and ... let's just say it's not as violent as Rudy made it out to be.

The video captured the moment, Sunday in a Staten Island ShopRite ... an employee came up from behind the former NYC Mayor, and you definitely see him slap Giuliani on the back and then exchange some words.

As we reported, the suspect said "What's up, scumbag?" as he struck Giuliani ... and you can tell from the video the guy's slap and choice words irked, not only Giuliani, but the team of people around him. Giuliani told the NY Post he felt a "tremendous pain" in his back, and the guy was yelling at him about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

The suspect was arrested for felony assault -- it's a felony because Rudy is over 65.

Although Giuliani said he was nearly knocked to the ground ... it doesn't appear that way in the video. Now, Donald Trump's ex-attorney is calling for the suspect to get jail time. During a news conference he said, "He hit me to knock me down and if that doesn't merit jail time in New York, we're in the wild wild west."

After Ryan Garcia beats Javier Fortuna next month, the young boxing superstar tells TMZ Sports his sole focus will be boxing Gervonta 'Tank' Davis ... and he says he's putting him to sleep!

"That fight will not go the distance. No way possible can it go the distance. I will not let Gervonta Davis off the hook," Garcia said about the potential super fight with Tank.

"I'm gonna beat your ass. I promise that -- I will whoop your ass and I will put you to sleep!

And, Garcia's clearly dead serious ... warning 27-0 (25 KOs) Tank not to let his IG fame fool him, 'cause at the end of the day -- despite his 8+ million followers and funny clips -- he's still a 22-0 boxer.

"Just know that there's a lot more than meets the eye with me. Don't think I'm soft," Garcia said.

"You come find out and actually make that decision to fight me, you'll find out real soon there's nothing soft about me."

Of course, the 23-year-old lightweight has to get through Fortuna (37-3, 26 KOs) first -- that bout is set to go down on July 16th at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles (it's airing on DAZN).

"He's an ex-world champion. He's a veteran," Garcia said about Fortuna.

"But, the fact that I'm coming into, I feel my prime and my best ability skillfully and mentally, I feel like this will be a short night for Javier Fortuna."

Garcia added one last thing, "I just know I'm gonna fight Tank after I beat Fortuna."

Roddy Ricch is shaking off the sophomore slump of his last album with a new EP titled "The Big 3" -- and has plenty of wild stories to share about making it.

During a new interview with DJ Hed and Chuck Dizzle for HomeGrownRadio, Roddy discussed making up with Kanye after he had the cojones to publicly diss Ye’s Grammy piss stunt back in 2020.

The 2 made up to record the “Donda” track “Pure Souls” and Roddy says the creative process was so unpredictable, one minute they’d be in the studio … then Arizona, Chicago -- basically anywhere a private jet could land.

Roddy also shared how he hilariously put Ye into a music-making frenzy -- fresh off a plane without any relaxation time -- while others, like Lil Baby, hinted Roddy should walk on eggshells around him.

RR did admit his last album, “Live Life Fast,” slowed him down a bit, but he’s ready to get back into a groove and even pondered making a DJ Mustard-produced album.

Britney Spears' blood feud with her parents and sister isn't stopping Lynne Spears from wishing her daughter well ... and hoping against hope they can patch things up.

Brit's mom was at LAX Thursday night when a photog asked about the state of the Spears family from Lynne's perspective. We already know exactly how Britney feels.

So, could the family ever get back together? Lynne makes it clear she's not giving up on that yet ... although, it's unclear how she could possibly make that happen right now.

Mama Spears says she just wants to see her daughter happy ... and she absolutely meant those sentimental words she shared on Instagram right after the wedding.

You'll recall, Britney tied the knot with her hubby Sam Asghari, earlier this month but she didn't invite her parents or her sister, Jamie. But, that didn't stop Lynne from publicly showing her support.

Lynne kept a close watch on her daughter's big day via social media.

In an IG comment, she wrote, "You look radiant and so happy! Your wedding is the 'Dream' wedding! And having it at your home makes it so sentimental and special! I am soooo happy for you! I love you!"

Bill Bellamy says he's being forced to make an impossible choice after the deaths of his father and father-in-law -- due to an "unauthorized" memorial service planned by his sister.

The comedian and actor's going through an incredibly painful period ... with his father-in-law dying May 17, and then his own dad passing on June 8.

That would be gut-wrenching enough, but TMZ has learned things got even worse. While Bill was out of the country ... we're told his sister, Karen, made plans to lay their father, William, to rest today, June 24 -- the same weekend Bill and his wife had already planned his father-in-law's service in a different state.

According to documents filed in New Jersey, Bill actually attempted to get a restraining order which would force Karen to change the date, but he was denied -- there really is no legal standing for a judge to get involved in this sort of family dispute.

The obvious rift with his sister has left Bill in an unenviable position. He tells TMZ ... "In the span of less than a month I lost both my father William Bellamy Senior and my father-in-law Bernard Baker Junior. These two wonderful men that have impacted my life and my family's lives in ways that are beyond words."

He continues, "My effort to stop an unauthorized memorial service for my father, which was planned without my knowledge, was not successful. I am devastated my family has to choose to miss one service for another, no one should ever have to be in this position. My father-in-law's memorial service was confirmed back in May when he passed.

There are no words to express how disappointed I am to not be a part of laying my father to rest but I look forward to celebrating my father's life and legacy with my wife, his grandchildren and our close friends in our own time.

Boosie Badazz isn't one to hold his tongue, and proved it again when he loudly stepped to a guy he claims was giving a woman a hard time ... to the point it totally pissed off the rapper.

The video was apparently shot outside a hotel, though we don't know the location yet, but what's clear is Boosie overheard the man speaking to a uniformed woman in a not-so-pleasant tone. Right from the jump, he was in g-check mode, telling the guy "You ain't gonna talk to her like that. I will beat your azz!!! You ain't gonna talk to no woman like that."

Something about Boosie's involvement shifted everybody's demeanor, though ... the guy was extremely quiet, and the woman -- who the guy allegedly targeted -- shifted into mediation, trying to calm down Boosie.

Funny thing is, there was a guy standing nearby stretching out his arm -- almost like he was prepping for the royal rumble.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, but once the video popped up online ... Boosie felt the need to explain himself.

He claims the man kept pressing the woman, even after she'd apologized to him ... and that's when Boosie stepped up.

Elon Musk's daughter is officially free of her famous last name ... she's been granted the name and gender change she requested.

Court docs, obtained by TMZ, show the L.A. County Superior Court judge signed off on the name change for the 18-year-old ... who is now Vivian Jenna Wilson. Wilson is her mother's maiden name.

She was also granted a gender change ... Vivian identifies as female, and the docs state a new birth certificate reflecting the change in gender will soon be issued by the state registrar.

As we reported, Vivian said her reason for the change is "the fact that I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form."

Back in December 2020, Elon tweeted his support for the transgender community, but added ... "All these pronouns are an esthetic nightmare."

It's unclear what's at the root of Vivian's desire to part ways with her father -- seems like it must be more than just that tweet.