Fired

Fab Five legend Juwan Howard is OUT at Michigan ... the school just announced his tenure as head coach has come to an end after 5 seasons at the helm.

“After a comprehensive review of the program, I have decided that Juwan will not return as our men’s basketball coach,” Warde Manuel, Michigan AD, and the man who hired Howard said in a statement.

“Juwan is among the greatest Wolverines to ever be associated with our basketball program. I know how much it meant, to not only Juwan, but to all of us for him to return here to lead this program. Despite his love of his alma mater and the positive experience that our student-athletes had under his leadership, it was clear to me that the program was not living up to our expectations and not trending in the right direction.”

Manuel is likely referring to not just a decline in wins, but also controversy inside the program ... with many calling for change amid a crisis in culture.

On the court, Howard -- who was hired in May 2019 -- had a ton of success early after taking over for John Beilein ... earning a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in year 2, before losing to UCLA in the Elite 8. Howard was named Coach of the Year.

The 2021-2022 season wasn't as good ... the team barely earned a bid into the tourney, but still ended up winning two games, reaching the Sweet 16.

However, that was the last time the former Michigan star would lead his squad to an NCAA berth. Howard's '22-'23 team went 18-16.

Fast forward to this season ... an unmitigated disaster. Michigan finished with an 8-24 record, including going 3-17 in the Big Ten, UM's worst season in decades.

Juwan's 5 seasons were plagued by controversy, too. In 2022, Howard was involved in a postgame scuffle with Wisconcin's coaches ... where he ended up making contact with a Badgers assistant. Howard was suspended 5 games.

JH also had a run-in with Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon, who he allegedly threatened to kill ... in front of a referee.

There was also an alleged run-in with UMs longtime strength coach, Jon Sanderson, who left the school after more than a decade following the incident.

Don Lemon ha cancelado su acuerdo con X antes de que se emitiera el primer episodio, y culpa a su entrevista con Elon Musk, en la que aparentemente tocó un punto delicado.

El ex presentador de CNN anunció el miércoles en redes sociales el fin de su acuerdo exclusivo con la plataforma de Elon Musk, tanto a través de una declaración escrita como en un breve video que irónicamente publicó en X.

Don explica que se sentó con Elon el viernes para entrevistarlo en el primer episodio de "The Don Lemon Show", diciendo que quería tener a Musk como su primer invitado, porque Elon se considera un gran defensor de la libertad de expresión.

Don dijo que la entrevista no tenía temas fuera de límite, y aunque Don admite que la conversación se puso tensa a ratos, en última instancia dice que las cosas salieron bien.

Sin embargo, parece que Musk no se sentía de la misma manera, y afirma que su acuerdo con X -acordado hace apenas dos meses- se terminó apenas unas horas después de su entrevista.

Lemon le dijo a sus fans que trabajó con X porque es un creyente en la libertad de expresión y quería que su mensaje llegara a un público masivo, y ser "despedido" de X no impide que el ex presentador de CNN lo transmita en la plataforma y en otros lugares.

Lemon dice que todavía piensa publicar la entrevista el lunes 18 de marzo en YouTube y X, lo que podría tomarse como una afrenta hacia Elon. También va a seguir con el programa sin el respaldo de X, así que "The Don Lemon Show" sigue en pie.

En cuanto a lo que exactamente discutieron, no sabemos mucho, pero los informes sugieren que Don hizo algunas preguntas contundentes, incluyendo preguntas sobre el uso de Musk de la ketamina.

Aparentemente, Lemon todavía piensa que X le debe dinero, con un portavoz de Don diciéndole al sitio de noticias Puck, que está dispuesto a ir a los tribunales por el dinero que cree que le deben.

Por su parte, X dice que su plataforma apoya la libertad de expresión, y Don puede publicar libremente lo que quiera, pero X, por otra parte, sigue siendo un negocio y puede optar por iniciar o terminar asociaciones con empresas como mejor le parezca.

En cuanto a Elon... le respondió a una cuenta de parodia de Mark Zuckerberg en X y afirmó que Don todavía estaba haciendo sus trucos de CNN en X y dijo que sentía que solo estaba repitiendo los mismos pasos que su antiguo jefe en la red, Jeff Zucker. Elon también dice que sentía Don no estaba siendo auténtico... y parecer esto fue suficiente para desechar el acuerdo.

Don Lemon's X partnership is dunzo -- his deal falling apart before the first episode could even air ... and he blames his Elon Musk interview, where he apparently struck a nerve.

The former CNN anchor took to social media Wednesday to announce the end of his exclusive deal with Elon's platform -- both via written statement and in a short video he posted to X, ironically enough.

The way Don explains it ... he sat down with Elon Friday to interview him for the first episode of "The Don Lemon Show," saying he wanted to speak with Musk as his debut guest because Elon considers himself a major proponent of free speech.

Don said the interview had no off-limit topics, and -- even though DL admits the convo got tense at times ... ultimately, he says he felt it was a good, fair back-and-forth.

However, it sounds like Musk didn't feel the same way according to Lemon ... who claims his deal with X -- agreed upon just two months ago -- was terminated mere hours after their interview wrapped.

Lemon told his fans he worked with X because he's a believer in free speech and wanted his message to reach a mass audience ... and, getting "fired" from X ain't stopping the former CNN anchor from airing it on the platform and elsewhere.

Lemon says he's still dropping the interview in all its glory Monday, March 18 on YouTube and X as well -- seemingly a big middle finger to EM and co. He's also gonna carry on with the show without X's backing ... so, the "The Don Lemon Show" is still on.

As for exactly what the two discussed ... we don't know much, but reports are floating around Don asked some hard-hitting questions -- including queries about Musk's use of ketamine.

BTW ... Lemon apparently still thinks X owes him money -- with a spokesperson for Don telling news site Puck he's willing to go to court for the cash he believes is owed ... to be continued, we suppose.

For their part, X is saying their platform is all about free speech, and Don can freely post whatever he wants ... but also X is still a business and can choose to begin or end partnerships with businesses as it sees fit.

As for Elon ... he responded to a Mark Zuckerberg parody account on X -- and claimed Don was still doing his CNN shtick, just on X -- and he said he felt Don was just parroting his old boss at the network, Jeff Zucker. EM also says he felt Don was putting on an act and not being his authentic self ... which was apparently enough for him to scrap their deal.

Giannis Antetokounmpo just shut down rumors that he had a say in Adrian Griffin's firing ... telling reporters Wednesday night the move blindsided him.

The Milwaukee Bucks superstar opened up on his coach's eyebrow-raising departure for the first time following a 126-116 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers ... saying straight up Griffin's exit "caught me by surprise."

"We were 30 and 13," he said as he sat at a postgame podium. "I gotta trust the front office, I gotta trust the ownership group that they can see the bigger picture."

Of course, many had believed there was no way Bucks' brass didn't contact Giannis for his thoughts on removing Griffin before pulling the trigger ... but the Greek Freak made it clear he wasn't consulted.

"My job is to be the best version of myself, to lead this team out there and win games," he said. "Their job is to create the best team possible and the best atmosphere around the team possible."

The 6-foot-11 forward also praised Griffin during his talk with media members ... calling his former head coach a "great person" whom he had a good relationship with.

"I refuse to fall into the bubble of, 'Oh, this is accurate, this is not accurate,' because there's always gonna be something out there about me and the team, you know," he said. "'Oh, he didn't have a good relationship with Griff' ... false."

"I love the guy," he continued. "I invited him to my wedding."

Adrian Griffin's time in Milwaukee is over -- the Bucks just fired their head coach after less than a year on the job ... despite having the second-best record in the league.

Multiple reports confirmed the move on Tuesday ... just hours after Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. beat the Detroit Pistons, 122-113.

It is a bit of a head-scratching move to some ... as the Bucks currently sit at second in the Eastern Conference with a 30-13 record. Others believe the writing was on the wall, as Griffin -- a former Seton Hall star and NBA player -- appeared to be a bad fit with the current roster.

Joe Prunty is expected to take on interim coaching duties for now ... and there are rumblings the team will look for a veteran coach like Doc Rivers to take the reins permanently.

It's a quick turnaround for the organization -- it just introduced Griffin as Mike Budenholzer's replacement in June 2023.

Whoever takes over in Milwaukee will have one of the most talented squads in the league ... with stars like Giannis, Damian Lillard and Kris Middleton.

Snoop Dogg's ad for smokeless fire pits totally won the internet last year ... but the company that hired him says they won nada and their 4th quarter tanked as a result!!!

Solo Stove, the company behind the clever spot that teased the end of Snoop's days of blazin', fired its CEO after it fell short of its $520-$540 million yearly revenue stream ... sounds like they were banking on Snoop to save their asses!!!

The outgoing CEO John Marris tells The Daily that Snoop brought them 60k new followers after his spot dropped and data shows the ad ranked high with just a few weeks to live in the public eye.

2024 projections have been adjusted for Solo Stove -- the incoming CEO only has to clear $490 million and $500 million ... which probably won't be coming from rap fans; they were there to be entertained by the D-O double G, nothing else!!!

Snoop's also onboard to cover the 2024 Summer Olympics for NBC. Ya gotta wonder ... what's gonna happen to the execs when he earns higher ratings than the games?!? 🥴

The Haas Formula One team will have a new leader in charge in 2024 -- longtime team principal Guenther Steiner has shockingly left his position after 10 years, the organization announced Wednesday.

Steiner -- a star on Netflix's 'Drive To Survive' -- held the role since Haas joined the grid in 2016, reaching as high as fifth in the Constuctor Standings in 2018.

It was a rough 2023 campaign, though ... as Haas finished last with just 12 points.

According to F1, Steiner met with team owner Gene Haas following the 2023 season ... and it was decided they would go their separate ways.

Haas' director of engineering, Ayao Komatsu, will take over as team principal.

"I’d like to start by extending my thanks to Guenther Steiner for all his hard work over the past decade and I wish him well for the future," Haas said in a statement.

"Moving forward as an organization, it was clear we need to improve our on-track performances. In appointing Ayao Komatsu as Team Principal we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management."

"We have had some successes, but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organization," he added. "We need to be efficient with the resources we have but improving our design and engineering capability is key to our success as a team."

Mike Vrabel is out in Tennessee.

The Titans have just canned their head coach, according to multiple reports ... after he spent the last six seasons roaming the sidelines in Nashville.

The final decision came down less than 48 hours after the Titans' 28-20 upset win over the Jaguars on Sunday.

Vrabel started his Tennessee tenure with a bang ... logging winning seasons in his first four years -- though things have gone a bit south in the past two.

In his last 34 games, he's recorded just a 13-21 record ... and their offense has sputtered.

A lot of change is on the horizon in Tennessee -- star running back Derrick Henry is a free agent this summer. He was a big part in Vrabel’s playoff runs in Tennessee, but gave what felt like a farewell speech following their win.

Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk addressed the move on Tuesday ... saying, "Earlier today, I spoke with Mike Vrabel and told him about my decision to make a change at head coach."

"As I told Coach Vrabel, this decision was as difficult as any I've made as Controlling Owner. I appreciate Mike's contributions to the Tennessee Titans both on and off the field."

"Anyone who has ever met him knows how passionate and genuine he is, and he's been a strong supporter of the Nashville community," she added. "We wish Mike, Jen, and the Vrabel family nothing but the best in the future."

Vrabel -- the third-winningest coach in Titans history -- will almost certainly land on his feet somewhere -- the former New England Patriots star is widely respected around the league and is already viewed as a potential candidate for current head coaching vacancies.

In fact, most think if Bill Belichick leaves Foxborough this offseason, Vrabel could be the ideal man to replace him.

Chris Harrison has blasted the events surrounding his exit from 'The Bachelor' as 'toxic' ... which kickstarted following a racism scandal.

He says the backlash he endured after defending ex-'Bachelor' contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for attending a plantation-themed party while in college was tumultuous ... praying his worst enemy doesn't go through the same experience he went through 2 years earlier.

Speaking on Jason Tartick's "Trading Secrets" podcast, Chris says he initially thought the situation was something he could've figured out with show execs ... but things escalated to the point he knew he had to remove himself from the situation.

It was a bittersweet moment for Chris ... he wasn't ready to leave the show he'd been hosting since 2002 ... but he was ultimately proud of his decision to walk away.

He adds there's no hard feelings because the show was a blessing  ... changing his life financially.

One of the biggest "Jeopardy!" champs of all time says the show is in good hands with Ken Jennings ... but he doesn't want Mayim Bialik to vanish completely.

We got Austin Rogers -- who went on a major hot streak in 2017 -- at Gaf East, a bar he just bought in New York City, and we asked him about Mayim announcing her exit as one of the "Jeopardy!" hosts.

Austin says the show will be just fine with Ken taking on an even larger role. Ken's become synonymous with "Jeopardy!" and AR feels he's a big enough name now to soften the blow of Mayim's departure.

Another "Jeopardy!" champ, Amy Schneider agrees ... telling us Ken is the right choice for the everyday hosting gig, in part because he's a big hit with the contestants.

While Mayim says Sony brass told her she won't be hosting the syndicated daily show, the studio is leaving the door open for her to host special episodes ... like "Celebrity Jeopardy" and other primetime tournaments -- and Austin explains why she's a good fit there.

TMZ broke the story ... Mayim's absence during the writers' strike made Sony execs realize they didn't need 2 hosts, and ultimately her loss was Ken's gain.

Austin says Mayim was still right to stand in solidarity with the writers, and he hopes she remains involved ... even if it's not on a daily basis.

Mayim Bialik stepping away from "Jeopardy!" in solidarity with striking writers showed Sony executives they didn't need 2 hosts for the quiz show, and that's why they moved on ... TMZ has learned.

Sony Studios sources tell TMZ ... bosses at Sony weren't mad when Mayim refused to work during this year's strike, but her absence opened execs' eyes about their dual host system -- Mayim and Ken Jennings shared the gig.

Our sources say Mayim stepping away gave Ken an opportunity ... and he took it and ran with it, improving his hosting skills while she was away.

We're also told Sony worked incredibly hard juggling schedules to accommodate Mayim during her time on the show, and she didn't always agree with production decisions ... including the hiring of executive producer Michael Davies, and other staff changes.

Mayim stepped away in May at the height of the writers' strike, and our sources say she eventually fell so far out of touch, Sony execs simply decided to press on without her.

As we reported ... Mayim announced Friday she was no longer hosting "Jeopardy!"

Our sources say Sony is still open to having Mayim host "Jeopardy!" primetime specials, because they feel she's talented and works well with the celebrity contestants ... but we're told Mayim made it clear it was all or nothing. As a result, we're told Sony brass declined and Mayim released her statement Friday without consulting Sony.

Regardless, our sources say the ball is still in Mayim's court ... we're told Sony execs want her for primetime specials, if she accepts the offer.

Mayim Bialik alejándose de "Jeopardy!" en solidaridad con los escritores en huelga, le mostró a los ejecutivos de Sony que no necesitan dos anfitriones para el concurso y decidieron seguir adelante.

Fuentes de Sony Studios le dicen a TMZ que los jefes de Sony no estaban enojados cuando Mayim se negó a trabajar durante la huelga de este año, pero su ausencia ayudó a que los ejecutivos se dieran cuenta de que el programa funcionó muy bien con Ken Jennings como el único anfitrión.

Nuestras fuentes dicen que el hecho de que Mayim se alejara le dio a Ken una oportunidad y él la tomó.

También nos dicen que Sony trabajó increíblemente duro, haciendo malabares con los horarios para darle cabida a Mayim durante años, tomando difíciles decisiones de producción, incluyendo la contratación del productor ejecutivo Michael Davies, además de otros cambios de personal.

Mayim se alejó en mayo en el apogeo de la huelga de guionistas y nuestras fuentes dicen que estuvo tan alejada de los ejecutivos de Sony que simplemente decidieron seguir adelante sin ella.

Como informamos, Mayim anunció el viernes que ya no era la anfitriona de "Jeopardy!"

Nuestras fuentes dicen que Sony todavía está abierto a tener a Mayim en los especiales de horario estelar, ya que sienten que tiene talento y trabaja bien con los concursantes de celebridades, pero nos dicen Mayim dejó claro que era todo o nada. Como resultado, nos dicen que Sony brass declinó y Mayim lanzó su declaración el viernes sin consultar a Sony.

A pesar de todo, nuestras fuentes dicen que la pelota está todavía en el campo de Mayim, y nos dicen que los ejecutivos de Sony la quieren para los especiales de horario estelar, si ella acepta la oferta.

Jonathan Majors is out of a job at Disney, 'cause Marvel is dropping him from all projects in the MCU, and cutting ties in the wake of his guilty verdict ... TMZ has confirmed.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the comic book movie studio -- one of the Mouse House's largest imprints -- will not be moving forward with the embattled actor, period. What that means ... he's losing out on his key role as Marvel's big villain, Kang the Conqueror.

That's a huge blow, seeing how he's already portrayed the character in one big Marvel movie -- 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' -- as well as 2 seasons of the Disney+ show 'Loki.' The 2nd 'Loki' season heavily featured Kang and his variants -- other versions of the big bad, also played by JM -- as did the aforementioned film.

By all accounts, Jonathan was going to play Kang for at least two more Marvel films ... and the studio was said to be treating him/Kang as the next Thanos, of sorts, in their franchise.

Now, though, that's all out the window ... and the two new 'Avengers' flicks that are currently in development and pre-production -- both of which he was attached to as Kang -- will go in a totally new direction without him. There'd been rumblings Marvel was already exploring their options even before the trial ... and it sounds like they're ready to pivot.

No word on whether Kang will be recast, or if they'll just tap a new bad guy -- but either way ... Majors was just fired by his biggest employer, and is losing out on millions of dollars.

Of course, the decision was swift ... coming down no more than a couple hours after he was found guilty on two of four counts in his criminal trial -- where he was facing assault and harassment charges after being accused of roughing up his ex-girlfriend in March.

He was convicted of reckless assault and harassment, and acquitted of intentional assault and aggravated harassment. In layman's terms -- the jury appears to have dinged him for what may have happened outside the car, and not necessarily what went on inside.

Jonathan Majors perdió su trabajo en Disney, porque Marvel lo está desvinculando de todos los proyectos del MCU, cortando los lazos a raíz de su veredicto de culpabilidad, TMZ ha confirmado.

Fuentes directas nos dicen que el estudio de películas de cómics —uno de los mayores sellos de la Casa del Ratón— no va a seguir adelante con el actor asediado y punto. Lo que significa que está perdiendo su papel clave como el gran villano de Marvel, Kang el Conquistador.

Eso es un gran golpe, viendo cómo ya ha retratado al personaje en una gran película de Marvel  —"Ant-Man y la Avispa: Quantumania"— así como en dos temporadas de la serie de Disney+ "Loki". La segunda temporada de "Loki" incluía a Kang y sus variantes —otras versiones del gran villano, también interpretadas por Majors—, al igual que la película antes mencionada.

Según todos los indicios, Jonathan iba a interpretar a Kang durante al menos dos películas más de Marvel y se decía que el estudio lo estaba tratando a él y a Kang como la próxima especie de Thanos en su franquicia.

Ahora, sin embargo, todo se fue por la ventana y las dos nuevas películas de "Vengadores" que están actualmente en desarrollo y pre-producción —ambos de los cuales se adjuntaba como Kang— irán en una dirección totalmente nueva sin él. Había rumores de que Marvel ya estaba explorando sus opciones incluso antes del juicio y parece que están listos para pivotar.

No se sabe si Kang será reelegido o si simplemente cambiarán de villano, pero en cualquier caso, Majors acaba de ser despedido por su mayor empleador y está perdiendo millones de dólares.

Por supuesto, la decisión fue rápida, solo un par de horas después de haber sido declarado culpable de dos de los cuatro cargos en su juicio penal, donde enfrentaba cargos de agresión y acoso después de haber sido acusado de maltratar a su ex-novia en marzo.

Fue condenado por agresión imprudente y acoso y absuelto de agresión intencionada y acoso con agravantes. En términos sencillos, el jurado parece que le dingged por lo que puede haber sucedido fuera del coche y no necesariamente lo que pasó dentro.

If Shawne Merriman was in Dean Spanos' shoes, he would NOT hire Bill Belichick or Jim Harbaugh to replace Brandon Staley ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks his former team needs to go younger with its next hire.

Of course, both coaching veterans have been rumored to be on the Bolts' radar following Staley's firing on Friday ... but Merriman made it clear, he would prefer it if L.A. looked elsewhere.

"The game has gotten much younger," the ex-Chargers pass rusher said. "If you look around, a lot of these head coaches are younger. They relate well to the players."

Belichick is 71 years old, while Harbaugh is 59 ... ages that Merriman obviously thinks just won't cut it when it comes to directing guys like 25-year-old Justin Herbert or 27-year-old Derwin James on the field.

But, don't get it twisted, he still loves both guys and their résumés -- he just said, "I don't know if that's the proper move in this situation."

"I really don't."

Merriman didn't have any names that he would rather hire -- though he did say he wants no part of being considered for the role ... as he's a bit preoccupied with his MMA promotion, Lights Out, which has a big event coming up on January 6.

Susan Sarandon's antisemitic rant has now cost her a role in a project -- just the latest hit to her career after she bashed Jews.

The actress has been dropped from a short film she was set to star in called "Slipping Away" -- this according to the co-founder of the production company that was putting it together.

David Barroso of PTO Films tells Page Six ... "As a company, PTO Films would like to make it clear that Susan Sarandon’s views do not reflect the opinions of our organization. We were considering her for a short film, but due to her recent statements, we have decided to pursue other options."

"Slipping Away" had been listed as an upcoming title on Sarandon's IMDb page, but it's gone now. There are 4 other future productions she's attached to -- three of them are in post-production and one is still in pre-production. Unclear if her roles in those are affected yet.

Remember ... Sarandon caught heat for speaking up at a pro-Palestine rally in NYC recently, but what she said specifically ended up costing her. The antisemitic comment in question was ... "There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country."