Music

John Legend is sticking up for his hometown, Springfield, Ohio ... urging locals to welcome Haitian immigrants after Donald Trump's wild claim that they were eating local pets -- but it seems his calls for unity have largely fallen on deaf ears.

In an IG vid, the singer -- a die-hard Democrat -- insisted no one in Springfield was eating cats or dogs. He also pointed out the city has seen an influx of jobs under President Joe Biden’s administration, after years of people leaving town to find work elsewhere.

He noted the Haitians who arrived did so legally to fill local jobs, and while he acknowledged the town's 25% population increase has brought growing pains -- like adapting to new language, culture, and dietary preferences -- he urged the community to be more understanding.

Jack Antonoff has heard the criticism about his earplug use at the 2024 MTV VMAs, and has offered up a response to his haters.

The music producer offered up a sarcastic apology online Thursday evening after he was put on blast for protecting his ears during Katy Perry's performance at the awards show this week.

While some fans accused Jack of being "disrespectful" to Katy by popping in some noise-canceling plugs, the Grammy winner made it clear the situation was blown out of proportion ... and roasted those who took his earplug use so seriously.

Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction is not her only major fashion faux pas -- she's revealing she once split her pants in front of Queen Elizabeth!

The icon spilled the royal tea to British Vogue ... relaying how when she was performing "Rhythm Nation" for Queen Elizabeth back in the '90s -- her pants ripped right down the back crack when she squatted doing a dance move.

Janet confessed she couldn't quite believe her pants had split, but the rush of air in the rear was a pretty clear sign something had gone seriously awry.

Lil Wayne is speaking out after not being selected to perform at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show ... and he's not mincing words -- the snub has left him devastated.

Wayne took to IG on Friday morning ... where he spoke directly to his fans in an earnest video, thanking them for their support over the past several days and explaining how disappointed he is not to be chosen to take the stage in New Orleans.

LW says he's been building the strength to address the situation "without breaking." He makes his feelings clear ... when he wasn't selected, it hurt -- a whole lot.

Lady Gaga is blasting some former NYU classmates for creating a nasty Facebook group about her years ago, claiming she would never make it as an entertainer.

The celebrated singer/actress hopped on TikTok to address the now-deleted page from when she attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts starting in 2003.

Back then, a few of her fellow students had created a private FB group under the title, "Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous," accompanied by a throwback photo of the superstar. Stefani Germanotta is Gaga's real name.

Diddy's fighting back against the massive $100 million default judgment leveled against him this week ... claiming he never received a copy of the lawsuit -- and, even if he had, the statute of limitations ran out years ago.

The controversial music mogul filed the emergency motion to set aside the massive judgment Thursday ... saying the plaintiff, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, never served him with a lawsuit -- and, he didn't know he had to handle the matter until news outlets started reporting on the judgment.

Worth noting ... Diddy's lawyers aren't just trying to get the case thrown out for failing to serve him properly -- they're denying all wrongdoing wholeheartedly. They say the "facially implausible allegations are completely fabricated."

Britney Spears is still paying child support despite her son turning 18, Jon Bon Jovi is being hailed a hero, and Shannon Sharpe is feeling embarrassed ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles explain why Britney is still shelling out $20,000 in child support for a few more months despite Jayden James reaching his 18th birthday.

Kendrick Lamar's viral new song validated Dee-1's unyielding message that hip hop culture has sunk into Hades -- and the New Orleans-bred rapper is etching it as a career-changing moment!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Dee on Thursday, just hours after Kendrick shouted him out on the song being dubbed, "Watch The Party Die."

Kendrick seemingly mutes himself with the somewhat cryptic bars, "I want to be empathetic, my heart like Dee-1 but I would ___" ... and Dee thinks the Compton lyricist was metaphorically saying he would blacken his soul to combat the evils of the world, and decided that silence would be the best punchline to end the rhyme.

Dave Grohl’s cheating scandal and secret love child might’ve rocked everyone else, but his ex-girlfriend is still solidly in his corner to support him.

Jennifer Finch -- Dave's ex from the '90s -- is stepping up to defend the Foo Fighters frontman through all the drama, calling him a top-tier dad and friend -- telling us she got a front-row seat to his family dynamic while touring with them recently.

Jennifer -- who was part of the punk rock band L7 -- assures us Dave's doing everything he can for his family, giving it his all in spite of the messy situation.

Happy Birthday, Jayden James!!! It's time to celebrate, both your adulthood and the fact child support from Britney Spears will not end on this special day.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the original child support order in the Britney/Kevin Federline divorce provided that child support payments would cease on the 18th birthday of Jayden, the youngest son, OR when he graduates high school, WHICHEVER IS LATER. We've learned Jayden will graduate from high school in Hawaii in November -- it's an early graduation -- so the child support payments will continue until then. That means Britney will make payments in October and November, and then it all stops.

We're told the original child support order was $20,000 a month. But, in 2018, it went up to $40k a month, partly because Kevin pretty much had the kids all the time, and there were additional expenses as the kids got older.

Cardi B's family just grew a little larger ... 'cause she just gave birth to her third child -- announcing it moments ago on social media.

The rapper -- who just revealed her pregnancy last month amid divorce proceedings with long-time partner Offset -- confirmed the news Thursday with pics and videos of her holding the baby girl in the hospital bed.

Offset's with Cardi in the hospital in the photos ... sitting with their kids, and each holding on to the newest addition to the family -- who Cardi calls "the prettiest lil thing." She writes 9/7/24 in the caption -- so, looks like the baby was born Saturday.

Jack Antonoff is getting slammed as "disrespectful" after he put in earplugs during Katy Perry’s performance at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards … 7 years after his infamous banana drama.

Here’s what went down … Katy took to the stage at the UBS Arena in New York Wednesday evening, where she performed a medley of her greatest hits before accepting the show’s coveted Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

While the consensus online was that KP killed it in her VMAs performance, one person seemed less than impressed with her act … as the music producer was caught on the audience camera slipping some noise-canceling plugs into his ears.

JoJo Siwa has nothing but respect for Taylor Swift after she decided to publicly endorse Kamala Harris for president ... but she isn't ready to follow in her footsteps.

We caught up with the entertainer at LAX after the debates, where the "Dance Moms" alum applauded the pop star for speaking out ... and noted the singer's endorsement will likely have an impact.

As she put it ... "The Swifties rule the world at this point."

The 2024 Video Music Awards were full of shocking moments and good vibes ... and, the celebs in attendance kept those good times rolling after the show ended -- congregating for a star-studded after-party.

Taylor Swift led the bold-faced names into the New York City party with her third outfit change of the night ... opting for a mini skirt paired with a corset and jacket, similar to the UFO-themed dress she wore earlier.

Sabrina Carpenter -- winner of the Song of the Year VMA, her first -- channeled her inner Dolly Parton ... white mesh dress and platform heels, matching her fierce white nails.

Kendrick Lamar released his first track since being announced as the Super Bowl 59 halftime performer ... and the theme isn't exactly a stadium-rocker that'll need crowd control ... he's calling for the hip hop culture to change for the better!!!

The unnamed track clocks in at 5:06, which is pretty long by current standards. But Kendrick has a lot to say about the materialism and drug abuse that passes so easily in today’s music.

Fans are convinced the song is named “Watch The Party Die.” The lyrics say “I think it’s time to watch the party die … Street n***** and the corporate guys, the rappers that report the lies I need they families mortified!!!”

Halsey's engaged! The singer just revealed she and Avan Jogia are officially taking their relationship to the next level.

The singer wasn't all OTT with the announcement -- when a pop news outlet shared an X post about her hoping to marry Avan, she simply corrected them with a straightforward update ... "***fiancé Avan Jogia."

Halsey didn’t spill the beans on who proposed to who, or when, but her quickness with the online correction indicates the upgrade went down recently.