Religion/ Spirituality

Kanye West held what could be his most ambitious Sunday Service yet, when the whole gang walked on water during the event.

As for notable guests ... Kim Kardashian showed up. Hard to read the tea leaves, but it seems relevant, because of his self-described marital issues. But, there she was ... flying to Atlanta for the service.

Pastor Joel Osteen delivered the sermon and spoke about Jesus walking on water and how he gave Peter permission to follow suit. They all took it to heart, because after the sermon Ye, Joel and the choir all walked on H20, although not exactly.

The service was held on a lake near Pinewood Studios in ATL.

Kodak Black is praying for more than just his release from prison ... because he says he can't get access to a rabbi to practice his Jewish faith behind bars.

Kodak's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ he's ramping up to file a lawsuit if his client doesn't get what he says he's been requesting for months ... a consultation with his own personal rabbi -- or any rabbi, really, at this point.

Of course, the other headline here is ... Kodak Black's Jewish??? We're with ya, and Cohen explained the rapper identifies with the faith -- even though he has yet to convert. He claims the feds have gone radio silent on his efforts to connect with his go-to rabbi.

If nothing changes, Cohen says they'll be suing for a violation of Kodak's First Amendment right to practice his religion.

He admits the chaplain at Kodak's facility in KY recently emailed to say face-to-face spiritual meetups were being temporarily axed due to COVID. However, Cohen says the chaplain also told him phone calls with the rabbi shouldn't be an issue.

Oh, and if you're wondering why Kodak's so adamant about getting access to any rabbi and a Torah, we're told he thinks it will help his mental state. Kodak believes God has a plan for him, and wants to talk it out with a pro.

Kanye West spared no expense putting on his Sunday Service ... he claims it cost a whopping $50 MILLION to pull it off!!!

Ye recently sat down with Nick Cannon for a segment on Nick's podcast, "Cannon's Class," and they started talking dollar figures, with Kanye boasting he's richer than Donald Trump.

Kanye says he burned through a ton of cash on his Sunday Service in 2019 ... with the $50 million being spread around for choir uniforms, flights, operas and all the other operating expenses that went with it.

At first glance, that number sounds way overblown.

However, remember ... Sunday Service traveled around the country last year, with stops at Coachella, Skid Row in Los Angeles, Houston, Howard University in D.C., the family home in Calabasas, his ranch in Wyoming, The Forum in Inglewood, Louisiana, Chicago, Ohio, Joel Olsteen's Lakewood Church and even Jamaica.

There were construction costs too ... for the Sunday Service on Easter at Coachella, bulldozers moved tons of earth to make a huge hill for the performance.

Ye says the cash was taken out of funds set aside for marketing his Yeezy shoes ... Kanye says he didn't need to spend all the marketing dough on the kicks -- Yeezy's sell themselves, he says -- so instead he used it to put on Sunday Service.

$50 million ... that's a lot of holy bread.

The words of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion came head-to-head with the word of the Lord on a city sidewalk -- and it sounds like the former might've beaten out the good book.

Check out this video of an older guy reading aloud from the Bible on a sidewalk, not too far from a masked young woman also reading from her phone, rattling off lyrics to "WAP." Try as he did, the gent got drowned out by the tune ... then again, the camera's further from him.

It's a funny scene though -- and a testament that blindly preaching to kids these days isn't a good way to reach 'em. Maybe reciting lyrics to Justin Bieber's "Baby" would've been more effective.

Speaking of, if you're wondering what sparked this ... it was a pro-choice rally that clashed with anti-abortion demonstrators, which seems to have gone on for at least 2 days. Both groups had signs touting their beliefs and were keeping a somewhat respectful distance away from each other. But, one secret weapon the young crowd had with them that the holy group didn't ... condoms!

Stacey Dash and her husband both want their marriage off the books like it never happened ... and the mister's claiming he only said "I do" while in a spiritual trance.

Stacey's estranged lawyer hubby, Jeffrey Marty, filed new court docs in response to Stacey's divorce petition ... and he's asking a judge to annul the marriage, something Stacey herself doesn't appear to oppose.

Jeff claims he only took his vows after Stacey's pastor put some serious religious pressure on him. He says they got hitched on April 6, 2018 -- but that's only because 10 days prior, he claims her pastor "unexpectedly and suddenly proclaimed that it was God's will" they get hitched.

Anyway, Jeff says that his ability to consent to the marriage was hijacked by the use of "hypnotic prayer techniques." Jeff doesn't describe the techniques or how he was programmed to marry Stacey. He also says there was pressure from other clergies to tie the knot.

Now, for Stacey's part ... she and her attorneys don't fully admit to what Jeff claims here about the hypnotism and all ... they say he didn't show any unusual signs about his mental state at the time. But, she's not fighting him and she too is asking the judge to annul the marriage ASAP.

Kanye West's wheels are turning about his next big project, and he thinks he's on to something huge ... JESUS TOK.

The rapper and presidential candidate says he was perusing some content on TikTok with his daughter and "as a Christian father" ... he was disturbed by some of the stuff he saw.

But, Ye says he loves the tech, and he's had a vision -- a Christian version of TikTok.

Kanye says he's praying he can collaborate with the insanely popular social media platform to create a more kid and Christian-friendly outlet ... "in Jesus name amen."

It's unclear if the rapper also plans to go back and make more PG-related versions of his tracks -- for instance 2018's "I Love It," which features the lyrics "They had to fake orgasms and sh*t" and "You're such a f***in' ho, I love it."

Ye doesn't address the sometimes sexy content on his wife's social media accounts either, but if he wants to go that route ... JESUS GRAM might work.

As we reported ... Kanye recently revived his Sunday Service up at his ranch in Wyoming, so clearly the Lord is on his mind.

Kim Kardashian showed up for Kanye West's Sunday Service over the weekend, and it could -- COULD -- be a sign that maybe their make-or-break vacation worked.

Kim and the kids made the trek to Wyoming to join Kanye for the service ... a service we haven't seen for a while. She posted video with the caption, "Guess what's back?!?!"

Among the many highlights -- Kim and Kanye's kids running around as North yells for her Dad ... a lot of singing and dancing, and a new song alert.

As for COVID-19 ... Kim says Kanye's team took precautions to keep the choir healthy and safe, pointing out that they filmed without an audience. She says the music will be available soon for those who need their spirits lifted.

Kanye also tweeted ... "Praise God. We would like to thank our staff for making sure all Covid safety guidelines were followed today during Sunday Service at our West Mountains family ranch in Wyoming."

It seems like the family getaway -- which included a tropical resort in the Dominican Republic did everybody good.

The "Big Brother" house bathroom got an extreme makeover for season 22 ... houseguests are keeping their tushies clean thanks to a couple of new bidets!!!

The toilet paper alternative was installed at the behest of houseguest Kaysar Ridha. We're told Kaysar asked production for a bidet in order to come on the show.

While it might sound like a request outta left field, we're told Kaysar uses a bidet for religious reasons as a devout Muslim.

FYI ... Islam teaches the body's condition affects the spirit's condition, so it's essential to be clean all the time -- especially before praying. This is why bidets and lotas, a round pot filled with water, are common in Muslim countries ... impeccable hygiene is a must.

On the "Big Brother" house live feed, Kaysar's already had some potty talk with fellow houseguests Kevin and Tyler, and it sounds like the bidet is a big hit!!!

No, duh!

Kanye West's self-proclaimed running mate -- though she's yet to confirm this herself -- has returned online with her "spiritual coaching" site ... but gives no indication she's campaigning for West/Tidball 2020.

Michelle Tidball was name-dropped by Kanye as his VP pick in his Forbes interview -- following his surprise July 4 announcement that he's running for Prez -- but very little was known about her ... and her website got yanked shortly afterward.

As we first told you ... Michelle's site, Yarash.org, touted her as a "Biblical life coach" but also included some odd takes on mental health -- such as doing your dishes and making your bed to combat mental illness.

The Yarash site is back up, and though it's been revamped and edited ... it STILL doesn't mention anything about Kanye, being his Veep, or anything political at all really.

Instead, the site is gussied up with new animated graphics, an autumnal color scheme, Hebrew-style font, and tighter copy ... but features her same smiling portrait.

Michelle's old teleconferences and Bible study sessions -- where we discovered her mental health advice -- have been taken down. Her bio has been toned down quite a bit too ... but she's still advertising 50-minute life-coaching sessions for $65.

The Wyoming woman recently stated Kanye was doing "fine" and there was nothing to worry about ... amid his erratic behavior and wild Twitter rants, but she dodged any VP talk.

S.F. Giants pitcher Sam Coonrod did NOT kneel with the rest of his teammates in a showing of support for the Black Lives Matter movement Thursday ... saying his religion and his personal feelings about BLM wouldn't allow him to do it.

"I’m a Christian," the 27-year-old relief pitcher said, "so I just believe that I can’t kneel before anything besides God."

If you missed it, the MLB provided teams with a long piece of black fabric to signify unity before its Opening Day games on Thursday.

The Yankees-Nationals ceremony went off without a hitch -- players joined together in grabbing the sheet and kneeling ... and the moment was powerful.

But, later in the evening, when it came time for the Dodgers and Giants to replicate the moment ... Coonrod refused to drop to a knee.

After the game, he told reporters his religious beliefs made it impossible for him to join in ... but he also said he didn't believe in some of the things he believes BLM stands for.

"I just can’t get on board with a couple things I’ve read about Black Lives Matter, how they lean towards Marxism,” Coonrod said. “And … they said some negative things about the nuclear family. I just can’t get on board with that.”

Coonrod said he meant "no ill will" by his gesture ... and added, "I’m not mad at someone who decided to kneel. I just don’t think it’s too much to ask that I just get the same respect.”

For the team's part, manager Gabe Kapler -- who not only knelt for the BLM moment but also during the national anthem -- said he respected Coonrod's decision to opt out.

Nick Cannon will NOT make his daytime talk show debut this fall ... it's being pushed to next year on the heels of his anti-Semitism controversy.

Lionsgate's Debmar-Mercury -- the co-producers behind his nationally syndicated daytime talk show -- announced Friday, Nick's debut will be pushed from this September to fall 2021. The production company said, "After conversations with Nick, we do believe that his public comments don’t reflect his true feelings and his apology is heartfelt and sincere."

The company added, "We want to continue the healing process as he meets with leaders of the Jewish community and engages in a dialogue with our distribution partners to hear their views. We are standing by Nick in our hope that by fall 2021 he will be able to use his extraordinary talent and platform to entertain, enlighten and unite his audience on the ‘Nick Cannon’ talk show."

As we reported ... Nick said Thursday night the black community turned on him after he apologized for the anti-Semitic remarks he made on his "Cannon's Class" podcast. The comments triggered ViacomCBS to cut ties with him ... because the company said he refused to apologize

Pro basketball star Amar'e Stoudemire is both Black and Jewish -- and says he's uniquely positioned to help "bridge the gap" between the two groups.

Stoudemire has been living and playing ball in Israel since 2016 -- but he's been paying attention to the recent wave of anti-Semitic comments from high profile people like DeSean Jackson, Stephen Jackson and Nick Cannon.

All 3 of the above-mentioned stars have apologized -- but Amar'e says moving forward, there should be a focus on educating young people about the SIMILARITIES between Black people and Jews.

"There's more similarities with the African Americans and Jewish people than there are differences. I went over a few of them -- the Holocaust and the transatlantic slave trade. There's post-traumatic stress between both from those events. Think about all the persecution, it's always the Jews or the blacks," Stoudemire says.

Stoudemire suggests a "lack of leadership" in the Black community has led to many Black people turning to Louis Farrakhan for leadership, which is problematic because of his long history of anti-Semitic comments.

"Amongst the African-American community, there's not a lot of leadership," Amar'e says ... "So, they gravitate to a leadership factor that help keep people off the streets, right? So, Farrakhan is seen as one of their leaders in their African-American community."

"But, I do think, I know with me being in the position where I am where being an African American Jew who's learning at a high level, I think there's a narrative shift that's happening."

"We have to figure out a way to now teach the next generation on positivity."

There's more ... Amar'e explains why he's down to have conversations with both DeSean Jackson and Stephen Jackson.

Nick Cannon is at his wit's end over his anti-Semitic comments and his apology for them -- he clearly feels he's in a no-win situation, and now some fans are concerned about his well being.

"The Masked Singer" host let his frustrations out Thursday night, saying ... "I hurt an entire community and it pained me to my core, I thought it couldn’t get any worse. Then I watched my own community turn on me and call me a sell-out for apologizing."

He added ... "Goodnight. Enjoy Earth."

An hour later, he followed that up, tweeting ... "Y'all can have this planet. I'm out!"

As you know ... Nick came under fire for pushing anti-Jewish rhetoric on his "Cannon's Class" podcast, which resulted in ViacomCBS dropping him. Instead of apologizing, he initially stuck to his guns and was defiant.

But he changed his tune after a discussion with Rabbi Abraham Cooper, and posted a lengthy apology for his "hurtful and divisive words."

Nick's frustration is clear from his Thursday night tweets -- after initially getting backlash for the anti-Semitic remarks, he's now getting backlash for apologizing. It's interesting ... you could read the apology backlash as a reflection of just how much anti-Semitism there is out there.

Some fans online took Nick's tweets as a sign he might harm himself.

Nick Cannon's seeking enlightenment following his anti-Semitic comments and subsequent apology ... according to Rabbi Abraham Cooper, who says they're getting to work right away.

Rabbi Cooper tells us his first step was sending Cannon a report on Louis Farrakhan -- whose teachings Nick has vocally supported -- to show him the Minister's pattern of hate speech ... and then they started talking on the phone.

As you know ... "The Masked Singer" host came under fire for pushing anti-Jewish rhetoric on his podcast, and though he was initially defiant ... Nick eventually said he was sorry and credited Cooper for helping him understand why his words were hurtful.

The rabbi says Cannon was apologetic upfront, but more importantly ... he listened when Cooper explained how some of his perceived "facts" were actually hateful and harmful propaganda.

Rabbi Cooper says Nick's owned up to his wrongdoing, and he's even requested another discussion to gain more knowledge. The rabbi's obliging and says their having a face-to-face meeting Thursday evening, which he thinks could lead to some major progress.

W. Kamau Bell says Nick Cannon's anti-Semitic comments were wrong -- full stop -- but he has a theory about how Nick got himself into this bigoted mess.

The "United Shades of America" host told us he thinks Nick wanted to show that he supports the black community, no matter what ... so he leaned in to defend Professor Griff and repeat some of Minister Farrakhan's preachings.

Kamau joined on "TMZ Live" Thursday when he suggested Nick can still be a strong voice for African-Americans ... but it should be done without promoting divisive and anti-Semitic ideas.

As we've reported ... Cannon has since apologized, and FOX has said he'll remain the host of "The Masked Singer."

Kamau's show returns to CNN on Sunday night for its 5th season, and he'll be taking a hard look at anti-Semitism and white supremacy -- in all its forms -- on the premiere episode. That got us talking about all the violence between citizens, police brutality and general contentiousness across the country.

Nick Cannon says his eyes have been opened to the horribly anti-Semitic things he said, and he's offering an apology -- one that might have saved his 'Masked Singer' gig.

24 hours after Viacom cut all ties with Nick for anti-Semitic remarks he made on his podcast, he says, "First and foremost I extend my deepest and most sincere apologies to my Jewish sisters and brothers for the hurtful and divisive words that came out of my mouth during my interview with Richard Griffin."

He continued, "They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of the uninformed and naive place that these words came from."

If you missed it, Nick defended Griffin -- aka Professor Griff, ex-Public Enemy member -- over comments he made in the late '80s about Jews spreading wickedness around the world.

On the podcast, Nick supported Griffin ... saying he couldn't be anti-Semitic because black people are the real Semites. He also said Griffin was speaking the truth, and repeated long-held -- going back to Hitler -- stereotypes about Jews controlling banks and much of the world's wealth.

While he got tons of backlash online -- in addition to the Viacom axing -- Nick says several rabbis, including Rabbi Abraham Cooper from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, have also tried to educate him. As he put it on social media ... "I have had at least a minor history lesson over the past few days and to say that it is eye-opening would be a vast understatement."

Late Wednesday, FOX -- home of "The Masked Singer" -- said it had been in talks with Nick regarding the podcast and felt he was "clear and remorseful that his words were wrong and lacked both understanding and context, and inadvertently promoted hate." The network said, based on that convo, it would move forward with him.

Cannon also vowed he is now committed to strengthening the bond between black and Jewish cultures going forward. He says he's also taken down the Professor Griff episode of his podcast.

It's interesting ... Viacom said Nick was unwilling to apologize when they contacted him about his podcast comments and, in fact, said that was a big part of why they were cutting ties.

It's unclear, at this point, if his mea culpa will change anything for Viacom. Nick had demanded the company give him ownership of his show, 'Wild 'N Out.'