James Franco I Still Love Seth Rogen ... Despite End of Working Relationship
James Franco is speaking out at length for the first time since a wave of sexual misconduct allegations were leveled against him -- saying he's spent the last few years working on himself -- and making one thing clear ... he's still got love for Seth Rogen.
Franco spoke with SiriusXM's "The Jess Cagle Podcast" Wednesday, and talked everything from the allegations to his career and his fallout with Rogen.
If you hadn't heard ... Seth said in an interview this year he had no plans to work with Franco in light of the allegations made against his former friend. To that, James told Jess, "Of course, it was hurtful in context, but I get it, you know, he had to answer for me cause I was silent."
Rogen's comments seemed to really sit with Franco, given how close the two were, "We didn't have one fight for 20 years. Not one fight. He was my absolute closest work friend, collaborator."
While the pair don't have any projects lined up for the future, they've starred in massive movies together, including "Pineapple Express," "The Interview," "Sausage Party" and "The Disaster Artist."
Franco says he's used the last few years to reflect on his issues and work on fixing himself moving forward, even using tools he learned from his sobriety to help in doing so.
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Lawrence Taylor Pleads Not Guilty To Felony Charges ... In Sex Offender Case
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Lawrence Taylor is fighting back in his sex offender case ... the NFL legend has pled not guilty to two felony charges, TMZ Sports has learned.
Court records show Taylor, through his attorney, submitted the pleas on Monday afternoon.
"Lawrence has pled not guilty and we will be working with the prosecutors on the case for a full dismissal," one of Taylor's lawyers, Arthur Aidala, tells us.
"There was some confusion as to Lawrence’s home address that has since been rectified."
As we previously reported, LT -- arguably the greatest New York Giant ever -- was arrested on Dec. 16 in Florida ... and ultimately charged with two felony counts of failure to register as a sexual offender.
Further details surrounding the case and the arrest have yet to be revealed, but Aidala said the day after Taylor was booked that it was all a big misunderstanding.
"Mr. Taylor was constantly a resident of the marital home where he was registered, but on advice of local law enforcement he was sleeping outside the home," Aidala said.
"We are confident that this will be dismissed at the first court hearing."
Taylor's first date in court has yet to be set, records show.
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Billie Eilish Retired Porn Star Defends Her ... Brave for Speaking Out!!!
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Billie Eilish is brave for speaking out about how watching porn as a kid hurt her adult sex life ... at least according to a retired XXX star, who says she's on to something and young people should pay attention.
Randy Spears, who starred in and directed adult movies for decades tells TMZ ... Billie is absolutely right about the damage porn can inflict on the developing brain.
The way Randy sees it ... pornographic images and movies are way too much for children to understand, and he agrees with Billie that such experiences can have lasting negative effects.
As we reported ... Billie says she was just 11 years old when she started watching "violent" porn and she thinks it caused her to have nightmares, sleep paralysis and bedroom troubles when she started having sex as she grew older.
Randy is applauding Billie for publicly raising the topic. The reality is kids can be exposed to porn so easily now -- with smartphones and tablets -- and he tells us why the singer could be a beacon for young folks wrestling with the same issues she did.
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Rapper Lil Mosey's Rape Case ALLEGED VICTIM ADMITTED TO PRIOR CONSENSUAL SEX
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Lil Mosey says the alleged victim in his rape case admitted to having consensual sex with him in the past, and he's asking the court for the green light to introduce that evidence at trial.
According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the rapper claims he met the alleged victim back in the day at one of his concerts, and they eventually engaged in consensual sexual activity ... multiple times.
Lil Mosey claims they had sex at a New Year's party, and then again in a car. He says that the second time happened on the same night of the alleged rape, which she alleges happened later in a cabin.
TMZ broke the story ... Lil Mosey was charged with rape back in April with the woman claiming she blacked out from drinking and woke up to Mosey and another man forcing themselves on her. Mosey's pled not guilty.
The case is being tried in Washington, and the state has a "rape shield" statute that generally prohibits evidence of prior sexual relationships and activities with an alleged victim at trial.
However, Lil Mosey is arguing the evidence of a prior consensual sexual relationship should be admitted because he believes it helps him defend against the allegation she did not consent.
Prosecutors are pushing back against allowing the evidence in court. In new legal docs, they say the alleged victim's prior sexual activity is irrelevant to whether she consented, adding he's been charged with second-degree rape which involves an alleged victim who is incapable of consent.
In this case, the woman claimed she had blacked out from drinking and could not possibly have consented.
A decision is expected during a hearing next month.
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Louis C.K. Plugs New Special with Ad Buy ... During 'SNL' Broadcast
Louis C.K. comedy comeback is in full swing -- and his latest stop is over at "Saturday Night Live" ... which gave him a nice time slot for a new ad plugging his stand-up special.
The controversial comedian appeared across TV screens all over the NY area Saturday while 'SNL' was airing, with a local promo showcasing his latest offering, 'Sorry,' which he just released on his own site. The ad ran at about the 10-minute mark into the broadcast.
The spot runs for 30 seconds, and it features the song "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen playing in the background ... as clips of LCK dishing his latest joke play throughout.
Unclear where he filmed this, or when -- but it's no secret the guy's been touring all over the country these past several months ... and word is, his live shows have been packed to the gills and selling out like crazy -- even in places like L.A. and NYC.
So Louis CK has a new special out, "Sorry," that he is selling online. An ad ran during SNL. For those who forgot, Louis CK sexually assaulted a series of women comedians, then went right back to work and no one blinked. So quit whining about cancel culture, because it's a myth.
— Victoria Brownworth 🎄✨ (@VABVOX) December 19, 2021 @VABVOX
Like we said, this special isn't airing or being sold anywhere besides his own online presence -- so folks definitely have to go out of their way to buy and watch it -- but still ... people are pretty pissed that he's attempting to resurface at all, let alone with an assist from NBC.
Of course, 'SNL' probably has no say over the placement of the ad -- there's a whole other department handling that -- but the idea NBC was cool with taking Louis' money at all is what seems to be irking the Twitter crowd. And yes, "cancel culture" is again being dissected.
If anyone actually thinks someone can be “canceled,” just tell them Louis CK advertised his new stand-up special during the first commercial break of SNL.
— quaRYANtine (@ry_hudson) December 19, 2021 @ry_hudson
As you know ... C.K. was one of many swept up in the #MeToo movement -- getting accused by a handful of women of either masturbating in front of or on the phone with them ... a good amount of which he admitted to. Louis disappeared for a while, but now he's back.
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Billie Eilish I Started Watching Porn at 11 ... And It Hurt My Sex Life
Billie Eilish says she consumed so much porn as a kid, it gave her nightmares ... and the mental effects of the addiction have now hurt her in her adult love life.
The 19-year-old singer spilled the beans Monday on SiriusXM’s "The Howard Stern Show," sharing her experience with violent porn and its impact on her life, "I think it really destroyed my brain and I feel incredibly devastated that I was exposed to so much porn.”
Billie clearly hates it now, "I think porn is a disgrace. I used to watch a lot of porn, to be honest. I started watching porn when I was like 11.”
She says that watching the "abusive" porn not only caused her to have trouble in the bedroom once she began having sex ... but she also believes watching it caused her to have sleep paralysis and nightmares.
She now says she is angry that porn is loved and mad at herself for thinking it was okay ... "The first few times I, you know, had sex, I was not saying no to things that were not good. It was because I thought that’s what I was supposed to be attracted to.”
As far as her love life, she says it has been hard, being a celeb and finding love. Saying that people are either "terrified of you or think that you’re out of their league.”
While she admits to thinking last year she'd be single for the rest of her life, she says she got over that thought pretty fast.
Though the 19-year-old may have had trouble with her love life, her music career has had a pretty good year.
This past weekend she hosted 'SNL' for the first time, and this past summer, her album "Happier Than Ever" topped Billboard charts for weeks.
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Russell Wilson Gushes Over Ciara's Twerk Video ... 'See You Later Tonight'
Russell Wilson has 2 kids with Ciara, but #3 could be on the way soon ... 'cause the NFL star was LOVING his wife's topless twerk sesh on Instagram, letting the whole world know just how much he was feeling it.
The 36-year-old singer posted the steamy vid to her 30 million followers on Thursday ... dropping low and putting her dance skills on display while balancing a bottle of booze on her head, as part of the "Balance Challenge" trend.
"She Got Balance," Ciara captioned the vid. "That @TenToOneRum is fun! 🤩"
The clip is obviously great, but what had even more people going "OMG" was the Seattle Seahawks QB's reaction to the vid.
"❤👀❤ see you later tonight after work hahaha 🤣 #TenToOne 🤣"
Of course, the whole thing was a bit of a marketing campaign for Ciara, who became part-owner of the Ten To One rum back in October.
"I couldn't be more excited to help the brand build on its amazing foundation," Ciara said, "and invite new audiences to rediscover their love for rum through Ten To One."
Now, THAT is great advertising ... and keep it PG, Russ. There are children around.
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Jussie Smollett Takes the Stand ... Talks Sexual Relationship with Osundairo Bro
2:06 PM PT -- Finn says Jussie was just asked why he didn't call police immediately following the attack, Jussie replied, "Because I am a black man in America and I do not trust police."
Jussie Smollett just took the stand in his own defense, talking about his career and his sexual encounters with one of the men he says is responsible for attacking him.
Smollett was called as a witness for the defense Monday, and opened up about his family, the loss of his dad and finding success on "Empire." Jussie claimed to have made $25K-$35K per episode on the first season of the FOX show.
Jussie also got into how he met Abel, saying the two met at a gay club one night and went to a Chicago bathhouse where they did drugs, including cocaine and marijuana. During another visit to the bathhouse, Jussie says they made out and masturbated together.
We had Fox News correspondent Matt Finn on TMZ Live who was inside the courtroom when Jussie took the stand, and gave us a better idea of the actor's mood.
This is the second week of the trial, last week saw testimony from the Osundairo brothers, who Jussie says attacked him. Of course, the Osundairo brothers have maintained Jussie was in on the whole thing, and staged the attack with them for publicity.
Last week, Ola Osundairo fought back against previous claims Jussie had made calling him homophobic. He presented the court with a photo of himself dressed as a Trojan warrior and handing out condoms at a gay pride parade to show he was friendly with the gay community.
In describing the planning of the attack, the brothers testified Smollett originally wanted them to punch him, put a noose around his neck and pour gasoline on him. However, the gasoline was changed to bleach because the brothers felt gasoline could be too dangerous.
Smollett has pled not guilty to 6 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly making a false police report.
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Kevin Spacey Loses Big in 'House of Cards' Case ... $30 Mil to Production Co.!!!
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11:08 AM PT -- A rep for MRC tells us, "The safety of our employees, sets and work environments is of paramount importance to MRC and why we set out to push for accountability. We thank Michael Kump and Gregory Korn of Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump Holley LLP for their commitment and hard work in this case."
Kump tells us, "It was a privilege representing MRC in this matter. MRC stood its ground, pursued this case doggedly, and obtained the right result in the end.”
Kevin Spacey cost the creative forces behind Netflix's hit 'House of Cards' a crap ton of money due to his alleged sexual misconduct -- and now, the guy's been ordered to pony up millions over it.
The disgraced actor lost an arbitration case he's been involved in for the past few years now with a couple of companies called MRC II and Knight Takes King Productions -- a distribution company and production company, respectively.
The two companies claimed they were doing the heavy lifting on 'HOC,' especially for the 6th season they were producing for the streaming giant ... with Kevin, obviously, being a huge part of it.
An arbitrator ruled last year that Spacey's alleged behavior did, in fact, cause MRC and Knight substantial harm by essentially torpedoing the final season ... but KS had appealed that decision, only to lose again earlier this month.
Now, the companies are asking the court to confirm the arbitration award ... which would leave Spacey and his loan-out and producing companies on the hook for about $31 million. The lion's share of the award is for compensatory damages -- more than $29.5 mil -- and the remaining million and change cover attorneys' fees and costs.
MRC and KTKP argued that there was an internal investigation of Spacey's behavior -- which included claims he'd sexually harassed/assaulted production members working on 'House of Cards' -- and after doing a deep dive, they say they found many of those accusations to be true and terminated his contract. They say his conduct caused them to suffer substantial losses ... which led to the litigation.
Spacey has avoided criminal liability thus far ... but on the civil side of things, this is a big ding. He's remained mostly low-key since the allegations surfaced -- although, he is getting back to work slowly but surely.
Originally Published -- 10:29 AM PT
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Fired Amazon Driver Woman From Van Is 'Close Friend' ... Just Delivering Package 😜
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The Amazon driver who lost his job after a video of a woman slipping out the backdoor of his delivery truck went viral says the mystery girl is someone close to him ... like very close.
Tywan George is the Amazon driver in the video and he tells TMZ he knows the woman intimately and insists he was just doing his job when she was inside the van ... namely, delivering packages ... if you catch his drift.
Tywan says he knew he was going to be in big trouble when the video went viral because he knows how the Jeff Bezos company operates.
The video led to tons of racy speculation about what exactly the two of them were getting into back there ... and Tywan's account is dripping with sexual innuendo.
Tywan is being coy but it's fairly easy to figure out what he's getting at here ... and he says he did what any other man in America would do in a similar situation.
Bottom line ... Tywan delivered. 😝
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Cynthia Bailey, Mike Hill Cheating Rumors Aren't True ... We're Going Strong!!!
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Cynthia Bailey and Mike Hill are denying allegations he sent nude photos and videos to another woman ... and he says the anonymous accuser needs to seek help for spreading lies.
We got the former 'RHOA' star and her sportscaster husband Tuesday at LAX and our photog asked how annoying it's been for the couple to deal with claims of infidelity.
Cynthia and Mike are clearly bugged by the rumors ... they both say there's no truth behind the allegations and they're not sure how this even came to be.
In case you missed it ... there was a social media user claiming Mike sent a woman nudes on Snapchat ... but the account that made the cheating claims has since been deleted.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Cynthia tells us things between her and Mike are great and the rumors are just rumors ... and they don't know who is behind it all.
Mike says he's considering taking legal action if more accusations come his way ... and he's got a message for their accuser.
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NWSL Meets Players’ Change Demands ... Amid Paul Riley Fallout
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The National Women’s Soccer League Player’s Association has been heard loud and clear -- the org. just announced the league has met all 8 of their demands for change made amid the Paul Riley scandal.
Riley was fired as head coach of the North Carolina Courage after a damning report from The Athletic accused him of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and homophobic rhetoric while working with multiple leagues and teams dating back to 2010.
Games were canceled as a result of the scandal ... and once the season resumed, the NWSLPA listed 8 demands to fix the current culture within the league and players held a protest at mid-field.
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 6, 2021 @NWSL
Among the demands ... the players called for an independent and thorough investigation into each club "to determine whether any abuse, whether presently known or unknown, has occurred at any point in time.”
The league also agreed to the creation of a 5-person committee to oversee the investigation, which will include "two representatives from the NWSL Players Association, one from NWSL, one Club representative, and one jointly selected neutral party."
On top of that, players will be directly involved in finding Lisa Baird’s replacement … giving them “an opportunity to be heard” in the hiring process after the commissioner resigned amid the backlash.
"Each of these demands is seen by the players as one step closer to the goal of taking our league back," Tori Huster, president of the NWSLPA, said.
And, while this is certainly a step in the right direction, the NWSLPA doesn’t think the fight for justice is over, saying, "This is only the beginning of transforming the NWSL."
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Panthers' Joel Quenneville Head Coach Resigns Over Role In Blackhawks Sexual Abuse Scandal
Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville has resigned from his position ... this after he admitted to bungling the handling of sexual abuse allegations during his time as the Chicago Blackhawks coach.
The NHL announced the move Thursday night ... explaining after Quenneville had a meeting with league commissioner Gary Bettman, both parties were in favor of the Panthers' bench boss stepping down.
"All parties agreed that it was no longer appropriate that he continue to serve as Florida's head coach," Bettman said in a statement.
"We thank the Panthers' organization for working with us to ensure that a thorough process was followed."
Quenneville was the coach of the Blackhawks back in 2010 ... when a player -- who later ID'ed himself as forward Kyle Beach -- claimed he was sexually assaulted by the team's video coach.
Thank you, Kyle Beach. No one should have to experience that, let alone the response from those in positions of power. Gut wrenching to watch.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 27, 2021 @frank_seravalli
There are no words for #Blackhawks allowing Brad Aldrich’s life to be like it was the day before, like nothing happened (via @rwesthead) pic.twitter.com/vsAPHfHmNr
Beach said in a civil lawsuit filed in May 2021 that the coach, Brad Aldrich, told Beach he wouldn't play in the NHL if he turned down the coach's sexual advances -- so Beach claims he was forced into a sexual encounter with the man.
Aldrich has not denied having a relationship with Beach, though he's claimed the encounter was consensual.
Beach says despite bringing the issue up to Blackhawks brass ... he didn't feel enough was done to remedy the situation -- and after a lengthy investigation into the case, the NHL agreed.
Bettman hit the Blackhawks with a $2 million fine last week ... saying it was a "direct and necessary response to the failure of the Club to follow-up and address the 2010 incident in a timely and appropriate manner."
The NHL's probe, meanwhile, also revealed Quenneville did have knowledge of Beach's claims at the time ... which was damning for the coach, who had previously denied knowing about the allegations until 2021.
As a result, Quenneville stepped down from his role -- and Bettman says the two will have to have another meeting if he ever wants to get back into the league.
"I want to express my sorrow for the pain this young man, Kyle Beach, has suffered. My former team, the Blackhawks, failed Kyle and I own my share of that," Quenneville said in a statement. "I want to reflect on how all of this happened and take the time to educate myself on ensuring hockey spaces are safe for everyone."
Beach said on Twitter on Thursday night he's healing and is grateful for all of the support he's received this week amid the news of the scandal ... but he added the Blackhawks are still trying "to destroy my case in court."
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Amazon Backdoor Job Gets Driver Fired!!! Woman Snuck Outta Truck
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An Amazon driver's now jobless after a video went viral of a woman slipping out the backdoor of his delivery truck ... sparking racy speculation about what she and the driver were doing.
The clip, shot in a Florida neighborhood, shows a woman in a black dress and flip-flops hopping out the rear door. Worth nothing, the Amazon delivery guy's quite the gentleman ... he holds the door open for her.
It's unclear who the woman is, or exactly why she was inside the truck -- but Amazon certainly didn't think it was prime conduct by the driver.
A rep for the company tells us, "This does not reflect the high standards we have for our Delivery Service Partners and their drivers. Allowing unauthorized passengers to enter delivery vehicles is a violation of Amazon policy, and the driver is no longer delivering packages to Amazon customers.”
We've tried to get in touch with the driver to get his side of the story but so far, no luck. Probably busy making a delivery ... of some sort.
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Kevin Hart Ex-Pal's Final Charge Dropped In Sex Tape Scandal
Kevin Hart's finally putting his old sex tape scandal totally in his rearview mirror ... now that his former friend, J.T. Jackson, has been cleared of all criminal wrongdoing in the case.
Kevin posted a video announcing the good news for Jackson, saying he couldn't speak about the case previously because the legal process was still playing out. He admits, "I'm happy that that chapter in my life is over. I'm happy that we're able to put a period on that sentence."
It's a big win for Jackson, who Kevin once believed had tried to extort him over the 2017 video recorded in a Las Vegas hotel room. Jackson had been hit with 4 charges -- attempted extortion, attempted concealing and selling stolen property, unauthorized use of personal ID and identity theft.
The first 3 had been dropped, due to insufficient evidence, back in 2019 ... and now the final charge for identity theft has gone the same way.
Kevin says he's putting the whole mess behind him and moving on, and we're sure Jackson's happy to be able to do the same.
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Small Dong March End Small Penis Shame!!!
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There's a movement to end the shame cast down upon those with small penises ... and it's getting bigger.
Los Angeles played host to the "Small Dong March" ... with throngs of folks taking to the streets to try and end the stigma around tiny members.
As you can see, people busted out a bunch of funny signs to make their point ... so click through the gallery to see some of the more creative cracks.
The Small Dong March is the brainchild of YouTube stars Chad and JT ... the surfer bros famous for pitching the San Clemente City Council on a 12-foot-tall Paul Walker statue.
Not everyone in the march was there because they had a small dong ... despite some of the chants you can hear on video echoing down the streets.
We're told attendees did not have to pack a small penis themselves, they could just be an ally.
The Small Dong March is the latest step in the crusade to end small penis shaming ... the organizers previously hosted a small dong art show.
No word what's next, and it might take a big effort to change hearts and minds ... but ya gotta start small.