The Kardashians

Amerie was jokingly compared to a Kardashian sister -- and despite the obvious playful intent ... the internet is NOT playing when it comes to this side-by-side.

A tweet went viral Saturday, with a user posting Amerie's 2005 music video for her hit single "1 Thing," which was featured on the "Hitch" soundtrack back in the day. His caption is what set all the outrage off, writing ... "Kourtney Kardashian had the block hot with this hit."

Pretty innocent, right??? Eh, apparently not ... folks were jumping down this dude's throat in fierce defense of Amerie, with a lot of people echoing the same sentiment ... namely, don't do her like that. And, by that, they seem to mean ... don't compare her to a Kardashian.

Of course, you can see what the guy was going for -- because, yes, in this specific video (and perhaps more generally) mid-2000s Amerie does, in fact, bear a passing resemblance to Kourt, especially in some of these shots. You might even call them doppelgangers. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Unclear what all the online hostility is toward the juxtaposition ... but a lot of Twitter users seem to have found this "disrespectful." There may be a race element at play -- Amerie is Black/Korean, while Kourtney is white/Armenian. Plus, the Kardashians have a history of being accused of cultural appropriation -- Black culture, specifically -- so that might be a factor.

And yet, in spite of all the people who took this a little too seriously ... some are taking it in stride and running with the joke -- noting the two ladies have some striking similarities (especially when compared to young Kourtney). So, a mixed bag of reactions, it seems.

At any rate, the one thing people appear to agree on is this ... Amerie was a major trendsetter in her day, and apparently hasn't gotten the attention/notoriety many believe she's due.

She's got four studio albums out, and despite reports in the early 2010s that she was working on a 5th, it never seems to have come to fruition -- and Amerie kinda fell off the music scene after that.

That's not to say she's not doing anything productive these days. Amerie has quite a popular book club that she's started -- this after publishing a NYT bestseller herself -- and she's plugging along with that pretty nicely ... plus, dealing with family life and her kids.

Caitlyn Jenner may have inadvertently sparked more speculation that Kylie Jenner is pregnant ... because she says she just learned one of her kids is expecting.

The California gubernatorial candidate was visiting the The Toy Story in Quincy Thursday when she spilled the beans. Caitlyn was telling the folks there about her 18 grandchildren when she joked she wants 30 ... because it's a nice, round number.

That's when she revealed she just recently found out her 19th grandkid is "in the oven." Caitlyn also revealed she's not very good at math ... because she says that means there's only 10 more to go 'til 30.

Now, to be perfectly clear, this does not mean Kylie's pregnant ... it could be one of Caitlyn's sons who's expecting -- Burt, Brandon or Brody -- or her eldest daughter, Cassandra Marino.

To be fair, it could also be one of the Kardashians -- Kim, Kourtney, Khloe or Rob -- or Kendall Jenner.

As we've reported ... Kourtney says she's not pregnant, but the rumor mill's spinning about Kylie because she's back with Travis Scott and she never showed herself at her birthday party. Plus, she was super secretive about her pregnancy with Stormi ... so fans can't help but speculate.

Here's the official tally of Caitlyn's grandchildren -- 4 from Kim, 3 from Kourtney, 1 each from Rob, Khloe and Kylie, 3 each from Cassandra and Brandon, and 2 from Burt.

The 19th's a mystery for now, though ... stay tuned.

Travis Barker's making the most of his first trip via airplane in 13 years by enjoying his new favorite thing ... getting frisky with Kourtney Kardashian.

The couple's currently on vacation in Cabo, and from the looks of things -- have picked up right where they left off in the States ... with no shortage of PDA.

We're told they were together for a while in the pool at the Las Ventanas al Paraiso resort and making out  ... while enjoying tropical drinks in the agua.

Kourtney and Travis are staying in a very secure spot at the hotel, but they're clearly mingling with other guests in the main pool.

We broke the story ... Barker's trek to Mexico with his girlfriend -- along with Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble -- was his first time flying since the deadly 2008 plane crash that killed 4 people and left him with third-degree burns on 65 percent of his body.

After the crash -- in which the Blink-182 drummer lost 2 of his close friends, Charles "Che" Still and Chris Baker -- he vowed to never fly again ... but recently said he might give it another try.

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson aren't together again ... even though they've been in each other's company a lot lately.

Despite recent reports that have surfaced claiming the exes are back on again -- and that Khloe is "desperate" to make it work, despite repeated instances of cheating -- sources that are actually plugged into the situation tell TMZ ... all of that is a load of baloney.

We're told Khloe and Tristan are not romantically linked whatsoever ... regardless of recent pics of them side by side with True. Just last week, they took their daughter to a movie, and exited together ... looking like a happy fam.

It's not the first time they've been photographed in close proximity since the split -- remember, they both attended True's dance class earlier this year -- and we're told it won't be the last time either ... as they're committed to presenting a united front for True's sake.

Our sources say Mom and Dad are fully aligned as parents, and want True to see her parents maintaining a healthy relationship -- which apparently means semi-frequent joint outings.

Travis Barker had a momentous day ... flying for the first time since the deadly plane crash 13 years ago that killed 4 people and left him with third-degree burns on 65 percent of his body.

Travis and GF Kourtney Kardashian boarded a plane in L.A. Saturday ... and it had to be a terrifying moment for the Blink-182 drummer who had vowed never to fly again after the crash that took the life of 2 close friends, Charles "Che" Still and Chris Baker, along with the 2 pilots. DJ AM survived the crash but died a year later of an overdose.

Travis understandably seemed hesitant ... he and Kourtney, along with Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble, were headed to Cabo, but Travis was an hour late. It's unclear if he was just delayed or had second thoughts, but it must have been gut-wrenching for him.

Years before the 2008 crash, Travis was terrified of flying, and just before getting on the ill-fated jet, he called his dad and said he had a bad feeling about the flight. Although he vowed never to fly again, he recently softened his position and said he might give it another try.

To understand the gravitas ... Travis had multiple surgeries and skin grafts and spent months in a burn unit in tremendous pain. So, getting on a plane again must have been unbelievably emotional and, frankly, scary.

That he did, on Kylie's private jet, and the group left for a vacay in Mexico.

Kim Kardashian's just hit a speed bump as she tries to trademark "SKKN" for her new beauty line ... seems there's another brand claiming they've already locked down the name.

Lawyers for Beauty Concepts LLC fired off a cease and desist letter to KK's legal team, claiming since July 2017 it's provided salon and skin care services under its SKKN+ brand name, owned by Cydnie Lunsford.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ, Beauty Concepts says it also operates a website and social media handles using the same block letters. What's more ... Beauty Concepts claims it applied to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office back in March to register the SKKN+ logo.

The company claims it's invested considerable time, effort and money to develop and market its SKKN+ services over the last 3 years, and Kim's play for the same name would cause confusion in the marketplace.  Them's magic words, because it's the basis on which the Patent and Trademark Office would reject an application.

Kim's attorney, Michael G. Rhodes, tells us, "We certainly appreciate and support small businesses, and our hat is off to Ms. Lunsford. But the question at hand is one of trademark law and we’ve not done anything deserving of legal action by her."

He continues, "We are disappointed that she has chosen to run to the media knowing that we were scheduling a call for tomorrow, requested by her attorney. So while disagreeing with the letter, we’re hopeful that we can smooth things over once both sides speak.”

In the legal letter, Beauty Concepts says Kim's trademark application for "SKKN" is a ripoff of their innovative moniker and simply adding "By Kim" does little to differentiate the brands.

What's more ... Beauty Concepts says it has used the SKKN+ name for 3 years before Kim's company applied for its trademark.

As we've reported ... in addition to filing for the trademark, SKKN.com and @SKKN social media handles were all locked down by Kim's team in December 2020 ... indicating this had been in the works for a while.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are going through a divorce, but they're still celebrating each other's milestones as a family ... including the release of his 10th studio album.

Kim and all 4 of their kids -- North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm -- are part of the large crowd Thursday night at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium to enjoy a listening event for Kanye's highly anticipated "Donda" album ... named after his late mother.

One thing is very clear, even though they're not together anymore, the former couple believes it's important to continue supporting one another in their lives and careers.

Along with Kim and the kiddos, Khloe's also in tow to show her support for Ye ... who she recently called her "brother for life."

As we reported ... the first sample we got from "Donda" came via a Beats by Dre commercial this week, featuring his track "No Child Left Behind" and track star Sha'Carri Richardson.

Kanye's 10th album is his first since going gospel in 2019 with "Jesus Is King" ... but it's expected to continue to have a religious theme. For his listening party, he gifted 5,000 tickets to faculty, staff and students from some Atlanta HBCUs.

Kim Kardashian West could be signaling a new identity for KKW Beauty ... because it looks like she's getting ready to launch a new beauty line with a new name.

Kim’s company filed trademark docs to lock up the rights to “SKKN” — which looks like a new beauty line she presumably plans to launch. The "KK" in the middle is likely a reference to Kim's initials.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, KK wants to slap the name on products for hair care, makeup, skin care, nails and other products in the beauty world. We're told the trademark wasn't just filed in the US, but globally as well.

What's more -- we've learned SKKN.com and @SKKN social media handles were all locked down by Kim's team in December 2020 -- so clearly, the project has been in the works for a long time.

As we reported ... Kim recently announced her KKW Beauty brand would be getting a major facelift, and the "SKKN" trademark appears to be the brand's next step. There was speculation Kim was dropping the KKW name to distance herself from Kanye West, but we're told she's not changing her legal name ... and Kanye actually assisted with the rebranding and the new packaging that'll come with it.

As we first told you back in April, Kim filed docs to lock up the rights to "SKKN BY KIM" ... so this latest filing makes it look like Kim and her team want to trim the branding down to just “SKKN."

Kim's shapewear line SKIMS has been incredibly successful, without having to include her full name in the branding, so the transition to SKKN makes a lot of sense.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker had the Internet buzzing with engagement rumors after their recent weekend together in Las Vegas ... but it just ain't so.

The couple took in Conor McGregor's gnarly loss to Dustin Poirier last weekend, where they made out ringside, but it's what happened back at their hotel that had people talking. Travis' daughter, Alabama, posted a "So happy for you guys" photo of Trav and Kourt smiling -- and fans assumed the best, the couple was engaged to be married.

However, we've spoken to multiple sources close to the couple who all tell us the same thing -- Travis and Kourtney are a happy couple, but he didn't put a ring on it. Yet.

As for why Alabama posted the pic? She's happy to see her dad happy.

Kourtney helped to add to the engagement buzz when she posted a photo Thursday of herself with a ring on ... though it was on her right hand, it certainly looked like the engagement type.

Travis and Kourtney's relationship has really taken off in the last few months ... we've seen them at Disneyland, in the studio and road tripping through CA and beyond.

Kanye West and Irina Shayk are very much in a relationship despite reports to the contrary, and rumors she turned down an overseas trip with him are nonsense ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the couple tell us they're still dating, just as they have been for months, and recently spent the Fourth of July weekend together in San Francisco -- and not in hiding either. We're told the couple dined out together at the fancy restaurant, Mourad.

Afterward, Kanye took off to Paris for the Balenciaga show during Fashion Week. Page Six reported he wanted Irina to go with him but she declined -- however, our sources say that's not true. We're told Ye hadn't invited her because it was a quick business trip, he flew in and out of Paris the same day.

The Irina-free trip sparked speculation their relationship was "cooling off" -- but we're told things are as hot as ever.

As we first told you ... the musician and supermodel have been together for months, though word of their relationship didn't break until after they hung out in France for his 44th birthday, and hopped on a private jet back to the States together.

Kim Kardashian just landed the big one -- in modeling, at least -- for her shapewear line, and TMZ's learned she took matters into her own hands to make it happen.

If you haven't heard ... Kate Moss, one of fashion's biggest names for decades, is the new face of SKIMS this summer. The news is a major deal because she doesn't normally do campaigns like this ... not even for Victoria's Secret.

Sources close to Kim's company tell us ... the boss lady reached out directly to Kate, because she's always considered her THE fashion icon and it's been Kim's dream to work with her.

Fortunately, as Kim herself tweeted, they've had a good rapport since meeting in 2014 and becoming friends ... and Kate said yes to her SKIMS pitch.

We're told Moss shot the campaign a few weeks ago in London, just before the gal pals were spotted on the Pope's turf in Vatican City.

Lamar Odom's thirsty comment on Khloe Kardashian's bikini pic on Instagram wasn't a shot at her baby daddy, Tristan Thompson ... it was LO shooting his shot with his ex-wife.

Sources close to Lamar tell TMZ ... he wants to rekindle what he once had with Khloe and he thought Friday's comment on Khloe's IG post was a perfect time to get her attention, seeing as she's not with Tristan anymore.

As you know ... Lamar left a "hottie" comment on Khloe's outdoor shower pic, which drew Tristan's ire and a seemingly threatening response to Lamar.

We're told Lamar wasn't trying to be disrespectful, he just figured it was fine to shoot his shot because Khloe and TT are broken up again ... after new allegations he was cheating.

Lamar and Khloe were married from 2009 to 2016 ... and our sources say he thinks Tristan is fumbling the bag with Khloe. Quite frankly, we're told LO wanted to see where his comment might lead the exes.

That Girl Lay Lay -- a 14-year-old rapper who just landed her own Nickelodeon series -- is calling out Kim Kardashian for allegedly demanding she take down a music video ... but sources close to Kim and Kanye are questioning the motives behind the project from the beginning.

Here's the backstory ... TGLL shared a music vid that shows Kim's then 6-year-old daughter, North West, hanging out inside Kim and Kanye's home during a playdate while the young rapper lays down one of her tracks.

Shortly afterward, Lay Lay claimed Kim texted her demanding she take down the vid, and she had no idea why. However, it was Tracy Romulus, Kim's friend and the CMO of KKW Brands who was the one who actually sent the text ... and it wasn't to Lay Lay, it was sent to her dad.

A rep for the rapper tells TMZ ... Lay Lay feels hurt, and wants Kim to let her repost the vid because she doesn't think there's any good reason to take it down.

However, a source close to Kim and Kanye say they never gave permission for their 6-year-old to be featured in the music video, and believe Lay Lay's team used the old footage of North for publicity.

The source continues, "Lay Lay’s dad refuses to release the music video without footage of North because he is clearly trying to use her image as a source of publicity which is why North’s parents have an issue to begin with. It’s a matter of principle at this point and the answer is still no. He cannot use footage that was filmed of North taken inside her home during what should have been an innocent child’s play date for commercial purposes.”

We're told Lay Lay's father asked Kim and Kanye months ago for permission to use the footage of North, but hadn't heard back by July ... so he decided to post it, thinking it would be no biggie because they had approved another video in the past. Our Kim and Kanye source claims they never received any sort of communication asking for permission.

For context, the video was shot in March 2020 ... when Kim was taking some heat for not crediting another young artist, ZaZa, when North performed one of her songs at Paris Fashion Week. We're told Lay Lay now believes Kim only set up that first meeting, and subsequent TikTok as damage control for what happened with ZaZa.

Our Kim and Kanye source says that couldn't be further from the truth, and say they set up a playdate with Lay Lay after her dad reached out because North was a fan.

Tristan Thompson appears to have beef with Lamar Odom ... and Khloe Kardashian is smack in the middle of things.

Here's the deal ... Khloe posted an Instagram photo Friday showing her taking an outdoor shower in a skimpy bikini, and Lamar complimented her in the comments, telling her she's a "hottie" ... a response Tristan's not taking kindly.

Tristan tagged Lamar in the comments and then seemed to loft a threat his way, writing ... "@lamarodom God brought you back the first time. Play if you want, different results 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️"

The comment is obviously referring to Lamar's infamous 2015 drug overdose at a Nevada brothel, which nearly killed the former NBA stud.

As you know ... Tristan's got a child with Khloe, but she's got a long history with Lamar. Khloe and Odom were married from 2009 to 2016 and they had their own reality show, "Khloe & Lamar."

Tristan and Khloe recently called it quits (again) after allegations of cheating (again) ... but he wished her happy birthday last month on his IG and often comments on her posts.

Kim Kardashian's undergarment line, SKIMS, will be officially repping the U.S. on the biggest stage ... as the gear American athletes will rock in their downtime.

The big news came out Monday when Kim posted photos of Olympians already decked out in SKIMS-inspired products with "Team USA" emblazoned across the front and sides. She has quite a story about how this came about, too.

Kim first discussed her ties to the Olympics, and how she grew up with the games as a big part of her life -- thanks, in large part, to her stepdad, Caitlyn Jenner, who used to compete (and win) when she was growing up. So, in other words ... she already has an Olympic pedigree.

Of the deal itself, she writes, "When I received the call inviting Skims to be a part of @TeamUSA, every moment I’ve spent admiring the strength and energy of the Olympians from the sidelines came full circle" -- going on to explain SKIMS will design the underwear, loungewear and pajamas worn during the Tokyo Games ... which is huge, obviously.

Kim also shouted out the athletes who posed for this campaign ... including Alex Morgan, Dalilah Muhammad, A'ja Wilson, Scout Bassett, Haley Anderson and others.

Tristan Thompson might not be with Khloe Kardashian romantically anymore, but he's still got a lot of love for her -- which you can see in a public birthday message he sent Khloe's way.

The Boston Celtics star posted a touching tribute to his baby mama Sunday -- Khloe's 37th birthday, no less -- which was accompanied with intimate photos of them and their daughter, True, wishing her well and also thanking her for being an incredible mother, pal and more.

TT writes, "Happy birthday @khloekardashian Thank you for being not just an amazing partner, mommy and best friend but also being the kindest, caring and most loving human being I've ever met."

He goes on ... "Your love and spirit is contagious to all who've met you. Thank you for always being there for me and putting our family first. I love you so much. Have an amazing day. ❤️❤️"

It's a very sweet gesture, and it doesn't appear he cares about the backdrop of things either -- namely, the fact they just called it quits (again) after allegations of cheating (again).

It all ties back to a woman named Sydney Chase, who claimed to have had sex with Tristan not too long after he officially reunited with Khloe. He seems to have denied that -- among other cheating/paternity claims that are also floating out there -- but the scandal, apparently, proved to be too much for Khloe.

Of course, they continue to co-parent ... and still seem to care for each other. Or, at least Tristan does, anyway -- Khloe hasn't commented much on the breakup since it went down.