Twitter

It's happening (or so it seems) ... Kanye West is running for President, and he says he's doing it sooner than later -- as in RIGHT NOW!!! At least that's how it sounds, anyway.

Ye made the announcement out of nowhere Saturday on Twitter, saying ... "We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020Vision"

Funny enough, he immediately got the support of one the biggest names in tech -- one Elon Musk, who replied, "You have my full support!" Interestingly, the two of them had just hung out a few days prior to Kanye's declaration ... and they seem like total besties.

Now, back to politics for a sec. It's not completely crazy that Kanye is announcing this bid for the White House -- he's publicly toyed with the idea several times in the past ... perhaps most notably at the 2015 MTV VMAs. Hell, folks thought he'd run in 2016.

Of course, since then ... Kanye has dipped his toe in and out of politics and political talk to much criticism -- and in some cases, to praise. Just depends on who you talked to. And yes, the guy's voiced his support for President Trump many times over since 2016.

If he's serious here -- and it's hard to tell if he is or not -- it would appear he's willing to go head to head with DT in a general election. We should note though, KW has NOT filed to run this year with the FEC, which is a requirement for anyone getting into the race.

Barstool Sports honcho Dave Portnoy is apologizing for his past on-camera usage of the n-word ... and he's now vowing to do better going forward.

"I should have had [my employees'] back from the beginning and been like, 'Yup, I wish I didn't f**king say that sh*t,'" Portnoy said in a video Thursday. "I'm sorry I said it. I'm sorry it offended people."

"I was just trying to be f**king funny."

Clips from around four years ago surfaced of Portnoy this past week ... showing the Barstool Sports founder saying and rapping the n-word on company-produced content videos.

In another one of the resurfaced clips, Portnoy also made insensitive comments about Colin Kaepernick ... saying the 49ers QB looked like an "ISIS guy," and adding, "throw a head wrap on this guy and he's a terrorist."

The unearthed footage was immediately met with backlash ... with critics calling for sponsors to drop partnerships with Barstool ASAP.

Initially, Portnoy defended the remarks ... saying he was "uncancellable." But after he says he spoke with his employees, the 43-year-old decided to issue a mea culpa.

"I can't apologize for my existence, but I can be better," Portnoy said. "And, I'm going to be better for [my employees]."

Portnoy says he'll lean on the diversity of his staff to make sure situations don't arise like this again in the future ... adding, "To all the guys that work for me, I want you to know I have your back."

Christion Jones -- an ex-Univ. of Alabama WR -- is now jobless ... he was cut by the Edmonton Eskimos over the weekend, and the team says it's all because of the guy's homophobic tweets.

The 27-year-old fired off intolerant words on social media on Saturday, writing in one, "Man ain't suppose to be with a man. A women is not suppose to be with another women."

Jones doubled down several times on the comments after he faced backlash ... but when word of his tweets reached his employers -- he was quickly fired.

The Eskimos -- who traded for Jones during the 2019 season -- said, "We stand by the LGBTQ+ community and firmly condemn the language used by Christion Jones."

They added, "There is no place for such commentary on our team. Jones has been released from the roster."

The CFL itself also blasted Jones ... saying in a statement of its own, "There is no place in our league for commentary that disparages people on the basis of their religion, race, gender or sexual orientation."

"As Pride Month continues, we stand with the LGBTQ+ community. We all need to say no to hate and yes to love."

For his part, Jones -- after hours of defending his initial comments and swearing he wouldn't apologize -- did end up saying he was sorry for the insensitive comments.

"My words were deeply hurtful, painful and served zero purpose," Jones said. "I added to the struggle of a community, to live a life free of oppression of any kind. I sincerely apologize. I was wrong."

Well, Donald Trump loves his white supremacists, because he just gave his stamp of approval on a protest where one of his loudest supporters is screaming "white power."

It's a bizarre demonstration/counter-demonstration ... a line of golf carts traversed streets around Sumter County, Florida with Trump supporters, as Trump protesters lined the streets.

You hear demonstrators, mostly seniors, boil over in anger ... there's no physical contact, but it's intense.

True-to-form Trump retweeted the video, saying, "Thank you to the great people of The Villages. The Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall. Corrupt Joe is shot. See you soon!!"

Panic! at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie is not having it after one of his songs was played at President Trump's rallies ... and he's telling the campaign to kick rocks.

Brendon went off on the Prez and his campaign after one of his most famous tracks -- the 2018 hit "High Hopes" -- was used at Trump's campaign rally Tuesday in Phoenix. Brendon quickly took to Twitter to unleash on the campaign before lashing out at Trump personally ... labeling him a "monster" who "represents nothing we stand for."

In a follow-up tweet ... Brendon added a link to the nonpartisan org HeadCount, which uses "the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy." The org's mission is to reach young people and music fans and inform them and empower them.

The song was also famously used by Mayor Pete Buttigieg during his run for president. BTW, this isn't the first time Brendon's spoken out against Trump. Back in 2018, Brendon didn't mince words when he told a British magazine Trump is "a f***ing asshole" who is "encroaching on people's rights."

Brendon's just the latest artist to tell Trump's campaign to stop playing their music. Most recently, Tom Petty's family members asked the campaign to stop playing "I Won't Back Down" after it was played at his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Dolphins top draft pick Tua Tagovailoa is quickly learning the perks of being an NFL superstar -- 'cause the QB just got noticed by his celebrity crush, Shania Twain!!!

The rookie was doing a rapid-fire Q&A with the team when he was asked a bunch of questions ... and Tua made sure to mention he LOVES Shania's music, calling it his "guilty pleasure."

But, the 22-year-old's obsession goes far beyond Twain's hits -- he revealed the country singer is his celebrity crush ... and even asked for a personal shoutout.

"Shania, if you watch this ... from this moment on, please message me back!!" Tua said.

Thanks to the powers of social media, 54-year-old Twain caught wind of Tua's big crush ... and hit him back with a flirty tweet!!

"Guilty pleasure?! You should be proud of your good taste @Tua" ... while adding a kiss emoji.

A KISS EMOJI!!!

Tua -- who has proven what he can do under pressure -- hit Shania back with the perfect response by referencing one of her songs ... saying, "'You’re still the one' @ShaniaTwain."

One of the 4 ex-cops charged in the brutal killing of George Floyd was confronted by an angry shopper who bristled when he told her he was sorry she felt the way she did.

J. Alexander Kueng was shopping at Cub Foods in Plymouth, Minnesota Saturday when a woman spotted him. Kueng was captured on video standing by as Derek Chauvin mercilessly put his knee on George Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Kueng acknowledged who he was as the woman recorded him, and when he told her he was sorry she was feeling the way she was ... she was more than eager to display her feelings.

Chris D'Elia is breaking his silence after multiple anonymous online claims from women accusing the comedian of getting flirty with women who were allegedly underage at the time.

The comedian tells TMZ ... "I know I have said and done things that might have offended people during my career, but I have never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point." Chris goes on to say, "All of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me."

He finishes by saying, "That being said, I really am truly sorry. I was a dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let myself get caught up in my lifestyle. That’s MY fault. I own it. I’ve been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better."

Chris started trending on Twitter Tuesday night after a woman named Simone Rossi started a thread showing alleged texts/emails between her and Chris from a few years ago, when she says she was only 16.

Several other anonymous allegations followed Rossi's post from women alleging Chris had solicited photos and/or sex from them. While most claim they were just younger than D'Elia ... some, like Rossi, claim they were underage.

Browns superstar Myles Garrett just came through big time for a man who was permanently injured during the Black Lives Matter protests in Cleveland ... personally reaching out and helping raise money for his recovery.

24-year-old John Sanders was taking pictures of the protests in Downtown CLE on May 30 ... when he was shot in the eye with a beanbag.

Sanders lost his left eye and suffered other facial injuries as a result ... and a GoFundMe has been set up to help him with hospital bills and other expenses.

Word got to Myles, who called upon his 210k Twitter followers to help out by donating to Sanders' campaign.

Not only did Garrett spread the word ... he personally hit up Sanders to lift his spirits and share some encouragement.

"He was just texting me about how badly he felt about what happened and how he wanted to make a difference in any way he could," Sanders tells TMZ Sports.

Sanders tells us the GoFundMe donations DOUBLED in the days following Garrett's tweet ... with more than $17,300 raised so far.

"It's wild," Sanders tells us. "I mean, the whole thing -- from being such an extreme living example of police brutality and lack of training to actually having someone in the NFL that is not only probably the best player at their position, but also someone I've held in high regards actually reach out to me -- is really overwhelming.

"To help me? Never happens to me. I'm overly thankful."

"Vanderpump Rules" producers saw the writing on the wall for Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni when their racist tweets first resurfaced, and immediately started phasing them out ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to 'VP' production tell us ... season 8 was already shot, in the can and about to premiere in January when rookie cast members Max and Brett's old tweets were exposed. So, behind the scenes, producers started re-editing episodes in order to reduce their precious airtime.

We're told portions of their footage were switched up or even left on the cutting room floor. Ditto for their confessional interviews.

Our sources say because of the 2011 and 2012 tweets -- in which Brett and Max both used the n-word -- 'VP' producers knew they wouldn't be back for a second season. We're told production found the tweets "inexcusable."

As we reported ... Bravo recently fired the guys, along with 'Pump' OGs Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute, for their past racist behavior.

Lisa Vanderpump took some heat for allowing Max and Brett to continue on her staff long after learning of their tweets, but said she forgave them for their actions years ago. Plus, she had to wait for Bravo to make the final call.

The "Vanderpump Rules" cast just got leaner ... Bravo is booting 4 of its leads over past racism that recently resurfaced, and 2 of the fired stars were there from the very beginning.

The network that airs 'VR' dropped the hammer Tuesday -- announcing Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni would not be returning for any future seasons, citing inexcusable racist comments and behavior that have come to light.

Stay with us, this is a doozy. Long story short, a former costar of theirs named Faith Stowers -- one of the only black women to ever appear on 'VR' -- recently recounted her time on the series, bringing up a story about how Stassi and Kristen once called the cops on her.

She says they lied to police, saying Faith fit the description of another woman who was robbing men in L.A. in 2018 -- and the 2 of 'em even copped to doing it. Luckily, nothing ever came of it for Faith, but no one really knew about this until last week ... when she spilled the tea.

Fast-forward to now ... and Stassi and Kristen have been on an apology tour that's proving to be too little, too late. Not only were they fired, but they lost a lot of outside business deals and endorsements as well ... and their publicists quit too.

Stassi and Kristen were series regulars since the launch of 'VR' in 2013.

As for the guys ... people online dug up a bunch of old racially insensitive tweets between them. They were rookies this past season, and were supposedly hated among the fan base. So, no love lost there!

Now, if you're wondering what Lisa Vanderpump had to say about this ... she half addressed the scandal, as it relates to the fellas, on the reunion episode last week, saying she kept them on her restaurant staff -- after knowing about their tweets -- because, well, we've all made mistakes.

Hartley Sawyer just lost his TV job in a flash, after a collection of tweets in which he made racist comments and joked about sexually assaulting women surfaced this past week.

The actor -- who played Ralph Dibny, AKA Elongated Man on "The Flash" for the past 3 seasons -- has been fired by the show over the years-old tweets, which included racist and misogynist language in what appears to a be a poor attempt at humor.

Sawyer's Twitter account has been deleted, but his old tweets began to circulate at the end of May. In one from 2012, Sawyer says ... "The only thing stopping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me."

In another from 2014, he tweets ... "Out at dinner and just exposed myself as a racist, AGAIN."

Many of his former tweets seem to also center around sexual assault and violence toward women, including this in 2012 -- "If I had a wife I would beat the hell out of her tonight lol."

A few more horrific examples, "Ice Breakers: all women should be in sex farms" and "Outside of the 7-11 where I assaulted my ex-girlfriend lol."

This gem, from 2014, had to make his coworkers feel great ... "Enjoyed a secret boob viewing at an audition today."

You get the point ... he HAD to go. The CW and the production companies for the series say they've parted ways with Sawyer for season 7, saying ... "we do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation. Such remarks are antithetical to our values and polices, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce."

Hartley's issued an apology, saying ... "My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, were hurtful, and unacceptable. I am ashamed I was capable of these really horrible attempts to get attention at that time. I regret them deeply." He added, "I am incredibly sorry, ashamed and disappointed in myself for my ignorance back then."

President Trump vs. Roger Goodell??!

It's not a full-blown war (yet) -- but POTUS is clearly not happy with the NFL Commish for admitting the league was "wrong" in how it handled kneelers in the past.

Remember, Goodell issued a video statement on Friday saying ... "We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest."

Fast-forward to Sunday night ... when Trump weighed in on Twitter.

"Could it be even remotely possible that in Roger Goodell’s rather interesting statement of peace and reconciliation, he was intimating that it would now be O.K. for the players to KNEEL, or not to stand, for the National Anthem, thereby disrespecting our Country & our Flag?"

The President has been highly critical of Colin Kaepernick -- and other kneelers -- over the years.

Back in 2017, he called for NFL owners to fire any player who didn't stand for the National Anthem.

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'get that son of a bitch off the field now. Out. Out. He's fired!'"

So, how will Goodell react to Trump's new statement? The world is watching ...

If Conor McGregor were a rapper this would be his biggest hit song, "I'm retired" -- a track he's already dropped twice, but is now releasing for a 3rd time.

Conor tweeted his alleged retirement late Saturday, saying ... “Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting,” and added, "Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been!”

This retirement announcement -- his 3rd in just 4 years -- came with a pic of Conor and his mom, and a note about buying her a house ... despite the fact he already pimped out his mother's crib in 2017.

Nice emotional touches that make ya think, maybe he means it this time???

Well, consider the fact he tweeted right after UFC 250 had wrapped Saturday night in Vegas -- a time when Conor, no doubt, knew people were talking about when he'd get back in the Octagon. UFC Prez Dana White had already said Conor would get the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje's summer fight.

Remember, Conor previously retired in 2016 and 2019, but always came back for bigger and bigger paydays -- but this time he told ESPN he really REALLY means it because, "The game just does not excite me."

No one actually believes Conor. Especially with the maniacal way he's talked about a rematch with Khabib ever since he lost back in 2018. He also recently threatened to kill Justin Gaethje when they finally clash.

Still, Dana's heard the retirement talk all before and totally took it in stride after UFC 250, saying ... “If Conor McGregor feels he wants to retire, you know my feelings about retirement. You should absolutely do it. And I love Conor. There’s a handful of people that have made this really fun for me, and he’s one of them.”

Soooo ... see ya in September, Conor?

Twitter's CEO is making a massive contribution to Colin Kaepernick's cause -- dedicating millions to the QB's fund to pay legal costs for protesters who get arrested while fighting for justice for George Floyd.

Jack Dorsey announced the donation Wednesday on his own platform, saying he's putting up $3 million of his own money into a new fund he calls Start Small, LLC ... aimed at Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp.

JD says the dough will "advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization to elevate the next generation of change leaders."

As we reported ... just last week, Kap's Know Your Rights Camp started a "legal defense initiative" to cover mounting legal bills for the "freedom fighters" on the ground in Minnesota, where George was killed, and it's since expanded nationally.

Colin said he's already amassed a top-notch team of defense attorneys to help out, but they've been asking for donations from supporters on the outside.

Well, Jack has answered the call with a HUGE 7-figure donation ... and you know Team Kap is happy.

As we previously reported ... The Weeknd has also donated $200,000 to Kaepernick's initiative.

Jack's pledge continues a string of donations to noble causes ... he previously donated $1 BILLION to COVID-19 relief, and joined forces with Rihanna for a $4.2 million grant for domestic abuse victims in Los Angeles.