Twitter

Whitney Cummings says she's joining OnlyFans to tell dirty jokes, free from the backlash and controversy swirling on other social media sites ... and she's ripping Elon Musk's app.

We got Whitney at LAX and asked why she decided to hitch her wagon to OF, where she's producing a new show about comedy roasts.

Whitney sees OnlyFans as the future for comedians looking for a safe space to tell jokes ... seeing it as an alternative to places like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, explaining how comedians are dragged when jokes push boundaries.

The way Whitney sees it, the audience at OnlyFans is already used to the taboo -- the site is infamous for offering subscriptions to models selling nude content -- whereas places like Twitter are littered with "dorks" and "snitches" who want to report humor as hate speech.

Whitney's planning to charge about $10 a month for her OnlyFans page, where she will experiment with material she says may be too explicit for someone scrolling the timeline at lunch ... and she's already got jokes about potential nudes making their way to her page too.

Elon Musk is postponing his plan to charge Twitter users a $7.99 monthly subscription fee -- just one day after announcing the move ... and it's all because of the midterms.

Citing an internal Twitter memo, the New York Times reported Musk was putting his policy on hold -- for now -- over concerns his verification service would cause the spread of fake news across his social media platform, potentially influencing voters during the midterms.

Twitter employees had made a stink about it, insisting anyone could pay for the blue check subscription fee and create accounts posing as President Biden, members of Congress or news organizations. Scammers could then unleash false information about voting results on the verified accounts, causing distrust among citizens ahead of Tuesday's election.

Over the weekend, Musk introduced his "Twitter Blue" subscription fee to verified users and tried to appeal to other people using a celebrity sales pitch. He promised all subscribers would get a blue checkmark "just like the celebrities." He also mentioned ideas to cut ads and allow for extended videos to be posted on the social media network.

One Twitter worker -- using the internal Slack channel to communicate with fellow employees -- questioned why the company was "making such a risky change before elections, which has the potential of causing election interference."

Twitter management buckled under pressure and decided to kick the subscription fee release date to November 9, one day after the election.

Elon Musk has made good on his promise to charge Twitter users a fee ... and he's now trying to lure other customers with a celebrity sales pitch.

Musk -- who purchased the social media giant for $44 billion last month -- has officially launched Twitter Blue for $7.99 a month to users with verified accounts.

Twitter announced the move Saturday ... and tried to make it appealing to the masses with a reference to star power.

The statement began ... "Get Twitter Blue if you sign up now. Blue checkmark: Power to the people. Your account will get a blue checkmark, just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you follow."

The company then mentioned plans to cut half the ads and make the remaining ones much better. "Since you’re supporting Twitter in the battle against the bots, we’re going to reward you with half the ads and make them twice as relevant.”

It also pledged to allow users to post extended videos and give them priority rankings for quality content in the form of replies, mentions and searches.

Musk is hoping that by charging the monthly user fee he can offset the major losses he's accrued since his massive purchase of Twitter in late October.

Elon insists the San Francisco based-company is hemorrhaging $4 million a day, leading to him firing half the workforce -- or roughly 3,700 employees.

After receiving an ominous email about the pending layoffs, Twitter workers filed a class action lawsuit to try to save their jobs, arguing Musk had given them insufficient notice, which was in violation of federal and California law.

Elon Musk is giving his justification for sending thousands of Twitter employees packing ... he says the bird app was hemorrhaging money.

Papa Elon broke his silence Friday night on the mass layoffs that happened earlier in the day at Twitter, claiming he had no choice but to cut folks loose ... he says the social media service was losing over $4 million a day.

As you know ... Elon recently bought Twitter for a staggering $44 billion, with the help of loans from Wall Street banks and big-time investors, including at least $10 million from Diddy. So he's got to find ways to cut costs.

Elon says the folks who were laid off were offered 3 months of severance pay, which he says is "50% more than legally required."

As we reported ... Twitter lost about half its staff in the cuts, with roughly 3,700 people being let go from the company.

Elon fired off a chilling memo to Twitter's workforce Thursday, informing them layoffs were coming ... and employees fired back with a preemptive lawsuit.

Musk has been on a firing spree since inking the deal to buy Twitter last month ... promptly giving pink slips to a slew of top execs.

Laid off Twitter employees are now sharing their stories on social media ... ironically posting goodbyes on Twitter.

21 Savage doesn't appear on the "Her Loss" album nearly as much as Drake ... but the Slaughter Gang rapper still maximized his greasy talk over the bubbly R&B production.

On the solo track, "3AM on Glenwood" ... 21 borrows the script from Drake's famed "timestamp" series ... where he lyrically floats streams of consciousness in the studio during the middle of the night.

A couple of those streams target YouTuber Charleston White for his infamous altercation with Soulja Boy and Ma$e ... who's been getting dragged all year by Fivio Foreign over an alleged lopsided contract.

21 boldly raps, "See my opps, I jump out and chase them/I ain't Charleston White, n***a, I'll never Mace® them/Love for all my artists, nigga, I'll never Mase them ... Shit, that's probably why they hate him."

The track also features several references to gunplay, such as "spraying witnesses" -- an odd verse for 21 to drop after his viral tweet earlier this year urging ATL residents to put down their guns.

Ironically, he also raps on the track ... "Hope you know you gotta stand on all that s**t you been tweetin'"

Not long after the album was released, a viral tweet calculated 21's involvement on the album ... and it's less than half of Drake's contributions to the project.

Drake got plenty off his chest this go around, after spending his last album mostly crooning over EDM tracks.

Shaq has advice for Kanye West -- get your affairs in order before commenting on his ... after Ye took a shot at O'Neal on social media.

The interaction started when Kanye tweeted ... "Shaq is in business with Jamie Salter. Jaimie first said he's 50/50 with David Beckham and 50/50 with Shaq. I said "Jamie . . . There’s no such thing as 50/50 in business . . . Who has the extra 1 percent for the control and voting rights."

Ye continued ... "Jamie then said he's actually got the 51 percent on both those deals   We as the creators and talent get so caught up in our vanity that we don’t read or understand the fine print  Like Dave Chapelle said, we need to stop giving up control over our own names and our likeness."

Jamie Salter is a Canadian billionaire ... and his company, Authentic Brands Group manages Shaq's name and likeness. Jamie previously said ABG bought 50% of Shaq's future earnings. The company also owns more than 50 brands, many very large. O'Neal is one of the company's largest shareholders.

The tweet didn't sit well with Shaq, who responded to Kanye, writing, "Believe me you don't know me like that. Worry about your business, and to quote the once great Kanye west " I got more money than you, so why would i listen to you" take my advice get your family business in order. Have a great day brother."

It all seemingly started when Shaq (and Charles Barkley) ripped Kyrie Irving for publicizing the controversial film, "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!" Shaq said the NBA superstar was "not conscious" and didn't care who he offended.

Naturally, West took issue with Shaq's criticism of Irving, writing on Twitter, "They make us bully ourselves because of our business alignments."

Ye has evidently taken a liking to 30-year-old Kyrie ... showing support for the Nets hooper by posting a photo of him on social media.

Both men have been accused of being antisemitic.

Diddy played a secret role in Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter ... we've learned he was among the investors who helped Elon buy the bird app.

Sources close to Diddy tell TMZ ... the music and fashion mogul invested north of $10 million for the social media service.

Remember ... Elon bought Twitter last month for $44 billion ... with the help of wealthy investors and loans from Wall Street banks. Some of those investors reportedly include Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.

As for Diddy's 8-figure investment, we're told his strategy always revolves around having a seat at the table to represent.

Our sources say Diddy and the rest of Elon's Twitter investors believe in Elon's vision for the bird app. As for what that vision is ... our sources are mum.

Diddy and Elon have been rubbing elbows a lot this year ... they both sat in the front row of Dave Chappelle's show back in May at the Hollywood Bowl ... the show where an attacker ran on stage and assaulted Dave.

Diddy and Elon were among the celebs hanging out at Kanye West's Donda 2 experience back in February, along with French Montana and Rick Ross.

And in other Diddy business news -- according to The WSJ -- he's supposed to buy cannabis operations in NY and two other states for up to $185 million ... a move that we're told will create the largest black owned company in the world.

Elon Musk is sharpening his knives at Twitter...'cause he's planning to wipe out half the workforce to put the company on the right path, or so he claims ... but employees have fired back with a preemptive lawsuit.

The new Chief Twit, as Musk anointed himself after his $44 billion purchase of the social media giant, fired off a chilling memo to his 7,500 employees Thursday.

The email -- which was only signed "Twitter" -- informed workers to stay away from all offices Friday as Musk begins to clean house, the New York Times reported. An exact head count was not provided in the email, but the NYT says half the staff is set to be fired.

The email leaves no doubt ... "In an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path, we will go through the difficult process of reducing our global workforce. We recognize that this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions to Twitter, but this action is unfortunately necessary to ensure the company’s success moving forward."

Twitter staffers read the tea leaves and filed a class action lawsuit late Thursday, asking a judge to declare any firings now would be in violation of California and federal law, in part because there was insufficient notice.

After receiving the ominous note, employees took to Slack -- the company's internal messaging service -- posting heart and salute emojis. Some workers were cut off from the internal computer system -- a sign their heads were on the chopping block.

Musk has already gone on a mini-firing spree after inking the deal to buy San Francisco-based company Oct. 27. As we reported, the world's richest man promptly gave walking papers to several top Twitter executives, including former CEO Parag Agrawal. Since then, Musk has reportedly chosen 50 engineers from his other businesses to pore over layoff lists of Twitter employees.

All sounds pretty ugly. Good luck.

Elon Musk got into a big 'ol Twitter fight with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, trading jabs over the billionaire's intent to charge verified users a fee to maintain their status on the social media platform.

Musk -- Twitter's new owner -- announced this week he would implement a policy charging an $8 monthly fee for users to keep their blue check badges to prove their accounts are authentic. He originally set the price at $20, but then lowered it. It's unclear when he plans to make the $8 fee official.

This didn't sit well with many critics and AOC, who sent out a flurry of Tweets Tuesday/Wednesday, giving Musk a piece of her mind.

"Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that 'free speech' is actually a $8/mo subscription plan," the New York congresswoman tweeted.

AOC followed up with another zinger ... "One guy's business plan for a $44 billion over-leveraged purchase is apparently to run around and individually ask people for $8. Remember that next time you question yourself or your qualifications."

She even complained that her Twitter notifications weren't working properly.

Musk then got into it with her. The Tesla/SpaceX boss tweeted a photo of an AOC sweatshirt selling on her website for $58, seemingly defending his $8 subscription fee by showing she, too, is trying to monetize her business.

But, the Democratic lawmaker wasn't having it, tweeting ... "My workers are union, make a living wage, have full healthcare, and aren’t subject to racist treatment in their workplaces. Items are made in USA."

Musk fired back ... "Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8." AOC landed the last punch, though, declaring she had "gotten under a certain billionaire's skin" next to a laughing emoji.

Gucci Mane and his newly signed artist Baby Racks have parted ways ... which wouldn't be all that shocking -- if the rookie rapper wasn't under contract for only 24 hours.

La Flare laid down the stern A&R hand Wednesday, making the grand announcement to his 9.4 million Twitter followers he had dropped Baby Racks from his 1017 Records imprint.

Unlike what Baby Racks' IG account suggests, Atlantic Records also tells TMZ Hip Hop ... the rapper isn't signed to their label either.

Gucci previously introduced Baby Racks in October and the 2 went straight to work ... releasing their collab "Look Ma I Did It,” which is produced by HonchoDenaro7.

The song got Baby Racks hot on Spotify with over 1 million monthly listeners, and he wasted no time turning his IG into a Gucci Mane shrine ... even adding 1017 to his handle, which will probably need adjusting now.

Heidi Klum's annual party brought out all the big celebs, but none were more in the spotlight than Elon Musk ... who had everyone seeing red.

The new Twitter chief showed up Monday night to the Moxy Hotel in NYC, where Klum was hosting her 21st annual gala of getups. He was dressed as some sort of warrior with pretty intricate crimson armor.

His mom was there too ... Maye Musk showed up at one point near Elon, dressed in goth-themed garb. A lot of eyes were on them, without a doubt -- the Twitter buy-out is top of mind these days, and EM's stunts have thrust him to the front of many conversations.

Anyway, the rest of the costumes were pretty sweet too ... including the one worn by the host. She was transformed from head to toe (and even beyond) as a fishing hook worm, with incredible attention to detail ... right down to the ribbing along the body.

Her husband, Tom Kaulitz, was dressed as a fisherman ... and Heidi was his oversized bait. At one point, though, she lost the worm suit and showed off her figure underneath.

Other stars who showed up dressed to impress -- Ice-T and Coco, Heather Graham, Julia Fox, Chloe Kim, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Kim Petras, Questlove and more.

The costumes were certainly impressive ... and cap off a packed weekend that was full of famous monsters and ghouls who did back-to-back-to-back nights in parties -- with Heidi's obviously being the last stop.

Twitter is now on a rollercoaster ride, courtesy of its new owner Elon Musk ... and technology columnist Kevin Roose says the ride could lead to a whole new app within a matter of days.

Kevin joined "TMZ Live" to forecast the bird app's future on the heels of a wild weekend brought on by Musk himself -- his retweeting an unsubstantiated Paul Pelosi conspiracy theory is raising major concerns about how much misinformation he's going to allow.

Political consequences aside, Roose says there could be a lot of financial fallout from Elon's early moves.

He believes Elon's Pelosi tweet signals there will be a constant tug-of-war between Twitter being a free speech forum ... and one that regulates misinformation and hate speech -- and that battle will impact advertising revenue.

Kevin notes ... advertisers generally don't love placement next to toxic content, and after dropping $44 billion for the platform, Elon needs it thrive as a biz.

As for Twitter's employees ... Kevin says big-time layoffs are expected this week, and Elon's already booted all of Twitter's previous executives and board members.

Elon Musk used his new social media platform to perpetuate an unfounded conspiracy theory about the Paul Pelosi attack -- and he did it in response to Hillary Clinton, no less.

The Twitter chief replied to a tweet HC sent Saturday that condemned the attack on the Speaker's husband, while also calling out the extreme rhetoric of some Republicans and pundits ... which she believes is largely responsible for the incident.

Elon chimed in Sunday, saying there may be more to the story than meets the eye ... adding a link to a fringe site that uploaded a salacious article/headline regarding Pelosi and his attacker. It's based on a conspiracy theory that's caught fire in conservative circles.

The theory -- and the unsubstantiated article -- claims Paul's attacker was no stranger ... but rather, that they had a prior relationship and that things went south during a meetup. Again, there's been no evidence to support this claim whatsoever ... and yet, Elon leaned into it.

He has since deleted the incendiary tweet ... but the damage is done, because he's getting slammed left and right for putting out wild rumors -- this as the literal executive of Twitter.

One of the people who are tearing him to shreds over this is Jimmy Kimmel ... who wrote, "it has been interesting, over the years, to watch you blossom from the electric car guy into a fully-formed piece of s*** @elonmusk."

It's worth noting, for the record, that SFPD has characterized this as nothing more than a break-in/assault on Pelosi -- and they even say they witnessed the attacker, David DePape, strike Paul on the head with a hammer before they tackled and arrested him.

As we reported ... Paul made a secret call to 911 while facing off with DePape and spoke in code to the operator to not agitate the guy, while also relaying he was in danger. DePape allegedly asked "Where's Nancy?" several times ... but she wasn't home at the time.

A new report Sunday claims that DePape was also equipped with a bag of zip ties -- so who knows what more could've happened if Paul hadn't alerted the authorities when he did.

Speaker Pelosi, for her part, says her husband is recovering after undergoing surgery ... while also noting she and the rest of their family are traumatized. Reports have surfaced since saying DePape has shared far-right, bigoted conspiracies on his blog ... right up to the attack.

Elon Musk is about to throw down the guillotine at Twitter -- with layoffs expected to be announced soon ... this ahead of a crucial date when employees are due to cash in.

The NYT reports that EM may start getting rid of people as early as Saturday, with some departments due to get slimmed down more than others ... although it's unclear which ones are on the chopping block. It's also unclear how many workers, exactly, he's cutting loose.

What is reportedly happening, however, is Musk tasking managers with creating lists of subordinates they could do without -- and he apparently wants 'em gone before Tuesday.

The reason for that is interesting ... the Times says on Nov. 1, Twitter employees are apparently due to receive stock grants as part of their compensation packages. No word on what those stocks look like or how often they're dished out, but it seems Elon wants to avoid handing out any more than he needs to by trimming the fat before the deadline.

Remember, there were reports this month that Elon was aiming to reduce the Twitter workforce by as much as 75% ... but there's been conflicting accounts since, suggesting he was reconsidering. Twitter has about 7,500 full-time employees that span the globe.

While this is pretty serious news for the staff ... Elon's carrying on like usual, with a lot of deadpan humor. He tweeted Saturday that free speech was back now that people could say carbs are actually good. EM also said comedy is now legal on Twitter again -- and he even poked fun at the Twitter firing hoax last week that took some media outlets for a ride.

He clearly saw the joke in the names ascribed to the fake Twitter employees who pretended to be canned en masse. Now, though, it looks like some real job loss is on the horizon.

Watch out, Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush ... Troy Aikman showed he's still got magic left in his right arm -- knockin' down 12 beer cans with two, pinpoint 20-yard throws!!

The Dallas Cowboys legend hit a field in Texas to complete the feat -- and while he tells TMZ Sports the footage might not be "100 percent" real ... he did say the accuracy he showcased in the vid is legit!!

"That was my strength, you know?" the 55-year-old said with a laugh.

Troy performed the stunt in hopes of igniting a viral craze -- where people think of creative ways to knock down pyramids of EIGHT Beer cans -- that will benefit a great cause.

Aikman dubbed it the "#EIGHTBeerChallenge" -- and he said for every one person who participates in it, films it, and shares it to social media, he and his beer co. will donate $8 to Back On My Feet, an org. created to combat homelessness.

"It gives a chance for some of the homeless people in the community to be empowered," Aikman said, "and to get them back on their feet, being an active participant in society, doing a lot of different things."

Aikman said he's planning on showcasing some of the best vids of the challenge on his social media pages over the coming weeks.

No, Rahul Ligma is NOT among the Twitter employees axed by the bird app's new owner, Elon Musk ... some media outlets were simply duped by 2 men posing as laid off employees.

Two men carrying cardboard boxes appeared Friday outside Twitter HQ in San Francisco, claiming Papa Elon had just laid them off ... and despite some red flags, reporters were quick to run with what they thought was a big story related to Elon's big purchase.

One of the pranksters told reporters, including CNBC's Deidre Bosa, his name was "Rahul Ligma," which most folks versed in Twitter replies would know is a reference to an internet meme.

For the uninitiated -- we're looking at you, Deirde -- Ligma sets up a joke for "Ligma Balls." Lick. My. Balls. In addition to CNBC, Bloomberg ran headlines Friday saying laid off Twitter employees were leaving corporate with boxes in hand.

Another hoax victim was local TV news reporter Suzanne Phan of ABC7 Bay Area, who tweeted video of the media scrum with Mr. Ligma ... who told falsely told reporters he was fired during a Zoom meeting and didn't know where he would work next.

The pranksters littered their interviews with strange pop culture references ... "Ligma" was holding Michelle Obama's book as he exclaimed, "Michelle Obama wouldn’t have happened if Elon Musk owned Twitter."

Britney Spears was also name-dropped ... the pranksters claimed they were worried about the future of democracy and "celebrity conservatorship" with Elon owning Twitter. They also told reporters they drove Tesla cars and didn't know if they would be able to make any more payments.

There was tons of speculation about layoffs as Elon closed the deal ... but in reality, the only Twitter employees being axed, at least so far, are some execs who are going to make a killing off their departures.