'Saved by the Bell' Reboot Selena Gomez Kidney Jokes Fly ... Fans Are Infuriated

UPDATE

2:32 PM PT -- Peacock has apologized for their Selena jokes, saying ... "We apologize. It was never our intention to make light of Selena's health." They added, "We have been in touch with her team and will be making a donation to her charity, The Selena Gomez Fund for Lupus Research at USC."

UPDATE

Selena has yet to speak on the controversy.

Selena Gomez was the butt of a couple of jokes on the 'Saved By The Bell' reboot that many consider in bad taste -- and which even more are raging over.

Mega fans of the pop star found two references to Selena's 2017 kidney transplant in the new Peacock series that just dropped in full this past Wednesday ... and then made "RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ" trend online Saturday as a result of their fury.

The first scene features one of the new characters roaming the hallways of the high school and passing 2 classmates discussing Selena's kidney transplant in an incredibly cavalier manner ... with one girl insisting Justin Bieber's mom was the real donor, while the other girl refutes that by saying it was actually Demi Lovato.

A Selena fan account responded by saying, "Saved by the Bell, that's disgusting. Selena almost lost her life, jokes about her kidney transplant is NOT FUNNY. Respect Selena Gomez." The second Selena dig is more subtle.

There's another scene where a football player is talking to a girl, and right behind him ... there's graffiti or paint on the wall that reads in big bold lettering, "DOES SELENA GOMEZ EVEN HAVE KIDNEYS?" The eagle-eyed fan who spotted this one noted the joke wasn't funny -- and went so far as to call it disgusting.

Here's what we'll say ... the Selena cracks are weird, and definitely cringe-worthy. Also, they're super dated. Selena had her procedure done three full years ago ... so bringing it up as a running gag in 2020 is tired, especially when everyone knows her friend, Francia Raisa, was the true donor ... which was well-documented.

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More importantly, her fans are right here ... Selena's kidney transplant was, in fact, a matter of life or death -- and something that probably shouldn't be joked about, especially on a new streaming service from a major network.

Peacock hasn't addressed the backlash just yet, and neither has Selena. Stay tuned ...

Originally Published -- 2:14 PM PT

Kevin Hart's 'Hoe' Daughter Joke Clubhouse Chat Was Chill ... This Wasn't About 'Black Women'

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JOKES ARE JOKES

Kevin Hart's personal appearance in a mass public convo about his new Netflix special has received all types of interpretations -- but one that Kevin himself says isn't true is that the chat was in any way about Black women or belittling them.

The comedian hopped on Instagram to address the scrutiny and backlash he's received for joining a live Clubhouse chat room earlier this week titled "Is Kevin Hart funny??" and engaging with dozens of real people on the subject.

The reason the group was started in the first place is because of Kevin's new comedy special, "Zero F***s Given," in which at one point he jokes about his 15-year-old daughter, saying he's already seeing "hoe activity" from her.

Of course, Kevin referring to his daughter as a hoe -- even jokingly -- raised eyebrows, and folks on Clubhouse decided to have an honest dialogue about whether he was promoting, wittingly or unwittingly, the degradation of Black women by evoking a trope about none other than his own kid, who's still a minor.

Welp, Kevin caught wind of the Clubhouse chat room and joined himself -- and part of that conversation was captured by a third party and posted online. It looks like this thing went at least 15 minutes, if not more, and there's a lot of voices in the room ... sometimes all talking at once or over one another at various points.

There were lots of topics covered, but one that kept getting revisited -- and which was later dissected on Twitter as well -- was the idea that Kevin's male fans have a tendency to shut down, write off and silence Black women who criticize Kevin whatsoever ... which they felt was part of a toxic culture he perpetuates.

Fast-forward to Kevin's response ... and it's pretty clear he saw it as a constructive conversation with actual people who had different viewpoints on him and his comedy. He insists the narrative that the whole Clubhouse chat was aimed at Black women or meant to pit him against Black women is completely false.

You can listen to the conversation for yourself and decide what's what, but it seems like Kevin liked talking it out with people ... but just didn't enjoy the analysis that followed -- much of which was critical of him and his supporters.

BTW, Kevin also touches on why he got in on the Clubhouse chat to begin with, and says the pandemic has forced his hand in getting creative for marketing and promotion. We're all evolving, aren't we?

Donald Trump Happy Shanksgiving 'I Hate This F***ing Hole!!!'

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SUPER TEED OFF!
TMZ.com

Donald Trump got in a few holes before his Thanksgiving dinner, but it went about as well as the election for him ... and he was VERY vocal about it.

Trump was playing Thursday at his golf course in Sterling, Virginia, and he got teed off after he teed off and the ball went in the drink.

You hear Trump grouse, "Oh s**t," and it's clear he had a history with this particular hole, and it ain't a good one. As he watches the ball disappear in the water, he mutters, "I hate this f**king hole!!!"

You'd think he'd change the configuration of the pesky hole ... after all, he owns the course. He doesn't even need to be President to do that.

Maybe Trump was off his game because he's still so pissed off about the election. He was tweeting up a storm, again claiming he won the election, saying, "Just saw the vote tabulations.  There is NO WAY Biden got 80,000,000 votes!!! This was a 100% RIGGED ELECTION."

Trump is spending his Thanksgiving at the White House instead of Mar-a-Lago. He will have dinner with his 'immediate family,' the White House said.

Blake Shelton Freaks Out Over D-Hop Hail Mary Catch ... 'Sh*t My Pants!'

"I died, came back to life, sh*t my pants and hyperextended my scrotum all in 30 seconds!!!!"

That's Blake Shelton vividly describing the rollercoaster of emotions he experienced during that wild Hail Mary at the end of the Cardinals vs. Bills game ... and man, hope you're okay, bro!!

The play was insane -- Kyler Murray scrambled and fired off a prayer with 2 seconds left in the game, the Cardinals were down 30-26.

But, somehow, DeAndre Hopkins jumped over 3 Bills players and hauled in the ball ... securing a 32-30 win for the Cardinals.

UNREAL!

Shelton -- a MASSIVE Cardinals fan -- says he lost his mind during the play. And, after the game, the Cardinals reached out to make sure he was okay!

"Hey [Blake Shelton]. Saw your tweet and hope you're doing okay. That's a tough 30 seconds for anyone."

By the way, that play wouldn't have been possible without Shelton -- remember, he takes credit for convincing Cardinals' GM Steve Keim to take Kyler with the #1 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft!

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I TOLD KEIM!
TMZSports.com

"I told Steve Keim that we wouldn't be friends anymore if he didn't take [Kyler] No. 1 in the draft," Blake told us last year.

As for DeAndre, watch his description of the catch after the game -- the most calm, humblebrag ever!!!

No lies detected!!!!!!

Elon Musk Trolled By Dr. Who Calls Him 'Space Karen' ... For Talking Smack Over COVID Test

Elon Musk was spectacularly triumphant Sunday over the historic SpaceX launch, but that didn't stop critics from slapping a 2020 label on him -- "Space Karen," and it all has to do with coronavirus.

Dr. Emma Bell tore into Musk after he groused that his COVID tests were, as he put it, "extremely bogus." As we reported, Elon wrote Friday, "Something extremely bogus is going on. Was tested for covid four times today. Two tests came back negative, two came back positive. Same machine, same test, same nurse."

That criticism didn't sit well with Dr. Bell -- who by the way, is a PhD -- who said, Rapid antigen tests trade sensitivity for speed. They return a result in [less than] 30 minutes, but can only detect COVID-19 when you're absolutely riddled with it. What's bogus is that Space Karen didn't read up on the test before complaining to his millions of followers."

Thing is ... Elon's right about the accuracy of the test -- it's dicey. Apparently, Dr. Bell thinks Elon's creating doubt over testing, which is a bad thing. On the other hand, it's Elon's opinion the test is bogus because he says it lacks reliability.

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LIFTOFF!
NASA/SpaceX

As for "Space Karen," Elon could not attend the launch of his Falcon 9 that hurled 4 astronauts into space Sunday, because of COVID concerns. The launch is historic, and cements the partnership between NASA and SpaceX. The astronauts are on the way to the International Space Station, where they'll stay put for 6 months.

Donald Trump Concedes He Lost to Biden ... Then Takes It Back

Donald Trump has just shockingly conceded the election ... or did he?

Trump manically jumped on twitter Sunday AM, grousing, "He [Biden] won because the Election was Rigged. NO VOTE WATCHERS OR OBSERVERS allowed, vote tabulated by a Radical Left privately owned company, Dominion, with a bad reputation & bum equipment that couldn't even qualify for Texas (which I won by a lot!), the Fake & Silent Media, & more."

Trump was reacting to FNC's Jesse Watters, who said, "There’s something that just doesn’t feel right about this. Joe Biden didn’t earn it, he didn’t really even campaign. He thought was going to lose, you could see it. He ran a losing campaign. So 10 days after the election, how’s he ahead?"

Twitter was quick NOT to cut Trump a break, flagging his tweet as "disputed."

Trump later took back/clarified his "concession," saying, "I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!"

Trump's protestations have, so far, amounted to nothing. He and his team have been thrown out of court over a dozen times, because they presented no evidence of voter fraud.

As for why Trump won't concede ... well, the easy answer is that he just can't admit defeat, but the core answer is different. Trump will NEVER concede. He will convince his supporters he was robbed and he will continue beating that drum for 4 years. He will beat the drum on TV, radio and online. He will announce his run for 2024, almost like a leader in exile who makes a play to return to his country.

Short story ... he's not going away.

Chris Pratt Celebs Rally Round to Support ... Just 'Cause He's Conservative Doesn't Make Him Bad

Chris Pratt is getting support from celebs who are incensed he's getting dragged on social media because he's conservative and religious, and the latest to chime in is his bro-in-law.

Patrick Schwarzenegger told Variety he was disgusted with Internet trolls labeling him "the worst Hollywood Chris."

Arnold's kid called the moniker "sad," adding, "Twitter is a junkyard right?" He went on to say, "People are so focused on putting other people down to make themselves feel better."

The Twitter smack talk started gaining steam last month. Chris' wife, Katherine, said, "There's so much going on in the world and people are struggling in so many ways ... Being mean is so yesterday. There's enough room to love all these guys.  Love is what we all need not meanness and bullying."

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But remember, the big gun came out in the form of Robert Downey, Jr., who ripped into the trolls, saying, "What a world ... The 'sinless' are casting stones at my brother, Chris Pratt ... A real Christian who lives by principle, has never demonstrated anything but positivity and gratitude ... AND he just married into a family that makes space for civil discourse and (just plain fact) INSISTS on service as the highest value."

And, then the knockout blow ... "If you take issue with Chris ... I've got a novel idea. Delete your social media accounts, sit with your OWN defects of character, work on THEM, then celebrate your humanness."

Lots of intolerance on both sides, and it's a clear and present danger to all of us.

UFC's Diego Sanchez I Was Visited By UFO This Week ... 'Flew Right Up'

UFC meet UFO.

It was close encounters of the third kind for Diego Sanchez this week -- the UFC star is convinced he was visited by aliens on Wednesday night.

No, this ain't a joke.

38-year-old Sanchez -- who's been fighting in the UFC since 2005 -- described the encounter at his home in New Mexico late Wednesday evening.

"I was doing energy work on my patio as a ufo flew right up on me," Sanchez said on Twitter.

"I called for my daughter quick quick she watched this thing [hover] only hundreds of feet away."

"Albuquerque is a trip sightings are regular here. But this sh*t was contact tonight."

Sanchez added, "it was obvious it was watching me."

Unclear if Diego snapped any pics or shot any video.

Sanchez famously appeared on Season 1 of "The Ultimate Fighter" back in 2005 -- and defeated Kenny Florian in the season finale.

He went on to have a pretty solid UFC career -- defeating guys like Nick Diaz, Clay Guida, Jim Miller and more.

White PA Politician Accused of Posing as Gay Black Man ... 'Real' Guy Comes Forward

A Pennsylvania politician is fighting off accusations that he's been posing as a gay Black man online to drum up support for Donald Trump ... and boy, this story gets weird.

Dean Browning -- a former Republican commissioner in Lehigh County -- tweeted a bizarre message earlier this week that had folks thinking he screwed up and posted something he meant to throw on to an alternative account he allegedly keeps ... maybe for good reason.

The tweet read, "I'm a black gay guy and I can personally say that Obama did nothing for me, my life only changed a little bit and it was for the worse. Everything is so much better under Trump though. I feel respected - which I never do when Democrats are involved."

The reason this raised eyebrows ... Dean's white, so what gives? At first, many believed Dean was tweeting something he meant to put on what's been described as an alleged "sock puppet" account -- AKA, Dan Purdy, a Twitter account that often replies to Dean, and which identifies as a gay Black man. To some, Purdy's tweets come off as a spam account.

After realizing his tweet had gone viral -- and after taking it down -- Browning came out and denied he was posing as a gay Black man, insisting that the message he tweeted had, in fact, been sent to him from one Dan Purdy ... whom Browning claims is a real person.

Soon after that, a Black man claiming to be the real Dan Purdy stood up ... and recorded a video of himself copping to sending Dean the message and backing up the sentiment of the tweet. That video has since been deleted, but many captured it and circulated it around.

Here's the kicker ... a lot of people are saying this guy who says he's Dan Purdy looks an awful lot like singer Patti LaBelle's nephew, William Holt ... who also goes by Byl Holt. Aside from the striking resemblance, Internet sleuths also noticed Dan and Will appear to use the same avatar for different profiles on social media. So ... a few things line up.

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It hasn't been confirmed this is Patti's nephew, but if it is ... what a strange twist to an already confusing situation. Just goes to show (we think) -- don't judge a tweet by its tweeter.

Or something like that ...

Takk McKinley Cut By Atlanta Falcons ... After Twitter Outburst

UPDATE

1:24 PM PT -- 11/9 McKinley is no longer a member of the Atlanta Falcons ... with the team officially waiving the former first-round pick on Monday.

UPDATE

The team previously said it would consider all options in determining McKinley's punishment following his Twitter outburst ... but ultimately decided it was best to part ways.

Atlanta Falcons star Takk McKinley's Twitter fingers just cost him a chunk of change ... with the team reportedly fining the defensive end over his recent Twitter outburst.

McKinley -- a 2017 first-rounder -- seemingly called the Falcons front office clowns after the trade deadline this week ... claiming the team should have pulled the trigger when he wanted out of town last season.

"These @AtlantaFalcons turned down a 2nd round draft pick when I requested to get traded last year," Takk tweeted Wednesday.

"The same @AtlantaFalcons turned down a 5th and 6th round draft pick from multiple teams when I requested to get traded this year. I only have 17.5 career sacks."

"🤡🤡🤡"

While the team denied any actual offer was presented, interim head coach Raheem Morris made it clear he was NOT happy about McKinley's decision to air out his frustrations on Twitter.

"Takk will definitely be held accountable for his actions and everything that goes with it," the coach said.

Now, we know what that means ... with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting Takk was fined an undisclosed amount for the tweets.

Whether the two sides will be able to make up is doubtful -- the team has already declined his 5th-year option and hasn't ruled out cutting McKinley's playing time or suspending him.

As for Takk's tweet ... it's still live on his account.

No regrets??

Originally published -- 11/5 3:26 PM PT

Joe & Jill Biden's Dogs Get Their Own Twitter Accounts We Are DOTUS, Woof!!!

We have POTUS, FLOTUS, SCOTUS and now ... an official title for the First Family's furry friends, DOTUS, which just became Twitter official.

Dr. Jill and President-Elect Biden set up online accounts for their 2 German Shepherds, Major and Champ, with a handle of @First_Dogs_USA. Unfortunately, some troll already snapped up @DOTUS, which is dedicated to "The Don of the U.S." -- so the Bidens settled for this.

Their bio reads, "We are the First Dogs of the USA, Champ and Major Biden,” their Twitter profile said. “You can call us #DOTUS. We love nom noms, snuggles and we can’t wait to explore the WH!”

Doesn't look like the dogs have a formal Instagram account dedicated to their White House adventures just yet ... which would be a good idea, since more people probably wanna SEE Major and Champ more so than read their canine thoughts and musings. Just a thought!

As of Monday morning, the DOTUS Twitter page has over 94k followers, and counting.

Like we told you, Major and Champ will be the first dogs in the White House since Barack Obama was there with his family's two Portuguese Waterdogs, Sunny and Bo. Not just that, but Major is the first rescue to set its paws down at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

GAP Deletes Tweet Urging Unity Tells Divided States of America, 'Too Soon'!!!

The GAP had its heart in the right place with its post-election tweet urging unity but it clearly failed to read the room ... admitting it was just "too soon."

A spokesperson for the clothing retailer tells TMZ ... the intention of its social media post featuring a red and blue hoodie "was to show the power of unity." The spokesperson added, "It was just too soon for this message. We remain optimistic that our country will come together to drive positive change for all."

The tweet backfired almost immediately ... with one person replying, "A GREAT example of why it's smart to be paused on social right now." Tons of people responded with "read the room" and another user said, "I don't think a zipped hoodie is going to cut it when everyone is this tired, broke, and scared."

Chrissy Teigen also chimed in on the since-deleted post. For the record ... the hoodie was NOT for sale.

The retailer deleted the post hours later as a divided nation anxiously awaits the results of the STILL highly contested Presidential election.

Marlon Humphrey Ravens Star Tests Positive For COVID ... After Playing Vs. Steelers

Another big potential COVID problem for the NFL ... Ravens star Marlon Humphrey tested positive for the virus Monday after playing in 100% of Baltimore's defensive snaps vs. the Steelers on Sunday.

Humphrey announced the positive test Monday morning ... saying in a tweet, "I got the Rona hopefully I’ll be back healthy soon."

Of course, the test results now pose a massive issue for the league ... 'cause they could signal an impending outbreak.

According to multiple reports, the 24-year-old cornerback took his COVID test prior to the Steelers game ... but did NOT get the results back in time to keep him off the field.

So, Humphrey played ... and not only put his team at risk of exposure ... but the entire Steelers offense as well.

In fact, Pittsburgh tight end Eric Ebron tweeted about his worry over catching Humphrey's virus ... posting a photo of the two from the game and saying, "this was not 6ft."

The Steelers said in a statement none of their Sunday tests came back positive ... so they'll now wait to see if anyone contracted it during the game. Pittsburgh is set to play the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a similar situation played out in Green Bay ... Packers running back AJ Dillon tested positive for coronavirus Monday morning after playing several snaps against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

The positive test has now put the Pack's "Thursday Night Football" game against the 49ers in jeopardy ... and has also potentially exposed Vikings players to the virus as well.

NFL's Budda Baker Hilarious Reaction To D.K. Chase Down 'How'd He Catch My Ass!?'

Arizona Cardinals star safety Budda Baker was wearing a hot mic when his pick-6 got spoiled by D.K. Metcalf's insane chase down tackle ... and the hilarious audio has finally been released.

.... and it's everything we could've hoped for and more!!

"How'd he catch my ass, what the (expletive?!?!)," a winded Baker said as he approached the sidelines ... completely bewildered by the Seattle Seahawks receiver's insane speed.

Of course, the 2nd quarter INT was the talk of the night as the Cards upset the 'Hawks in OT, 37-34 ... and Budda had to show love to D.K. on Twitter following the game for sprinting 90 yards to keep him out of the end zone.

"DK HAWKED MY ASS... #RESPECT," Budda said on Twitter ... while teammate DeAndre Hopkins added, "And we Hawked them."

Of course, the trash talk was all in good fun ... but the audio just goes to show how Budda was as shocked as we were to see him get caught.

More hot mic content, please!!!

Twitter Calls BS on POTUS Account Hack ... It's a Federal Crime

Twitter's not buying what a Dutch man's selling -- that he hacked President Trump's account by guessing a very simple password, which is lucky for him ... legally speaking.

A spokesperson for Twitter's vehemently denying Victor Gevers, a Dutch security researcher, got into Trump's Twitter account last week when he guessed POTUS' password as "maga2020!" Twitter says, "We've seen no evidence to corroborate this claim, including from the article published in the Netherlands today."

It should be noted ... if Victor did, in fact, hack Trump's account -- giving him access to tweets and direct messages sent to and from the leader of the free world -- it's a federal crime under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. That explicitly states it's against the law to intentionally access social media accounts without proper authorization. See, huge no-no.

According to a TechCrunch report ... Victor claims he notified Homeland Security's cyber unit division to inform them about the security breach. Victor also claims Trump's password was then changed shortly thereafter. What's more ... Victor shared what he claims to be a screenshot inside Trump's Twitter account.

The security expert told TechCrunch he guessed Trump's password on the 5th attempt. He also claims to have done the same back in 2016 when he discovered Trump's LinkedIn password was "yourefired."

For what it's worth ... White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere also said Victor's story is "absolutely not true."