Cher Sorry for Saving George Floyd Posts ... I Was Too Emotional!!!

Cher is apologizing for saying George Floyd might still be alive if she was in the crowd during his fatal arrest ... she says she let her emotions get the best of her.

The 74-year-old singer just walked back her weekend tweetstorm, where she suggested she would have stepped in to save Floyd, saying she's done some soul searching after getting dragged online.

Cher says, "These last days have been Hard,Soul Searching, Painful Ones. My Wording Was Wrong/Imprecise. When I’m Over-emotional I Should Wait, Walk Away, Then Twt. I Felt Sorrow,& Did Wish I Could have Helped George.Sometimes you can feel what you can’t Explain in a twt. Sorry is All I Have."

As we reported ... Cher was accused of having a "white savior complex" for saying she could've helped Floyd if only she'd been there when he was arrested, and she initially responded to the backlash by doubling down.

Cher's also deleted the initial tweet that got her in some hot water, which read ... "Was talking with Mom & She Said 'I Watched Trial Of Policeman Who Killed George Floyd, & Cried ... I Said 'Mom,I Know This Is Gonna Sound CRAZY, But.. I Kept Thinking ... Maybe If I'd Been There, ... I Could've Helped."

Lots of folks wondered what, exactly, Cher would have been able to do for Floyd while police were keeping the large crowd at bay ... and now she's offering up a sorry that at least sounds sincere.

TB Bucs Carlton Davis Apologizes for Tweeting Asian Slur Team Vows to Help Him Learn

UPDATE

12:09 PM PT -- Tampa Bay Bucs GM Jason Licht says the team has already been in touch with Davis and they will work on ways to help him learn and grow from this experience.

"Words carry weight and it is incumbent upon all of us to have a thorough understanding of the words we choose and the effect they may have on others," Licht said in a statement.

UPDATE

12:09 PM PT -- "We look forward to working with Carlton to find appropriate ways to learn from this experience and continue our joint efforts to put an end to all forms of social and racial injustices."

UPDATE

The Bucs also pointed out Carlton has been an active member of the team's Social Justice Player Board and has a sterling reputation with the organization.

Super Bowl champion Carlton Davis is in hot water for tweeting out a VERY offensive Asian slur -- though Davis claims he didn't know the "dark" history behind the word.

"Gotta stop letting g***s in Miami," the Tampa Bay Bucs cornerback posted on Sunday evening in a since-deleted tweet.

Obviously, the tweet went viral and people couldn't believe an NFL player would hurl such an offensive word around so casually.

Davis initially offered an explanation -- and actually had the balls to attack the media for criticizing him in the first place.

The 24-year-old posted a screenshot from the Urban Dictionary definition of the word (which, conveniently, wasn't even the top definition).

"A term commonaly [sic] used in South Florida to describe a person who is Lame. Synonym for Lame, wack, Fool or Stupid."

Davis added, "I would never offend any group of people. You reporters can look for another story to blow up. The term was directed towards a producer claiming he 'ran Miami.' With that being said I'll retire that word from my vocabulary giving the hard times our Asian family are enduring."

Just minutes later, Davis was changing his tune in another statement.

"I used a term that from where I come from has always meant 'lame' but I did not realize it has a much darker, negative connotation. I have learned a valuable lesson and want to apologize to anyone that was offended by seeing that word because we need to focus on helping each other during these tough times."

FYI, the g-word is an incredibly offensive anti-Asian slur that's been around for decades. It was widely used by American soldiers against Koreans and Vietnamese people during military conflicts.

Ans since Davis is into using definitions ... how about this one from Merriam-Webster.com:

"offensive -- used as an insulting and contemptuous term for a nonwhite, non-American person and especially for an Asian person."

No word if the NFL plans to take action.

Davis was a 2nd-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and had a pretty solid 2020 season ... logging 68 tackles and 4 interceptions during the Bucs' championship run.

Originally Published --  5:57 AM PT

Cher Doubles Down On Saving George Floyd

Cher is not backing down from a comment that got her dragged online ... that George Floyd might be alive if she'd have been there.

The 74-year-old singer had first tweeted, "Was talking with Mom & She Said 'I Watched Trial Of Policeman Who Killed George Floyd, & Cried ... I Said 'Mom,I Know This Is Gonna Sound CRAZY, But.. I Kept Thinking ... Maybe If I'd Been There, ... I Could've Helped."

People went crazy, criticizing her and calling the post a show of the "white savior complex."

Cher was not silenced, and posted again, saying, "Wrestled With This Twt,  Because I Thought some ppl wouldn’t understand, Or Believe an Entertainer Could have Honest emotions about a human Being,suffering & Dying,even if It’s Only Shown On tv. You Don’t Know What I’ve Done,Who I Am,Or What I Believe.I CAN,I HAVE,& I WILL..HELP"

What's unclear ... even if Cher truly believes she would have stepped in, exactly what would she have done with multiple officers there who were clearly keeping the crowd at bay as Derek Chauvin had his knee planted on George Floyd's neck?

Cher seemed to absorb the criticism, adding, "I Just got off phone With Friend Karen.Told her what Happened,& Realized,You Can Piss Ppl Off,& Hurt Them By Not Knowing Everything That’s”NOT Appropriate”To Say.I know Ppl Apologize When They’re In a Jam,BUTRaised back of handTO GODFolded hands,IM TRULY SORRY If I Upset AnyOne In Blk Community.I Know My (heart)"

Her heart's in the right place, but maybe she should have used a pseudonym for her friend.

Kevin Durant Fined $50k by NBA For 'Offensive Language' In Michael Rapaport Spat

The NBA has finally decided to take action against Kevin Durant for the homophobic and misogynistic insults he used in a private Instagram conversation with Michael Rapaport -- fining the guy $50,000.

"Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has been fined $50,000 for using offensive and derogatory language on social media," the NBA announced on Friday.

"Durant has acknowledged that his actions were inappropriate."

As we previously reported, Rapaport posted screenshots of recent DM conversations with Durant which the actor felt crossed a line.

"I receive threats and disgusting messages DAILY, but never in my wildest dreams did I think [Durant] would be among them," Rap said.

In the messages, Durant used crude homophobic and misogynistic slurs to attack Rapaport.

KD has said the messages were not supposed to see the light of day -- and said he was "sorry that people seen the language that I used."

"That’s not what I want people to see from me. Hopefully I can move past it."

Durant has yet to publicly acknowledge that what he said is offensive -- or apologize specifically for the words he used.

Remember, the NBA took action against Meyers Leonard who used an anti-Semitic slur during a video game live-streaming session ... suspending him for a week and hitting him with a $50,000 fine.

Elon Musk Triggers Real Estate Boom!!! Starbase, TX Tweets Are 🔥

Elon Musk's got real estate agents working overtime deep in the heart of Texas, because with just one tweet he's made the yet-to-be-built city of Starbase a hot relocation destination.

You'll recall the SpaceX honcho basically said he's leaving a light on for any and everyone who wants to move to the Brownsville/South Padre area, work for SpaceX and become a resident of the brand new city he's planning to put on the map.

As it turns out ... people took Elon's tweets as marching orders.

We spoke to agents in the area who say there is a direct correlation between Elon's tweets and an increase in real estate customers. In fact, one agent we spoke to called it "the Elon Musk effect" ... and for good reason.

Shortly after Elon's post, one agent tells us he got a call from a man in Boston inquiring about a rental property in Brownsville. Another agent who's worked in the area for nearly 2 decades said 2 years ago he'd never answer calls from outside of his area code.

Now? Not picking up could be the difference between earning or losing a fat commission. Like on Tuesday, when a man from Oregon called offering to pay $200k in cash for a house in Brownsville. The average median house price in the area is around $167k.

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One agent who says he's already sold 7 houses to SpaceX employees says calls keep rolling in from all over the country ... from Illinois and North Dakota to California and Utah. And, if you're curious about Elon's reach? The agent says he got a call from someone in Kenya! It's good to be the richest man in the world.

As we reported, officials in the Brownsville area feel Elon's push to start his own city could boost jobs and tourism. Pretty soon real estate there could be exploding faster than SpaceX's own rockets.

Hailey Bieber Justin Helped Me Deal with Cyberbullies ... Limiting IG Helps a Lot!!!

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FREEDOM FROM BULLYING
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Hailey Bieber is learning how to unplug from social media, while silencing online trolls at the same time ... a process she says her hubby, Justin, is guiding her through.

Hailey was talking to Dr. Jessica Clemons -- a world-renowned psychiatrist -- about mental health and social media when she dished on how she navigates Instagram, Twitter and other apps these days ... while also processing vile comments from complete strangers.

For starters, Mrs. Bieber explained how she's actually come to limit her Instagram use ... swearing it off Monday through Friday and only hopping in on weekends. That's apparently helped drown out a lot of noise ... and so has completely nixing Twitter from her rotation.

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Check it out ... she describes it as very toxic, and is realizing what a lot of users have about the bird platform in 2021.

There's more Hailey does to filter out unnecessary negativity on IG -- she explains how she limits her comments to just people she follows, from whom she knows she won't get any out-of-pocket/mean-spirited remarks just 'cause. She also says good old-fashioned therapy has helped her deal with relentless bullying.

Hailey also heaped praise on Justin for giving her great advice and much-needed perspective on how to look at these sorts of things ... seeing how he's been through this on the biggest stage.

Hailey recently launched the channel, and has already featured guests like her BFF Kendall Jenner. The channel is produced by Michael D. Ratner’s OBB Pictures ... the same team behind Demi Lovato’s 'Dancing with the Devil' and Justin Bieber’s 'Seasons.'

Courtney Stodden Chrissy Teigen is a Hypocrite ... She Bullied Me Back in the Day!!!

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Chrissy Teigen leaving Twitter because of nonstop negativity is pretty rich to one person who claims the model mom bullied the hell outta her for years ... and never apologized for it.

That would be one Courtney Stodden, who says she considers Chrissy a straight-up hypocrite for running from something she herself was perpetuating and knee-deep in about a decade ago ... according to CS, anyway.

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You might've caught Courtney's social media post reacting to the news Chrissy was ditching the bird platform. She posted a screenshot of one of Chrissy's old tweets from 2011 that made fun of the fact Courtney's FB account had gotten shut down, invoking Nazis for the comparison.

Courtney wrote, "What a shame @chrissyteigen is leaving Twitter ... it’s too 'negative' for herrrrrr #chrissyteigen #bully"

There are a lot more tweets Chrissy sent Courtney that year and in years since, many of which were mean-spirited. Chrissy said Courtney taking a "dirt nap" was her fantasy ... and she often made fun of her appearance, while also wishing death upon her ... jokingly or otherwise. Chrissy even once said "i hate you" out of the clear blue.

Courtney says the whole thing is ironic in hindsight, especially now that Chrissy's deleted her profile while citing negative Nancies as the reason. More seriously, Courtney says she never got the chance to forgive Chrissy ... 'cause she never sought to right her wrongs.

If you're wondering what the backdrop is for Chrissy's former animosity toward Courtney -- it seems to be connected to Courtney's famous marriage to actor Doug Hutchison ... when she was just 16 at the time, and he was a whopping 50 years old. It was big news in those days ... and subject to much speculation and intrigue -- plus, mockery and ridicule.

Courtney claims Chrissy's tweets came out of nowhere ... with no other history or context. In any case, Courtney's parting sentiment seems to be -- don't let the door hit ya on the way out.

Thierry Henry Follows Chrissy's Lead I'm Logging Off Social Media!!!

Another global superstar is saying goodbye to social media -- this time, it's soccer superstar Thierry Henry, who says he's logging off until the platforms do a better job of combating racism and bullying.

Of course, Chrissy Teigen deactivated her Twitter account on Wednesday ... saying, "This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively, and I think that's the right time to call something."

Now, Henry -- who has 2.3 MILLION followers on Twitter and another 2.7 mil on Instagram -- is throwing up the deuce to all his social media platforms, penning one last message on Friday.

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"Hi Guys. From tomorrow morning I will be removing myself from social media until the people in power are able to regulate their platforms with the same vigour and ferocity that they currently do when you infringe copyright," the Arsenal legend said.

"The sheer volume of racism, bullying and resulting mental torture to individuals is too toxic to ignore. There HAS to be some accountability."

He added ... "It is far too easy to create an account, use it to bully and harass without consequence and still remain anonymous.

"Until this changes, I will be disabling my accounts across all social platforms. I'm hoping this happens soon."

Both Twitter and IG have condemned hateful content and have claimed to take measures towards eliminating it from their platforms ... but clearly, Henry wants more.

Israel Adesanya Apologizes For Threatening To 'Rape' Another UFC Fighter

Israel Adesanya admits he "crossed the line" when he threatened to "rape" fellow UFC fighter Kevin Holland during a trash-talking session on social media ... and vows to learn from his mistake.

For context, Israel was responding to allegations Holland made earlier this month against him ... claiming the middleweight champ is a steroid user.

Adesanya responded in an Instagram story by saying, "Bro, I’ll f***ing rape you."

The comment was met with outrage from high profile people ... including New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, who said, "There is never a time to make flippant comments about rape. It’s just not something anybody should do."

Finally, on Thursday, Israel addressed the situation ... and admitted he messed up.

"Last weekend fight talk escalated to a point in which I crossed the line," Adesanya said on Twitter.

"I understand the gravity of this word and how it can affect and hurt other people apart from my opponent, although that was NEVER my intention."

"I am still growing under the spotlight, and I take this as a lesson to be more selective with words under pressure.”

Adesanya is the UFC's reigning middleweight champ and one of the most popular fighters on the roster. Point is ... when Israel speaks or posts, people listen -- whether it's good or bad.

Chrissy Teigen Twitter's Too Negative For Me ... So I'm Saying Goodbye 👋🏽

Chrissy Teigen says she's leaving Twitter for good, because the negatives outweigh the positives on the social media platform ... for her, at least.

CT just broke her silence on her Twitter exodus, and she's pretty much chalking up her exit to all the negative energy she was getting from the tweets, replies and mentions she says were filling her timeline.

Chrissy says she's not leaving because of Internet trolls, bullies or Qanon followers that love to come after her ... she says she just can't deal anymore with letting folks down or upsetting them, which she feels she did over and over again.

She says it's been exhausting scrolling through Twitter day in and day out ... and she's just over it at this point.

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Remember ... Chrissy amassed over 13.7 million followers since joining Twitter in May 2009 and really seemed to take Twitter to heart, so much so she requested an unfollow from President Biden so she wouldn't feel so bad about tweeting profanities and being herself.

Chrissy's not leaving social media entirely, though ... she's still got her Instagram.

Goodbye Jack Dorsey, hello Mark Zuckerberg!!!

Megyn Kelly Gets 'Good' Laugh at Meme ... Queen Gunning for Meghan

UPDATE

1:46 PM PT -- A source close to Megyn tells us when she looked at the meme, she didn't realize the Queen was holding a gun, and only thought it was a reflection on the windowpane. She took it down after only a couple of minutes.

Megyn Kelly is apparently amused by the image of Queen Elizabeth packing heat to settle the beef with Meghan Markle ... at least based on Megyn's Twitter account.

As you can see, the meme -- which Megyn retweeted -- shows the Queen holding a handgun with a silencer, with the caption, "When you spend £32 million on your grandsons wedding and his wife starts bitching about you to Oprah."

Her review of the threatening meme was ... "So good." She, or someone on her team, has since deleted the tweet -- but she's already made her position known on Harry and Meghan's interview.

Kelly played Monday morning QB, criticizing Oprah for not asking the couple to be more specific about the racist allegations -- and made it clear she didn't buy Meghan's claim she didn't know anything about the Royal family before hooking up with Harry.

We reached out to Megyn's camp about the tweet ... so far, no word back.

Originally Published -- 12:58 PM PT

Julian Edelman Reaches Out To Meyers Leonard Michael Rapaport Goes Nuclear On NBA Player

UPDATE

9:30 AM PT -- Not everyone is in a forgiving mood -- Michael Rapaport just went scorched-earth on Meyers Leonard ... excoriating him for using the anti-Semitic slur and making it clear he does NOT accept the NBA player's apology.

UPDATE

Rapaport blasts Leonard as a "dumb f***" for using such a hateful word ... and is demanding he issue a meaningful video apology ASAP.

UPDATE
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EDUCATE YOURSELF

Jewish NFL star Julian Edelman says the anti-Semitic slur uttered by Meyers Leonard is the result of "casual ignorance" ... and he's offering to educate the NBA player on Jewish history so he doesn't make the same mistake twice.

Edelman says he's never met Leonard before -- but he's clearly caught up on the scandal surrounding the Miami Heat player, who used the anti-Semitic K-word to attack an opponent during a video game live stream this week.

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Leonard later issued an apology -- claiming he was not aware of the hateful history of the word and vowed to educate himself about it.

"I'm sure you've been getting lots of criticism for what you said," Edelman said in an open letter to Leonard ... "Not trying to add to that, I just want to offer some perspective."

"I get the sense that you didn't use that word out of hate, more out of ignorance. Most likely, you weren't trying to hurt anyone or even profile Jews in your comment. That's what makes it so destructive."

Edelman continued, "When someone intends to be hateful, it's usually met with great resistance. Casual ignorance is harder to combat and has greater reach, especially when you command great influence."

"Hate is like a virus. Even accidentally, it can rapidly spread."

Edelman ended his letter with an offer to Leonard -- "I'm down in Miami fairly often. Let's do a Shabbat dinner with some friends I'll show you a fun time."

Originally Published -- 9:09 AM PT

Bethenny Frankel I'm Sorry, Meghan ... I Wouldn't Have Trashed You If I Knew

Bethenny Frankel has done an about-face, expressing sympathy for Meghan Markle and apologizing for going after her hard before she saw the interview.

Hours before Oprah's interview aired, Bethenny went on a tear, saying, "Cry me a river ... the plight of being a game show host, fairly unknown actress, to suffering in a palace with tiaras & 7 figure weddings for TWO WHOLE YEARS to being a household name with @Oprah on speed dial, fetching 7 m for interviews ..."

Well, after the interview, Bethenny's tune changed. She said, "I watched M & H sit down. Emotional distress & racism must feel suffocating & powerless. I'm a polarizing, unfiltered (often to a fault) flawed person w a voice. When I hear of the interview during a pandemic, it felt like a surprising choice. I'm sorry if it hurt or offended you."

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Megyn Kelly, however, was unmoved by the interview, saying, "Meghan Markle had no idea the Queen was different than a Hollywood celebrity? And she never googled Harry? Ummm..."

All-in-all, it seems American audiences generally felt real sympathy for Harry and Meghan, while in England they seem more divided.

Tim Matheson Melania Tweet Backlash Died Down ... Not Pursuing Death Threat Charges

Tim Matheson says he's no longer getting death threats or money demands from the person who was pissed about his tweet at Melania Trump ... so he's moving on with his life.

We broke the story ... the "Animal House" star filed a report with the LAPD last month claiming he got a series of escalating messages from someone online ending with the threat, "pay me big bucks or I will kill you."

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Tim hasn't had any further communication with the suspect since contacting police, so he doesn't want to pursue charges against the unidentified suspect.

We're told the case is now closed.

As we reported ... Matheson tweeted in January -- shortly after Joe Biden's inauguration -- that it was wonderful to have a First Lady who can speak English.

He apologized days later and admitted his tweet was "stupid, ignorant,& foul," but obviously some of the backlash he got was too much to ignore.

Fortunately ... it seems cooler heads have prevailed.

Jack Dorsey Trying to Sell first tweet as an NFT ... Highest Bid's at $2.5 Mil!!!

Jack Dorsey is hawking the very first tweet ever -- being his, of course -- to anybody who wants exclusive digital rights ... and people are already willing to pay millions for it.

The Twitter CEO posted a link Saturday to a site called Valuables By Cent, where folks can buy/sell authenticated tweets with their autograph. Jack, too, was putting a tweet up for auction ... his own from 2006, when he wrote ... "just setting up my twttr." It's the tweet that kicked off every other tweet thereafter, so it's historic -- and the bids bear that out.

At the moment, the highest offer for ownership of his tweet sits at $2.5 MILLION -- courtesy of Bridge Oracle CEO Sina Estavi ... who's been in a bidding war of sorts with another tech entrepreneur in the crypto world, Justin Sun, who was upping his price exponentially.

Sun seems to have started at $500k, and then incrementally upped it to $2 mil, but it looks like Estavi swooped in with $500k more ... there haven't been any further offers since. Per Cent's rules, if anyone wants to outbid Estavi -- they'll have to throw down $2.75 million.

If Jack's tweet sells at this amount ... it would follow suit with tons of other online transactions that have flown off virtual shelves at eye-popping values among influencers, artists and sports leagues, like the NBA ... which has been dabbling in this for a couple of years.

For instance, you can actually buy NBA highlight reels and awesome moments from games through NBA Top Shot ... which tends to sell these "moments" in packs. Some of the more elite highlights -- like some of LeBron's and Zion's -- have sold for upwards of $200k!

Might sound nutty, but selling digital assets like this is a thing ... which they call NFTs (non-fungible tokens). They're essentially one-of-a-kind collector's items that are recorded on a blockchain network -- the same system that supports and tracks crypto -- and which aren't interchangeable, unlike something like Bitcoin, which can be swapped back and forth.

So ... if you own an NFT, you're literally the only one who has it -- which, as we can see, carries inherent value in the marketplace. Welcome to 21st century commerce, y'all 🤑

James Charles I'm Not Grooming 16-Year-Old Boy

James Charles is denying accusations he's grooming a 16-year-old boy ... he claims the person making the accusation told him he was 18 before they started flirting over social media.

James just addressed a video making the rounds on social media where a boy claims JC is "grooming" him. His accuser claims James sent him sexually-explicit messages and pictures on Snapchat.

JC says the boy sent him lewd photos first, and he didn't start "flirting back" until the kid told him he was 18.

The boy posted his accusations in a video, with alleged screengrabs of his back and forth with James.

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In hindsight, James says he shoulda confirmed the boy's age before flirting with him. JC says their conversation led him to realize the kid was way younger than he allegedly claimed, and that's when James says he ended the virtual interaction.

James says he's not victim-blaming but just says he's sharing his side of the story ... and he claims he's learned a valuable lesson.

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