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El guitarrista de Rascal Flatts, J.D. Rooney, ha estado fuera del radar durante mucho tiempo, pero ha vuelto para aclarar las cosas sobre su vida personal y hacerle frente a los rumores de que se estaba convirtiendo en una mujer.

El artista country publicó una larga actualización en X el miércoles, donde se abrió sobre dónde ha estado, lo que ha estado pasando y lo que no es cierto acerca de su viaje personal. Aquí es cuando desmiente el rumor de que se estaba sometiendo a cirugía de reasignación de sexo.

Rooney comienza su carta abierta a los fans pidiendo disculpas por haber estado desaparecido en los últimos años, y luego añade ... "En primer lugar, ¡estoy vivo! Ha habido muchos rumores y opiniones sobre mí, pero por fin estoy sano y listo para el mundo. Y NO, no voy a hacerme mujer.  Nunca se me ha pasado por la cabeza. No tengo nada en contra de la comunidad trans, pero necesitaba dejar las cosas claras."

El famoso guitarrista continúa diciendo que tocó fondo en septiembre de 2021 cuando fue arrestado por conducir ebrio en Tennessee, un incidente salvaje que TMZ cubrió con gran detalle en ese momento.

Rooney dice que después de eso se fue a Utah para desintoxicarse, un proceso que requirió mucho de su parte, pero del que salió sobrio y mejor que nunca. JDR reflexiona sobre lo que él dice es su alcoholismo causado por grandes rupturas en sus relaciones.

Como hemos dicho, J.D. está mucho mejor ahora, añadiendo: "Mi vida ha cambiado para siempre y estoy agradecido por el cambio. Llevo sobrio casi 28 meses desde el 13 de enero. Nunca creí que pudiera vivir mi vida sin beber. Se había convertido en una parte tan importante de mi rutina diaria y nocturna... Dios intervino y me ayudó a recuperar mi vida".

Él le agradece a los fans por las oraciones y los buenos deseos y a cambio espera que todo el mundo tenga un gran 2024.

Rascal Flatts' J.D. Rooney has been off the radar for a long while -- but he's back to clear the air on his personal life ... and addressing the rumors he was transitioning to a woman.

The country artist posted a lengthy update on X Wednesday, where he opened up about where he's been, what he's been going through and what's NOT true about his personal journey ... namely, he debunks a rumor that he was undergoing sex reassignment surgery.

Rooney starts his open letter to fans by apologizing for being MIA over the past few years or so, and then adds ... "First off, I am alive! There have been so many rumors and opinions thrown around about me - but I’m finally healthy and ready for the world. And NO, I’m not transitioning to be a woman.  That thought has never entered my mind. Nothing against the trans community whatsoever but I needed to set the record straight."

The famed guitarist goes on to say he hit rock bottom in September 2021 when he got busted for a DUI in Tennessee -- a wild incident TMZ covered in great detail at the time.

Rooney says after that, he went away to Utah to get clean ... a process he says took a lot out of him, but from which he came out the other side sober and better than ever. JDR reflects on what he says his alcoholism caused ... like major rifts in his relationships.

Like we said, J.D.'s doing much better now -- adding, "My life has been changed forever - and I’m grateful for the change. I’ve been sober now for almost 28 months come this Jan 13. I never believed I could actually live my life without drinking. It had become such a huge part of my daily and nightly routine ... God intervened and helped me to get my life back."

He thanks fans/supporters for the prayers and well-wishes -- and dishes those back to 'em in return ... hoping everyone has a great 2024, which he certainly seems to be having himself.

Iggy Azalea is calling it quits on the album she’s been working on for months -- most of them with Tory Lanez -- and she doesn’t know if she’ll return to music, because her heart’s no longer in it!!!

The Aussie-born rap star penned a lengthy note to her fans Wednesday ... blindsiding many in the process by declaring hanging it up was the best course of action for her in 2024.

Iggy denied she was bullied or pressured to drop the mic, but admitted she no longer loves expressing herself through music.

She says, "In truth what I’ve known for a long time is that I feel more passionately about design and creative direction than I do about song writing. To many of you that’s no shock to read. It shows in my work. 😢 ... Haha! Jokes aside, i do spend a lot more time on that part of things… because Im most confident at that."

The "Fancy" rapper then revealed she's no longer moving forward with her next album project -- she says production's been stalled for months, and there was 0% urge to finish it.

Iggy had been working with Tory in-studio throughout 2022 but their pairing obviously hit a skid when TL was found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion, and sentenced to 10 years in prison ... a verdict Iggy did not like.

Without Tory steering the ship, Iggy spent much of 2023 teasing singles without delivering them ... which brings us to present day, and her waving the white flag.

1:53 PM  PST -- The family just posted a second video of the little girl ... saying despite what the internet might think, they were NOT the ones who gave her the Slim Tea. Instead, they say it was sent from a "supporter" of their video page.

A clip of parents hoping to motivate their young daughter to lose weight -- by gifting her Slim Tea for Christmas -- is repulsing people viewing the clip on social media.

Take a look for yourself -- the excited youngster unwraps the gift to unveil a box of the slimming aid ... she's clearly too young to understand what it is, though her older siblings immediately catch on, and throw their parents looks of disgust.

Despite the siblings knowing the gift is inappropriate for a young child -- the dad behind the camera is undeterred, as he urges his youngest to be grateful for the gift.

The video shared to X drew intense scrutiny ... with one person commenting the parents bullying the girl for her weight was disgusting, as they were the ones responsible for feeding her in the first place.

Others say they've taken her childhood away from her ... making her aware of her body from a young age, and entitling people to comment on it by sharing it on social media.

When it comes to slim teas, the FDA doesn't recognize them as being effective -- and its key ingredients like caffeine and senna, which claim to detox the body, also don't have much evidence in aiding weight loss.

So, the video's disheartening on several levels -- the parents providing misinformation and possibly poor nutrition, but also the psychological impact on their young daughter.

Un clip de unos padres que le regalan Slim Tea a su hija para Navidad, con la esperanza de motivarla a bajar de peso, está causando repulsión entre los usuarios de redes sociales.

Echa un vistazo tú mismo, la emocionada chica aparece desenvolviendo su regalo hasta que descubre que es una caja de té para ayudarla a adelgazar. Ella es claramente demasiado joven para entender lo que es, aunque sus hermanos mayores inmediatamente se dan cuenta y le lanzan a sus padres miradas de disgusto.

A pesar de que los hermanos saben que el regalo es inapropiado para una niña, el padre detrás de la cámara ni se inmuta e insta a la pequeña a ser agradecida por el regalo.

El video compartido en X atrajo un intenso escrutinio. Una persona comentó que era repugnante que los padres intimiden a la niña por su peso cuando son ellos los responsables de su alimentación en primera instancia.

Otros dicen que le han quitado su infancia, haciéndola consciente de su cuerpo desde ya y dándole derecho a la gente a comentar sobre ella al compartirlo en las redes sociales.

Cuando se trata de tés adelgazantes, la FDA tampoco los reconoce como eficaces y sus ingredientes clave, como la cafeína y el sen, que dicen desintoxicar el cuerpo, tampoco tienen mucha evidencia de que ayuden a perder peso.

Blake Shelton is being dragged online for his prerecorded New Year's Eve performance ... and some are saying it's an embarrassment to country music.

Here's the deal ... Blake was featured on CBS's "New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash" in what was billed as a live show, but folks figured out it was prerecorded and then trashed him.

Blake and Trace Adkins reunited for the CBS show, singing some of their oldies like "Hillbilly Bone" and "Hell Right."

Thing is ... Blake's performance aired only a few minutes before he took the stage in real life at a casino in Oklahoma.

Fans quickly caught on and ripped the network and Blake for double-booking ... firing off some angry tweets.

One user said Blake was "an embarrassment to country music" ... while another said Blake and Trace's duet was "one of the dumbest songs."

Blake's legit live gig went down at Oklahoma's WinStar Casino ... where he performed his hits to much better reviews.

Meanwhile, Blake's wife Gwen Stefani was working too ... she had a gig over in Las Vegas ... and it was live.

John Legend got onstage with 50 Cent to do his best version of Nate Dogg -- and while he certainly dished his own twist ... not everybody's feeling it, and they're letting him know too.

The singer celebrated his 45th birthday Thursday in NYC -- where he and Chrissy Teigen hired Fitty to perform, with the rapper doing his classic "21 Questions" live in front of a crowd. At first, it was just 50 Cent handling the hook and verses ... but JL eventually jumped in.

Very impromptu, John grabbed the mic from 50 and started belting out the chorus ... singing, "Girrrrl, you seem to love me now // Would you love me if I was down and out."

Looks like John kept singing while 50 continued to rap -- and in the moment, everyone seemed to receive it pretty well ... cheering on the bday boy and giving him props.

Unfortunately, it was a bit of a different reaction on the old bird app (now X) ... 'cause folks saw this clip and roasted the hell outta John -- some kinda meanly, others more lovingly.

You can hop into the trend to see what people had to say ... but essentially, the jokes amounted to John sounding more like a church crooner than an R&B stud with his take on the famous hit. As someone put it, "John legend made it sound like a negro spiritual."

Like we said, it's all in good fun ... but let's just say his version certainly took people aback.

Cardi B seems a little annoyed by her fans ... many of whom don't believe her when she says she's moving on -- presumably from Offset.

Cardi tweeted, "I must be a lil toxic cuz I enjoyed cursing ya out today… but we not taking that into 2024. Now have a good day. No make it a bad day!"

It's actually mild compared to the video she posted on social, telling her legion of fans to "shut the f*** up" about her relationship status.

Fans started questioning her after Cardi and Offset were seen together on Xmas day ... unfair, because they spent it with the kids, and that doesn't mean she's backing down.

Cardi said as much, when she liked a post essentially saying people were making up stories about a reconciliation.

Thing is ... AFTER Xmas, they were spotted in the same store in NYC, which led some fans to double down, suggesting Cardi was fully back with her hubby.

Cardi B puede haber asumido el papel de la señora Claus para la Navidad, pero eso no significa que ella y Offset se hayan reconciliado después de su desagradable separación, al menos eso es lo que sugieren sus redes sociales.

La rapera de "Bongos" y Offset pasaron el 25 de diciembre juntos, y al día siguiente llevaron a los niños a ver a Travis Scott en Nueva Jersey, lo que inevitablemente despertó los rumores de reconciliación entre ellos.

Cardi ha derrumbado esa posibilidad, al ponerle like a un meme de "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" en su cuenta de X este miércoles, que avergüenza a la gente que inventa historias falsas sobre que ella y Offset están juntos nuevamente.

Han pasado dos semanas desde que Cardi incendió las redes con un arrebato emocional sobre Offset, en donde lo acusaba de haberla "tratado mal" por muchos años. Y fue clara ... su maridito está en el pasado.

Cardi B may have assumed the Mrs. Claus role for Christmas but that doesn't mean she and Offset reconciled after their nasty split ... at least that's what her social media strongly suggests.

The "Bongos" rapper and Offset spent December 25 together and took the kids to see Travis Scott in NJ the next day ... which inevitably sparked reconciliation rumors.

Cardi shot that down, by liking a "Real Housewives of Atlanta" meme on her X feed Wednesday ... that shames people making up fake stories about her and Offset hopping back in the saddle.

It's been two weeks since Cardi set the internet ablaze with an emotional outburst about Offset "doing her dirty" for many years. She was clear ... her hubby's in her rear view.

Blueface has been hit with a lawsuit by Soulja Boy's baby mama after claiming he slept with her the day before her baby shower ... among other things.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Jackilyn Martinez beelined it to court Friday ... claiming Blueface made false and defamatory statements about her and her child.

In case you missed it ... Blueface and Soulja Boy have been beefing heavily on social media this week, which started after the two began arguing about who would win in a Verzuz battle.

Well, things escalated quickly ... and Blueface made some pretty outlandish comments to Soulja Boy about Jackilyn, which includes, "Because I fucked your baby mama the day before your baby shower."

The docs say Blueface went on to say things like, "Till Soulja get a DNA test that's my child lil bro I'm the daddy now," and "What's old about your baby mama sucking my d--k."

However ... the docs say Jackilyn and Blueface did have protected sex one time in 2018, but since then there's been no sex of any kind.

Jackilyn's attorneys say they sent Blueface a cease and desist letter on Tuesday -- demanding he remove all these defamatory statements from social media -- but instead he mocked Jackilyn by posting on IG, "Nobody ever said your name ... I don't even know who you are."

Jackilyn claims she has been receiving death threats since it became known she sent Blueface a C&D letter.

Travis Scott bailed on his show in Chicago Friday night ... and it's still a mystery why it was postponed.

The rapper was supposed to hit the stage at United Center in the Windy City around 8 PM after the gates were scheduled to open for fans to come in about an hour and a half before the event.

But the venue posted a message on X in the afternoon, explaining that the concert had been postponed with no future date announced. Once the show is rescheduled,   all tickets will be honored at the door.

Travis Scott abandonó su show en Chicago el viernes por la noche y todavía es un misterio por qué se pospuso.

Se suponía que el rapero iba a subirse al escenario del United Center en la Ciudad de los Vientos alrededor de las 8 PM. Esto es alrededor de una hora y media antes de la hora programada para que los aficionados entraran al evento.

Pero el lugar publicó un mensaje en X por la tarde, explicando que el concierto había sido pospuesto sin una próxima fecha anunciada. Una vez que el espectáculo sea reprogramado, todos los boletos serán honrados en la puerta.

Suge Knight says he's got nothing to do with the recent string of social media posts drumming up Tupac conspiracy theories and old beefs with Snoop Dogg and Diddy … because he has no access to those accounts.

Suge tells TMZ Hip Hop ... someone is out to destroy his reputation by hacking into his Twitter and FB accounts. He says the hacker is attempting to come off as the real deal by posting clips from Suge's “Collect Call” podcast and old photos.

The incarcerated music mogul says he has no issues standing on anything he's ever said, on the podcast or otherwise, but he can't condone the activity on the social accounts ... which created Daz Dillinger's current rift with Snoop.

Suge's currently serving a 28-year prison sentence and tells us the errant posts have caused him a ton of unnecessary stress -- and he wants Twitter and FB to boot the hacker.

He's adamant he wouldn't invite such negative energy to his situation, and says his only official account is his Instagram page.

Justin Timberlake apparently made a boatload of $$$ for his performance during the grand opening of the Fontainebleau Hotel in Vegas Wednesday, but he triggered a hotel war by staying overnight at the Wynn.

Justin shared a pic after his big appearance at Fontainebleau's big event, strolling down a hotel hallway with his wife, Jessica Biel. Thing is ... something looked off.

Social media sleuths noticed the hallway isn't part of the Fontainebleau ... it's the Wynn! So dude got a reported $6.1 million from the Fontainebleau and chose to put his head on a Wynn pillow.

The folks over at Wynn found JT's post irresistible ... re-posting the pic on the hotel's IG with the caption, "where everyone ends up."

Wynn's post has been taken down, but point well made!

We checked with Fontainebleau and although rooms Wednesday night were not available to the public, they were available to the celebs, including Justin, who attended the grand opening.

The feud between Fontainebleau and Wynn has been brewing for a while. Wynn had accused Fontainebleau of poaching its employees, so this was payback.

8:10 AM PT -- Una fuente cercana a Madonna dice que las puertas estaban abiertas a las 7:30 PM, su telonero, DJ Honey Dijon estaba a las 8:30 y luego Madonna estaba programada para subir al escenario entre las 9:30 y las 10.

Nuestra fuente dice que hubo problemas con el audio, lo que retrasó aún más su hora de entrada. Terminó subiéndose alrededor de las 10:45 y dio un espectáculo completo.

Madonna llegó más que elegantemente tarde al show de inicio de su gira mundial por Norteamérica y los frustrados fans se apresuraron a descargarse con la "Material Girl".

Estaba programado que la cantante comenzara su show en el Barclays Center de Brooklyn a las 8:30 PM el miércoles por la noche. Esta es la primera parada en Estados Unidos de su gira "Celebration". Pero cuando el reloj marcó pasadas las 10:30 PM, los fans comenzaron a inquietarse e irse en contra de Madge en las redes sociales.

Una persona compartió una vista desde sus asientos, con todo el mundo esperando impacientemente a que comenzara el espectáculo. Otro tuiteó: "Me importa una m*** si eres Madonna, si llegas 3 horas tarde, eres jodida*** grosero".

Otro enojado fan dijo que toda la multitud comenzó a corear "bulls***" (mier**) mientras las horas seguían pasando. Una persona escribió: "QUIERO UN REEMBOLSO AHORA".

Alrededor de las 11, Madonna terminó dando inicio al espectáculo, y dejando de lado la tardanza, la cantante dio un gran espectáculo con su enorme catálogo de éxitos, y parecía que la multitud estaba teniendo una gran noche también.

Por cierto, una fuente cercana a Madonna confirma a TMZ que el retraso se debió a problemas de sonido y nos dicen que las afirmaciones de que llegó 3 horas tarde son imposibles.

Aun así, ¡2,5 horas de retraso fueron suficientes para que los fans se expresaran!