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"Barbie"s worldwide box office domination has expecting parents thinkin' plastic when it comes to baby names ... because folks are interested in naming their kids after the popular dolls.

BabyNames.com tells TMZ ... their site has seen a 300% uptick in searches for "Barbie" in the month of July. "Ken" has also blown up, with searches increasing by 200% in the same month.

Not as much as Barbie, but that holds up -- he's just Ken.

We're told a handful of users are also adding the titular names to their favorites list. According to the website, Barbie means "stranger," while Ken means "handsome." Barbie peaked in popularity in 1964, while Ken peaked in 1963.

As we reported, the Greta Gerwig flick has been crushing it in theaters -- it pulled over $162 mil in the U.S. alone in weekend one ... and it's already passed $1B worldwide.

The fan-favorite character, Allan -- played by Michael Cera -- has had a positive outcome on the Mattel reseller game ... because eBay listings for the rare doll have skyrocketed after the movie's release.

Sadly, we're told there's been no search increase for the name "Allan" when it comes to baby names. Sorry, dude.

Ne-Yo is pulling back on his controversial comments about parents who allow their kids to be transgender ... claiming he's always been an advocate for inclusiveness.

The singer said Sunday night, "After much reflection, I’d like to express my deepest apologies to anyone that I may have hurt with my comments on parenting and gender identity."

He also said he's "always been an advocate for love and inclusivity in the LGBTQI+ community, so I understand how my comments could’ve been interpreted as insensitive and offensive."

As we reported, Ne-Yo had folks pretty ticked off by a Saturday interview with VladTV's Gloria Velez, in which he condemned parents who affirm their child's gender identity.

He said he grew up with only 2 genders, and has no problem with others identifying however they want -- but added, "It becomes my business when you try to make me play the game."

He told Gloria, "I feel like parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is. If your little boy comes to you and says, ‘Daddy, I want to be a girl.’ And you just let him rock with that? He’s 5. He can’t drive a car yet, but he can decide his sex?"

In his Sunday night mea culpa on X, Ne-Yo added ... gender identity is "nuanced," and he plans to "better educate myself on the topic, so I can approach future conversations with more empathy."

Originally Published 6:59 AM PT

Taylor Swift's L.A. concert is the biggest event of the year for sure, which is why 70,000 people packed into Sofi Stadium Thursday night, shouting lyrics that can be heard far and wide ... much to the chagrin of some very tired homeowners!

Taylor's first of 6 concerts ended at 11:45 PM, depriving some residents of their 8 hours of shuteye. One person in particular -- truth be told it's a dude who works at TMZ -- groused as he recorded Taylor and her legion of fans singing "You Belong with Me," complaining of the loud noise seeping from the stadium.

Fact is ... this guy is a known curmudgeon, so discount his displeasure. Nonetheless, the noise is really loud.

It's interesting ... in 2021, during rehearsals for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, when Dr. Dre and his crew wanted to keep the performances top secret, Stadium staff blasted rock music outside so neighbors couldn't tattle on the set list and the surprise guest (50 Cent). That too pissed off some residents, including our guy, so this is all par for the course.

Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix are avoiding making any eye contact these days, according to him ... which is obviously a challenge considering they're still living together.

TS was leaving the Ziggy Hotel in West Hollywood Thursday night, and pressed on the rumors he and Ariana can barely stomach to look at each other anymore ... and the guy ain't denying it.

The photog brings up a good point -- how the hell is that possible when they're still living under the same roof? Tom's response is sure to drop a few jaws.

TMZ broke the story, Ariana's refusing to film any "Vanderpump Rules" scenes with Tom this season ... and the closest they've gotten to each other on-camera was at SUR last month when the whole cast arrived -- but the 2 made sure to avoid direct convo.

BTW, Tom's also asked about Nick Viall's claims that he snuck photos of Rachel Leviss onto the set of 'Special Forces.' Sounds like that was true, too ... but he's shooting down the idea that he ever showed off the pics proudly.

One of the women suing Lizzo claiming she was done dirty by the singer actually sang her praises, AFTER the alleged incidents she says terrorized her.

TMZ has obtained a video shot in April 2023, in which plaintiff Arianna Davis gushes over Lizzo, saying, "It's been so amazing and such a beautiful journey. I look up to her so much. I just want to follow in her footsteps, and I just want to share that with the Queen Lizzo herself."

Lizzo's lawyer, Marty Singer, tells TMZ, "These do not sound like the words of someone who was harassed or discriminated against by someone they described as 'THE QUEEN."

What's critical here ... Davis made her comments after the European leg of Lizzo's tour and after Season 1 of "Watch Out for the Big Grrrls." All of Davis' allegations involve alleged incidents before she shot this video -- an interview for Season 2 of the show, in which Davis pitches herself as a singer.

Davis and another plaintiff, Crystal Williams, appeared on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and acknowledged they were fired after Lizzo's team said their dancing was not up to par.

Lizzo broke her silence Thursday morning, saying, "These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional."

Marty Singer adds, "They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and here a video shows that there are no legitimate claims in this lawsuit. We are confident that Lizzo will be completely vindicated in this matter."

Originally Published -- 6:25 AM PT

A woman in blackface showed up at a Target store ... that's outrageous enough, but wait till you hear how she went off the rails.

Ersilia Campbell sauntered into a Target in the Aurora area of Colorado and beelined it for a store employee -- demanding to know where to find the Pride section. The employee explained Pride month was over, and she then suggested the LGBTQ community had hijacked the American flag with the Pride flag.

The employee was clearly taken aback ... Campbell said what she was doing was no different from Lester Holt dressing up for Halloween as Susan Boyle, a white woman.

Her work wasn't done. Campbell also went to a Starbucks, with Trump stickers emblazoned on her shirt as she groused she was fired from the post office.

We did some digging, and found Ersilia apparently got the axe from the P.O. back in February, but she must've caused a similar stink there, because a trespassing notice was posted Tuesday alerting employees to call the Postal Inspection Service if she showed up again.

She ranted against her former coworkers online, calling them "some of the loneliest, miserable, trashiest, lazy people in my life."

Maybe she needs to look in a mirror.

Lizzo is speaking out for the first time since being sued by three of her former backup dancers who claim she sexually harassed them.

The singer posted a statement Thursday, just days after she was sued. The singer says, "These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed."

She continues, "These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional."

She went on, "As an artist I have always been very passionate about what I do. I take my music and my performances seriously because at the end of the day I only want to put out the best art that represents me and my fans. With passion comes hard work and high standards. Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it's never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren't valued as an important part of the team."

She adds, "I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days. I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not. There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight."

She concludes her statement, "I'm hurt but I will not let the good work I've done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this time."

As we reported ... three of Lizzo's former backup dancers -- Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez -- claim she subjected them to nude entertainment shows in Amsterdam and Paris on tour earlier this year, to what they say was the clear discomfort of her employees.

In the docs, the women say Lizzo pressured dancers to interact with sex performers at Bananenbar in Amsterdam, where patrons are known to eat bananas out of the performer's vaginas.

Two of Lizzo's accusers, Davis and Williams, joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and told us what their experiences were working for Lizzo ... alleging all of her dancers operate in fear of losing their jobs if they don't bend to her demands and get rewarded for playing ball.

Beyoncé seemingly caught wind of the lawsuit too ... Bey noticeably failed to mention Lizzo by name in the lyrics for one of her songs during a concert in Boston as part of her "Renaissance" tour.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Lizzo isn't sitting at Beyoncé's table right now in the wake of claims made against her by a few former backup dancers -- at least that's how it seems after this apparent Bey sting.

The singer was doing a show in Boston Tuesday -- as part of her "Renaissance" tour -- and during her performance of "Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)" ... Beyoncé noticeably failed to mention Lizzo's name in the lyrics, despite having done so repeatedly in the past.

If you're unfamiliar, Lizzo is actually written into the remix -- meaning her name is supposed to appear in the song naturally, so the fact Bey switched it up live is telling.

The name-drop happens in verse 3, where Beyoncé is listing a bunch of trailblazing women -- which normally includes Lizzo as well -- but on this particular outing ... Bey omitted her and instead chose to mention Erykah Badu 4 different times (more on this later).

Of course, to some ... it felt like, perhaps, Beyoncé had caught wind of the lawsuit filed against Lizzo Tuesday -- which had some pretty scandalous accusations in it, like the notion that she allegedly coerced her backup dancers to participate in nude cabaret shows ... not to mention allegedly badgering/body-shaming one of the dancers over a weight issue.

The internet certainly chatted about it yesterday, and now with this ... some are assuming Beyoncé did as well, and possibly made a decision to leave her off her 'BMS' list.

Now, there's another explanation for this would-be snub. As we reported ... there's bad blood between Erykah and Beyoncé right now. The former called out the latter for ripping off her fashion sense ... this 'cause Bey's worn similar 'fits onstage that echo EB's style.

It was a pretty public call-out ... and you could interpret Beyoncé's move as a response to Erykah stirring the pot. Eye of the beholder, we suppose ... but a choice was certainly made.

Mike Holston, the internet sensation famously known as The Real Tarzann, says the Chinese zoo being accused of trotting out a human in a bear suit actually has the real deal in captivity.

We got Mike at LAX and asked him about allegations a zoo in eastern China is fooling folks with a man in a suit.

This viral video shot at the zoo is certainly fueling that speculation -- but Mike says the animal shows all the signs of being an authentic sun bear.

The rumors got so out of hand, the zoo was forced to defend itself, and Mike says it's not uncommon for bears to stand on their hind legs, which is one reason why the video had folks thinking something was afoot.

Instead, Mike says the bear is just showing the animal's natural agility ... and it's only standing up to beg for food from humans. See what happens when ya feed the bears!

It's interesting ... Mike says he's interacted with all sorts of wild animals across the globe, but he'd be more afraid to be trapped with an American than a sun bear.

He's got a host of reasons why humans, particularly Americans, are most dangerous in the animal kingdom. For example, he says wild animals never lie about their feelings. 🤔

Taylor Swift is sharing the wealth from her wildly successful Eras Tour ... in the form of six-figure bonuses for the truckers hauling her equipment all around the country!

Our Taylor sources tell us she gifted each trucker working her tour $100,000 ... handing out the bonus checks before her Saturday show in Santa Clara, CA.

We're told the folks getting the money are production truck drivers who have been hauling Taylor's equipment for The Eras Tour ... there are around 50 truckers for her U.S. tour, which means Taylor just shelled out about $5 million.

Our sources say the checks were an "end of the tour" bonus ... remember, the United States leg is coming to a close next week when Taylor plays a series of gigs at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood before moving down to Mexico.

Taylor's nationwide tour has raked in $1 billion in sales ... and when the dust settles, she could end up having the highest-grossing tour of all time!!!

Truck drivers aren't the only ones getting a slice of the pie in the form of bonuses.

Our production sources tell us Taylor also bonused band members, dancers, lighting and sound technicians, caterers, and others. It's unclear how much the non-truckers received, but we're told it was a "very generous amount."

Bottom line ... it pays to work for Taylor.

Carli Lloyd wasn't feeling all the smiling and dancing after the USWNT scored a draw vs. Portugal, narrowly advancing in the World Cup ... she called out her former team, saying they're fortunate they're not going home!

If you missed it, the U.S. Women's National Team faced Portugal early Tuesday morning, barely escaping with the 0-0 tie ... after Portugal's Ana Capeta's extra time kick nearly netted the game's first goal. Fortunately for the U.S., the ball deflected off the goalpost.

With the draw, the U.S. advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup ... and players were clearly happy, celebrating on the pitch.

The visual didn't sit right with Lloyd -- a 2x Olympic gold medalist and 2x World Cup winner -- who took a shot at the team after another uninspiring effort on the field.

"I have never witnessed," the 41-year-old said on FOX Soccer, "and just seeing these images for the first time at the desk – I have never witnessed something like that."

"There's a difference between being respectful of the fans and saying hello to your family, but to be dancing, to be smiling."

Lloyd continued calling out the USWNT, crediting the goalpost with saving the game for 'Merica.

"I mean the player of that match was the post. You are lucky to not be going home right now."

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski responded to Lloyd's comment, saying it was "insane" to question the mentality of the team.

But, Lloyd's not the only one who's questioning the USWNT ... and many fans have been none too pleased with the results on the field (3-0 win over Vietnam, draws vs. Netherlands and Portugal).

"People across America stayed up super late or woke up IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT to watch yall play a half-hearted game, at best. You put more effort into your outfits and pre and post-game dance moves and than you did the actual game," one fan commented.

"You're letting down fans that are, and have been, dedicated to this team and it's honestly so disappointing. Get your focus where it needs to be and actually play like a team and a group we can be proud of, win or lose."

The USWNT returns to the pitch on August 6 in the round of 16 as they continue their quest for a historic, third straight World Cup victory.

Do that ... and we're sure Carli Lloyd will take the photos for you!

Cardi B might not get away scot-free with that microphone toss in Las Vegas -- she's now listed as the suspect in a battery ... TMZ has learned.

The woman who was struck by Cardi's mic when she hurled it into the crowd at Drai's Nightclub on Saturday ... went to Las Vegas Metro PD the next day to report the incident.

She told police she'd been struck by an item -- the microphone -- thrown from the stage. Of course, the whole incident was captured on cameras during Cardi's show.

As we reported, a woman in the crowd threw some kinda liquid at Cardi while she was performing ... and the rapper snapped, immediately throwing the mic in retaliation.

The mic struck the drink thrower, but ricocheted and also hit another woman standing next to her ... as seen in the footage.

Prior to the altercation, Cardi and her DJ had implored the crowd to splash water on her to cool her off in the triple-digit weather -- but obviously, she didn't take kindly to whatever the woman threw later in the show.

We've reached out to Cardi's camp, but no word back yet.

Story developing ...

There's evidence Cardi B should've anticipated a fan tossing liquid on her in Las Vegas ... because she actually asked the crowd to douse her with water and cool her off!!!

Additional scenes from inside Cardi's Drai's Beachclub performance from her Saturday show demanding the crowd to throw water on her in between songs because she was "dying" from the triple-digit desert temps -- it got up to 105° that day, so hydration was a must.

Cardi's DJ also encouraged the crowd to hose her down and she didn't care where they soaked her -- she even bent over, and directed fans toward her, umm ... WAP!!!

Now, Cardi was very clearly asking for H2O only to be thrown at her. It's hard to tell what was in the cup that was thrown when she went completely ballistic, but the operating theory is it was booze, and not just water. BTW, the fan has been extremely apologetic since the whole thing went down.

That said, one fan is claiming Cardi clocked her with the mic, despite not being the one who threw the drink ... which could prove to be a slippery situation down the line.

Now we know why Kyle Richards has been in Aspen at the same time as her good friend country star Morgan Wade ... Kyle's spreading her wings and producing a documentary on Morgan's life.

Morgan performed Sunday night at Belly Up in Aspen ... and everyone in the audience signed releases allowing the footage shot to be used in a production.

We've learned the production puts the spotlight on Morgan's life ... the highs and lows -- from her rise to stardom to overcoming substance abuse. It also focuses on the 28-year-old cancer issues -- she has a gene that makes her at high risk for ovarian and breast cancer. She'll be getting a double mastectomy in November -- presumably the doc will chronicle that journey.

Kyle is not only the executive producer of the doc, she appears on camera as well. And, Kyle was actually shooting footage of the concert during Sunday's show.

54-year-old Kyle is venturing into new territory, producing and whatnot. Congrats!

Ethan Slater may be done with his marriage, but he "desperately" wants to co-parent his nearly 1-year-old child with soon-to-be ex-wife Lilly Jay ... sources connected to Ethan tell TMZ.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Ethan has been talking to Lilly daily, mostly about their little boy. We're told Ethan spent a lot of time with his son in London after he had split with Lilly, and is determined to have a major presence in the boy's life.

Our sources say Lilly told Ethan repeatedly she was down with co-parenting. Ethan, we're told, asked Lilly about issuing a joint statement saying they were committed to co-parenting their son, but Lilly wanted to defer releasing the statement, at least for now.

We're also told Lilly had assured Ethan she didn't know where various media leaks were emanating from, so he was more than surprised to read Thursday that Lilly spoke with Page Six, calling Ariana Grande "not a girl's girl," adding her family was "collateral damage."

Sources tell us Lilly told Ethan she did not understand what it meant that she was on the record when she made the comments.

It's unclear what Lilly's position is regarding co-parenting, but Ethan adamantly wants to raise his son.

TMZ broke the story ... Ethan filed for divorce on Wednesday. If they're at odds on who raises the child, ultimately a judge will decide.

Travis Scott is treating Kylie Jenner's new boyfriend, Timothée Chalamet, like an oompa loompa on his new album "Utopia" ... and wants his bm to know she'll never find another beau more lit than him!!!

On the appropriately titled track, "Meltdown," Travis blows his tops going at Timothée while dissing his upcoming role as the King of Candy with the lyrics, "Chocolate AP and chocolate the Vs got the/ Willy Wonka factory (Vs)/ Burn an athlete like it's calories find another flame hot as me, bitch!!!"

In case you're not following Travis' hot lines, an AP is short for Audemars Piguet, one of the watches rappers favor these days that cost just as much as a moderately sized mansion ... while Timothée is set to play Willy Wonka in the fable's latest reboot ... a move too corny for his taste.

Confirmation that Kylie was getting cozy inside Timothée's chocolate factory began to surface in April, when her car was spotted at his house, and again during a mid-day taco run.

Kylie and Travis entered the summer in a fluid co-parenting situation, with zero expectations of getting back together ... but Travis is clearly upset Kylie moved on with the Golden Ticket guy!!!

Travis dropped his long-awaited "Utopia" album on Friday and all signs point to it being a huge success, with several fans complaining of outages on streaming services as everyone rushed to listen.

Well, everyone 'cept for Timothée most likely.