TMZ.com Home

Dennis Rodman's going to bat for Luke Walton -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks the Lakers coach is doing a "very, very good job" ... but he's being treated unfairly by the organization.

"I mean, it's a sad situation," Rodman said ... "I think Luke Walton's been doing a very, very good job with the team."

The Lakers are 4-6 and Magic Johnson essentially said Luke's job is safe (for now). So, what's so unfair about the situation? Here's what he said. See if you speak Rodman ...

"I think now, all of a sudden, with a 'higher power' coming to the Lakers, called LeBron, all of a sudden now things are changing. And, his hands are tied right now."

We think Dennis means Luke isn't really free to call the shots as long as LeBron is on the team. He's basically gotta do whatever Bron wants.

There's more ... Rodman also says Luke's gotta deal with some of the young guys on the team who thought they were gonna be stars in Los Angeles until LeBron came along.

"He's taking all that limelight away from these young kids now ... It's like, the kids gotta f**king grow up."

Dennis isn't just trying to dish out advice to the Lakers -- he strongly believes people battling addiction issues can learn a lot from his agent Darren Prince, whose new book details his own struggle.

Pete Davidson made a late change right before 'SNL' to mention Ariana Grande's name during this weekend's episode ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the production tell us Pete heard Ariana's new song, "thank u, next," before showtime Saturday night, and that spurred him to write a few lines addressing the breakup. We're told he ran a copy by Lorne Michaels ... and got it approved for his 'Weekend Update' segment.

Pete called Ariana a "wonderful, strong person" and wished her the best ... while also declaring their relationship wasn't anyone's business. Remember, Pete scrubbed an entire skit he'd written about their breakup after Ariana called him out over the promo in which he obtusely referenced their split.

Clearly, he had a change of heart after hearing the tune, which she dropped just 30 minutes before 'SNL' went on the air. FWIW, she refrained from taking any shots at Pete on the track.

The Ariana line wasn't the only deviation from the script heading into Saturday. Regarding Dan Crenshaw -- whose war-caused disability Pete mocked -- we're told P.D.'s crass "whatever" comment was delivered completely off the cuff.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will go head-to-head in a full-blown custody trial, which begins early next month ... TMZ has learned.

Angelina and Brad have filed legal docs asking an L.A. Superior Court Judge to give them until next June to hash out their bitter divorce ... with the help of a private judge.

The custody trial is now set to begin December 4, and the 2 parents could not be further apart. Angelina wants sole physical custody of their 6 kids and Brad wants 50/50 joint custody.

We're told the custody trial should take somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks, and then the judge has to sort it all out.

In addition to custody, the private judge needs to handle the property settlement. There is not a prenup ... which is huge, given the bad blood between the two.

Jon Stewart REALLY wants the Mets to be good -- and REALLY wants 'em to sign Bryce Harper -- but he's also been around long enough to know they'll bungle it.

"There's no way Bryce Harper is coming to the Mets," Stewart told us in NYC ... "It's not possible!"

Harper is reportedly looking for a MASSIVE new contract (some say $400 MIL) with his eye on several teams. But Stewart says fellow Mets fans shouldn't hold their breath.

"I'm sure they just signed a 14-year-old they're sure is going to be the next Bryce Harper," Stewart says ... "but is gonna turn out to be just another asthmatic with a bat."

Jon is one of New York's most famous die-hards ... but back-to-back seasons of fewer than 80 wins have him feelin' pretty down on the Mets these days.

Still, Jon says he's holding out a scintilla of hope ... because a strong left-handed batter would be DOPE!

The war vet Pete Davidson disrespected on 'SNL' concedes there may be a silver lining ... he's now a stand-out in Tuesday's midterm election.

Texas congressional candidate Dan Crenshaw told us on "TMZ Live" ... this could turn into a Beyonce moment ... turning the 'SNL' lemons he's been given into sweet, sweet lemonade ... which could translate into a win for him when the polls close on Tuesday night.

As we reported ... Dan isn't demanding an apology after Pete said Dan looked like a "hitman from a porno" and brushed off his disability with a "whatever." Dan does admit, however, the cheap shot "tore at my core."

Joakim Noah's model girlfriend Lais Ribeiro was so damn hot in her thong bikini in Malibu this weekend -- we barely noticed the beach was littered with a ton of HUGE stars!!

Seriously ... everyone from John McEnroe to Kenny Chesney and Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber were hanging out at Laird Hamilton's pad for a Sunday funday.

But, all eyes were on Joakim and Lais ... for obvious reasons.

Joakim was waived by the Knicks last month -- and while they lost to the Washington Wizards that day, Noah was having a much better time.

Lais is one of the top lingerie models in the world and will be walking in the Victoria's Secret fashion show later this week.

She famously rocked the $2 MILLION fantasy bra at the 2017 show in China -- which Joakim could easily afford, considering he's made more than $121 MILLION playing pro basketball.

Unclear how long Joakim and Lais have been an item -- but they were reportedly spotted out clubbing back in September and have grown closer ever since.

In fact, they spent Halloween together and even had themed costumes -- he was Aquaman and she was Storm.

George Clooney is doing an awesome thing to raise money for veterans -- giving up one of his prized Harleys -- and it might also happen to make his wife happy ... in other words, it's a win-win for George!

Homes For Our Troops, the non-profit group working with George, tells TMZ ... George and good friend Jake Tapper have been planning the motorcycle donation for a month, and the ride will be auctioned off to raise funds to build homes for severely injured vets.

The eBay auction page makes reference to Amal Clooney wanting to get her husband off motorbikes for good ... ever since George was hospitalized in a scary scooter crash in Italy.

George somehow walked away from the accident with bruises, but no broken bones -- which is crazy, considering he went flying nearly 20 feet into the air.

As for the Hog ... it's one of George's newest, a limited edition 2017 FLHTX with a mere 25 miles and a retail price of about $28k. The auction is already live and the winner gets to pick up the bike in L.A. ... and get it signed by George!

Demi Lovato has what appears to be a constant companion, and he has a few things in common with her that are now the centerpiece of her life -- addiction and sobriety.

We just got these photos of Demi and clothing guru Henry Levy grabbing coffee Sunday night in West Hollywood ... and, as you can see, they're getting really close. Demi's got her arm around Henry's waist, and he's got his draped over her shoulder.

We've learned Demi and Henry went to an AA meeting Sunday night -- he's been in and out of rehab since he was a teen. We're told Demi and Henry actually met a few years back when both were in rehab.

Demi and Henry's Sunday outing comes on the heels of their fancy sushi dinner Saturday night at Matsuhisa in Bev Hills ... when we first saw them together having a great time over dinner.

Demi definitely enjoys Henry's company ... because they were back at it again the next day, smiling, laughing and looking cheerful as they waited on iced coffees.

Harvey Weinstein's legal team is going for the kill amid a crumbling criminal case against their client -- now asking a judge to toss the remaining charges against HW.

Weinstein's lawyer, Ben Brafman, filed a new motion Monday in Weinstein's case asking a judge to dismiss all charges.

The linchpin ... calling into question the credibility of one of Weinstein's accusers, who alleges he forced her into oral sex.

Weinstein's lawyers argue that the woman in question, who's been ID'd as Mimi Haleyi, stayed in contact with Harvey 7 months after the alleged assault. In Weinstein's filing, obtained by TMZ, the lawyers say she sent texts to his phone -- one of which allegedly read ... "Hi! Just wondering if u have any news on whether harvey will have time to see me before he leaves? xMiriam."

As we reported ... Mimi claims that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her while she was on her period and, at one point, she says he took out her tampon. Mimi also claims that Weinstein said, "Don't you feel we are so much closer to each other now?"

8:15 AM PT -- According to the report, Mac's assistant found him unresponsive on his bed in a "praying position" -- kneeling forward with his face resting on his knees. The assistant described him as already being "blue" during the 911 call.

There was a 1/4-inch abrasion on the bridge of his nose, and there was blood coming out of one nostril.

An empty bottle of alcohol was found on the nightstand, near Mac's body ... and a bottle of prescription pills was found in the bathroom. The list of pills recovered in the home include Xanax, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and generic Adderall.

Cops found a rolled-up $20 bill with white powdery residue in Mac's right pocket -- and an iPad in his home studio had "linear white powdery residue" on it. There were also 2 baggies found with the white powder.

We're told the amount of each drug was not necessarily a lethal amount, but the combination is what killed him.

As part of the report, the Coroner detailed the location of all of Mac's tattoos, and described each of them -- including his "Most Dope," Einstein face and "No Woman No Cry" ink.

Mac Miller died from a mix of fentanyl and cocaine ... TMZ has learned.

The L.A. County Coroner's Office released its toxicology findings, and according to the report Mac died from "mixed drug toxicity" -- specifically fentanyl, coke ... and alcohol too. The Coroner categorized his death as an accidental overdose.

TMZ broke the story ... Mac died back in September. He was found around noon in a bedroom at his San Fernando Valley home. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

As we reported ... a male friend called 911 from Mac's home. Emergency dispatch audio revealed first responders were called for a patient in cardiac arrest. Mac battled with substance abuse for years and it's what ultimately led to Ariana Grande breaking up with him.

He was arrested for DUI and hit-and-run back in May after wrecking his G-Wagon on a utility pole. He fled the scene but cops said he later confessed when they tracked him down at his home. He blew 2 times the legal limit. Ariana later tweeted, "Pls take care of yourself" ... clearly showing concern about his sobriety.

Originally Published -- 7:58 AM PDT

Blac Chyna is dropping the single that proves her goal to become a rapper wasn't just a hip-hop pipe dream -- as some people thought.

BC dropped her debut single Monday ... it's called "Deserve" and features Yo Gotti and Jeremih ... but make no mistake, Chyna really raps on the track. She's not Nicki Minaj or Cardi B yet, but she definitely spits some bars.

The theme of the song is clearly money over men ... and some of her lyrics include, "These broke n***** don't deserve pussy."

Chyna's new track was a long time coming. We broke the story ... Chyna's been working on her album over the past year with Tyga's producer, Mally Mall. She was hellbent on recruiting big stars like Gotti, Jeremih, Tory Lanez, Swae Lee and others, and it looks like at least a couple of 'em delivered.

The feud between 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather is still going -- Fiddy just CLOWNED the boxer's newly announced fight, saying his opponent is more "Uber driver" than contender.

As we previously reported ... Mayweather just signed a deal to fight on New Year's Eve in Japan against an undefeated 20-year-old kickboxer, Tenshin Nasukawa.

Unclear whether the bout will be a boxing match or full-on MMA ... but, either way, 50 says it's a joke.

"Champ fighting a Uber driver before the IRS embarrass him again. Pay preview my ass, we watching this on YouTube."

50 didn't stop there ... sayin' Floyd shoulda taken on Gennady Golovkin -- writing, "What happen to GGG, couldn't find his phone number. get the f**k outta here wit this sh*t."

50 added, "Champ done turned into a circus act ... at least Canelo fighting killers."

Fitty and Floyd have been beefing on social media for months ... with Mayweather recently saying a rift between the rapper and Floyd's manager, Al Haymon, is where the tiff all started.

Rich the Kid could be playing with fire, because he's not letting his recent beatdown by armed robbers stop him from shining with tons of ice, and no bodyguards in sight.

We got Rich at LAX Sunday and he was stunting with a $120,000 neck piece and a $78,000 two-tone Cuban link necklace ... and he's basically treating his lack of personal security as a badge of honor.

It's pretty standard for Rich when he's traveling the country ... when we last saw him at LAX, he was flaunting $100k cash in his carry-on!

We broke the story ... Rich was hospitalized after getting the crap beat out of him during a home invasion by masked gunmen who made off with tons of cash and jewels.

Tekashi69 still can't open a few doors -- the rapper and his crew walked away from ComplexCon after Slim 400 started beefing at the entrance -- and Tekashi was PISSED!!!

We've obtained video of the showdown between 6ix9ine and Slim 400 and, as you can see, there was no love lost between them -- just tons of hostility and insults being hurled every which way.

You see Tekashi rolling deep Sunday night to the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach. His crew was immediately confronted at the door by Slim 400 and his squad, and the tension mounted while both sides yelled back and forth.

Tekashi had to be held back, but eventually chose to walk away. Pretty amazing when you watch the video, because it definitely feels like violence is about to go down.

6ix9ine and Slim have been feuding for months. We're told Slim's crew was posted up outside the door as if they were waiting for Tekashi's arrival. Sources close to Tekashi tell TMZ the rapper was livid after he was invited to perform at the event, and was met by Slim and his squad instead of proper security to escort him in. He chose to walk away from the whole performance, rather than risk things escalating.