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Mariah Carey's former assistant has just fired back at the singer's blackmail allegation with her own lawsuit, claiming she was the victim of horrible abuse by one of Mariah's key people, and the singer did nothing about it.

Lianna Azarian claims in a new lawsuit, Mariah's former manager, Stella Bulochnikov committed various acts of abuse, including slapping her butt and breasts, urinating on her, tackling her to the ground and sitting on her. Azarian also claims Stella called her the n-word, and a "f***ing Armenian whore."

According to the lawsuit, Azarian says Stella ridiculed her breasts, "including placing objects under her breasts such as iPhones, television remote controls and utensils."

Azarian claims a lot of the alleged abuse occurred in Mariah's presence and she did nothing.

Azarian also says Mariah committed acts of physical, emotional and psychological abuse against her.

TMZ broke the story ... Mariah sued Azarian, claiming she secretly videotaped embarrassing and intimate activities and then blackmailed after Mariah fired her ... saying if she didn't get $8 million she'd release the videos.

Azarian is suing Mariah, Stella and others.

We reached out to Stella and are waiting for a comment. And, we reached out to Mariah's folks ... so far, no word back.

1/17 -- According to the divorce docs, obtained by TMZ, Helders says he and Breana split at the end of October. He's asking for joint legal and physical custody of their daughter. In the docs, Helders says they've mutually agreed to not pay each other spousal support.

Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders is calling it quits on his marriage ... we've learned he just filed for divorce from his wife.

Matt filed docs Wednesday to divorce his wife Breana McDow Helders, after just over two years of marriage. The couple got hitched in Italy back in June 2016. They have a 3-year-old daughter, Amelia Darling, together. It's unclear what led to the split.

Matt and Breanna started dating way back in 2011, and they got engaged in 2013 before tying the knot in Europe.

Matt is one of the founding members of the indie rock band, and he's recorded six studio albums with the Arctic Monkeys. The band has also been nominated for five Grammy Awards.

The Vice President and his wife are getting a bad rap when it comes to LGBTQ rights, despite their track record ... at least according to Mike Pence's older brother.

Indiana Congressman Greg Pence was on Capitol Hill Wednesday when we asked him about the backlash over the VP's wife, Karen Pence, going back to teach at Virginia's Immanuel Christian School ... which has a policy of refusing admission to gay students.

Rep. Pence did an artful DC two-step -- especially for a freshman -- dodging the question by saying he can't speak for Karen. However, when we asked point-blank if his brother and sister-in-law are anti-LGBT ... he answered. Definitively.

Now, whether anyone buys his answer is another thing. The Veep's reputation in the LGBTQ community stems from a stance he took in 2000 during a campaign.

His website stated the following regarding the Ryan White Care Act, which provided funding to HIV/AIDS patients:

Congress should support the reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act only after completion of an audit to ensure that federal dollars were no longer being given to organizations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus. Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.

That paragraph is why it's widely believed VP Pence supports conversion therapy for gays. He's also backed a law defining marriage as strictly between a man and a woman.

Common says he loves Travis Scott -- but really wishes the guy would PULL OUT of the Super Bowl halftime show over the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick.

"I ain't with supporting the NFL," Common told us ... "They don't really support black people."

"Kaepernick said he's standing up for people who are being shot down, black and brown. The NFL basically blackballed him. They've shown how they feel about us for real."

Common says he respects the NFL players -- his beef is squarely with the owners.

As for Travis Scott, Common says ... "He's a dope dude, but I really don't want to support none of that stuff."

"Travis is doing what he's gotta do ... I feel like man, I wish he wouldn't [do the halftime show] to be honest."

Common says he has great respect for artists like Rihanna who have reportedly turned down the NFL in a show of support to Colin.

"All I know is that I'm supporting Kaepernick," Common added ... "I just want you to know that."

As we previously reported, Travis Scott reached out to Colin to discuss the Super Bowl halftime show before he officially signed on.

The two men had a cordial conversation but Colin explained why he would NOT give Travis his blessing to perform.

2:03 PM PT -- A spokesperson for the City of Chicago tells TMZ that officials who searched R. Kelly's studio Wednesday did, in fact, find building code violations, including evidence that the space was being used for residential purposes.

We're also told officials discovered work that had been done inside without permits. The city will file an amended complaint against R. Kelly for a future court hearing.

Police are at R. Kelly's recording studio in Chicago, and while it has nothing to do with the allegations put forth in "Surviving R. Kelly" ... it is related to potential illegal activity.

The issue appears to be Kelly's studio being used as a residence. Law enforcement sources tell us Chicago PD showed up there Wednesday afternoon with the Cook County Building and Zoning Dept. We're told the B & Z is there because the building is only zoned for industrial use, so if anyone is living there ... that's a no-no.

We're told police typically accompany the Building Dept. on such matters ... and officers did NOT go just because it's Kelly's place. BTW, the singer reportedly owes a ton of back rent -- $166k -- and is facing eviction before the month's end.

Obviously, the sight of police swarming Kelly's crib immediately made people think an arrest was going down.

No dice. Yet.

Rosie O'Donnell thinks Donald Trump has a snowball's chance in hell of being reelected in 2020 ... because it's really hard to run for office when you're sitting in prison.

We got the comedian Wednesday in NYC, and asked if she had any thoughts on Trump's chances to be a two-term President. Rosie says there's no way in hell that's happening and adds ... the American people won't let it happen.

She makes it clear she has faith citizens will bounce back from what she describes as Trump's "tyranny," and -- to borrow one of his fave phrases -- lock HIM up.

Former NFL DB Tony Beckham -- a Titans 4th-round pick in 2002 -- beat the hell out of a man after he allegedly caught the guy masturbating outside his 15-year-old daughter's window.

Cops in Palm Beach County, Florida say Tony saw a man with his hands down his pants in the bushes next to his daughter's window Monday morning ... and went after him when he saw the guy making masturbating motions.

Police say Tony chased the guy down about 50 feet from his house ... and proceeded to smash the guy up bad -- breaking his face in a couple different places.

Cops arrested the man -- a 48-year-old named Geoffrey Cassidy (who claimed he was a transient) -- and booked him for Lewd or Lascivious Exhibition in the Presence of a Child.

If convicted on that count, Cassidy faces up to 15 years in prison.

Cassidy is still being held in Palm Beach County Jail on $1,500 bond.

1:24 PM PT -- A rep for David Eason refutes the details of this weekend's encounter, telling us he did confront the woman ... but never threatened to shoot her, nor was he carrying a gun. We're told Dave noticed the same woman snooping around their property and tampering with their mailbox two days prior, and drove up to her this time on his ATV. The rep tells us all he said to her was that nothing was for sale when she said she was a realtor looking for property.

Jenelle Evans' husband, David Eason, allegedly threatened to shoot and kill a woman who briefly stopped in front of his property ... TMZ has learned.

Real estate agent Sandra Britt tells us she was cruising through Jenelle and David's neighborhood last weekend in Riegelwood, NC looking for a rental property for her daughter. She says she paused for a moment in front of the 'Teen Mom' stars' home to admire it ... particularly its new black gate.

Britt says she was quickly on her way -- but she claims Eason came racing up the street behind her on an ATV and pulled up beside her. She claims he asked, "What the mother f*** are you looking at my house for?"

She claims he then put his hand on what appeared to be a gun in a holster on his waist and said, "That's right. I got a gun, I will shoot you." She says David then took a pic of her license plate, and then bolted.

Britt tells us she tried to report the incident to police, but was told nothing could be done because the altercation happened on a public highway. She's planning to file a report with the Sheriff's Department soon.

We've reached out to Eason, but no word back yet.

Worth noting ... David does love his guns. Just last month the Secret Service paid him a visit after he tagged President Trump in a social media post flaunting his arsenal of weapons and ammo.

10:30 AM PT -- We've now made sense of what happened between Colin and Travis, and sources connected with both sides agree the two men spoke, but the timeline and substance of the convo are critical.

Sources connected to Travis acknowledge, when TMZ broke the story on December 20 that Travis would perform at the Super Bowl, he had indeed made that decision. The contract, however, had not been signed.

Travis has a track record for charity work and donations -- and wanted to incorporate that into his deal -- and that's when he started thinking of some sort of donation the NFL might make. We're told Travis' people started negotiating a donation amount with the NFL and Travis was "willing to walk" if he didn't get what he wanted.

Before the contract was signed, sources tell us Travis reached out to Colin ... presumably to get him on board but not to ask for permission. We're told Colin was not supportive of Travis performing at the Super Bowl, and the 2 men disagreed. Multiple sources characterize the conversation as "cordial and not hostile."

The NFL contract, we're told, was only signed a few days ago ... AFTER the conversation between Colin and Travis. That contract includes a $500,000 donation to Van Jones' charity, Dream Corps.

One final thing ... a Travis source underscored, although he respects Colin, "Colin doesn't tell Travis what he can and can't do. That's Travis' decision."

Colin Kaepernick and his close circle of friends are strongly DENYING a report rapper Travis Scott "consulted" with the ex-NFL quarterback before agreeing to do the Super Bowl halftime show.

The report claims Travis and Kap spoke over the phone -- and while they didn't exactly see eye to eye, there was a mutual understanding.

The report seemed to imply Kap was okay with Scott performing because the NFL and Scott agreed to donate $500k to a social justice organization.

But now, Kap's crew is calling BS -- and the QB is putting his stamp of approval on the public denials.

Kap's friend, Ebro Darden -- the famous HOT 97 radio host who works closely with Kap's girlfriend, Nessa -- tweeted, "Kap did not approve this bullshit! Get the f*ck outta here."

Kaepernick retweeted Ebro's statement -- and Nessa also weighed in saying, "FACTS @EBRO!!! THEY NEED TO STOP LYING."

In fact, the same day it was announced Big Boi from Outkast would also be performing at the Super Bowl, Nessa posted the urban dictionary definition of the word, "Sell out."

She added, "If you are with them, then you are definitely not with us."

11:37 AM PT -- A source close to Gaga tells us the singer is furious the song is still on the Google service. We're told she was under the impression everything had been taken down, and this one, somehow, slipped through the cracks. Her team blames Google's switch of most of its music operations to YouTube for the lapse as Play dramatically cut staff.

10:35 AM PT -- IGA tells TMZ, "We are working on taking this down now."

Lady Gaga hasn't completely followed through on her promise to remove her song with R. Kelly from streaming platforms, because their collab is still available for purchase on Google Play Music.

As of this post, you can still throw down $1.29 to buy Lady Gaga's song, "Do What U Want (With My Body)" featuring R. Kelly.

Gaga said 6 days ago she was pulling the collab from iTunes and other streaming services as an act of solidarity with the women Kelly allegedly abused.

It HAS been disabled on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. It's unclear if Google Play was overlooked, or if the purge just hasn't gotten to the platform yet.

As you know, Celine Dion, Ciara, Chance the Rapper and the Pussycat Dolls followed in Gaga's footsteps and pulled or are in the process of pulling their collabs with R. Kelly in the wake of Lifetime's docuseries, "Surviving R. Kelly." Still, it's interesting that Gaga and Kelly's song hasn't been completely scrubbed.

We've reached out to Google and Gaga ... so far, no word back.

Juice WRLD is getting squeezed for allegedly ripping off a kid who claims his beat is the same one as one of the rapper's biggest songs ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Jerome Willisch -- a minor in Colorado who goes by Fly Jxy -- just filed suit with his parents against the Chicago MC, claiming his 2018 tune "Lean Wit Me" is a blatant rip-off of his own song, "Ice."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Willisch says the producers of 'LWM' lifted his song by copying the essential beat and foundation of "Ice" ... without giving him credit, and without getting his permission.

It's worth noting ... Willisch says he just filed for a copyright to his song this month, but hasn't yet secured the rights. Still, he argues that "Lean Wit Me" is basically stealing his work, and he wants justice.

Meghan Markle's got some pretty sweet perks, even beyond the castles and tiaras ... she gets to do some volunteering with super cute dogs.

The Duchess of Sussex stopped by The Mayhew shelter in London Wednesday to meet the staff, and pet some puppers. She even got to hold a sweet Jack Russell Terrier named Minnie.

We're told Meghan's been there before, but it was her first visit since Kensington Palace announced the charity as one of her 4 royal patronages last week.

Markle -- who's about 6 months into her pregnancy, has reportedly had rescue dogs of her own before ... so, naturally, the cause is near and dear to her.

Along with meeting the doggos, we're told the Duchess also spent time checking out The Mayhew's animal therapy program ... which provides dog visits for people in need.

Dave Chappelle was noncommittal on his feelings about some old skits that mocked some shocking behavior by R. Kelly.

We got the comic in WeHo Tuesday night leaving Craig's, and asked about his sketches from "Chappelle's Show" where he created a music video -- titled "Piss on You" -- mocking the real video of R. Kelly urinating on what appears to be a teenage girl.

Dave also did a comedy sketch on the jury selection process in the criminal trial, and used R. Kelly's scandal as material for years.

Dave said he didn't have a vivid memory of the sketches and needed a relook.

Our photog also asked if he had regrets over not participating in "Surviving R. Kelly." The show's EP, Dream Hampton, claimed Chappelle was among a number of celebs who turned down interviews.

Chris Hansen got the Chris Hansen treatment, sort of, when Connecticut cops confronted him and then busted him ... for bouncing checks.

The former host of "To Catch a Predator" was arrested Monday in Stamford for larceny. Cops say he failed to pay a local vendor nearly $13,000 for stuff he'd purchased in 2017 ... and allegedly gave the guy the runaround with 2 bounced checks.

According to Stamford PD, Chris bought 355 mugs, 288 t-shirts and 650 vinyl decals from a mom-and-pop shop in town for marketing events he planned to attend. The owner says the goods were delivered, but Chris bailed on his $12,998.05 tab.

The owner says after the first check bounced, he threatened to go to cops. Chris allegedly offered to make 4 partial payments, but the owner rejected that deal.

Chris then bounced a second check, and begged for more time. The owner claims Chris sent emails saying he was selling his boat to come up with the cash, but a check -- a good one -- never came ... and a warrant was issued for Chris' arrest.

He turned himself in Monday, and was booked and released from jail.

Mariah Carey says she was betrayed in a huge way by the former personal assistant she hired ... an assistant Mariah says secretly recorded her doing "embarrassing" things and then threatened to release the vids unless the singer coughed up $8 million ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ has obtained a copy of a lawsuit Mariah just filed against Lianna Azarian, also known as Lianna Shakhnazarian. Mariah says she hired Azarian back in March 2015 as an Executive Assistant. Mariah claims it wasn't long before Azarian went to town with her credit card, buying personal stuff and also claiming to retailers she was buying things for Mariah, trading the singer's goodwill to get deep discounts.

Carey says unbeknownst to her, Azarian was secretly filming her "personal activities" ... which would be "embarrassing," and extremely damaging both personally and professionally if revealed.

Mariah says Azarian showed some of the videos to friends, saying if she was ever fired she'd sell them.

Carey claims she was paying Azarian as much as $327,000 a year, but ended up firing her in November 2017, and that's when she claims the blackmail began. Carey says Azarian demanded $8 million and if she didn't get it she'd release videos and other damaging information.

The lawsuit does not say what's on the videos ... although some are described as "intimate."

Mariah says she's demanded the videos and other evidence of criminal activity back, to no avail. She's suing for unspecified damages, but wants more than $3 million.

9:34 AM PT -- A source close to Mariah tells TMZ, "This new year welcomes Mariah's continued efforts to clean the trash from her life."

They continue, "According to a Complaint filed today in California, an executive assistant employed in 2015 to help with business and personal matters, turned out to be a grifter and extortionist. Because her threats and bad acts are too great to be ignored, Mariah has been compelled to file a lawsuit against her."

"Given that the evidence against this former assistant is vast and deplorable, we anticipate a victorious resolution. Mariah continues her streak of success this year with an upcoming North American tour and return to Vegas."

Originally Published -- 3:38 AM PT

She may not have meant to do it, but Cardi B just came up with the title of her next hit track ... "P***Y BREATHIN'!"

The rapper was riding in a car in an all-denim outfit late Tuesday night when she became, uh, uncomfortable -- especially in the crotch area -- because her pants were too tight.

She explained her plight as only Cardi can ... "I hate having p***y wedgies, bro. My p***y be screaming at me like, 'Bitch! You got me f**ked up! You want a yeast infection, bitch?"

So, you gotta watch her remedy the situation by riding bare-ass on the car seat to let her p***y breathe. Cardi can pull this off because ... she's Cardi.

The surgeon general does NOT recommend you try this in the back of an Uber. There could be serious surcharges and/or criminal charges.

This isn't the first time Cardi's been very open and honest in public about her battle with wedgies -- a couple weeks ago at a concert in New Zealand, she stopped the show and told her fans ... "I need a little break. I'm gonna be right back. I gotta take this wedgie out my ass."

The crowd loved it. So does CB's p***y.