TMZ

EXCLUSIVE

Jeff Gordon says Bubba Wallace isn’t just important to NASCAR for being the first Black full-time driver at the top level in 46 years … he’s also a LEGIT badass behind the wheel. 

Wallace will drive the legendary No. 43 car for Richard Petty Motorsports next season — a tremendous honor … since that’s Petty’s car. 

Gordon says it’s important to acknowledge the historical significance of having a black driver in the full-time circuit — but says the real focus should be on what he can do on the track. 

Jeff also explains why he thinks there aren’t more black drivers in the sport — and how Wallace can help change that moving forward. 

Oh, and don’t miss the part where our TMZ photog Charlie SAVES JEFF’S LIFE!!

EXCLUSIVE

Mike Huckabee might be better at cheerleading for his kid than Kris Jenner is for hers … ’cause he was raving about Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the job she’s doing for Trump.

We got the former Arkansas gov. and two-time presidential hopeful at LAX where he had nothing but good things to say about Sarah in her role as White House Press Secretary. 

Makes sense … she is his daughter after all. 

One thing of interest here — Mike says Sarah’s no punching bag … which might or might not be a shot at Sean Spicer … who used to take media beatings when he had the job.

As for where this proud dad might be getting his cues from … we have one idea.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfqxet-lvDY&w=728&h=410]

Breaking News

Pacman Jones says he’s lucky to be alive — after power lines fell down Thursday in the middle of the highway near the Bengals practice facility causing multiple cars to crash … including his. 

“I’m driving, these power lines just fall down out of nowhere bruh, in the middle of the highway. Almost got killed,” the Cincinnati Bengals star said on video from the scene. 

“I’m just so happy I’m alright man. If I wouldn’t have came across man I might be dead.”

Jones showed damage to his black Dodge Durango — but says he’s not worried about that … he’s happy he wasn’t hurt. 

Unclear what exactly caused the power lines to fall — we’re making calls. 

EXCLUSIVE

Farrah Abraham is losing deals all over the place … first with work, and now with her real estate.

Farrah’s finally gotten rid of her Austin home, but for a third less than her original asking price.  

She listed the 4-bedroom, 4.5-bath in 2014 for $750k, only a year after purchasing it. No word on the exact selling price but it was in escrow for $520k.

The 3,300 square foot home has some history … it was featured on the “Teen Mom” catch-up special “Being Farrah,” but doesn’t look like it helped move the sale. The stone slab work and the built-in BBQ in the backyard probably did though.

Farrah’s been living in L.A. where she was delving back into porn and reality TV. Emphasis on was. 

EXCLUSIVE

O.J. Simpson was booted from the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas Wednesday night after allegedly getting wasted and then being extremely unruly.

Simpson had been frequenting bars at the hotel since his release from prison. Hotel staff tells TMZ … at around midnight last night, Simpson was drunk and became disruptive at the Clique bar. We’re told Simpson was angry at hotel staff and glasses broke at the bar.    

Check out the pic below of Simpson strolling through the hotel Wednesday night.

Never know who you are going to see in Vegas…. yep, OJ Simpson  pic.twitter.com/ginaBY6zwk

— Brian Munz (@BrianMunzTSN) November 9, 2017

Security showed up and removed Simpson from the hotel. We’re told Simpson was nice to responding security guards. Still, we’re told he’s been permanently banned from the Cosmopolitan. 

We got this Las Vegas police audio recorded just after midnight … you hear the dispatcher say “Orenthal is here.” It appears the dispatcher believed Simpson was at a popular pizza joint in the hotel. The dispatcher then corrected herself and said he was at the bar asking about the pizza place.

Exclusive Video

Mark Cuban counseled his longtime friend Michael Cohen on how to stay calm in the wake of the Russian investigation that has Cohen under a microscope.

They had breakfast at Landmarc restaurant in NYC’s Time Warner Center Thursday. Cuban tells TMZ, he was there to help “calm him down and talk him off the roof” by relaying his own experience with a federal investigation. Mark was once prosecuted by the SEC for insider trading and was found not guilty.

Cuban says Cohen, Donald Trump‘s longtime personal lawyer, talked about his relationship with the Prez. But Cuban says the big topic … Cohen’s writing a book about his experiences with Trump and the investigation.  

Cuban says Cohen has a publisher and gave him these words of encouragement … “The truth will set you free.” 

Here’s a disgusting video of a lowlife jockey socking a horse in the stomach before a race in Australia, and we’re warning you, it’s pretty tough to watch.

It went down in Port Lincoln, Australia and Jockey Dylan Caboche in the video gets aggravated with his horse, dismounts and puts a right uppercut to the animal’s midsection.

What’s worse it that you can see the scumbag Caboche was still holding his jockey whip in his hand making the punch actually more of a jab with the end of the piece of equipment.

Caboche received a 2-week suspension for his actions, and while his horse Reneldasgirl seemed to be okay, it’s amazing that this type of animal abuse didn’t warrant a more stiff penalty.

Disgusting.

A local jockey has been suspended for two weeks for punching his horse before a race in Port Lincoln. Details in 7 News at 6pm. pic.twitter.com/7pnpCY68CI

— 7 News Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) November 8, 2017

EXCLUSIVE

FOX has just signed another judge in what could be the breakout music competition show next year — ‘The Four.’

TMZ broke the story, the program — with an emphasis on hip-hop artists — showcases 4 awesome contestants who have to maintain their seats as challengers come in and try and knock them off.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYY-7AveZNw&w=728&h=410]

There are 4 judges — a business mogul with music ties, a music producer, a record exec and a big-time performer, who will pick a winner and then team up to launch that person’s career.

We’ve learned Diddy is the mogul and DJ Khaled is the producer. The third judge has just been picked — Charlie Walk, the President of Republic Records who is responsible for the careers of Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Halsey and Hailee Steinfeld.

As for the performer, we’re told the list has narrowed to 3 women — Fergie, Meghan Trainor and Bebe Rexha.

The show will air in January. It’s a spin-off on an Israeli pilot.  Check it out.

EXCLUSIVE

William H. Macy‘s paternal concerns aren’t limited to his real life kids — he also cares deeply about Ethan Cutkosky, his TV spawn who just got busted for DUI.

We asked the “Shameless” dad about Ethan’s arrest, and he immediately went to bat for the 18-year-old … telling us he’s a good kid. He also had sympathy for child actors who have to grow up in Hollywood.

He was rushing into LAX when we talked to him, but William said he plans to take some time to call Ethan, and possibly offer some fatherly advice. In other words … the exact opposite of how Bill’s Frank Gallagher character would react on the hit Showtime series.

Thank God.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDnmN5KT_AM&w=728&h=410]

Breaking News

Kevin Spacey‘s fall from grace is getting worse — the actor’s been dropped from an already finished Ridley Scott film after the director decided to remove him in the wake of more sexual abuse allegations.

It’s pretty crazy — Scott’s movie, “All the Money in the World,” is scheduled for a December 22 release, and the director is reportedly determined to keep that date despite the need for major reshoots with Spacey’s replacement — legendary actor Christopher Plummer.

According to Deadline … the reshoots of key scenes are expected to begin immediately and the film’s leads — Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams — are fully on board with the move.

Spacey was billed as one of the movie’s main stars and is an important piece of the plot. He reportedly worked on it for 8 to 10 days … so it seems like Plummer and the rest of the crew have a lot of work to do to make this happen.

As we reported … more accusations of sexual assault came out Wednesday, with a former TV news anchor claiming Spacey grabbed her son’s genitals in 2016.

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