PETA

Pharrell's latest feat as Louis Vuitton's creative director is a $1 million dollar crocodile-skin handbag, which some might call high fashion -- but PETA insists it's a barbaric display of animal cruelty!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained an open letter Tuesday, penned by PETA's Senior VP Lisa Lange and addressed to Pharrell, which reads ... "Dear Pharrell, This is an invitation the likes of which you’ve never been offered before."

The correspondence is filled with references to Pharrell-produced hits, yet there's nothing joking about it as Lange says ... "When you were made men’s creative director of Louis Vuitton, we hoped animals would get lucky and that you would choose vegan fabrics, which are the preference of today’s ethical and environmentally conscious consumers. But we aren’t happy to note your newest design, the "Millionaire" Speedy bag, which is crafted from crocodile skin, because when it comes to animals being used for fashion, it isn’t beautiful—it’s abuse."

Lange also accused the Neptunes' superproducer of sitting idle as the crocs get mutilated for their skin -- a complaint she also recently leveled at Offset for his birthday bag blowout for Cardi B.

The letter continued, "A PETA Asia investigation found workers at LVMH’s suppliers cutting live crocodiles’ necks open and ramming metal rods down their spines while they were still conscious. Another investigation revealed that workers at facilities supplying LVMH struck pythons repeatedly on the head, suspending them in the air, inflating their bodies with water, and disemboweling them -- even as they moved about."

Lange wants Pharrell to go to a crocodile factory farm, where she says bags like the Millionaire Speedy are made ... and she's warning it won't be a fun trip to the zoo.

In her words -- "You’d want to bring along nose plugs and high boots to wade through fetid, waste-filled water. If we go to an indoor tank, also bring a flashlight, because you won’t see daylight. There are no blurred lines here. Killing wildlife for a bag isn’t cool—it’s cold. Are you up for this trip?"

Kylie Jenner is earning some serious kudos from PETA for her decision to make her new clothing line animal-friendly.

The billionaire makeup mogul is now dipping into the clothing biz, and the first drop from her company, Khy, includes a trench coat and some skintight dresses made with faux leather.

The folks over at PETA tell TMZ ... they're thrilled Kylie's going with vegan leather because it "spares vulnerable cows the slaughterhouse knife and shows that kruelty-free fashion is truly the way of the future."

Kylie keeps piling up brownie points with the animal rights crowd ... as we first reported, PETA also applauded her faux lion dress from Paris Fashion Week as a statement against trophy hunting.

With Kylie looking like she's going all-in on faux animal products, PETA's excited for the future because she holds so much influence, especially when it comes to fashion.

Kylie Jenner se está ganando algunos elogios de PETA por su decisión de hacer su nueva línea de ropa respetuosa con los animales.

La multimillonaria magnate del maquillaje se está sumergiendo en el negocio de la ropa, y su primera gota incluye una gabardina y algunos vestidos ajustados hechos con cuero de imitación.

La gente de PETA nos dijo: "ahórrale a las vacas vulnerables el cuchillo del matadero y demuestra que la moda libre de crueldad es realmente el camino del futuro".

Kylie sigue acumulando puntos con el grupo de derechos de los animales más famoso del mundo, como informamos por primera vez, PETA aplaudió su vestido de león de imitación de la Semana de la Moda de París como una declaración contra la caza de trofeos.

Con Kylie pareciendo que va a por todas con los productos de imitación animal, PETA está emocionada por el futuro porque ella tiene mucha influencia, especialmente cuando se trata de moda.

Offset didn't hold any expenses in helping Cardi B celebrate her birthday, gifting his wife 3 new crocodile Birkin bags ... a disgusting gesture as far as PETA is concerned.

PETA Vice President Lisa Lange fired off a scathing statement to the couple Friday, writing, "Instead of using his wealth and influence for good, Offset chose to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into a gruesome, violent industry that electroshocks crocodiles, shoves metal rods into their heads in an attempt to scramble their brains, and mutilates them while they’re still alive."

Lange feels Offset and Cardi are out of touch, adding, "PETA reminds everyone that people who still spend their money on a closet full of dead animals’ body parts either are clueless or simply don’t care about the extreme cruelty they’re perpetuating—it’s just not worth it."

PETA says they learned of the heinous treatment of reptiles through research and an internal investigation sprawling across Asia, praising luxury brands like Chanel, Burberry, HUGO BOSS and Vivienne Westwood for correcting their practices.

Cardi's birthday celebration continued last night as a dual party for Offset's new album "Set It Off" where she fed the crowd burgers ... which is another issue for the animal rights org.

PETA is cashin' in on Pete Davidson's anger -- the organization is selling a Halloween costume based on the infamously unhinged voice mail Pete left PETA during their feud over a puppy.

We've learned PETA's limited-edition costume comes with a paper mask of Pete's face, an "I Should Have Adopted" hoodie and a hat with a censored cuss word plastered on it -- referring to his profanity-laced telephone rant after the org called him out for buying a pet store puppy, instead of one from a shelter.

It also comes with a plush dog wearing a "Shelter Dogs Rule" bandana. The whole look is going for $99.99 ... and all proceeds are going toward spay and neuter surgeries to help combat the overpopulation of homeless dogs.

According to PETA, over 70 million dogs and cats are homeless in the U.S. ... and breeders contribute to the crisis by denying animals in shelters a chance at finding a loving home.

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk says, "It’s too late for Pete to undo his puppy purchase or that voice mail, but it’s never too late to save a dog’s life by choosing adoption and shunning pet shops and other dog breeders." She hopes Pete will see the joke in having folks dress up like him ... especially since it's for a good cause.

TMZ broke the story, Pete dialed up PETA in June after the org publicly shamed the comedian for buying the new pup at a NYC pet store. In his furious defense, Pete said he's allergic to dogs and, therefore, needed a hypoallergenic pooch like the cavapoo he got.

He also said the puppy was a gift for his mother who'd been mourning the recent death of her dog.

All of that with lots of colorful language sprinkled in, too -- which you can now mock, or celebrate, come Halloween.

Bob Barker's animal rights legacy is something PETA wants to honor with a street name change on the most iconic boulevard in L.A. ... which could actually happen!

A rep for PETA tells TMZ ... they've made an official request with the City of Los Angeles for an honorary add-on to Sunset Blvd. -- to pay tribute the late 'Price Is Right' host, who just died last weekend.

Don't worry ... this isn't as wacky as it sounds. PETA assures us this would only be a minor change, and it wouldn't even require the removal of an actual "Sunset Blvd." sign hanging from street lights.

Basically what we're talking about is a second sign -- under one of the Sunset Blvd. signs -- that would read "Bob Barker Blvd." The PETA rep says they'd love to have this on their block on Sunset.

There's also this ... PETA tells us they've actually taken steps to make this happen. They've contacted City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, who reps their area. We're told PETA brass and Soto-Martinez's staff are scheduled to meet in the coming weeks.

PETA says they're pushing this because Bob actually made a generous donation way back when that allowed them to open this L.A.-based office, and they wanna return the favor.

A baby dolphin has been found dead in Florida ... and investigators believe it's the same one used in an Instagram photo-op by two guys just days before.

The deceased bottlenose dolphin was found near Jacksonville Wednesday, according to local outlet News4JAX -- officials believe it's the same one seen in a photo posted on Instagram. Officials can't yet tell if the animal was already dead at the time of the pic.

The controversial snap, reportedly posted by a 19-year-old man, caused uproar online ... with the teenager claiming he's gotten death threats over the post. He's since apologized for his upload, reportedly saying he didn't catch the dolphin but merely found it.

As for a connection to the now-dead dolphin, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the deceased dolphin's dorsal fin -- which they say is unique to each dolphin -- matched the one in the photo.

Britney Spears has a new battle to handle. Along with a contentious divorce, she's now getting ripped by the animal rights warriors at PETA for buying a new dog, instead of rescuing one from a shelter.

The "Toxic" singer showed off her new puppy Wednesday on social media, introducing the world to an all-white puppy -- appropriately named Snow -- and while Britney's over the moon about her new family member, the folks over at PETA are not.

A rep for PETA tells TMZ ... "When influential people buy puppies, puppy mills cheer and animal shelters watch the homeless-animal crisis get even worse. With this one cutesy post, Britney Spears has sentenced countless deserving dogs in shelters to more days without love, a comfy bed to curl up on, or a chance at a real life."

Britney got Snow after her estranged husband Sam Asghari filed for divorce, and the former couple hammered out an agreement splitting up the 5 dogs they shared when they were together.

TMZ broke the story ... Sam's keeping their Doberman, Porsha, and Britney's hanging on to the other 4 pooches.

With Snow in the fold, Britney's back up to 5 dogs at home, but PETA is wagging a tail finger, saying ... "She could have been a force for good and adopted, but instead she chose to be toxic, and animals will pay with their lives."

The "Barbie" movie is getting mad props from an animal rights organization for dressing Ryan Gosling's Ken doll in a faux fur coat instead of the real thing.

Remember, Ryan's got a few scenes where his character is wearing a white fur coat -- which would normally get a huge thumbs down from PETA -- but now it's PETA-approved because as it turns out, the wardrobe piece is faux mink.

PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange tells TMZ … "From his fabulous faux mink coat to his rad vegan leather boots, Ken serves looks that mirror actor Ryan Gosling's own kindness to animals and refusal to wear fur."

Ken's coat is already being sold online as a Halloween costume, and Lisa tells us ... "PETA encourages everyone to be Kenough this Halloween by following in Gosling's footsteps and keeping animals' skins out of the mojo dojo casa house."

Paris Hilton is getting called out by PETA for getting her new dog from a breeder instead of an animal shelter or adoption service ... and PETA's not pulling punches.

A rep for the animal rights organization tells TMZ ... "Paris Hilton has apparently been living under a rock for the past decade, because a day in an animal shelter would have shown her just how many Chihuahuas already need homes, and five minutes on Petfinder would turn up thousands more, including puppies."

The outrage comes after Paris showed off her latest addition to her family of pets ... a teacup chihuahua, who Paris says is related to her late dog, Harajuku Bitch.

Paris apparently got the pooch from Foufou's Teacup Puppies Inc ... according to their website, they get puppies from breeders, and that's the issue for PETA.

The PETA rep adds ... "PETA knows that retail therapy is what Paris loves best, but we ask her to keep the shopping to baubles and bags and give an animal a chance to be 'sliving' by adopting."

It's unclear if Paris bought the dog herself or if the breeder gave her the pooch as part of a collab ... but regardless, PETA isn't happy with how Paris is promoting the biz. These dogs go for around $6k and up.

Paris' new puppy is getting a similar reaction from PETA as Pete Davidson did when he recently got a Cavapoo puppy from a pet store.

Pete later went scorched earth on PETA, leaving an expletive-laden voicemail in response.

Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany, has found herself in the crosshairs of animal rights activists this week ... after she went on a vacation playdate with a dolphin.

Brittany had the meetup with the marine mammal several days ago while out in Hawaii with the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback ... but after she posted photos of the swim on her Instagram on Monday, fans went on the attack.

Dozens have left comments on the NFL star's wife's social media page ... ripping her for the outing -- and calling it cruel to the dolphin. PETA later jumped in, too.

"We know you love companion animals," the activist org. wrote in a lengthy note on Brittany's page, "but we hope to see you extend your compassion to marine life too."

In her photos, Brittany can be seen hugging, petting and even kissing the dolphin. At one point during her swim with the animal, she brought her 2-year-old into the water to get close to the sea creature as well.

In its note, PETA told Brittany none of it was healthy for the dolphin ... adding, "These types of interactions are dangerous for them AND us."

Brittany clearly didn't seem to believe she did anything wrong ... she captioned her pictures with "Ever snuggled a 400lbs dolphin?" She added a heart-eyed emoji as well.

She hasn't addressed the swim and its backlash publicly further.

PETA didn't find Drew Rosenhaus' wrestling match with a shark this week impressive, amusing or entertaining ... telling TMZ Sports it wishes the NFL super agent would have just left the creature alone.

The animal rights org sounded off on the 56-year-old just days after he was seen on video yanking a dusky shark by its tail in the middle of the ocean near Miami ... straight-up calling the guy a "wannabe macho man."

"Spending so much time around top athletes must have Drew Rosenhaus feeling like he has something to prove," PETA said in a statement.

"Aquatic animals already suffer at the hands of anglers who impale them, yank them out of the water, and gut them or leave them to suffocate, so they don't need some wannabe macho man yanking on their tails for a few Twitter 'likes.'"

Rosenhaus, though, hasn't appeared to be remorseful for his actions ... in fact, just a couple hours after he posted the first video of him with the sea beast, he threw up another one showing him putting his hands on the animal again.

He also seemed to gloat about it all in one of the vid's captions ... writing, "Went fishing with [Tyreek Hill] ⁩today and decided to get up close to this Dusky Shark."

Celebrity stylist Jonathan Wright recently took to IG to mourn the death of his pet monkey Deor ... an animal PETA says he had no business owning in the first place.

As a result, PETA has sent a letter to Dallas authorities requesting an investigation into Deor's death. The org also wants Wright banned from buying another exotic animal.

PETA thinks Wright might have violated a city ordinance that prevents the ownership of prohibited animals, like the 2 macaque monkeys Wright owned ... in addition to a Texas Penal Code designed to enforce the proper care of domesticated animals in one's custody.

Deor is the second monkey since 2021 to pass away in Wright's care -- the other was named Freeenn.

It's unclear why either animal died, but PETA Foundation primatologist Debbie Metzler tells TMZ that monkeys that are snatched at too young an age from their mothers are at high risk for zoonotic diseases.

Metzler says Herpes B, which is deadly to humans, is commonplace in macaque monkeys. Medical risks aside, she says humans are generally ill equipped to give monkeys the highly social environment they need to thrive.

Pete Davidson getting his new dog from a pet store and not from an animal shelter comes as a disappointment to the folks over at PETA.

Daphna Nachminovitch, the Senior VP of Cruelty Investigations over at PETA, tells TMZ ... "It's tragic that Pete didn’t seek out a borough-born mutt from a city animal shelter, because a scrappy New Yorker with charm, personality, and unconventional handsomeness could have been his perfect match."

As we reported ... Pete and his actress girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders picked up a cavapoo puppy last month from Citipups in Manhattan, and the dog is from a breeder.

PETA is urging Pete to consider adopting the next time he needs a four-legged friend, with Daphna telling us ... "Since shelters in New York and across the country are overflowing with homeless animals, PETA urges Pete to show some big heart energy by adopting, not shopping, in the future."

Remember ... Pete picked out the pup after seeing a photo of him on Citipups' website.

Of course, the whole reason Pete was looking for a puppy in the first place was because his dog Henry recently died at just 2 years old.

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

Rihanna wore quite the getup in New York last night -- one that was all fur and all high fashion ... from head to toe.

The singer was photographed out and about in the Big Apple Saturday, where we're told she was grabbing dinner ... although there's no sign of her partner, A$AP Rocky. What we can see, though, is RiRi wearing this wacky ensemble ... which all starts with a big hat.

Of course, her eyewear gives away what she's rocking here ... it's Chanel, and it seems she was feeling a little Cruella de Vil-ish with the black-and-white theme.

Speaking of that, it's unclear if this is real fur or not. We know PETA recently reached out to her and tried sending her some faux fur stuff -- but we have no idea if she entertained it. In any case, Rihanna was feeling herself ... which probably translates for her new kiddo too.

Joe Gatto was a knight in shining armor to a woman who was being berated over a fur coat ... he's on camera coming to her defense and calling her foe a "piece of s***."

The heated exchange played out north of the border in Montreal ... and the video picks up with a woman in a fur coat being shamed over her fashion choice as she waits to cross a busy intersection with her two dogs.

Joe, the former "Impractical Jokers" star who is currently on a comedy tour ... walks over and asks the woman if she needs help, telling the anti-fur activist to quit harassing her and "stop being a piece of s***."

Joe was Johnny-on-the-spot here ... the woman's clearly flustered and is trying to explain why the fur coat doesn't make her a terrible person, and the guy's being pretty combative.

The fur debate doesn't seem to be the issue for Joe -- it's snowing out and he's not wearing a fur coat to stay warm himself -- rather, he didn't like the way the man was going after the woman.

Frankly, in this day and age, ya never know what these folks are gonna do.

The anti-fur activist Len Goldberg tells TMZ... "I'm saddened that Joe Gatto, who represents himself publicly as an animal lover, would call me a "piece of s***" when all I did was repeatedly ask this woman why she supports skinning beaver but not dogs for a status statement, instead of letting her change the subject as all fur-wearers do when I pose this question. I'm sad Joe doesn't regard these beaver, who were crushed to death for a fur coat, as being the real victims."

Joe is a big advocate for adopting dogs, at one time boasting 12 of his own ... so it's not like he's necessarily pro-fur -- he just didn't like the way the lady was treated.