T.I. had a good question for staunch Trump supporter Candace Owens -- when was America actually great ... and what exactly is DT trying to emulate???

The rapper asked this of Candace Saturday night at a summit held by Diddy's REVOLT TV in Atlanta, where they were discussing why the President's slogan is viewed as racist among many in the black community. Safe to say, things escalated quickly from there.

Moderator Jeff Johnson said Trump has stoked fear into poor whites that their enemy is poor blacks -- to which Candace asked when the Prez said that verbatim. Johnson suggested that the guy's slogan in and of itself was a sign of that fear-mongering.

Then T.I. jumped in ... and s*** hit the fan.

T.I. firmly asked Candace what period in American history is Trump so sure was "great" -- listing examples, like when women couldn't vote ... or when black people were lynched.

Candace suggests Trump is hearkening back to the Reagan years, when the then-presidential hopeful said something to the same effect while on the campaign trail. T.I., however, has his own view of the 80s ... calling it the crack era. He kept pressing, and Candace ultimately wasn't able to get out a straight answer to his initial question.

Things got worse when Candace invoked slavery -- seemingly suggesting, at first, that America was one of the first countries to free its slaves ... but stopping and quickly pointing out that slavery was worldwide, and not just taking place here in the States.

Folks in the crowd became even more irate about that, and when Candace tried to get her point out ... T.I. was quick to shut her down, saying her beginning premise was "bulls***."

REVOLT TV is bringing its summit to L.A. next month. If the Atlanta event is any indication, L.A. should bring out the fireworks just the same.

Brian Turk -- who starred in HBO's "Carnivale," and had countless appearances in hit shows -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The veteran actor passed away Friday due to complications from cancer, according to his rep. We're told he was diagnosed a year ago, but that his cancer recently became terminal.

He's acted in some of Hollywood's biggest shows and movies over the years, including supporting roles in series like "Two and a Half Men," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "The Jamie Foxx Show," "Step by Step," "Wings," "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Boy Meets World," "ER," "Criminal Minds," "General Hospital," "Animal Kingdom," "NCIS" and others.

Brian also had smaller roles in flicks like "American Pie 2," "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," "Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," "Big Fat Liar" and more. He had 42 acting credits to his name, per his IMDb page.

He's perhaps best known for his starring role on 'Carnivale' in the early 2000s, in which he played strongman Gabriel, who was part of the travelling circus depicted on screen.

A GoFundMe has been created on Brian's behalf -- funeral arrangements are currently being made and donations are being solicited to assist his family.

Brian is survived by his wife, and his 8-year-old son. He was 49.

Andrew Yang says folks should forgive Shane Gillis -- the newest cast member on 'SNL' -- over racist remarks he made about Asians ... and more importantly, ease up on seeking retribution.

The presidential hopeful -- who's Taiwanese-American -- went on CNN Sunday to elaborate on his thoughts from these past couple days ... calling for Shane to NOT lose his new job at "Saturday Night Live," but instead ... to be forgiven and used as a teachable moment.

As we reported ... as soon as Shane was announced as a member of the cast for the upcoming season, people dug up an old video of him making racist jokes about Asians. He has since apologized to those offended, saying he sometimes "pushes boundaries."

There's been a mixed reaction to Yang's approach -- as he tells Jake Tapper -- but he defends his position, saying our society has become too punitive in these scenarios, and that we as a country should strive to be better ... opting for forgiveness when possible.

He makes another interesting point, arguing Asian epithets are often not taking as seriously as others made about other ethnic groups ... despite being just as hurtful.

Still, even with that said ... he says we should let this one go, especially considering that Shane is a comedian, and -- in Andrew's eyes -- their words should be taken in that context.

Of course, Yang has offered to sit down with Shane to discuss the issue further -- going on to say he doesn't support the guy losing his job, adding that in the big picture of Shane's past work ... he just doesn't find Shane to be "malignant or evil" in his intentions.

Renee Alway -- a finalist on cycle 8 of "America's Next Top Model" -- was arrested for domestic violence just over a year after she was released from prison.

The former model was busted by cops in Palm Springs, CA this past week on a laundry list of felony charges. According to her inmate profile, Renee was booked for assault with a deadly weapon (not a firearm), 2 counts of infliction of corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, terrorist threats, a prior felony conviction, and a violation of parole.

In case you'd forgotten ... Renee was released from custody in August of 2018 after having served 5 years of a 12-year prison sentence in California.

That prison sentence was from her June 2013 arrest, when she got into a 6-hour standoff with police after being spotted wandering around a vacant home while carrying a gun.

That became at least her fourth arrest that year, and it resulted in a gnarly mug shot, and later ... a shaved head in court. Renee's 'ANTM' season aired way back in 2007 -- she ended up placing 3rd behind Jaslene Gonzalez and Natasha Galkina, respectively.

Antonio Brown looked confident as he deplaned in Miami with Tom Brady and the rest of the team, with all signs pointing to him taking the field Sunday ... despite rape allegations.

Brown arrived by private jet, and with Brady by his side the day before the Pats take on the Dolphins -- along with the fact Brown practiced with the team 3 times in the last week -- it seems pretty clear he'll helmet up.

Bill Belichick hasn't been definitive, although he did say the team is taking the allegations seriously.

As for Brown, he's strongly denying he did anything untoward with his accuser, saying the contact with Britney Taylor was all consensual. He also says, "The devil gonna try to bring you down when you get closer to your goal."

For her part, Taylor is meeting with NFL investigators Monday.

J Lo celebrated the premiere of her new movie, "Hustlers," in grand J Lo fashion ... with back-to-back parties and a surprise trip to a Miami theater.

J Lo hit up South Beach Saturday night and partied at David Grutman's newest restaurant, Papi Steak. Grutman presented J Lo with a massive cake ... it's the second one she scored in 2 days. The first was courtesy of her fiance, A-Rod. BTW, the cake sounds delicious from Divine Delicacies Cakes -- 5 tiers of chocolate -- Godiva and Nutella. And, there's vanilla rum, coconut, guava cream cheese and other stuff. That's what $4k will get ya.

After the party, she went to a nearby movie theater in Miami Beach showing her flick and surprised everyone.

The flick did well -- $33.2 mil for the weekend, and it's expected to come in second, behind "It Chapter Two." Her movie also stars Constance Wu, Cardi B, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Lizzo and Julia Stiles.

BTW, seems like there's a party everyday for J Lo ... the shindigs for her 50th birthday went on longer than Nick Jonas and Priyanka's wedding.

Diddy and Lori Harvey aren't taking their relationship to the next level just yet -- as in becoming parents -- but they're heading in that direction ... sources close to the couple tell TMZ.

As we reported ... Diddy and Lori set off pregnancy rumors last weekend coming back from another romantic getaway in Cabo, after Diddy and Lori became super handsy with her belly.

Turns out, it wasn't a hint she's having a bambino ... they were just playin'.

Sources close to the couple tell us Diddy was touching her tummy because he was complimenting her on her tight abs ... as she was flaunting them with her open shirt.

Here's the thing ... we're told the rap mogul and Steve Harvey's 22-year-old daughter are getting very serious. The fact they've been inseparable the past few months -- in NYC, Italy and elsewhere -- paints a pretty clear picture.

Artie Lange is more than 7 months sober and looking happy and healthy, and interestingly ... he says his messed up nose is partly to thank for keeping him clean.

The comedian and "Crashing" star tells TMZ ... he likes his pancaked nose because it's a helpful reminder of 30 years of drug abuse and all the terrible places it led him. Seriously terrible -- like accidentally snorting glass -- and much more Artie's not afraid to share.

Of course, this January mug shot following his arrest for a failed drug test while on probation painted the sad picture of how low he'd sunk.

Artie says he wants his story -- and his nose -- to be a cautionary tale for young people to not follow his path, and that fame and fortune don't make you immune to the perils of addiction.

Lange admits it got so bad for him he accepted he was going to die alone in a hotel room and become another victim of drug abuse like some of his comedian buddies before him. Fortunately, Artie says God had another plan for him.

He's in recovery now, and shared a photo of himself on Twitter this week at the 7.5-month sober mark. He tells us staying focused on comedy and writing is helping him stay clean ... along with sticking to the 12-step program and going to meetings.

As for his gnarly nose ... Artie tells us he caught wind of our interview with "Botched" Dr. Paul Nassif while he was in jail, when the Doc said he'd fix Lange's nose if he could kick his drug habit.

Here's one of the coolest pieces of ice you'll ever see ... a jeweler made a custom diamond pendant of Colin Kaepernick kneeling -- and he's set to sell it for charity!!!

Moses The Jeweler in NYC created the piece ... and it's insane. TMZ Sports has learned it cost $90,000 to make, and it was produced with 18k yellow gold.

We're told it also has VVS hearts and arrow cut diamonds -- and took A YEAR to create.

Of course, the jewelry is a replication of the famous moment when Kaepernick first began kneeling for the national anthem as a member of the 49ers back in 2016.

We're told all of the profits that are made from the piece will be donated directly to the Know Your Rights Camp -- Colin's organization that preaches equality for all.

Bidding starts in a couple weeks ... with the starting price being set at $90k.

Nate Dogg is getting a fancy new tombstone on his grave ... designed by the same guy who just gave Eazy-E's final resting place a face-lift.

Cemetery Tim, the man behind Eazy-E's updated gravestone, tells TMZ ... Nate Dogg's family hit him up this week looking to spruce up the rapper's plot with a new headstone. The original headstone is kinda basic, and the elements have taken their toll.

Nate's loved ones saw how CT worked wonders with Eazy-E, and they wanted something similar for Nate.

We broke the story ... Eazy-E got an extravagant tombstone on what would have been his 55th birthday.

Nate Dogg, who was 41 when he died back in 2011, is buried in his native Long Beach, CA at Forest Lawn cemetery ... and we're told his family is talking to Tim about their vision for the new tombstone.

The headstone will take about 60 days to be designed, manufactured and delivered ... and we're told the target date for the unveiling is December 1.

If Eazy-E is any indication, Nate's family will be pleased with Tim's vision ... nobody does it better.

Brett Favre's family and friends just ain't ready to see him officially quit the NFL ... the 49-year-old tells TMZ Sports his phone LIT UP after Andrew Luck's retirement last month!!!

"No teams called, but I had a lot of friends and family, you know, 'Hey, the Colts could use ya!'"

Don't worry, Favre immediately shut down the idea ... saying, "No, they couldn't use me. I squashed that very quickly."

Of course, Favre has had a lengthy history with retirements and comebacks -- the guy quit football several times only to return months later.

But, the Packers legend tells us there is ZERO chance -- despite his friends and family's urges -- he returns to an NFL field again.

"It's really comical at this point because, look, I'll be 50 in three or four weeks. And, I've been far enough removed from football that I can't even believe people would think that I would consider coming back."

Favre says if this were 8 or 9 years ago ... he'd give it some thought, but he tells us there's just no way his body would hold up if an NFL team gave him a spot on their roster.

"I slip off the couch and the next day I can't even walk anymore," Brett says. "So, I just kind of get a laugh out of it."

Dan Marino's good looks are not a game!!!

Here is a 23-year-old version of the former quarterback for the Miami Dolphins showing off his luscious locks on the field, just before an NFL football game back in 1985 (left). This was the same year the Miami Dolphins played in Super Bowl XIX. Marino was named NFL's most valuable player just one year prior.

And, 34 years later ... The now 58-year-old star in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" -- Who is celebrating his birthday today -- was last spotted attending the 10th annual Joe Carter Classic Golf Tournament at the Rogers Centre in Toronto earlier this year (right).

Score!!!

The question is ...

With a jacked physique like these it looks like the NFL's biggest athletes are shredding up the field in more ways than one!!!

Kick off Sunday football with these huge jocks and get up close and personal with some of the most well-built players in the league to see who you should trade on your fantasy team.

David Ortiz broke his silence with the media since being shot in the Dominican Republic, and he gave an emotional interview ... acknowledging he almost died there.

The former Boston Red Sox slugger spoke with Univision in a sit-down that aired in Spanish on Saturday, answering a number of questions related to the scary incident in his home country this past June -- when he was ambushed and shot in the back at a club.

Big Papi described the initial feeling of the bullet going in, saying he felt a stinging sensation ... adding that in the first five seconds, he felt like he was in a living nightmare. He said the shooting made him disheartened, as he has no problems with anybody.

Ortiz went on to explain that he never lost consciousness en route to the hospital, but said he experienced something he'd never quite felt before ... trying to survive for his life.

He says he's never had his life threatened before, and that him sitting with his back to the street and no security around should be an implication ... he's not someone who'd ever think he was in danger. Then came the question about who did it ... and why.

Ortiz says he has no idea why anyone might've wanted to kill him, again reiterating that he has no enemies ... and no issues with anybody (especially criminals) that would make him worry.

Big Papi also touches on a rumor that Dominican drug lord Cesar Emilio Peralta might've been the one who ordered the hit, but he again came back with uncertainty ... saying he couldn't think of any reason why that would be the case -- if, in fact, it is.

As we reported ... authorities in the Dominican Republic have made several arrests in connection to the shooting, including the alleged shooter himself. Cops say that Ortiz was not the actual target, and that the hit was a case of mistaken identity.

Ortiz is unclear on that himself, but one thing that clearly hurt him as he was in the hospital ... people apparently suggesting that he deserved what he'd gotten. He tears up as he recounts the recovery process, saying that at one point he was in a coma ... and almost died.

Luckily, Big Papi is getting better each day. He threw out the first pitch at a recent Sox game -- and seems to be doing well following multiple life-saving surgeries.