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Lil Wayne's controversial comment about Drake getting unfair treatment as a light-skinned lad isn't all that controversial ... at least, from Kevin Gates' viewpoint.

As a fellow delegate of the fairer-skin nation, KG says Wayne's observation is not only valid, but folks like himself and Drizzy have it harder getting people to take them seriously!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the Louisiana rap star out in NYC, where he was feeling the love from the Empire State, but said the light-skin hate isn't limited to just being rich and famous.

Wayne recently told Richard Sherman he has direct experience in the colorism debate -- he admitted he used to hate on lighter-shaded kids during his youth, but Kevin says he's made a habit outta laughing in the face of adversity ... so hate away!!!

KG's feeling mighty ceremonious these days -- he just released his 4th studio album "The Ceremony," but also addressed his promo photo shoot ... which folks called a little "zesty."

Shaun Weiss is celebrating another milestone in his amazing turnaround ... and the 'Mighty Ducks' star is marking the occasion with some other kid actors from back in the day.

Shaun reached 4 years sober Thursday, and he was surrounded by a whos who of '90s stars at the Corbin Bowl in Tarzana, CA ... where he thanked everyone who helped him stay on the straight and narrow and performed some of his stand-up comedy routines.

Thomas Ian Nicholas from the 'American Pie' franchise and "Rookie of The Year" provided some of the night's entertainment ... singing and playing guitar.

Other '90s celebs supporting Shaun included ... Nate Richert from "Sabrina The Teenage Witch," Natanya Ross from "The Secret World of Amex Mack," Marty York from "The Sandlot," plus John Diresta from "Mickey Blue Eyes" and "Miss Congeniality."

The milestone is huge for Shaun ... he seemed to hit rock bottom back in 2020 when he was arrested for burglary and meth, posing for an infamous mug shot. Back then, he used to live on the streets.

In the years since, Shaun's cleaned up his act, his look and gotten back into Hollywood ... landing a movie gig and doing stand-up comedy.

Looks like Shaun's got a pretty good support system too.

Cher wants to put her son into a conservatorship, but he says he doesn't need one -- and, for now, a judge is still siding with him ... yet again denying her request to lock him down.

Elijah Blue Allman was stone-faced heading into his temporary appointment hearing Monday -- where a judge will presumably decide if Cher will, in fact, be tapped to head up a conservatorship for her adult son ... this after temporarily denying her earlier this month.

In early Jan., the court blocked Cher's effort to put Elijah into a conservatorship -- siding with Elijah's attorneys when they argued they hadn't been given enough time to make their case against the conservatorship ... plus, not getting docs they needed to combat her request.

Cher cited her son's ongoing battle with addiction as the key reason why she wants the legal apparatus used on him -- claiming he can't be trusted to manage his finances on his own.

She specifically says that regular payments he receives from a trust fund left behind from his late father, Gregg Allman, are likely to be squandered because of issues she claims Elijah continues to experience ... but he's called BS on that, saying he's cleaned up his act.

Welp, the judge heard the arguments anew ... and he once again shot down Cher and her team -- simply saying they hadn't proven Elijah doesn't have the capacity to handle his own affairs ... going on to say that an alleged bipolar disorder diagnosis, in and of itself, doesn't necessarily mean he's incompetent. As the judge said, that doesn't address capacity.

The court also acknowledged that Elijah has proven in paperwork that he's remained clean and sober of late ... plus, he's also proven that he's handling his money just fine.

The judge set a future date for a trial on this issue -- where it will presumably be decided once and for all -- and went on to suggest Cher and her kid head into mediation, STAT. Cher beamed in remotely BTW ... it was only Elijah, his wife and all the lawyers in court today.

Our photog got Elijah and his lawyers on the way out as well ... and they had some words.

Taylor Swift simply has more star power than Beyoncé ... at least according to one pro football legend.

Shannon Sharpe delivered the (surely to be controversial) take on the two pop stars after a recent report claimed T.S. generated over $331 million for the Chiefs/NFL and the Chiefs -- something Unc believes Queen B couldn't have matched.

The convo went down on Sharpe's and Ochocinco's Nightcap podcast ... when Shannon asked Chad who else could've generated hundreds of millions of dollars just by showing up to a few games.

Ocho's response was Beyoncé ... but Sharpe didn't agree, expressing his support for Bey, while saying he didn't think her impact would be the same.

"Not like this," Sharpe said. "I love Beyoncé!. Beyoncé ain't moving the needle like this chick, Ocho! No!"

Ocho was shocked by Sharpe's response ... and then Shannon took it a step further.

"[Taylor's] the closest thing to moving the needle like Michael Jackson that we've seen!"

That's when Ocho lost it ... as did many fans after the show dropped.

"Beyoncé did the Super Bowl 4 times. Been there done that Stink….don’t play with my girl EVER!!!" one person wrote.

Another fan pointed out that the King of Pop couldn't even go to the NFL games because he was that famous.

"No one is fainting in awe of Taylor Swift no matter how famous she is," the fan wrote. "There’s no comparison."

At the same time, a ton of fans agreed with Shannon. So, no consensus here.

Ocho also argued that if Beyonce attended games -- like Swift does to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce -- then she'd bring in millions for the NFL.

"Beyonce is on another stratosphere," Ocho said, "Her visibility -- she not out here like that the way Taylor is," Ocho said.

At the end of the day, gets used to seeing Swift ... the Chiefs are in the Super Bowl, and while we're told Taylor won't be a part of the halftime show, you can bet you'll see plenty of her on your television on Super Sunday!

Orlando Brown's night out for dinner in L.A. came to a chaotic end ... because the hotspot restaurant tossed him out when he absolutely flipped out on a staffer.

TMZ has obtained video of the former Disney star -- who famously played Eddie Thomas on "That's So Raven" -- getting booted from TAO Sunday night, and the whole thing is pretty dramatic ... even by Orlando's standards.

As you can see ... Orlando's got his phone out recording a guy who works there, calling him a bunch of names and screaming obscenities before security escorted him off the property.

Folks who were there say the whole scene started with Orlando acting up at his table. We're told he was shouting at other patrons, and when staff came over to calm him down, he went off ... much of which is depicted in the footage we have here.

In the end, Orlando made a grand exit ... loudly telling the restaurant, "Everybody enjoy your night, I'm sorry for f****ing up your s*** ... F*** everybody!!!" Yeah, it's very Tony Montana.

Frankly, it's a sad scene all around ... as we've reported, the former Disney star has for years battled drug addiction and mental health struggles. He's been in and out of jail, not to mention rehab centers -- and at just about every juncture, he's come across as unhinged.

Strangely enough, he's actually been working again of late -- just last year, Orlando was a cast member for the Zeus Network's "Bad Boys: Texas" ... where he's stirred the pot too.

Jay Leno brought his wife, Mavis, with him to his weekly comedy gig this weekend -- this after revealing in court documents she suffers from dementia ... and it's a brave move.

The couple went out to enjoy Jay's Sunday evening show at The Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, CA ... putting on a united front after Jay took the first step in becoming conservator of his wife's estate just last Friday.

They certainly weren't hiding away from cameras here -- Jay and Mavis held hands as they slowly made their way into the venue ... and on their way out, Mavis was chatting with some friends. The message they seem to be telegraphing ... we're carrying on like normal.

TMZ broke the story ... Jay filed docs Friday to become conservator of Mavis' estate, claiming she may not have the wherewithal to take care of herself because she suffers from dementia. Our sources say Mavis has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

There's no indication Jay and Mavis are at odds over a potential conservatorship ... they've been happily married for going on 44 years, and Sunday's outing is further proof their bond remains strong.

It's interesting that Jay felt comfortable enough to bring Mavis out so publicly in the wake of that -- like we said, it speaks to a number of things ... including breaking down stigmas about Alzheimer's and dementia. That's one way to interpret this anyway.

In any case, ya gotta figure that a little bit of laughter never hurts the situation ... and Jay can provide plenty of those and then some.

Taylor Swift is headed to the Super Bowl in 2 weeks to watch Travis Kelce -- but for everyone thinking she might step into music mode while there ... we have bad news for ya.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... T-Swift is NOT going to be performing in any capacity during SB LVIII -- and that includes during the Halftime Show ... when Usher is scheduled to rock the house as a solo act.

Not only is Taylor not going to pick up a microphone to croon a tune ... but we're hearing there's no chance T-Swift will go anywhere near the stage, let alone step onto it.

In other words, our sources say there are zero plans to have her participate in the Super Bowl whatsoever -- outside of her just being there as a fan -- and Usher is going to have the spotlight all to himself in terms of live entertainment that day.

The reason this even has to be stated, explicitly, in the first place is because ... well, with Tay Tay cashing her ticket to the big game -- along with the Kansas City Chiefs -- her fans were rife with speculation that there might be some type of big musical surprise in store.

Makes sense, frankly ... she's the biggest pop star in the world right now, and her mere presence at the Super Bowl itself is enough to get the rumor mill whipped up, we suppose.

Of course, Taylor doesn't owe any favors to the NFL ... so even though her fan base might've assumed something was in the works, it's a little naïve -- everyone knows Taylor's a businesswoman, and she ain't working for free. More importantly though ... this is Usher's moment.

The other thing to consider is the fact that Taylor will have just arrived from Tokyo when she hits Vegas ... from none other than the last of 4 straight shows back-to-back-to-back-to-back.

So, yes ... Taylor will probably be pretty tired, and all her energy (we imagine) is going to be put toward her cheering on her man. It's gonna be an emotional rollercoaster ... and Taylor won't have the time or the will to put on a show. Plus, again ... her talents ain't free!

If you wanna catch Taylor in concert again in America, you'll have to wait 'til Fall. She won't be doing any "Eras" shows until at least October in the States ... Super Bowl be damned!

Jess Hilarious is officially in at "The Breakfast Club" -- and her announcement is heavy on the petty, as it highlights several podcasters who accused her of jumping the gun when she first announced it a month ago.

The Baltimore-born comedian made the grand reveal, for real this time, on Monday morning with a video trailer ... using the song "Sirius," made popular by the Michael Jordan era Chicago Bulls.

Most of the soundbites in the video come from guys like Akademiks, Joe Budden, Corey Holcomb, Uncle Murda -- basically everyone who danced on her grave thinking she had missed the boat.

Her ex-boyfriend Kountry Wayne recently dragged her with the assumption 'Breakfast Club' passed her by ... he has to update his bit now also!!!

If you remember, TMZ Hip Hop spoke to Charlamagne tha God just a couple of weeks ago about Jess announcing the slot but being MIA afterward, and he acted like he didn't have the foggiest idea what was happening with her.

Jess With the Mess went viral this past Christmas Eve when a video of her announcing the new gig hit the web and the radio silence gave her opps the opp to sound off.

Drew Barrymore might be an A-lister, but she isn't immune to the horrors of dating apps ... including getting tricked by people claiming/pretending to be someone else.

On Friday's episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show", the actress said she was thrilled when she recently matched with a man claiming to be the QB from the L.A. Rams -- not cause she wanted to flex on landing an athlete, she claims ... but cause she was excited to tell him she went to the Coliseum to see their first L.A. game.

Unfortunately, her fangirling was short-lived ... 'cause she wasn't talking to a Rams player.

Drew told her cohost Ross Mathews when she reached out to this guy with her football ramblings, she quickly learned the cold hard truth -- he was nowhere near to being a celebrated NFL'er. Instead ... she says he was a random musician who thought he was being cute about lying about his identity.

Drew says she felt stupid and dumb over being misled ... not to mean so easily fooled.

Ross adds she should absolutely feel a way about being lied to  -- saying he was disappointed cause when she started telling the story, he envisioned her being the new Taylor Swift at the games, cheering on her man. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Drew's been publicly single following her split from her ex Will Kopelman in 2016 ... but if her efforts crawling her way back into the dating pool are this grim ... there's clearly no hope for other singletons.

President Joe Biden and his team are reportedly yanking their hair out trying to get Taylor Swift's endorsement -- but if history's any indication ... there's nothing to worry about.

The NYT did a deep dive into Biden's 2024 campaign, and specifically ... focused on how his aides are apparently discussing T-Swift, and brainstorming on ways to get her to officially sign her name on the Biden ticket heading into the November election.

According to the outlet ... Biden's aides/surrogates have been talking about their Taylor approach quite a bit in recent months -- and the conversations have gotten so intense, it seems, that they've actually discouraged applicants for social media gigs to save it on their "Taylor Swift strategy."

The reason ... they already have more than enough ideas, and they don't need/want some young whippersnapper to chip in any more proposals on getting her involved/interested.

One suggestion that's been (jokingly) floated, per the Times ... sending Joe to one of Taylor's "Eras" tour stops -- although, it sounds like this might've been talked about when she was performing stateside. At the moment, her tour is on its international leg ... and she's not scheduled to return for any American shows until the Fall, which would be too late.

Obviously, Joe never actually popped up at any of her "Eras" gigs (at least thus far) -- which kinda makes ya wonder if the Prez's team has reached out and/or been rebuffed.

It goes without saying why Joe and co. want Taylor to publicly endorse him -- she's got hundreds of millions of fans ... and is arguably more popular today than she ever has been. What's strange about this report is that they kinda make it seem like it's been somewhat difficult to get Taylor to come around ... or worse yet, that her endorsement isn't a given.

The reason that's strange is because Taylor has already endorsed Biden in the past -- namely, during the 2020 election ... when she backed him/Kamala Harris and slammed Trump.

Around October 2020, she wrote ... "I spoke to @vmagazine about why I’ll be voting for Joe Biden for president. So apt that it’s come out on the night of the VP debate. Gonna be watching and supporting @KamalaHarris by yelling at the tv a lot. And I also have custom cookies." Earlier May of that year, she explicitly said "We will vote you out" to DT.

Plus, it's Taylor is very obviously liberal and she constantly backs Dems anytime she steps into the political arena -- so the prospect of her endorsing Joe again is ... kind of a no-brainer, right? Perhaps not if this report is to be believed ... on its face, it seems it's iffy.

In the end, we're sure Taylor will come around and get behind Biden -- but in the meantime, it appears she's kinda making him and his camp squirm a bit as they try and court her.

If you're unaware of what sort of pull Tay Tay has these days -- just peep this poll that came out over the weekend ... which definitively said she alone could sway the 2024 election. It sounds like people REALLY care what she thinks lately, and Team Joe's well aware of that.

Kim Kardashian is adding executive producer to her never-ending resume ... for a documentary series centered on Elizabeth Taylor -- and she'll be starring in it, too!

Yes, you heard right ... after obsessing over Marilyn Monroe for a while -- see the whole dress thing -- the reality star has found a new infatuation with the late and great Hollywood icon -- jumping on board the new BBC Arts 3-parter, "Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar."

Kim, who conducted Taylor's last interview ever before her 2011 passing, will be quizzed about her personal relationship with the late legend for the doc -- and she's already gushed in a statement the actress' life story proved to her you can keep evolving and have different chapters in life ... something she's certainly applied to her own fame game.

In fact, there's probably no one better for the gig, if we're being honest ... Kim's embedded herself at the forefront of celeb culture today, just like Elizabeth once did in her heyday ... and it's pretty much a given that Kim's romances, trendsetting ways and businesses will be studied by future generations.

But for now ... Elizabeth and how she created the celeb blueprint during Hollywood's Golden Age is the main focus -- and Kim is partially in the driver's seat to bring it to life.

Never-before-heard audio tapes, interviews, unseen TV footage and rich archival movie footage will be used in the doc, which will delve into her 8 marriages, diamonds, and addictions as well as all the hats she wore as an actor, rebel, business mogul and activist.

The doc from Oscar-winning production firm Passion Pictures won't rely solely on Kim's vision ... Kari Lia and Hamish Fergusson will also serve as EP. It will air on UK's BBC Two and BBC iPlayer -- a U.S. network has yet to be confirmed.

Jamie Dornan says he hid out in the countryside after feeling ridiculed over some poor reviews for "Fifty Shades of Gray."

The actor, who played Christian Gray in the film adaption of the erotic novel, says he and his wife shut themselves off from the world when movie critics didn't like the flick.

Jamie told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs he ended up hiding out at 'Fifty Shades' director Sam Taylor-Johnson's home way out in the boonies.

JD says the bad reviews hit hard because they came on the heels of earning "career-altering" award nominations for his work in BBC's "The Fall" ... basically, going from high praise to ridicule.

Despite hate from film critics, 'Fifty Shades' was a huge hit at the box office.

Jamie says the 2nd and 3rd movies were greenlit overnight, adding ... "It's a strange thing because there's a bit of ridicule here and I'm now contracted to do two more, knowing that there will be much more damnation to come."

He's gone on to act in a bunch of movies and TV shows since 'Fifty Shades' ... but Jamie says he can't escape his past. Even when he gets good reviews now, he says critics still reference his infamous role.

Josh Allen didn't appear to have much interest in watching the NFL's championship games on Sunday ... instead, he opted for a day date with Hailee Steinfeld.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback -- who was just eliminated from the postseason on Jan. 21 -- was spotted enjoying some quality time with his girlfriend in Orange County, Calif. as the Chiefs, Ravens, 49ers and Lions battled for a spot in the Super Bowl.

Allen was seen gassing up Hailee's Range Rover ... before the two met up with some pals in Dana Point.

It's unclear if Allen was able to catch the big games while out ... but either way, it seems his focus was on getting some R&R with Steinfeld.

The two have been dating since last spring ... although they've largely kept their romance private. In fact, Steinfeld was hardly ever spotted at his games -- but eagle-eyed fans did at least notice her out at Bills vs. Chargers game last month.

Of course, it'll be a while before she's able to see her man on the field again ... with the Bills' 2023 season over, he won't be suiting up for another seven or so months.

Nicki Minaj is firing back at Megan Thee Stallion in the form of a diss track of her own, the sinisterly titled "Big Foot" ... a direct response to Meg's recently released "Hiss" track, but it's not exactly getting rave reviews.

Over a bouncy piano beat, Nicki digs deep into her gossip bag and unloads on Meg with references to her late mother and ex-boyfriend Pardison Fontaine -- but was sure to open the track firing back at Meg for the "Megan's Law" dig at Nicki's husband Kenneth Petty.

Nicki raps, "This lil' beggin' whore talkin' 'bout Megan's Law/For a free beat, you could hit Megan raw (Ooh) If you a ghostwriter, party [Pardi] in Megan jaw ... Shots thrown, but I still ain't let Megan score!!!

Of course, Meg's "Hiss" ripped Nicki and her Kenneth with the line ... "These hoes don't be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan's Law."

Since then, Nicki's been tweeting up a firestorm, adding several posts targeting Meg's mom, which was also brought up on "Big Foot" ... where she introduces a psychobabble séance to rap, "Lyin' on your dead mama" multiple times.

Nicki also seems to be under the impression that Meg’s Roc Nation label prez Desiree Perez is running a campaign to erase her place in history .... and heartily bragged about her song climbing iTunes with “no promo.”

Fans determined that was a lie ... her 72-hour social media spree is like the BIGGEST promo ever and even Nicki's most loyal Barbz have been admitting their Queen didn't gag anyone ... 'cept herself!!!

Several more trending topics such as "Stupid Hoe" and "Now Nicki" have also been blazing social media.

Basically, the Internet reaction is ... back to the drawing board, Nicki.

Taylor Swift said the "L" word to Travis Kelce after his big win Sunday -- or at least that's what fans *think* she's saying in this video ... which is getting picked apart and dissected.

The couple shared an on-field hug/kiss after the game against the Ravens -- where TK had a ton of people around him, batting him on the big and celebrating his team's victory ... but it wasn't until Taylor herself showed up to embrace her man that folks really paid attention.

For good reason, too, of course ... 'cause as they were talking to each other and whispering sweet-nothings into one another's ear -- people started to do some deep-dive lip-reading.

Watch the video yourself and you'll see what's got everyone down a rabbit hole right now. After they chit-chat for a quick sec -- which you can hear -- they go in for a smooch, and as Taylor pulls away and goes back in for another hug, she appears to mouth "I love you."

That's certainly what it looks like to a lot of people, anyway ... eye of the beholder, though.

This probably wouldn't be the first time Taylor's said this to Travis -- there's been speculation dating back to New Year's Eve that he said it to her as well -- but it is further evidence that these two are very serious ... and knee-deep into their relationship by now.

Anyway, Taylor and Travis are clearly tied at the hip these days -- especially in a football capacity -- and you gotta figure she'll be there front and center for the Super Bowl as well.

She's got an 'Eras' tour show in Tokyo the night before -- but considering she's got a private jet and more than enough time to fly back to the States ... there's almost no question she'll make it. People have already done the math, and the window to return is quite large.

It's the fairy tale that keeps on giving ... and the next stop is pretty much the finish line.

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

Eminem had a helluva day in Santa Clara on Sunday cheering on his beloved Lions ... getting into squabbles with 49ers fans -- before sweating out a heartbreaking loss.

The rap legend had suite seats for the NFC Championship Game at Levi's Stadium ... and the day was filled with a roller coaster full of emotions for the Detroit native.

Throughout the afternoon, he was seen chirpin' at San Francisco faithful in his Lions T-shirt -- even flipping off a man who was decked out in a Brock Purdy jersey.

Later in the evening, after Detroit went up on the Niners, 21-7, he was spotted going crazy in his luxury box.

However, when the Lions began to blow their lead, Em could be seen looking super stressed.

Ultimately, Detroit fell, 34-31 ... but Marshall wasn't too sour about it all, he took to X to thank his favorite team for the great year, before promising they'd make a return trip to the NFCCG.