TMZ.com Home

Conan O'Brien's well-landed joke halfway through Sunday night's Oscars -- about Kendrick Lamar calling Drake a pedophile -- was nearly left in comedy purgatory, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Hip Hop.

Last night, Conan used a commercial break return to poke fun at the halftime cue for Kendrick to shade Drake, in a nod to rap's biggest moment last year, and last month's Super Bowl show (see below) ... but we're hearing both the Academy and ABC had strong reservations about getting the joke in, and pushed back in fear of how the crowd would react.

One particular producer made the case and fought the powers, because they firmly believed in the joke. Whether good or bad, the gag was bound to have a big, audible reception!!!

Tony Todd's family is fuming at the Academy Awards ... and it's all because the late actor's name wasn't included in an annual segment honoring those who died.

The "Candyman" star's widow, Fatima, tells TMZ ... she's angry the Oscars snubbed Tony from the In Memoriam tribute.

Tony's widow believes there's a racial element at play here too ... telling us she feels like people of color and women are often ignored as much as possible when it comes time for the Academy to honor the dead.

Kylie Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski are a couple babes in black ... problem is, you can only pick one -- so, who's it gonna be?!?

Kylie's got looks and money ... and Emily is no slouch herself ... but there's only one vote here ... and we're trying to see something.

VOTE NOW!

The results could be pretty interesting -- and we've got a hunch where Timothée Chalamet stands in all of this -- but this may be closer than expected.

If you need some help deciding, check out the galleries ... there's no shortage of hot shots and sexy snaps of both Kylie and Emily.

Michelle Trachtenberg was on the verge of closing a deal for a screenplay she had been shopping for years before her death, TMZ has learned.

Director and producer Casey Tebo tells TMZ the late actress wrote one of the best screenplays he's ever read -- "Toy Monster," based on the book of the same name -- and they had been close to landing studio support in the weeks before she died.

The biopic-drama follows the controversial life of Jack Ryan -- who left a job designing missiles for the Pentagon during the Cold War to become chief engineer for Mattel during the creation of the Barbie doll, Chatty Cathy and Hot Wheels. Apparently Ryan had a naughty side -- living a life of excess as he was making some of the most significant toys of the century.

Rep. Wesley Hunt is defending President Donald Trump over his Oval Office spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ... he says Trump's working the art of the deal to bring peace to the region.

The Congressman from Texas joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him about Trump and J.D. Vance's heated exchange with Zelensky last week.

Hunt says Trump's right that Russia is winning the war in Ukraine and strongman Vladimir Putin holds all the cards ... and the United States can't keep giving Ukraine a blank check to fight the Russians.

NFL offensive lineman Ben Cleveland filed to divorce his wife a little over two weeks after he was arrested for DUI, TMZ Sports has learned.

Court records we obtained show the Baltimore Ravens guard submitted the docs in Baldwin County, Ga. on Feb. 28 ... just 16 days after he was thrown behind bars following claims he had been drinking and driving in the same county.

The docs make no mention of the arrest ... Cleveland stated in them that he was seeking to split from Kaitlyn Terrell Cleveland "because of adultery."

It's World Tennis Day and we're celebrating by serving up some hot shots of some famous hotties wielding racquets.

Genie Bouchard, Winnie Harlow and Livvy Dunne are leading the way ... they're all aces in our book.

On the reality TV front, we've got tennis looks from "Too Hot To Handle" star Georgia Hassarati, plus Liberty Poole from "Love Island."

Shannen Doherty’s death last year was a devastating loss to the industry ... so it came as an even bigger shock that she wasn’t honored in the Oscars 'In Memoriam' segment, her loved ones tell us.

A longtime rep for Shannen tells TMZ it was really disappointing not to see her included in the tribute Sunday night, especially since she had been a part of the Hollywood community for over 45 years.

Fans were shocked by the snub too, calling out the Academy for ignoring her death -- some called it "disrespectful," while others said even if she wasn’t honored, Shannen would always be in their hearts.

Aubrey O'Day had a few choice words about her former boss, Diddy, while on "The Masked Singer" stage ... but some people connected to him want to remind Aubrey -- don’t bite the hand that fed you.

A source close to Diddy, with direct knowledge of the O'Day situation, tells TMZ it’s all thanks to Diddy she had the incredible opportunity when he cast her on MTV's "Making the Band" as a member of Danity Kane nearly 20 years ago.

The source also reminded us, Diddy is only detained and hasn’t even gone to trial yet to present a defense -- so none of Aubrey's claims hold up, at least not yet.

Bob Bryar -- the drummer for My Chemical Romance from 2004 to 2014 -- died next to a large supply of nitrous oxide ... according to the medical examiner.

TMZ obtained the autopsy report from Bob's November death in Tennessee, and the Bedford County Medical Examiner says the rocker's badly decomposed body was found next to three large nitrous oxide canisters.

The ME says antidepressant medication was also found at the home where Bob was found dead. The report notes the nitrous oxide canisters had attached tubing -- meaning they were ready for use -- but the ME stops short of saying the substance played a role in Bob's death.

Paloma Diamond* -- the super famous Hollywood actress -- suffered another disappointing loss at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, marking her 20th Oscar nomination gone up in flames.

TMZ caught up with the sad-eyed Paloma outside NYC's iconic Dakota apartment building, where John Lennon was fatally shot in 1980 (yikes!), to grill the film sensation on what went wrong for the umpteenth time at the Oscars.

Well, at first, Paloma tried to stay mum on the ugly sitch, but we pressed her until she finally spilled her guts ... telling us the Academy needs to "look into itself," when it comes to voting. And, she gave the Academy even more hell, but you'll have to watch the clip to catch it all.

Conan O'Brien's joke writer wants everyone who missed the comedic timing of his Oscars bit about Kendrick Lamar and Drake's beef to just say that -- there was no malice on the host's part!!!

Skyler Higley, who penned the part about needing to "call Drake a pedophile" after the commercial break, tells TMZ Hip Hop ... "The idea that it’s being taken as a real call-out or taking sides in any way in the beef is absurd."

Social media immediately started buzzing with accusations Conan joined the Drake hate train in favor of Kendrick Lamar ... but Higley's been writing jokes for Conan since his late-night TV show days and says he knows a master at work when he sees one.

Kim Kardashian is ready for spring break ... because she's modeling a bunch of bikinis and swimwear for her new SKIMS collection ... and she's looking incredibly sexy.

SKIMS Swim just released its new spring collection and Kim K took the reins and modeled her new offerings ... hitting sexy poses on a beach in the Bahamas to sell her new stuff.

Ya gotta see the photos -- Kim sizzles in a bunch of different bikini sets. There's a bunch of seductive poses and even a wet T-shirt!!!

Casey Anthony has a new gig -- she’s now a self-proclaimed "legal advocate" and is promoting her role on her brand-new TikTok account.

The formerly acquitted defendant -- who was on trial for murder in 2011 for her daughter Caylee Marie Anthony's death -- explained that after being thrust into the legal spotlight, she’s turned what many saw as a curse into a blessing. She says her new goal is to give people a voice and the right tools when they find themselves in a sticky legal situation.

Casey used the video to reintroduce herself, saying she’d only be posting professionally, limited to legal matters, and that her drive to be a legal warrior really kicked off after seeing people she knows personally who were targeted and attacked recently. She doesn't specify, but she mentions being a proponent for the LGBTQ community and for women's rights.

Pat McAfee wants to make peace with the folks up North ... explaining why he trashed the hell outta Canada after fans booed the "Star-Spangled Banner" at WWE this weekend -- while hoping to put the drama behind him.

The former Indianapolis Colts punter addressed Saturday's outburst at "Elimination Chamber" on the "Pat McAfee Show" ... saying he has so much pride in America, he instantly went into defense mode when folks in the Rogers Centre in Toronto jeered during the national anthem.

As we previously reported, McAfee called Canada "terrible" ... adding it "sucks" the spectators started off the big night on such a sour note.

Sofia Vergara pulled off an absolutely smoking Oscars night snapshot -- Jessica Alba, Sydney Sweeney and herself ... well, she almost did, until Jeff Bezos got in the way!

Sofia was rocking a gown with some dangerous peek-a-boo cutouts at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party, and she made the rounds taking tons of pics with her very attractive friends ... including Heidi Klum and Ricky Martin.

She managed to get those hot shots cleanly -- no interference from bystanders -- but when the group shot of every guy's fantasies started to take shape, things went south.