Controversial S#!T

Two Vegas-area police officers used a deaf woman's own children to help interpret while detaining their mother ... which is now being called a blatant violation of the ADA.

The lady's name is Andrea Hollingsworth, and she recorded the encounter last month after running into a North Las Vegas PD cop ... who was responding to a call alleging Hollingsworth was stalking/harassing someone outside of their home.

Hollingsworth makes clear during the incident that she's deaf and can't hear the officer as he tried figuring out what was going on ... but lost his patience constantly. Another officer arrives on the scene not too long after and also expresses frustration with Hollingsworth.

Eventually, the officers get one of her kids -- who was riding with her when they got approached -- to try and be in the intermediary ... this as they put Hollingsworth in cuffs and sat her down on the curb. It's a distressing situation -- you can hear the children crying and Hollingsworth desperately tries to both reassure them and talk to the cops at the same time.

Once everything is calm (relatively speaking), the officers get some context from what sounds like one of Hollingsworth's daughters ... who says they're simply trying to get some money back from a friend who'd recently moved out of an apartment they were sharing.

The officer chastises the mom to the kid ... explaining police procedure and why it's important for people to cooperate, which he says Hollingsworth was not doing, making it all the more difficult to get to the bottom of what had happened. In the end, no charges were filed.

Now, more than a month later ... Nevada's ACLU chapter, as well as some deaf orgs, are crying foul over Hollingsworth's treatment, saying the cops violated the Americans with Disabilities Act -- not to mention police protocol, which says ASL interpreters must be dispatched in these types of run-ins, as they're on call and available 24/7.

Morgan Wallen's starting to get back to performing after his n-word controversy, while seemingly snubbing an organization we're told he'd pledged to meet with ... the NAACP in Nashville.

According to NAACP Nashville President Sheryl Guinn ... after her branch reached out to the country singer in February, she says his team expressed interest in scheduling a sit-down because they claimed he felt terrible about using a racial slur and wanted to make amends.

Guinn tells us both sides agreed to a meeting that was likely to include multiple Black leaders, as well as several people accompanying Morgan ... all they had to do was iron out the details.

However, we're told Wallen's team went silent after that initial phone call, and there's been no effort by Morgan to make it happen ... along with no explanation.

The NAACP Prez says her Nashville chapter never pressured the country star for a face-to-face, but simply wanted to make itself available because he publicly expressed a desire to educate himself. Guinn tells us her hope was to help Wallen become an advocate for Black equality and enlist his fans to do so as well.

To be fair ... shortly after TMZ broke the story that Morgan was recorded by a neighbor casually calling a buddy the n-word, he claimed he'd met with several Black groups that helped him realize how harmful his actions were.

Wallen also stated in April he was taking time to work on himself and would not be adding any tour dates this summer.

As we reported ... he did get back on the stage this week in Nashville at Kid Rock's Big Ass Honky Tonk bar in front of what looked like a packed house.

Lil Nas X has felt the wrath of Nicki Minaj's diehard fans -- AKA The Barbz -- and he's backing down ... but insists his love for her is real.

Here's what's up -- LNX just dropped a brand new single, "Sun Goes Down," and on the track, he sings about how he found comfort in following Nicki when he was growing up.

The lyrics go -- "I'd be by the phone / Stanning Nicki mornin' into dawn / Only place I felt like I belonged / Strangers make you feel so loved, you know?"

Seems pretty harmless ... but the Barbz came after Lil Nas on Twitter, accusing him of looking for sympathy or dropping her name as a ploy for a future collab.

It didn't take long for him to respond, and though he doesn't apologize, and claims his lyrics and love for Minaj are sincere ... he acknowledges "how it looks" and says he will no longer mention her.

Prince Harry's still dealing with the trauma of his mother, Princess Diana's fatal car crash when he was 12 -- but says therapy's brought him a long way since his days of partying hard to mask his pain.

The Duke of Sussex opens up about his own mental health battle in the series he co-created with Oprah -- "The Me You Can't See -- and he takes viewers back to 1997 when he and his brother, Prince William, were in shock after their mother's death.

Prince Harry says he felt "outside of my body" and struggled processing what happened, but his feelings turned to anger over Di getting no justice. He says, "Nothing came from that. The same people who chased her into the tunnel, photographed her dying on the backseat of that car."

Though he was having a very hard time, Harry claims his calls for help within the Royal Family were met with "total silence" ... and he was expected to carry on. Eventually, he says he just stopped thinking about it because it only made him sad.

Remember, Harry's already said Prince Charles' parenting caused him serious trauma -- and, as a result, royal aides have reportedly suggested Harry should be stripped of all his titles.

This all led to a period of hard-partying from the ages of 28 to 32, which Harry calls "a nightmare time in my life." He tells Oprah he was drinking a week's worth of alcohol on some nights to mask his pain, and was willing to take drugs to make him feel less like he was feeling.

Harry also talks about his relationship with Meghan Markle, who he says first encouraged him to seek therapy about 4 years ago. He says, "I knew that if I didn't do therapy and fix myself, that I was going to lose this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with."

Meghan, of course, has detailed her own mental health struggles, and Harry talks about the scary night she expressed suicidal thoughts to him while pregnant with Archie ... something they first revealed during their CBS interview with Oprah.

The folks tasked with returning the giant Marilyn Monroe statue to Palm Springs say haters need to give her a shot, claiming kids won't be able to see up her skirt with the naked eye.

PS Resorts is the tourism organization bringing back the 26-foot tall stainless steel monument that will soon tower in front of the entrance to the Palm Springs Art Museum ... and honchos are brushing off concerns students will get an eyeful of her panties.

Aftab Dada, Chairman of PS Resorts, tells TMZ ... experts determined kids leaving the museum would need binoculars to catch a glimpse of her underwear, and people just need to give Marilyn a chance because she's harmless.

The statue, dubbed "Forever Marilyn," is coming back after a 7-year hiatus, and once it goes up in June it's got 3 years to stand in front of the museum, which opposes the whole thing.

The museum's board of trustees tells us the statue's placement outside makes it seems like it's part of their collection, and they feel it's in poor taste ... but PS Resorts says the statue will be over a football field's length away from the museum, and that's plenty of separation.

Dada says the statue will bring back tourists to Palm Springs after the pandemic, and he's pleading with folks to give it a couple years until a study on the economic impact comes out.

Prince William and his brother Prince Harry are finally on the same page about something -- condemning the BBC for the way it treated their mother ... specifically regarding her now infamous 1995 TV interview.

The Royal bros both made strong comments Thursday after an independent investigation into Princess Diana's explosive sit-down with BBC journalist Martin Bashir nearly 3 decades ago determined he and the network engaged in "deceitful behavior" and dishonest tactics to persuade her to do it.

William blasted the BBC, saying ... "the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said," and he blames it for his parents' relationship falling apart.

He also added, "BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her."

During the interview -- a huge get for Bashir and the BBC -- Diana notoriously stated that "there were three of us in this marriage" ... referring to Prince Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, and her account of the marriage failing was watched by millions.

Prince Harry went further than his big bro, ripping not just the BBC, but British media in general and laying her death at their feet -- "The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life."

He adds that he's deeply concerned that the practices used in 1995 are even worse, and more widespread, today.

As for what sparked the BBC inquiry -- Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, recently accused Bashir of using false documents and trickery to gain access to the princess, and the retired judge who was appointed to handle the investigation confirmed those allegations were true.

How much does CC Sabathia HATE Tony La Russa for the Yermin Mercedes drama in Chicago?

"This s*** is terrible. He shouldn't be f***ing managing that team ... s*** is stupid as f***."

Yeah, that much.

The former New York Yankees superstar went absolutely IN on the White Sox manager Thursday ... blasting the 76-year-old on his 'R2C2' podcast for starting unnecessary beef with his players.

If you missed it ... the whole ordeal boils down to this -- Mercedes hit a home run off a position player on a 3-0 count in a blowout win over the Twins earlier this week.

And, while nobody seemed to have an issue with it ('cause, ya know, it was a 15-4 game and a position player was pitching) -- La Russa decided to railroad Yermin anyway.

The manager publicly called out his rookie and said he'd punish the young, budding star for the swing. Which, of course, ultimately led to the Twins throwing at Yermin in their ensuing matchup.

Fast forward to Thursday ... and Sabathia could not have been more upset at La Russa for igniting the entire situation.

"Tony La Russa's out of touch with the game, cuz," Sabathia said. "He should not be managing one of the best teams in the American League. Period."

CC continued, "You got a rookie that's basically been carrying your f***ing team these first six weeks of the season, this guy's been carrying you and now you don't have a problem with the f***ing weird-ass Minnesota Twins throwing behind one of your biggest hitters?! That's just f***ing stupid."

CC then went in on the Twins for the situation too ... saying, "I was so mad, cuz. Then I was re-pissed off yesterday when [Tyler Duffey's] weird ass threw behind him!"

"You guys look f***ing stupid," CC said of the Twins. "You guys were losing 15-4, cuz! ... Play better! You guys f***ing suck!"

Morgan Wallen's clawing his way back from the racial slur controversy ... and he's got Kid Rock to thank for getting him back on a stage to perform live.

Morgan was at Kid's Big Ass Honky Tonk bar Wednesday night in Nashville and got on the mic in front of what looked like a packed house. This was his first time singing since he was seen in January casually dropping the n-word at the end of a drunken night with friends, and you can tell he had some nerves.

Of course, the crowd went nuts when Morgan was introduced ... folks were screaming his name as he walked on stage, and almost immediately acknowledged he might be a little rusty.

He seemed to work it all out though ... as he performed a couple of his hits, "Wasted On You" and "Whiskey Glasses."

TMZ broke the story ... Morgan was recorded by a neighbor after a wild night out in Nashville back in January casually calling a buddy the n-word.

The fallout from the video was swift -- award shows, merchandise websites and radio stations banned Wallen. However, his album sales actually skyrocketed and he continued dominating the charts.

Morgan's had folks in his corner in the wake of the controversy ... with billboards popping up last month in Nashville pushing for him to win Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards, even though the Academy banned him from the competition.

Paul Hogan insists he didn't put up a sign on his house warning homeless people to scram ... in fact, he says the house isn't even his and he has empathy for people living on the streets.

The "Crocodile Dundee" star was getting lots of unwanted attention after a sign was plastered on his garage that read ...'THIS IS MY HOUSE NOT YOURS." Hogan is renting a $3.5 million house on the sand in Venice ... an area that has been completely overrun by the homeless. It's become both dangerous and heartbreaking to see people living in horrible conditions.

Hogan says he did NOT write the sign, although it's weird he was seen with a red marker in his hand and the sign is written in red.  He does say when he saw the sign, he took it down.

Paul calls the homeless situation in L.A. sad, awful and embarrassing. State and local government have done little, if anything, to curb the problem up to this point, and it's become a full-blown crisis.

The 81-year-old Hogan has said he's homesick for his native Australia and can't wait for COVID-19 issues to be resolved so he can leave L.A.

The long-awaited, highly-anticipated "Friends" reunion is suffering from a major case of buzzkill ... at least for fans who don't like James Corden ... or are worried about Matthew Perry's health.

News that "The Late Late Show" host will be hosting the "Friends" special on HBO later this month has many on social media miffed ... mostly because he has no known connection to the popular sitcom.

Fans pointed out that there are so many other notable celebs -- Brad Pitt, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon and Bruce Willis for instance -- who had roles on the show and would have made way more sense to host ... but HBO honchos went with Corden.

Of course, some of the criticism is also coming from folks who seem to simply dislike James for other reasons ... and you can't win 'em all.

There's another issue putting a damper on the reunion fun too -- Matthew, AKA Chandler, appeared to be unwell during a recent interview promoting the upcoming special.

In the video, sitting with Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, some fans felt Perry sounded like he was slurring his speech, and appeared to be gazing off into the distance at times. He's been open about his struggles with addiction in the past.

As we reported ... Perry's the cast member who officially confirmed the reunion show was filming back in April in a now-deleted Instagram photo which whipped fans into a frenzy.

Torah Bright says her handstand breastfeeding wasn't meant to bring anyone down -- and despite some mothers apparently feeling that way ... there were even more who were supportive.

The Olympic gold medalist snowboarder will be on "TMZ Live'" Thursday to clear up her M.O. behind the now-viral photo -- which shows her balancing herself upside down topless, with her baby boy latching on to her breast and sucking away.

There were A LOT of reactions to it ... including good old-fashioned, pearl-clutching indignation -- but as Torah explains here, there were also some moms who genuinely felt they were being shamed for not being as fit and/or capable of doing something similar.

For anyone who might've perceived it like that ... Torah's here to set the record straight, telling us that was NOT her goal in posting this, noting everyone's breastfeeding experience is different -- and that she was simply sharing her own in a way she thought was fun. She also says it's a testament to the bond between mother and son.

That leads us to her next point ... which is that as big of a "backlash" she got from this, there was more love she says she got that toppled it -- which is great to hear.

Los Angeles County is calling out Vanessa Bryant ... claiming she's subjecting Sheriff's deputies to harassment by revealing their names in the lawsuit she filed over photos taken at the Kobe helicopter crash site.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, attorneys for L.A. County say Kobe Bryant's widow is aggressively conducting a "fishing expedition that is taking first responders away from their jobs." The County is referring to the fact Vanessa posted the names of 4 deputies who allegedly took pics of remains.

As we reported ... she won a legal battle in March to obtain the names of the deputies and promptly put 'em on blast on her IG.

In the docs, L.A. County attorneys say Vanessa is going too far with a "straightforward case" ... and her social media posts are exposing the deputies to threats.

Ceaser Emanuel -- the founder of 'Black Ink Crew' -- is taking his baby mama to court over claims she made that he abused their daughter ... which he says is a downright lie.

The 'BIC' chief just sued Crystal Torres for reiterating a claim their now 17-year-old daughter, Cheyenne, made earlier this year -- that her father had pulled her out of the shower sometime last year and beat her.

Ceaser denied that characterization -- he insists he only "disciplined" Cheyenne -- but now, he's taking legal action over it too ... filing a lawsuit for defamation against Crystal for publicly claiming Ceaser was a child abuser. The suit even points to remarks Crystal made this week on social media, which he says ruined his rep and cost him A LOT of money.

Crystal went on a rant Monday addressing the "lies" she insists Ceaser is spreading about the situation. According to his lawsuit, Ceaser says that's just the latest example of her defaming him.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Ceaser says Crystal's IG post(s) and subsequent interviews around that time are inflammatory and flat-out wrong. Caeser says he even offered Crystal a letter from the GA Fulton County Dept. of Family & Children Service clearing his name ... so she would quit publicly blasting him.

He says, despite that evidence, she continued to smear him -- hence the lawsuit.

Ceaser says he lost out on lots of endorsement deals, not to mention having to put his massive VH1 reality show on pause due to an internal investigation -- which he says also cost him.

Adding insult to injury, he says his real-life work with the community and underserved kids came to a halt -- 'cause folks falsely assumed he was actually guilty.

Now, he says he has no other recourse but to seek damages against Crystal for ruining his good name. We've reached out to Crystal ... she refused to comment.

Paul Hogan's had it with the crime and homelessness around his home in L.A. and is letting his frustrations be known ... by posting a warning on his front door.

The "Crocodile Dundee" star -- who recently told Australian news he's homesick and desperate to leave the U.S. and return Down Under -- reportedly stepped outside Sunday and pinned a note to outside his garage in Venice Beach that read ... "THIS IS MY HOUSE NOT YOURS."

Paul's since taken the sign down outside his $3.5 million property ... which does sit right in the middle of a neighborhood where the homeless crisis has become epidemic.

As you may know ... the Venice Beach area that was once a tourism hot spot in L.A. has become a hellscape of sorts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hogan's note seems to be directed to the many homeless camped out near his home.

Paul and his 22-year-old son, Chance, have reportedly been stuck inside his beachside mansion -- which locals describe as a fortress -- for months as the homeless crisis and crime has spiraled out of control in the area.

Hogan's stated he can't wait for the pandemic to be over so he can flee ... which echoes what many others have expressed about L.A. in recent months, as city and county officials have been criticized for not doing enough to address what's going on.

While the government may be coming up short in helping with the homelessness situation, there has been a movement among celebs, like Jon Cryer and Lisa Joyner, and organizations like Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission to provide those in need with shelter.

Kendall Jenner's new tequila ad has a lot of people up in arms, claiming the supermodel is taking advantage of Mexican culture to push her new beverage ... but truth is, many male celebs have done the same thing without criticism.

KJ is featured in the new promotional spot for her 818 Tequila on an agave farm in Jalisco, Mexico ... where her operation is running. The video and pics feature a lot of native farmers -- with Kendall alongside them rocking pig tails, as well as what some describe as traditional Mexican garb.

Online critics almost immediately chimed in, calling it cultural appropriation/tone-deafness/colonizing/exploitation ... you name it. It's all being sent her way right now.

It should, however, be noted that celebs like George Clooney, Rande Gerber, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, LeBron James and Kevin Hart have all launched tequila brands of their own without criticism. In fact, The Rock recently posted a video of himself with Mexican farmers very similar to the one Kendall put up.

The biggest criticism, it seems, is that Kendall is hijacking Mexican culture and trying to wear it as a costume for a photoshoot she went down there for ... and that she's being disrespectful for trying to pass as a "ranchera."

However, most critiquing Kendall just plain have it wrong, we're told the focus of the ad was to highlight the farmers doing the actual work to make the product. Kendall has created jobs, and those involved are grateful for that.

Our sources say Kendall has been very passionate about 818, putting in the work, doing the research and making sure she works with farmers to put out the best project possible.

Perhaps there's some merit to come of the criticism, but other quibbles that have surfaced are absurd ... like at least one person claiming she's modeling a "chic migrant worker look," while another person said they could "see the pain in this old man's eyes" -- referencing one of the dudes in the clip.

For starters, this took place IN Mexico ... so the migrant worker critique is BS. Also, to assume this man is being exploited/mistreated by working on the farm is about as ignorant as Kendall is allegedly being by posing with the workers.

Robert Durst -- the notorious subject of the HBO documentary, 'The Jinx' -- is back in court for his murder trial ... after a 14-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Durst just appeared in court, appearing thin and frail with his nose and mouth hidden behind a white medical mask. In case you've forgotten ... he stands accused of shooting his friend, Susan Berman, in the head at her Beverly Hills home in December 2000 ... allegedly because she knew something about the mysterious death of his wife, Kathleen, who disappeared in 1982.

Durst was arrested in New Orleans in March 2015, just weeks after "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst," began airing and the LAPD reopened the Berman case.

The docuseries detailed bizarre and disturbing allegations against Durst and chronicled why he was suspected in the killings of Susan and Kathleen ... along with how he was acquitted of the murder of a Texas neighbor in 2001.

'The Jinx' ended with a jaw-dropping moment in which Durst -- believing his microphone was off after excusing himself from an interview -- seemingly confessed to murder while talking to himself in the bathroom, saying ... "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

The documentary also linked a letter sent to police alerting them of Susan's dead body to Durst.

So, he was arrested and charged with her murder in 2015, and though his trial began in March 2020 with a few days of witness testimony ... it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was originally scheduled to resume in July but was postponed again.

Durst's lawyers requested an indefinite postponement of the trial earlier this month citing a "myriad of life-threatening health issues" ... including bladder cancer that is not being treated.