Controversial S#!T

Luke Walton is in no danger of losing his Lakers job and there shouldn't even be a conversation about it either ... so says Metta World Peace.

The ex-NBA superstar went to bat for the L.A. coach outside of Catch -- telling TMZ Sports Lakers Nation just needs to be patient.

"I think they're fine. I think it's just basketball. Yeah, it's basketball."

Translation ... it's 10 games into the season, give the man some time!!!

As for LeBron James' lukewarm start in Hollywood ... Metta says The King will be a MUCH better player in just a few weeks -- so chill out with all that talk too!

"You got a preseason form, a midseason form, then you have playoff form. And, he's in beginning-of-the-season form. He's about to be in midseason form soon."

The Girl Scouts are firing off a message to the Boy Scouts, and it's ... back off, we're working this corner!!!

Yes, the Girl Scouts of the United States of America is suing the Boy Scouts of America over what was supposed to be new era, more inclusive Boy Scouts programs. If ya missed it ... the BS has a new campaign called "Scout Me In" ... which allows girls to join in on the Scouts fun.

Well, that ain't sitting well with cookie pushers. According to the suit, the Boys are confusing parents of little girls ... because people who want to sign up for Girl Scouts are mistakenly signing up for girls' programs under the Boy Scouts umbrella.

Welcome to 2018.

In the suit, the Girls say the Boys are tarnishing the reputation and goodwill they've built over the years.

Translation: Boys have cooties.

Farrah Abraham pulled no punches trash talking the celebrity boxing promoters she says did her dirty ... claiming they bullied her outta an anti-bullying event. Oh, the irony.

We got Farrah Monday night in WeHo outside of Catch restaurant and asked about her doomed fight against Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander. You'll recall Farrah pulled the plug claiming promoters screwed her by not providing her with hotel rooms, plane tickets and fight tix.

The ex-'Teen Mom' turned her guns on event organizers, including promoter Damon Feldman. Farrah says she's turning her attention to her new show.

Pete Davidson made a late change right before 'SNL' to mention Ariana Grande's name during this weekend's episode ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the production tell us Pete heard Ariana's new song, "thank u, next," before showtime Saturday night, and that spurred him to write a few lines addressing the breakup. We're told he ran a copy by Lorne Michaels ... and got it approved for his 'Weekend Update' segment.

Pete called Ariana a "wonderful, strong person" and wished her the best ... while also declaring their relationship wasn't anyone's business. Remember, Pete scrubbed an entire skit he'd written about their breakup after Ariana called him out over the promo in which he obtusely referenced their split.

Clearly, he had a change of heart after hearing the tune, which she dropped just 30 minutes before 'SNL' went on the air. FWIW, she refrained from taking any shots at Pete on the track.

The Ariana line wasn't the only deviation from the script heading into Saturday. Regarding Dan Crenshaw -- whose war-caused disability Pete mocked -- we're told P.D.'s crass "whatever" comment was delivered completely off the cuff.

The war vet Pete Davidson disrespected on 'SNL' concedes there may be a silver lining ... he's now a stand-out in Tuesday's midterm election.

Texas congressional candidate Dan Crenshaw told us on "TMZ Live" ... this could turn into a Beyonce moment ... turning the 'SNL' lemons he's been given into sweet, sweet lemonade ... which could translate into a win for him when the polls close on Tuesday night.

As we reported ... Dan isn't demanding an apology after Pete said Dan looked like a "hitman from a porno" and brushed off his disability with a "whatever." Dan does admit, however, the cheap shot "tore at my core."

Pete Davidson is taking all the heat for his terrible "joke" about wounded veterans ... and somehow no one is blaming it on 'SNL.'

Kenan Thompson just weighed in ... saying Pete "definitely missed the mark," adding, "it's tough when you're fishing for jokes. ..." Kenan noted his dad was a Vietnam vet. There's no mention of 'SNL' shouldering any of the blame for allowing the joke on the air.

Davidson had cracked during weekend update ... GOP congressional candidate Dan Crenshaw -- who wears an eye patch after losing an eye in Afghanistan -- looked like a hitman from a porno, adding, "I know he lost his eye in war or whatever ... whatever."

'SNL' EP Lorne Michaels gives his crew lots of leeway when it comes to creative content, but ultimately the show and presumably Standards and Practices at NBC have the power to nix a "joke" that crosses the line.

Dave Chappelle says his Sundays are definitely NOT filled with football -- telling TMZ Sports he's off the NFL and it seems it all has to do with Colin Kaepernick.

We shot the comedian out on Sunday and asked if he'd be checking out the games later on -- but he told us the NFL ain't on his schedule ... and then took a knee, just like Colin.

Chappelle has publicly shown support for the QB -- he even wore a Kaepernick shirt to his big stand-up show at Radio City Music Hall in 2017.

In fact, he even touched on the kneeling demonstration during his comedy special on Netflix -- saying, "Took us 400 years to figure out as a people that white people's weakness the whole time was kneeling during their national anthem. That's a brittle spirit."

Unclear if Dave is actively protesting the NFL -- like other stars including Charlamagne Tha God -- but it seems the way league has treated Kaep is definitely a factor.

As for Kaepernick, he's still not in the league -- despite some teams being supremely desperate at the QB position -- and he believes he's being blackballed over the kneeling.

Kanye West distancing himself from politics hasn't affected his relationship with Candace Owens, nor has it affected her "Blexit" numbers ... at least, so says Candace Owens.

The conservative provocateur tells TMZ ... her apology to Kanye was sincere, and she completely respects his decision to back away from politics. She also says she and Ye are still cool even after he said she used him, denying he designed her "Blexit" clothing line. Kanye certainly didn't sound like he was cool.

Candace called the "rumor" that Kanye was behind the "Blexit" design a blatant lie, adding that she was sorry for the bad fallout. Fact is ... Candace had said Kanye created the logo and coloring for "Blexit."

Either way, she says Kanye drawing a line in the sand between himself and "Blexit" has not put a damper on the movement, which encourages black people to bail from the Democratic Party. In fact, Candace says it's quite the opposite ... it's stronger than ever.

She insists orders for "Blexit" gear have been pouring in since it launched, and that not one person has requested a refund in the wake of Kanye calling her out. Candace also says thousands of emails are coming in that are supportive of the cause.

Pete Davidson and 'SNL' don't owe GOP congressional candidate, Dan Crenshaw, a mea culpa for making a crack about his war-caused disability ... but SNL needs a lesson on humor.

We spoke with Dan -- who's running for an open seat in Texas' second congressional district -- and, somewhat surprisingly, he shoots down the idea that Pete and co. must issue an apology to him because they made an insensitive joke about his eyepatch.

If you missed it, Pete did a bit on 'Weekend Update' where he gave his first impressions on some of the candidates running for office in the midterms elections, most of whom were Republican. He joked Crenshaw looked like a hitman from a porno, and said of his injury ... "I know he lost his eye in war or whatever ... whatever." The remark caught tons of backlash.

One person who's not outraged is Dan, who tells us he wants society to get away from the culture of apology-demanding every time someone misspeaks.

Ray J understands better than anyone why Farrah Abraham's refusing to fight in a celebrity boxing match ... 'cause promoters can't keep their word in the money department.

We're told Ray J was all set to referee Farrah's fight with Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander, slated for November 10 in Atlantic City. Ray's team initially wanted $50k plus travel costs and security but the promoter, Damon Feldman, didn't have the cash, so Ray agreed to do it for $25k.

Problem is ... a few weeks ago Feldman and fight investor Samantha Goldberg came back to Ray and asked if he'd ref for less dough 'cause the event wasn't selling. Ray's manager, David Weintraub, wasn't having it ... saying no dice and pulling out of the event altogether.

Sounds like this was the beginning of the end. As we reported ... Farrah, also repped by Weintraub, pulled the plug on the event because she says the same promoter screwed her on the deal.

At $31.7 MILLION A YEAR ... Roger Goodell is actually UNDERPAID -- so says Dana White.

"That's the worst f***ing job in sports," White says of being the NFL's commish.

We got the UFC honcho out in NYC ... and asked about football's latest controversy -- a 49ers cheerleader taking a knee during the national anthem -- and that's when Dana said he's SUPER STOKED to not be in Goodell's shoes.

It's seemingly one headache to mitigate after another --- Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid, President Trump, and now, cheerleaders protesting -- and White seems so grateful that's not going down in the UFC.

"Worst job in sports," Dana says ... "They're not paying that guy enough money."

As for how Dana would handle it if it did happen in his league ... he says it wouldn't.

"We don't do the national anthem. So they can kneel all they want."

BTW ... Dana says he wishes NFL players would find a different way to protest, but added, "At the end of the day, it's a free country. You can do whatever you want."

Dave Chappelle says his backing of Maryland gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous is NOT a political Hollywood ploy ... 'cause he's just doing what he thinks is right.

We got the comedian out Sunday in Forestville, MD, where he was making calls on behalf of Jealous, who's running for Governor against Republican incumbent Larry Hogan.

Dave tells us he doesn't consider what he's doing to be a "celebrity endorsement," as he's known Ben his whole life and truly believes he's qualified for the job. He says rather than tell people how to vote, he's simply making them aware of Ben's campaign.

While Dave might not necessarily consider this a political statement, it definitely is ... and his on-the-ground involvement is just the latest sign that Hollywood's taking the midterm elections seriously, especially when it comes to Democratic candidates.

The man who made death threats against Don Lemon last year will not have to answer for his harassment, 'cause prosecutors say he's too small of a fish ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... prosecutors in NY have declined to file charges against the self-proclaimed white nationalist and Trump supporter who tweeted multiple ominous messages at him last October -- stuff like, "F*** you n***** can't wait to stab your neck."

The reason? We're told the resources authorities would have to use to prosecute the guy far outweigh the potential punishment. Our sources say the man's behavior amounted to misdemeanor harassment ... which would've gotten him a maximum sentence of a year in jail. Translation ... it's just not worth it.

We broke the story ... Don went to the cops last year to report messages the man sent him on Twitter, such as ... "U r a pile of rotting Dogshit,racist,communist, socialist, Liberal moron asshole,i will find u U will pay.ill see u real soon..."

We're told prosecutors reached out to Don a couple of weeks ago to tell him their decision, and our sources say the CNN host couldn't have been more cordial or appreciative.

The "Better Call Saul" actor who made headlines this week for falsely presenting himself as a war vet, deserves a chance to make good in Hollywood ... according to real Army vet and actor J.R. Martinez.

J.R. -- who won "Dancing With the Stars" in 2011 -- tells us Todd LaTourrette's admission he lied for years about how he lost his arm in order to score acting roles ... is absolutely despicable. Still, he's willing to give LaTourrette a pass, if he's serious about shedding light on mental illness.

If you missed it, LaTourrette confessed to KOB-TV he'd cut off his arm 17 years ago during a bipolar episode. When he started acting, he told producers he'd been wounded during military service. He says the lie worked for years and helped him score the role of Skell on 'Saul.'

J.R. says he appreciates Todd copping to the lie. He added, IF Todd puts "action" behind his promise to raise mental health awareness ... there's no reason he can't keep acting.

Norm Macdonald says you won't be offended at his comedy shows anymore .. but you also won't laugh your ass off. Such is reality and it sucks.

We got Norm Friday afternoon at LAX and asked if he's walking on eggshells given his propensity to push the envelope and offend his audience. You'll recall Norm caught tons of backlash for defending Roseanne and Louis C.K.

Norm tried to dig himself out of that hole ... but things got worse before a mea culpa on "The View."

Fact is ... Norm trying to please the PC police has severely dented the comedic process. And, btw ... Howie Mandel agrees. Norm longs for the days when a comedian could go way over the line, rein himself back to the line ... but not go over it.

UFC star Jimmie Rivera says he's dying to fight Cody Garbrandt -- if "No Love" would just get his balls back from Urijah Faber's purse.

Rivera is a stud -- he's the #5 ranked bantamweight who once had a crazy 20-fight win streak with victories over guys like UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber.

Now, Rivera is trying to claw his way back into a title shot and knows he's probably gotta go through Cody for a chance to face champ T.J. Dillashaw.

"You know, what's on my list is Cody," Jimmie says ... "If he finally answers my tweets or gets his balls from Urijah Faber's purse, we can make a fight happen early next year and I can whoop his ass and give him his 3rd loss and end his career just I like did Faber."

Rivera fought -- and beat -- Faber back in 2016, the 2nd to last fight of Faber's career.

Now, Garbrandt trains with Faber -- the two are very close friends.