Controversial S#!T

Nick Cannon thinks there's a double standard in Hollywood following Kevin Hart losing his Oscars gig ... and he's putting 3 white, female comedians on blast to make his point.

The "Wild 'N Out" host isn't happy about the backlash Hart got this week over old homophobic tweets that resulted in him stepping down as host of the Academy Awards, so on Friday he dug up some old tweets by Chelsea Handler, Amy Schumer and Sarah Silverman that use similar language.

Cannon started by sharing a 2010 tweet from Handler in which she uses the homophobic f-word slur, commenting ... "Interesting, I wonder if there was any backlash here..."

Nick then posted a 2010 tweet by Silverman in which she called the new 'Bachelorette' a gay slur, and a homophobic 2012 tweet from Schumer, adding ... "I'm just saying... should we keep going???"

When another Twitter user told Cannon he should be auditing his own tweets, he responded ... "Nope!! You know I’ve been saying f**ked up s**t since twitter started! I don’t play that politically correct bulls**t! F**k politics!! Only Truth!"

Truth be told, in a 2012 tweet of his own, Nick wrote ... "If your best joke includes "gay" or "f****t" you should be kicked off Twitter this ain't the 3rd grade! #notaninsult #lackofcreativity"

So, perhaps he's justified on casting these stones.

Cannon's been a vocal supporter of Hart during this week's Oscars controversy, and it's obvious he thinks the comedian got a raw deal. As we reported, though, a lot of the backlash Kevin got was the result of him refusing to apologize initially ... but he did AFTER he stepped down as host.

The saying goes, pics or it didn't happen ... and in Tekashi69's case, the feds say they have all they need to prove his involvement in multiple crimes ... TMZ has learned.

Federal prosecutors filed documents, obtained by TMZ, which include more than a dozen images of Tekashi, his ex-manager Kifano "Shotti" Jordan (aka Tr3yway) and other crew members pulling armed robberies and shootings. The evidence seems to have him dead to rights.

According to the docs, cops grabbed videos from phones belonging to 6ix9ine or crew members and matched them with surveillance videos of an April 3 armed robbery in Brooklyn. They say the images prove Shotti pulled the robbery, and cops believe Tekashi watched from the street and recorded video.

There's a screen grab from that video, which prosecutors think Tekashi gave to a 3rd party to post on the Internet. Also included ... matching shots of a backpack that was stolen, and later found in Tekashi's home during a Sept. raid. That raid also turned up an AR-15 rifle.

Click through the gallery ... you can see cops also matched images of 6ix9ine from 2 Brooklyn shootings on April 21. TMZ first reported Tr3way's alleged involvement in those incidents.

Prosecutors filed these images as proof Tekashi should be held without bail. In the docs, they point out he's a flight risk because he frequently takes "as much as $100,000 in a single [bank] withdrawal."

They made their point. Tekashi's still sitting in a federal facility ... without bail.

Before Kevin Hart apologized Thursday night for his old homophobic tweets, he insisted he'd already addressed the issue many times ... but this outtake from a 2014 interview seems to be missing something.

Kevin might have been referring to this interview with journalist Ed Gordon. It's true ... he did explain why he doesn't make fun of gay people anymore. But, during the sitdown -- which aired once, and doesn't exist on the Internet -- Kevin never says "sorry" or "I apologize."

TMZ obtained this clip from "Conversations With Ed Gordon" where Gordon grills Kevin over backlash he'd recently gotten over a joke. He asked the comedian why he feels it's fine to make fun of black women but not homosexuality.

Kevin's answer shows he's aware of the harm words can inflict on gay people, but stops short of a mea culpa for doing it in the past. Instead, he says, "I don't want that problem. I don't want any enemies."

Translation: I don't want the heat.

As we reported ... Hart stepped down as host of the Oscars after several homophobic tweets and comments he made years ago resurfaced, and he initially refused to apologize.

WWE legend Sgt. Slaughter says the company was 100% right to have an event in Saudi Arabia ... saying the decision was about entertainment and not politics.

"WWE Crown Jewel" went down in Riyadh on Nov. 2 -- despite calls from prominent politicians, businessmen and even WWE wrestlers to postpone the event in the wake of the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

After the event, WWE hailed it as a success -- others have still been extremely critical.

We got the Sarge in NYC, and the 70-year-old told us he's happy the company held the event, saying making political decisions isn't what the WWE is all about.

"We're an entertainment company. We're not anything to do with politics. We're basically there to entertain everybody. Not just the American people, but people all around the world. That's what we do for a living. That's what makes our company so great."

It's a sticky situation ... John Cena & Daniel Bryant -- two of the biggest stars in the organization -- refused to participate in the event ... but stars like Hulk Hogan, Randy Orton and others were happy to participate.

George Lopez won't have to answer for allegedly attacking a fan who trolled him with a Trump joke ... the case has been tossed.

A clerk at the Las Cruces Municipal Court in New Mexico tells TMZ ... the misdemeanor battery charge was tossed Thursday after a notice of dismissal was submitted. We're told it was dropped because the alleged victim did not appear in court and did not notify anyone about not showing up.

Therefore, the case is now closed.

TMZ broke the story ... the Trump fan got in George's face with a camera back in October ... prompting George to grab the guy's neck. We were told the guy had been egging on George with pro-Trump comments and yelling "MAGA."

Tony Rock says Kevin Hart stepping down as Oscars host is a sign of the times, and believes we'd all be better off if we could embrace "jokes" instead of being offended -- and in this case, he's talking specifically about gay people.

The comedian was outside the Hollywood Improv Thursday night after news broke Hart was bailing on the Academy Awards job following backlash over his old homophobic tweets. Tony thinks Kevin should have apologized AND stayed on as host because it's his best opportunity to flip the controversy into something positive.

He also thinks the LGBTQ community needs to be more accepting of jokes. He believes it's a sign of respect and acceptance. We'll let him explain further ... watch the clip.

Now, several of Hart's old tweets weren't really in the style of stand-up comedy -- they were just straight-up homophobic. It's unclear if Tony was aware of that when we spoke, but that might be why he thinks Kevin owed an apology.

Bottom line for Tony ... a society where you can't tell jokes freely isn't a good thing.

1:23 PM PT -- The Assistant District Attorney just submitted a letter to the judge in response to Weinstein's new docs, saying, "The defendant filed an addendum to this argument ... describing a communication involving this same witness ... when read in conjunction with the grand jury minutes, this is not exculpatory information."

The letter continues ... "The defendant has a misguided and antiquated view of how a rape victim should react after having been assaulted does not change this reality."

Harvey Weinstein says the woman alleging he raped her sure didn't act like it, because she showed up at HIS movie screening just hours after the alleged rape.

Weinstein's legal team fired off a letter informing the judge in his rape case ... they've found an email between Weinstein's assistant and a friend of the alleged victim, and the timing is key ... they say.

The email is an invitation to attend a screening for one of Weinstein's projects. It was sent to an unidentified woman -- her name's been redacted -- and said she could bring 3 guests with her.

The invitee responded to Weinstein's assistant, "I'm going just with (name redacted)." According to Weinstein's attorney, Ben Brafman, the guest she was bringing is one of the alleged victims.

The alleged rape happened the morning of March 18, 2013 -- and the email exchange happened later that afternoon. Brafman says the friend confirms she and the alleged victim not only attended, but met up with Weinstein at the screening.

Brafman insists this is "strong evidence that she was not raped" -- why would an alleged rape victim "go out of her way to spend time with her 'rapist' merely hours" after the alleged attack?

TMZ broke the story ... the friend is a new witness who claims the alleged victim was "hooking up" with Weinstein for "a very long time" and she never heard the alleged victim say anything bad about Weinstein.

Marcellus Wiley says the Redskins did the right thing in claiming Reuben Foster ... telling TMZ Sports the linebacker is "innocent until proven guilty" and deserves a second chance.

There aren't many that would agree with the ex-NFL superstar ... 'cause Foster has now been accused of domestic violence multiple times in the last year -- including being arrested 3 days before the 'Skins picked him up.

But, Wiley explains, "You gotta allow the guy to have his opportunity. He's not on the field right now. They claimed him off waivers and they wanted to make sure that, 'We do the proper investigation and figure out who he is and what happened.'"

"And, look, there are some question marks about this allegation, because last time, his girlfriend recanted her story."

Marcellus tells us Reuben deserves the chance to let the process play out -- and says the Redskins are doing the right thing by keeping him off the roster until it does.

"Let's just respect the entire process ... remember when we had to actually think you were innocent until proven guilty? I'm still in that place."

We also asked Wiley for his take on the Kareem Hunt situation ... and while Wiley says the RB made a HUGE mistake -- he doesn't believe the superstar's career is over.

BUT -- Marcellus says the 23-year-old HAS to show remorse in order to latch back on with another NFL team.

Michael Blackson is so disappointed in Jacksonville after yet another blowout loss Thursday ... he's tellin' TMZ Sports the Jags belong closer to the toilet bowl than the Super Bowl!!!

We got the comedian -- whose nephew is Eli Apple, a starter for the Saints -- leaving Boulevard3 in Hollywood, when we had to ask for his take on Derrick Henry's epic 99-yard TD run.

That's when Blackson told us the run was cool and all ... but he's WAY more disappointed in Jacksonville's D for letting the play happen!

"Where the f**k was the defense?! Jesus Christ, man," Blackson says.

"I'm so disappointed in the Jaguars. These guys went from AFC Championship game -- they went from almost the Super Bowl to the toilet bowl!"

Blackson didn't stop there ... tellin' Jacksonville's die-hard fanbase they need to come pick up their squad!

"I'm so disappointed in them! But hey, if you let someone run 99 yards, man, you don't deserve to be anywhere close to the playoffs. Jaguars, I'm disappointed in you. Duval, get your team together. Please!"

9:13 PM PT -- Kevin just announced he will no longer host the show, saying, "I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past."

He continues, "I'm sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again."

Kevin Hart is firing back at critics who think he's unfit to host the Oscars due to old tweets that were extremely homophobic ... and by firing back, we mean he's laying in bed and refusing to apologize.

Kevin says in an Instagram video, the hateful response to his old tweets illustrates just how PC-crazy our world has become ... and he says he's not going to let the haters bring him down.

As Kevin put it -- in a video he shot with his head still on a pillow -- he's approaching 40 and it's stupid for people to think his views haven't evolved. Basically, he's claiming he's more mature than he was when he was gay-bashing on Twitter -- including using the f-word several times.

The Academy announced this week that Kevin would host next year's Oscars, and the backlash began almost immediately.

Dog the Bounty Hunter allegedly shoved a teenager at the airport -- at least that's what the teen's father claims -- but Dog's side denies the assault and says the kid was verbally abusive.

A police report was filed in Denver ... by the father who claims he and his family ran into Dog and Beth Chapman at the Denver airport last Friday. He says his 17-year-old son approached Dog and asked for a photo. He claims Dog got upset and put a closed fist into the kid's chest and pushed him away.

The father got pissed and got into a verbal altercation with Dog. Beth eventually calmed things down, and she and Dog got on an elevator.

A source close to Dog says when the teen walked up to Dog, he said, "I have a bounty on my head, what are you gonna do about it motherf***er?" Dog admittedly told the kid to get back and he didn't want to deal with it ... because his wife is sick.

We're told the teen's response was, "Tell that fat bitch to get out of her chair. I'll cut her in half." Beth was in a wheelchair at the time.

Dog and Beth had just flown to Denver from L.A. ... where she had emergency surgery last week for a throat blockage. Doctors discovered her cancer had returned.

Dana White says Rachael Ostovich is "totally cool" fighting on the same card as Greg Hardy in January ... despite his history with domestic violence.

There's been backlash over the decision to put Hardy on the Jan. 19 card considering Ostovich was JUST involved in a D.V. incident last month -- and claims she suffered bad injuries at the hands of her MMA fighter husband.

But, Dana White appeared on TSN in Canada early Thursday morning and addressed the issue head-on -- saying he will NOT move Hardy off the card ... and that Ostovich has "no problem" with the decision.

White explained that Hardy will be tied to the domestic violence allegations for the rest of his life -- but he's put in the work to rehabilitate himself and White feels he's a changed man who deserves a 2nd chance.

White says during his conversation with Ostovich, Rachael told him, "[Greg's] story is not my story and I believe in second chances."

Dana says having Rachael's support was a "key factor" in making the decision to keep Hardy on the card.

Ostovich will Paige VanZant that night. Hardy will square off against Allen Crowder.

10:15 AM PT -- We're told the clip of Kim claiming Kanye didn't say slavery was a choice ... will NOT appear in the upcoming 'KUWTK' episode. It was never approved for the episode, because when Kim watched it back, she realized it was inaccurate and not reflective of what happened at TMZ that day.

The preview clip has been pulled by E!.

Kim Kardashian is trying like hell to justify Kanye West's slavery comment -- the problem is she's fully misquoting her husband, and clearly does NOT remember what he actually said.

On the next episode of 'KUWTK,' she has a convo with Jonathan Cheban and Simon Huck about Kanye's May 1 appearance on "TMZ Live" ... and the convo is rife with falsehoods. First, Huck says "the way they edited that clip." It was not edited.

Then there's Kim saying this, "If you listen to what he said, he said, 'Slavery was 400 years? If it's gonna be another 400 years, that sounds like a choice to me.' He didn't say, 'Slavery is a choice.'"

Here's the clip, so you can listen to what Kanye actually said. There is clearly NO reference to a future 400 years. The actual quote -- "When you hear about slavery for 400 years, for 400 years??? That sounds like a choice. Like, you was there for 400 years and it's all of y'all?"

Kim can have whatever interpretation she wants of Kanye's words. We get that. But, to say we edited him or misquoted him ... is a lie.

On the 'KUWTK' episode she adds, "Kanye's slavery comment ... he never said that. That was just the headline."

Okay.

Meek Mill says there's a limit to how much he'll do when it comes to prison reform, because he's not trying to piss off people and get locked up again.

The rapper joined "The Breakfast Club" Thursday morning when the conversation turned to prison reform. Charlamagne Tha God tells Meek that when he talks about prison reform, that's essentially messing with "the white man's" money 'cause private prisons are thriving businesses.

That's when Meek straight-up says all he needs is a warning and he'll quit talking about it. To be fair ... Meek still wants to help, but he's making it clear NOTHING comes ahead of his family and, of course, freedom.

Meek's been on a mission to change the criminal justice system since his release from prison in April. He's so committed, he planned to visit President Trump for a White House meeting ... before canceling at Jay-Z's request.

Tristan Thompson's one-finger salute just cost him a chunk of change ... 'cause the Cavs star's been slapped with a $15k fine for flipping off hecklers at the Nets game on Monday.

TMZ Sports posted the video ... T.T. snapped at the end of the Cavs-Nets game at Barclays Center ... flipping off some courtside fans after Cleveland sealed the W.

The league announced Thompson's punishment on Thursday ... and it's a bargain compared to the $25k fines handed to Kevin Durant and Patrick Beverley for their recent fan incidents.

It's the only recent blemish in Thompson's hot streak ... as the dude is averaging a double-double so far this season and has been helping the Cavs keep from being a complete embarrassment.

Harvey Weinstein apparently doesn't need a publicist anymore ... he's handling it on his own and reaching out to the media in an effort to clear his name ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us the disgraced studio mogul fired off several emails Tuesday to his people in the media he once worked with, back when he was a Hollywood mogul.

He did not send one to TMZ, but we've obtained a copy from a source. The reason for the emails is pretty clear -- Weinstein feels his side of the NYC rape case isn't getting enough attention.

As you can see ... Weinstein's railing against cops and claims their misconduct has tainted the entire criminal case against him.