Controversial S#!T

International Paralympic Committee says Malaysia will NOT be allowed to host an important Paralympic event ... all because the country is refusing to allow athletes from Israel to compete.

Malaysia was scheduled to host the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships -- a qualifying event for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. It's a big deal.

The Paralympics is an international competition for athletes with physical disabilities -- and operates with the International Olympic Committee.

Malaysia has deemed Israel a "criminal nation" -- claiming the country is mistreating Palestinians.

IPC president Andrew Parsons says the Israel ban is unacceptable -- and has moved to relocate the July 29-Aug. 4 event to another country.

"When a host country excludes athletes from a particular nation, for political reasons, then we have absolutely no alternative but to look for a new championships host," Parsons said.

"All World Championships must be open to all eligible athletes and nations to compete safely and free from discrimination."

Despite the move, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is doubling down on his country's anti-Israel policy.

“We stand by our principle, which is that Israel is a criminal nation," Mohamad told the Associated Press.

"It has been breaking international law without anybody saying anything. We have a right to voice our feelings and to have our own policies.”

Michael Jackson's family is destroying the media and "vulture tweeters" who buy into the molestation claims put forward in "Leaving Neverland" -- a documentary they consider a "public lynching."

The family says "We are furious that the media, who without a shred of proof or single piece of physical evidence, chose to believe the word of two admitted liars over the word of hundreds of families and friends around the world who spent time with Michael, many at Neverland, and experienced his kindness and global generosity."

In the statement, the family never mentions the men featured in the documentary -- Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- by name, but only refers to them as "the two perjurers." That echoes statements from Jackson's estate which dismissed Robson and Safechuck as "admitted liars."

The family points out Michael's home was raided by cops, and when he went on trial he was "found to be COMPLETELY INNOCENT."

They add ... the documentary is not journalism because the filmmakers had an agenda and "were not interested in the truth."

Erykah Badu and Taraji P. Henson were way out of line with their initial public reactions to the R. Kelly scandal ... so says one of the first celebs to speak out on R. Kelly's alleged abuse.

Sparkle, who collabed with R. Kelly on her 1998 hit song, "Be Careful," has major issues with the way Erykah and Taraji initially seemed to come to R. Kelly's defense ... because Sparkle says weak responses like theirs prevent other victims from coming forward.

Sparkle, who is featured in "Surviving R. Kelly," says the black community needs to show R. Kelly some tough love ... NOT the unconditional love Erykah offered.

As for Taraji comparing the number of people using the #MuteRKelly hashtag with the number of people using similar hashtags for Harvey Weinstein ... Sparkle says the comparison is stupid because abusers are abusers. Period.

Tom Brokaw is offering a half-ass apology for going on national TV and expressing some pretty xenophobic thoughts on the Hispanic community.

The iconic news anchor was on "Meet the Press" Sunday with a group of panelists, who were discussing what it would take to unite the country at this point. The convo weirdly went from the U.S. standing up to Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to Brokaw offering his take on how the GOP is grappling with a rising Latinx electorate.

Brokaw said one of the issues that's affecting the GOP these days -- according to people who confide in him, apparently -- is that they're worried the U.S. is becoming flooded with Hispanic voters, who by and large register as Democrats.

Then the xenophobia ... Brokaw said conservative folks have expressed fear of having "brown grandbabies" due to interracial couples. He piggybacked on that sentiment with his own two cents ... saying the Hispanic community should "work harder" at assimilating in this country -- namely, by speaking English and making everyone else comfortable.

The backlash was swift on social media ... and Tom followed up later Sunday by saying he felt terrible if part of his comments offended anyone in "that proud culture," adding that he's worked hard to knock down false stereotypes over the course of his career.

He finished by reiterating his point about both sides needing to work to find common ground -- but a lot of people took his statement as a de facto non-apology.

9:00 AM PT -- R. Kelly's attorney Steve Greenberg tells us, "Mr. Kelly has not violated the law. Certainly not the Mann Act. The story has flawed factual predicates. Beyond that, we remain unaware of any investigation, anywhere."

R. Kelly allegedly arranged a coast-to-coast trip for Azriel Clary when she was underage, and the FBI is now looking into the trip to see if R. Kelly committed a federal crime ... TMZ has learned.

Azriel, one of the women featured in "Surviving R. Kelly," was flown from Palm Springs to Phoenix to Orlando on May 25, 2015. She flew US Airways, leaving Cali at 6:57 AM and eventually landing in Florida at 4:09 PM.

A source connected to Azriel's family tells us the flights were arranged by a woman who was R. Kelly's assistant at the time.

Here's why it's potentially a big deal. Azriel was only 17 at that time and that means R. Kelly could have violated the Mann Act -- the federal act that makes it illegal to transport a minor across state lines for purposes of sex, debauchery or prostitution.

We're told the FBI just learned about the flights within the last week. As we reported ... the FBI has also been in touch with Joycelyn Savage's father multiple times in the last 18 months -- so it's clear the feds are taking the R. Kelly allegations seriously.

R. Kelly sources tell us the singer believes he did nothing wrong because he claims this signed note from Azriel's mom, Alice ... gave Kelly's assistant consent to care for Azriel.

It's not a great defense, because you can see it's dated Sept. 21, 2015 -- but Azriel made the trip back in May 2015. However, we're told R. Kelly's camp thinks the note shows her parents were generally willing to let Azriel travel with him.

He might end up having to make that point in court. Stay tuned.

Prince Philip was being driven around town Saturday, and he finally buckled up ... and he also tried explaining away his car crash.

The Duke of Edinburgh was seen being driven through the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. The Duke had attended a post-shoot lunch with HRH The Queen and guests.

Philip also sent a letter to the woman who broke her wrist in the car accident earlier this month. Philip says in the letter he's sorry for the crash and blames it on blinding sun that obscured his view of the road.

Philip makes it clear he's traveled that road many times without incident. The subtext seems to be he's still capable of driving safely, even at 97.

Well, this is random.

Turns out, when former "To Catch a Predator" host Chris Hansen came up with the money needed to get charges against him dropped for writing bad checks, he got a huge assist from a guy he never met ... with a troubling background.

Bob Romanik -- radio DJ for the St. Louis area station 1190 KQQZ-AM, best known for calling Waka Flocka the n-word -- tells TMZ ... he reached out to Hansen when he heard about his financial troubles and offered to help him out.

Romanik says he thinks Chris is a good guy who's done good work, so he gave him nearly $13,000 to square up with a mom-and-pop shop in Stamford, CT. We broke the story ... the cash got Hansen out of a jam with prosecutors, who decided to drop his larceny case.

Romanik isn't looking for Hansen to return him any favors either, but he does tell us if Chris starts another project busting predators and helping children ... he'd like to invest in the noble cause.

What's not noble ... is Romanik's history of dropping racial slurs on the air. As we told you, he went on a racist rant back in 2017 after Waka Flocka wiped his ass with a Trump jersey. Bob called the rapper a "greasy black n***** son of a bitch" -- and he hasn't stopped using the n-word since.

In fact, Romanik has responded to criticism for his racist comments by saying it's his First Amendment right ... and he'll stop saying the n-word when rappers stop saying it.

Missouri State Senator Jamilah Nasheed called for the FCC to remove Romanik's license last year for his hate speech, but as far as we know ... he's still on the air.

Chris Brown's touched down in the USA, less than a week after being arrested overseas for allegedly raping a woman ... something he strongly denies, and led him to file a defamation suit.

CB landed in a private jet with his crew at the Van Nuys airport outside L.A. Saturday afternoon. Everyone looked pretty chill after the long flight ... and what was surely a turbulent week in Paris.

As we reported ... Brown was arrested by French police Monday after a woman claimed she was raped by the singer in his hotel suite. CB was released on his own recognizance without bail hours later, though, and free to leave France ... though he stuck around for work.

While the rape case hasn't been dismissed, we're told police had big problems with the accuser's version of events ... which factored into their decision to let Brown go.

11:15 AM PT -- The Game's brought Kylie Jenner into the mix, too ... and apparently did it on the same track.

DJ Akademiks shared another clip of Game's song Saturday, in which he raps about taking care of Kim's youngest sister. The lyrics go ... "Her sister made a billion in makeup. I used to make her Frosted Flakes when she wake up."

Still no response from Kanye or anyone in the Kardashian-Jenner clan ... but now there's another layer.

The Game had plenty of people in his ear telling him to drop the graphic lyric about sex with Kim Kardashian West ... but the rapper stuck to his guns, despite risking very personal relationships with the Kardashians.

Sources close to Game tell us ... the single he just unveiled was wrapped weeks ago. The line that's causing friction ... "I held Kim Kardashian by the throat, n****. I made her swallow my kids until she choked, n****."

We're told before debuting the track, Game had both close friends and business partners urge him to 86 the Kim lyric -- because of a possible/likely ferocious reaction from Ye -- but he wouldn't budge.

Our Game sources say he was advised, at the very least, to reach out to Kanye before dropping the track, but Game didn't feel a heads-up was necessary. We're told that, at the end of the day, Game chose to rap his truth regardless of the consequences.

You'll remember ... Kanye came down hard on Drake and Nick Cannon last year for bringing up ANYTHING about Kim Kardashian.

Can't imagine the Game lyric is sitting well with Ye. So far, no reaction.

Trace Cyrus went wild on his female followers after some of them reported him to Instagram as a porn peddler, for posting a pic of his fiancee.

Miley's older brother posted a pic of Lauren Sanders with his hand on her neck, and some clearly took issue by contacting the social media service. Trace launched, saying, "F*** ALL U JEALOUS GIRLS REPORTING MY PIC OF MY BAE!!!"

He went on ... "If you're not happy with your look then f*** do something about it!!! Go to the gym, learn to do your makeup properly, find out about fashions that fit your body type."

Trace didn't stop there ... "There's so much that can be done. But don't go hating on my girl because she's hot!! There was nothing wrong with the picture I had posted."

Instagram deleted the pic from his account and Trace blamed his female critics ... "So many of u miserable girls out there f***ing flagged it so it got taken down!! I believe every woman can be beautiful but JEALOUSLY & lack of confidence in yourselves makes u all look disgusting."

1/26 1:00 PM PT -- Michael Jackson's estate has responded to the "Leaving Neverland" premiere by slamming it once more, saying, it "isn't a documentary, it is the kind of tabloid character assassination Michael Jackson endured in life, and now in death."

The estate claims the director intentionally avoided interviewing people who could attest that Jackson treated children with respect and never harmed them "so he could craft a narrative so blatantly one-sided that viewers never get anything close to a balanced portrait."

Jackson's estate refers to Robson and Safechuck as "admitted liars" and accuses them of trying to "achieve notoriety and a payday by smearing" Jackson.

For what it's worth ... Wade and James have claimed they were not paid for "Leaving Neverland."

1/ 25 1:15 PM PT -- Emotional Robson and Safechuck took the stage after the film and were given a standing ovation. They did a brief Q&A, and let the audience know just how important getting everything out was to them.

12:40 PM PT -- We're told there's a lot of emotional testimony from Wade and James in part 2, especially talking about coming to terms with their abuse and revealing it to their families.

At one point, Wade breaks down in tears describing having visions of Michael abusing his own kid. He talks about going to therapy and telling his family the truth. We're told some members of Wade's family has contempt for his mother for allowing the abuse to happen. James' mom also appears on camera and talks about her guilt.

Some of the evidence in the film used to support the allegations against Michael include "love notes" to both boys along with voice messages. We're told despite the upsetting nature of the film, the audience applauded at the end.

12:05 PM PT -- Part 2 heavily focuses on Jackson's case and trial, and how he allegedly treated Wade and James in the process. Both claim Jackson made legal threats, and Wade eventually decided to testify in Jackson's defense because he says he was scared of the repercussions if he told the truth.

James says he refused to testify and Jackson got mad and threatened him, but that was the last time they spoke.

11:30 AM PT -- We're told the second part of the documentary opens with Jackson's allegations surfacing publicly for the first time in the '90s, and later moves on to his 2003 arrest for child molestation.

It also details the lives of both James and Wade after their time with Jackson, and how they dealt with his arrest and their connection to the case.

11:10 AM PT -- Someone watching the preview tells TMZ ... the doc is airing in 2 parts. The first hour of part 1 features Safechuck's testimony, including his story about how Jackson befriended him and his family before the alleged sexual abuse began.

We're told Safechuck gives very graphic details of the abuse and sex acts, which he claims happened at Neverland and Jackson's home in Century City. He says the abuse started when Jackson taught him to masturbate in a hotel room in Paris.

There's also a lot of footage of James and Michael together, and we're told James shows the jewelry MJ allegedly bought him as rewards for sex acts.

The second hour of part 1 features Robson's account of how he won a dance contest to meet Michael, who then convinced him and his mom to move to L.A. to be closer to him.

We're told both James and Wade claim the abuse felt normal to them because Jackson coached them on how to keep a secret. He allegedly had drills with them, and had alarms go off so the boys knew to put clothes on when people would approach at Neverland.

Both men say the abuse got worse as they got older and Jackson introduced them to pornography. They claim that's when he began having anal sex with them.

The mothers of both men are also featured in the doc and talk about how they trusted the pop singer, but were blinded by his fame. We're told there's also mention of Macaulay Culkin -- allegedly, Michael would tell the other boys he was his favorite.

We're told part 2 just began ... opening up with when allegations first started surfacing about Jackson.

The explosive Michael Jackson documentary is about to be unveiled, and the 2 accusers at the center of the doc -- Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- just entered the theater for the premiere of "Leaving Neverland."

Both men say MJ molested them when they were kids. The Michael Jackson Estate has come out swinging, calling both men liars and even excoriating HBO for agreeing to run the documentary.

Police were out in force in Sundance for the premiere, but only a handful of protesters were present.

We got Robson -- who has become a famous choreographer with credits that include directing Britney Spears music videos -- Thursday on his way to Sundance, and he did not necessarily endorse a mute Michael Jackson movement. He said his participation in the movement goes way beyond MJ.

There's a Q&A session after the screening, and it's possible opposing sides may face off. We're there, so stay tuned.

Kevin Hart had a visceral reaction to our photog who asked if there was any equivalency between Michael Jackson and R. Kelly.

We got Kevin Friday night in WeHo leaving The Nice Guy, and we wanted his take on whether people would react to "Leaving Neverland" the same way they did to "Surviving R. Kelly." Kevin seemed to visually show a combo of shock and disdain ... but wouldn't elaborate.

As we reported, the 2 accusers featured in the MJ documentary -- Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- were front and center for the premiere of the MJ doc Friday at the Sundance Film Festival. It was so emotional people in the audience were sobbing.

Kelly Rowland has a ton of respect for Gladys Knight -- but tells TMZ Sports she would NOT have made the same choice to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

Of course, Rowland is playing Gladys Knight in the BET series, "American Soul." She's previously talked about what an "honor" it is to play the 74-year-old singing legend.

So, with Knight at the center of the NFL controversy -- we asked the former Destiny's Child singer what she would have done if the NFL asked her to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the big game.

Rowland tells us ... she would have turned them down -- though, she doesn't go into detail.

As we previously reported, there's been a backlash from stars like Nick Cannon and Common who have told us they wish stars like Travis Scott would pull out of the Super Bowl over the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick.

Despite the criticism, Knight has doubled down on her decision to perform -- saying she hopes to use the Super Bowl platform to unite the country.

Rowland has worked with the NFL multiple times in the past -- in fact, she performed with Beyonce at the Super Bowl back in 2013.

Chilli from TLC says R. Kelly has been dead to her for decades ... because she knew he was trouble way back in the '90s when he put a ring on a teenager.

We got Chilli Friday in Atlanta where she told us she's been muting R. Kelly ever since he married Aaliyah in 1994 -- when he was 27 and she was only 15. Chilli says that was the first red flag, and from then on she's considered him a "monster."

While Chilli has always refused to work with Kelly, there ARE some people she's dying to get in the studio with ... Weezer! Turns out she loves the band's new album of covers.

As you know, Weezer covered TLC's smash hit, "No Scrubs" ... and Chilli is totally feeling their version. As she puts it, the guys in the band ain't no scrubs for covering the legendary jam.

The Game gets very graphic about his sexual history with Kim Kardashian West on a new track, and even includes an apology to Kanye.

The rapper held a listening party Thursday night for a new album which includes a song with these lyrics -- "I held Kim Kardashian by the throat, n***a. I made her swallow my kids until she choked, n***a."

The lyrics are gonna be a big deal -- not just because Kim might be pissed, but because Kanye will almost definitely go nuclear. We already know he doesn't take kindly to other dudes talking about his wife ... especially in a sexual manner.

Last year, he blasted Nick Cannon for doing it during an interview, and called out Drake for not squashing speculation she was Keke in "In My Feelings."

Game's lyric about Kim is followed by the line, "I should apologize cause Ye my folks, n***a."

Based on his history, we're guessing Ye won't give a crap about that apology.

For the record, Game and Kim did date in the past. He once claimed, on a track, to have banged all 3 Kardashian sisters, but they said he's lying -- he's only 1 for 3.

Brigitte Nielsen -- the OG "Red Sonja" -- isn't calling for director Bryan Singer's head just yet, but says she absolutely will ... IF troubling new pedophilia allegations turn out to be true.

We got Brigitte -- who costarred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the '85 action flick -- leaving Craig's in WeHo, and asked what she made of Singer still directing the reboot ... after The Atlantic published a bombshell report in which 4 men claimed Singer had either molested them years ago when they were minors.

The Danish-born actress wasn't fully aware of the scandal, but invoked the #MeToo movement and told us if Singer turns out to be guilty -- he's gotta get the boot.

Sonja went so far as to say she'd cut him herself, if the studio didn't do it.

Little background: the fictional Sonja character is a victim of sexual assault, a fact that helped fuel the outrage over Singer possibly directing the film.

Singer is denying all the allegations and calls the Atlantic article a "homophobic smear piece." He has not been charged with any crime. For now, Brigitte is willing to reserve judgment until Singer is proven guilty of anything.