Controversial S#!T

Staind frontman Aaron Lewis had a rough Saturday night in front of a raucous crowd, which he didn't help when he threw Latin Americans under the bus ... and walked off stage.

Aaron was performing solo at the Pharr Events Center in Texas Saturday night, where eyewitnesses tell us he refused to play his final song on guitar because the audience wouldn't shut the hell up. It was an awkward scene ... like a parent chastising their kids.

You can hear people in the crowd start to get annoyed by their fellow concertgoers -- and perhaps Aaron himself -- and eventually someone asks him to sing something in Spanish ... which spurred an interesting response from Aaron.

He says, "I'm sorry, I don't know how to speak Spanish. I'm American." Some people in the crowd cheered, others seemed to show their disapproval.

Eventually, when the crowd wouldn't quiet down to Aaron's required level ... he left the stage, wishing everyone a good night. Safe to say, people were not happy about it.

Akon's got a hot take on African-American singers and rappers blowing off the Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show, and it sounds like he's NOT exactly down with the boycott in support of Colin Kaepernick.

We got the singer/producer as he touched down in ATL, days ahead of the big game, and asked what he made of A-list celebs snubbing the NFL to stand in solidarity with Kap. Some are even calling for Travis Scott, Big Boi and Maroon 5 to take a knee during their performance -- but don't count Akon among that group.

For him, it's about time and place and he believes the Super Bowl is just too big a stage to opt out of playing on it.

Ja Rule wants his fans to get any pent-up animosity toward him out of their systems, so he's encouraging them to put a middle finger in the air ... and let him have it.

The rapper performed in New Jersey Friday night, and after perhaps sensing some hostility in the air over his portrayal in the recent Fyre Festival documentaries ... he tried to nip it in the bud.

He jokingly told the crowd he knew they might be a little mad at him, but added ... "We ain't going to do this sh*t for the rest of the year!"

So, he got them all to repeat, "F**k you, Ja Rule!" three times instead. Then he said, "F**k y'all, too," and launched into a song.

As we reported ... the Netflix and Hulu docs about the Fyre Festival fiasco have resulted in some heavy blowback on Ja Rule, along with the social media agency involved in promoting it, Jerry Media.

6:00 PM PT -- Elliot Tebele, founder of F**kjerry, addressed the company's recent backlash a few hours ago, saying ... "Effective immediately, we will no longer post content when we cannot identify the creator, and will require the original creator’s advanced consent before publishing their content to our followers. It is clear that attribution is no longer sufficient, so permission will become the new policy."

He added ... "We want to apologize to anyone who feels we have wronged them in the past. We want to do the right thing by creators by seeking permission and giving them the credit they deserve."

11:00 AM PT -- Add Whitney Cummings to the list. She also posted an "Unfollow F**k Jerry" message and thanked writer Megh Wright for starting the movement.

Colin Hanks and John Mulaney are now at the forefront of a growing list of actors and comedians who are speaking out against the social media agency Jerry Media ... and are encouraging people to unfollow the incredibly popular @f**kjerry account.

Hanks and Mulaney both shared posts Saturday blasting FJ for stealing content and jokes from comedians and profiting from it. Mulaney urged his followers to "unfollow this garbage account" while Hanks went a step further, calling the Jerry Media honchos hustlers and con men.

Colin's comments stem from the recent duo of Fyre Festival documentaries, one of which (the Netflix one) was produced by the F**kjerry team. Since the release of the films, there's been a lot of public backlash against FJ for their role in the Fyre Fest scam ... and it's resulting in lost followers.

There's more -- on Friday, Comedy Central announced it was pulling its ads from the FJ account, saying it has "no plans to advertise with Jerry Media in the future."

For a company that reportedly makes thousands of dollars for a single Instagram post, a loss of advertisers would be a huge blow.

Roger Goodell's explanation of why Colin Kaepernick's NOT in the NFL is trash ... 'cause he's better than EVERY NFL backup QB and some starters, so says Reggie Bush, Kap's former 49ers teammate.

Translation: Colin's wayyyyy good enough to help an organization win. So, not being signed ... it ain't about talent, or W's and L's.

TMZ Sports saw Bush -- who knows good QB play (he spent 5 seasons with Drew Brees) and winning (he's got a Super Bowl ring) at Shaq's Fun House bash in Atlanta -- and asked him if Goodell was right about Kaep.

Remember, earlier this week Goodell was asked about Kaepernick not being in the league ... and the commish pointed his finger at teams, saying they'd sign Colin if they thought he could help them win ball games.

Nonsense according to Bush -- who was with Colin in San Francisco in 2015.

"It's not true. It's just completely not true," ... Reggie told us.

"There are 32 backup quarterbacks. Kaepernick is better than all 32 backup quarterbacks, and he's better than some starting quarterbacks. I can name a few, but I won't do it for their sake."

Bill Maher's at it again -- he made yet another joke on his show many people are calling racist ... but this time he said it right to a black congressman's face.

Bill was interviewing Rep. Will Hurd from Texas during the one-on-one segment of 'Real Time' Friday night when he challenged Hurd to explain why he's a member of the Republican Party ... especially since he came from the CIA.

Hurd replied, "I was in the CIA for almost a decade. I was the dude in the back alleys at 4 o’clock in the morning collecting intelligence on threats to the homeland," ... to which Maher commented, "That's where they'd collect them, huh?"

It got some laughs, but then Bill added ... "Wow, by the Popeyes chicken."

Neither the audience nor Hurd seemed to really react to the comment, but it's getting a lot of backlash online. Of course, this isn't a first for Maher -- in June 2017 he dropped the n-word on his show while making a joke ... and later apologized.

Ne-Yo is squarely in Michael Jackson's corner, and says he doesn't care if the accusers featured in the new documentary are lying or not.

We got Ne-Yo Friday night at LAX, and asked him about the doc, "Leaving Neverland," that was previewed at the Sundance Film Festival. Ne-Yo was clear ... he's not going to see it, adding, "I'm going to keep my memory of Michael Jackson the way it is."

As for whether he believes the 2 accusers in the docs, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, are lying, Ne-Yo pays no mind to it.

NBA superstar Anthony Davis says he never wanted his trade demand to go public ... but now that it's become the talk of the entire league, he's explaining why he wants outta NOLA.

AD's agent, Rich Paul, made the trade request public earlier this week -- which ultimately cost Davis $50k -- but, now we're finally hearing straight from the 25-year-old why he's ready to move on.

"I feel like it's my time," Davis told reporters on Friday. "I gave this city, organization, fans, everything I feel like I could."

Davis also refutes any reports claiming he requested to be moved to L.A. or New York.

"We never gave the Pelicans a destination."

Kanye West handed over all his MAGA hats -- apparently boxes of 'em -- to his pal GLC, and according to the rapper Ye's never wearing it again ... but it wasn't all bad.

The G.O.O.D. Music rapper sat down for "The Red Pill Podcast with Van Lathan" and insists Kanye gave him his word he'll stop demonstrating his support for President Trump by wearing the hat. GLC says they had a convo about it a few weeks ago.

That's interesting ... because on New Year's Day, Kanye went on a pro-Trump rant that ended with him praising the MAGA hat and vowing to wear it when he performs from now on.

GLC suggests he's had a change of heart and although he seems pleased Kanye's decided to stop wearing it, he points out there was a major silver lining to his friend putting on the hat.

Watch ... we're thinking Kim Kardashian, Alice Marie Johnson and thousands of prisoners might agree.

Saints sensation Alvin Kamara has ZERO interest in talking to NFL Commish Roger Goodell about how the team got JOBBED in the NFC Championship ... because it won't change a damn thing.

Earlier this week, Goodell held a press conference and said, "I’ve talked to Coach Payton. The team, the players, we understand the frustration they feel right now, and we certainly want to address that."

Some interpreted Goodell's statement to mean he talked directly with Saints players -- even though the league office eventually walked it back and acknowledged Goodell had NOT.

When we spoke with the Saints RB at the EA Sports Madden Bowl event in ATL on Thursday -- he confirmed there was NEVER a meeting with Goodell and the players ... but he has no desire to talk anyway.

"I'm not gonna talk to him," Kamara said ... "Somebody gonna talk to him. He needs to talk to somebody."

Does Kamara want an apology from Goodell for the terrible officiating that cost his team a shot at the Super Bowl? No.

"Apology's not gonna do nothing."

Kamara says he hopes SOME good can come out of the controversy -- he's just not sure what it is or could be.

Bill Cosby isn't America's favorite dad anymore, but he's up there on the list of favorite prisoners at the State Correctional Institute Phoenix ... so says his spokesperson.

Andrew Wyatt tells TMZ ... he's visited Cosby at the Pennsylvania prison more than a dozen times, and whenever the disgraced TV father enters the visiting area, other inmates and their families shower him with cheers and applause.

We're told the adoration doesn't stop there -- one of the convicted sex offender's biggest supporters is a white, female correction staff officer who grew up watching "The Cosby Show."

Wyatt says the other guards are also very respectful -- they call him Mr. Cosby -- and the comedian often jokes around and regales them with stories ... especially of his days on "I Spy."

On top of getting the celeb treatment, we're told the other inmates and their visitors let Cosby know they think it's wrong he's locked up ... and blame a "corrupt" judge and DA in Montgomery County for his conviction.

Wyatt's statement to the media when Cosby was sentenced in September -- he called the trial "the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States" -- echo this sentiment.

JWoww's estranged husband, Roger Mathews, is firing back after his ex made explosive abuse allegations against him and posted some damning video ... and he's generally denying them, and promising to take JWoww to court.

Roger just threw up an Instagram post, which included a video of himself addressing JWoww's claims ... and he kept it pretty brief, denying what she's alleged ... and vowing to solve this in court. He also says he's not going to stop fighting for custody of his kids.

Roger also posted a letter that his legal team fired off to a judge -- which we've confirmed has been filed in court -- which says JWoww's post violated a restraining order that Roger claims he's obtained against her ... namely, by harassing him. His lawyers call it a "campaign of cyber bullying, harassment, intimidation, and embarrassment."

Roger's lawyers are demanding an immediate conference between the parties to stop what they call "economic damages" that Roger is suffering, not to mention potential danger. The lawyers claim Roger believes JWoww is trying to mobilize her millions of social media followers to cause him harm.

Additionally, Roger's legal team is asking for a mental evaluation of JWoww because they feel her behavior resembles that of someone with a "personality disorder with narcissistic tendencies." Roger's lawyers also want to know whether JWoww's own lawyers knew she'd post these allegations, and allude to a potential lawsuit.

Interestingly enough, in additional court docs, Roger's lawyers say JWoww tried getting them kicked off the case with false allegations about how they've been conducting themselves.

Roger's legal team tells TMZ ... the reason JWoww made her post Wednesday is because Roger declined a settlement proposal she recently offered up and responded with one of his own that he deemed fair. Clearly, she wasn't down with his terms.

Roger's lawyers also tell us that Roger is a great father, and that she has acknowledged as much many times before. Regarding JWoww's allegation of domestic abuse ... his lawyers say they want to review the unedited video she posted before commenting.

As we reported ... JWoww made bombshell claims Wednesday in a very lengthy online post, which detailed what she alleges was persistent abuse from Roger over the course of their 3-year marriage. She says he'd spat on her, pushed her and prevented her from closing doors.

JWoww also posted a clip of surveillance footage from inside their home that appears to show Roger pushing her to the ground, with their kids screaming in the background.

JWoww and Roger are in the middle of a messy divorce. Looks like it's about to get even worse.

Originally Published -- 6:24 PM PST

Jussie Smollett is back in Los Angeles and ready to get in front of a microphone -- with a show this weekend -- and we're told it's likely he'll address the Chicago attack.

The "Empire" star landed in L.A. Thursday, two days after the Chicago incident. Jussie has a concert Saturday night at the legendary Troubadour, and we're told the show will go on.

Tickets for the venue -- which has a capacity of 400 -- were available Tuesday, but with all the hubbub it's now sold out. The tickets were going for $20-$35 a pop, but they're being resold for 70 bucks and more.

We're told Jussie, who still bears scars and swelling, will almost certainly make reference to homophobia, racism and MAGA.

As we reported ... Chicago police are on the hunt for two persons of interest who were across the street from Jussie just before the incident.

Jussie's family said Thursday this was a case of domestic terrorism fueled by hate speech, which seemed like a shot at Trump.

There's no need for Bryce Harper's free agency tour to continue ... 'cause Phillies legend Ryan Howard says Philadelphia is the PERFECT landing spot for the MLB superstar!!!

We got Ryan out at Jay Glazer's Merging Vets & Players Super Bowl Party on Wednesday when he explained to us why the X's and O's just make sense for both Bryce and the Phils.

In fact ... Howard says it's so clear the fit works -- he tells us he'd prefer Philly inks Bryce to a deal if it came down to Harper or other mega free agent Manny Machado.

Of course ... Ryan is biased -- the dude was a left-handed power bat who starred for the Phils -- but he tells us he actually has a great relationship with Bryce on a PERSONAL level.

Howard says he's talked with Bryce before ... and his message to him during this free agency period remains the same, "Bryce, man. Do your thing. You know what it is."

Forget Kylie ... Sean Payton is the best influencer on social media.

... this according to PFT Commenter, who tells TMZ Sports the Saints head coach's TV appearance in a Barstool Sports "Roger Goodell Clown" shirt has caused sales to skyrocket!

EVERYONE was talking about Payton's shirt on Wednesday -- when the Saints coach went on camera to talk about the blown non-P.I. call in the NFC title game that cost N.O. the game.

You can see Payton rocked the shirt underneath his pullover -- an obvious shot at Goodell -- and the crew at Barstool LOVED the publicity.

"Doesn't surprise me at all," PFT Commenter told TMZ Sports out in Atlanta ... "Sean Payton's a badass."

PFT says sales of that shirt are WAY up -- and he's considering customizing a new anti-Goodell shirt in Saints colors for all of the people in Who Dat Nation looking to send a message to the Commish.

10:21 AM -- Didn't take long for Lisa to respond to Kyle's comments ... telling TMZ it's funny that someone with 2 shows and a business empire would need to be paid to attend Andy's baby shower.

Lisa tells us she actually met with Andy before the shower prior to hitting up Vegas. She also says where she's headed next ... making it crystal clear Lisa's paying no attention to her castmates reading into her absence.

Kyle Richards is spilling the beans -- there IS in fact drama behind Lisa Vanderpump skipping Andy Cohen's baby shower ... and it might be all about the Benjamins.

Kyle was leaving Il Pastaio in Bev Hills Wednesday and didn't mince words when asked why Lisa was MIA from Andy's baby shower. As we reported ... a HUGE number of Housewives showed up for the shindig.

As for Lisa ... she was in Vegas on a business trip as she prepares to launch a new restaurant inside Caesars Palace.

But, her absence only fueled the rumors she might bail on the show. Lisa's begged to differ in the past, but her 'RHOBH' castmates have taken notice how she's isolated herself ... and they're pissed.

Check it out ... Kyle also spills tea on any potential replacements should Lisa bounce.