Controversial S#!T

O.J. Simpson has great memories of hanging out with Donald Trump -- who he calls a "fun guy" -- but he's got a warning for him ... messing with Roger Stone might get ya impeached.

The ex-con-turned-political pundit, was in Las Vegas today when a photog asked him about the President's State of the Union address. Simpson seemed wistful about his days partying with his "buddy," but suggests Trump's totally changed now that he's POTUS.

Then, the topic turned to impeachment ... which Simpson used as a way to tee off on Stone. He recalled his own run-in with the FBI -- a 2001 raid on his Florida home -- and said Stone's got no reason to bitch about his arrest.

Simpson actually laughed off Stone comparing himself to Osama bin Laden -- and told him to quit crying.

Beto O'Rourke is on the verge of making a decision on entering the 2020 Presidential race ... and he went face-to-face with one of the biggest influencers in America ... Oprah!!!

Beto told O during an interview Tuesday for 'SuperSoul Conversations,' he's been thinkin' about running for Prez and he'll decide whether to run before the end of this month.

Beto also told a funny story about a recent conversation with Barack Obama, strongly hinting they talked about running for Prez.

The Democrat also told Oprah, "I'm so excited at the prospect of being able to play that role."

We got Beto rolling into the interview in New York City, but he was mum about his Presidential plans ... but his facial expressions were interesting.

As you know ... Beto got a ton of support and built a national following during his U.S. Senate campaign, before ultimately falling short to Ted Cruz ... and everyone has been talking about Beto possibly challenging President Trump for the White House.

Stay tuned ...

Originally Published -- 3:49 PM PST

Liam Neeson's own words -- about looking for a "black bastard" to kill 40 years ago -- are derailing the NYC rollout of his new movie.

"Cold Pursuit" is premiering Tuesday night in NYC, but the studio's decided to cancel the red carpet event -- meaning Neeson won't have to face the media. That change was announced just hours before the premiere -- and a few hours after Neeson tried to soften the blow of his bombshell revelation.

He went on 'GMA,' attempting to further explain why he'd tried to avenge a friend's rape -- when he was in his 20s -- by seeking to assault random black men. Neeson didn't know the attacker's identity but only knew he was black.

Neeson first told the puzzling story to The Independent on Monday, and the backlash has been building ever since.

For instance, we spoke to Killer Mike outside SiriusXM's office in NYC and he said he's been dealing with people like Neeson all his life.

Mike ripped Neeson for his "incredibly racist, bigoted and wrong" comments, but added he's not worried about the actor because he doesn't have to work with him.

The Game went after Tomi Lahren in a big way, going after her for cracking jokes about 21 Savage's ICE arrest ... by going on a raunchy, profanity-laced rant.

The rapper directed a sexually explicit series of insults Tuesday at the conservative Fox News contributor, after Lahren mocked 21's arrest Sunday by tweeting a reference to his hit track, "Bank Account" ... "I got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ICE agents ready to deport ya."

Game's clearly not down with Tomi's attempt at humor, saying ... "21 Savage gettin detained by ICE is not funny nor anything for ya middle of the mall clip in wearin’ h** a** to be joking about."

The Game goes on to sling A LOT more mud ... and it's pretty nasty.

He closed out his rant by adding ... "Here's some advice: stay out the tanning salon, you're starting to look like a sick tangerine. #FreeDaReal #21 [Someone please recommend a good burn center for her] #ThanksInAdvance"

Game's not the first to fire back at Tomi -- Cardi B shot back, "Don't make me get my leash."

As you know, the 2 women already had beef.

Nicki Minaj also blasted Lahren, saying ... "Your obsession w/our culture is scary to say the least. I hate giving you the attention you so desperately crave. Laughing @ ppl getting deported as if your ancestors discovered America. Are you Native American? You fkn clown."

Liam Neeson is insisting he's learned a lot about racism -- and is not a racist -- but it sounds like he doesn't get why his tale of wanting to kill a "black bastard" 40 years ago is upsetting to his fans today.

The Oscar winner's out trying to promote a movie, so the fact is ... he's gonna have to answer questions about the shocking story of race and revenge he voluntarily revealed Monday to The Independent.

His mea culpa tour landed at 'GMA' Tuesday, and Neeson said we should all open up about inner thoughts to expose racism and bigotry. He told another story about anti-Semitism in Poland while shooting "Schindler's List."

The point he finally got -- after Robin Roberts hammered it a couple of times -- is why his fans, African-American and otherwise, are disappointed by his confession.

He further admitted he didn't think about the fact he could have killed a totally INNOCENT black person.

Outside the 'GMA' studio Liam was asked if he can recover from this, career-wise. He didn't have an answer -- but time sure as hell will tell.

Black Eyed Peas rapper, Taboo, says Adam Levine & Co. aren't special because everyone who does the Super Bowl halftime show gets destroyed ... so there's no need to hang their heads.

We got Taboo at LAX Monday -- as he returned from ATL -- and he dropped some knowledge about playing at the big game. He calls it an unwinnable situation for ANY artist. Remember, BEP performed 8 years ago at Super Bowl XLV ... so, he speaks from experience.

Taboo says he and his bandmates got eviscerated for, what some critics called, an uninspired performance with a lot of shouting into mics and not enough dancing. TBH, it was a lot of the same criticisms Maroon 5 is now getting.

On top of their music getting picked apart ... Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi had all the added flak from Colin Kaepernick supporters -- not to mention the memes about Adam's tattoos and wardrobe.

So, where IS the love? Not at LAX! Watch the clip to the end to see some edgy travelers giving Taboo the business.

2/5 10:43 AM PT-- PETA held a protest outside CBS Tuesday morning in NYC, holding the network responsible for airing Big Boi's fur-lined Super Bowl performance.

Big Boi's Super Bowl halftime performance is drawing penalty flags -- not for the music (see Maroon 5) -- but for his fur coat, which PETA wants to take off his back and donate to the homeless.

We've learned PETA fired off a stern letter Monday to Big Boi, even addressing him by his real name -- Antwan -- like a disappointed parent. In the letter, the animal rights group tries to convince the Outkast rapper to retire all of his furs and switch to faux.

PETA says it knows exactly what to do with Big Boi's luxury fur -- which it believes to be fox -- offering to distribute it to homeless shelters in America or Syrian refugees.

Taking it a step further, PETA says it's sending him a "gorgeous" faux fur for him to flaunt.

PETA tells us a coat the size of Big Boi's costs an estimated 25 red foxes their lives, and points out the animals are electrocuted or have their necks broken ... purely for fashion.

We've reached out to Big to confirm his coat was genuine fur, but no word back. PETA says it hasn't gotten a response from him yet either.

CeeLo Green says he should have chosen his words A LOT more carefully when he threw major shade at NFL boycotters ... in defense of his friend Big Boi.

CeeLo was on "TMZ Live" Monday, explaining a since-deleted tweet he fired off after Big Boi and Travis Scott performed in the Super Bowl Halftime show. He'd said, "@BigBoi yo big we riding wit you fam DO THAT SHIT! F**k these so called protesters you just got 100m worth of press. I'll kill for you."

Despite those extremely harsh words, CeeLo told us he meant no harm and was more trying to support his friend, than take a shot at Colin Kaepernick's supporters.

As you know, Adam Levine and Maroon 5, along with their guest stars, took a lot of flak from people boycotting the NFL. CeeLo says he was watching the Halftime Show when his emotions got the best of him.

Still, he faced huge blowback from people who were offended at the "so called protesters" remark. There were other artists -- most notably Jay-Z and Rihanna -- who turned down the SB gig to stand with Kap.

The count is up to two Patriots players who say they will NOT visit the White House to meet Donald Trump -- with a third leaning heavily toward no.

Star safety Devin McCourty told the Associated Press while returning to New England on Monday with the Lombardi Trophy that he will not visit No. 45 if the Pats elect to go.

His twin brother, star corner Jason McCourty, was a little less committal ... but still seems like he'll follow his bro's lead and avoid 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. as well.

"I haven’t thought about it, but I highly doubt it," Jason said.

Of course, New England safety Duron Harmon has already pulled out of the possible event ... telling TMZ Sports after the Super Bowl, "They don't want me in the White House."

Not a great look for UFC superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov ... who posed for a picture with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov just weeks after reports of another "gay purge" in Chechnya.

Khabib posted a caption along with the friendly photo which says, "Thank you for the hospitality of [Ramzan Kadyrov]. May the Almighty protect you and the entire Chechen people."

The issue ... just last month, multiple media outlets, including the BBC, reported that Chechen officials rounded up gay people and tortured them. At least 2 people died, according to the reports.

For his part, Kadyrov has denied the "gay purge" as "complete lies" -- mostly because he does not believe there are any gay people in Chechnya.

Seriously. He has said it multiple times on the record.

In fact, when asked specifically about the "gay purge," Kadyrov told a reporter -- "all those who defend human rights groups and the gays we supposedly have in the Chechen Republic are foreign agents. They've sold out their country, their people, their religion, everything."

Khabib isn't the first huge star to pose with Ramzan, who happens to be a huge combat sports fan -- he's also hung out with Floyd Mayweather.

Liam Neeson is copping to going on the hunt for revenge decades ago against some "black bastard" ... after a close friend was raped by a black man -- and says the experience taught him a valuable lesson.

The actor says he walked the streets for days with a cosh -- a baton-like weapon -- as he looked for an opportunity to kill a random black man. We're told the incident happened more than 40 years ago. Neeson opened up about it for the first time while talking to The Independent about his new movie, "Cold Pursuit."

He said a female friend had been raped, and although she didn't know her attacker's identity, she knew he was black. Check out the clip ... Liam says he walked outside bars hoping to be approached by a black man so he could "kill him" as revenge for his friend's rape.

Neeson makes it clear nothing ever happened, and says he learned from his "awful" and "horrible" behavior ... revenge isn't the answer.

21 Savage is a living, breathing example of that ol' saying, "fake it til you make it" ... at least according to ICE.

An ICE official told CNN on Sunday ... "His whole public persona is false. He actually came to the U.S. from the U.K. as a teen and overstayed his visa."

The arrest has totally shocked 21 Savage's fans ... who had NO CLUE about his British roots. We did some digging and to be fair, Sav has never claimed Atlanta as his birthplace. In multiple profiles on the rapper ... media outlets have referred to him as being "from" Atlanta or say he "grew up" there.

That said, it sure doesn't seem like he's ever gone out of his way to correct any reports of him being an ATL native. 21 definitely reps Atlanta in his rhymes ... and he's told tales about getting expelled from an Atlanta school for bringing a gun to class.

Still, he's never said he was "born" there.

As we reported ... Sav was arrested early Sunday in Atlanta by what ICE described as a targeted operation. ICE officials say 21 Savage is actually a U.K. national and has been illegally in the U.S. since 2006. They say he came here as a kid in 2005.

Newsflash to anyone who watched the Super Bowl -- you're officially beefing with Rihanna ... who not only didn't watch the snoozefest in Atlanta but mocked a dude on her flight who did.

RiRi was headed somewhere on a plane Sunday night (prolly somewhere awesome) when she apparently heard a 1st-class cabinmate ask for the Super Bowl to be put on.

She called the dude out on her Instagram Story ... putting a sign that said "weirdo" over his head, then posting a picture of Colin Kaepernick with a diss to anyone who watched the game.

Rihanna has been team Kap all the way in his battle with the NFL ... reportedly turning down an offer to perform in the Super Bowl because of the way she believes the league has treated Colin.

Bill Bellamy says Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has no choice but to resign after admitting he'd worn blackface in his youth ... 'cause he thinks people don't really change.

We got the longtime comedian Sunday at LAX and asked what he thought of Gov. Northam denying he was pictured in an old blackface photo that surfaced in his medical school's yearbook but copping to wearing blackface for a Michael Jackson costume/dance contest.

Northam told reporters Saturday that while he does not believe he was in either of the racist costumes that showed up on his own personal yearbook page, he did explain how he once put shoe polish on his face to dance like MJ. He also said he wasn't resigning.

Bill thinks the scandal's too big for the Gov not to step down, despite his best efforts to wiggle out of the predicament. According to BB ... you simply can't serve as a state's representative with that in your history ... no matter how far back it goes, period.

4:05 PM PT -- Lights have reportedly begun to come back on inside MDC, which got crowds still outside to cheer.

'Love & Hip Hop' star Yandy Smith-Harris was on the front lines of protests taking place in NYC over inhumane prison conditions -- and she got pepper sprayed in the process.

The reality TV star -- whose husband, Mendeecees Harris, is currently locked up in the New York prison system -- led a rally Sunday outside of Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center ... where inmates have reportedly been without electricity and heat for days now.

It's a remarkable scene. Yandy uses a speaker system to ask prisoners if they've been given blankets or if their toilets work yet, to which they respond no by banging on the windows. Later, you see Yandy and other protesters rush the building, demanding to see their loved ones ... only to be driven out by pepper spray from the guards inside.

Protests have been going on since at least Saturday, if not earlier, as families of prisoners have flooded the streets near MDC, demanding supplies be sent and that the power system quickly be restored. Prisoners have been using flashlights to signal for help at night.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons says a fire destroyed an electrical panel inside and prevented access to backup generators. It's unclear when power and heat is set to be back on.

The civil unrest did not go unnoticed on a city level. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Saturday that blankets and hand warmers were being sent to the prison, no matter what.

As to how bad conditions inside really are, law enforcement sources directly connected to MDC tell us inmates have been peeing in water bottles and using those for warmth. We're told prison officials have been hesitant to let prisoners out of their cells out of fear for potential riots.

21 Savage was arrested in Atlanta this weekend and taken into custody for possible removal from the U.S.

21 Savage was picked up by ICE early Sunday morning. He apparently entered the U.S. legally in 2005 but his visa expired and he reportedly is here illegally.

He reportedly is being held for removal proceedings ... this for being in the country illegally and for being a felon. He was convicted of drug charges in 2014.

His attorney, Dina LaPolt, tells TMZ, "We are working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with authorities to clear up any misunderstanding. Mr. Abraham-Joseph is a role model to the young people in the country -- especially in Atlanta, Georgia and is actively working in the community leading programs to help underprivileged youths in financial literacy."

An ICE spokesperson says 21 Sav -- real name Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph -- is a U.K. national who is unlawfully in the country and has been since 2006 when his visa expired. They say he came to the States a year earlier at the age of 12.

The spox goes on to say that Sav is currently in ICE custody in Georgia and that he's been placed into removal proceedings before the federal immigration courts. They add that ICE will await the outcome of his case before a judge to determine future actions.