Controversial S#!T

Kim Foxx, Chicago's top prosecutor, has just been subpoenaed to appear at a court hearing regarding her handling of the Jussie Smollett "attack."

The State's Attorney was hit with the subpoena by a retired appellate judge who is seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into how Kim dealt with the super controversial case, according to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times.

The report says retired judge Sheila O'Brien, who filed the petition for a special prosecutor, also filed a "notice to appear" in an attempt to get Jussie to attend Thursday's court hearing.

The retired judge reportedly requested Jussie and Foxx produce all original documents in the case to prove "that they have not been altered or destroyed."

Foxx has been harshly criticized ever since her office dismissed all 16 counts against Jussie over the alleged "attack."

The retired judge reportedly wrote that Foxx's handling of the case was "plagued with irregularity" and that "Foxx misled the public into believing that Smollett's case was handled like any other prosecution and without influence."

Kellyanne Conway is defending President Trump's decision to rip Jussie Smollett's acting chops ... saying the Prez is just following the lead of State's Attorney Kim Foxx.

We got Kellyanne out in Washington D.C. on Sunday, and our photog asked about the President taking aim at Jussie and ripping him as a "3rd rate actor" during a Wisconsin rally.

Kellyanne says Trump is just echoing what Foxx said about Jussie when Foxx referred to Smollett as a "washed up celeb" in unearthed text messages.

Conway, counselor to President Trump, goes even further ... saying there are lots of people in Chicago -- powerful ones too -- who are on Trump's side when it comes to Jussie and the alleged attack.

Scottish pop band Chvrches says it's being threatened with gun violence and rape after ripping Marshmello's collab with Chris Brown ... but they say the reaction kinda proves their point.

Chrvches recently slammed Marshmello for working with CB and Tyga, saying they had big problems with the DJ partnering up with artists who the band says are "predators and abusers" of women ... and now the lead singer says she's getting death threats for speaking out.

Lauren Mayberry went on a long rant before Chvrches kicked off its headlining set Saturday night at the Fortress Festival in Texas ... explaining why the band went after Chris in the first place, and why she thinks it's "morally dubious" for musicians to work with artists who have a history of violence.

As you know ... Brown pled guilty to felony assault of Rihanna back in 2009, and he's the subject of an ongoing lawsuit over an alleged rape in Paris.

The back-and-forth beef between Chvrches and Brown started Thursday, when the band called out Marshmello for producing a track with CB and Tyga called "Light it Up." Chvrches and Marshmello recently worked on a song together.

Brown fired back on Instagram, calling the band a "BUNCH OF LOSERS" and wishing they "walked in front of a speeding bus full of mental patients."

Donald Trump unloaded on Jussie Smollett and Chicago prosecutors who dropped criminal charges against him ... essentially calling Jussie a loser.

Trump riled up his base Saturday night at a Wisconsin rally and talked about his perceived mission to make America great again.

Other than a tweet, it's been awhile since the Prez has ferociously taken aim at Smollett ... until now.

TMZ broke the story, Smollett claimed his 2 attackers screamed, "This is MAGA Country!" as they left him on a sub-zero Chicago street with a noose around his neck and bleach on his shirt. Police and the Grand Jury say it's all a big lie ... a fake attack.

Trump actually credited Smollett with coining the term, "This is MAGA Country" ... and in the process referred to him as a "third rate actor."

Blac Chyna might have flown under the radar of Harvard honchos, if not for a flood of irate alums who put the school on notice about her apparent acceptance into the online business program.

TMZ broke the story ... Chyna and her team told us she'd soon begin an online business analytics class with Harvard next month. Hours after the story was posted, with the "acceptance letter" Chyna provided us, Harvard reached out and said she's totally full of crap. In more Ivy League-ish terms, of course.

A member of Harvard's Board of Alumni tells us the story sent waves of rage through grads. We're told the online business school was already a point of contention with alumni, but the idea that Chyna was in line to get Harvard credit ... was the final straw.

The board member says he got several calls demanding the school take action -- by putting an end to every average Joe's admission into the online program, which they feel sullies the school's legendary rep.

We're told the alum outrage spurred Harvard's investigation and Chyna's eventual outing.

As we reported -- the whole thing unearthed an insane scam -- a PR firm proposing to Chyna's team that it would complete the online course on her behalf for just $1,000.

Donald Trump tried firing up his base again, this time using the newly-minted San Francisco 49ers top draft pick, Nick Bosa.

Trump tweeted, "Congratulations to Nick Bosa on being picked number two in the NFL Draft. You will be a great player for years to come, maybe one of the best. Big Talent! San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

It doesn't take a James Holzhauer to figure out ... Trump's reference to staying "true to yourself," followed by MAGA, is a not-so-veiled reference to various remarks Bosa made on social media ... remarks that have been scrubbed.

As you know, Bosa called Colin Kaepernick a "clown" in August 2016, and not too long after, Trump blasted the then-San Francisco 49ers' QB and urging team owners to fire the "sons of bitches" who dared to kneel.

And, there's another comment one of Nick's friends made ... "I'm going to post using the N-word." Nick "liked" the comment. He also expressed disdain for "Black Panther" and Beyonce's music.

Nick has now apologized, saying, "I definitely made some insensitive decisions throughout my life ... I'm sorry if I hurt anybody. I definitely didn't intend for that to be the case."

Joe Biden's social media team got some 'splainin' to do after posting a shot of the candidate with Barack Obama ... and placing a giant letter "N" over the former Prez.

It was a clever idea ... using multiple pics of Biden to spell out "Biden President" on his Instagram page -- but the HUGE FAIL came when someone on Biden's staff didn't realize where the "N" at the end of Biden would land.

The faux pas is being called out by users who think it's time Biden get a new social media manager -- y'know ... one who realizes Instagram users get individual posts in their feeds ... not 6 at once!

As one user put it, "This is the only post that showed up in my feed, it looks racist af."

Look ... Biden and Obama's bromance is well documented, so no one could really think this was intentional -- and certainly not anything Biden himself approved.

Still, it's a bad look.

For what it's worth, the "B" in Biden's name landed on a pic of him with his wife, Jill.

Jussie Smollett's got a lot of baggage, so he's enlisted his brother to help him load it up and move it out ... to a new pad, that is.

The embattled "Empire" star's baby bro, Jake, got down and dirty Thursday to help Jussie move out of his Studio City crib and into a new home. You can also see a moving crew helping big time ... hauling a bunch of Jussie's crap -- from workout equipment and lamps to chairs and mirrors.

Jake, who's also an actor, has stood firm -- like all of the Smolletts -- in his support of Jussie.

You might say Jake's going above and beyond for his bro ... because the move was going down while Jussie was in NYC power-lunching with "Empire" honcho, Brett Mahoney -- no doubt, discussing his future on the show.

Keith Bulluck says his curling team -- comprised of ex-NFL stars -- is grinding like crazy on the ice ... and they're still dead set on making the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The squad? All-Pro Curling with Bulluck, Jared Allen, Marc Bulger, and Michael Roos -- 4 badass ex-football players with 6 All-Pro selections between 'em -- but ZERO pro curling experience.

Allen previously told us the goal was to rep the U.S. at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing ... but that was before the team went up against real deal competition.

So, we asked Bulluck if he still believes they'll make the Olympics.

"I would like to say yes, because we are trying and working our ass off."

"We're venturing into uncharted waters for us. We've been at it a year. We have great coaches. We've been putting our time in. But, these guys are experts, man. It doesn't discourage us. It just makes us work hard. But, we know what we're up against."

Bulluck continued ... saying, "This is not a joke for us. We definitely take it serious. And respect the guys that doing. We've competing against some of the top guys in the country."

That's no exaggeration ... only months after starting the sport, the All-Pros -- minus KB and Roos who were absent -- played the 2018 gold medalists back in November.

They lost 11 to 3.

But, they ain't deterred ... and they still have some time til the '22 Winter Games.

1,015 days to be exact.

The Los Angeles Angels are dead last in the AL West right now ... and here's Halos superfan ScHoolboy Q to passionately explain what needs to happen to turn things around!!

"Get some pitching," the "Numb Numb Juice" rapper told TMZ Sports out in NYC on Thursday.

"You can't win if you can't strike nobody out and stop walking people and then people hit the sh*t over the f*cking gate."

Q is a MASSIVE Angels fan -- he's even thrown out the ceremonial first pitch!!

Q's got a point -- the Angels' team ERA is one of the worst in the league with nearly 5 runs allowed per game.

L.A.'s 2-8 in their last 10 games -- they'll have to make it all season without their superstar pitcher Shohei Ohtani ... and the players ain't the only guys missing him.

Now that he's been drafted ... and the money's coming in ... think #2 overall pick Nick Bosa's ready to remove his virtual muzzle and talk politics again?!

Nope! Well, at least not yet ...

We spotted the 49ers newest star leaving Nashville early Friday morning and asked if he would get back to tweeting about Donald Trump and all of the other pro-Republican things he used to post about.

Remember, before the draft, 21-year-old Bosa (an outspoken conservative) told ESPN he wiped his Twitter page of all political talk out of fear there could be a backlash in liberal San Francisco.

Back in his college days at Ohio State, the star defensive end tweeted pro-Trump comments and was critical of Colin Kaepernick.

But, Bosa was stone-faced in the airport Friday morning while walking behind his famous father, John Bosa (who also played in the NFL), ... and didn't even crack when we asked if he'd be open to get a drink with former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick.

2:07 PM PT -- Blac Chyna isn't coming close to sniffing a degree or a certificate from Harvard ... the school is totally disavowing her.

Harvard tells TMZ ... "Harvard Business School Online has not admitted nor provided an acceptance letter to a person named Angela White."

Referring to her alleged acceptance -- and the letter her team gave us -- Chyna told us, "School is going to help me take things up a couple of notches. People are always talking about me, might as well talk about the good."

Not looking so good right now.

We've reached out to Chyna's camp, but so far ... radio silence.

Blac Chyna's interest in attending a Harvard Business School Online course was hatched by a PR firm that offered to do all the work and even take a pic of her wearing a Harvard hoodie ... for a price.

TMZ broke the story ... Chyna has been accepted to take a Harvard Online course called Business Analytics, teaching students how to interpret data and make savvy business decisions.

We found out Chyna got wind of the course through an email sent to her team by Christian Emiliano, who refers to himself as Social Media Renaissance Man.

Christian's email pitch ... for $3,250, "Our team will complete all the course work for you, all you have to do is take one test (we will provide you the study guide) and then take credit for the program." Once completed, Chyna could add the Harvard education to her resume and improve her brand.

It gets better ... "You can go on the Harvard campus and take a picture with a Harvard hoodie on / you can post updates on your snapchat and Instagram Story." As for where the $3,250 goes ... "$2,250 for the course/$1000 for us to complete the entire course for you."

We contacted Chyna's people, and although they acknowledge they got Christian's pitch, Chyna never hired him and decided to take the course on her own. Christian confirmed that to us as well.

Turns out ... after we posted our story this morning, another social media star also posted her admission letter to the Harvard Business School Online course.

So, Christian may not be Rick Singer -- the guy who got Olivia Jade and Isabella into USC after Lori Loughlin and her husband paid $500k -- but his proposal seems to offer the same underhanded way to succeed in college without really trying.

Jussie Smollett might have secured his return to "Empire" -- despite ongoing controversy over the alleged Chicago "attack" -- when he kicked it in NYC with a pretty powerful show exec.

TMZ got this video of the actor leaving lunch at a Lafayette restaurant Wednesday, and he told us he was feeling "pride" about his work on the show. Turns out, he may have been feeling optimistic as well ... because the guy he was lunching with was showrunner Brett Mahoney.

Sources close to Mahoney -- who's publicly voiced his support for Jussie in the past -- tell us the lunch Wednesday was a casual hangout, and not the first time the 2 have seen each other since Jussie wrapped on "Empire" amid his scandal.

We're told Brett's been telling his friends Jussie's future on the show is still up in the air, but it's unclear if the topic was broached during their lunch.

You'll recall, earlier this week, "Empire" creator and executive producer Lee Daniels said the same -- that they're currently considering bringing Jussie back.

Now, let's connect the dots ... seems unlikely that Mahoney would break bread with Jussie if he thought they were about to 86 him from the show.

Another strong sign for Jussie ... the letter his costars Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard wrote imploring network execs to let Jussie stay on the show. They said he's innocent and "filled with integrity" and they want to "put this behind us and move forward.”

The NY Post first reported Mahoney was lunching with Jussie. We'll see how it plays out, but that meal might end up being the crucial moment "Empire" and its star smoothed things out.

The Sacramento Kings have teamed up with NBA officials to launch a joint investigation into the Luke Walton sexual assault allegations.

Both the Kings and the NBA have hired their own teams of investigators -- which are already working together to look into the accusations made by sports reporter Kelli Tennant.

Tennant claims Walton -- now the head coach of the Kings -- sexually assaulted her in a hotel room back in 2014, when Walton was an asst. coach with the Golden State Warriors.

The two women leading the Kings investigation are Sue Ann Van Dermyden and Jennifer Doughty -- who both have extensive experience conducting investigations.

As for the NBA side, they've tapped NBA Senior VP Elizabeth Maringer -- who previously served 12 years as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The Kings and the NBA issued a statement saying they "take these allegations very seriously and will collaborate to conduct a complete and thorough investigation."

As we previously reported ... Walton adamantly DENIES assaulting Tennant and claims she's an "opportunist" looking for a quick buck.

Tennant held a press conference earlier this week emotionally recounting her version of the incident -- saying she thought Walton was going to rape her that day.

Woodstock 50 will go down and fans WILL get a chance to buy tickets soon but event organizers insist they just need a little more time to take care of some logistical issues.

TMZ's learned event organizers are waiting to hear back from the New York State Department of Health after submitting a mass gathering permit application, which was submitted April 15. The DOH confirmed to us it did indeed receive the application and it's in the process of completing its review.

ICYMI ... Woodstock 50 was supposed to start selling tickets on Monday but all fans got when they went on Woodstock's website was a message ... "Tickets on sale soon. Subscribe below for updates."

Fans panicked thinking the event might become another Fyre Festival nightmare but that is NOT the case. A rep for Woodstock 50 tells TMZ has indeed delayed its sales as it refines logistical plans. What's more ... the rep tells us ticket sale information will be available through its website in the coming days.

As we first reported ... the massive event slated for August in Watkins Glen, NY will feature a blend of new and old school ... from Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper, Imagine Dragons and Halsey to Carlos Santana and Dead & Company.

Woodstock purists bitched about the lineup but the event's co-creator says they need to get over it.

The reputed gang leader connected to Tupac's murder case is finally gonna do hard time -- but for a completely separate case ... TMZ has learned.

Darnell Brim is getting 10 years in federal prison after ATF agents caught him trying to sell crack cocaine. Brim is believed to be one of 4 men who were riding in the white Cadillac that pulled up to Suge Knight's car in 1996 in Las Vegas. Someone in that car opened fire, killing Tupac.

Brim was busted during a 2013 sting operation. He pled guilty to 2 felonies -- conspiracy to distribute crack and distribution of crack.

As you well know by now, Tupac's murder has never been solved, but according to 1996 LAPD records, investigators believed Brim -- a notorious South Side Compton Crips leader -- was in the white Caddy that was "used by the suspect(s) who shot Tupac Shakur."

Although he was never charged in the case, Brim was hit in a Compton drive-by shooting just 2 days after Tupac's murder -- and cops believe it was retaliation for Pac.