Controversial S#!T

A high schooler in Ohio just joined the ranks of hardcore U.S. racists by asking a girl to go to prom with unspeakable words ... and now he's banned from the event.

The student's invitation or "promposal" to his potential date -- which he posted to his social media account -- was a sign reading, "If I was black I'd be picking cotton but I'm white so I'm picking u for prom."

The online backlash from his fellow students made its way to school officials at the Clear Fork High School, and Superintendent Janice Wyckoff banned him from attending the prom.

She claims the student was sorry for what he did and deleted his posts touting the sign.

As for his intended prom date featured in the photo ... she's reportedly a student at a different school. We don't know if she said "yes" or "take a hike."

It's unclear if the student behind the sign will face further disciplinary action, but Wyckoff says she doesn't believe this incident is reflective of the student body. She says ... "This is one person making a bad decision that's going to reflect on everybody. This is actually a terrible day in the Clear Fork Valley."

Sadly, a quick internet search of this particular racist promposal yields several results ... a number of white students from many different schools over the course of years have used the same promposal.

Congressman Steve Cohen came to work with props -- using a bucket of chicken to poke fun at Attorney General William Barr for ducking out on a 2nd day of testimony ... but Cohen kinda got burned by his own stunt.

The distinguished gentleman from Tennessee put a chicken figurine at the podium where Barr would have been sitting if he had the stones to show up -- ya get the joke. But, Cohen went one step further ... bringing a bucket of KFC to really drive his point home.

Cohen started handing out chicken parts to his fellow Representatives and other Congressional staffers. Hahaha ... and then he turned to Congresswoman Val Demings from Florida. She's African-American.

You gotta watch the video, 'cause it's hilarious and a little cringeworthy. Cohen looked directly at Val, drumstick in hand, and offered it up.

Demings declined the offer, but we promise ... YOU MUST see the look on her face afterward.

Here's an idea, Congress -- maybe leave the jokes to actual comedians. The figurine would have been enough, Steve.

You will not see Jenelle Evans' husband shoot and kill their dog on "Teen Mom 2" ... because David Eason is considered poison as far as MTV is concerned, and he will never, ever appear on the show.

Jenelle finally confessed ... David viciously took their French Bulldog to a wooded area near their home and pumped bullets into it ... just because he got pissed off the animal nipped at their daughter after she got in the pooch's mug. Fact is ... 2-year-old Ensely was fine ... Nugget didn't even puncture the skin.

What we don't know ... was David so depraved that he filmed the shooting? Of course, we do know ... the actual nip was caught on camera.

Our sources say MTV wants nothing to do with David because it's just the latest in a string of violent, alarming incidents ... among them, a domestic violence call, a gun-crazed rant about the Secret Service showing up at his home following a threat to the President and another animal cruelty incident involving a pig. The show fired David a year ago after making anti-LGBT comments.

David has a lot of guns at their house, and he's made it well known he's not afraid to use them to protect his property.

We're told MTV will air NO video of David, partly because of his actions, but also because they perceive him to be a real threat. One source said they're worried about the safety of Jenelle and her family.

There's cause for concern ... producers shot many of Jenelle's scenes far away from the family home, but David threatened to crash the set numerous times and wreak havoc. BTW, no word yet on whether the show will be picked up for a new season and it's unclear if there are plans to 86 Jenelle.

Nipsey Hussle's team is putting the kibosh on the late rapper's memorial ... because people trying to pay their respects were being hounded by bootleggers and grifters trying to make a buck off his death.

Sources close to the slain Crenshaw rapper tell TMZ ... the memorial outside his Marathon Clothing store is going away, principally because it was becoming a chaotic scene where hustlers roamed the street, turning what was supposed to be a solemn tribute into a circus.

As you know ... Nipsey was gunned down in the parking lot outside his store, and the lot was transformed into a makeshift memorial, with fans leaving flowers, pictures, notes, trinkets and loads of candles.

But, that's all over now.

Here's what the wild scene outside Nipsey's shuttered store looked like ... people selling bootleg t-shirts with Nipsey's image, others demanding money for a tour of the neighborhood, and some even charging fans just to walk through the area where Nipsey was shot. The memorial became so busy, food trucks started parking outside.

Sources close to Nipsey tell us the whole thing reeked of disrespect ... and they felt like he was not being properly honored, so they're closing up shop.

We've seen this kind of thing before ... scalpers tried charging astronomical prices for free tickets to Nipsey's celebration of life, and people who went to the service tried selling the free programs for huge profits on eBay.

9:15 PM PT -- We've learned 3 agencies -- the FBI, Secret Service and Kent PD -- teamed up to nab the suspect Wednesday during a traffic stop in Kent, WA.

The man is being held in a federal detention center, and will have his initial court appearance at 2 PM PT Thursday in federal court in Seattle.

Ben Shapiro, the conservative talk show host and editor of The Daily Wire, was the target of serious death threats and the suspect has just been arrested ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us, Shapiro, who frequently appears on cable news shows and has a hugely popular podcast, filed a police report with the LAPD. We're told the threats were not just against Shapiro but his family as well. He's married with one daughter.

We're told the Department got in touch with the FBI and created a joint task force to hunt down the culprit.

Our sources say a man was arrested Wednesday in Washington state for making the threats.

We're told these threats were "extremely serious" ... not just someone blowing off steam.

Shapiro recently created a stink when he suggested on his radio show that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar has "a lot of the same opinions about Jews that the white supremacist had in that manifesto." He was referring to the attack at the San Diego-area synagogue in which the shooter killed a woman and injured several others.

Marie Osmond is joining "The Talk" ... replacing Sara Gilbert, but not without a little controversy, TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the show tell us, Marie has signed on for the gig and the big announcement will go down live on "The Talk" this coming Tuesday. Marie has guest hosted on the show before, and we're told when she was on the ratings spiked.

That said, there's a little grumbling with a few of the women. We're told they feel a better replacement for Sara would have been someone younger and edgier ... not the 59-year-old singer. But, the bosses laid down the law, and Marie is a go.

Marie and brother Donny have a residency at the Flamingo hotel in Vegas, which runs through November. She'll have to do double duty, flying back and forth from Vegas to L.A. during the run. She's doing 5 shows a week with Donny, so there will be LOTS of flying.

Ben Stiller is on Capitol Hill with a stomach full of butterflies ... admitting to us he's nervous to go before lawmakers and testify on the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

We got Ben before he went in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday to try to convince legislators to help out Syrian refugees ... and the actor told us he couldn't help but feel nervous about his big moment.

Ben's the goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and he's pleading with countries who host refugees to help ensure long-term support for displaced people.

This is his first time testifying on Capitol Hill ... so you can understand why Ben's anxious about pleading his case in front of a bunch of Senators.

Well, he has had some experience testifying, but we're guessing his hilarious 'SNL' skit -- playing Michael Cohen testifying on the Hill -- doesn't really compare to the real deal.

Let's just hope he doesn't slip into Cohen mode. Ben did tell us one of his classic roles could come in handy, though, during this testimony.

Lindsey Graham just provided some major viral content at William Barr's Senate Judiciary hearing on the Mueller report, by saying out loud -- and uncensored -- "Trump is a f***ing idiot."

The Senator wasn't expressing his own opinion about President Trump, but rather reading text messages between former FBI employees, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, at Wednesday's hearing.

In the full exchange, Graham pulled from Strzok's texts to Page, saying ... "I am riled up. Trump is a f***ing idiot, is unable to provide a coherent answer. I can’t pull away. What the f*** happened to our country??!?!"

Graham followed up his comment -- which aired live on TV -- by saying, "Sorry to the kids out there." The FCC might want an apology too.

The Judiciary Committee is questioning Attorney General Barr about the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller's report ... after a Mueller letter stated Barr's summary of his report "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of his investigation.

As for Strzok and Page ... their relationship and feelings about Trump have been a hot topic, and used by the president's supporters to argue the FBI was biased against him.

Graham's making sure we don't forget.

2:15 PM PT -- We got the Senator out after his profanity-laced moment earlier Wednesday, and he doubled down on the quote, and why it was important for everyone to hear.

Chrissy Teigen is catching the fire of fur protesters, but she can't be bothered by the hecklers screaming at her and calling her a "heartless murderer."

TMZ's obtained video of the TV personality and model catching the full brunt of anti-fur activist Rob Banks' fury Tuesday night at Cipriani Grand Central in New York City ... and you hear the guy trying to shame her in front of a huge crowd, but she doesn't take the bait.

Instead of engaging with the man calling her a "heartless jerk" for wearing real fur, Chrissy does what she does best ... flashes a pretty smile and keeps on posing for pictures.

Chrissy doesn't appear to be wearing fur to the 36th annual City Harvest Gala ... but she's no stranger to fur coats.

The good news for "Empire" fans ... the show is coming back for Season 6. The bad news for Jussie Smollett -- he's not coming back.

Fox just issued the following statement ... "By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett's option for season 6, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to 'Empire.'"

Yep ... sounds weird, that Fox wants to keep Jussie hanging just in case, but that's the deal. It could be ... Fox is hedging its bets, to see what happens in the civil case in which the City of Chicago is suing the actor for the costs of the investigation. The upshot of that case -- Jussie will be tried for allegedly faking the "attack." Perhaps if he wins, Fox will reconsider.

As we reported, Jussie has had lunch meetings with "Empire" execs, and for a time it looked like he may come back, but now it seems Jussie needs to find other employment.

Here's the loose end ... by picking up/extending Jussie's option, it would seem they have to pay him something per the contract. After all, he couldn't really accept another gig if he could be called back to "Empire." So, is Jussie getting paid for not working on the show?

Marco Rubio is PUMPED Miami traded for Josh Rosen ... telling TMZ Sports the former Arizona Cardinal is now the best QB the Dolphins have had in TWO DECADES!!!

"He's the most talented passer we've had on the roster since Marino," the Florida Senator says.

Miami unloaded its second-round pick in last week's NFL draft to get JR from Arizona ... and Rubio is ALL FOR IT -- telling us it's basically a win-win for his favorite football team.

And why? Rubio says because Rosen came with such a team-friendly contract ... there's no risk at all for his squad.

"If it works out, great!" Rubio says ... "If it doesn't, we'll have to draft someone next year."

It's been a rough start for Josh's NFL career ... dude completed just 55 percent of his passes and threw just 11 touchdowns to 14 interceptions last season.

UFC star Al Iaquinta wants to prove he's worthy of another fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov -- saying he's convinced he can beat the Dagestani if he gets more than 1 day to prepare.

Remember, Al stepped as a last-minute replacement for Max Holloway at UFC 223 in April 2018 ... and survived all 5 rounds with Khabib, despite zero preparation for one of the scariest guys in MMA.

Since that fight, Al beat up Kevin Lee and has lined up a big fight with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at 'UFC Fight Night' on May 4.

Al tells TMZ Sports he wants to make a statement in the Cowboy fight to show everyone he's the real deal -- and deserves a second crack at Khabib.

"I fought Khabib not only on a day's notice but also after fighting 90 seconds in 3 years," Iaquinta says ... "So it was short notice and a huge layoff."

Al -- the #4 ranked lightweight in the UFC -- says he knows he needs to have a "great performance" against Cowboy ... and seems more motivated than ever.

We spoke with Al after the first fight with Khabib and even though he was bruised up, he never lacked confidence.

As for Khabib, Dana White has said his next fight will be against interim champ Dustin Poirier -- and they're gunning for a Sept. fight date.

But as Al knows ... if Dustin gets hurt and Dana needs a replacement, he could be the guy who gets the call.

8:45 AM PT -- Sources connected to Pete tell us he felt like Vinnie was overly sarcastic when he told the crowd not to mention Kate or Ariana. They add, Vinnie asked if he could do an opening set, but Pete said no -- because he travels with his own opening comic -- but Vinnie went ahead and did a 5-minute set anyway.

Overall, we're told Pete's camp thinks Vinnie killed the energy in the crowd by giving them the list of no-no's for the show.

Pete Davidson is going to war with a comedy club owner because the guy referred to Kate Beckinsale and Ariana Grande while introducing Pete -- however, the crowd seemed to turn on Pete.

The 'SNL' star was supposed to perform Monday night at Vinnie Brand's Stress Factory in Bridgeport, CT -- but he never made it onstage. Pete claims Vinnie "disrespected me and did something that I told him not to do and I can't perform under those circumstances."

Pete posted a video from his car immediately after bailing on the gig.

Meanwhile, inside the club ... the owner was fuming over Pete's no-show -- and played Pete's IG video on the club's big screen. Even though Pete offered to do a free show for anyone in the crowd ... they were pissed. You even hear someone yell, "F**k you, Pete!!!"

According to clubgoers, Vinnie did mention Kate and Ariana -- but only because he was asking the crowd not to heckle Pete about his girlfriends. Vinnie says those were the ground rules Pete wanted, and they had agreed anyone who did shout anything like that would be removed from the club.

It seems both Pete and Vinnie didn't want a repeat of what happened during one of Pete's shows back in February ... when he was heckled about Mac Miller.

Vinnie did his own act after playing Pete's IG video -- and while it wasn't necessarily funny, it was very angry.

Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert says he doesn't want Skynet creations taking over NBA officiating -- he just wants transparency, honesty and accountability from the flesh and blood zebras.

The NBA refs are on the hot seat right now, with some fans thinking they handed a gift game to the Golden State Warriors in the first run of the Western Conference semifinals against Houston.

Gobert was one of the critics on Twitter, saying his Jazz got different treatment from the stripes when they faced off against the Rockets in the 1st round.

There's been talk for years that the way to fix bad calls is to have robot or computer refs take the court over (seems terrifying), but when we got Gobert out he said all that ain't necessary.

"I think it would take something away from the game if you do that."

Gobert, one of the best defensive players in the league, says that carbon-based refs are fine, as long as the players are able to have honest talks with them.

"Dialogue is the most important thing."

"Game of Thrones" Battle of Winterfell left fans cheering and complaining -- the latter due to it being too damn dark -- but the cinematographer wants to make it clear ... the gripes aren't his fault.

Fabian Wagner -- who was also the cinematographer on lauded 'Thrones' episodes like "Hardhome" and "Battle of the Bastards" -- tells TMZ, he's aware folks are upset that "The Long Night" looked TOO nightly, and he has an explanation.

First, Fabian believes the pixelation and muddy dark colors fans saw on their TVs and mobile devices are due to HBO's compression of the episode ... which leads to poorer visual quality. This is made worse if it's being viewed on a streaming service with a weak connection ... or in a room that's too bright.

As Wagner puts it ... "[GoT] has always been very dark and a very cinematic show" and should be watched in a dark environment. Ideally, this means viewing it like you would a movie -- in a dark theater.

Since that's not realistic for 'Thrones,' Fabian suggests making your viewing room at home as dark as possible, avoid watching on your phone or in places that are lit up ... and adjust your TV settings.

The cinematographer also points out ... the showrunners and director wanted the episode to be dark. Wagner says the battle scenes were intended to be intense, claustrophobic and disorienting -- like they would be in real life -- but not confusing.

Fabian says, "We tried to give the viewers and fans a cool episode to watch," and he believes they did, adding ... "I know it wasn't too dark because I shot it."

CNN's Don Lemon says he wasn't shocked to see President Trump congratulate Nick Bosa on being the #2 pick in the draft -- while ignoring Kyler Murray -- in part because Bosa is white and Murray is black.

Lemon was leaving the CNN building after his show Monday night when we asked about Trump's congratulatory tweet to Bosa ... who had been very vocal about his support for #45.

"Bosa is a supporter of Trump," Lemon said ... "[Bosa] doesn't like Kaepernick. It's everything this President is about."

Lemon added, "I think we should be congratulating the #1 person [Kyler Murray] as the #1 person made history."

Of course, Murray became the first person to be selected in the first round of the NFL and the MLB draft ... an amazing accomplishment.

"Don't forget the #1 person [Murray] is also black," Lemon added.

As for Bosa, he had previously called Kaepernick a "clown" on social media -- but later deleted the tweet.

When pressed about Kaepernick at his first press conference with the San Francisco 49ers, Bosa backtracked ... saying the name-calling was a bad decision.

Bosa also said he "respects what [Kaepernick] has done" and apologized for the initial tweet.