Controversial S#!T

Britney Spears may be in the eye of a social media firestorm, but her conservatorship is working 24/7 and it's business as usual.

Sources with knowledge of the conservatorship tell TMZ ... Britney and her dad, conservator Jamie Spears, talk at least 3 times a day, often at Britney's behest. There have been reports Britney and Lynne Spears have squeezed Jamie out of his daughter's life, but it's not the case. In fact, we're told she's actually calling him "more than usual."

As for how the conservatorship runs ... we're told it's the same way it's run for 11 years. Britney fills her day with massages, acupuncture, facials, hair appointments and caring for her 2 sons.

She's free to come and go as she pleases, with certain restrictions. Security follows Britney at all times, but they don't meddle unless there's a red flag. For example, we're told liquor stores are off limits. You'll recall, Britney had issues with alcohol back in 2008 when she went into a tailspin.

There are other restrictions that Britney doesn't like, but they're in place nonetheless and haven't changed. Most notably, she really wants an iPhone, but we're told Jamie has put the kibosh on that because of concerns over social media and people with ulterior motives contacting her. Britney has taken the issue up with the judge -- as recently as a week ago Friday -- but the judge sided with Jamie.

Britney and Kevin Federline still have 50/50 joint custody of their sons ... the actual time week-to-week has gone back-and-forth for various reasons, but the formal arrangement hasn't changed.

As one source put it, "Britney does what she wants. The conservatorship protects her, but with a few exceptions it doesn't restrict her in her day-to-day life."

"Game of Thrones" star Jacob Anderson is a straight shooter -- he's got sage advice for some 'Thrones' fans and a harsh reaction to that angry fans' petition, but his opinions are totally Unsullied.

The actor who plays Grey Worm on the HBO series was out in NYC Thursday afternoon snapping selfies with fans and even quoting lines from the show when we hit him up about 2 hot topics.

First, he weighs in on the baby-naming craze inspired by 'GoT' characters, which many parents might be regretting after what Daenerys did last week. Even though Jacob says he's happy with Grey Worm's final curtain call on the show, he doesn't recommend naming a little one after him.

Seems like a good call.

His next take's a little more controversial -- Jacob had just 2 words for pissed off fans who are circulating a petition to remake the show's 8th and final season because they think the writers are blowing it. We think Dany would be proud of his take.

BTW, Jacob's already turning the page from 'GoT' ... with his music career.

He performs under the name Raleigh Ritchie, and his music's been skyrocketing in popularity along with this 'Thrones' character.

At least that doesn't 'suck.'

MTV is moving quickly as it seeks a fresh start on its "Teen Mom" franchise ... the network is already filming with Jenelle Evans' replacement, Jade Cline.

Sources close to production tell TMZ ... 'Teen Mom' producers will be filming Kailyn Lowry's podcast in New York this weekend, where special guest Jade will officially announce a pretty poorly kept secret ... that she's stepping in for Jenelle.

The podcast is called, "Coffee Convos with Kail Lowry & Lindsie Chrisley" ... and MTV cameras will be rolling as the hosts sit down for an interview with Jade.

Our 'Teen Mom' sources tell us, show producers felt the podcast was the perfect way to announce Jenelle's replacement ... because Kailyn will also be costarring alongside Jade!!!

We're told the reveal will air next week ... which lines up with the "Teen Mom 2" reunion.

As you know ... MTV severed all ties with Jenelle in the wake of husband David Eason killing the family dog as punishment for nipping at their 2-year-old daughter. The dog's brutal death was the last straw in MTV's often tumultuous relationship with the couple.

Jenelle has been an empty nester as of late ... now that authorities have removed all her kids from her and David's home in the fallout from the dog murder. Jenelle and David were in court Thursday, fighting to get her children back.

As for Jade ... the 21-year-old is a mother of one, and she recently split with her baby daddy, Sean Austin.

One of R. Kelly's alleged victims secretly testified against the singer in front of a federal grand jury that could indict him for tax evasion and sex trafficking.

Sources close to the case tell TMZ ... Faith Rodgers recently testified for a grand jury convened by U.S. Attorneys in the Southern District of New York, and we're told more witnesses are expected to provide testimony against Kelly soon.

No way to know what Faith told the panel -- federal grand jury proceedings are notoriously top secret -- but she's previously alleged Kelly gave her an STD and sued him last year for false imprisonment and sexual battery.

Faith was also featured in the Lifetime docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly" ... and afterward she claimed Kelly posted private photos of her and sent a notarized letter threatening to reveal details of her sex life in retaliation for her talking publicly.

As we've reported, there are 2 Kelly probes currently underway in New York -- one by the Eastern District and another by the Southern District -- which is in addition to another case the feds are building in Illinois.

We're told next week witnesses will testifying for a federal grand jury in Illinois, where Kelly is being investigated for tax evasion, obstruction of justice and sex trafficking.

We reached out to the U.S. Attorney's Office, but it declined to comment. Faith's attorney, Gloria Allred, would not confirm or deny her client testified.

Kelly's crisis manager, Darrell Johnson, says ... "Mr. Kelly feels like the devil is working overtime in effort to try to destroy his musical legacy for selfish, personal enrichment. We feel everything will line up right on track when it is all said and done."

Kelly Ripa has no idea what the hell she's talking about when it comes to "The Bachelor" and her take on it is downright rude -- at least it was to Hannah Godwin, who was a finalist just last season.

We got Hannah Wednesday night at Craig's in WeHo and got her take on what Kelly said earlier this week -- that the show is creepy and the idea of 25 exceptional women fighting for 1 "ordinary" guy is disgusting.

As one of those exceptional women, Hannah G thinks it sucks that Kelly's dissing all of Bach Nation. Yes, you can tell Hannah's a bit conflicted because she loves her some Ripa ... but ultimately, she wants Kelly to know the show worked out just fine for her.

Of course, 'Bachelor' creator Mike Fleiss and 'Bachelor' host Chris Harrison have also gone on the offensive, saying, "Easy, @KellyRipa ... #TheBachelor franchise pays your salary!"

Harrison tweeted, "Look out #BachelorNation @KellyRipa is coming after you and your 'disgusting' Monday night habit." Goes without saying ... it's gotten ugly.

The expletive-spewin', hot tubbin', Caddy drivin' former head football coach featured in "Last Chance U" is putting down the cigar and picking up a pen ... 'cause he's writing a book!!!

Jason Brown -- who recently resigned from his gig at Independence CC in Kansas for telling a German-born player he's his "new Hitler" -- starred in season 3 and 4 of the super-popular Netflix show ... and now he's ready to put his thoughts in writing.

"I have partnered up and signed a book publishing contract with SBPRA, to write a book. I will send the details once the book is printed," Brown tweeted on Thursday.

"Much love for all the support!"

Brown became a massive hit with the show ... thanks to his IDGAF attitude and unorthodox coaching style ... so we're assuming this thing is gonna be entertaining as hell.

Britney Spears is looking free and ready to take the stage ... and she's not muting Michael Jackson.

Britney showed off her moves, dancing around her home workout area. She had MJ's "Scream" going while she flaunted her choreography ... and the whole scene could be a response to what her manager told us ... that Brit's just not ready to perform.

We can't tell if the clip she posted Thursday is new or a #tbt. She didn't use the hashtag, but her outfit looks identical -- right down to her necklace -- to one she wore in a March 2018 workout vid.

Either way, it seems like a clapback, because just Wednesday ... Spears' longtime manager Larry Rudolph told us she's not fit to return to her Vegas show, saying, "From what I have gathered it's clear to me she should not be going back to do this Vegas residency, not in the near future and possibly never again."

As we've reported ... Britney's been dealing with family and mental health issues at home since being released from a facility last month.

Her parents are also in the midst of a conservatorship showdown as fans spread the #FreeBritney movement online.

Jenelle Evans and her husband, David Eason, showed up in court Thursday to fight a judge's order that removed her 3 kids from the family home. About 15 minutes before Jenelle and David left, several kids with blankets over their heads were placed in a CPS vehicle and driven away.

Jenelle and David were in no mood to speak as they left the courthouse in Columbus County, North Carolina.

As we reported ... Ensley was the last of Jenelle's 3 kids to be removed from the home she shares with David. Ensley was removed just days after a judge ordered that 4-year-old Kaiser be removed from the home and 9-year-old Jace as well. Jenelle has visitation rights with Jace -- her mother, Barbara, has custody -- but the judge doesn't want Jace near Jenelle's home.

The removal came on the heels of CPS launching an investigation after David brutally killed their dog ... after it nipped at Ensley.

Our sources say as of Wednesday Jenelle was still living with David. She is not the target of the CPS probe ... it's all about David and his violent temper.

UFC legend Anderson Silva says he's already made up his mind about his fighting future -- telling TMZ Sports, "I'm not stopping, I'm not retiring."

The 44-year-old was in pretty good spirits Thursday returning to the United States following his UFC 237 loss to Jared Cannonier this past weekend ... but says his knee is still jacked up.

Silva badly injured his right knee in the fight -- and couldn't make it out of the first round.

After the fight, Silva went to social media and posted a statement that made it seem as if he was pondering retirement.

But now, Anderson says his mind is made up -- he wants to get healthy and get back in the Octagon.

In fact, Silva says he's already spoken with Dana White about a possible rematch with Cannonier ... but White told him to take some time to heal before talking about another fight.

So, how is Anderson's knee?

"It's not good but it's not too bad. The good thing is I start physical therapy," Silva told us.

'Love and Hip Hop' star Safaree Samuels knows which hill he wants to die on -- marching and screaming for his right to wear luxurious furs ... animal abuse be damned.

Safaree, rocking a flowing fur coat of course, was shouting at the top of his lungs in front of NY's City Hall on Wednesday to protest a proposed ban on fur sales in Gotham. As you'd imagine, things got very heated ... with Safaree's pro-fur supporters clashing -- at least verbally -- with a slew of anti-fur protesters.

He marched and shouted, "Leave us alone! Stop picking on us. Our fur, our right!! Our choice, our right!!" Safaree wasn't alone, either ... he was reportedly joined by about 150 people distressed over the possible fur ban.

But, when anti-fur protesters reminded him of the rampant animal abuse behind the fur industry, Safaree's retort was far from educated.

He said, "I didn't do it. Go to China with that. This is America."

Safaree's also making his protest about race ... claiming the fur sales ban is being done purely to target the black community.

When he barked that people should be more concerned with police brutality against African Americans, the crowd rage went through the roof -- and Safaree unleashed a string of obscenities.

Anti-fur protesters followed him all the way to his waiting SUV which was flanked by some huge bodyguards.

Safaree's weakest argument might be that NYC is a fashion mecca, and therefore ... MUST have fur.

Fact is, fur farming is already banned or very tightly regulated in several European countries, including the UK ... home to London, another fashion capital.

Just sayin' ...

Zion Williamson's stepdad says the 18-year-old superstar is "excited" to play in New Orleans -- despite reports to the contrary ... noting Zion has learned to "accept the things you can't change."

The Pelicans scored the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery earlier this week -- and most believe the plan is to take Zion.

But, there are rumblings Zion is unhappy with the situation -- that he doesn't want to play in NOLA and would rather go back to Duke and play another year of college ball ... since he still has eligibility.

But, Zion's stepdad, Lee Anderson, shot down all that speculation on ESPN's Baton Rouge radio show, 'Off the Bench' -- saying Williamson is pumped to get going in New Orleans.

"We're excited. We're excited about that," Anderson said.

"One thing that Zion has always been taught is to accept the things you can't change, and change the things that you can change. And, this is one of the things that he has nothing to do with."

"It's the process of the NBA, and certainly we're excited about the Crescent City down there in New Orleans."

When asked specifically about the possibility of Zion going back to Duke, Anderson told the media to pump the brakes on that theory too.

"There has been a lot of speculation. But, that is nothing that we have even considered."

Zion has until May 29 to make an official decision about returning to Duke or entering the NBA Draft.

"Black Lightning" star Marvin Jones III says ignorant people who kill albinos for their "magical powers" should be charged with war crimes ... and he wants the U.S. and other world powers to step up.

We got Marvin out Wednesday afternoon at LAX and wanted to get his take on the Amnesty International's call on Malawians to head to the polls next week and elect leaders who will NOT stand for the continuation of attacks on people with albinism.

The human rights org says the wave of violent attacks are fueled by the false and dangerous myth that body parts of people with albinism contain magical powers and make someone rich.

Marvin -- who portrays the supervillain Tobias Whale on the hit CW show -- says the crisis hasn't gotten enough of the world's attention and wants the U.S. to lead the charge and bring change.

Check out the clip ... Marvin says being born with albinism is very misunderstood and he's saddened by those who continue targeting albinos for a piece of their flesh, blood and bones.

Michael Richards is one of the few people in the world who can relate to the criticism targeting the "Game of Thrones" cast as the show ends ... and he's offering them some sage advice.

We got Michael Wednesday at Sunset Plaza and asked what message he'd send to folks over at 'GoT' ... now that fans are bitching about an underwhelming final season ... and the "Seinfeld" star says it's all about perspective.

Michael lived through the same thing back in the day -- "Seinfeld" was hammered over the series finale -- and Kramer says the secret to dealing with the haters is appreciating what came before.

It's hard to find a "Seinfeld" fan who didn't hate the show's final episode ... and Michael explains how he's dealt with the backlash for all these years, and why 'GoT' stars would be wise to follow his lead.

As Sunday's finale nears, fans are fearful 'GoT' is heading down the same path as "Seinfeld" ... but Michael isn't buying the narrative that HBO's writers are rushing through the 8th and final season. Sorry, social media mob.

Check out our clip ... Michael says its extremely hard for any show to go out on top, and one bad game doesn't tarnish a career.

11:36 AM PT -- A family source tells us Ensley is "out of the house."

Jenelle Evans and David Eason's 2-year-old daughter, Ensley, is at risk ... at least that's how a North Carolina judge sees it, and has now taken action in the wake of David killing the family dog.

Law enforcement sources tell us the Dept. of Social Services -- which includes CPS -- served a judge's order Tuesday directed at Jenelle and David.

As we reported, CPS was in the process of removing Ensley from the family home -- and she might be gone already, but we haven't been able to confirm that.

This follows the stay-away orders imposed on two of Jenelle's other kids, 9-year-old Jace and 4-year-old Kaiser. Jace is currently with Jenelle's mom, Barbara ... while Kaiser is with his father's family.

CPS has had its concerns about all of the children ever since learning David brutally killed their dog when it nipped the little girl a couple of weeks ago.

There were delays in getting the children, though, because the agencies were afraid to go on Jenelle and David's property due to David's violent history.

YFN Lucci might be in the market for a bulletproof ride now that his G-Wagon is riddled with bullet holes from a drive-by shooting that left one person in the vehicle injured.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... YFN Lucci's Mercedes SUV was shot up Friday night in Atlanta, and when police responded, they found a man suffering from two gunshot wounds. We're told the victim was not Lucci, and the rapper isn't listed on the police report.

Our ATL Sources tell us it's Lucci's whip, although his mother is the registered owner.

We've obtained pics and video of the damage, showing bullet holes all over the place! The ammo ripped through the passenger windows on both sides, side doors, the rear window, the rear door, the bumper and even one of the rear tires.

Our sources say the gunshot victim told cops he was driving when shots started ringing out, piercing through the vehicle and striking him in his left shoulder.

We're told he picked up his shot-up ride from a salvage yard earlier this week ... and it looks quite different than it did when he featured it in a recent music video.

Britney Spears is not going back to Vegas for another residency ... not in the near future, and maybe never, TMZ has learned.

Our sources tell us Britney is not in mental or physical shape to resume rehearsals for the series of shows, which were supposed to kick off back in February.

Britney's longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, tells TMZ, "As the person who guides her career -- based on the information I and all of the professionals who work with her are being told on a need-to-know basis -- from what I have gathered it's clear to me she should not be going back to do this Vegas residency, not in the near future and possibly never again."

Rudolph is not involved in Britney's conservatorship -- never has been -- and he is only given medical information that directly impacts Britney's career. He says Britney was 2/3 of the way through rehearsals for the reboot when her dad got ill late last year.

As Rudolph put it, "It was the perfect storm. We had to pull her show because her meds stopped working and she was distraught over her dad's illness." The residency, which was supposed to kick off February 13, was put on ice.

Rudolph tells us it's always been up to Britney when she wanted to work and when she didn't. He said, "Last summer, when she wanted to tour, she called me every day. She was excited. She hasn't called me in months. Crickets. She clearly doesn't want to perform now."

As for the future, Rudolph says, "I don't want her to work again 'till she's ready, physically, mentally and passionately. If that time never comes again it will never come again. I have no desire or ability to make her work again. I am only here for her when she wants to work. And, if she ever does want to work again, I'm here to tell her if it's a good idea or a bad idea."