Controversial S#!T

Tory Lanez claims that a couple directors working on a music video he was a part of tried swapping a darker-skinned woman for a lighter one on set ... but he wasn't having it.

The Canadian rapper posted a behind-the-scenes clip of him being filmed for Nafe Smallz's "Good Love" video, which officially dropped Thursday. In Tory's BTS video, you can see a black woman dancing next to him ... but at some point, it appears someone behind the camera motions for her to leave -- only to be replaced with a lighter-skinned black woman.

Tory calls for a timeout and brings back the darker-skinned woman. It sounds like he says, "We don't even need that," going on to tell the lighter-skinned lady that she's beautiful. Filming picks up from there, with the original woman back in place.

Tory says what he experienced is an ongoing issue in the entertainment industry, and that it needs to stop. He says sure, he might joke about the black community like everyone else does, but "WHAT IM NOT GOING TO DO IS ALLOW ANY OF THESE DIRECTORS TO DE-VALUE OUR BLACK WOMEN." He adds, "countless times I've seen directors swap out our women of color for women of lighter complexion, or women with straighter hair ETC."

Tory finished by writing, "IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS ARTIST TO STAND UP AND NOT LET THIS HAPPEN ... it's BEEN time to embrace our woman of color."

Interestingly enough, it looks like the shot of the woman dancing next to Tory in the white room didn't even make the final cut of the video ... but she makes multiple appearances throughout regardless.

Wendy Williams' new guy is sick and tired of people thinking he's hanging with her in hopes of landing a sugar mama ... because he insists he's not about that life.

Sources close to Marc Tomblin tell TMZ ... he doesn't care at all about fame and he's not the type of guy who'd let a woman take care of him financially. We're told the only reason he's kicking it with Wendy is because they enjoy each other's company.

We're told Tomblin hasn't asked Williams for a dime since they've been together and won't in the future -- don't let those pics of them hitting an ATM fool you. He's also telling friends that NYC shopping spree they went on was not funded solely by Wendy ... he purchased his own things.

Our sources say Marc's been getting a lot of flak from people who are suspicious of his motives, so he's been blocking them ... along with anyone who reaches out to him to talk crap about Wendy.

As we've reported ... Wendy's ignoring all the haters and naysayers and living her life how she wants. As she put it to us, "I am a 54-year-old grown ass woman. I know what I'm doing."

She's also been careful about not calling Tomblin her boyfriend, but making it clear she's having a lot of fun with him ... enough to keep him around in NYC with her much longer than expected.

Cuba Gooding Jr. has his share of problems these days, but he's not lacking for fans, albeit the ones who are related to his defense.

Cuba hit up Le Bilboquet in Long Island, NY, and mugged with Rachel Heller, the daughter of Mark Heller, the lawyer who is defending him in his groping case.

It's the first time we've seen Cuba since he was charged with sexual abuse and forcible touching.

TMZ obtained surveillance video show Cuba at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge where he allegedly grabbed a woman's breast. You can see Cuba reach toward her breasts but Cuba and Mark Heller insist Cuba did not do anything criminal.

There are 2 parts to the video. In the second part, you see the woman complain to security as Cuba is on a sofa nearby with his girlfriend. As she talks to an employee of the restaurant you see Cuba cross her path, look at her but he doesn't seem to say anything.

MLB legend Jim Edmonds says he and his wife are on the road to repairing their marriage after he admitted to texting nude selfies to another woman ... telling TMZ Sports, "I made a mistake."

Here's the backstory ... Edmonds has been under fire this week after a woman put their text message exchange online -- claiming Jim sent her explicit messages and videos last year while his wife Meghan King Edmonds was about to give birth to their twins.

Edmonds has DENIED having a physical relationship with the other woman -- despite her claims -- but seems to be fessing up to the text message part telling us, "It was just a weak moment."

As for the state of his marriage to the 'Real Housewives of Orange County' star -- Jim says he and his wife are "doing good" and definitely still on speaking terms.

When asked how they plan to get through the situation, Jim told us, "We're just gonna have to work through it."

Jim added, "It's pretty crazy in this world. People can make up stories about you and hide behind being anonymous. It sucks."

One of the original stars of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" is a little disappointed in the upcoming reboot of the spooky series -- not because he thinks it won't be good ... but because he's not in it.

Ross Hull -- who played Gary, the leader of the Midnight Society kids who told ghost stories in the woods -- tells TMZ he hasn't been contacted to get involved in the modern iteration of the show, which is returning to Nickelodeon this Fall ... just in time for Halloween.

Ross says he gets it -- out with the old and in with the new -- but he believes die-hard fans of the '90s show will likely want to know what's up with the original cast of characters, and they're bound to be let down ... just like he is.

He isn't asking for much, but if the reboot's producers are listening ... he's open to a cameo or any other homage to Gary and the gang. He says it would be a win-win.

As for what Ross is up to in real life -- he's a meteorologist at Global News in Toronto. Forecasting lake effect snows in Canada? That's real deal scary.

Sean Spicer has ZERO doubt his successor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, will land on her feet just fine after she leaves The White House ... and maybe one day end up on a ballot somewhere.

President Trump's first Press Secretary tells TMZ ... Sarah, who replaced Sean in July 2017, won't find the world out there as scary as many might think. In fact, Sean's adamant Sarah has a throng of supporters even in this political climate.

Check out the clip ... Sean, who wrote a book after leaving his post, says public service is in Sarah's DNA. But, Sarah -- just like Sean -- had a rough going as Trump's mouthpiece during her 2-year run. She'll leave at the end of the month and said she hopes she'll be remembered for her transparency and honesty.

That's ironic, because -- according to the Mueller Report -- she was forced under oath to admit she made up nonsense. The Special Counsel said Sarah straight-up lied when she said she heard from "countless members of the FBI" supporting Trump's removal of James Comey.

As for Sanders running for public office, Spicer says bank on it ... echoing President Trump, who encouraged her to run for Governor in Arkansas, her home state.

Presidential candidate Eric Swalwell has an answer for Meghan McCain, who called him out over the 9/11 Victims Fund, and makes it clear ... he's supporting Jon Stewart and all the first responder heroes.

The Democratic Congressman was on "TMZ Live" Thursday responding to Meghan criticizing him for missing Jon's powerful testimony this week for the House Judiciary Committee. Rep. Swalwell told us his absence was the result of a top-secret matter.

Swalwell has 3 family members in law enforcement and stressed he's voted to fund the 9/11 Victims Fund before and would continue to support what Jon's pitching.

As for his 2020 presidential run -- the California Rep. says he's up for the hectic schedule, but there's one aspect of it that really grinds his gears. He says it's a MUST that he gets in his daily run. As for how far he goes -- it's pretty impressive, considering he's traveling almost every day.

We couldn't let the Congressman go without challenging one of his odd wardrobe habits. Check out his explanation for ... ironing his jeans!!!

Britney Spears' former manager, Sam Lutfi, poses a serious enough threat to her and her family that a judge is now extending a court order for him to keep away from her.

A judge granted the permanent restraining order against Lutfi Thursday in L.A. County Superior Court. While Lutfi was there, Britney was not -- her father and lawyers were speaking on her behalf.

In the end, the judge sided with Britney's camp and decided they needed the protection. Lutfi has to stay at least 200 yards away from Britney, her family, refrain from reaching out to them and refrain from making disparaging comments about Brit.

TMZ broke the story ... Britney went to court seeking a temporary restraining order last month, claiming that Lutfi was attempting to harass her by getting in touch with her mom and stirring up the "Free Britney" movement, which wants her out of her conservatorship.

It's unclear if Britney fully wants out herself, but she has expressed a desire for more freedoms that she currently doesn't have ... like owning a smartphone, for example.

Either way, Britney claimed in court docs that Lutfi offered $1,000 cash to her mom, Lynne, to "disrupt and take over" the conservatorship process, which Brit's dad, Jamie Spears, oversees. She also alleged Lutfi threatened to release old items of hers from when he managed her in the 2000s.

A judge felt enough of a threat existed at the time to give Brit protection for the time being. Now, the permanent restraining order will be in effect for the next 5 years.

Tyson Fury says he NEVER signed a contract for a rematch with Deontay Wilder -- saying the Bronze Bomber is simply lying about the deal because "he sucks."

Remember, on May 31 ... Wilder put out a video promoting Wilder vs. Fury II -- and said on social media, "All contracts have been signed." Deontay also spoke with TMZ Sports about the rematch.

So, when we spoke with Fury on Thursday we were shocked when he called BS on Wilder's claims.

"I've signed nothing," Fury says ... "Not that I'm aware of unless someone signed it for me, which is illegal."

So, why would Wilder make that public statement? Fury has a theory ...

"Cause he sucks, that's why ... and he's trying to get some fame off of my back."

We're reaching out to Wilder to get his side of the story.

Meanwhile, Fury is gearing up for his next match against 24-0 German heavyweight Tom Schwarz -- a 25-year-old phenom who happens to be 6'5" and 241 pounds.

Fury is a HEAVY favorite in the June 15 fight on ESPN+ but Tyson tells us Schwarz has a shot to be the next Andy Ruiz ... the underdog who shocked the world by upsetting undefeated Anthony Joshua.

Fury says Schwarz is no bum -- and he would never underestimate the guy.

"We've all seen the best heavyweights in the world get chinned now and again don't we?"

"[Wladimir Klitschko] was the best heavyweight in the world until I spanked him all over Germany."

Of course, Klitschko was a heavy favorite when he fought Fury back in 2015 -- but Tyson came out victorious ... ending Wlad's decade-long reign as heavyweight champ.

"The Wendy Williams Show" has never been better -- as far as the staff is concerned -- and it's all due to her estranged husband's departure.

As you know, Wendy is going through a divorce with Kevin Hunter, who was a producer of her talk show until he left in April amid their rising relationship drama. According to sources close to the TV show ... the collective feeling about his departure was GOOD RIDDANCE.

We're told several staff members called Kevin leaving a "breath of fresh air" ... and say the work environment has been 100 percent less hostile. Our sources say Hunter was notorious for being overly controlling and unpleasant, and had employees in constant fear of being fired.

Kevin's exit has had a huge positive impact on Wendy too. We're told she seemed back to her regular, down to earth self in the final weeks of taping before the show went on hiatus ... and you'd never know she was going through a nasty divorce by the way she was on set.

Williams has been enjoying her single life lately -- especially with her new, young "friend," Marc Tomblin -- but the ex-couple have also been exchanging barbs as their divorce moves ahead.

Wendy accused Kevin of keeping her cooped up at home and treating her like a "show pony," and he fired back by calling her lazy.

There's also the issue between Kevin and their son, Kevin Jr., which isn't any closer to being mended.

All that aside, it seems like everyone working for Wendy is happy and rejuvenated, and we're told they're excited to get back to filming the show after its break ... sans Kevin, of course.

U.S. soccer legend Cobi Jones LOVES the fact the U.S. Women's National Team racked up 13 goals against Thailand ... and says the criticism they're getting is a bunch of crap.

The U.S. women have been under fire from people who accused the team of bad sportsmanship for running up the score and celebrating every single goal.

So, when we saw Cobi -- one of the most famous U.S. soccer players of all time -- we asked if he thought the team took things too far.

"I don't think it's bad sportsmanship," Jones told TMZ Sports in L.A. ... "I don't think any of the celebrations were directed toward the other team. [They weren't] running over to their bench or getting in the face of the other players. It was all internal meant for them and their group."

Jones says the downside to such a dominant performance is there will be a bunch of new HATERS who want to see the U.S. lose ... because "We tend to root against the winners."

Still, Cobi says he wants to see Alex Morgan and company keep their feet on the gas ... saying, "Keep scoring goals! Celebrate! It's the World Cup!"

Team USA takes on Chile on Sunday ... where the Americans are currently favored by 4.5 goals.

Common is sick and tired of watching female athletes get TRASHED by "sexist" sports fans who hold the women to a completely different standard than their male counterparts ... and he's calling for it to end.

The rapper/actor/social activist was at LAX sporting a shirt that reads, "Love Her" -- so we asked about the U.S. Women's National Team getting no love from people upset with their 13-0 victory over Thailand.

Some critics have called the team classless for celebrating after some of the late goals -- and accused the team of unnecessarily running up the score against an obviously outmatched opponent.

But, Common says we should be CELEBRATING the women and lifting them up for their accomplishments instead of looking for ways to put them down.

"If they felt like celebrating then they celebrated," Common explained ... "They worked hard to get there. If they celebrated, that's okay."

Common also says this latest round of criticism is nothing new -- saying "the whole country has been sexist" when it comes to sports ... adding, "We just gotta erase that whole mentality."

He also compared the plight of female athletes to black athletes -- saying they face similar unfair criticism from the masses.

"It would be a crime for them to take the foot off the gas!"

That's Eagles superstar Zach Ertz -- whose wife, Julie, is a stud on the US Women's National Team -- going scorched earth on soccer critics who say Americans ran up the score on Thailand!!

If ya missed it ... Alex Morgan and the U.S. ladies went OFF on the Thai team earlier this week in their World Cup opener -- piling on 13 goals in a shutout win.

The slaughter was met with backlash from fans all over the globe ... saying the USWNT shouldn't have run up the score so badly on such an inferior squad.

Enter Ertz ... who said to a group of reporters at his locker Wednesday that his wife and her teammates did absolutely nothing wrong -- and, in fact, should have kept scoring more!!!

"The first tie-breaker in the World Cup in the group stage is goal differential. So, it would be a crime for them to take the foot off the gas and then finish second in the group because they took the foot off the gas."

As for all the celebrating after the goals -- even when it was clear the U.S. team had won?? Ertz says he was fine with that too, saying it builds great team chemistry!!

For their part, the women have defended their actions ... with Morgan saying to ESPN on Wednesday, "I think it's disrespectful if we don't show up and give our best and play our game for 90 minutes."

Michael Avenatti's legal troubles continue mounting ... he's now facing a lawsuit from his former paraplegic client who claims Avenatti stole nearly $4 million from him.

Geoffrey Johnson is suing the lawyer claiming Avenatti took the vast majority of a $4 million settlement payment that Johnson scored years ago but Avenatti wired to himself in January 2015.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Johnson sued the L.A. County Sheriff's Department in 2012 claiming its deputies roughed him up during a wrongful arrest. Long story short ... Johnson scored a settlement but says all Avenatti's firm did was wire him meager $1,900 monthly payments.

Johnson's now suing for $9.5 million in compensatory damages ... which includes the $4 mil settlement and $5 mil in additional damages including severe emotional distress. Johnson, BTW, is the guy the feds mentioned in its 36-count indictment that could land Avenatti in prison for the rest of his life.

Avenatti's vehemently denied any wrongdoing telling TMZ ... "Mr. Johnson's claims are categorically false and frivolous, and his case will be thrown out of court." Avenatti explained, "He previously agreed on numerous occasions, including in multiple detailed writings which he reviewed, initialed and signed (after a different lawyer reviewed), that I conducted myself ethically at all times."

Elizabeth Lederer, the woman who prosecuted the Central Park 5, just resigned from her position as a professor at Columbia Law School amid heavy pressure from black students.

Lederer, the former Assistant D.A. who tried the infamous case back in 1989, resigned Wednesday. She was a part-time professor at Columbia but had come under fire since the Netflix series "When They See Us" debuted.

Lederer, played by Vera Farmiga in the series, worked alongside Linda Fairstein. As we've reported ... Fairstein has also caught flak and recently resigned from a nonprofit board of directors and the Board of Trustees at Vassar College. Her book publisher also dropped her.

The Black Law Students Association at Columbia called Lederer's actions in the CP5 case "racist" ... and pressured school administrators to remove her from the faculty.

Andy Cohen just might give politics a shot ... especially if he's successful in his mission to get NY State to legalize paid surrogacy, and we got him taking his campaign to the streets.

The 'Watch What Happens Live' host was leaving the Sirius building Wednesday in NYC when he got amped up about the proposed bill, and delivered a message directly to Gloria Steinem. She's been opposed to the measure, but Andy urged the famous feminist she needs to take a closer look at the language of the bill.

He added ... he has surrogacy to thank for the birth of his son, Benjamin, in February. He had to go through the process in California because it's still illegal in New York.

So now, he's fighting for NY couples to have the same options he had ... without having to travel cross country. When you see the video, Andy definitely has the look and feel of a stumping candidate.

We asked him, point blank, about throwing his hat in a political ring -- watch, he does NOT say no.