Controversial S#!T

Ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach is chiming in on Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun's beef and he's got some advice for her ... grow up, then you'll realize you didn't get screwed. 

We got Sebastian and his wife, Hawaiian Tropic model Suzanne Le, out at LAX and got his take on Taylor blasting Scooter for scooping up her early music catalog at Big Machine Records.

Sebastian says Taylor's NOT being bullied, she's just too young to understand this is how the music biz works. The 51-year-old rocker adds the very contract she claims screwed her over is the the same one that helped her become a household name. 

SB says very few artists own their early music, and admits he's gone through the same thing. One thing's helped him come out the other end, though, and he thinks it'll work for T-Swift too.

Shawn Stockman is already predicting Lil Nas X will AT LEAST tie Boyz II Men's record for having the longest-leading No. 1 on Billboard's chart ... and he's stoked!!!

We got the B2M singer out Thursday at LAX and wanted to get his take on "Old Town Road" getting THIS close to setting a Billboard record. If ya didn't know ... Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey's "One Sweet Day" along with Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber's "Despasito" hold the record for longest-leading No. 1 at 16 consecutive weeks.

Lil Nas X's hot track featuring Bill Ray Cyrus is currently at 13 weeks and counting. Check out the vid ... Shawn's got ZERO qualms about the rapper taking over their spot. In fact ... he's rooting for the guy and already welcoming him to the "16 Week" club.

It's been one helluva ride for Lil Nas X, who in brave fashion on the final day of Pride Month told the world he's gay. He's been hotter than ever since "Old Town Road" ... most recently hooking up with Gordon Ramsay to fire up some paninis in London.

The famous chef had tweeted earlier this week he was blown away at hitting 10 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. The rapper responded, "teach me how to make paninis while i'm still in london." Gordon replied, "Name the day," and the rest was history.

Singer Joss Stone just had her dreams dashed of performing in every country in the world, because she was just booted from Iran.

Joss has performed in every other country in the world, including North Korea and Saudi Arabia. Iran was her last stop in her 5-year long quest.

The British soul singer says she knew the trip to Iran was problematic, since women can't perform at public venues. This is where it gets confusing. She suggests she was going to perform but it would not be a public concert, thus circumventing the prohibition.

Nevertheless, upon arrival she says she was detained by Iranian immigration authorities and deported the following morning.

Stone actually praises the people who detained her, saying they were "the most friendly charming and welcoming immigration people." She says they expressed regret to her that she would have to leave.

And, now the confusing part. She says, "We were the ones that should have been apologising for not having our correct paper work." This makes it sound like she might have been able to stay but for not getting the correct documentation.

Kevin O’Leary firmly believes Nike fully manufactured the controversy surrounding the Betsy Ross Flag shoe and Colin Kaepernick ... and he says it's brilliant.

We got the "Shark Tank" investor leaving the "Squawk Box" show Wednesday morning in NYC and had to ask him about the heat Nike's catching for recalling its special Betsy Ross Flag Air Max 1 USA sneakers.

Kevin says that while Nike made a mistake getting the Betsy Ross flag involved to begin with ... the shoe giant knew exactly what it was doing when it yanked the shoes -- creating a firestorm of free marketing. 

As you know, Kap felt the 13-star flag design prominently featured on the heel was offensive because it's been co-opted by several white nationalist groups. Nike felt Colin made a valid point and pulled the plug on the shoes. 

Jenelle Evans is no longer an empty-nester ... TMZ has learned her children are coming home. 

Sources connected to the case tell us, the judge in her custody trial has just ruled 2-year-old Ensley and 5-year-old Kaiser will be returned to their mom. We're told Kaiser's dad, Nathan Griffith, must turn his son over to Jenelle, Thursday at 10 AM.

The judge finished hearing testimony Wednesday and hardly waited to hand down the ruling. The testimony lasted over a period of weeks.  

Jenelle's mom, Barbara, still has custody of 9-year-old Jace. 

As we've reported ... Jenelle and her husband David Eason had been fighting to regain custody of her kids, trekking back and forth to a courthouse in North Carolina. 

Jenelle and David lost custody of Jace, Kaiser and Ensley earlier this year after Eason shot and killed the family dog, a French bulldog named Nugget. 

Jenelle and David have been beefing with her mom ... and as we first reported, Jenelle believed her kids were at risk living with Barbara because of Jenelle's erratic uncle, Colin, who has a long history with cops.

Hot dog eating god Joey Chestnut has a brand new BEEF -- this time, he's biting back at legendary sports reporter Peter King who's crapping all over food eating competitions. 

FYI, King has a real problem with ESPN releasing a new "30 for 30" special this week on the rivalry between Chestnut and his wiener-gobbling rival, Takeru Kobayashi. 

"A shame that as at least a fifth of children in America go to bed hungry nightly [ESPN is] highlighting gluttony, treating someone who overeats excessively as a 'competitive athlete,'" King wrote ... "Truly disgusting."

So, when we spotted Chestnut in NYC -- getting ready to defend his mustard yellow belt at the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4 on Coney Island, we had to ask for his thoughts. 

"I think Peter King ... he's kind of narrow-minded," Chestnut said ... "He's picking low hanging fruit."

"It's easy to criticize something ... he could easily criticize NASCAR for greenhouse gas emissions."

Chestnut says at the end of the day, the amount of food consumed at the competition is "very small" -- and notes that Major League Eating is very involved in donating to food banks around the country.

Swizz Beatz is raining on President Trump's inaugural July 4 military parade ... calling the grand display nothing more than a spoiled child showing off shiny new toys. 

We got Swizz at LAX and with Independence Day right around the corner ... had to ask about Trump's burning desire to put America's military capabilities on full display in the streets of Washington D.C.

Fair to say, Swizz ain't a fan ... so you gotta see his reaction. The hip-hop mega producer thinks Trump was inspired by his BFF, Kim Jong-un ... who's known for overseeing similar military parades. 

Tanks have been rolling into D.C. this week ahead of Fourth of July's "Salute to America" ... and there will be aerial demonstrations from the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and, of course, fireworks. 

Swizz says while the military parade is out of the norm for American history, he thinks it's pretty much par for the course ... and fits in with the current reality TV atmosphere in The White House. 

Disney is changing with the times, and that requires deleting a casting couch-like scene from "Toy Story 2" that's eerily reminiscent to scores of allegations against Harvey Weinstein.

The scene in question is a produced "outtake" at the end of the 1999 film showing the character Stinky Pete the Prospector down on one knee chatting up 2 Barbie dolls. Pete tells 'em he can get them parts in "Toy Story 3" while ogling them from head to toe.

Fans who buy new Blu-ray and digital versions of the animated film will notice the scene's completely been scrapped -- a clear acknowledgment by Disney a lot has changed in 20 years.

Of course, the so-called casting couch practices in Hollywood were publicly exposed when a string of actors -- from Ashley Judd and Paz de la Huerta to Lupita Nyong'o -- all accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct.

Accusations against the movie mogul sparked the #MeToo movement ... and triggered a string of firings and resignations throughout show biz, including at Disney.

Sherri Shepherd's ex is nuclear over her scathing radio interview targeting him ... and he's accusing her of being vindictive and bitter.

Lamar Sally is clapping back days after Sherri hopped on D.L. Hughley's radio show and eviscerated Lamar ... saying she married the "sorry-ass dude" because she was lonely in the early days of her career on "The View."

Lamar tells TMZ ... Sherri's got it twisted, saying, "I will not have you lie that the only reason you married me and brought our son into the world was because you were lonely or horny. We had a good marriage and our son was conceived out of love from both parents."

Sherri confessed during the interview that just about everyone -- from Whoopi Goldberg to Steve Harvey -- told her to give Lamar the boot. Sherri said the red flags seemed obvious to all, including to Whoopi who decided NOT to attend Lamar and Sherri's wedding in 2011. It took less than 3 years for Sherri to file for divorce ... and then things got really nasty.

As we reported ... Sherri claimed Lamar defrauded her into getting a surrogate to carry a baby, just so he could get child support. She ended up shelling out $4,100 per month but she's disavowed their 5-year-old son, Lamar Jr. ever since.

On that note ... Lamar says Sherri abandoning their son is between her and her God. Lamar adds he's been put through hell over the last few years ... claiming Sherri's lied about his character and sabotaged his career. He says she effectively blackballed him from getting TV writing gigs, but he doesn't get specific. 

Team USA soccer star Megan Rapinoe is dating WNBA superstar Sue Bird ... and Sue just ripped President Donald Trump a new one for the way he went after Rapinoe online. 

"So the President f*cking hates my girlfriend," Sue screamed in a headline she penned for The Players' Tribune.  

The article essentially gives people a window into their lives in the days after Trump went on Twitter and scolded Rapinoe about focusing on winning before criticizing him. 

Remember, the whole thing started when Rapinoe said she would never go to the "f*cking White House" to celebrate with Trump if Team USA wins the World Cup. 

Trump fired back on Twitter ... saying, "Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!"

He added, "Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team."

Enter Bird ... who admitted she "[freaked] out a little]" when she saw Trump's tweet -- describing the whole exchange as "WEIRD." She compares Trump's actions to a "full adolescent boy."

"I mean, some of it is kind of funny," Bird wrote ... "but like in a REALLY? REALLY? THIS GUY??? kind of way."

"Like, dude -- there’s nothing better demanding your attention?? It would be ridiculous to the point of laughter, if it wasn’t so gross. (And if his legislations and policies weren’t ruining the lives of so many innocent people.)."

"And then what’s legitimately scary, I guess, is like ... how it’s not just his tweets. Because now suddenly you’ve got all these MAGA peeps getting hostile in your mentions. And you’ve got all these crazy blogs writing terrible things about this person you care so much about. And now they’re doing takedowns of Megan on Fox News, and who knows whatever else. It’s like an out-of-body experience, really -- that’s how I’d describe it. That’s how it was for me."

Of course, Rapinoe seemed unfazed by the situation when she took the field to play France on Friday -- scoring 2 GOALS in a fantastic performance. 

"She shrugged off the Rude Man on Twitter and managed to play ... I'd say pretty well," Bird said. 

Rapinoe and Team USA are set to take on England at 12 PM PT on Tuesday -- and Bird says Megan is CONVINCED they're not just gonna win that game, but take home the Cup and celebrate back in the USA. 

Here's a lesson in supply and demand ... 

After Nike recalled their special Betsy Ross Flag Air Max 1 USA sneakers, DEMAND EXPLODED ... with several leaked pairs selling for more than $2,000!!! 

The shoes were originally supposed to be released on June 29 with a $120 price tag -- but after Colin Kaepernick reached out to Nike to express concerns with the design, the Swoosh ordered retailers to pull the kicks and send them back to headquarters. 

The move almost immediately caused the shoe value to skyrocket with collectors because they essentially became a limited edition shoe ... with very few pairs getting through to consumers. 

We checked out the website StockX -- a super popular streetwear auction site -- and one pair of the Betsy Ross kicks sold for $2,501 ... a Size 8. 

A pair of Size 10.5s and a pair of Size 9s sold for $2,000 each. Another 10.5 sold for $1,750. A few pairs of Size 10s have sold in the $1,200 range.  

Another seller claims they have a pair of Size 10s and they're asking $6,974 -- but who knows if they'll actually get it.  

Before the news about Colin Kaepernick's involvement went public, the shoes had been reselling in the $250 range ... but the news about CK caused a massive shift and they're still on fire. 

As we previously reported, Colin went to Nike with concerns about the Betsy Ross 13-star design on the shoes ... a design that's recently been co-opted by several white nationalist groups. 

Nike ultimately felt Colin's point was valid and issued a recall. It's unclear exactly how many pairs slipped through and got to the public. 

Jussie Smollett's camp is very upset over what they believe are untrue stories about what actually went down in January, when he says he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.

Sources directly tied to Smollett say the media has mischaracterized a text he sent to Abel Osundairo 4 days before the incident, where he said, "Might need your help on the low. You around to meet up and talk face to face?"

Our sources say Smollett insists the texts had nothing to do with a fake attack. Instead, he says the text was referencing a herbal steroid that reduces belly fat that was illegal in the U.S. According to his camp, Smollett said he wanted Abel to buy the pills when he went to Nigeria. And they note, shortly after receiving the text, Abel googled "banned supplements" and "steroids" on his phone.

Our sources go on to say ... Jussie's camp is also upset about a phone call the actor made to Abel after the incident. They say the media made it look like Jussie and Abel were in an ongoing conspiracy to make the "attack" seem real. The sources say the call was to give Abel a heads up  detectives would be calling him to corroborate Jussie's timeline ... which includes a call Jussie made to Abel earlier in the evening to set up a training session the next day.

And, we're told Jussie's camp is especially upset at the Police Superintendent who claimed his wounds were self-inflicted, claiming Jussie didn't mention anything to the doorman as he entered his apartment building after the incident. Jussie's camp says the record is clear ... the doorman mentioned the cuts on his face, and Jussie responded, "I was just jumped."

The sources say ... Jussie's camp believes Abel's own words after the incident prove the attack was real. Abel texted him hours after the alleged attack, after it became public, "Bruh say it ain't true. I'm praying for speedy recovery. S**t is wild. [prayer emoji]."

Also, the sources say Jussie's camp is upset the media jumped on his initial statement that his attackers were white. They point to a security guard at the nearby Sheraton hotel who saw the 2 alleged assailants running from the scene wearing ski masks. The guard flashed a light at one of them, saw his eyes and nose bridge and told cops the person was white. 

Dez Bryant says he's got Kareem Hunt's back -- telling TMZ Sports he's putting all of his support behind the troubled running back ... explaining, "Everybody goes through problems."

We broke the story ... Hunt spoke with police Saturday night after a "small argument" with a friend outside of a Cleveland bar. He wasn't arrested but it ain't the best look considering Hunt's past. 

When we saw Dez leaving Peppermint in L.A. on Monday evening, he made it clear he's riding with the Cleveland Browns running back because he thinks he's a good dude. 

"To be truthfully honest, I'm a huge fan of Kareem hunt, believe it or not," Bryant said ... "Things happen, ain't nobody perfect."

He continued ... "At the end of the day, that guy's gonna have a successful career, just because of who he is. Everybody goes through problems, we get over 'em. We live and we learn."

Of course, Hunt is on thin ice with the Browns -- which signed him to a "zero-tolerance" contract in the wake of a violent altercation with a woman at an Ohio hotel in 2018. Hunt has said he understands the gravity of the situation and said he was getting professional help to stay on the right track. 

The NFL has suspended Hunt for the first 8 games of the 2019 NFL season -- but Bryant says he expects the guy to ball out when he returns. 

"Shout-out to Kareem Hunt. He's gonna have a hell of a year. As soon as he gets reinstated, he's gonna do his thing. That's just who he is."

As for Dez, the 30-year-old wide out says he's feeling great after an Achilles injury that sidelined him for the 2018 season. 

Lil Nas X is not going to be ostracized by the rap community simply for coming out ... at least according to record executive and producer Irv Gotti, who says times are a changin'.

We got the Murder Inc. Records honcho in New York City and ask him about the industry's reaction to the rapper announcing he's gay. Irv tells us it ain't that big of a deal ... not these days, anyway. 

As we first reported ... the 20-year-old "Old Town Road" sensation felt inspired to tell the world his truth Sunday night after performing in front of a MASSIVE crowd in England, going on social media on the last day of Pride month to announce he's gay. 

Irv, who's produced tons of hits for hip-hop titans over the past 25 years, says it would've been much harder for Lil Nas X to come out back in the day ... but now, it's not too shocking.

David Eason made a 911 call claiming his mother-in-law locked his 2-year-old daughter in a bedroom and couldn't get the door open ... and he asked dispatch to also get child services involved.

According to dispatch audio obtained by TMZ ... David says Jenelle Evans' mother, Barbara, locked their little girl, Ensley, in a room so she could take a shower. David claims Barbara was unable to get the door open and Ensley was freaking out.

David was not at Barbara's home when he made the call ... but says Jenelle's 9-year-old son, Jace, is the one who told him what happened when Ensley was locked in. Jace also lives with Barbara.

David also asks the dispatch operator to file a report with child protective services ... but the operator says David needed to do that independently. We don't know if he followed through and called CPS.

A source tells us Barbara was eventually able to get Ensley out on her own.

As we've reported ... David and Jenelle lost custody of her 3 kids after he shot and killed the family dog, and Barbara is looking after 2 of them. 

In another recent 911 call obtained by TMZ ... Jenelle asked police to conduct a welfare check at Barbara's home. Jenelle says she had called Barbara to check on her kids and heard lots of screaming and yelling in the background. She says Barbara hung up and wouldn't answer her calls.

Lil Nas X coming out is going to have a ripple effect that will save the lives of LGBT youth across the country ... so says Milan Christopher.

We got the ex-"Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" star in Los Angeles and ask his thoughts on the rapper revealing he's gay. Milan says it's going to be an inspiration for kids and teens who are being bullied because of their sexuality. 

TMZ broke the story ... the 20-year-old "Old Town Road" rapper became inspired to share his truth with the world on Sunday after performing with Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus in front of a HUGE crowd in England, hopping on Twitter on the final day of Pride Month to say he's gay. 

Milan -- who is gay -- tells us Nas' surprise announcement is going to be a life saver, because he says the suicide rates for LGBT teens are through the roof, and a successful celeb coming out as gay will send a strong message to kids.