Controversial S#!T

Karamo Brown's willing to forgive Mario Lopez for making comments he believes are harmful to transgender youth and their parents ... but he's not fully letting him off the hook yet.

The "Queer Eye" star was outside 'GMA' in NYC Thursday when we asked what he thought about Lopez issuing an apology, in which he admitted his remarks were "ignorant and insensitive."

Karamo tells us that's a good first step, but thinks the TV host needs to further his education on the topic ... and Brown's willing to be his teacher. In fact, he's already sent an open invite to Mario to hit him up.

Karamo's costar, Jonathan Van Ness, has been way more critical of Lopez since the comments he made in a June interview with Candace Owens went viral. Mario said it was "dangerous” for parents to trust their children when they challenge the gender they’re presumed to be at birth.

Jonathan tweeted ... "If you’re not raising a child who is part of the LGBTQ+ community you should really be quiet. You don’t need to understand what you do not know." He also accused Mario of "casual transphobia" and being small-minded, and said his "lack of understanding and need to judge" is what leads to violence against the community.

MLB just suspended 8 people for that insane bench-clearing brawl in Cincinnati ... including Reds pitcher Amir Garrett, who basically tried to fight the entire Pittsburgh Pirates team.

Garrett was hit with an 8-GAME suspension for running over to the Pirates dugout Tuesday night and singlehandedly trying to fight ... well, everyone.

Yasiel Puig -- who was on the Reds at the time of the incident -- got 3 GAMES for bull-charging over to the brawl and trying to fight everyone.

During the game, Puig was traded to the Cleveland Indians ... so he'll serve his suspension with them.

Here's how the rest of the suspensions shook out ...

-- Pirates pitcher Keone Kela got 10 GAMES for intentionally throwing a 97 MPH fastball at Derek Dietrich's head in the 7th inning.

-- Reds pitcher Jared Hughes got 3 GAMES for throwing at a Pirates player in reponse to Kela throwing at Dietrich.

-- Pirates infielder Jose Osuna got 5 GAMES for "aggressive and inappropriate actions" during the fight ... which is a fancy way of saying, "5 for fighting."

-- Pirates pitcher Kyle Crick got 3 GAMES for fighting

-- Reds manager David Bell got 6 GAMES for a combination of things including allowing his pitcher to intentionally throw at an opposing batter, escalating the brawl and returning to the field after he was ejected

-- Pirates manager Clint Hurdle got 2 GAMES for allowing his pitcher to throw at opposing batters multiple times.

Everyone on the MLB's naughty list also received undisclosed fines -- along with several other players involved in the brawl including Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams and Reds 1B Joey Votto.

MLB exec Joe Torre issued a scathing statement ripping everyone involved in the fight ... and it sounds like a really disappointed parent:

"The incidents between these two Clubs remain a source of concern, and it’s reflected by the level of discipline we are handing down today," Torre said.

"Everyone on the field should be aware of the example they are setting for fans, particularly young people. I firmly expect these two managers and all others to hold their players accountable for appropriate conduct and to guide them in the right direction."

Smokey Robinson would like the real, good Republicans to please stand up ... because he says it's up to them to rid the country of its "canker sore" President.

We got the Motown icon at LAX Wednesday night and asked him about John Legend's profanity-laced tirade about Donald Trump ... Smokey seems to second that emotion, though way more low-key.

Robinson tells us he doesn't feel compelled to get too political himself, though ... because at this point anyone who's logical knows what needs to be done. The problem -- he says Republicans aren't listening to logic and speaking up.

Smokey goes on to slam the GOP for putting its party first and the good of the U.S. second ... and suggests its members are either afraid of something or obsessed with power.

Jason Momoa stood tall, proud, intimidating and determined to NOT allow any construction to happen atop Hawaii's tallest mountain.

The "Aquaman" star joined thousands Wednesday on their 17th day of blocking a road that leads construction crews to Mauna Kea's summit ... where crews plan to build a 30-meter telescope. Jason was flanked by his children ... son, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa, and daughter, Lola Momoa, both of whom were wrapped in native flags.

Jason -- who was born in Hawaii -- wore a crown and green leaf lei around his neck. He told the crowd he was honored to be there and followed with, "We are not going anywhere," which drew a roaring ovation.

As we reported ... Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson joined the group last week and said, "It's bigger than a telescope. It's humanity. It's culture." Native Hawaiian groups, of course, are worried the construction site will damage land they consider sacred. The astronomers behind the Thirty Meter Telescope want to put it on Mauna Kea's summit because it has the best conditions in the Northern Hemisphere.

Damian Marley was also there over the weekend ... singing his famous dad's classics while reminding the masses they're doing important work.

Marianne Williamson thinks Don Lemon went low when he asked what makes her "qualified" to tackle the issue of slavery reparations, and says she's not backing down from him or anyone else on the campaign trail.

The Presidential candidate joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday after what some call a resounding victory for her in the latest Democratic debate. In particular, she took umbrage with the way CNN's Lemon attempted to grill her about her plan to spend up to $500 billion on reparations.

Williamson admitted Lemon's tone rubbed her the wrong way, and told us his question is a symptom of exactly what's wrong with Presidential politics in America -- namely, toxic arrogance on the part of traditional politicians and political pundits.

If you missed it ... the tension between Don and Marianne was palpable during the debate as soon as he asked the question.

Marianne's unique voice clearly struck a chord with voters Tuesday night -- she was the most Googled candidate during the debate -- and she tells us she refuses to let Lemon "diminish" her viewpoint.

The guy who knocked out Future's bodyguard with a flying blindside punch claims there's more to the story than the video shows ... and he was just protecting his friends.

As you'll recall ... the bodyguard was attacked last week at the Ibiza Airport after an altercation between the rapper and a group of guys carried over onto the street.

The man who threw the punch, Marcus, tells TMZ ... he and his buddies had just landed and noticed Future, so one of his pals asked for a picture. He claims Future responded with, "Suck my d**k."

Marcus admits his crew fired back at Future with some rudeness of their own, but says they were ready to leave and let it go ... but the bodyguard wasn't.

He claims the rapper's hired muscle followed them outside to the taxi line, and kept insulting and harassing them -- and even said he'd die for Future -- before inviting them to come around the corner to fight. Marcus' point is the guy was practically begging for it.

Marcus says the bodyguard continued to follow them in a threatening manner, and because he's a big guy and they didn't know what he was capable of ... he launched a preemptive strike.

The Brit also denies there was anything racially charged about the incident, and says his friends at the airport were predominantly black ... including the guy who shot the video. He's insistent he personally didn't drop any racial slurs.

As we told you ... Future's bodyguard isn't pressing charges for the assault and the Civil Guard of Spain will not investigate unless somebody does. Marcus claims he and his friends were detained by airport police shortly after the incident ... but were cut loose once cops reviewed security footage.

R. Kelly just filed legal docs blasting his alleged victims, referring to them as "disgruntled groupies."

The singer's docs ask a federal judge to release him before his pending trial. His lawyers say he does not represent a threat, because they claim the allegations against him are bogus. In explaining their position, they say the "groupies sought out Robert's attention, even fought each other for it, voluntarily contacted him, came to his shows, pined to be with him ..."

R. Kelly's lawyer, Douglas Anton, doesn't stop there. He claims in the doc the government is trying to paint a picture of a nefarious pattern, but it all amounts to "five disgruntled groupies, not all of which are alleged to be underage, who now show groupie remorse so many years later and only after a TV Show and an aggressive, vocal Cook County prosecutor makes a public cry for 'victims come forth,' tell your story and be famous."

And, there's more ... R. Kelly's team zeroes in on one of the alleged victims who was not a minor when she first had contact with him. They say she came to his door and "wanted him so much that she alleges that she did not require or even request that a condom be used." As for her allegation Kelly gave her herpes ... Kelly's lawyers say she was "admittedly promiscuous," and the feds never looked into how many other sexual partners she had.

John Legend is going to war with President Trump, the gloves are off and it's a full-on street fight ... the singer is calling the President a 'piece of s***' and a canker sore on this country.

The EGOT winner was leaving Peppermint nightclub Tuesday night in WeHo, where he was coming in hot on DT on the way out -- and it's truly something to behold. We know John isn't a fan of the Prez, but we've never seen him swinging quite like this.

He lashes out in a profanity-laced tirade against Trump, and it appears his recent comments about Baltimore and its representative in Congress, Elijah Cummings, is what set him off.

ICYMI ... Trump called Baltimore a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" over the weekend, as well as a "dangerous & filthy place" -- criticizing Rep. Cummings for bashing the southern border sitch instead of tending to his own district. He's doubled down since then.

Trump's latest perceived attacks against people of color seems to be the final straw for John -- who absolutely insists to our camera guy ... "We need to get him out of office."

UFC star Colby Covington says he'll have major Trump support when he fights Robbie Lawler on Saturday ... claiming Donald Trump's two oldest sons will be sitting in the front row.

Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, will be on hand at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ ... along with Eric Trump, Covington says.

"They're gonna be front row at my fight this weekend when I retire Robbie Lawler," Covington says ... "This is official."

Covington is a VERY outspoken Donald Trump supporter -- not only has he met with President Trump at the White House, his red MAGA hat has become a staple in his wardrobe.

In fact, Colby tells TMZ Sports ... he's a loyal soldier in the MAGA army and would do anything to help POTUS. He's even offered to follow in Dana White's footsteps and speak at the next Republican National Convention.

Colby also says he thinks Donald would be a GREAT fighter because "he has bricks for hands" ... insisting "this guy could knock somebody out with one punch."

Colby takes on Robbie in the main event at "UFC on ESPN 5" on August 3 ... and if Colby wins, he'll likely get a title shot against UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, so there's a lot on the line for him.

Colin Kaepernick is stoked his former teammate is continuing on with the national anthem protests this year ... shouting out Panthers safety Eric Reid as "unwavering" for carrying on the kneeling.

"Unrelenting. Unflinching. Unapologetic," Kaepernick added. "Love you Brother!"

Kaepernick first started kneeling during the 'Star Spangled Banner' back in 2016 when he was the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback. He was later joined in that protest by then-teammate Reid.

After Kap was cut by the Niners ... Reid continued to protest in the NFL -- even after he was signed by Carolina last season.

But, after Reid and Kap both settled their collusion cases against the NFL earlier this year ... many wondered if Eric would keep up the protests.

Turns out, he will -- telling reporters this week at Panthers camp, "If a day comes that I feel like we’ve addressed those issues, and our people aren’t being discriminated against or being killed over traffic violations, then I’ll decide it’s time to stop protesting."

"I haven’t seen that happen."

Colin is clearly loving the message, 'cause he shouted out Reid on his social media page.

Even Kaepernick's girlfriend, Nessa, posted to her social media page praising the defensive star for keeping up the kneeling.

Damian Marley is joining the heated protests over new construction atop Hawaii's tallest mountain ... and he's doing it with some Bob Marley classics.

Damian and thousands of protesters continued putting on the pressure to halt the construction of a 30-meter telescope on Mauna Kea. Damian, who has been visiting Hawaii for nearly three decades, visited the base of the mountain over the weekend to put on a show.

We're told Damian spoke to the masses and reminded them the work they're doing is immensely important. He also told them he can relate ... due to a similar situation that went down in Jamaica when some Rastafarians were pushed out of their sacred land.

As we reported ... Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson joined the group last week. Native Hawaiian groups are worried the construction will harm a site they consider sacred.

We're told Damian, who had recently performed shows in Maui and Oahu ... decided to get over to the Big Island to hang with protesters for several hours. He performed some of his own songs along with some of his father's legendary tracks, including "Get Up, Stand Up" -- a worldwide anthem for human rights. He also performed "Crazy Baldheads" and "Positive Vibration."

A$AP Rocky is finally getting his day in court ... entering a not guilty plea in a Swedish court, and his family's also there showing support.

A$AP's mother, Renee Black, was escorted through the crowd of reporters, photographers and onlookers outside the Stockholm courthouse Tuesday morning.

Once the trial began, the rapper's attorney told the judge A$AP is pleading not guilty to assault, and said his client was acting in self-defense.

The trial is continuing ... so check back here for updates. The trial could go for up to 2 more days, but it's unclear if prosecutors and A$AP's team will need that much time to present their cases.

As you know ... A$AP has been in custody since early July, getting detained after turning himself in to Swedish authorities following a street brawl in the nation's capital. He was officially charged with assault last week, and he faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison.

However, the prosecutor told TMZ he will NOT recommend the full 2 year sentence if A$AP is convicted. A panel of 4 judges will hear the case, and at least 3 of them must rule an assault was committed for a conviction. In the event of a tie, the prosecutor can ask for a new trial. If A$AP is convicted, a judge will decide his sentence a week later.

As we've reported ... the man who attacked Rocky's crew in Stockholm will NOT be prosecuted for any crime, even though video appears to show the alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari, actually inciting the violence by harassing A$AP and his crew.

In the first video from the incident ... you clearly see Jafari strike A$AP's bodyguard in the head with a pair of headphones. Meanwhile, A$AP played peacemaker, trying to defuse the situation and saying no one wants to go to jail.

One of the men testifying against A$AP Rocky in Sweden -- a witness to the street brawl -- has his own serious legal trouble, but, mysteriously, his case seems to now be on the back burner.

As we previously reported, A$AP's alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari -- the guy in the video who got tossed like a rag doll -- was convicted of assault in 2016 for striking a guy in the face on the streets of Stockholm.

Now, we've learned Jafari's buddy, Dawod Hosseini -- who's set to take the stand in support of Jafari -- was just arrested this month for theft. In fact, Hosseini was busted 2 weeks AFTER A$AP was hauled into custody.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Hosseini was arrested July 19 for shoplifting two high-priced jackets from a Swedish clothing store. The docs also say cops found a knife on him during the arrest.

Hosseini's remained in custody ever since then, but he's scheduled to testify in Rocky's 3-day trial, which begins Tuesday. Sources familiar tell us Hosseini's own trial has been delayed just so he can weigh-in on A$AP's case, as a witness for the prosecution.

Ya gotta think both men -- Hosseini and Jafari -- will be vulnerable, to say the least, if the judge permits A$AP's attorneys to raise their records during cross examination. Remember, there's already the video showing Jafari using headphones to strike one of A$AP's bodyguards before the all-out brawl started.

Jason Momoa is NOT the guy who gives a rat's ass what people on the Internet say -- especially when it comes to body-shaming trolls -- and his birthday celebration proves it.

The "Aquaman" star, who turns 40 on Thursday, was shaking off the haters when we saw him Monday at LAX ... and instead chose to focus on the awesome friends who helped kick off his birthday festivities.

Jason tells us the Guinness Ale flavored cake served at his recent surprise party was "amazing" ... and he has no regrets, even if haters see it as more ammo to call-out his alleged "dad bod."

Yeah, it's ridiculous ... and Jason's clearly paying it no mind. He even says if we're patient ... he'll proudly put more Momoa dad bod on display soon. Fingers crossed!

As we reported ... the ridiculous comments came after he was spotted in Venice with his wife, Lisa Bonet -- and some idiots said the actor looked little more doughy and needed to get back to the gym.

Jason says it amounts to a big nothing, though, and then he was kind enough to humor our cameraman about being his stuntman.

Meanwhile, Momoa will continue to enjoy his life at almost 40 and beyond, surrounded by friends and loved ones ... including Ian Somerhalder and his "Game of Thrones" costar, Emilia Clarke.

Take that, trolls.

Kyler Murray's height won't keep him from reaching NFL greatness ... so says the shortest NBA player EVER -- Muggsy Bogues!!!

The Arizona Cardinals' #1 overall draft pick's height -- listed at 5'10" -- has been the center of criticism since Murray declared for the draft ... with some saying he'll struggle as an NFL QB.

Enter 5'3" Bogues -- who played 14 years in the NBA, despite having his fair share of doubters -- who says those critics will be eating their words ... 'cause Murray is a stud!!

"Kyler Murray is an unbelievable athlete," Bogues says. "Anybody that's undervaluing his size and underestimating his talent, they're in for a rude awakening when the season comes."

Fitness superstar Jeremy Buendia -- who won Mr. Olympia Physique in 2014, '15, '16 and '17 -- is suing a YouTube star over bombshell videos accusing Buendia of beating women.

Buendia -- who has close to 3 million followers on IG -- claims he's been defamed by YouTube star Kenny K.O. (real name Kenny Boulet) in a series of videos on Kenny's YouTube page.

Long story short, Kenny posts videos about the fitness industry and in some of the videos posted in early 2019, he claims he's found evidence proving Buendia is a violent maniac.

In his first video, titled "This Video Will Make You H8 Jeremy Buendia" -- Kenny reads DMs from a person named "Jayden" who claimed he worked with Jeremy and witnessed the bodybuilder physically and emotionally abuse two woman.

The problem ... Buendia claims the allegations are "false" and "outrageous" and have harmed his life and career.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Buendia also claims Kenny posted a follow-up video called "Jeremy's Response to The Uncovered Accusations" ... which did NOT contain an actual response from someone authorized to speak on his behalf.

Buendia claims his lawyers reached out to Kenny to demand he remove the videos but Kenny refused.

Now, Jeremy is suing Kenny for more than $1,000,000 for defamation and more.

Buendia is also suing 2 other people -- Jerdani Kraja who allegedly posted another video defaming Jeremy, and Chad Nutsch who provided an unauthorized and false comment to Kenny, claiming he was doing so on Jeremy's behalf.

We should note Kenny featured a video interview with a woman who claims she dated Jeremy -- and she says on camera that Jeremy physically abused her. However, she is NOT named a defendant in this lawsuit.