Controversial S#!T

Chris Cuomo became the target of some serious heat after jokingly assuming female pronouns during an LGBTQ town hall event ... and then offering up a quick apology.

Cuomo was one of several CNN personalities to take the stage Thursday with Democratic candidates to discuss issues facing the LGBTQ community. Kamala Harris joined Cuomo on the stage and announced, "My pronouns are she/her/hers."

Cuomo mockingly replied, "Mine too." Harris responded with, "Alright."

The backlash on social media was immediate ... and Cuomo apologized, tweeting, "PLEASE READ: When Sen. Harris said her pronouns were she her and her's, I said mine too. I should not have. I apologize. I am an ally of the LGBTQ community, and I am sorry because I am committed to helping us achieve equality. Thank you for watching our townhall."

Gia Gunn's calling BS on Trisha Paytas -- not just for announcing she's transgender ... but for her ensuing apology she believes was just an attempt to save face.

The "RuPaul's Drag Race" star tells TMZ she doesn't believe for a second that Paytas is transgender, and says Trisha telling us she's not transitioning is obvious ... because she's not legit.

Gia says it's clear Trisha's behavior is that of a YouTuber using clickbait to gain followers, NOT a transgender person. She concedes Paytas may have some conflicted feelings -- including penis envy -- but doesn't buy her identifying as a man.

Prince's estate is furious with President Trump after he played "Purple Rain" at a rally ... almost exactly a year to the date when Trump's campaign agreed to stop playing the late singer's music.

Trump was in Prince's hometown of Minneapolis Thursday at the Target Center. Before the rally started, "Purple Rain" played throughout the arena on loudspeakers.

The decision to play the famous Prince song pissed off the singer's estate, who in a statement said, "President Trump played Prince’s 'Purple Rain' tonight at a campaign event in Minneapolis despite confirming a year ago that the campaign would not use Prince’s music. The Prince Estate will never give permission to President Trump to use Prince’s songs."

It was just last October when attorneys for Prince's Estate fired off a letter to Trump's team, demanding they never play a Prince song again. In a letter back to the estate, Trump's campaign agreed to never play Prince again ... but that agreement was broken Thursday.

FOX News anchor Harris Faulkner and contributor Angela McGlowan are getting sued by a makeup artist at the channel for allegedly discriminating against him because he's gay.

According to docs, Juan Legramandi claims McGlowan entered a green room in February 2018 and walked past him and another openly gay stylist -- and said, "Ugh! It's like Sodom and Gomorrah in here!"

Juan also claims in September 2017 he was doing Faulkner's hair when a news story involving Hispanic women crossing the southern U.S. border came on a nearby TV. In the suit, obtained by TMZ, he says Faulkner launched into a xenophobic, anti-Latino tirade ... which allegedly included the statement, "Hispanic women are so ignorant."

He says he was shocked and told Faulkner, his mother is Hispanic and he'd been born in Colombia. He claims Faulkner responded, "Your family is from a third world country."

Juan says he filed a complaint with Human Resources at FOX News but claims nothing was done.

After he filed that report, he claims, Jill Van Why -- Senior VP of programming operations -- told him, in June 2018, everyone is replaceable ... which he took as a threat.

Juan says he was later fired -- the lawsuit doesn't mention the date -- by Van Why and Marsheila Hayes, a VP of diversity and inclusion at FOX News.

Antonio Brown has such a great relationship with the police in Hollywood, Florida ... they're letting him work out on their official football field -- and he looks damn good.

Check out this footage of AB running routes and catching passes during a Thursday afternoon workout ... he's clearly the best unemployed WR on the planet.

When we started digging around about the location of the workout, we learned the venue is the official football field of the Hollywood Police Athletic League.

We called the HPAL and a staffer told us AB has been working out there for years -- since his Pittsburgh Steelers days -- and he's got a great reputation with the cops.

In other words, they're happy to host Brown while he tries to get back in the NFL.

What's weird is that Brown is alleged to have raped a woman in Hollywood, Florida in 2018 -- and while the accuser never filed a criminal complaint against him, her civil lawsuit is currently active.

For the record, Brown has adamantly denied the allegations against him.

Brooke Nevils, the woman accusing Matt Lauer of anally raping her, is now blasting him for "bullying" her with his open letter -- but pics of her in NYC show she's also moved on to a new relationship.

Brooke and her BF, President of a political strategy company, shared a kiss Wednesday as they parted ways in NYC. Brooke hopped in a town car afterward and headed for dinner at Nobu. She only responded with a "no comment" when reporters and photogs asked her about the Lauer allegations.

It was a big day for Brooke because Ronan Farrow's book was released. In "Catch and Kill," she goes public with her claim Lauer anally raped her during a 2014 encounter in his hotel room while they were covering the Sochi Olympics for NBC.

Charles Barkley is going scorched earth on "idiots" who are criticizing the NBA's handling of the China situation ... calling people "jackasses" and hypocrites for blasting the league!!

The ex-NBA superstar says he can't believe the way people are coming at Adam Silver ... saying there are BILLIONS of dollars on the line, and he understands why the league is trying to finesse its way through the drama.

In fact, Barkley says those criticizing the association are a bunch of hypocrites ... saying the same people who grilled Colin Kaepernick for taking a stance are now the ones hating on the NBA for NOT taking one!

"First of all, you guys have been killing Colin Kaepernick for the last X amount of years," Barkley said on the 'Dan Patrick Show' on Thursday.

"Now, all the sudden you want to control what happens in a foreign country?"

If you missed it ... Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey incited an international controversy just a few days ago when he tweeted his support for protesters in Hong Kong.

For the most part ... NBA players and execs have shied away from backing Morey -- and Barkley says he certainly gets why.

"They have billions of dollars at stake," Barkley says. "It's a business decision. I understand the NBA. The players and the owners both got billions of dollars at stake."

As for those who don't get it ... he didn't hold back on ripping them, by calling them "idiots and jackasses and fools."

LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard and the rest of the Lakers have taken the floor at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai to play an NBA game, despite protesters at the venue.

With the Chinese government fuming at the NBA over Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey's support of Hong Kong, there were questions if this game would even happen.

But, it's definitely going down right now ... the Lakers are taking on the Brooklyn Nets in one of the most controversial preseason games ever ... since it's now at the center of an International incident.

Protesters outside of the arena held Chinese flags and a sign reading, "F*ck You Morey."

Inside, it seems to be a different story ... with fans cheering LeBron and wearing jerseys of their favorite NBA teams. Some fans even painted their faces.

LeBron was wearing headphones while warming up, seemingly to tune out the noise surrounding the game.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is currently in Shanghai trying to salvage the league's relationship with China but it doesn't seem to be going great right now.

China has already blacklisted the Houston Rockets and have removed NBA signage from around the country.

The answer to the international crap storm of an incident between the NBA and China ... well, it's Dennis Rodman, according to, Dennis Rodman.

In case you somehow haven't heard ... China's relationship with the NBA is super strained after Rockets GM Daryl Morey expressed support for protesters in Hong Kong.

China cut bait with the NBA -- and that's a HUGE financial blow for the league -- but all may not be lost.

Enter, The Worm.

Rodman posted a video on Twitter Wednesday ... calling on the NBA to put him on a plane to China so he can smooth over the situation.

"Commissioner Adam Silver, I know a thing or two about diplomacy. Book me a ticket to Shanghai with you, Ambassador Rodman."

In the video, Dennis is holding 2 images ... a photo of him and President Trump, and another of him and Kim Jong-Un.

That's the thing ... if nothing else, Rodman does have personal relationships with some very powerful people.

Maybe it's just crazy enough to work???

The Atlanta Braves did NOT pass out their traditional foam tomahawks prior to Game 5 of the NLDS on Wednesday ... after St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley -- a member of the Cherokee tribe -- spoke out against the promotion.

FYI -- the Braves have passed out the foam tomahawks on each seat in the stadium for postseason games in the past ... and adopted the accompanying chant from Florida State when Deion Sanders played for Atlanta in the 1990s.

Helsley made it clear he wasn't a fan of the props -- or the "Tomahawk Chop" chant that comes with it -- earlier in the Cards' series with ATL ... saying it misrepresents Native Americans.

"[It] just depicts them in this kind of caveman-type people way who aren't intellectual," Helsley told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Presidential candidate Julian Castro says the NBA should seize the opportunity to push America's constitutional principles in China, even if it ends up costing the league millions.

The Democratic hopeful came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to discuss the international feud between the league and the Republic, over Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey's comment supporting Hong Kong protesters.

Julian firmly believes the NBA -- and other American companies doing biz in China -- have to draw an ethical line in the sand ... even if that means pressuring a foreign country to adopt America's ideals about freedom of speech and the right to protest.

President Trump is BLASTING Steve Kerr ... calling him a hypocrite who acted like a scared little boy when asked to comment on the relationship between the NBA and China.

If you missed it, Rockets GM Daryl Morey sparked an international crap show when he Tweeted support for protesters in Hong Kong ... infuriating China.

Since Morey fired off the Tweet, the NBA has done virtually everything to get back in China's good graces ... with team owners, the commish and even James Harden apologizing.

Fast-forward to earlier this week ... Warriors head coach Steve Kerr -- who's extremely outspoken when it comes to American politics -- was asked if he had a comment on the China/NBA situation ... and he didn't exactly take a hard stance.

"Um, actually, I don't, I mean, it's a really, it's a really bizarre international story, and a lot of us don't know what to make of it, so um, it's something I'm reading about, just like everybody is. But, I'm not gonna comment further."

Oakland Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict had support from his coach and star QB during his appeal of a season-ending suspension … with Jon Gruden and Derek Carr vouching for the controversial player.

Burfict was banned from the league for the remainder of the 2019-2020 season after his violent helmet-to-helmet hit on Colts tight end Jack Doyle during their Week 4 match-up.

The 29-year-old spoke with league officials for more than an hour on Wednesday ... in an attempt to get back sooner than next season.

According to ESPN's Josina Anderson, the Raiders pointed out that despite Burfict's violent history, he hadn’t been flagged in over 190 plays ... until the one against Doyle.

Burfict himself reportedly broke down the play in question, explaining why the hit happened and emphasizing that he was not trying to injure Doyle.

The Raiders also pointed out that Burfict has been trying to change his playing style and was named team captain for his leadership.

Carr praised Burfict last week, saying, “He’s one of the most genuine, awesome people I’ve been around. He’s a great teammate. He works his tail off and he’s a great guy.”

The NFL seemed adamant to make an example out of Burfict, handing him the longest suspension for an individual play in league history.

The 76ers are explaining why 2 fans with "Free Hong Kong" signs were kicked out of Tuesday's game against a Chinese basketball team ... saying the couple was a "disruption of the fan experience."

A man and woman -- holding signs and wearing pro-Hong Kong protester shirts -- were escorted out of the Wells Fargo Center in Philly during the first half of the Sixers' game against the Guangzhou Loong Lions.

The Sixers released a statement Wednesday breaking down the Wells Fargo Center staff's decision to eject the fans ... claiming they were warned several times to keep the peace.

"At last evening’s game, following multiple complaints from guests and verbal confrontations with others in attendance, two individuals were warned by Wells Fargo Center staff about their continuing disruption of the fan experience," the team said in a statement.

“Ultimately, the decision was made by Wells Fargo Center personnel to remove the guests from the premises, which was accomplished without incident.”

Wells Fargo Center officials say they warned the couple 3 separate times before kicking them out.

On the way out of the arena, one of the ejected fans reportedly told a local news outlet that security said, "no foul language, no politics."

Matt Lauer is firing back against a bombshell claim of rape against him by an ex-NBC employee, saying all the sexual encounters they had were consensual and mutual.

The disgraced "Today" show outcast penned a letter Wednesday in response to a salacious claim made in Ronan Farrow's new book -- in which a woman named Brooke Nevils says Matt anally raped her in his hotel room at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Nevils -- a former NBC producer -- claims she and Matt had several drinks together one night, and that on two separate occasions ... she went up to his hotel room. During that second visit, Nevils alleges Matt pounced on her, put her on the bed and penetrated her.

In the book, Ronan says Nevils told him she repeatedly said "no" during the alleged rape.

Matt says that account is "categorically false" though, going on to explain that the episode was completely wanted and reciprocated on both sides ... which carried over into what he describes as an "extramarital affair" back in New York.

In his letter, Matt writes ... "In a new book, it is alleged that an extramarital, but consensual, sexual encounter I have previously admitted having, was in fact an assault. It is categorically false, ignores the facts, and defies common sense."

Antonio Brown says the Patriots are gonna have to cough up the money he believes they owe him ... and he wouldn't mind catching some TDs for them in the process.

The controversial NFL superstar has made it clear that he wants back in the league after getting cut by New England last month ... and on Wednesday, he told his followers to "tell [the Patriots] to call me" during a mid-workout live stream on IG.

"They still gotta pay me, might as well let me earn it," Brown said.

Of course, Brown filed grievances against the Patriots earlier this month in an attempt to get his $9 million signing bonus and remaining guaranteed salary from New England.