Controversial S#!T

Mo'Nique is finally taking her accusations against Netflix for discrimination to a court of law ... she's filed a lawsuit.

In the suit, the Oscar-winning actress and comedian accuses Netflix of race-based discrimination for how it negotiated a comedy special with her. She says Netflix offered Amy Schumer $11 million for an hour-long stand-up special (she eventually got $13 mil), but only offered Mo'Nique $500,000 for her stand-up special.

Mo'Nique never accepted their offer, and went on a public campaign ... which included coming on "TMZ Live" and calling for a boycott against the company.

According to the suit, she claims Netflix has a severe lack of diversity, which contributes to their discriminatory practices. Specifically, she claims one Netflix exec. -- the Chief Communications Officer -- used the n-word in a meeting with 60 people in 2018. Mo'Nique was not present for that meeting.

She also claims Netflix allowed Kevin Spacey to use the n-word while on the set of "House of Cards" without any consequence. In the suit, she alleges Spacey complained to his personal security guards, "I don't want [n-words] on my set anymore." She's not suing Spacey.

Mo'Nique also used a major pay gap on the Netflix hit, "The Crown," to illustrate alleged discrimination. She says the actress who plays Queen Elizabeth II was paid $14k per episode less than the actor who played Prince Philip -- and it only righted the wrong after there was a public outcry about it.

She's suing Netflix for unspecified damages, and for an injunction forcing the company to change its discriminatory policies.

We've reached out to Netflix and Kevin Spacey for comment.

O.J. Simpson says he's CONCERNED about Colin Kaepernick -- claiming the QB's friends are hurting his chances of getting back to the NFL ... and he needs to shut them up!

Simpson wasn't specific about which "friends" he was referring to -- but a bunch of people close to Colin (from Eric Reid to Brandon Marshall) have publicly said they think the NFL workout could be a sham.

Both guys have said the circumstances surrounding the workout are "fishy" since Kap was only given a few days notice and because it's being held on a Saturday so late in the season.

"I'm a guy that's been through just about everything," Simpson said in a new video ... "and the one thing I've learned is that sometimes your friends, and I don't doubt these are your friends, but sometimes they can say and do things that aren't in your best interests."

"You're an intelligent guy ... maybe you should tell some of these friends that you can speak for yourself."

Colin hasn't said much about the workout -- but tweeted this week, "I’ve been in shape and ready for this for 3 years, can’t wait to see the head coaches and GMs on Saturday."

Simpson wants to make it clear he's ROOTING for Kap -- adding, "Go down to Atlanta and kick ass! There's some NFL teams that I and everybody knows could use your skills."

PayPal's making a ton of adult performers moan, and not in a good way because it's putting an end to processing payments on Pornhub.

The devastating news for independent porn actors was announced late Wednesday night when PayPal decided to join several other banks and apps refusing to help them get paid for personal video clips posted on the porn site.

Pornhub allows independent performers to upload and sell their own videos, but they need a method to collect money from users. Financial institutions like JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Capital One, Square and Venmo have been out of the Pornhub biz for awhile ... so PayPal was one of the last remaining ways for performers to get paid.

Not anymore ... Pornhub says it's devastated by PayPal's decision to stop payouts "to over a hundred thousand performers who rely on them for their livelihoods." The platform is now scrambling to help performers who have pending PayPal payments.

PayPal hasn't said exactly why they're bailing, but the other financial institutions started making the same move after Congress passed the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act in 2018.

This is the latest blow for Pornhub, which just last month cut off all content from Girls Do Porn -- a separate company that was accused of coercing dozens of women into adult videos.

A poor pup was violently launched across a room by her neck by an irate employee and landed on her head on a concrete floor ... and the disgusting incident was caught on video.

The vid shows several dogs running around and barking in the Bark n' Bitches Dog Boutique in L.A. when it appears one dog begins to play a little too aggressively with a smaller dog.

That's when the worker steps in and viciously grabs the larger dog by the neck, picks her up high and tosses her several feet ... to the shock and horror of others in the store.

After the throw, a sickening thud is heard as the dog hits the ground. The sound is the dog's head hitting the floor ... according to the person who first posted the video on Twitch.

Some of the people in the store go to check on the poor pooch afterward, as it hid under a nearby table.

Bark n' Bitches has responded to the horrific incident, saying ... "We will not tolerate this or any actions that put our rescues in harm's way. The appropriate actions are being taken. This is NOT what we stand for."

It added ... "The dog was playing and acting normal after this incident. She was taken to the vet and was cleared 100 percent."

The owner of the shop followed up by confirming the employee in the video has been fired and the dog is doing fine. The owner added the boutique has been in business for 14 years and "this is a first."

Hopefully, it's also a last.

The days don't have to be numbered for "Days of Our Lives," because there's still a way to keep the show going strong according to one of its stars ... but it's in the hands of the fans.

We got Chrishell Hartley -- she plays Jordan Ridgeway on the long-running soap -- out in Studio City, and she's got some advice for folks who don't want to see the 'Days' end after its upcoming 55th season.

Chrishell tells us it's important for fans to tune in as much as possible the day of the show to give ratings the best boost ... and just keep watching! Hartley seems very optimistic the famous sudser's not going anywhere ... despite the recent contract news.

As we reported ... the NBC soap is going on indefinite hiatus after season 55 and released its entire cast from their contracts, meaning they're all free to get new jobs.

Hartley says they should definitely do that, because the nature of the soap biz allows actors to come and go ... and nobody is ever really gone. She includes her Jordan character in this assessment.

All in all, Chrishell doesn't believe the situation is as dire for 'Days' as people think, and she predicts there will be more episodes after the current well runs dry in Summer 2020.

Colin Kaepernick's friend and former teammate, Brandon Marshall, says there's something "weird" about the NFL's workout for the QB ... telling TMZ Sports, "It seems so fishy."

"It could be disingenuous," Marshall says ... "It could be a PR stunt just to get away from the blackball talk."

Marshall has known Colin since he was 17 and they played college ball together at Nevada. Brandon says he's convinced the QB still has the talent to excel at the highest level.

But, when it comes to the Saturday workout, organized by the NFL, Marshall says there's something that rubs him the wrong way.

"There's so many questions to this. That's why everyone's looking at it sideways. Like, what's going on with this?"

Some of the questions ... why isn't the NFL more flexible with the workout date? We're told Colin's camp wanted to move the workout to a weekday because most teams have games on Sunday and it's tough to send decision makers to a Saturday workout.

Also, why didn't interested teams just go directly to Colin's camp in the first place instead of the NFL?

Brandon says, despite the questions, he REALLY hopes the workout is legit and Colin gets an opportunity to show what he's capable of.

As for Brandon's own career, the 7-year NFL vet says he's working on his own comeback and can't wait to prove his doubters wrong.

George Lopez has a take on the House impeachment hearings that might actually surprise you -- let it sort itself out and whatever the outcome, find common ground as Americans.

We got the comedian out at LAX Wednesday afternoon and wanted to get his take on the historic hearings. George's initial default was to joke about it -- saying it's must-see TV like the Super Bowl -- but then it turned serious.

George, an ardent critic of President Trump, said if the hearings result in Trump's impeachment, then the efforts proved valid. And, if the hearings return empty results, George says he'd be the first to say, "my bad."

But, get this ... George says whatever the outcome, he wants everyone to find a way to find common ground. Because in the end ... everyone should just want what's best for this nation.

Pete Buttigieg says while his odds to the win the White House might be similar to Donald Trump's a year out from election day ... he's going about getting there with a full 180.

The South Bend Mayor spoke to us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" after news broke that he's the leading Democratic candidate in Iowa, according to a new poll ... not to mention that his chances at going the distance are eerily similar to DT's from this time 4 years ago.

He weighs in on both, telling us the new poll reflects what he's been feeling on the ground ... a connection to voters and a groundswell that just can't be stopped.

As for the Trump comparison, he says the only thing he wants to share with 45 is the final destination. That said, he does admit there are similarities in how folks perceived their campaigns early on -- namely, they were seen as odd men out despite later success.

Then, we got into what could become a problem ... how PB plans to deal with religious voters -- especially in the South -- who may view the fact he's gay as a dealbreaker.

California Governor Gavin Newsom says President Trump isn't going to bully the Golden State into doing what he wants -- even with threats that could put thousands of lives at risk.

The Gov. was on "TMZ Live" Tuesday with a fierce response to POTUS tweeting he might cut federal funding to help fight California's wildfires ... if Newsom didn't get his "act together" to stop the fires.

Newsom made it clear he's not about to bow because the reality is the Prez needs Cali more than it needs him. He says Trump likes to spew threats as "political theater," and also because he can't stand NOT getting his way in the most populous state.

As the Gov. put it, Trump's political pressure won't fly in Cali.

On a much lighter note, we also got Gov. Newsom -- who just might have the best gubernatorial hairline in America -- to talk about this year's CA Hall of Fame inductees ... who include George Lopez, RuPaul, Wolfgang Puck and the late Dr. Maya Angelou.

The ceremony goes down in Sacramento on December 10, and Newsom's honored to be inducting such a diverse group of talented people.

Cuba Gooding Jr. is outraged he was indicted by a grand jury that NEVER saw multiple videos of the alleged incidents of sexual misconduct.

Cuba's attorney Mark Jay Heller filed a motion to dismiss the 6-count indictment against him in NYC. According to the docs, Gooding calls it "grossly inappropriate and unjust" that the District Attorney didn't show the videos during the grand jury proceedings.

Gooding and his lawyers say the D.A. "chose here to trick the system by not giving the Grand Jury a fair opportunity to evaluate all of the facts and evidence."

TMZ broke the story ... there are videos of Cuba's June 2019 incident at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar, where he allegedly touched a woman's breast. There's also security footage at TAO Nightclub in NYC from last October 2018 when he was accused of touching a server's butt.

Gooding's indictment is for 3 separate incidents -- the third was at LAVO in NYC -- and his legal team has beef with that too. In the docs, they say the alleged incidents should be judged individually -- and lumping them together increased the risk of bias among the grand jury. BTW, according to Gooding's team ... there's also video of the LAVO incident

The actor wants the whole indictment tossed out of court. The judge has yet to rule.

Trina is dropping a bombshell about that heated Walmart confrontation with a white woman who called her the n-word -- the whole thing started with the rapper trying to help a stranger.

The iconic emcee was on "TMZ Live" when she revealed what led up to the madness last Friday in a Florida Walmart. Trina says all she did was try to console the woman, who was openly crying in the store.

You have to see Trina break down what happened after she asked the weeping woman if she was okay. As they say, no good deed ...

As you know, Trina wasn't having it after the woman called her "n****r bitch." TMZ got the video of all hell breaking loose ... as Trina fired back at her, but only verbally.

Trina told us she was able to restrain herself and not inflict any physical harm on the woman -- which she notes likely would've resulted in major legal trouble for herself instead of the mouthy customer.

Colin Kaepernick will showcase his talent for NFL teams at a private workout in Atlanta on Saturday in hopes of getting another shot at playing in the league.

... and get this -- the workout was arranged by the NFL!

A memo was sent to every NFL team informing them about the workout session ... which will include throwing drills and an interview session with interested parties.

The biggest question ... will any team take Colin up on the offer and attend the workout?

There are plenty of teams in need of a QB -- starting and backups -- starting with the Cincinnati Bengals, who suck right now.

Kaepernick has been working out and training 5 days a week for years in the hopes of getting back to the NFL ... but said recently no teams have called him for a workout.

Ya gotta assume ... if a team does show up, they will ask him about his kneeling protest and if he plans to continue to take a knee during the national anthem if he does sign with a team.

Remember, Kap's former 49ers' teammate, Eric Reid -- who took a knee with Colin -- is currently playing with the Carolina Panthers and still kneels for the anthem.

Interestingly enough, Cam Newton just went to IR with a foot injury -- so there could be room for a QB over there ... we'll see if they attend the workout.

Colin hasn't played in the NFL since the 2016 season when he parted ways with the San Francisco 49ers.

Kaepernick sued the NFL claiming the league colluded to blackball him because of his protest -- but they later settled the case.

The Houston Astros have launched an investigation into claims the team cheated during the 2017 MLB season ... the same year they won the World Series.

Former 'Stros pitcher Mike Fiers said in an article posted by The Athletic on Tuesday that he personally witnessed Astros players going above and beyond to steal signs from opposing teams back in '17.

"That’s not playing the game the right way," said Fiers, a current Oakland A's pitcher who left Houston after the 2017 season. “They were advanced and willing to go above and beyond to win.”

The Athletic, citing multiple MLB sources, reports Houston used an outfield camera to record other team's catchers ... and watched video of the footage in the clubhouse hallway.

The report states Astros staffers and players would then try to decode the signals ... and when they felt they had them down, they would relay the expected upcoming pitches to batters using a loud banging noise.

The report claims the alleged cheating took place during the regular season ... but says it's unclear if it continued during the Astros' epic playoff run that year.

Houston released a statement saying they're looking into the matter, writing, "The Houston Astros organization has begun an investigation in cooperation with Major League Baseball."

"It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter at this time."

Of course, the 'Stros have become no stranger to controversial MLB investigations ... just a few weeks ago they fired high-ranking exec Brandon Taubman after a probe revealed he directed taunts about Roberto Osuna to female journalists.

President Trump's walk of fame star has fallen under attack from yet another angry American ... and we got the whole thing on video.

Check out our clip ... you can see the suspect casually approach the Hollywood Blvd star around 9:30 Tuesday morning -- reach into her bag -- pull out what appears to be white spray paint, and then coat the star. She's in and out in just seconds.

As we've extensively reported ... Trump's star has been the target of a bunch of attacks since he won the election.

You'll recall Trump was labeled "Putin's Bitch" earlier this year. It didn't take long for the star to get cleaned up. Other vandals have taken an even more hardcore approach. As we reported ... someone took a pickax to the star. Even George Lopez (fake) peed on it last year.

JUST STOP WITH THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES ALREADY!!

There are people claiming Seattle Seahawks player Geno Smith called "tails" during the coin toss in Overtime during "Monday Night Football" ... but the ref thought he said "heads."

The coin ended heads up (and the Seahawks ended up winning the game) ... and some people are fuming, claiming the refs screwed the 49ers ... mostly due to a video with crappy audio that's floating around.

But, LISTEN TO A CLEAR VERSION OF THE AUDIO -- it's obvious Smith said "heads."

And, then make this all stop, please.

Sorry. It's early. We haven't had our coffee yet.

Also, the Seahawks won the game 27-24 because the 49ers' kicker botched a 47-yard game-winner.

Sonic the Hedgehog looks a lot less frightening now after he got an eye job and a good mouth sanding -- which should hopefully put restless die-hard fans at ease.

A new trailer for the part-live-action 'Sonic' movie dropped on Tuesday, and our favorite video game hero underwent a major redesign since tremendous backlash from back in May -- when the blue furball looked more human than cartoon character ... and folks noticed.

Now, he's back to his normal self -- with larger eyes and significantly smaller teeth. And frankly, that's good ... nobody wants to see Sonic's fillings in the upcoming action flick.

Fans knew these tweaks were coming, BTW. The director of the movie, Jeff Fowler, forecast as much when he said he'd heard 'em loud and clear on the feedback, adding it'd happen.