Controversial S#!T

All that controversy over the Peloton commercial critics are blasting for body-shaming just landed the star of it a hilarious new gig ... with Ryan Reynolds.

Monica Ruiz is the actress who plays the wife -- sorry, long-suffering wife to many -- in that Christmas gift themed fitness spot, but now she's also starring in an ad for Aviation Gin ... and it plays perfectly off all the Peloton buzz.

Based on the commercial ... the formerly spinning-crazed wife is now more interested in downing booze with her girls. The strong insinuation here is she's left the husband who "forced" her to get on the bike every day.

The ladies toast to "new beginnings" before the wife pounds her martini. One of her GFs even says, "You look great, by the way."

Of course, Aviation is Ryan's company ... and ya gotta hand it to his marketing team for capitalizing off the social media uproar over Peloton.

All the backlash against the Peloton has impacted the ad's actors -- Monica and her "hubby" Sean Hunter -- who've dodged interviews all week. Hunter did eventually speak out in "Psychology Today."

Leave it to Reynolds, though, to lighten the mood. He tweeted his company's commercial with the caption, "Exercise bike not included."

"I'm making it official, I'm no longer a Knicks fan!!!"

That's Michael Rappaport officially ENDING his NY Knicks fandom -- saying he's "disgusted" with the team for firing head coach David Fizdale and can no longer justify rooting for 'em.

"I'm serious. I am a fan of the past Knicks. I'm not rooting for this team."

Rap says the only way to send a message to Knicks management is through a celebrity boycott -- and he's calling out the stars by name!!!

"Jerry Seinfeld Howard Stern, Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, all the cast of SNL ... I know you get to go to the Garden Suite and get the free meals and the shrimp cocktails and the cookies ... DON'T GO TO GAMES ANYMORE!"

"Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande ... don't do it! Go to see 'Cats' on Broadway. Go to see 'Book of Mormon' ... Netflix and chill."

In fact, Rap -- who stars in "Atypical" -- is out on his U.S. comedy tour ... which should help him take his mind off the Knicks but you gotta watch the clip. He's PISSED!!!

Elon Musk just won his trial against the British diver in the Thailand cave rescue he infamously labeled a "pedo" -- a jury just decided Elon did not defame Vernon Unsworth.

The jury wasn't convinced Elon went too far with his tweet after Unsworth helped rescue the 12 boys trapped in a cave with their soccer coach back in 2018. It didn't take 'em long to reach their verdict Friday in federal court in L.A. -- a mere 50 minutes of deliberation.

Elon even took the stand this week to testify ... and while on the stand he apologized to Unsworth and said he didn't actually believe the guy was a pedophile.

As we reported, Unsworth sued Elon for defamation after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO called him a "pedo guy" while they were beefing on social media.

Unsworth ripped Elon's efforts to build a mini-submarine to help with the rescue ... calling it a "PR stunt" with "absolutely no chance of working" and telling Elon to "stick his submarine where it hurts."

Elon lashed back at Unsworth on Twitter, saying, "Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it."

It sure LOOKS like pro golfer Patrick Reed cheated his ass off on a hole Tiger Woods' big Hero World Challenge tourney on Friday ... but Reed insists he's INNOCENT!!!

Here's the deal ... Reed was caught in a sand trap on the 11th hole -- and during a practice swing, he appeared to use his club to knock away a clump of sand behind the ball, setting him up for a cleaner shot.

The problem ... YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!!

Tournament officials hit Reed with a 2 stroke penalty which is a big deal -- he's currently in 6th place ... 3 shots behind tourney leader Gary Woodland.

But, Reed insists he did NOT cheat -- claiming it was a bad camera angle that's making it LOOK like he cheated ... when he really didn't.

Instead, Reed says his club hit a mound of sand created by a footprint that was NOT close to the ball.

"At the end of the day, it's my word vs. their word and they weren't standing there. They had a camera angle," Reed said.

Reed says he's trying to accept the punishment and move on since he still has another round of play on Saturday.

Tito Ortiz got the ultimate rock star treatment at a U.S. Border Patrol station in Texas ... where agents lined up to take pics ... and even asked him to sign their handcuffs.

... all while sporting a Trump 2020 campaign shirt.

Tito's in McAllen, TX -- about 3 miles from the Mexico border -- for his big Combate Americas fight on Saturday with Alberto El Patron.

And, with Ortiz being a very outspoken fan of Trump's immigration policies, he decided to meet with the people in charge of patrolling the area ... and they LOVED him!!!

Check out the video ... Ortiz took pics with everyone, signed autographs and even gave a motivational speech about overcoming adversity.

Meanwhile, his opponent Alberto El Patron -- who hates Trump -- went a different promotional route this week ... choking out a POTUS impersonator on a Spanish language TV show.

Antonio Brown just issued a massive apology for his off-the-field behavior -- but there's one huge problem with his mea culpa ... it's unclear what he's specifically apologizing for.

"First and foremost, I’d like to apologize to my family, friends and anyone who I offended," Brown said on IG.

"I never once meant to make anyone feel like I wasn’t thankful and appreciative of the opportunity that I was afforded to play the game I love."

Here's where things get even murkier ... AB references "inexcusable" behavior -- but doesn't specify if he's talking about serious allegations like rape or stupid incidents like farting on his trainer.

"While my behavior was inexcusable, sometimes when people are coming at you with false information and allegations, we handle ourselves in ways that we sometimes regret."

Our takeaway from that line is that AB is referencing the menacing text messages he sent to a woman who had accused him of sexual misconduct.

The Patriots cut AB after they learned about AB's texts and the NFL has launched an investigation.

"I do take full responsibility for my actions and I’m working everyday to repair what I broke."

Brown then turns his focus on getting another shot in the NFL ...

"I do know that if I’m ever given the opportunity to play the game that I love, I’m going to work extremely hard to show the world how much I appreciate another chance."

"To the organizations that I offended, I offer my sincere apology to you and my hope is that you forgive me and help me move on from this minor setback."

Those organizations could be anyone from the Patriots to the Oakland Raiders to the Pittsburgh Steelers ... maybe even the Buffalo Bills.

As we previously reported, the Raiders had signed AB to a 3-year, $50 mil contract ... but he had drama with his helmet, his feet and had public spats with the GM and coach Jon Gruden.

The Patriots picked him up ... only to dump him right after the text message incident. Brown later bashed the Pats on social media and referenced owner Robert Kraft's prostitution scandal.

The Steelers couldn't wait to dump AB after he live-streamed a private locker room conversation ... and he went after QB Ben Roethlisberger in the media.

As for the Bills, there was interest in signing AB ... but he reportedly refused to play there and a potential trade never went through.

For his part, AB has been training like a maniac over the past few months -- and you gotta wonder if there's real interest from an NFL team looking to beef up the WR position before the playoffs.

Rosie O'Donnell firmly believes the Stanford Law Professor who name-dropped Barron Trump didn't do anything wrong and hopes the testimony helps impeach the President.

We got Rosie and her BFF Ally Sheedy Thursday night outside the "Jagged Little Pill" musical in NYC and asked her about the GOP outrage over Prof. Pamela Karlan's wordplay. Not shockingly ... Rosie's team Karlan, all the way.

She says Karlan made a fair point about POTUS, and it's being taken out of context to look malicious. Both Rosie and Ally think there was nothing mean spirited about it. Rosie thinks it's nice Karlan apologized but adds ... it wasn't necessary.

Rosie, of course, had her own controversy involving the President and Melania's son a few years back, when she posted a video questioning whether Barron was autistic.

She apologized to Melania for being insensitive and causing pain ... but clearly thinks Karlan's case is different.

As for the impeachment hearings, in general, Rosie admitted she's a total junkie. It's no secret she has a rooting interest and spells out the many reasons why she's on Karlan's side.

The actor who played the husband in what some see as a "sexist" Peloton ad is afraid the backlash he's getting from keyboard warriors will have a negative impact on his career.

Sean Hunter is the man in the infamous holiday ad who gifts his wife a Peloton bike. When he's not acting he's an elementary school teacher ... and he's defending himself, and the controversial ad, in Psychology Today .. of all places.

Sean says initial reviews of his Peloton gig were mostly positive, but everything changed when the ad went viral. Now, his take is, "My 5 seconds of air time created an array of malicious feedback that is all associated with my face."

He adds, "My friend texted me today declaring that I’m ‘a symbol of the patriarchy' ... As my face continues to be screen shot online, I wonder what repercussions will come back to me."

Sean says he's "grappling with the negative opinions as none of them have been constructively helpful."

If it makes him feel better ... at least some of the memes about the ad have clearly been in jest -- and even comedian Sherri Shepherd had a laugh over it.

Anyways, the criticism is clearly doing a number on Sean, and he posed a laundry list of questions. "As I continue to reflect on the commercial, I consider these thoughts: Why are people creating so many additional narratives to the story? Am I allowed to view the commercial positively after receiving such negative feedback? If recognized on the street, what will people’s first opinions be of me?"

He also wonders if his "wife" in the ad is going through the same thing he is. For what it's worth, she's chosen to remain silent since all the buzz over the ad.

Guess Sean ain't buying Peloton's company line that folks actually like the ad.

Lamman Rucker's got mixed reactions to Kid Rock's drunken rant -- he sticks up for his "aunties," Oprah and Joy Behar ... but says he feels compassion for whatever the rock star's going through.

The "Greenleaf" star -- whose show airs on Oprah's OWN channel -- was at LAX Wednesday when we asked about Kid Rock's latest controversy ... he tells us it makes him uncomfortable. He says he can't understand why the musician would attack these 2 women ... but suggests maybe he's not in a good state of mind.

On the plus side, he doubts Oprah's losing any sleep over the situation ... and believes she's got love and understanding for whatever KR's dealing with.

We broke the story ... Kid Rock went off on Oprah and Joy at his Honky Tonk bar in Nashville last week, and many thought his rant got racist despite his insistence it wasn't.

The backlash was severe regardless, especially in his hometown of Detroit, and led to his decision to bail on his Made in Detroit restaurant at Little Caesars Arena.

Kid says he's still got love for the city, but he's learned to "go where you're celebrated, not tolerated," adding, "I guess the millions of dollars I pumped into that town was not enough."

He also insists, again, he's not racist and supports the black community.

Ex-Astros OF/3B J.D. Davis INSISTS he NEVER saw any of his Houston teammates cheat ... despite 'Stros pitcher Mike Fiers claim the squad used high-tech gadgets to steal signs.

Davis -- now a member of the New York Mets -- was with the Astros from 2017-2018 ... smack in the middle of when the team's accused of cheating.

Remember, Fiers -- a starting pitcher -- recently told The Athletic that the 2017 Astros used a camera to steal signs from opposing catchers ... and then relayed the info (what pitch was coming) to 'Stros batters by banging on a garbage can.

The allegation sparked outrage ... and a massive MLB investigation.

But, Davis -- who was at a Mets children's holiday party in NYC Wednesday -- says despite the super-serious allegation, he simply never saw anyone cheat.

"I wasn't aware of anything and even if I was, even if there was, I wish I would've known because I batted only like .180, .200 or something like that," Davis says.

"But, I really have no idea or no clue."

Davis -- who had a monster year with the Mets in 2019 -- struggled with Houston in 2017 ... hitting .226 in his 68 plate appearances.

Davis says he was totally caught off guard by the sinister allegations.

"Sure, I was surprised about it, but I really have no idea. I was kind of like the freshman among the seniors and everything. I really had no idea what was going on or what's really happening, but that's an MLB investigation."

Cedric the Entertainer says President Trump deserves the trash talk other world leaders were dropping on him this week, and news flash -- he thinks it happens ALL the time!!!

We got the comedian at the Bounce Trumpet Awards in Hollywood Wednesday night, and asked about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau getting busted gossiping with British PM Boris Johnson and French Prez Emmanuel Macron ... about Trump's lengthy news conference.

Cedric tells us it's a case of Trump reaping what he sows, and the only shocking aspect of the NATO Summit smack-talk sesh is it's the first time a prominent world figure's been caught poking fun at POTUS.

As for how Trudeau can smooth things over -- Trump did call him "two-faced" after all -- Ced had some advice, based on experience.

The PM's already trying ... as we reported, Trudeau addressed the video by admitting they were discussing "certainly notable" events, but claims it wasn't as bad as it looked.

Tekashi 6ix9ine deserves a much lighter prison sentence due to his cooperation -- AKA snitching -- according to federal prosecutors who are officially asking the judge for leniency.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York lays out the reasons for a reduced sentence for the rapper. They say his assistance was "incredibly significant and extremely useful" in prosecuting and convicting 2 members of the Nine Trey Bloods.

Even the feds acknowledge Tekashi's testimony in open court put a target on his back and endangered his family. In the docs, prosecutors say, "There's no question that the defendant's life will never be the same because of his cooperation in this case." They add he and his family will need "extra safety precautions" at all times to avoid a revenge attack.

The feds say 6ix9ine walked them through his social media posts to provide context for the criminal actions of the gang -- which they say the defendants, Anthony "Harv" Ellison and Aljermiah Mack, claimed was all a hoax to promote Tekashi's music. They say his testimony convinced the jury otherwise.

As we reported ... Tekashi copped a plea deal after pleading guilty to racketeering, firearms offenses, conspiracy, narcotics trafficking and other crimes. 6ix9ine agreed to be a cooperating witness, and without that would be facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 47 years in prison.

R. Kelly's girlfriend is officially breaking her silence with a video that refutes the abuse claims attributed to her on a Patreon account ... claims she calls total BS.

Joycelyn Savage says she wants to clear her name following reports she'd turned on Kelly by posting dirty deets about their relationship on the paysite, Patreon. She says she had nothing to do with the site, and STILL has no plans to assassinate Kelly's character.

But, in this video we obtained ... Joycelyn starts out reading a prepared statement, or, as Kelly's critics might call it ... a script.

As for the claims of abuse, purportedly made in her name on Patreon, she says they were all flat-out false -- and she blames an impostor for launching that page, as well as an Instagram account bearing her name.

Joycelyn also reveals the current status of her relationship with Kelly, saying they communicate daily.

It should be noted ... lots of people had cast doubt as to the veracity of the Patreon account, including R. Kelly accuser Lisa Van Allen, who explained her rationale to us on "TMZ Live."

Joycelyn did go off script later in her video statement ... adding both she and Azriel Clary are still firmly in Kelly's corner, although Azriel never appears on camera.

As we reported, Patreon shut down the alleged Joycelyn account after it couldn't authenticate the owner's identity.

R. Kelly, meanwhile, is still behind bars ... and dealing with multiple federal and state sexual abuse cases, but Joycelyn says she still sees him regularly.

The San Francisco 49ers have suspended broadcaster Tim Ryan for one game ... after the ex-NFLer said Lamar Jackson was successful at faking hand-offs because of "his dark skin."

Ryan -- who played with the Chicago Bears from 1990-93 before starting his commentary career -- went on a KNBR radio show to discuss the Niners' 20-17 loss to the Ravens and why the QB is so good.

“He’s really good at that fake, Lamar Jackson," Ryan said. "But, when you consider his dark skin with a dark football with a dark uniform, you could not see that thing."

“I mean you literally could not see when he was in and out of the mesh point and if you’re a half step slow on him in terms of your vision, forget about it, he’s out of the gate.”

Ryan -- who joined the Niners' radio team in 2014 -- later addressed his comment, saying “I regret my choice of words in trying to describe the conditions of the game. Lamar Jackson is an MVP-caliber player and I respect him greatly. I want to sincerely apologize to him and anyone else I offended,"

The Niners released a statement on Wednesday ... announcing he will not be on the radio waves when S.F. takes on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

“We hold Tim to a high standard as a representative of our organization and he must be more thoughtful with his words," the team said.

Waka Flocka Flame believes there were clear racial motives behind Gabrielle Union's 'AGT' firing, and says it's now on the black community to stop supporting companies that have problems with the culture.

Gabrielle's feud with 'AGT' is striking a chord with Waka, and he unloaded when we got him in Atlanta -- telling us he's proud of Gabrielle for speaking out about what was allegedly going down at 'AGT.'

As you know ... Gabrielle feels she was given the boot because she complained to NBC and 'AGT' producers about racially insensitive situations on set -- including producers giving her excessive notes about her hair, wardrobe and physical appearance.

Waka says Gabby's a role model -- because black people in similar situations need to push back and stand up for themselves when someone asks them to change who they are.

Gabrielle also had issues with Jay Leno joking about Koreans eating dogs while he was guest judging. Jay won't say if the joke is racist, and has been mostly mum on the whole controversy.

We ask Waka if we're living in a society that treats racism as a joke, and he says anyone over 40 who is still acting racist is "f***ed up," and needs to stop teaching racism to younger generations.

Peloton is standing its ground on the controversial ad pushing the bike as a great Christmas gift for wives ... even in the face of all the backlash and mockery.

The company pushed back against those ridiculing the holiday commercial -- where a wife receives the bike as a present from her hubby and then documents her fitness journey. Peloton says it's bummed people took it the wrong way but insists there's no reason to yank the ad.

A rep for Peloton says, "Our holiday spot was created to celebrate that fitness and wellness journey. While we’re disappointed in how some have misinterpreted this commercial, we are encouraged by — and grateful for — the outpouring of support we’ve received from those who understand what we were trying to communicate."

Translation: Plenty of people like it. The ad stays.

The rep also said their members are constantly pointing out how much the product has changed their lives, especially when it arrives as a gift.

To hit their point home, Peloton also released a bunch of emails it's received in support of the ad.

Of course, not everybody agrees ... including Wall Street. Peloton's stock dropped as much as 6 percent Tuesday after the alleged "sexist" ad went into heavy rotation over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Some stars have weighed in on the controversy too ... including Sherri Shepherd, who raked the ad and any husband who thinks a fitness gift might be a good idea.

Interesting that in a time where companies tend to fold to public pressure, Peloton's holding firm.