Controversial S#!T

Kitti Jones -- one of R. Kelly's exes who's accused him of physical abuse and sexual coercion -- is weighing in on Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage's fight and says they may end up saving each other.

We got Kitti out Friday morning in NYC, and it's crystal clear she has strong feelings after seeing the video of Azriel come to blows with Joycelyn in Kelly's condo. Kitti, a former Dallas radio DJ, says she was 33 when she met Kelly.

Still, she says she knows what it's like to be in Azriel's shoes, and offered some tips on recovering.

Kitti appeared in both 'Surviving R. Kelly' docs, and tells us even though Azriel and Joycelyn were brawling, they could ultimately end up being allies. As Kitti puts it ... that shared experience of dealing with Kelly is a powerful one.

TMZ broke the story ... cops responded to Kelly's Trump Tower condo after Azriel and Joycelyn came to blows. During the fight, Azriel threatened to send Joycelyn to jail ... for having sex with her when she was a minor.

Longtime NFL executive Marc Ross says the "Rooney Rule" is a "mockery" and a "sham" and if it isn't fixed, talented minority coaches will continue to be overlooked.

If you're not familiar with Ross ... he has 21 years of front office experience and was most recently the NY Giants VP of Player Evaluation. Ross was responsible for helping draft players like Odell Beckham Jr., Landon Collins, and Jason Pierre-Paul.

In December 2017, Ross interviewed for Big Blues general manager job after the organization fired Jerry Reese.

Ross didn't get the gig ... and he says that's not the only time he's interviewed and been passed over for a GM job.

In fact, Ross -- who graduated from Princeton and was at one time the youngest college scouting director in the NFL (27 years old) -- says he interviewed 12 times for the position ... but was never hired.

So, why are we talking about this?

The NFL's "Rooney Rule" has been under major scrutiny this off-season after all but 1 (Ron Rivera in Washington) of the available head coaching jobs went to white coaches.

The Rooney Rule is a policy that was instituted in 2003 ... which mandated all teams interview a minority candidate prior to hiring a coach or GM.

In theory, it was designed to help minorities land jobs ... but Ross says it clearly hasn't worked.

"The intent of it was to put minority candidates in front of the owners and think that once the owners saw these candidates that were qualified and capable of the job that they would start hiring them," Ross tells us.

"The problem was that the owners already in their mind, for the most part, knew who they wanted to hire and were just going through the routine of interviewing a minority candidate without any true intentions of making them a viable candidate for the job, so it turned to just kind of a mockery or a sham."

Ross says although the Rooney Rule hasn't been effective, it's not a complete lost cause ... but changes need to be made.

Olympic athletes looking to follow Colin Kaepernick's lead will have to do it somewhere other than Tokyo ... 'cause the IOC has banned kneeling and raising fists in protests at the 2020 games.

The International Olympic Committee released its guidelines for the upcoming Summer Games ... and it's clear the committee is trying very hard to keep politics out of it.

"The unique nature of the Olympic Games enables athletes from all over the world to come together in peace and harmony," the guidelines say.

"We believe that the example we set by competing with the world’s best while living in harmony in the Olympic Village is a uniquely positive message to send to an increasingly divided world."

"This is why it is important, on both a personal and a global level, that we keep the venues, the Olympic Village and the podium neutral and free from any form of political, religious or ethnic demonstrations."

Madame Tussauds don't play, and she's also kinda petty, because Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wax figures are already 86'd from the Royal Family display in London!!!

Just hours after the royal couple shocked the world -- and pissed off all the other royals -- by announcing they were stepping down from their senior duties ... the famed wax museum yanked Harry and Meghan. Their figures previously stood alongside Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Madame Tussauds London tells us Harry and Meghan's wax figures were removed to reflect the upcoming shakeup with the Royals. The museum says, "Alongside the rest of the world we are reacting to the surprising news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be stepping back as senior Royals. From today Meghan and Harry’s figures will no longer appear in our Royal Family set ... to mirror their ‘progressive new role within the Royal institution’."

That last line definitely feels like a jab at Harry and Meg's official announcement.

Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli have a secret weapon in their college admissions criminal case -- the former head of the USC athletics department, who made it clear during his tenure -- the school gave him a clear directive to raise money, and lots of it.

As we reported, our sources say Lori and Mossimo will NOT enter a plea bargain ... they are determined to win at trial. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, one of the key witnesses could be former Athletic Director Pat Haden, who is on video from 2011 talking about his mission from the University to fundraise.

We're told at its core Lori and Mossimo's defense is that they did NOT bribe the former Senior Associate Athletic Director Donna Heinel, something the U.S. Attorney disputes. Thing is ... we found out Mossimo did indeed send Heinel a check for $50,000 but it could not have been a bribe because the payee was USC. That money was sent at the direction of the ringleader, Rick Singer.

Singer also told Mossimo to give him a check for $200,000, to help fund one of Singer's charities. Again, not a bribe.

The U.S. Attorney says the smoking gun is that Heinel received $20,000 a month from Rick Singer, which prosecutors say is proof of a bribe. The thing about this ... both of Lori's daughters were accepted BEFORE Heinel received a penny, and our sources say that money was sent to her only by Singer and for various things Heinel did for several families. But, Lori and Mossimo's position is that whatever Singer did in terms of paying money, he did on his own.

Cavaliers coach John Beilein was forced to apologize to his players Wednesday after he says he accidentally called them "thugs" during a team meeting.

Here's the deal ... the 66-year-old was reportedly praising his Cleveland squad during a film session when he told them they were no longer "playing like a bunch of thugs."

Obviously, the term has an offensive connotation ... and, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, players were "stunned" by their head coach's comment.

But, Beilein attempted to clear the air after Cavs general manager Koby Altman brought the situation to his attention ... with the coach saying he meant to say "slugs," not "thugs."

"I didn't realize that I had said the word 'thugs,' but my staff told me later I did and so I must have said it," Beilein told Wojnarowski on Wednesday night. "I meant to say slugs, as in slow-moving. We weren't playing hard before, and now we were playing harder. I meant it as a compliment."

Beilein said he already had personally talked to eight of his players over the alleged mix-up, adding, "they are telling me that they understand."

It's been a rough start to Beilein's NBA coaching career ... after being hired this past offseason, the ex-Michigan coach has struggled to adapt to the pros.

He's just 10-27 this season ... and has reportedly riffed with team star Kevin Love throughout his short tenure in Cleveland.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says what's happening in Australia shows the compounding effects of climate change ... and it has young people -- including her -- stressed about their future ... even giving them pause to have children of their own.

We got AOC on Capitol Hill Wednesday night and she touched on Australia's "horrifying" wildfires, telling us, it's just the latest example of climate change becoming an all-out crisis before our eyes.

The Congresswoman says we should all be working toward a remedy for the future, but obviously ... it's more important to younger people who will be living in this world longer. As she points out -- the stakes are higher the younger you are.

AOC adds people her age are anxious about having children due to looming threat of climate change ... and it shouldn't be like that. She says we have to take immediate steps to make the future safe for our kids.

The Astros' and Red Sox's cheating scandals are much ado about nothing ... so says Pete Rose, who tells TMZ Sports sign stealing ain't that big of a deal at all.

The MLB legend says back when he was playing ... he NEVER got an advantage by stealing signs -- saying he was always worried the guy reading the catcher would be wrong.

"He might not have the signs -- he might tell you wrong," Rose says. "Now, if you're looking for a low-and-away breaking ball, and the guy throws an up-and-in fastball, you just got one off the kisser."

Of course, the Astros' and the Red Sox's alleged schemes were reportedly much more accurate than a dude standing on 2nd base relaying catchers' signals ... but Rose still says he doesn't care.

In fact, Pete tells us if players were that concerned about it all ... they should just take matters into their own hands and start beaming guys they think are cheating!!!

Steve Harvey is calling BS on Mark Curry's claim he's stolen jokes from him -- and he's issuing a challenge to the guy ... gimme specifics or STFU.

The legendary comedian/host was chilling Wednesday in Bev Hills -- on Rodeo Drive, naturally -- and told us there's simply no truth to Curry's ranting about the past few weeks. He claims on at least 2 occasions, Steve jacked his jokes.

We can't even say Steve laughed off the allegation, because he's pissed off at this point -- telling us he's never stolen a joke in his life, and Mark needs to grow up. He's also demanding Curry step up with some deets about the lifted material.

Mike Tyson says he hated Michael Jackson's guts for YEARS -- calling him a "cold motherf**ker" -- until he got to know the singer ... and that's when everything changed.

The boxing superstar opened up about his experience with MJ on T.I.'s "Expeditiously" podcast ... saying Jackson dissed him backstage at a concert in 1986.

Tyson says he had just become the heavyweight champion of the world -- and had become super famous -- but Jackson treated him as if he was a nobody. Tyson said MJ straight-up hurt his feelings.

"It broke my ego," Tyson said ... "It crushed me."

Tyson says he harbored some serious animosity toward MJ for years -- saying, "That cold motherf**ker. I hated his guts forever."

But, a while later, a mutual friend approached Tyson and said MJ wanted to hang out -- so he swallowed his pride and visited with the singer, hoping to squash the beef.

This is huge ... Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are doing something unheard of in the Royal Family -- they're throwing in the towel when it comes to performing senior royal duties and are now determined to become financially independent, and our sources say part of that is moving to Canada.

Harry and Meghan just announced the big change, saying, "After many months of reflection and internal discussion, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen."

They go on ... "We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America ... This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity."

Our sources say the move to North America is actually Canada -- a British Commonwealth nation -- where Meghan has some roots. She filmed "Suits" in Toronto where she rented a house.

As for the nuance of giving up "senior royal duties" ... there is only a small group of royals who, in the absence of the Queen, carry out the duties of the Monarchy. Harry and Meghan will no longer be part of that group.

As we reported, Meghan has had an extremely difficult time adjusting to royal life and the fishbowl she found herself in. She made it clear during a recent interview ... she was not okay and struggling with her new position.

Originally Published -- 10:56 AM PT

"Ink Master" star Oliver Peck is packing up his tools and saying goodbye to the show in the fallout after his blackface scandal ... TMZ has learned.

Peck says his exit is a mutual decision, telling us ... "After filming 13 great seasons of Ink Master, the producers and I have decided it’s best to part ways." He also acknowledged the blackface pics, saying, "The offensive photos of me which recently surfaced from many years ago can only be a distraction to the amazing show I have loved being a part of and its many talented artists."

He ended on a conciliatory note, saying ... "I want to thank the show’s cast, crew, contestants and awesome fans. It’s been a blast and an honor and I wish my friends and colleagues the very best in whatever the future holds." He's been on as a judge since 2012.

Peck's now ex-employers at Paramount Network also denounced the scandal, saying ... "We, like many others, were appalled when we saw the photos of Oliver. We were glad to see his apology and accept that he is taking full responsibility for the damaging impact of his actions."

'Bachelor' Nation might do a double-take at this -- one of the Victorias from this week's premiere went quite a ways with Peter Weber ... but probably not the one you thought.

The pilot stud was recently spotted hand-in-hand with contestant Victoria Fuller, who made her debut to the show during Monday night's episode kicking off the 24th season, to mixed reviews. Welp, it looks like she stayed in the game long enough for hometowns.

TMZ obtained video taken from this past October showing Peter walking along with the 25-year-old Medical Sales Rep and former model. We're told this was shot in Victoria's stomping grounds of Virginia Beach ... which means she was one of the last 4 girls.

Funny enough, a ton of fans seemed to think Victoria P would actually be one of the final four. It's possible she still is, but we know for sure VF went the distance herself.

Now, in the clip, you see the pair walking their dog, whom we're told is hers and is named Buxton. Later, you see them embracing in a kiss after a live band plays at a bar called The Shack. Clearly, VF left her mark ... even though she comes with some controversy.

As soon as Monday's episode aired, old modeling photos of Victoria F circulated ... showin' her rocking gear for a White Lives Matter campaign on behalf of the White Marlin Marina.  Fact is ... this White Lives Matter is designed to bring awareness to conservation of marlins.

Michael Irvin says he's dressed in all black to "mourn" the death of Jason Garrett's run with the Dallas Cowboys ... though he admits Jerry Jones made the right decision to fire him.

Mike and Garrett go wayyy back -- like decades -- and Irvin says he still considers the ex-Cowboys coach to be a "very good friend."

But, when it comes to the Cowboys, Irvin -- who we talked to from the set of "Inside The NFL" -- says the team simply needs new leadership ... and he thinks Mike McCarthy could be the key to a Super Bowl.

In fact, Irvin compares the Cowboys to the Golden State Warriors.

"When [head coach] Mark Jackson left the Warriors, everything they needed to win championships was there. And, Steve Kerr came in and put in the right system that fit the talent, gave them the right leeways and brought the best out of everybody and they went on to start winning a lot of championships."

"I'm looking for Mike McCarthy to 'Kerr' the situation."

Amber Portwood got screwed out of spending time with her son over the holidays, and the kid suffered a vicious dog bite her baby daddy tried to cover up ... or so she claims in legal docs.

Amber says she and Andrew Glennon had a custody agreement in place which allotted her parenting time with their 1-year-old son, James, during Christmas ... but she claims he bolted out of state with the boy without proper notice.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Amber says the next shock came when Andrew hit her up on Xmas Day to say James was "nipped" by a family dog and had to go to the ER.

She claims Andrew waited 3 days after that to send her a photo of the injury, and never shared info about James' initial ER visit. In the docs, she says the photo showed James had a black eye and a bandaged nose, "indicating that the injury was more than a 'nip.'"

Lori Loughlin's defense in her looming college admissions trial hasn't been talked about much in the media, but make no mistake about it -- she has a defense, starting with the fact the so-called incriminating photos of her daughters on a rowing machine NEVER made their way to USC.

Prosecutors have made a huge deal of the fact Olivia Jade and Isabella were photographed on a rowing machine ... saying it's proof Lori and husband Mossimo Giannulli defrauded the University.

Sources connected to USC tell TMZ, the photos were never submitted as part of the girls' admission package. As we reported, the mastermind of the scandal -- Rick Singer -- told Lori and Mossimo to get the pics taken so it would appear they had experience on a crew team.

At its core ... Lori and Mossimo's defense is they relied on Singer -- who helped "10s of thousands" other clients -- to get their daughters into USC. They gave him $500,000 -- some parents paid less and some more -- and assumed the money would end up in the hands of the University. In other words, it wasn't a bribe -- so their defense will go.