Controversial S#!T

Akon can see himself in the White House ... and he wants Mark Zuckerberg to help him beat President Trump in 2020.

We got the singer at LAX Thursday and wanted to know how he would defeat Trump, hypothetically speaking. Our guy barely finished asking the question when Akon pounced at the opportunity to debate 45, and obviously thinks he could take him down on several topics.

You can tell he's been thinking about how to make improvements, and even explained to us why he'd go with Zuckerberg as veep.

You'll recall ... Akon recently told us about his beef with the feds -- for rejecting his proposal to get electricity up and running in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, and also with Trump's "s**thole" comment.

Still, he thinks Trump has what it takes to be a great prez. Or, at least, he did.

Oprah believes the #MeToo movement launched with vigor once Harvey Weinstein went down, because it proved sexual misconduct happens to famous women, too.

O was the special guest on Gwyneth Paltrow's debut episode of her "Goop" podcast Thursday, and discussed how the allegations against Weinstein resonated with so many women ... and why it gave them the confidence to speak up.

She also explains how the moment had been coming and coming in the wake of scandals with Bill Cosby, Bill O'Reilly and President Trump's infamous "Access Hollywood" tape ... and finally boiled over with Weinstein.

As we reported ... Paltrow was among some of the first celebrity women to accuse Weinstein of past misconduct, along with Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd, Rosanna Arquette, Rose McGowan and many more.

Chris Brown and International Women's Day do NOT go well together ... according to Vanessa Carlton, who dissed Chris for shouting out her huge hit song.

Chris posted an image of Vanessa from her "A Thousand Miles" music video with the caption, "MOOD. THIS SONG LIT FOREVER." The compliment didn't sit well with VC -- who shot back she didn't want to be associated with an artist who's assaulted women, especially on IWD.

Carlton was upset because she was getting tagged to Chris' accounts on social media and said, "I feel compelled to draw a line." She's since made her Instagram account private.

Chris responded by saying Vanessa "felt she was doing her duty as a WOMAN to continue to spread this kind of hatred today" ... when all he was trying to do was hype a great song. He deleted his original post, but seemed to throw one last jab -- posting a "White Girls" clip which features Vanessa's song.

Beef ... it's what's for dinner on IWD.

Forget Mel Kiper or Todd McShay, it's time for Johnny Manziel's draft analysis -- on a street corner in West Hollywood.

Manziel was leaving Craig's with his fiancee Bre Tiesi (in a sick car, BTW) and we asked him who should go #1 in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Johnny is clearly a fan of Saquon Barkley -- the star running back from Penn State -- with Manziel telling us ... "He's a beast. I'm pulling for him."

Nipsey Hussle is calling for a public ass-whoopin' of hip-hop blogger DJ Akademiks  ... in response to Akademiks ripping into 21 Savage.

Nipsey was on New Hip Hop News podcast with Tariq Nasheed Wednesday when he went off about  Akademiks criticizing 21's decision to stop blowing his money on jewelry, and start investing.

Nipsey applauds 21's shift, but he's pissed at Akademiks' reaction -- which seemed to belittle Savage for being off-brand -- and says the blogger needs to get "f***ed up" for saying such things. Especially because Savage's new outlook is nothing but a good influence on his followers.

Nigel Lythgoe says Ryan Seacrest should absolutely be allowed to continue hosting "American Idol" ... despite a sexual harassment allegation hanging over his head.

We got the "So You Think You Can Dance" judge Tuesday in Bev Hills, and he thinks the real reason A-list actresses avoided Seacrest at the Oscars is because of their publicists.

While Seacrest did nab some interviews -- like with Taraji P. Henson, who many thought threw shade his way -- the red carpet vet didn't talk to any of the Best Actress nominees.

As for whether Ryan should be allowed to continue hosting the rebooted 'Idol' on ABC, Lythgoe says Seacrest can't be assumed to be guilty based on merely one allegation. He notes no other women have come forward.

Stacey Dash is going to have some stiff competition in her run for Congress, because we've learned one of the most popular politicians in Southern California is about to throw her hat in the ring to oppose her.

We've learned Compton Mayor Aja Brown will announce on Thursday that she is running for Congress in the 44th District ... which covers Compton, Watts, San Pedro and North Long Beach.

Our sources say Brown had no intention of running as late as a week ago -- the day Dash announced she's running for a seat in the House of Representatives. We're told a number of members from the California Congressional delegation contacted Brown and urged her to run against Dash.

Brown has been an ambassador for Compton, often praising people like Kendrick Lamar who grew up in her city and went on to greatness.

A source who has interacted with Brown tells TMZ the Compton Mayor has privately groused that Dash is "running for notoriety" and has no relationship with the district.

Brown -- a Democrat -- is a super-popular mayor whose voice has been strong on various issues, including protecting food programs and housing initiatives.

We're told Brown herself feels it's by no means a shoo-in that she'll win, because of almost unparalleled voter apathy in the district. We're told, although she thinks the district is heavily democratic, the Republicans just get out and vote more often.

CNN's Erin Burnett's interview with ex-Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg ended with a bang ... Burnett saying she smelled booze on him after a wild live broadcast.

Nunberg made the rounds on all the major networks Monday after making a big stink about a subpoena he'd been issued by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in connection to the Trump-Russia investigation -- saying he wouldn't comply and basically daring Mueller to arrest him.

He also said a BUNCH of other bizarre things on the air -- from claiming Trump had to have known about the Trump Tower Russia meeting in 2016, to accusing Carter Page of colluding with the Russians ... and calling Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders a "fat slob."

One of his last stops was apparently on Burnett's show, and she asked him point-blank if he'd been drinking at all throughout the day. Nunberg denied drinking, saying he'd only taken some anti-depressants.

Jemele Hill says Chris Berman NEVER left her a racist voicemail -- despite allegations in a lawsuit -- but admits she did have a "personal conflict" with the ESPN legend.

As we previously reported, ex-ESPN legal analyst Adrienne Lawrence is suing ESPN -- and while she attempted to paint the company as a bastion of misogyny, she also included an allegation that Berman left a "racially disparaging" voicemail for Hill.

Now, Hill is issuing a statement on the matter ... saying:

"A few years ago, I had a personal conflict with Chris Berman, but the way this conflict has been characterized is dangerously inaccurate."

"Chris never left any racially disparaging remarks on my voicemail and our conflict was handled swiftly and with the utmost professionalism."

"I felt as if my concerns were taken seriously by ESPN and addressed in a way that made me feel like a valued employee."

"Frankly, I’m more disappointed that someone I considered to be a friend at one point would misrepresent and relay a private conversation without my knowledge -- in which I simply attempted to be a sounding board -- for personal gain."

ESPN also issued a statement saying the company "conducted a thorough investigation of the claims Adrienne Lawrence surfaced to ESPN and they are entirely without merit."

Gary Oldman's ex-wife would like to give the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences the Oscar for Best Hypocrite for doling out awards to her former hubby and Kobe Bryant.

Donya Fiorentino -- who was Gary's 3rd wife and married to him for 4 years -- expressed frustration with the Academy Monday on the heels of her ex and Kobe walking away with golden statues ... Best Actor and Best Animated Short, respectively.

She tells TMZ ... "Congratulations, Gary and congratulations to the Academy for awarding not one but two abusers with Oscars. I thought we had evolved. What happened to the #MeToo movement?"

Fiorentino accused Gary in '01 of physically and emotionally abusing her during their marriage -- and claimed in court docs that he once beat her with a phone. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Gary said they were struggling over the phone, and that it accidentally hit her when he let go.

ESPN legend Chris Berman left a "threatening and racially disparaging voicemail" to fellow ESPN star Jemele Hill in 2016 and nothing was done ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The woman behind the suit is NOT Jemele -- it's Adrienne Lawrence -- a former ESPN legal analyst who's suing ESPN for sexual discrimination, hostile work environment and more.

Lawrence specifically says ESPN host John Buccigross made her life a living hell after she rejected his "unwelcome advances."

In her suit, Lawrence describes ESPN as a company rife with misogyny -- and points to several alleged incidents to make her point.

One such incident involves Berman and Hill.

"In early 2016, ESPN's 'The Undefeated' personality Jemele Hill received a threatening and racially disparaging voicemail from Berman on her ESPN phone line."

Lawrence claims Hill notified ESPN executive Marcia Keegan -- who oversaw Hill's show, "His & Hers" -- but ultimately "nothing was done."

Lawrence claims Berman has been involved in multiple incidents involving mistreatment of women -- but "remains a celebrated and welcome ESPN employee."

Jimmy Kimmel compared Harvey Weinstein's expulsion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to the only other guy to get kicked out ... and the ex-member is cranky over it.

We spoke with actor Carmine Caridi -- who was the butt of Jimmy's Oscars joke this weekend -- and he tells us he feels like he got a raw deal with no heads-up or discretion.

As we reported ... Kimmel compared Harvey's Academy scandal to Caridi's -- his membership was revoked in '04 for sharing movie screeners -- but Carmine says he didn't appreciate his name being brought up next to Weinstein's, even if it was all in good fun.

Caridi, who's 84 years old, tells us he thinks the side-by-side name dropping makes him out to be some sort of pervert. He also claims he was never formally charged in regards to his own expulsion, and even says he and Weinstein aren't the only ones to have been booted.

We did some digging on that -- it appears he and Weinstein are, in fact, the only ones to be publicly ousted from the Academy ... but Caridi insists there's been others.

At least one high-ranking U.S. military official counseled the Baltimore Ravens about signing Colin Kaepernick ... and made it very clear he is NOT a fan of the QB.

TMZ Sports has learned ... when Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was considering signing Kaepernick to the team before the 2017 NFL season, he sought advice from some trusted friends.

We've learned at least one of those friends is a high-ranking member of the U.S. military who essentially told Harbaugh to seriously consider if Colin's national anthem demonstration fell in line with the team's core values.

The official didn't outright say, "Don't sign Kaep" -- but advised the team to give Colin a set of specific guidelines he needed to follow if he wanted to keep his job.

Translation -- if he kneels, he's fired.

7:51 PM PT -- Taraji told People that her comment to Ryan was "misconstrued" and that she was only trying to "keep his chin up" in light of an awkward situation, despite him being cleared by E!'s investigation. She also says she "absolutely" supports Seacrest.

Ryan Seacrest's Oscars red carpet show was business as usual except for the appearance of Taraji P. Henson.

Henson talked to Seacrest about the usual stuff, but at the end said the Universe has a way of taking care of good people ... and then she caressed his chin. So ... was this a show of support or shade? Watch and you decide.

Seacrest has been scrutinized after a woman who worked as his stylist at E! accused him of sexual misconduct between 2007 and 2010.

As TMZ reported, the woman did not file a police report or lawsuit -- presumably because the statute of limitations has run out -- but before she went to the media her lawyer contacted Seacrest and his lawyer, read them a press release with her allegations and demanded $15 million in return for tearing up the release. They told the lawyer to take a hike and he reduced the demand to 7 figures, but they sent him packing.

The woman's lawyer acknowledged to TMZ there was indeed a draft of a press release but says the demand was not $15 million.

Jimmy Kimmel came out with his gloves on to open the 90th Academy Awards ... beating on Harvey Weinstein and Vice President Mike Pence.

Kimmel -- who's hosting the Oscars again this year -- dove straight into the #TimesUp and #MeToo controversies to kick of the award show Sunday, taking aim at Weinstein and the VP in a blistering monologue.

He compared HW's expulsion from the Academy to another that was much less scandalous ... Carmine Caridi, who got kicked out for sharing screeners. He also joked that the cleanup in Hollywood now only left women vulnerable to harassment literally everywhere else.

The comedian also went in on Pence -- joking that Timothee Chalamet's nominated film "Call Me By Your Name" didn't get made for money, but rather "to upset Mike Pence." The film's about a summer fling between a male teen and young man in Italy.

Joe Manchin isn't worried about George Clooney getting his hands around the March for Our Lives protest, 'cause he says nothing can taint this movement ... not even Hollywood.

We got the West Virginia senator Sunday in D.C. and asked if he thought the fact celebs are getting in on the MFOL event later this month will take away the spotlight from students.

Manchin's not buying that -- he seems to believe the gun control rallying cry started by the student survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High is bigger any one A-lister ... adding that famous folks like Clooney would actually help rather than hurt their effort.

That jibes with what a survivor told us last week -- that the students welcome any and all celebs who wanna help. As we reported, Clooney and Scooter Braun are already working behind the scenes to organize the march. Jimmy Fallon said he'd be there, too.