Controversial S#!T

Larry King says the whole "cotton-picking" controversy surrounding an OKC Thunder announcer is being overblown -- in fact, Larry says he'd take the expression as a compliment.

"That statement's been around forever," King told us on his way out of Craig's in West Hollywood ... "'Cotton-picking mind' was probably an adjective."

King -- a huge sports fan -- then showered praise on Russell Westbrook (who was at the center of the controversy) for being a beast on the court and said, "I would take it as a compliment."

"That's like saying 'You're crazy,'" ... "What about people with mental health problems?"

"So, if you say to someone 'You're crazy,' you're offending every mental health patient in America."

Larry does say there is one popular term that IS offensive that he would like to see be changed ASAP.

2:00 PM PT -- WWE has announced that Rusev will be replaced by Chris Jericho in the Casket Match vs. The Undertaker ... after Lana voiced a complaint.

"I’ve already spoke with WWE officials to change that match because I REFUSE to let my husband compete in a Casket Match," Lana wrote on social media.

Rusev added -- "Life is life ... it will be Rusev Day somewhere."

Unclear if this is a work or if an actual issue prompted Rusev's removal from the event.

Stay tuned ...

The Undertaker just smashed John Cena at WrestleMania, but his next opponent -- and his smokin' hot wife -- say he's gonna make the Deadman REST ... IN ... PEACE.

We got superstars Rusev and Lana just hours after WWE announced Undertaker vs. Rusev at their Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia ... and the power couple told us Taker's about to take his last ride in the ring.

"Undertaker is a little bit in the past," Rusev told TMZ Sports at The Henry in WeHo. "I'll beat him so bad it may be his last fight."

Lana chimed in -- "You're gonna obviously crush him. He's stronger and faster and better."

Rusev admits Undertaker's one of the GOATs, and has home-field advantage for their CASKET MATCH ... but says he ain't sweatin' it since "Rusev Day" is equally legendary.

We dunno, bro ... looks pretty intense.

Donald Trump has a sixth child nobody knows about -- a kid he had with his former housekeeper ... according to a stunning revelation by a doorman who used to work at Trump Tower.

Dino Sajudin has just doubled down on his claim, saying ... "I can confirm that while working at Trump World Tower I was instructed not to criticize President Trump's former housekeeper due to a prior relationship she had with President Trump which produced a child."

Sajudin also admits he had a confidential agreement with The National Enquirer about the story of Trump fathering a child out of wedlock in the late '80s.

Earlier Thursday, a report came out saying the Enquirer paid $30,000 for Sajudin's story in order to bury it ... which is similar to allegations made by Karen McDougal regarding her story of having an affair with Trump. The outlet says after investigating it determined Sajudin's claim was false.

The Trump Organization also denied his claims.

Rosie O'Donnell has some parting words for retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan ... have fun with the Devil, pal.

We got the comedian Wednesday in NYC, and asked if she had any thoughts on Ryan's announcement this week that he won't seek re-election ahead of the 2018 midterms.

She had some thoughts, alright -- the fiery and eternal type. Rosie says PR's going straight to hell now that he's leaving Congress. Can't say it's hard to understand -- critics claim Ryan has been spineless in dealing with President Trump, bending to his every whim.

Former Playmate Jayde Nicole doesn't think it's fair that men can show their nipples and women can't in public, and thinks it's time to once and for all free the nipple ... which she did twice for our camera guy.

We got Brody Jenner's ex-gf leaving Warwick in Hollywood with a friend Wednesday night and asked her about the 17-year-old in Florida who was forced to cover her nipples with Band-Aids when she came to school without a bra on under her shirt.

First, Jayde and her pal dropped a few jewels about ending the nipple double standard ... and then Jayde dropped her top.

Tristan Thompson avoided major backlash from fans for cheating on Khloe Kardashian by checking into tonight's Cavs game under the radar ... but he got a fair share of boos later.

The power forward checked in off the bench near the end of the 1st quarter during a timeout ... so he was able to take the court without the PA announcer saying his name. Good start for Tristan.

However, our sources at the game say boos rained down later when he was shown on screen, and more came when he got called for a couple personal fouls.

And, as if Tristan's first game in wake of his cheating scandal isn't awkward enough ... the Cavs also reportedly gave away a basketball signed by Thompson for fan appreciation night.

We broke the story ... Tristan was caught on surveillance video cheating on Khloe with 2 chicks at a hookah lounge near D.C. back in October -- making out, motorboating, and getting his junk grabbed.

Khloe was 3 months pregnant at the time, and we had just broken news of her being pregnant with Tristan's baby about a week before.

The notion that President Trump is dividing our nation more than it's been since Vietnam is total crap ... according to former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey.

We got Nebraska's former governor and Senator on Capitol Hill Wednesday, and asked about the political climate under the Trump administration. Our guy barely got out the question before Kerrey interrupted and called BS.

Yes, there have been nationwide rallies against the President's travel ban, and huge marches for women's rights, gun control and immigration laws -- but Kerrey says you're suffering memory loss if ya think it compares to the '60s.

The 32-year-old Lakers rookie who just had one of the craziest debuts in NBA history is just getting started -- so says Kenny Smith.

We got The Jet the day after he watched Andre Ingram drop 19 points on the 1st-place Houston Rockets ... after 10 YEARS waiting for a G-League call-up.

Kenny told us not to sleep on the veteran rook -- 'cause 1-hit wonders don't got stroke like Andre!

"He’s gonna get an opportunity -- if not with the Lakers then somebody else. At least to be part of their training camp," The Jet told TMZ Sports.

Kenny says he was blown away with Ingram's story just like the rest of us ... and we got a feeling it's only a matter of time before someone goes Hollywood with it.

One of the chicks Tristan Thompson made out with back in October says she had no idea he was serious with Khloe Kardashian ... much less that she was having his baby.

The woman's name is Marie -- she's the one on the left in the surveillance video -- and sources close to her tell TMZ ... Marie was given the impression Tristan and Khloe's relationship was casual. We're told she later learned Tristan and Khloe had been together for almost a year ... and, at that point, she cut off the fling.

Our source says Marie is a mother herself, and did not want to be a homewrecker.

TMZ broke the story ... Tristan cheated with Marie and another woman at a D.C. area hookah lounge. The video shows them making out and getting very handsy ... with Tristan's junk.

For what it's worth, that encounter went down 11 days after we broke the story Khloe and Tristan were expecting their first kid.

And here's a crazy un-related fact -- we're told Marie was at the Miami party last month where Chris Brown grabbed a woman's neck. She's the one in the floral dress. You'll recall, Chris said it was all just horseplay, and we're told Marie says the same.

Nick Gordon is in the clear in his domestic violence arrest because prosecutors have decided to drop the case ... and they just released pictures of his girlfriend's injuries.

Laura Leal had a bloody lip, a scratch on her cheek and a bruise on the middle of her chest.

Prosecutors also released several phone calls Gordon made while he was locked up. One of the calls was with Leal in which Gordon says, "How much you going to f*** me over? You totally f***** me over ... you were whooping my a** what am I supposed to do?"

In another call with his father, Gordon begs his dad to bail him out.

As TMZ reported, Nick called 911 last month after he and Laura got in a fight. He claimed she attacked him but, when police came to his apartment, she told cops he beat her while they were driving during a heated argument.

WWE superstar Mojo Rawley reached back like a pimp and slapped the ever-loving crap out of a dumbass in a duck mask in a New Orleans bar ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

It all went down early Monday morning on Bourbon Street after Wrestlemania 34 ... when some goofy (probably drunk) WWE fans approached Mojo and started messin' around.

Unclear what triggered the chest slap ... but it's pretty obvious the dude in the duck mask asked Mojo for the chop and Rawley obliged.

And yeah, the duck mask dude definitely hurled a homophobic slur during the incident.

Mark Zuckerberg got an intense, lengthy grilling Tuesday from dozens of senators, and none was more demanding -- and political -- than Sen. Ted Cruz.

Most senators asked Zuck about privacy and data-related issues, but Sen. Cruz decided to hammer the CEO over the alleged censorship of conservative-themed FB pages. At one point, Cruz asked if the honcho's company took note of its employees' political views, to which Zuckerberg said no.

But, then Cruz asked about a specific employee getting fired -- presumably because he leaned right. Zuckerberg refused to elaborate, but safe to say Cruz got under the Harvard dropout's skin.

MZ will be back Wednesday for round 2 on Capitol Hill.

BTW ... Zuck had a pretty thick cushion under his butt during more than 4 hours of testifying. Maybe he needed the extra comfort, or maybe -- at 5'7" -- he just needed a boost.

Kevin O'Leary straight-up says 99 percent of Facebook users don't give a damn about its data breach crisis ... and business will continue as usual in no time.

We got the "Shark Tank" star leaving Craig's Monday night and wanted to get his take on whether Facebook's latest scandal will bring down the social media giant. Kevin's adamant ... FB will NOT go down after it shockingly announced more than 87 million users -- mostly in the U.S. -- had their personal data improperly accessed by the data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica.

Kevin says it's simple ... a whole new generation simply couldn't give a crap.

Russell Westbrook rolled into LIV nightclub in Miami at 1:30 AM on Monday morning ... hours before the OKC Thunder are set to play the Miami Heat.

So ... the question -- big deal or nah?

Some people think it's a problem when pro athletes party on game day (remember when Jason Kidd got pissed at the Bucks for hitting the strip club before losing to the last place Lakers?).

Others like Magic Johnson don't care as long as the players perform on the court or the field (he gave Yasiel Puig a party pass back in 2013).

The issue here ... it's a crucial time for the Thunder. They're currently 7th in the Western Conference, but haven't clinched a playoff berth yet.

Donnell Rawlings says going topless to protest Bill Cosby during his sexual assault retrial probably ain't the best idea ... considering the charges against him.

We got Donnell Monday at LAX just a few hours after an ex-'Cosby Show' actress rushed at Cosby as he was heading into court for opening arguments in his retrial.

Donnell thinks future protesters might want to use a different, more fully-clothed approach -- unless they want to risk piquing Cosby's interest ... for the wrong reasons.

As for Cosby's claim he's legally blind, and therefore couldn't get a good look at the bare-chested protester ... Donnell is suspicious.

Turns out, he's conveniently used the "sudden blindness" excuse himself as a way to get out of sticky situations, and he thinks Cosby might be doing the same.

12:12 PM PT -- It didn't take the band long to replace Lindsey ... in a statement provided to TMZ, the group has announced that Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers) and Neil Finn (Crowded House) will join the group for the upcoming tour.

As for the Lindsey situation, the statement simply reads, "Lindsey Buckingham will not be performing with the band on this tour. The band wishes Lindsey all the best."

Fleetwood Mac has lost a key member of the band just as the group is set embark on a giant tour -- Lindsey Buckingham is out ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the group tell us Lindsey will no longer be involved in any band activity, and will not be joining his former bandmates on the massive tour this summer. Keyboardist Christine McVie confirmed they'd be hitting the road around June.

It's unclear exactly why he's splitting from the band -- or who cut ties with who -- but we're told, for now at least, the decision is final and firm.

Buckingham served as FM's lead guitarist for over 40 years, ever since he and then-girlfriend Stevie Nicks were recruited by Mick Fleetwood and co. After he and Nicks came aboard, the band's popularity skyrocketed on the heels of two hit albums -- 1975's "Fleetwood Mac" and '77's "Rumours," the latter of which is the 8th best selling album of all time.

He and the rest of Fleetwood Mac were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Their last headlining show together was last summer.