Controversial S#!T

1:33 PM PT -- Martin Luther King III, Dr. King's eldest son, tells us he's upset about the timing of the skit's release -- on the "I Have a Dream" anniversary -- and because it distracts from several more important issues. He also says Cardi missed the mark on his mother.

11:08 AM PT -- It seems Cardi B was quick on the uptake, because Bernice King just tweeted that Cardi B has already reached out to her.

9:30 AM PT -- Dr. Bernice King -- the youngest child of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King -- has responded to Cardi's portrayal of her mother, calling it "repulsive" and "false" ... and very, very badly timed. Tuesday is the 55th anniversary of MLK's March on Washington where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

Bernice says Cardi is using a platform that her parents made possible in an atrocious way. She wants to talk to Cardi face-to-face.

Cardi B playing Coretta Scott King will be the most unforgettable and hilarious thing you see today -- it will also be the most inappropriate. Guaranteed.

Cardi stepped into the role of Martin Luther King Jr.'s late wife for a skit called "Real Housewives of the Civil Rights Movement." Yes, she went there ... spilling tea with Rosa Parks and the wives of Malcolm X and Jesse Jackson. There's also a jaw-dropping "Iggy Azalea" sighting.

You gotta watch, but fair warning ... there are multiple references to MLK's infamous infidelities, and even the trip to Memphis, where he was assassinated.

The sketch is part of "Wild 'N Out" star Rip Michaels' new show, "Off the Rip." As we told you, it also features Cardi delivering "Ho Etiquette" jokes that some call racist.

Look, it ain't gonna win an NAACP Image Award, but where else ya gonna see Cardi/Coretta drop the line ... "All these hussies wanna sleep with my huuusband!"?

Kanye West says he was taking a page from the Land of the Rising Sun with his waaaay too small Yeezy slides.

Ye is firing back at everyone who mocked his choice of footwear earlier this month at 2 Chainz' wedding, saying his feet ARE acceptable ... in JAPAN!!!

Take us to school, Kanye. Or, should we say, sensei?

You'll recall ... Kanye made the Internet go absolutely crazy when he showed up at the ceremony, with Kim Kardashian West, rocking those infamously small sandals.

Look, we'll admit ... on first sight, we gave Ye some grief over his style choice. Apologies to Japan, must've been lost in translation.

Rose McGowan is clearly disappointed in Asia Argento for allegedly sexually assaulting Jimmy Bennett but adds, Asia's case makes her realize even the accused deserved due process.

Rose issued a lengthy statement Monday about Asia, Jimmy and her paying him $380k. Rose appears to side with Bennett, saying, "There absolutely should be no leeway or tolerance for sexual assault. Hard stop. NONE," ... adding that victims shouldn't be told how to talk about their abusers.

Rose also says Asia sent text messages to a mutual friend of theirs in which Asia admits to having sex with Jimmy ... even though she'd flat-out denied any sexual relationships with him.

Rose admits she needs to evolve when it comes to her reaction to cases like Asia's -- and perhaps even Weinstein -- saying, "However as allies to the victim and voyeurs of an event we should find a better way to balance support of the victim with due process for the accused."

She also calls on Asia to be better, honest, fair and "the person you wish Harvey could have been."

Like we told you ... the L.A. County Sheriff's Department wants to talk to Bennett to see if a criminal investigation is warranted.

Ivanka Trump just broke in a big way from her father, calling John McCain a "true hero," adding that he served with distinction for more than six decades.

Donald Trump was just shamed into acknowledging John McCain was an honorable American, belatedly saying, "Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John McCain's service to our country and, in his honor, have signed a proclamation to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff until the day of his interment."

BTW, the flag was raised after a day at half-staff but Trump clearly bowed to the outrage and pressure.

More John McCain disrespect from Donald Trump -- who refused to even acknowledge the late senator in front of reporters Monday at the White House.

POTUS held a meeting in the Oval Office -- sitting with Melania -- when ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl began asking question after question about McCain.

Despite the fact he was in spitting distance from the President, Trump ignored Karl and stared blankly at the pool of photographers.

Karl followed up with Trump in the White House Cabinet Room -- while Trump was sitting next to Vice President Mike Pence -- but still, no acknowledgment from 45 when it came to McCain.

Further insult from the administration came early Monday morning as the White House flag was returned to full-staff after it had been at half-staff to honor Sen. McCain. Interestingly, it's now been lowered again.

Trump has been extremely critical of McCain for years -- claiming he should not be hailed as a hero because he was captured in battle during the Vietnam war.

Trump famously said he likes people who did NOT get captured.

McCain -- who passed away on Saturday after battling brain cancer -- took a thinly-veiled shot at Trump (and his walls) in his farewell letter ... saying:

"We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down ..."

McCain was 81.

Tony Gonzalez says if he were in Antonio Gates' cleats ... the pair would be hung up in the closet for good -- 'cause the ex-NFL superstar says he'd retire if he were A.G.!!

"I'd probably be done," he says.

Remember ... the Chargers cut ties with the superstar tight end this offseason -- but after Hunter Henry's knee injury, there were rumors L.A. could bring him back.

With just over a week until the regular season begins ... that doesn't seem like it's happening -- and Gonzalez tells us that would spell the end of his career if he were Antonio.

"I probably [would hang them up], but that's me," Tony says.

Asia Argento has been axed from "X Factor Italy" after evidence surfaced she had sex with a 17-year-old boy.

Seven episodes are already in the can with Argento as one of the judges and those episodes will air, but she's been cut from the live shows that follow.

According to the Italian media, the producers -- FremantleMedia Italia and Sky Italia -- had previously decided if the allegations were true, she would no longer be welcome on the show.

TMZ broke the story ... Argento admitted in text messages to having sex with then-17-year-old Jimmy Bennett, despite recently denying it. There is also a photo of the 2 in bed at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Marina del Rey, CA, where they hooked up.

Florida State football head coach Willie Taggert says Deondre Francois will be his starting QB this season ... despite two police incidents during the offseason.

Francois is a pretty solid player -- one of the top recruited QBs in the country out of high school -- but made national headlines for 2 off-the-field incidents after his sophomore year.

The 1st incident was a domestic altercation with his girlfriend back in January when Francois called police ... claiming she was tearing up his apartment and trying to attack him.

The girlfriend told a different story ... claiming Francois was the violent one, picking her up and throwing her to the ground in a jealous rage while she was 9 weeks pregnant.

Cops responded but couldn't determine who was telling the truth -- so no one was arrested. No charges were ever filed against Francois.

The 2nd incident went down in April when Francois was cited for marijuana possession in Tennessee -- after cops raided his home after receiving a tip Deondre may have been dealing weed out of the apartment.

Cops say Deondre tried to pin the weed they found on his girlfriend -- the same one from the domestic incident -- but they didn't believe him and cited the QB.

Tom Brady was definitely not cool in the pocket when asked about his controversial personal trainer during a radio interview Monday morning -- and got so irritated, he hung up on the show.

Brady called in to the "Kirk & Callahan" show on WEEI in Boston when he was asked about reports that his personal trainer's relationship with the Patriots has gotten better.

Background ... Brady's been working out with Alex Guerrero for years, which has reportedly caused a rift with coach Bill Belichick.

According to multiple reports, Belichick isn't a fan of Guerrero's treatment plans -- and blocked him from traveling with the team and having sideline access in 2017.

So, when Brady appeared on the radio show Monday morning, he was asked if there was truth to reports the relationship is thawing ... and if Belichick has unblocked him from team privileges.

"I said that I don't wanna get into it," Brady said ... clearly upset.

"It's well documented the work that he and I do together."

When the radio hosts tried to ask some follow-up questions, Brady tried to politely pull the plug.

"Yeah, alright guys. Have a great day. I'll talk to you later."

Viola Davis has one person in mind when it comes to improving race relations in the country -- and she's a new, young face in politics who could soon be in congress.

We got the 'How to Get Away with Murder' star Sunday at LAX and asked who she thought might be the next champion of our time, especially when it comes to easing racial tensions ... which seem to be at a bit of a boiling point lately.

She nominates Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who just won the Democratic primary in New York and earned a spot on the midterm election ballot for NY's 14th district. Viola's reason ... she's young and hip, man! Ocasio-Cortez just turned 28 last year, so ... Viola's not wrong.

Ms. Keating doesn't elaborate much beyond the age thing, but Ocasio-Cortez is being touted as the next Bernie Sanders ... and a grassroots favorite come November.

BTW, Viola's also got some thoughts on Donald Trump's part in the race convo -- it ain't what you might think -- and Nicki Minaj calling herself the new Harriet Tubman.

Omarosa's book tour must be going well -- just look at the way she celebrates after another grueling week of airing out Donald Trump's (alleged) dirty laundry.

The former White House staffer and Trump's newest frenemy #1 was spotted getting down and wild and at the Daiquiri Shoppe in Grand Prairie, TX Friday night -- a restaurant that apparently doubles for a pop-up nightclub come 9 o'clock or so ... 'cause this happened.

You see O singing and dancing along to Nelly's "Hot in Here" with her friends. Eyewitnesses tell us she and the gang were celebrating a GF's birthday ... and were mostly left undisturbed as they partied it up.

Can't blame her for cuttin' loose -- Omarosa's book, 'Unhinged,' sits at the top of the NYT's best-seller list for non-fiction, and is doing decent on Amazon's book list too.

Sources close to Cardi tell TMZ the video was shot 3 years ago, when Cardi was an Instagram comedian and not a rapper. The sources say what she said is no different than material delivered by other Hispanic comedians, like George Lopez.

Cardi B joked that cleaning your vagina and butt with a towel is a Puerto Rican bath, a Haitian shower or a Mexican spa day.

Cardi shot a skit for "Wild 'N Out" star Rip Micheals ... who has a new show called "Off the Rip."

The skit is called Ho Bath. She gives advice to women who have been with a guy who leaves and then another guy is coming over soon, so there isn't time to shower. Instead, she says the trick is to grab a towel and rub it on the vaginal area and butt.

She does various sketches about "Ho Etiquette" ... about hygiene and relationships. Her character's name in the skits is "Vanilla Mouse Cupcake." VMC gives dating advice to women.

It's interesting ... Azealia Banks went nuts on "Wild 'N Out" after DC Young Fly joked the show got Azealia because Cardi wasn't available. Azealia felt it was "anti-black" ... making an assumption the premise of the joke is that Cardi B is light-skinned and Azealia is dark-skinned.

It appears the show will air on MTV.

Ben McLemore has strong words for kneeling NFL players ... telling TMZ Sports they're not only disrespecting the nation -- but their message is getting lost in the controversy too!!

The Sacramento Kings guard opened up about the issue outside of Avenue in Hollywood ... saying he believes NFL players should follow the NBA's lead -- and stop kneeling during the anthem.

"You should always represent our nation," Ben says. "That's how I feel. I think you always should."

McLemore also says NBA players are fighting social injustice the right way ... and appears set to give a lengthy explanation on why -- but the dude gets yanked into his car by some friends!!

Terry Crews isn't done speaking out about his sexual assault case against WME talent agent Adam Venit ... suggesting it was rejected by prosecutors for unscrupulous reasons.

The "Brookline Nine-Nine" star shared his thoughts on Twitter Saturday, saying ... "Adam Venit has been the Event Chairman of the LAPD Foundation, which raises millions for the @LAPD ... Anyone wonder why my assault case against him was thrown out by the D.A.? Yeah, #MeToo"

The tweet was accompanied by a screenshot of an email from Venit and his wife Trina asking for sponsorship support for the LAPD's True Blue Cocktail Gala ... for which they are Event Chairs.

Crews' insinuation is strong ... Venit has ties to the police, so both the L.A. County D.A. and the L.A. City Attorney rejected Crews' criminal complaint against him.

We broke the story ... Crews' case was rejected after it was concluded it was barred by the statute of limitations. The D.A.'s Office also told us the case didn't rise to felony level because Venit did not make contact with Terry's skin when he allegedly grabbed his genitals.

University of Michigan fans shouldn't point their fingers at Ohio State over the Urban Meyer scandal, 'cause the Maize & Blue don't exactly have clean hands either ... so says an ex-OSU football star.

Buckeye legend Shawn Springs -- the #3 pick in the '97 NFL Draft -- says he's definitely not proud of what went down at Ohio State and knows the school needs to do better. But, trash talk doesn't help anyone.

He also points out that OSU ain't the first big school to mess up -- and he's got this message for everyone throwing stones at the Buckeye athletics program.

"I would ask them what school they went to, and tell me a school that hadn't went through some type of trials and tribulations or problems."

"I can't name one. I know my Michigan buddies, they won't even mention anything. They have no room to talk up there, that school up north."

Springs wasn't specific about which scandal he was referencing -- but UM's had their fair share (remember the basketball scandal with Chris Webber?).

Shawn believes, in the end, the scandal will force the current OSU football players to rally together and it could make them better and stronger than ever before.

Urban Meyer says he flubbed his news conference following the announcement of his three-game suspension Wednesday ... and is now trying to make up for it by apologizing to Courtney Smith.

"Let me say here and now what I should have said on Wednesday," the coach tweeted.

"I sincerely apologize to Courtney Smith and her children for what they have gone through."

As we previously reported ... Meyer was hit with a three-game ban after university officials say he "failed to take sufficient management action" when it came to the handling of assistant coach Zach Smith and his alleged domestic violence toward Courtney.

Meyer caught serious heat when discussing the suspension with reporters ... mostly for the crass tone he took when he was asked if he had a message for Courtney.

Now ... Meyer is realizing he messed up, saying he should have handled that question -- and the entire Zach Smith situation -- differently.

"My words and demeanor on Wednesday did not show how seriously I take relationship violence. I sincerely apologize. I was taught at a very young age that if I ever hit a woman, I would be kicked out of the house and never welcomed back."

"I have the same rule in my house and in the Football Program at Ohio State. Over the years, we have worked hard to educate and remind our coaches and players of the seriousness of relationship violence."

Meyer added, "I understand my lack of more action in this situation has raised concerns about this commitment. I once again apologize for this, and I extend my empathy to all women, men and families who are affected by relationship violence."

Kimberly Guilfoyle was once married to a major Democratic politician and now she's hooked up with a Trump ... so which party is more entertaining at a party?

We got the former FOX News anchor -- and Donald Trump Jr.'s gf -- in NYC Friday ... and it was all table talk. You may remember, she was once married to then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who's now the Democratic nominee for California Governor.

She used to spend Thanksgiving with some major Dems, including San Francisco Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, and that's why we wanted to dish on which family is the funnest when it comes to breaking bread.

Kimberly's answer -- well ... no surprise, it's political.

As for Kimberly and Trump Jr. ... the two have been tight lately, posing for Metropolitan Magazine. Kimberly got this month's cover.

We're told Guilfoyle was draped in close to $1 million in jewelry for the shoot, provided by jeweler David Birnbaum of Rare 1.