Controversial S#!T

Frodo -- the final surviving dog from the infamous Michael Vick dogfighting ring -- has died ... officials at the BADRAP animal rescue org. confirmed on Monday.

The pup was estimated to be 15 years old.

According to BADRAP, Frodo was one of 48 dogs that were saved after Vick's dogfighting ring was broken up by law enforcement back in 2007.

The org. says Frodo found a new home following the former NFL star's arrest, and spent the last 14 years "being pampered like a prince with his new family."

But, sadly, the org. says he died on Saturday ... though they did note the dog had one final steak before he passed away.

Officials at the org. say two other known surviving dogs from the Vick case died recently as well.

As we previously reported, Vick was released from the Atlanta Falcons and also spent time behind bars over his role in the case.

The ex-quarterback did apologize for it all ... and he later went on to start for the Philadelphia Eagles following his release from prison.

He's since fought tirelessly against animal abuse ... even advocating at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2015 to pass a bill to allow cops to rescue pets from hot cars.

NASCAR driver Brandon Brown is finally opening up about the NSFW anti-Joe Biden chant that went viral after his post-race interview ... expressing that all the attention he's been receiving made him feel uncomfortable.

Back in November, Brown was being interviewed after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega ... when fans could be heard chanting the profane remarks in the background.

The NBC Sports reporter, Kelli Stavast, at the time (incorrectly) told the audience during the televised broadcast that the fans were chanting "Let's Go, Brandon," ... and ever since, it has become a rallying cry for those who oppose #46, with people chanting "F*** Joe Biden."

Brandon released an op-ed over it all ... detailing how since that infamous moment, his name has been chanted all over the country in places ranging from stadiums to bars -- even the halls of Congress.

The 28-year-old said that despite getting numerous press requests since the interview ... he was advised to stay quiet, out of fear of how his sponsors would react.

"All the advice I got from those around my racing career was to stay quiet after that now-famous interview," Brandon wrote. "No one knew how my sponsors would react and, in my world, there is no car to drive without the sponsors."

Brown goes on to say that politics never really interested him, but he does have the impression that politicians do cause more problems than they actually solve, according to the op-ed.

"I have no interest in leading some political fight," Brandon said. "I race cars. I am not going to endorse anyone, and I am certainly not going to tell anyone how to vote."

Brown had a message for Americans who feel like representatives in Washington aren't hearing them ... saying, "I understand that millions of people are struggling right now and are frustrated."

"Struggling to get by and struggling to build a solid life for themselves and their families, and wondering why their government only seems to make it worse. People have a right to frustration – even anger."

He added, "I hear them, even if Washington does not." Brown is committing himself to spotlight issues that are important to him and the "problems we all share as Americans."

Billie Eilish is brave for speaking out about how watching porn as a kid hurt her adult sex life ... at least according to a retired XXX star, who says she's on to something and young people should pay attention.

Randy Spears, who starred in and directed adult movies for decades tells TMZ ... Billie is absolutely right about the damage porn can inflict on the developing brain.

The way Randy sees it ... pornographic images and movies are way too much for children to understand, and he agrees with Billie that such experiences can have lasting negative effects.

As we reported ... Billie says she was just 11 years old when she started watching "violent" porn and she thinks it caused her to have nightmares, sleep paralysis and bedroom troubles when she started having sex as she grew older.

Peng Shuai adamantly denies ever claiming she was sexually assaulted by a powerful Chinese politician ... the tennis star told a Singapore newspaper on Sunday.

"First of all, I want to emphasize something that is very important. I have never said that I wrote that anyone sexually assaulted me," Peng told the paper.

"I need to emphasize this point very clearly," she added.

Peng did the bizarre interview with the outlet ... who said they interviewed her at a promotional event for the Beijing Olympic Winter games, set to begin on February 4.

According to the outlet, the video of Peng was taken in Shanghai ... and in it, Peng makes it clear that she has been staying at home in Beijing, but added she was free to come and go as she chose.

Of course, Peng's well-being and safety became of international concern after the 35-year-old seemingly disappeared following a post on her verified Weibo social media account ... accusing former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexually assaulting her several years ago.

Gaoli is one of the most powerful people in the country of 1.4 billion.

But, the post was swiftly removed and Peng seemed to drop out of sight -- despite some very strange and seemingly staged appearances -- leading many to question if she was in danger.

Everyone from Naomi Osaka to Novak Djokovic expressed concern for Peng.

The WTA -- who has been incredibly outspoken about the situation -- released a statement in response to the interview, saying it remains concerned about Peng's "well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion."

"As we have consistently stated, these appearances do not alleviate or address the WTA's significant concerns about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion," the WTA said in a statement.

Louis C.K. comedy comeback is in full swing -- and his latest stop is over at "Saturday Night Live" ... which gave him a nice time slot for a new ad plugging his stand-up special.

The controversial comedian appeared across TV screens all over the NY area Saturday while 'SNL' was airing, with a local promo showcasing his latest offering, 'Sorry,' which he just released on his own site. The ad ran at about the 10-minute mark into the broadcast.

The spot runs for 30 seconds, and it features the song "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen playing in the background ... as clips of LCK dishing his latest joke play throughout.

Unclear where he filmed this, or when -- but it's no secret the guy's been touring all over the country these past several months ... and word is, his live shows have been packed to the gills and selling out like crazy -- even in places like L.A. and NYC.

Like we said, this special isn't airing or being sold anywhere besides his own online presence -- so folks definitely have to go out of their way to buy and watch it -- but still ... people are pretty pissed that he's attempting to resurface at all, let alone with an assist from NBC.

Of course, 'SNL' probably has no say over the placement of the ad -- there's a whole other department handling that -- but the idea NBC was cool with taking Louis' money at all is what seems to be irking the Twitter crowd. And yes, "cancel culture" is again being dissected.

"Bob's Burgers" is going to be without Jimmy Pesto for a while -- or at least without the guy who's been voicing him for years now ... and it's all because of the Jan. 6 attacks.

Actor Jay Johnston -- who's portrayed Pesto, Bob's fast food archrival, since 2011 -- has reportedly been "banned" from playing the character in recent months ... and won't be participating in the animated series for the foreseeable future ... this per The Daily Beast.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, TDB reports Johnston is persona non grata as it relates to anything "Bob's Burgers" -- and it's apparently because he's believed to have attended the Capitol riots, and is allegedly one of the faces seen in one of the FBI's posts.

We should note ... Johnston has NOT been arrested or charged in connection to the riot at this point, but The Daily Beast cites tweets from people who've worked with JJ in the past, who say they believe it's him in the photo. Some of those people also claim to have knowledge that Jay was actually there that day as well.

In video and photo still posted by the FBI, this person -- who some clearly believe is, in fact, Jay -- can be seen joining the mob outside the capitol steps, filming all the chaos. Eventually, it appears they make it inside the building as well ... and later throws on a face mask. Unclear what, if anything, they may have done once they breached the doors.

Vice President Kamala Harris isn't having any talk about Sen. Joe Manchin being in charge of the U.S. government ... and she clapped back when Charlamagne Tha God, legitimately, raised the issue.

The Veep chatted with Charlamagne Friday for his Comedy Central show, 'Tha God's Honest Truth' ... and it was a mostly congenial interaction. He asked Harris if she felt she gets "crucified" for every move because she's a woman of color -- and she sidestepped a direct response, saying she's focused on her work, not her haters.

But, Charlamagne struck a nerve with his take on the current political standoff between President Biden's administration and Sen. Manchin over the "Build Back Better" bill.

He told the VP ... "You get villainized for silly things like air buds, when [Manchin is] really stopping progress." She played smart politics and refrained from attacking Manchin ... whose vote they desperately need, if the bill's gonna get through in some form.

When he followed up with, "So, who is the President: Is it Joe Manchin or Joe Biden?" ... an aide for Harris jumped in to cut off the interview.

Charlamagne skillfully persisted though, and coaxed a pretty heated response out of her -- "Come on, Charlamagne ... no, no, no, no. It's Joe Biden. And, don't start talking like a Republican about asking whether or not he's President. It's Joe Biden. And, I'm Vice President and my name is Kamala Harris."

Mic drop?

Big Sean finally got his chance to address Kanye West saying signing the guy to a deal was the worst thing he'd ever done -- and let's just say ... he had a lot to get off his chest.

The Detroit rapper was up to bat on the "Drink Champs" podcast, and during the sprawling interview -- Ye's remarks from about a month or so ago were brought up ... which BS did not shy away from in the slightest.

For starters, Sean says he was hurt by Kanye's words ... and took the very public shot personally -- this after thinking it was funny/absurd at first. He explains why, and it basically boils down to his loyalty and dedication to Ye's label G.O.O.D. Music ... and to Ye himself.

Check it out ... dude says he's been available to Kanye on the drop of a dime over their time together, and not just that ... but was apparently also the first one to suggest Kanye run for POTUS. Eventually, he pivots to money ... citing cash he says he's owed from Ye/G.O.O.D.

The amount Sean claims he's due ... around $6 mil or so, although he notes he's not sure if this is even on Kanye's radar. Still, he says that while he thought UMG was the one screwing him at first -- he says he finally learned G.O.O.D. Music was allegedly pocketing extra profits off the success of his many albums ... the most put out by any G.O.O.D. artist, he points out.

Sean also addresses Kanye's gripe about him and John Legend endorsing other candidates while Ye was running for President last year ... but BS denies he ever did so, saying he purposely stayed silent out of respect for Kanye.

There's a lot to unpack in the 3-plus hour-long interview ... but the takeaway here is, Sean was quite angry after hearing Ye trash him so publicly. He says Kanye actually reached out shortly thereafter to reconcile, but Sean says he shot him down.

Chrissy Teigen thinks she was being tricked by our photog, who asked if people at her XMAS celebration would be wearing masks, but the fact is ... it's a legit question in the middle of this pandemic, and the irony is -- what she said is the exact right answer.

Chrissy tweeted, "TMZ just asked me if I'd be wearing a mask at my family Christmas and I said no? and now I feel like I've been tricked into a story about how I won't wear a mask this Christmas. just know I am pro mask but don't really wear one inside with my husband and kids I guess?"

There's no trickery ... Chrissy made it clear, she'll only have 8 folks around the table for Christmas dinner, and everyone is vaccinated except Miles, who is only 3. Now it's true ... with the Omicron variant even fully vaccinated people may be spreaders -- especially if they haven't been boosted -- and she wasn't specific about that. Nevertheless, there's no hard-and-fast rule if everyone's vaccinated except a small child -- a lot depends on testing and how careful the others have been.

Fact is -- Chrissy's an influencer, so what she does will register with others, and she made it clear the only ones who were invited are immediate fam and everyone who can get vaccinated did.

Chris Noth is starting to get the cold shoulder in Hollywood ... he's in the market for a new agent, after his dropped him due to the claims of rape and sexual misconduct.

The "Sex and the City" actor's reps at A3 Artists Agency gave him the ol' heave-ho Friday ... the day after he vehemently denied 2 separate allegations -- one from a woman in 2004, and the other from a woman in 2015.

But, now Noth is facing a 3rd accuser ... a woman, using the pseudonym, Ava, told Daily Beast she was an 18-year-old hostess at an NYC restaurant in 2010 when the actor allegedly sexually assaulted her. She claims he drunkenly groped her and pulled her onto his lap when he had an erection.

Noth's denying that as well ... a rep told People, "The story is a complete fabrication, and the alleged accounts detailed throughout read like a piece of bad fiction. As Chris stated yesterday, he has and would never cross that line."

Sure looks like Cheryl Hines just got Jennifer Garner-ed ... her husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is passing the buck on who suggested their holiday party guests should be vaccinated, and the blame's falling at her feet.

The backstory here is RFK Jr. is an established anti-vaxxer -- or at least anti-vaxx mandate -- for children, so some guests were shocked to see invites to his and Cheryl's shindig included a recommendation attendees should be inoculated ... according to Politico.

Kennedy's explanation to Politico was, "I guess I'm not always the boss at my own house."

🤔

Well, he didn't call Cheryl out by name, but  ... the insinuation's pretty clear.

Kennedy also said his guests weren't carded at the door -- it was more of an honor system type thing.

NFL legend Lawrence Taylor was arrested in Florida on Thursday ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The former New York Giants superstar was booked at around 8:45 PM ET and released hours later, jail records show. The 62-year-old posed for a mug shot before his release.

The news was first reported by Andy Slater.

Details surrounding the arrest are unclear -- we're working on it -- but according to a spokesperson for the Broward County Sheriff's Office, Taylor was booked on charges of sex offender violations.

As we previously reported, Lawrence was declared a sex offender back in 2011 ... after he pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute.

In the case, Taylor was accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl ... though he said at the time he thought she was 19.

Due to his status as a sex offender, Taylor is required to be on top of several things ... including letting law enforcement know of any residence or name changes.

Of course, Taylor is no stranger to run-ins with the law ... the former football player has been arrested several times in his life, including multiple times in the late 1990s after he allegedly tried to buy drugs from undercover police officers.

Kyrie Irving is BACK -- well, partially -- the NBA superstar will soon play in road games and practice at home with the Brooklyn Nets, the team just announced Friday.

Irving has already begun the process of returning to the team ... as he's undergoing team COVID-19 testing, according to Shams Charania.

Due to NYC's current mandates, Irving hasn't played a game or practiced with the Nets all season ... as he remained unvaccinated.

As we previously reported, the Nets took a strong stance against Irving's unwillingness to get the jab ... telling him in October to stay home instead of playing when he could.

While there were reports Irving was anti-vax, he adamantly denied it ... saying he was standing up for local workers who were being forced into getting vaccinated in order to save their jobs.

Now, it appears both Irving and the Nets have reached an agreement that will allow him to suit up for the Nets in some capacity soon, but his return date has not been determined yet.

Irving even teased his comeback earlier this week ... showing himself putting on his sneakers.

The Everton soccer club is condemning a group of fans -- their OWN fans -- after chanting an anti-gay slur at an opposing player ... with team brass calling it "unacceptable."

The offensive phrase, "Chelsea Rent Boy," was chanted during Everton's Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the UK on Thursday.

FYI, "rent boy" is British slang for young male prostitutes who have sex with men.

The Everton F.C. was immediately called out by an LGBT+ support group, Rainbow Toffees -- who says they've spoken with the soccer club about their ill-mannered fans on several occasions.

"It's wrong, it's homophobic & needs to stop," the group said.

"We have brought this up with the club in the past & will be bringing it up again."

The Liverpool-based team replied with a statement, saying ... "Everton condemns the homophobic chanting directed at a Chelsea player this evening at Stamford Bridge.'

"Such behavior is unacceptable and does not represent the values of our club or our wider fanbase."

Everton added, "Through our 'All Together Now' campaign we promote and celebrate the diversity and inclusivity within our club, our game and our community. We expect fans to reflect those values by refraining from any discriminatory chanting in the future."

Morgan Wallen's gotta be feeling like all is forgiven -- Lil Durk invited him to feature on a new song ... less than a year removed from the country singer's controversial use of the n-word.

The song, "Broadway Girls," was a surprise release Thursday night, and it's way more hip-hop flavored than country. Essentially, Morgan sings the hook and Durk handles the rapping ... although there are a few lines that sound like MW's dipping his toe, and attempting a little rap.

The collab is the latest sign the country superstar is fully bouncing back from the industry "canceling" him. As you know, back in February ... TMZ got video, shot by one of Morgan's neighbors, showing him using the n-word after a drunken night out with friends.

Radio stations stopped playing Morgan's songs, and he was banned from multiple award shows all year. However, his double album, "Dangerous" continued to top the charts and set sales records.

Morgan says he had no clue about the history or pain attached to the n-word, and told Michael Strahan he's learned from the controversy. Since then, he's popped up onstage at other artist's shows -- including Eric Church -- and gotten tons of applause. He's also announced a tour next year.

"Selling Sunset" star Chrishell Stause agrees with Tom Holland and Zendaya -- when it comes to men, height shouldn't matter -- and it's a silly standard for women to hold.

Chrishell was on Sunset Blvd. (where else?) when asked about the recent podcast Tom and Zendaya were on where they said it was misogynistic to believe that a male partner should be taller than the female.

Stause -- who is dating her shorter costar, Jason Oppenheim -- simply laughed the standard off, saying she understands some people may have preferences, but it's what's inside that should really count.

She goes on to tell our photog ... women should really care about how they're treated over everything else -- including their partner's height.

Chrishell and Jason have been going steady since the summer, we first saw them coupled up in Capri back in July.