Controversial S#!T

Alec Baldwin is being dragged to court by the family of a Marine killed in Afghanistan ... they claim the actor falsely accused one of them of being a January 6th rioter and sicced his fans on them.

Alec is being sued by relatives of late Marine Rylee McCollum, who was one of the 13 U.S. service members killed in last August's bombing outside the Kabul airport during the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, McCollum's family claims Alec found out about the Marine's death and sent his widow $5,000 via the marine's sister ... but they say the nice gesture turned into a nightmare for the family.

In the docs, the McCollum family claims Alec went on a social media rant ... commenting on a picture the Marine's sister posted of her at the Washington Monument on Jan. 6, before the riot at the Capitol.

According to the suit, Alec commented ... "Are you the same woman that I sent the $ to for your sister’s husband who was killed during the Afghanistan exit?"

The family claims Alec then began exchanging direct messages with the Marine's sister, accusing her of being a "January 6th rioter" and telling her to "own it."

In the docs, the family says Alec even posted a photo of the Marine's sister on his Instagram, which led to tons of his 2.4 million followers threatening and harassing the McCollum family online.

The Marine's sister claims she did not participate in the Capitol riot, adding she didn't even go to the Capitol ... and says she's already been interviewed by the FBI and was cleared of any wrongdoing.

According to the suit, the family claims Alec's social media behavior was negligent and reckless and he should have known making allegations against them in front of his followers would cause the family harm.

The Marine's sisters and widow are suing Baldwin for defamation, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and more ... and seeking more than $25 million in damages.

Mexico is not messing around -- the country's Football Federation is threatening any fan caught using an anti-gay chant at any of its matches with a 5-year ban.

Federation President Yon de Luisa said Monday during a news conference ... "We can’t tolerate discriminatory acts. We can’t play in empty stadiums. We invite our fans to adopt these measures."

“It is not a measure designed to avoid the re-sale, but without a doubt will have an effect on that because now fans, even though they have a ticket, must have registered to be able to enter.”

The chant -- believed to have emerged in 2003 during a pre-Olympic tournament in Guadalajara -- is when fans of the Mexican national team join in unison to shout the word "p***" ... which roughly translates to "gay prostitute."

For years ... people have argued that the offensive word was never intended to be used to disparage members of the LGBTQ+ community ... and that the word has multiple meanings in Mexico, as well as other Spanish-speaking countries.

That explanation didn't fly with De Luisa who said ... “We understand that, even if it doesn't go with that intent, if other people feel it that way, then it is that way. That's why we want to eradicate it."

FIFA's disciplinary committee has already begun doling out punishment -- back in November, they ordered Mexico’s team to play its next 2 home World Cup qualifiers without fans.

They also fined the federation $110,000 as punishment for homophobic chants during October qualifiers against Honduras and Canada in Mexico City.

Like Novak Djokovic, Kelly Slater could also find himself barred from competing in Australia this year if he's COVID unvaccinated ... a high-ranking Australian government official announced this week.

The surfing legend hasn't said publicly if he's gotten the shots or not -- but after leaving anti-vax rhetoric in a recent social media post, the speculation is that Slater is, indeed, unvaxxed.

And, according to Australian Federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck, if that's the case -- Slater has "no chance of getting into the country" to surf in upcoming major events Down Under.

Colbeck made the comments to The Age, saying the 49-year-old can apply for an exemption like Djokovic did. But, he insisted no preferential treatment would be given to Slater just because he's a surf legend, and he could end up facing a similar fate as Djokovic if he goes down that path.

"I reckon he knows the rules. It doesn't matter whether you're a surfer, or a tennis player, a tourist or anyone else, those are the rules. They apply to everyone," Colbeck said.

"I don't like the chances of him competing in Victoria, and I'd hate to think of what the chances were of him competing in Western Australia."

The World Surf League has two big events in Australia slated for April.

Slater, meanwhile, ripped the Djokovic Australia COVID vaccine saga earlier this month on social media ... writing "Maybe Stockholm Syndrome can now change its name to Melbourne/Australia Syndrome."

"It's sad to see the celebrated division by the 'virtuous' vaccinated," Slater added. "If you're vaccinated why are you concerned/worried about anyone else's status...unless, of course, it doesn't protect you?"

NBA referees just called out Dak Prescott -- pressuring the league to take action against the Cowboys QB after he praised fans who threw objects at officials after the playoffs game with the 49ers.

If you missed it ... Cowboys fans were pissed over the controversial ending to the wildcard game (Dallas lost 23-17) on Sunday ... which abruptly ended their season.

Of course, Dallas fans blame the refs for the L -- since the ump wasn't able to spot the ball with enough time for Dak to get a snap off and clock the ball ... leaving time for one last play in the end zone.

After the game, reporters asked the Dallas Cowboys QB about fans throwing stuff ... and he simply replied, "Credit to them. Yeah, credit to them."

Well, the NBA referees (NBRA) feel some type of way about it ... and called him and the league out.

"The NBRA condemns the comments by Dak Prescott condoning violence against game officials," the National Basketball Referees Association said via Twitter on Tuesday.

"As an NFL leader, he should know better."

The NBRA added, "We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future."

The NFL has been totally mum ... neither addressing Dak's comments, nor the NBA Refs' statement. Does anything change now that the refs have called on the league to punish Dak?

Jamie Lynn Spears says she was treated much like her older sister, Britney, was during her teenage pregnancy in the mid-2000s, and it got so bad ... she almost legally broke free.

The former Nickelodeon star dishes about attempts to seek emancipation from her parents in her memoir, "Things I Should Have Said," -- and she went into more detail about that dark period on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.

According to JL, she actually hired lawyers and drafted up paperwork in her would-be bid for freedom at just 16 -- this after she claims her parents isolated her from the outside world, not to mention her then-BF Casey Aldridge ... upon learning she'd gotten pregnant.

Jamie describes her parents being super controlling amid her pregnancy, saying they completely cut her off from all outside communication ... fearing news of the pregnancy would leak. At the time, they were also dealing with Britney's very public breakdown.

Speaking of which, Jamie Lynn claims to have been mostly ignorant to what was going on with Brit ... acknowledging she was absorbed in her own drama and problems. When she finally had the kid -- against her parents' wishes, she alleges, and after the story had leaked -- Jamie says she continued being heavily monitored by her family, and realized she'd never be able to get out from under their collective thumbs ... unless she went to court.

Jamie Lynn says her mom, Lynne, was served emancipation papers, but in the end ... they struck a deal that allowed Jamie to buy her own home and be with her own new family unit.

There's more here about Britney's episodes too ... Jamie Lynn talks about how her mom would often fly out to go handle a Britney-related matter any time something came up, which she says became more and more frequent. Again, Jamie Lynn denies knowing details ... insisting her parents and the team at large kept everything on a need-to-know basis.

With that said, Jamie says she remembers exactly where she was when she learned Britney had shaved her head ... and it sounds like the whole saga hurt her little sis as well. She breaks down in tears recounting and processing everything ... and it obviously impacted her.

BTW, the recent back and forth bickering Jamie Lynn and Britney have been engaged in also gets addressed in this sit-down ... with JL providing what she claims is text message evidence to clear her name, something 'CHD' teased hard in their promo of the interview.

Olivia Culpo didn't want to change out of her "risqué" outfit while 30,000 feet in the air upon returning from Mexico, so she didn't ... it was simply the airline that got swapped out.

The model touched down Monday at LAX after nearly a week-long trip to Cabo with her sister and boyfriend, Christian McCaffrey, and while they were all leaving the airport ... OC was seen rocking yet another revealing outfit, much like she was when first flying out.

As you see ... it's another crop-top leading outfit, showing off her midsection. Besides the color, it's nearly identical to what she was wearing 5 days ago when she and the crew allegedly got called out by American Airlines. The main difference ... on the return she's wearing leggings instead of shorts.

Olivia and co. apparently ditched AA to come home. We're hearing they actually flew Delta for the return flight, and wouldn't you know it -- no need to cover up with them, it seems!

You'll recall ... CMC had to give up his hoodie when Olivia was apparently asked to put on a blouse, as the airline seemed to think she was a little too hot to handle for passengers.

"Jeopardy!" ignored the recommendations of Alex Trebek when it came to picking a new host, and one of the people he picked is now talking about it.

CNN's Laura Coates was someone Alex thought was up to the task. TMZ interviewed Alex for an episode of "OBJECTified" back in 2018, and he said, referring to Coates, "There is an attorney, Laura Coates, she's African American and she appears on some of the cable news shows from time to time. Very bright, very personable."

Well, Coates appeared on 'Tamron Hall' and said she was thrilled beyond words, and decided to make her own luck by calling the show and putting her name in the hat. She says, "I asked for the opportunity. I was told 'no.'"

And, Alex had a second pick ... Alex Faust, the L.A. Kings play-by-play announcer. He too, was not invited to try out.

As for Laura, she was thrilled to hear Alex picked her, saying, "I thought, 'My God. This person that I have watched my whole life really, even knows my name let alone thinks that I would be worthy enough to fill his shoes which frankly can't be filled.'"

She also said she reached out to Alex when he was bravely fighting pancreatic cancer.

Warriors part-owner Chamath Palihapitiya is attempting to clarify his controversial comments made about Uyghur concentration camps in China ... acknowledging his initial statements came off as cold, and claiming he really does care about human rights.

Palihapitiya -- who owns a minority stake in the Warriors franchise -- came under fire for his recent appearance on the "All-In Podcast" ... in which he said, "Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs."

According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, more than 1 million Chinese Uyghurs have been detained in mass detention camps. There are reports that they've been subjected to slave labor, sterilization and rape.

But as Palihapitiya put it, "Of all the things I care about, yes it is below my line."

The Warriors quickly denounced the billionaire's comment ... saying, "his views certainly don't reflect those of our organization" ... adding he has zero day-to-day operating functions within the team.

Amid the backlash, Palihapitiya released a short statement Monday trying to put out the fire.

"In re-listening to this week's podcast, I recognize that I come across as lacking empathy," Palihapitiya said. "I acknowledge that entirely."

"As a refugee, my family fled a country with its own set of human rights issues so this is something that is very much a part of my lived experience."

"To be clear, my belief is that human rights matter, whether in China, the United States, or elsewhere. Full stop."

Chinese affairs have become a huge issue within the NBA ... starting with now-Philadelphia 76ers GM Daryl Morey tweeting support for protesters in Hong Kong ... and more recently, with Enes Kanter Freedom calling on the Association to take a stand against the Chinese government over human rights violations.

A famous pastor out of Oklahoma got very literal in his sermon this weekend about seeing God's hazy vision for ourselves in 2022 -- needing to hawk one to make his point.

Michael Todd, who leads the Transformation Church in Tulsa, conjured up grossed-out reactions from his congregation Sunday during his service -- which was being streamed for the folks at home. The reason ... he wiped his own spit all over the face of a parishioner, who was up there volunteering for the yuck fest.

Even crazier ... the guy just stood there and took it!!! Check out this video of the moment it happened -- it's surreal to see, because Mike really builds up to it with a lot of theater.

The whole purpose of doing this, it seems, was to emphasize his analogy about how "receiving vision from God might get nasty." We'll let him do the explaining -- 'cause, frankly, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to us -- but he seems to be saying ... sometimes, you'll  have to go through some muck to fulfill God's will. Or ... something like that!

It's ironic ... as the audience gasps in horror at his weird stunt, MT fully leans into it ... arguing that's the exact sort of response one will get for answering God's call, no matter how counterintuitive it might feel ... like letting someone rub a bunch of loogies/saliva on your mug.

Of course, he's getting totally roasted online over this ... as is this poor guy who allowed himself to be the guinea pig. Y'know ... on account of the pandemic and all.

Just doesn't seem safe ... even if God cosigns. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Stick a fork in it -- Novak Djokovic's Australian Open vaccine drama is officially over for now ... as the tennis superstar landed back in Serbia after getting deported from Down Under.

34-year-old ND touched down in Belgrade on Monday and was met by a small group of fans ... with one sneaking in a selfie with the controversial player.

As we previously reported, the 9-time champ fought like hell to be able to defend his title in 2022 ... but his vaccine status eventually led to his one-way ticket outta Australia.

Now, as Novak was set to take the court on Monday ... he's back home and will be forced to watch from the couch.

While his AO hopes have disappeared, Djokovic now has the French Open to worry about in May. French officials recently announced a new law requiring the jab in order to attend sports events would not have exceptions ... meaning Novak could run into the same issue again.

Leah Remini says her enrollment at NYU stands in stark contrast to the education she says she was afforded growing up as a Scientologist -- or a staggering lack thereof, rather.

The actress peeled back even more layers to the religion -- one which she says she used to be deeply involved in, starting from a very young age -- in a long Twitter thread Sunday ... which ended with gratitude for being able to break free and obtain proper schooling.

Leah starts by describing an old headshot she submitted at 16, explaining how she had to start working very early to support herself and her family ... which she insists was necessary due to her fam's affiliation with the church of Scientology.

She claims the church drained them of their time, attention and, most importantly, their resources. And not just that, but she alleges she was starved from a formal, normal education for years throughout her youth ... something she says is the direct result of the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard.

LR goes on to say her entire life revolved around Scientology ... down to her circle of friends, and even employers, including her first agent. As she's indicated many times over the years, she says she felt suffocated by the church ... and now says she had to get into showbiz merely to survive, which doesn't sound like it was easy.

Leah describes getting turned down time and again, until finally breaking through. Eventually, she says she was able to escape Scientology altogether, and now looks back as a current NYU undergrad in awe of what she's been able to accomplish without them on her back.

The 'King of Queens' star got accepted at the university last year at the ripe age of 50 ... and it would seem things are going well on that front.

Morgan Wallen made an unsurprising appearance Saturday night in Nashville, hopping on stage with Lil Durk ... and the crowd loved it.

Durk and Wallen performed their song, "Broadway Girls," and it was all part of the Martin Luther King Freedom Fest ... a concert celebrating MLK Day.

Before Wallen came out, Durk told fans at Bridgestone Arena that his singing buddy was "genuine at heart." He went on ... “Can’t nobody cancel shit without me saying it, you know what I’m saying?”

With that intro, Wallen came out, asked the crowd what's up, and they began singing.

The festival lineup includes Moneybagg Yo, Rod Wave, and Latto.

Wallen appeared in Nashville last weekend at the Grand Ole Opry and sang "Flower Shops" with Ernest. Some artists, including Jason Isbell, Rissi Palmer and Joy Oladokun, were critical, this after video surfaced of Wallen using the n-word a year ago.

The Playboy Mansion would be crawling with hookers and celebs on Thursday nights back in its heyday -- and a new documentary claims Hugh Hefner himself cooked up the weekly event.

Hef dubbed the traditional gathering "Pig Night," and it started with 2 pimps bringing in carloads of prostitutes from Sunset Blvd. ... according to his former girlfriend, Sondra Theodore, and others who worked at the mansion.

Sondra says she tended to look the other way while Hugh did all sorts of "crazy stuff," but this ritual stood out to her and got her attention.

The upcoming A&E series, "Secrets of Playboy" ... describes "Pig Night" as a sort of dinner party that served as a jumping-off point for sex parties.

According to the mansion insiders, Hugh would sit at the head of the table smoking his famous pipe while the hookers drank and ate with movie and TV stars. They say the girls would get ratings and quick medical checks before slipping out of the room for sex rendezvous with the celebs.

Kanye West is taking his bitter divorce with Kim Kardashian to a whole new level -- claiming she's purposely keeping him from seeing his daughter on her own birthday ... and doing it on video, no less.

Ye went live with a message Saturday -- the day of young Chicago's 4th birthday -- with a bold allegation ... namely, that Kim and co. are refusing to give him the address to Chicago's party, which has KW shaken up and almost on the verge of tears.

Check out the video ... the guy appears to be driving himself around town, seemingly in search of the shindig that he says will not be disclosed to him, no matter who he talks to.

He notes he hasn't talked to Kim and/or her nannies ... but does say he's talked to Tristan Thompson, who apparently told Ye he'd have to run it by Khloe Kardashian first. As a result of what Kanye perceives as a snub, he's wishing Chicago a happy 4th birthday publicly.

He continues to go on a rant about how fathers have been kept out of the home/family unit for ages, and even with all his money ... he still finds himself in that position. However, Kanye says he's not going to let that happen if he can help it, asking for public support.

Some quick clarifying background on what's going on here and what's the latest ... sources tell us he felt excluded because the original invite he got was pretty vague, and did not include a specific location. With that said, we're told it's been sorted out ... and that Ye is actually on his way to the party now.

Still, this comes off as just the latest barb in Kanye and Kim's divorce war. We've been told Kim is trying to be reasonable with him about custody, and only asks for clear communication and scheduling.

Meanwhile, Kim posted a big birthday tribute for Chicago ... as did her mom, Kris Jenner.

Brian Cox seems just like his character Logan Roy -- in that the guy speaks his mind, even if it's at the expense of Johnny Depp, whom he considers ... eh, not that great.

The "Succession" star let his thoughts about Depp (and others) fly in his new memoir, "Putting the Rabbit in the Hat," an excerpt of which GQ obtained and published Friday. In the text, he takes aim at Depp for what he considers ... sub-par acting chops.

While reminiscing about passing on a big role for the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise, Cox writes, "It would have been a money-spinner, but of all the parts in that film it was the most thankless, plus I would have ended up doing it for film after film and missed out on all the other nice things I've done."

He adds, "Another thing with 'Pirates' ... it's very much the "Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow" show, and Depp, personable though I'm sure he is, is so overblown, so overrated."

BC wasn't done criticizing Depp just yet ... he continues, "I mean, 'Edward Scissorhands.' Let's face it, if you come on with hands like that and pale, scarred-face make-up, you don't have to do anything. And he didn't. And subsequently, he's done even less."

JD wasn't the only actor Cox had words for ... he also took some shots at Edward Norton, whom he describes as "a nice lad but a bit of a pain in the arse because he fancies himself as a writer-director."

Novak Djokovic's participation in this year's Australian Open is in jeopardy once again ... officials have canceled his visa for a second time, and he's now facing deportation.

Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke made the ruling early Friday morning ... revoking the 34-year-old's visa just days after a judge had allowed the tennis star to go free in the country.

In announcing his decision, Hawke explained pulling Djokovic was in the best for "public interest" ... due to the athlete's COVID-19 vaccination status and controversial claims to a vaccine exemption.

"In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and Mr. Djokovic," Hawke said.

"The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia's borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic."

Djokovic has already started the process of an appeal -- and it's possible he could play in the opening round of the Australian Open on Monday while the arguments play out in court.

Australia's Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, meanwhile, backed Hawke's decision Friday ... writing in a statement, "Australians have made many sacrifices during this pandemic, and they rightly expect the result of those sacrifices to be protected."

"This is what the Minister is doing in taking this action today."

If ultimately deported, Djokovic could face a 3-year ban from the country.