Controversial S#!T

Rob Riggle claims his estranged wife kept a watchful eye on him during their divorce, by secretly recording him with a hidden camera planted in his home ... and now he's suing.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Rob says he started to feel as if he was being watched shortly before his wife, Tiffany, filed for divorce.

In the docs, Rob claims the couple was trying to save their marriage by "nesting" -- staying in separate homes and taking turns living with the kids in the family home -- and he got the sense Tiffany was surveilling him because she seemed to have info about his whereabouts and private messages.

Rob claims he discovered a substantial amount of money missing from a lockbox in his home office shortly after Tiffany filed for divorce ... and he says he confronted her about it because she had access to the home, but claims she denied knowing anything about the missing cash.

Not long after, Rob claims Tiffany hacked into his Apple account and downloaded his texts, contacts, photos and emails ... and then he says things got even more disturbing.

Rob claims Tiffany somehow had knowledge of private conversations he'd had in his home with his girlfriend and assistant, and Tiffany -- or other anonymous sources -- would email or text them referencing the private convos.

As a result of the alleged leaks, Rob claims he and his GF devised a misinformation scheme, planting false info to test whether any of it would leak out ... and he claims his suspicions were confirmed.

According to the suit, Rob had his home electronically swept for devices ... and he claims a hidden spy camera was discovered in a smoke detector above his desk in his home office.

Rob says the device had a memory card with over 10,000 videos with sound on it, and the device appeared to be installed in August 2020 and was transmitting or recording all video and voice activity in the home for at least 7 months.

What's more, Rob claims there is an image on the device showing Tiffany standing on a ladder and installing the spy camera, plus another showing her sitting on the floor of his home office counting cash, which he thinks is the missing money from the lockbox.

Rob's going after Tiffany for damages ... and he wants an injunction barring her from recording him and forcing her to turn over all recordings and copies.

Sean Penn says men in America are becoming "quite feminized" ... and he has a not-so woke or PC idea of why it's happening.

The Oscar-winning actor just doubled down on comments he made to British publication The Independent about men wearing what's traditionally been women's clothing. ICYMI ... Sean said, "There are a lot of, I think, cowardly genes that lead to people surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt."

Sean tried to clarify those remarks while talking to another UK outlet, and you can decide for yourself how that worked out. According to The i, he said ... "I am in the club that believes that men in American culture have become wildly feminized. I don't think that being a brute or having insensitivity or disrespect for women is anything to do with masculinity, or ever did. But, I don’t think that [in order] to be fair to women, we should become them."

SP added that the women in his life -- including his daughter, Dylan, who he directed in the new movie, "Flag Day" -- don't see masculinity as being inherently oppressive.

UFC champ Julianna Pena believes COVID is "just a money grab" ... admitting this week she's "a massive conspiracy theorist" when it comes to the pandemic.

The starfighter -- who just beat Amanda Nunes to win the women's bantamweight title in a huge upset at UFC 269 -- made the eyebrow-raising comments to Joe Rogan on "The Joe Rogan Experience."

During a talk about coronavirus with the podcast host, Pena said, "I'm a massive conspiracy theorist on this whole thing and I have been since the very beginning."

"And I'm like, 'This is just a money grab,'" she said. "This is -- they're trying to kill us," she added. "You know? And this is ridiculous."

Rogan responded quickly, saying, "Woah."

"I don't think they're trying to kill us," Rogan said. "I think there's a lot of confusion as far as what works and what doesn't work."

It's unclear exactly who either meant by "they" -- but it appears to be government officials.

The two went on to talk about COVID masks... and both Pena and Rogan made it very clear they have doubts about their efficacy.

"Have you seen that guy where he takes a pull from a vape pen, on the outside, and then just like clouds and plumes of smoke come out?" Pena said. "Like, what is [the mask] really protecting?"

Pena added, "I don't put on a mask unless somebody asks me."

Shaquille O'Neal is fed up with Ben Simmons -- the NBA legend wrecked the 76ers star with a rant on Thursday ... calling the baller nothing but a "crybaby."

Shaq's comments on "Inside the NBA" came during a conversation about Joel Embiid ... which turned into a comparison between the two teammates.

"The difference between [Embiid] and his soft partner is he can take criticism without being a crybaby and he still wants to play," O’Neal said.

"The other guy I don’t respect," Shaq said in reference to Simmons. "And I’ve been thinking about it. You’re missing the whole season because they asked your coach a question – can we win without you?"

"And your coach gave a funny answer. That should tell you, in the summertime, you need to work on your game."

The moment Shaq is referring to is a postgame interview with Doc Rivers, when he was asked if Simmons could be the point guard on a championship team ... to which coach responded, "I don't know the answer to that right now."

Shaq pointed out he was criticized by guys in the media over the course of his legendary career ... but he didn't let it get to him, and it motivated him to get better.

“You don’t think I haven’t been criticized by you guys and Stephen A. [Smith] and haven’t been criticized by LA media and New York media?" the Diesel said.

"Great players get criticized but the great players also step up to the criticism and perform."

The tension between Elon Musk and President Joe Biden is on the rise again ... with the billionaire hurling new, and colorful, insults over a perceived White House diss.

Elon was once again not invited to a summit meeting on Thursday, where top leaders – including Ford and GM's CEOs – are working together to promote Biden's "Build Back Better" bill.

The Prez gave them high marks for producing electric vehicles ... which Elon, Mr. Tesla himself, clearly took as a direct shot.

Musk lashed out on Twitter, saying ... "Biden is treating the American public like fools" -- and, for good measure, he called the President "a damp [sock] puppet in human form."

No response from the White House. Ditto for Lamb Chop.

This also happened last year after an electric vehicle White House summit in August. If you're wondering why Elon's being shut out ... WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki said back then, "The 3 largest employers of the United Auto Workers" had been invited. Yeah, it's because Tesla's factories are not unionized.

Elon's racking up opponents in DC -- you'll recall he's also been in a war of words with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who's railed on him for not paying enough income tax ... in her eyes.

Elon fired back, "You remind me of when I was a kid and my friend's angry Mom would just randomly yell at everyone for no reason."

Ex-NBA player Kwame Brown is livid with Dwyane Wade's daughter's fashion tribute to Kobe Bryant ... saying her #8 jersey dress was "disrespectful" to the Lakers legend.

14-year-old Zaya Wade showed love to the Bryants in an Instagram post on Wednesday ... wearing the outfit and captioning the post, "always remembering and honoring Kobe and Gianna."

Seems harmless, right?? Not in Brown's eyes ... as the 2001 #1 overall pick unleashed on Dwyane during his "Bust Life" YouTube show on Thursday ... saying the ex-Miami Heat star doesn't "level up as a man."

"You are letting your woman control your house," Kwame said ... claiming Kobe's wife, Vanessa, and kids would not honor Kobe the same way Zaya did.

Kwame strongly believes Zaya's tribute does a disservice to everything Kobe stands for ... citing his work ethic, masculinity, and faith.

"I'm not saying there's anything against homosexuals, but [Kobe] is a heterosexual man. Why is he being honored by making his jersey into a dress? Wear his goddamn jersey for the day to honor him without the dress part," Brown added.

"Let's please not show our Black brother in this light. This is no offense to nobody else. This man was a heterosexual man with a wife and a family. There's no reason for this to be tied to Kobe Bryant. None whatsoever."

D-Wade has been nothing but supportive of Zaya ... and has spoken out about how the family has grown in understanding over the years.

Ben Roethlisberger had a better NFL resume than both Eli Manning and Philip Rivers ... so says Charlie Batch, who tells TMZ Sports Big Ben is the best QB from that insane 2004 draft class.

We spoke with Charlie just minutes after Roethlisberger retired on Thursday ... and the former NFL quarterback explained he thinks Ben is hands down a better QB than Manning and Rivers.

"It's no knock against Eli or Philip, but I'm taking Ben Roethlisberger 1A," Batch said. "Eli 1B, and then Philip Rivers is behind them, only because of the Super Bowl victories."

Of course, Batch is biased -- he played with Ben for years in Pittsburgh -- but he said the guy was just that good.

In fact, Charlie tells us he instantly connected with Ben after he was taken in the first round of the '04 draft because they both played in the same college conference before they got their NFL starts.

“When I first met him back in 2004, there was instant respect because he went to Miami of Ohio and I went to Eastern Michigan," Batch said.

"So when you’re from the mid-American conference, we know how hard one, it is just to get to the NFL, and how hard two, it is to get there from the mid-American conference."

As for the Ben/Manning/Rivers debate ... Batch says even though he's got Ben on top of the heap, "all three of them will end up in Canton one day."

We also spoke with Batch about where the Steelers go from here now that Ben is retired, and he told us he believes they won't be able to pursue guys like Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson because they straight-up need all the draft capital it would take to acquire them.

Neil Young's catalog is no longer streaming on Spotify -- the rock legend told the platform it couldn't have him AND Joe Rogan, so Neil's gone ... but he's already found another home.

Young essentially gave Spotify an ultimatum earlier this week, claiming it's allowing Rogan to spread misinformation about COVID-19 on his immensely popular podcast. In a letter to his managers, he wrote, "They can have Rogan or Young. Not both."

Not shockingly, Spotify chose Rogan -- with whom it has a $100 million deal -- but it also responded to Neil's criticism about misinformation. Spotify says it's actually removed 20,000 clips containing false COVID-19 info since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, SiriusXM is seizing on all the Neil buzz this week ... announcing it's relaunching Neil Young Radio -- a channel spinning his catalog 24/7 -- for the next month. BTW, you can still find his music on other streaming platforms too.

Apparently, the whole “self-isolate if you test positive for COVID” thing, doesn’t apply to everyone … at least, that’s what Sarah Palin seems to think.

Palin was spotted with former NY Ranger Ron Duguay and friends Wednesday night at Elio’s in New York. The issue? Palin, who is unvaccinated, tested positive for COVID two days prior ... causing a judge to delay her defamation trial against the New York Times.

Things got so overwrought, according to law enforcement, a heated dispute broke out between a stranger and Duguay.

We're told someone tried to record Sarah and Co., because it became big news she tested positive. Cops were called to the restaurant but no one was arrested.

Someone who worked at the restaurant scoffed at the criticism, telling the New York Post, "S*** happens. People come to eat. We are not the border police."

Palin and Co. did sit outside at Elio’s, but that wasn’t the case over the weekend. She was there a few days earlier and dined inside, which caused an uproar and forced her to return to apologize. When she came back to eat again, Elio’s said, “Palin returned to the restaurant to apologize for the fracas around her previous visit. In accordance with the vaccine mandate and to protect our staff, we seated her outdoors”.

We don't know if Palin got a negative result after her positive tests. Many doctors say the virus stays in the system of unvaccinated people longer than those who are vaccinated.

Dylan Postl is NOT here for Peter Dinklage's hot take on the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" remake. Dylan says that the esteemed actor took things waaay too far... and as a result, he's actually hurting the dwarf community.

We caught up with the actor and former WWE wrestler Wednesday, and he doubled down on his stance, saying the fairytale remake actually gives 7 real-life people in the dwarf community a chance to star in a movie. He says getting work is elusive for these actors, so such roles are not only important ... they're life-sustaining.

Dylan says Peter's actually taking roles away from dwarfs and the little people community by being so critical ... the studios might back off such projects.

ICYMI, Disney decided to remake 'Snow White.' The "Game of Thrones" star had a lot to say about it. Peter said, on the one hand, Disney made a progressive move by casting Rachel Zegler, who's Latina, as the lead ... but on the other, Disney was tone-deaf when it came to its depiction of the 7 dwarfs.

Peter described the story as f***ing backwards"... and criticized Disney's portrayals of the dwarfs as primitive creatures who live in a cave. Turns out, they actually live in a cottage in the woods, but regardless ... he was not happy.

That's very different than Dylan's take -- he says there's absolutely no issue with how they're portrayed. He adds the dwarfs worked, had a lot of gems and were very dynamic ... as opposed to all checking one box.

Dylan took a slight jab at Peter, who didn't have much to say when he was cast as a dwarf in "Elf" or 'GOT' ... so Dylan feels it's disingenuous for him to be so vocal now.

Travis Scott's fans are pushing hard for him to headline next year's Coachella, and even have a petition going to get him on stage this year ... and they're getting a big wave of support.

Following the tragedy at Astroworld, Travis has pulled out of multiple festivals, including Coachella, and while he's opting for a break ... his fans still want him to return to live performances.

The petition that's circulating online is pushing for a Coachella make-good -- they want organizers to commit to Travis being a headliner next year ... OR guarantee Kanye West brings him out as a guest during his set this year.

After 3 days, the petition has almost 70,000 signatures.

Keep in mind, there's another petition out there ... this one started immediately after 10 people died at Astroworld in Houston, and demanded Coachella ban Travis, who, at the time, was rumored to be headlining in the desert. Right now that one has 63,000 signatures and counting.

According to the new petition, many of Trav's fans feel Coachella did him dirty -- it says, "After Coachella unfairly removed Travis Scott for Harry Styles, they need to do the right thing and rebook him immediately."

It also absolves Travis of any wrongdoing in Houston, saying ... "We all know Astroworld tragedy wasn't Travis's fault. Let him get back to performing on the biggest stages!"

As for the potential guest spot with Ye? We do know they have the Kardashian-Jenners in common, and Ye recently thanked Trav for helping him find Chicago's birthday party.

Right now it seems unlikely he'd be up for performing -- especially because he voluntarily bowed out -- but then again, the festival's not until April.

You could say Chuck Palahniuk saw the Chinese government's censorship of "Fight Club" coming ... because the new ending is closer to the original one he wrote 25 years ago.

The famed author -- who penned the OG novel that became the 1999 movie -- joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to give us his take on China removing the film's big explosive climax.

Chuck says it's funny to him that folks are up in arms over the censorship overseas because he's been dealing with his books being banned for a long time right here in the U.S. -- and he calls out Texas, in particular.

Ironically, Chuck told us China's version actually aligns more with the ending he wrote in the novel. Even more twisted ... he says overseas publishers have been editing his novel to make it more like the David Fincher movie.

So, yeah ... unfortunately, he's kinda used to people messing with his art.

As we reported, China released a new version of the movie, starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, that ends without explosions, killings and general chaos. Instead, it ends with an on-screen graphic that reads, in part, "The police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding."

For viewers in China, there's a brand new ending to Brad Pitt's classic film "Fight Club" -- and shocker ... their version strikes a blow for the authorities, who come out on top.

We'd say spoiler alert, but the flick is nearly 23 years old ... and fans know the original ending is total chaos with bombs going off, buildings being destroyed and the narrator killing his imaginary alter-ego. But, viewers in China won't be exposed to any of that.

Instead, a message pops up that says, "through the clue provided by [alter ego] Tyler, the police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding."

And here's a spoiler alert for China -- Tyler gets sent to a "lunatic asylum."

China's ending is much more peaceful... and lotsa folks aren't happy about their happy ending. Like many other social media users, Chuck Palahniuk -- who wrote the 1996 novel that became the movie -- sarcastically voiced his disapproval.

Even U.S. Senator Ted Cruz had something to say about the Chinese government's decision. That said, it's pretty normal for Chinese censors to make edits to American movies, but not so normal for them to so dramatically change climaxes.

Baker Mayfield is going M.I.A. when it comes to social media -- saying Tuesday night that after his turbulent season with the Browns, he's quitting all platforms until further notice.

"Getting off all social media for the foreseeable future," the Cleveland quarterback said. "Gotta do what's best to focus on me, my family and loved ones."

"Appreciate all the support. Time to get right."

The move for the signal-caller always seemed to be a possibility -- considering he and his wife have been unhappy with the Internet community basically this entire season.

Emily Mayfield has had to defend her husband on the apps constantly ... and even said back in December that trolls sent her and the QB death threats following the Browns vs. Packers game.

Baker, meanwhile, has constantly slammed media members and others on social media platforms throughout the season ... even writing in a tweet during the NFL's playoff games last weekend that it was all "toxic."

Baker had a rough year with the Browns outside of all the Internet hate ... throwing 13 interceptions and fumbling 6 times, all while his squad missed the playoffs.

He did have surgery on his injured shoulder last week ... and he's hopeful after recovering, he can return to form next season.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is backpedaling big-time, and flat-out apologizing for drawing a parallel between the COVID vaccination measures and the Jewish Holocaust.

He'd been blasted for the remarks he made Sunday at an anti-vax rally in D.C. -- even his wife, Cheryl Hines, condemned him for invoking Anne Frank's plight -- and Tuesday he finally capitulated.

RFK Jr. said on Twitter, "I apologize for my reference to Anne Frank, especially to families that suffered the Holocaust horrors." He also said, "To the extent my remarks caused hurt, I am truly and deeply sorry."

He claimed he was trying to use the terror of Nazi Germany as a parallel to what he views as "the perils from new technologies of control."

The son of the late Attorney General, and presidential candidate, RFK ... has been a vocal opponent of the COVID vaccines, but his Sunday rant crossed a line even for his wife.

Cheryl reacted by saying, "My husband's opinions are not a reflection of my own. While we love each other, we differ on many current issues."

HBO might think it’s revolutionary to show Zendaya snorting it up on camera, but one group is just saying no to TV drug use ... yep, you guessed it!

The good folks at D.A.R.E (yes, it’s still around, even in 2022) are speaking out on what they say is the glamorization of substance use -- and in many cases, abuse -- that’s depicted throughout the hit series "Euphoria," especially right now as Season 2 gets underway.

A rep for D.A.R.E tells TMZ ... "Rather than further each parent’s desire to keep their children safe from the potentially horrific consequences of drug abuse and other high-risk behavior, HBO’s television drama, Euphoria, chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use, addiction, anonymous sex, violence, and other destructive behaviors as common and widespread in today’s world."

Just to give you one example of how dark this show is, Zendaya’s character, Rue, actually almost OD's during an episode this season ... and, ironically, takes even more drugs to prevent it. And yes, it’s shown in graphic detail ... as is much of the sex and other taboo topics tackled in the series.

The EPs have said their approach to all this is “honest,” but D.A.R.E. says otherwise ... adding, “It is unfortunate that HBO, social media, television program reviewers, and paid advertising have chosen to refer to the show as ‘groundbreaking,’ rather than recognizing the potential negative consequences on school-age children who today face unparalleled risks and mental health challenges.”

Now, D.A.R.E. isn’t just here to criticize ... they say they actually wanna collaborate to help send the right message to real-life kids, "We would welcome the opportunity for our team, including members of our high school-aged Youth Advocacy Board, to meet with individuals at HBO who are involved with producing Euphoria to present our concerns directly."

If this attitude comes off as antiquated, well there’s a reason for that ... D.A.R.E. was super popular in the ‘80s and ‘90s, especially with Nancy Reagan behind the “Just Say No” campaign. But, while that slogan might be dated, D.A.R.E. says everything they stand for in talking about the dangers of drugs is not, insisting "Euphoria" is doing more bad than good.