Controversial S#!T

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at The Oscars caused a ton of outrage for folks watching at home ... they flooded the FCC with complaints, calling for fines and even invoking BLM.

There were 66 pissed off viewers who felt compelled to fire off some emails to the feds about what they saw ... with most up in arms about the violent attack and voicing concern about what their kids saw and heard on TV.

TMZ obtained the complaints made to the Federal Communications Commission -- a U.S. government agency which regulates television -- regarding The Oscars broadcast ... and all 66 were focused on Will slapping Chris and shouting obscenities after the comedian made a wisecrack about Jada Pinkett Smith.

"The level of violence from one black man inflicted onto another over something he didn't like hearing is intolerable!! Are you tolerating this??? Thought black lives mattered?? Obviously not!! Is that your message???? Smith should be fined & suspended!!!!" ... a viewer from Michigan wrote.

Lots of parents complained about their kids witnessing an assault on live TV, claiming it led to some very uncomfortable conversations with their children, including one viewer in Oklahoma who says their kids asked them "if Black men are always violent?"

The slap even brought up memories of the Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl ... with a viewer from Texas writing, "Obviously, the Oscar's crossed a line last night. I should not have to worry about what my CHILDREN are going to hear during the Oscar's presentation. Not delaying the broadcast for whatever reason was a FAILURE on your part. There needs to be fines and people need to be fired over this. Have we not learned anything in the decades since the Super Bowl debacle? Overall, you have a simple job. Do it!"

Emily Bridges -- a British transgender cyclist -- was set to race in a women's event this weekend ... but that has changed after the Union Cycliste Internationale disqualified her on Wednesday.

According to British Cycling, the 21-year-old was eligible for the April 2 race due to the British Cycling Transgender and Non-Binary Participation policy.

But, the UCI informed them since she's registered as a male cyclist -- who started hormone therapy last year -- she could not compete.

"We acknowledge the decision of the UCI with regards to Emily's participation, however, we fully recognise her disappointment with today’s decision," British Cycling said in a statement.

"We believe all participants within our sport deserve more clarity and understanding around participation in elite competitions and we will continue to work with the UCI on both Emily's case and the wider situation with regards to this issue."

Bridges -- who set a national junior men's record over 25 miles in 2018 -- is an example of the ongoing battle between transgender athletes and some people in sports who believe the athletes have an unfair advantage.

"We also understand that in elite sports the concept of fairness is essential," British Cycling said.

"For this reason, British Cycling is today calling for a coalition to share, learn and understand more about how we can achieve fairness in a way that maintains the dignity and respect of all athletes."

Several states in the U.S have banned transgender female athletes from girls' teams. In fact, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis denounced transgender swimmer Lia Thomas for winning an NCAA championship.

Will Smith was NEVER asked to leave the Oscars after he slapped Chris Rock. In fact, the opposite is true -- he was told by the producer of the show he could stay ... this according to sources with direct knowledge who were present.

As you know by now, the Academy said Wednesday they had asked Will to leave the Dolby Theater after the slap but he refused. Three sources who were at the ceremony and witnessed various conversations tell TMZ ... yes, after the slap Academy officials were backstage with Will's reps and there were heated conversations about what had gone down.

We're told there was a split among the officials ... some did want him booted, but others did not. There were various discussions during several commercial breaks, but they never reached a consensus.

We're told Will was aware there was talk about asking him to leave the theater. During one of the commercial breaks, we're told Oscars producer Will Packer walked up to Will and said, "We do not want you to leave" ... this according to our sources.

Will Packer walked up to Will Smith just after 8 PM, around 35 minutes after the slap. That's when he told Will he could stay, according to our sources. Will won the Best Actor Award around 5 minutes later.

Chris Rock kicked off his comedy tour in Boston to thunderous applause, but he said he's still processing what went down at the Oscars so he'll talk about the slap later, but he did tease the crowd.

Chris played to a hyper-enthusiastic, sold-out crowd at the Wilbur Theater in Boston, and joked, "How was your weekend?" The crowd loved it.

He then said, "I don't have a bunch of s*** about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I'm still kind of processing what happened," adding, "So, at some point, I'll talk about that s***.  And it will be serious and funny."

So he didn't say whether he accepted Will Smith's apology, although as we reported, our sources say he has not talked to Smith and has not addressed Smith's Instagram mea culpa. Based on what we know, he's not accepting the apology, at least not now.

Chris walked out in a white suit to a huge ovation, and almost seemed surprised, exclaiming, "Whoa, okay!" The applause didn't subside, and Rock implored the crowd, "Yo, let me do the show!"

After Chris' brief opening comments, an audience member screamed, "F*** Will Smith!"

He then said, "I'm going to tell some jokes. It's nice to just be out." And then he launched into his act.

Get this ... the base price for tickets was $50, but after the slap, the price on the street approached as high as $8,000!

As we reported, the President and CEO of the Academy had told Will to leave the Dolby Theatre after the slap, but he refused, and the 2 honchos were, as one source put it, "apoplectic." They were screaming backstage at Will's rep ... it was an insane scene, we're told.

Rep. Ilhan Omar says Justice Clarence Thomas doesn't care about the oath he took when he was confirmed to the Supreme Court, and if he's not held accountable ... our Democracy is at stake.

We got the U.S. Congresswoman from Minnesota on Capitol Hill, and she doubled down on her call to impeach Thomas following revelations his wife was involved, at the highest levels, in encouraging and promoting Donald Trump's 'Stop the Steal' campaign.

Ilhan says the fact Thomas didn't recuse himself from a Supreme Court vote on releasing Trump's Jan. 6 documents -- which could have implicated his wife -- shows he lacks interest in upholding his oath. Thomas was the only "no" vote in the 8-1 decision.

Rep. Omar says SCOTUS justices are expected to recuse themselves when they know people involved in a case, and she believes Thomas fell short of that standard ... so, he's gotta pay the piper.

The way the Congresswoman sees it, the consequences for Thomas should be impeachment proceedings ... or at least an investigation. She says doing neither would weaken our Democracy.

Will Smith sticking around at the Oscars, after slapping Chris Rock, is NOT what the Academy wanted -- but he dug in his heels when they tried to give him the boot.

That's the new startling claim from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which fired off a letter Wednesday, announcing their Board of Governors has begun disciplinary proceedings on Will for violating their Standards of Conduct.

In the letter they write ... "Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently."

That's pretty shocking, especially since the speculation up to this point was that the Academy and the show producers allowed Will to stay until his Best Actor category was announced -- something for which they've been heavily criticized.

They go on to say this about the whole thing in terms of logistics ... "consistent with the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, as well as California law, Mr. Smith is being provided at least 15 days' notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response."

The Board further explains that at their next meeting on April 18, they'll have a decision on his punishment -- which could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions permitted their bylaws.

One final note from them on what Will did -- "Mr. Smith's actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television. Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event."

Of course, the question now is ... when exactly did they approach him about beating it, and to what extent did they insist?

Chris Rock is locked and loaded for the kickoff of his comedy tour, arriving at the venue in Boston and looking like he's ready for funny business.

We got photos of Chris arriving at the Wilbur Theater in Beantown, looking pretty stoic and clearly knowing ... millions and millions of folks are waiting for him to take the mic and say SOMETHING about that slap.

Chris' "Ego Death Tour" is all the rage ... all 5 nights at the Wilbur are not only sold out ... tickets are being scalped at a king's ransom -- some going for over $1,000.

Chris has not said anything publicly about the incident and has not publicly accepted Will Smith's apology. We know as of Tuesday night the 2 had not spoken, so it doesn't appear Will picked up the phone to privately apologize.

As for whether Chris accepts Will's Instagram mea culpa ... don't count on it. His brother, Tony Rock, has scoffed at Will's apology, and based on everything we know the 2 brothers are in lockstep.

As we reported, there's a lot of smoke that Will's tirade goes way beyond a hair joke. Back in 2016, when the Smith's called for a boycott of the Oscars because of a lack of inclusiveness, they asked Chris to join the boycott, but he declined ... and ever since there's been beef between them. Chris' jokes about Will and Jada at that ceremony further cemented their divide.

Will Smith's slap has at least one comedy club on its toes and ready to defend its talent at all costs -- going so far as to post a very clear sign ... no slapping allowed, period!

Dani Zoldan -- who owns Stand Up NY in the Big Apple -- tells TMZ ... management decided to tape up a message in their storefront window that directly addresses the Chris Rock moment, as a way to discourage would-be copycats who might now feel emboldened.

The poster is in a bit of a meme format, with the snapshot of Chris getting slapped crossed out with a big "NO" sign streaked across the front, and a shot of Will crying right next to it.

Their message, "Comedians play a critical role in our society, especially during times of chaos and uncertainty. They make us laugh, bring perspective and remind us there are different ways of seeing our reality." More importantly, they add ... "Comics must be protected."

Then comes a warning from Stand Up NY ... "Heckling and physical abuse of comics is prohibited, and patrons will be immediately removed from the showroom." Their crying WS photo has a description -- saying that'll be you if you get a little slaphappy on the premises.

Zoldan emphatically disavows Will's actions, reaffirming his establishment's note -- that comedians are here to entertain us and make us laugh ... and that they deserve respect.

As for other big-time comedy clubs ... they seem to be keeping an eye on things -- but not necessarily enacting any policy changes in response to the Will-Chris smack. That includes the Comedy Cellar in NYC, Carolines on Broadway and even the Laugh Factory here in L.A.

Justin Bieber might need a lesson in "know your audience" ... 'cause fans booed the hell out of the singer during his tour stop in Montreal on Tuesday for dissing the hometown Canadiens.

Bieber -- a MASSIVE fan of the Habs' hated rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs -- showed love for his team right before his final song of the night ... saying, "How about those Leafs though, huh?"

The "Ghost" crooner even gave a shoutout to his close buddy for scoring a goal against the Canadiens on Saturday ... saying, "Auston Matthews is really doing some work here in Montreal."

Of course, the Canadiens are hot garbage this season ... sitting at the very bottom of the standings with an 18-38 record, despite beating the Leafs over the weekend.

Biebs made sure to let the crowd know he was well aware of their struggles this season ... adding, "How's that playoff spot looking for you guys this year?" and "Maybe next year, maybe next year."

The fans weren't having it -- letting the boo birds fly and even shouting expletives as Bieber continued to diss the hometown team ... even starting a "Go Leafs, Go" chant.

The stunt comes one week after the Leafs debuted their Bieber-designed Drew House jerseys ... which they wore on the ice for their Next Gen game.

Bieber eventually got real and stopped the trolling ... saying Montreal is truly one of his favorite places to perform in the world.

Eric Church has canceled a huge concert this weekend so he can watch his beloved UNC basketball team play Duke in the Final Four ... and the country music superstar's fanbase is not happy with his decision.

Church announced the cancellation in a message to his supporters Tuesday -- explaining he wants to watch the Tar Heels game on Saturday night so badly that he won't be able to perform at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

Church called the move "the most selfish thing" he's ever asked of his fans in a statement to them ... but he implored them to understand because the game just means that much to him.

"I've watched Carolina and Duke battle over the year," Church said, "but to have them matchup in the Final Four for the first time in history of the NCAA Tournament is any sports enthusiast's dream."

Some fans, though, were not understanding ... as several stormed his official Facebook page to let off their frustration.

Some called him a "clown," while others said they'd boycott his concerts going forward.

To be fair to Eric, the game is being heralded as one of the biggest college basketball games ever -- and the dude does love Carolina (he's got a hit song about it!).

President Biden is apparently one of the few people on Earth who hasn't seen the Will Smith slap by now -- and that's exactly why he can't say if it was wrong or right.

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said as much Tuesday during a press briefing, when she was asked about the Oscars confrontation by reporter Simon Ateba of Todays News Africa -- who asked if the White House condemns this violence?

You'd think it'd be an easy enough response -- yes, violence is never the answer, etc. -- but, Bedingfield refused to weigh in officially on behalf of the Prez and the administration, explaining Biden simply hadn't seen it yet -- so she couldn't respond.

If you think that's hard to believe, you aren't alone ... but Bedingfield said, "I know the President was not able to watch the Oscars -- didn't see it," adding, "So I don't have anything. I don't have any official comment from him or from the White House on this."

Ateba then kept it more broad about condemning violence in general, but even there ... Bedingfield waffled and refused to say one way or another, again explaining she had nothing official to offer on the matter.

46 had barely arrived in the U.S. from Europe on Sunday -- this after attending to Ukrainian refugees and meeting with troops/world leaders to discuss Russia throughout the past week -- so it's totally feasible he may not have watched it that day.

But, between Sunday and Tuesday, you gotta imagine he peeped a clip online somewhere -- as Ateba noted, it was indeed the biggest story at that point -- but the WH is clearly denying that ... which is a bit strange.

Facebook is determined to beat out its biggest rival, TikTok ... going so far as to hire a major political consulting firm to smear its competitor with an elaborate nationwide campaign.

Facebook's parent company, Meta, is paying Targeted Victory -- a GOP consulting firm -- to turn Americans against TikTok and ultimately steer young users back to FB ... according to the Washington Post.

In an internal email obtained by WaPo, one of the firm's directors says Targeted Victory needs to "get the message out that while Meta is the current punching bag, TikTok is the real threat, especially as a foreign-owned app that is #1 in sharing data that young teens are using."

The firm's tactics include targeting TikTok through op-eds and letters to the editor in regional news outlets, recruiting politicians, political reporters and public relations firms to help turn the public against TikTok and planting negative stories about the Chinese-owned app.

You might have seen some of the negative press ... like stories about the so-called "slap a teacher" TikTok challenge, which actually started on Facebook.

Targeted Victory is a huge digital consulting firm within GOP circles ... receiving $237 million in Republican campaign spending during the 2020 election cycle. It's unclear how much Meta is paying the firm.

The doctor who Will Smith portrayed in the 2015 film "Concussion" says the actor's physical outburst at Sunday's Oscars ceremony isn't indicative of who he is, and thinks when the dust settles, Will's image will be untarnished.

Dr. Bennet Omalu -- portrayed by Smith -- tells TMZ ... the actor transformed his life for the better, noting he's one of the most beautiful people he's ever met. He says the incident with Chris Rock doesn't sully the actor's reputation ... it simply shows a more human side of him.

While the doctor doesn't condone violence, he thinks the slap was simply an impulsive act, which proved to viewers he isn't like other "superstars" ... he's way more authentic.

He also attributes the outburst to pressure ... with the looming question of who will win Best Actor no doubt on Will's mind. Dr. Omalu says he loves Smith even more after the incident.

O.J. Simpson apparently sees a little bit of himself in Will Smith after his Oscars slap -- saying that he, too, wanted to put hands on people back when he was in the spotlight.

The Juice sounded off on the whole saga, and his main takeaway is in his Twitter caption ... "He was wrong but I understand the sentiment." In the video, he elaborates ... explaining, yeah, Will made a mistake -- but he kinda sympathizes with him.

Check it out ... O.J. says he's also been through a lot of "crap," and on the other side of that -- presumably in reference to his acquittal in the '90s -- was often the butt of tons of jokes.

He makes no bones about how he felt about those "O.J. routines," saying he wanted to "b-slap" at least a couple of those comedians -- but acknowledges he restrained himself, almost drawing the contrast between him and Will ... which, to many, is the ultimate irony.

Bottom line ... O.J. defends Chris Rock here, saying it's comedy -- and no matter how it makes you feel, you (and Will by extension) have to accept it.

Now, here's the kicker ... O.J. theorizes that if he woulda pulled the same stunt after his Las Vegas arrest/conviction -- he believes he would've gotten life in prison without the possibility of parole, seemingly pointing out that Will's getting a pass because he's Will Smith.

While there's lots of POVs on Will Smith's slap -- one person has a take we haven't heard, and that'd be Bill Maher ... who sees it as a microcosm of society at large these days.

We got the HBO host and legendary comic Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and he kept it as honest as ever when dishing his thoughts on the whole Oscars saga. Long story short ... BM seems to think Will's reaction was literally faux Twitter outrage encapsulated in, well, 'Real Time.'

Check out Bill's perspective ... because it really feels spot-on as far as what exactly happened, or at least what we all saw anyway.

Bill gives the play-by-play, explaining that Will laughed at Chris Rock's "G.I. Jane" joke at first -- apparently finding some humor in it, or so it would seem -- but then changing his tune on a dime, which looked to be in direct response to how Jada Pinkett reacted ... AKA, not well.

It was then that Will got up and did what he did, which Bill says was a total overreaction -- not dissimilar from what he believes a lot of Twitter justice warriors do on the daily.

In his mind, a lot of folks might think something is funny at first (privately) but then look around the room and realize they aren't "allowed" to actually feel that way ... and then pivot accordingly, oftentimes resulting in overblown indignation.

That's what Bill thinks Will's episode amounted to -- him realizing Jada was more offended than he was, and taking on her cause in the most outrageous way possible ... going up and striking Chris, whom Bill defends to no end here -- even calling him the "hero" of the day.

There's more that Bill gets into here with us ... including the fact that he was actually at the same after-party that Will and co. eventually flocked to, and he's got some tea about how a prominent figure in the Black community analyzed Chris' reaction ... or lack thereof.

Jim Carrey is verbalizing what a lot of people have on their minds after Hollywood collectively gave Will Smith a standing ovation following his Chris Rock slap ... saying the whole thing was disgraceful.

The comedian and actor tore into everyone who got on their feet Sunday after Will won for Best Actor ... and after delivering a lengthy and emotional speech, which touched on both his work in "King Richard," but also seemed to address the slap moment just minutes earlier.

Check out Jim's take, he's got some pretty choice words while chatting with CBS's Gayle King -- calling the Academy/the attendees "spineless" ... and showing how stars often preach one thing but demonstrate another.

He doesn't finish there ... Jim says if he were in Chris' shoes, he'd sue Will.

JC went on to call the whole thing sickening and sad, especially since it overshadowed pretty much the entire ceremony and everyone else who went on to win that night. And, as many have since argued -- Will could've opted for any other way to express his objection to Chris' words ... but that he had no right to resort to violence.

Jim also pointed out that there seemed to be something deeper bothering Will -- beyond just the joke about his wife's hair loss -- and it would appear most agree with that as well ... in other words, this was about way more than just being offended over a tasteless crack.

As we've reported, Will finally apologized to Chris and to everyone else -- but he did it in a social media statement ... as of Monday, our sources said the two had not spoken personally.