Controversial S#!T

Courtney Tailor -- the model who was covered in blood after her boyfriend was brutally killed -- got a temperature check on how the public feels about her ... and it ain't good.

A video has surfaced that shows someone filming a blonde woman in the lobby area of Miami's Grand Beach Hotel Friday night -- with the camera person saying she will NOT stop recording and arguing this woman (whom she believes is Tailor) has no business being there ... especially since her BF, Christian Tobechukwu Obumseli, was slain just days ago.

The person filming also makes clear their opinion on the matter -- namely, that she believes Tailor may have been the one who did the stabbing ... something CT has yet to be accused of by cops or law enforcement officials at this point in the investigation.

Their IG caption is also telling ... "@mpdpolice does this look like a mentally unstable person to you, as she claims?" She's referring to the fact Tailor was placed in a psychiatric hold after threatening suicide when she was brought in for questioning. Clearly, she's been released from that hold from nearly a full week ago ... and is out and about, not in custody.

Courtney's attorney, Frank Prieto, confirms to TMZ ... yes, this is, in fact, his client -- but he defends her being there, and says this is just an example of people running with theories without knowing the full facts.

He says, in part ... Courtney was there that night with her father, who simply wanted to pop in and have a drink in private -- which was disrupted by this woman who started filming.

Prieto also says this ... "It is unfortunate that a member of the public, knowing absolutely nothing about circumstances and events surrounding the death Mr. Obumseli, would take the opportunity to harass the Clenney family during a time that they are trying to be supportive for Courtney."

He also drops a bombshell allegation, telling us he believes Courtney is the victim of "physical, emotional, and mental abuse at the hands of Mr. Obumseli," while also suggesting she may even have been a "victim of human trafficking," without elaborating much further.

Prieto also makes this clear -- he believes his client was fighting for her life during the domestic disturbance that got cops sent out that fateful day. He claims, "At the time of the incident, Mr. Obumseli was committing a forcible felony. He had gained access to Courtney’s apartment without permission on several occasions in the days leading up to this incident."

He adds, "Courtney acted in self-defense; the investigation by both the City of Miami Police Department and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office will conclude such. With that said, we would ask for the public’s understanding about observing the family’s privacy at this time."

We've reached out to attorney Lee Merritt, who is working with Christian's family, for comment on Prieto's allegations about DV and self-defense ... so far, no word back.

Will Smith's 10-year ban from the Oscars has left many in the Academy with mixed feelings -- some think too harsh, others think too lenient ... and some think it's just right.

THR published several reactions from a handful of members -- none of whom are on the Board of Governors -- with many going on the record with how they feel about the decision doled out this week ... namely, making WS persona non grata at the ceremony for a decade.

A good amount of these folks actually stuck up for Will, saying the punishment doesn't fit the crime -- including Stephen Potter of the Sound branch, Harry Shearer of the Actors branch and Beverly Walker of the Marketing/PR branch ... who all felt this was punitive.

Harry (famous from "The Simpsons") says, in part ... "If Will Smith, or any other A-list actor, had run on stage and simply pulled down his pants and defecated, I seriously doubt he'd/she'd be back on that stage in 10 years, or ever ... A decade-long ban seems oddly parental, as in, he'll have outgrown his slappin' phase by then."

Beverly was firmly in Will's corner, or rather ... very much so NOT in Chris's -- or any other comedian the Academy might hire as a host/presenter to roast the crowd.

She takes issue with "the Academy's longstanding habit of hiring comedian/hosts to march out and insult or make fun of the very people being celebrated," adding, "there have undoubtedly been some who would've liked to make some sort of protest" ... and finishing by saying, "What Rock said was egregious and he had to know it would not be appreciated."

Others took aim at Academy leadership itself -- especially Prez David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson ... whom many felt had screwed the pooch by failing to respond in the moment.

Mitchell Block -- a doc-maker -- put it well ... "The board of governors should have reviewed why David Rubin and/or Dawn Hudson failed to have Will Smith immediately removed from the theater after he physically attacked one of the hosts." He adds, "Their poor judgment demonstrated an inability to lead and be proactive under pressure and respond to this behavior. I am deeply disappointed that the governors did not censure them."

And yet, even more came out swinging ... saying Will deserved more severe consequences, like criminal charges and maybe outright disqualification from all things Oscars, forever.

Steven Scott summed it up like this ... "I also am disappointed that Chris Rock and The Academy decided not to press charges for Will's attack. What message are we sending -- that when we're assaulted, it's best to just keep our 'composure' and not complain?"

He also addressed the whataboutism that has bubbled up -- with many drawing comparisons over what happened to Will with others who they feel have perhaps done worse.

To that, Scott says ... "Before someone tells me that other Hollywood A-listers have done awful things, yet kept their Oscars, none of them did their crimes live, on air, from the Academy home stage on our special night, in front of all the world to see."

He adds, "There is no precedent for Will's horrific physical and verbal assault, and the punishment should have been unprecedented as well. I am disgusted by my Academy's appallingly weak, amoral, kowtowing-to-an-A-lister response."

As you know ... Will is OK with the Academy's decision. And, while he can't attend Academy Awards ceremonies or official events for 10 years -- he can still be nominated for Oscars and even win Oscars ... they'll just have to mail him any would-be statuettes if that occurs.

He also gets to keep his Oscar -- so all things considered, really not all that bad.

Bill Maher is angry -- really, really angry -- because people seem to care more these days about hurting someone's sensibilities way more than free speech, so he has developed a lecture to drive home his point -- Explaining Jokes to Idiots!

The "Real Time" host used a blackboard and a pointer to demonstrate how free speech is not just on the chopping block -- it's already been chopped, as evidenced by the reaction and debate over Chris Rock's joke that triggered the slap.

Bill has made his position clear ... the joke at its core was about Jada Pinkett Smith looking like another beautiful woman -- Demi Moore, and NOT about alopecia. As BM put it, "It wasn't an alopecia joke any more than the chicken crossing the road is about bird flu."

He points out Will Smith's initial, genuine reaction to the joke -- laughter, but then he realized he had to "conform" to what someone else was feeling, and he did a 180 to blind rage.

Now the broader point ... "Comedians have been under attack for some time. So I must defend my tribe. This war on jokes must end."

As Bill explained to the humor-challenged community -- which is ever larger -- many jokes -- arguably the funniest -- have an offensive element. We used to laugh at that, but now the comedians who dare to tell these jokes are derailed and canceled.

He points to a Vice study that certain colleges now screen prospective comedians they might bring on campus to make sure they aren't telling offensive jokes. As Bill put it, colleges used to be a place to lose your virginity. Now it's a place to lose your sense of humor.

Bill is making a bigger point ... the walls are closing in on free speech, the essence of which requires you to allow people to make comments that you find offensive or even abhorrent.

Will Smith finally got his punishment for slapping Chris Rock at The Oscars -- the Academy of Motion Pictures has made him persona non grata for a decade for that slap.

The Academy's Board of Governors met Friday and after the vote, the Academy President and CEO said, "The Board [of Governors] has decided, for a period of 10 years, from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards."

He continues with an Academy mea culpa  ... "During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers, and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short -- unprepared for the unprecedented."

The Prez went on to thank Chris Rock ... "We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances."

A statement allegedly from Smith after the announcement read, "I accept and respect the Academy's decision."

TMZ broke the story ... our sources told us the Academy lied about asking Will to leave the Dolby Theater after the slap. Turns out it was the exact opposite ... as the show's producer Will Packer told Will he could stay.

The Academy was slammed for getting caught in a lie, so this disciplinary hearing also served as its best way to make good for an, at best, fumbled response.

Will had also been dealing with the fallout -- a bunch of his projects are now on ice and he already resigned from the Academy.

The Instagram model covered in blood after her boyfriend's stabbing death proudly talked about needing to be in control of her relationships and only dating "rich Black men" just weeks before he was killed.

Courtney Tailor went on the "We In Miami Podcast" we're told just 2 weeks before Christian Tobechukwu Obumseli's death. A newly surfaced clip from the interview makes her taste in men pretty clear -- "Let me clarify, I only date rich Black guys."

As the interview goes on, she reveals she doesn't like being controlled in her life ... saying she never wants to be told what to do.

As we reported, cops responded to a domestic violence incident Sunday ... they found 27-year-old Christian with an apparent stab wound. Christian was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The footage, obtained by TMZ, shows Courtney handcuffed in her luxury apartment in Miami with her clothes are covered in blood after the event.

Police have yet to announce Courtney as the woman in the video, but Lee Merritt, an attorney working with Christian's family, says she's the one.

Khloe Kardashian is in no mood for criticism on how she cares for her daughter, and she's now telling critics to worry about their own kids ... not hers.

Khloe was front and center at the premiere of the Kardashian's Hulu series Thursday, and she brought 3-year-old True along for the ride. Khloe was holding her kid for a time, and, of course, the Twitter mob dragged her because they felt the kid was too old to be held.

Khloe just responded ... "For the people who comment that I hold True too much… number 1 I'm gonna hold my baby until I can't hold her anymore."

She went on to say she had good reason to hold her daughter ... there was a flood of flashbulbs, lots of screaming and a crush of people all around her.

Khloe ended with a fair shot ... "Worry about your own children. We good over here".

British Cycling is now banning transgender athletes from participating in their races ... just a week after trans cyclist Emily Bridges was disqualified from the women's championship.

It's a bit surprising because British Cycling has a Transgender and Non-binary Participation Policy that seemingly allows trans cyclists to compete.

But, since the incident with Bridges -- when the Union Cycliste Internationale banned her from the April 2 race because she was registered as a male cyclist -- the board voted this week to suspend the policy.

"As a result of this, on Wednesday 6 April the British Cycling Board of Directors voted in favor of an immediate suspension of the current policy, pending a full review, which will be initiated in the coming weeks," BC said in a statement.

British Cycling says its initial policy is "unfair on all women riders and poses a challenge to the integrity of racing."

Bridges' mother was not happy when she received the ruling via email ... saying on Twitter, "Dumped by email."

"We've just received this in our inbox. We will be making a statement at some point during the next 24 hrs."

British Cycling says they will work "tirelessly" to make sure their new policy remains "free of hate, discrimination and abuse in all forms, and that we prioritize the welfare of riders, volunteers, event organizers, commissaries and others that our sport can’t continue without."

"As an organization, we remain committed to ensuring that transgender and non-binary people are welcomed, supported and celebrated in the cycling community, and the inclusion of these groups within non-competitive activities remains unaffected by the suspension."

Fat Joe says Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars has serious consequences for all POCs when it comes to demanding respect ... especially because it was Will who got violent in public.

We got Joey Crack Thursday in New York City, and asked for his take on the fallout from Will's actions, and the impact on minorities.

You can tell it pains him to say it, but Joe says Will being the culprit makes it much worse for the culture than, for instance, Fat Joe and 50 Cent beefing.

Watch the clip, he really did take that shot at himself -- but his point is people expect more from Will, because as he put it ... the Oscar winner is "the best we got."

What's more, Joe says the slap looks bad from the outside because it comes at a time when Black and brown people are demanding more respect in society.

The junior tennis player who slapped his opponent in the face following a match earlier this week has issued an apology ... saying his actions were "wrong and completely out of line."

Just three days after 15-year-old Michael Kouame smacked 16-year-old Raphael Nii Ankrah following a loss at an ITF juniors tournament in Ghana ... he said he was very sorry.

Kouame -- who posted the mea culpa on his social media page -- said he acted out and slapped Ankrah after hearing heckling from the crowd during the match.

"I was repeatedly verbally abused by a large number of individuals in the crowd, including insults to my mother in particular," Kouame said. "However, that does not excuse my behavior."

Kouame directly apologized to Ankrah ... and said he'd take any punishment that officials inevitably hand down.

"[I] will use this time to reflect on how I can better manage challenging situations like these in the future in a manner that accurately reflects my character," Kouame said.

Things got testy between Kyrie Irving and a fan at MSG last night ... the Nets star was heading to the locker room during halftime when he stopped to confront a man (he thought was) heckling him.

The exchange went down as the Nets were coming off the floor, trailing the Knicks 67-50 at the half. Irving stopped and doubled back to get in the face of a fan he thought was trolling him.

In the short clip, you can see Irving tap the guy on his shoulder and exchange words with him ... before heading to the locker room with the rest of his teammates.

It's unclear what Irving said to the fan, who seemed visibly shocked Irving was there/touching him. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and the interaction didn't get any more serious.

After the game, Kyrie spoke to reporters and apologized to the fan for making contact with him ... and letting his emotions get the best of him.

"East coast basketball at its finest," Irving said. "People just yelling random s*** from the crowd. They wanted a reaction, they got one."

"I think I tapped the wrong person, so I apologize to the random guy that I tapped. He looked at me with a big surprise on his face. Somebody said something. I was just fed up with our performance."

Of course, this isn't the first time Irving got into with a fan. Earlier this year, Irving was fined $25,000 by the NBA for using the word "motherf***er" while responding to a fan giving him a hard time.

The NBA also hit Irving's teammate, Kevin Durant, for $25K after he told a fan, "you gotta shut the f*** up and sit down" during a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Billy Bush has plenty of advice for Will Smith on how to deal with a moment that could badly stain his career in Hollywood ... and he's reached out to Will offering help.

We got Billy Wednesday at Judi's Deli in Beverly Hills ... and he scoffed at people who are calling for Will's cancellation, calling it "crazy" and "ridiculous."

Billy, who's been through it himself, says one bad moment doesn't define a person's life, even something as huge as Will slapping Chris Rock at The Oscars.

The "Extra" host isn't defending Will's conduct, but he says everyone snaps from time to time, and he does acknowledge Will's meltdown was epic ... nevertheless, B.B. thinks Will's already paid a steep price, asking, "You don't think that guy's hurting enough?"

Billy says he contacted Will's publicist and urged the actor to read a book called "The Daily Stoic," a book he says has critical life lessons that will help Will navigate troubled waters.

Of course, Billy was fired from "Today" after the infamous "Access Hollywood" bus audio surfaced shortly before the 2016 election, in which Billy laughs at Donald Trump's hyper-offensive comments about women. So now Billy wants to offer the lessons he learned about overcoming obstacles.

Drakeo the Ruler was overlooked in the Grammys' In Memoriam segment -- and his brother is fuming ... with some choice words for the Academy.

Ralfy the Plug -- DTR's sibling -- tells TMZ ... "On behalf of Drakeo The Ruler, Ketchy The Great and The Stinc Team, it comes off as a spit in the face disregarding the facts that we’ve created an entire movement that generated the momentum for underground emerging L.A. artists to have a platform."

Ketchy, another rapper who was affiliated with Drakeo, also died in 2021 -- and he too wasn't mentioned in the In Memoriam slideshow. Granted, he wasn't nearly as famous.

In any case, Ralfy continues with this barb about cops and free speech ... "Let alone the reality that we lost my Brother, Drakeo The Ruler, the poster child for systematic prejudices against rappers by law enforcement using lyrics against our culture and violating what they call our constitutional rights of freedom of speech- The First Amendment."

Ralfy also notes Drakeo was slain while doing what he loved most ... performing his music. He was stabbed in the neck when he was backstage at an L.A. music festival. The attacker is still on the loose.

He ends by saying, "Leaving Drakeo out of their tribute and by not giving him any acknowledgment of his existence sums up exactly what we feel the industry has been trying to do. Erase us."

Ralfy also says he and the fam appreciate all the love and support they've gotten from the rest of the community ... and promises to keep the truth alive. As you know, Ralfy actually sued the concert promoters for whom Drakeo was working the night he was stabbed.

Rapper Goonew's family thinks those criticizing the memorial service for the artist, where his dead body was propped up on stage at a D.C. nightclub, is nobody else's business ... because the service went down exactly as he would've wanted it.

The artist's mother and sister, Patrice and Ariana Morrow, tell TMZ ... when they first met with the funeral home, Patrice made it clear she didn't want anyone looking down on her son. They wanted him to be propped up on display after seeing other services do something similar.

The crown on his head was the funeral home's idea ... because he was known as the "King of Maryland." His family says he was the life of the party and loved to have fun, so they knew he wouldn't have wanted a somber funeral.

Prior to Goonew's death, Ariana says her brother made it clear he did not want to be buried in a suit. The family tells us the 24-year-old rapper didn't go to church, which would've made a casket and being dressed in a suit come off as phony. They decided to dress him in his regular clothes, making him appear as he would've if he were still alive.

His family says they've received tons of love and support from those who knew the former DMV rapper. Following the service, he was taken by horse-drawn carriage through his neighborhood, before being buried at the cemetery.

Joe Rogan says transgender swimmer Lia Thomas competing in college athletics against cisgender women amounts to an "assault on women's sports," and believes it could be "the woke straw that broke society's camel's back."

If you're not familiar with Thomas, she began transitioning in 2019. Thomas, who is in her early 20s, underwent therapy to suppress testosterone. The NCAA declared Lia eligible to compete in women's athletics at the University of Pennsylvania, where she then became the first-ever transgender athlete to win an NCAA title.

Rogan, during a 'JRE' pod with guest, comedian Yannis Pappas, took aim at Thomas, and her effect on women's sports.

"What it is now is not good. What it is now is an assault on women's sports. And the idea that anyone would think it’s fair that someone who was number 4-6-2 as a man, 462 in the nation, is number 1 as a woman a year later. And that’s fair,” Rogan asked on the show."

FYI, Thomas had some success competing against men before transitioning. LT finished in 2nd place in the 500-yard freestyle, 1,000-yard, and 1,650-yard freestyle during the 2019 Ivy League Championships.

But, it's not just Joe. Many believe Thomas has a huge advantage because her body developed as a male, prior to her transition.

"Women are so frustrated, or parents. If your daughter is competing and they're competing against a trans woman, it's just not fair. It's just not fair. No matter what anybody says. There's this nonsense idea, of like well there's outliers, there are outliers, and then there are biological males. That's beyond outliers," Rogan argued.

Joe says he believes the trans community is generally accepted ... but we must draw a line when it comes to sports.

"It's interesting because in all other aspects of society it's pretty much a given that a person can become trans and change their name, and we're all pretty accepting of it," Rogan told Yannis.

"Where people have the most push back is sports. Athletic competition. That's where the real push back is. Where people are like, 'Hey what the f**k? This is not fair. This is clearly not fair.' There is a reason we have a distinction between men and women's sports."

Lia's situation has become so polarizing ... and Joe says he believes it could serve as a turning point for the country.

"That might be the woke straw that breaks society’s camel’s back."

Last month, Florida governor Ron DeSantis refused to acknowledge Thomas after she won the women's Division I national championship in the 500-yard freestyle.

Instead, DeSantis declared the runner-up, Florida native Emma Weyant, the "rightful winner."

More of Chris Rock's family members are coming to his defense -- including his other little brother who's ripping into Will Smith for the slap ... and calling for the Academy to take back his Oscar.

CR's brother, Kenny, says it hurt to watch the slap during the Oscars broadcast because he felt helpless seeing Chris get attacked. He says the nonstop replays of the violent incident don't help either.

As Kenny told the L.A. Times ... "It eats at me watching it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it." He added, "My brother was no threat to him and you just had no respect for him at that moment. You just belittled him in front of millions of people that watch the show."

Here's what Kenny thinks should happen to Will ... he should NOT be invited back to any other Academy Awards ceremonies, and he oughta have his Best Actor Oscar taken back.

Kenny also backs up what TMZ first reported -- Chris didn't know about Jada's alopecia.

As for whether Kenny accepts Will's apology, he said this ... "I might have looked at it differently had he initially apologized when he got on the stage and cried and accepted the award, but he didn’t, so, right there that tells me that it is something else."

Translation: hell no, he doesn't accept it. Kenny also says Will still hasn't reached out to either Chris or anyone else in the Rock family.

One last thing from Kenny ... he says Will shoulda gotten dragged outta there one way or another after the onstage hit. Kenny says, "He should have been escorted out of there,” he said. “I hold them accountable for that. He could have went up there and did anything you wanted to my brother. It could have been much worse than what he did."

A British transgender cyclist says she had to deactivate her social media to stop the "targeted abuse" following her disqualification from a women's championship race.

As we previously reported, Emily Bridges was banned two days before the April 2 women's championship race in the UK by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) ... because she's registered as a male cyclist.

Ever since, the 21-year-old says her "privacy has been totally violated" to the point where she had to shut down her social media to avoid mistreatment.

"I've had to deactivate my social media to prevent the targeted abuse I am receiving," Bridges said in a statement, "and block websites to stop seeing them."

Bridges calls out the British media for harassing her as well -- saying reporters have been at her home pressuring her for a story.

"I've had journalists at my front door every day harassing us for comment and story, my privacy has been totally violated over speculation around my eligibility and fairness to compete."

"They attack anything that isn't the norm and print whatever is most likely to result in the highest engagement for their articles."

But Bridges -- who was in contact with the UCI about her status six months before the disqualification -- says she will continue to dispute her ineligibility with the org.

"I am an athlete," Bridges said, "and I just want to race competitively again, within the Regulations set by British Cycling and UCI after careful consideration of the research around transgender athletes."