Controversial S#!T

Margaret Atwood -- who penned 'The Handmaid's Tale,' inspiring the TV show -- just let everyone know how she feels about banning abortion ... calling it literal enslavement.

The renowned author and poet wrote a brief but powerful op-ed in The Guardian this weekend -- and it's all about the prospect of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade, which was made public last week after a draft opinion leaked to the press.

Her title says it all ... "Enforced childbirth is slavery" -- and she lays out her argument pretty well in the following graphs, likening the would-be decision to what she outlines in her cautionary tale of a novel ... where women who are fertile become prisoners of the state.

Here's just a snippet of Atwood's words ... "Women who cannot make their own decisions about whether or not to have babies are enslaved because the state claims ownership of their bodies and the right to dictate the use to which their bodies must be put."

She goes on to compare the slavery she speaks of to conscription for men -- but notes that even there, guys have a better deal ... as they're afforded free resources for the "service."

MA then asks this ... "If the state is mandating enforced childbirth, why should it not pay for prenatal care, for the birth itself, for postnatal care, and -- for babies who are not sold off to richer families – for the cost of bringing up the child?" Essentially, pay women for having babies, especially if you're going to give them no other option but to do exactly that.

Margaret answers her own question, writing ... "Instead, it just wants to reinforce the usual cheap trick: force women to have babies, and then make them pay. And pay. And pay. As I said, slavery." She goes on to say that having a baby is a gift -- but ceases to be a gift if it's not freely given or received ... which is what would happen by default if abortion is banned.

'SNL' did a really smart cold open Saturday night ... challenging what appears to be the Supreme Court's notion that tradition should stand in the way of change.

It was pretty brilliant ... the host Benedict Cumberbatch, along with Andrew Dismukes, Alex Moffat, Kate McKinnon, Chris Redd and Cecily Strong played characters back in 1235, when the laws were incredibly draconian. The point -- these ideas have no place a thousand years later.

There's a hilarious moment when Cumberbatch says, "It’s just while I was cleaning the hole on the side of the castle where we poop and then it falls through the sky into a hole of human feces, I started to think about abortion. Don’t you think we ought to make a law against that?"

The reply ... "You mean like to know we have against pointy shoes?"

At one point someone asks, "Shouldn't we at least make exceptions in cases of rape or incest? Moffat jumps on that ... "But those are the only kinds of sex."

Then there's a turn where somehow mask-wearing becomes relevant, and even Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard becomes grist for the group.

Eminem packs just as much of a punch as any heavy metal band out there -- at least that's what the guy who runs the Rock & Roll HOF says ... which isn't going over so well.

Greg Harris -- the CEO of the Hall -- said as much this much this week in an interview with Audacy ... where he discussed the many inductees who are getting enshrined at this year's ceremony -- including, of course, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon and Slim Shady, among others.

During his chat, Harris was singing everyone's praises -- including Judas Priest, who are also getting inducted after being snubbed twice before -- but especially for Mr. Mathers ... whose music he dubbed "as hard-hitting and straight-ahead as any metal song."

Harris went to say that Em's going to be the 10th hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Hall -- the first was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in '07 -- adding that Slim's been an integral part of the Hall for a while now ... helping induct Run-DMC and LL Cool J.

Indeed, Em has assisted in celebrating hip-hop acts on the big stage ... and he is definitely deserving himself, even in his 1st year of eligibility. Here's the problem, though, at least in some folks' minds -- Harris seems to be downplaying the impact/importance of metal.

Whether Eminem's music actually matches the energy of a traditional metal song/act is up for debate ... but what some die-hards hear in his remarks is disrespect for the genre.

Some argue this is further evidenced in the fact that Judas Priest is only now getting their flowers ... even though they've been eligible for induction for over 20 years now.

Frontman Rob Halford recently shouted out the significance of JP getting in, albeit late, and what it means for metal bands everywhere ... or even legendary hard rock acts in general, several of which were also inducted after years of missing the ballot ... or which have yet to be acknowledged at all, like Motorhead or Iron Maiden for instance.

Meanwhile, it appears -- at least to some, anyway -- that Hall voters are eager to induct certain artists right away ... making it come off more like a popularity contest than anything.

Amber Heard's testimony has been accused of being contrived, lifted and, strangely, drug-laced -- but it seems only 1 of these might be close to true ... and the proof's in the video.

Here's the deal ... AH was on the stand for two days this week, detailing the alleged abuse she claims she suffered at the hands of Johnny Depp. Each day of testimony ran for several hours -- but rabid JD fans picked apart three specific moments that they say are damning.

First, a moment from Thursday's testimony where Amber is describing a time when Johnny was detoxing ... during which, she holds a tissue to her face for an extended period of time -- apparently aware she's being photographed right then and there -- and seemingly poses.

The clip going around on social media felt sorta doctored, but we found it in the raw feed -- and, indeed, Amber does look to hold this pose for what sounds like a camera flash.

People have criticized her for this -- perhaps rightly so -- but even more Twitter warriors have made what we would consider wildly outlandish claims that are far more sinister ... namely, that Amber was allegedly doing bumps of "cocaine" on the witness stand Thursday.

You've probably seen this clip making the rounds too -- it shows Amber blowing/wiping her nose with a handkerchief ... and people believe they see something more nefarious.

We'll be honest ... this claim is absurd on its face, and nothing more than people reaching to connect dots that simply aren't there. Depending on what side you're on in this case, you'll probably see what you want to see ... but there's no smoking gun here whatsoever.

Finally, there's the 'Talented Mr. Ripley' claim ... which boils down to folks alleging that Amber lifted a part of her testimony Wednesday straight from the movie, and straight from Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Marge. As it turns out, that claim was also total BS.

A now-viral side-by-side quote was being circulated that suggested Amber had literally repeated lines from the movie, word for word, but after someone tracked down the actual video ... her real testimony was far from what GP said on film. Once again ... reaching.

Fred Savage's alleged on-set behavior appears to have caught up with him -- the guy was just fired from the reboot of his old TV show ... stemming from how he conducted himself.

The one-time child star and former star of the original sitcom was terminated by ABC Friday ... meaning he won't be able to direct or executive produce the revived series, which is exactly what he was doing before getting booted.

A rep for 20th Television (now under the Disney umbrella) says ... "Recently, we were made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Fred Savage, and as is policy, an investigation was launched. Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his employment as an executive producer and director of 'The Wonder Years.'"

Unclear when this investigation started or what the details of the grievances entail -- everyone's learning about this all in one fell swoop, as the allegations themselves had gone unreported until now -- but THR does say there were 3 separate complaints.

The news is fairly shocking, but perhaps not all that surprising ... Savage was at the center of another on-set investigation a few years back during his new show "The Grinder," when he was accused of treating female crew members like crap ... for which he was sued.

Bill Maher delivered a scorching attack on the movement in the U.S. to censor what we say ... and gotta say, it may be his best commentary in a long time.

The "Real Time" host declared his position from the jump -- "Sorting out lies from truth is your job," adding it's ridiculous we treat everyone like "helpless dumb blondes ready to believe everything ... like Donald Trump!"

He makes the point ... people living today aren't special -- as he says, every age is the misinformation age. He harkens back to 1858, when the New York Times worried Americans couldn't handle the transatlantic telegraph because it was "superficial and too fast for the truth."

Go back even further, Bill says, to 1487, when the Pope cautioned against the misuse of the printing press, saying it was the source of pernicious writing -- hmmm, sounds like fake news.

And, then there's radio ... in 1938, some listeners freaked out listening to Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds," believing the Martians invaded New Jersey.

As Bill says, lies are everywhere ... like germs. He says you can't germproof the world, so develop a better bull*** meter.

And, then he makes a brilliant point ... "Sometimes misinformation is history's first draft" -- like the stories that circulated about COVID -- that 50% of those who are unvaccinated become hospitalized when it's less than 1%.

To drive home the point, he notes lots of folks believe in "an imaginary best friend in the sky who they can talk to to help them with their problems." Bill asks if there should be a warning label on that.

He's all for banning things like child porn, calls for insurrection, personal threats, etc, but people should be able to express their opinions even if they are repugnant. And, deciding whether something is true, half-true, a quarter true or false ... well that's our job, not the job of some publisher.

Jack Harlow SZN is officially upon us with the release of his new album "Come Home the Kids Miss You" -- and his label boss, DJ Drama, says Jack's impressing his peers as much as fans.

The project touts all-legend features -- Drake, Lil Wayne, Pharrell and Justin Timberlake -- and even a hidden one from Snoop Dogg on the song "Young Harleezy."

Generation Now's honcho was on "TMZ Hip Hop" this week to set the record straight about any misconceptions the "First Class" rapper is mooching off the culture he loves so dearly.

After Drama discovered Jack in 2018, he helped Jack get to this point, and maintains good music and "bodies of work" -- not race-baiting or gimmicks -- will prove the young emcee's value to the game.

Drama himself has grad student level skillz in both the music biz and street hip hop culture. His legendary Gangsta Grillz series was just culminated to fit Tyler, The Creator's "Call Me If You Get Lost" album ... which won the Best Rap Album Grammy this year.

He's also overseeing the budding careers of GN artists Lil Uzi Vert and Seddy Hendrinx.

Harlow's "First Class" shooting to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 reignited the ol' white rappers debate online, and on the "TMZ Hip Hop" set, but DJ Drama isn't pressed. He's certain Jack will earn the respect of doubters everywhere.

Shawne Merriman tells TMZ Sports he believes Antonio Brown did make some "valid points" when he went off on a rant against Colin Kaepernick in a recent interview.

If you missed it, Brown called the ex-49ers star a "trash" QB in a sitdown with "Cigar Talk." He also said he believed the 34-year-old sold out when he settled his lawsuit with the NFL. And, he questioned just how big of an impact Colin was really having in the community.

Merriman clearly doesn't believe all of the above is true ... but he said on Friday there were some things he did agree on with Brown.

"He makes some valid points about Colin Kaepernick, saying that, you know, he took the money from the NFL. The settlement. The Nike commercials -- all these things," Merriman said.

"Well, I think a lot of people think that way about all the other stuff that Colin Kaepernick has going on, and his opportunities that he's had to get back in the NFL, and just hasn't."

Merriman says he believes if Brown hadn't already become such a polarizing figure -- he thinks more people would be agreeing with him.

"We get the message," Merriman said, "but people aren't trying to listen to the messenger."

There was at least one NFL star who agreed with Brown fully ... Saints wideout Michael Thomas tweeted Friday afternoon, "he isn’t wrong wrong lol."

F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton is taking a stand against FIA's ban on jewelry during races ... by wearing multiple necklaces, rings, earrings AND watches at his press conference Friday in Miami.

The Mercedes champ has been outspoken against the association's recent crackdown on the accessories drivers are allowed to wear during races ... claiming there are much bigger issues to focus on.

37-year-old Hamilton doubled down on his position when speaking with media members ... saying he feels like it's a "step backwards" as the sport looks to grow.

"This is such a small thing," Hamilton said. "I've been in this sport for 16 years. I've been wearing jewelry for 16 years. In the car, I only have my earrings and my nose ring, which I can't remove."

"It seems unnecessary for us to get into this spat," he added. "So, I'll try to communicate and work with (FIA president) Mohammed (bin Sulayem). I think I'm here to be an ally of the sport, of Mohammed, and Formula 1, and I think we got bigger fish to fry, bigger things to do, more impact to have."

"So, I think that's where the focus should be."

Hamilton says his jewelry is not magnetic and there are no safety concerns while racing ... but if he's not allowed to compete over the ban, he is content with hanging out in South Beach and letting the backup driver take his spot.

Turbulence wasn't the only thing causing an extreme commotion on a flight from Manchester to Amsterdam ... a massive brawl erupted among passengers.

A KLM flight from Manchester to Amsterdam Thursday was the site of a wild scene, with a bunch of passengers pummeling each other. One guy is unloading on a fellow passenger with unrelenting punches.

It got so bad the pilot had to call ahead so cops could meet the plane when it landed.

You hear some passengers screaming at the aggressive travelers, trying to get them to stop .... but to no avail. Eventually, the flight crew was able to break it up.

It's unclear what caused the fight, but the passenger who posted the video said tension was "brewing the whole flight" after someone allegedly made a racist comment.

The Netherlands police tell TMZ ... once the plane landed in Amsterdam, officers came on board and arrested 6 passengers, all from England.

Police referred the matter to prosecutors for possible charges.

Prince William may have just extended an olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan, but the Queen has just done the opposite ... snubbing her grandson, his wife and one of her sons.

The Palace just released a statement ... "After careful consideration, the Queen has decided this year's traditional trooping the colour balcony appearance on Thursday, 2 June, will be limited to Her Majesty, and those members of the royal family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen."

The statement goes on to list those royals who are permitted to watch the festivities from the balcony ... Prince Charles and Camilla, William, Kate and their kids, and a few dukes and duchesses.

Notably missing, Prince Harry, Meghan, their kids, and Prince Andrew, who just settled a Jeffrey Epstein-related case.

The snub is loud ... remember, Harry visited his grandma last month and it seems any ice that existed between them had thawed.

What's especially interesting ... the Palace made an exception for Princess Ann's husband because of a new rule that only working family members can sit on the balcony, the exception could also have applied to Harry, but the Palace didn't bite.

Draymond Green unloaded a double-barrel, middle-finger salute on some heckling Grizzlies fans during a playoff game Tuesday night ... and he refused to apologize for it afterward, admitting the gesture "felt really good."

The Warriors star flipped the birds just minutes into the Dubs' playoff game against Memphis in Nashville ... shortly after he had been inadvertently elbowed in the face.

As Green was walking into the locker room to have trainers look at the damage caused to his eye -- Memphis fans began the jeering ... poking fun at him for getting injured.

Green was clearly furious over the crowd's reaction ... and used both his middle fingers to express his disdain.

Following the game, Green said he didn't regret his actions one bit ... explaining he'll happily pay the fine that NBA officials will inevitably hand his way over it all.

"If you're going to boo somebody who got elbowed in the eye and had blood running down their face, you should get flipped off," Green said. "So, I'll take the fine. I'll go do an appearance and make up the money."

"But," he added, "it felt really good to flip them off."

No word on what it'll cost Green (Kyrie Irving was fined $50,000 for a similar gesture last month) ... but he told media members the price tag truly won't matter.

"I make $25 million a year," he said. "I should be just fine."

As for the action on the court, Green's Warriors ended up taking the L -- falling to Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, 106-101 ... much to Grizzlies fans' delight.

Ex-WWE and AEW wrestler Brian Kendrick is explaining his motivation behind spewing a wildly controversial conspiracy about the Holocaust a decade ago ... saying he was trying to "create a buzz" and become a villain.

The 42-year-old -- who was canned just one day after signing with Tony Khan's promotion back in February -- issued another apology for his hurtful comments on the "Duke Loves Rasslin" podcast this week ... saying at the time, he did not care if he offended anyone with his "horrific" words.

"When it gets thrown back in your face, one -- it's embarrassing, but two -- you start to reflect, you're forced to reflect on it," Kendrick said on Wednesday.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being so cold-hearted and trying to profit off of tragedy, I suppose it's what it was. I was trying to gain off of others' tragedies by making conspiracy to create a buzz for myself to gain some sort of bookings."

"It was a terrible idea and even if it hadn't affected anybody, it's still just horribly embarrassing. I am sorry for anybody -- to people I hurt, for making light of stuff that happened to them or their family. I hope you accept that."

As we previously reported, Kendrick claimed sometime between 2009 and 2011, to believe the Holocaust was "overblown and the Red Cross stated it was only 250,000 Jews who were killed and the number was blown up to justify the creation of Israel."

Shortly after the old clips resurfaced, he lost his job.

Brian isn't just sorry -- he says he's been working with The Survivor Mitzvah Project, which is a charity that supports elderly Holocaust survivors ... and is focused on becoming a better person.

No one's on the fence over abortion, so maybe that's why SCOTUS put a massive one around the third branch of government.

It's certainly a sign of the times ... a construction crew began erecting a fence Wednesday night around the perimeter of the Supreme Court building. As you certainly know by now, the area around the court has been flooded with protesters on both sides, this after a draft opinion leaked, signaling the end of Roe v. Wade.

There hasn't been any violence of note, but clearly, that's on the minds of people inside that building, especially in the wake of January 6th.

Some of the justices reportedly have begun canceling public appearances -- speaking engagements and the like -- because of safety concerns. There are also reports people who are protesting the impending decision are planning protests at the home of the justices who signed on to the majority draft opinion. There's a group that has posted the addresses of some of the justices.

Madison Bumgarner just lost his mind on the baseball diamond ... needing to be physically restrained from an umpire after the guy threw him out of a game.

The Diamondbacks pitcher's blowup just went down after the first inning of Arizona's game against the Miami Marlins in Florida ... following an incident with an on-field ump.

Mad Bum was pissed during the frame over some balls and strikes calls ... and when he walked toward the dugout and got checked by an ump for foreign substances -- he had some words for the official.

In footage of the altercation, picked up by broadcast cameras, Bumgarner was seen clearly arguing with the ump -- before he was eventually tossed.

The ejection set the former World Series MVP off ... and footage shows he went so ballistic, he needed several teammates and coaches to hold him back from going after the dude.

Bumgarner, thankfully, ultimately left the field without further incident.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is up in arms over the Supreme Court's apparent vote to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in a draft opinion -- she says an end to abortion is bad for all women -- but particularly the most vulnerable.

We got SEW on Capitol Hill and asked her about SCOTUS striking down Roe, and what it means for women all over the country ... including minorities.

Liz, who appeared to be enraged, predicts the court's reversal would have dire consequences ... telling us overturning Roe is going to fall hardest on the most vulnerable women in our nation.

As we reported ...  Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, signed by 4 other Republican-appointed justices, back in February ... and if the majority ruling sticks, Roe would be repealed immediately and states could immediately ban abortion or impose severe restrictions.