Controversial S#!T

Jada Pinkett Smith is finally addressing the infamous Oscars slap, but rather than apologizing ... she's saying Chris Rock and Will Smith both have to set aside their differences.

She opened the latest episode of "Red Table Talk" by saying, "My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile."

Jada only had one more remark about the incident ... which was that she believes both her husband and Chris are needed now more than ever.

Her take is kinda shocking, because most people feel it's Will who really owes Chris a face-to-face -- or at the very least a personal convo -- where he apologizes for getting physical.

As you know, Will has been banned from the next 10 years of Oscars ceremonies after slapping Chris over a joke about Jada's bald head -- she's been open over the years about her struggles with alopecia.

In fact, if not for alopecia she might not have even addressed the slap -- the 'RTT' episode is about the challenges Jada and others face with the condition.

The NFL and Washington Commanders stonewalled a congressional investigation into the workplace culture of the team ... so says the Chairwoman of the powerful Committee on Oversight and Reform, who "invited" Roger Goodell and Daniel Snyder to testify in D.C.

The United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform launched an investigation in October aiming to "uncover the truth about the culture of harassment and abuse" ... after numerous ex-employees spoke out.

But, House Chair, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) says the league and organization have slowed the investigation by not fully cooperating ... firing off a letter to both entities, ripping them.

"The Committee has worked tirelessly to obtain critical information, including the findings of the internal investigation conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson, only to be met with obstruction from the Commanders and the NFL at every turn."

Rep. Maloney continued ... "We must have transparency and accountability, which is why we are calling on Mr. Goodell and Mr. Snyder to answer the questions they have dodged for the last seven months. The hearing will explore how Congress can act to prevent employers from silencing victims of workplace misconduct and ensure that what happened at the Commanders organization does not happen again."

Chairwoman Maloney wasn't alone ... Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, went in on Goodell and Snyder.

"For seven months, the Committee has been stonewalled by NDAs and other tools to evade accountability," Chairman Krishnamoorthi wrote.

"Mr. Snyder and Mr. Goodell need to appear before the Committee to address these issues and answer our questions about the pervasive workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders, and how the NFL addressed these issues."

FYI, back in Summer 2020, at least 15 former employees spoke out about the alleged sexual harassment that ran rampant through the org.

The NFL investigated the situation themselves, and ultimately fined the team $10 million.

As for the NFL, they clearly see the situation very differently, responding to the invitation, and claiming they obstructed the investigation.

"We received the Committee's invitation this morning and will respond directly in a timely manner," a league spokesperson said.

Charles Booker -- a Black candidate running for U.S. Senate in Kentucky -- put a rope around his neck in a startling campaign ad ... which takes aim at Rand Paul.

Booker's new video focuses heavily on lynching in the South, historically ... even using an actual noose hanging from a tree that he fastens around his neck as he narrates.

CB mentions how Kentucky used to rely on lynching as a tool of terror against African-Americans -- which is why he finds it so meaningful that he's the first Black Kentuckian to win the Democratic nomination to take on Sen. Paul in a race coming up in November.

He lists some of what he considers dubious positions Paul has taken ... like comparing expanded health care to slavery, opposing the federal anti-lynching act -- which has since become law -- and allegedly saying he would've "opposed the Civil Rights Act" of 1964.

That last claim isn't entirely accurate -- Paul has, indeed, made controversial remarks on the CRA ... but it's perhaps a bit more nuanced than how Booker's characterizing it here.

Bad news for Amber Heard -- even before the jury's verdict -- millions upon millions of 'Aquaman' fans have already decided they want her cut from the sequel, and they're signing a petition in near-record numbers.

As it stands, the petition has more than 4.4 million signatures ... well on its way to hitting 4.5M signatures, which would make it one of the most signed in Change.org's history.

The online document claims the Johnny Depp vs. Heard trial has exposed her as a domestic abuser, making her unfit to be on screen in the Jason Mamoa-led sequel.

As you know, it was reported Heard's character, Mera, only has about 10 minutes of screen time in "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," but it looks like 4.4 million people think that's 10 minutes too much.

Of course, the Change.org petition carries no actual weight -- Amber has a contract, and will almost certainly remain in the film -- but studios might pay attention to the backlash when it comes to future Amber-related casting decisions.

Meanwhile, the jury deciding Amber's legal fate asked the judge Tuesday for guidance on how to handle Johnny's defamation claims -- in particular, the headline of Heard's Washington Post op-ed.

Ewan McGregor is pulling out his lightsaber to defend one of his costars, Moses Ingram, who's been subjected to yet another round of racist attacks from a gross group of fans.

The actor, who plays Obi-Wan Kenobi, posted a video through the official 'Star Wars' social media account, in which he strongly denounced all the hate that MI has gotten the past few weeks -- this as the franchise's new Disney+ rolls out on the streaming service.

Check out EMG's message to those who've sent vile DMs to Moses -- a Black woman who recently shared some of the comments, a few of which invoked the N-word among other racist statements and threats ... including the ominous line, "Your days are numbered."

Ewan explains Moses is a brilliant actor and brings so much to the new 'Obi-Wan' series as Reva Sevander -- one of Darth Vader's key henchmen. She's a new character to the franchise, BTW

He says it succinctly ... as the lead actor/EP on the show, he's firmly in Moses' corner, as is the rest of the 'Star Wars' team. Ewan adds that anyone bullying her is no fan in his mind.

This isn't the first time an actor of color has fallen in the crosshairs of racist 'Star Wars' fanatics. Kelly Marie Tran experienced something similar when she was cast in the new trilogy ... and the harassment got so bad, she had to deactivate her social media for a while.

Soccer star Kurt Zouma will not have to spend time behind bars for attacking his cats ... instead, he was sentenced to community service on Wednesday.

Zouma had faced jail time after pleading guilty last week to kicking and slapping his pets during a February incident ... but a judge ordered him to just 180 hours of community service and a five-year ban from owning cats.

His brother, Yoan -- who pleaded guilty to a charge last week that he aided and abetted Kurt during the incident -- was sentenced to 140 hours of community service and was also banned from owning cats for five years.

The two were ordered to pay fines and fees as well.

During the sentencing hearing, the judge scolded the two brothers -- calling their actions "disgraceful and reprehensible."

"As a public figure," the judge said, "you must be aware that others look up to you and many young people aspire to emulate you."

Both of Zouma's cats had been taken away from the 27-year-old, who's a member of France's national team, earlier this year after video show him kicking and slapping the felines.

The cats are currently in the care of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ... and are in the process of finding a new home.

Lil Xan pulled a fast one Tuesday by pulling out of his own headlining 'Born Dead Tour,' leaving fans, and even his touring partners, in limbo!!!

We caught up with Dropout Kings frontman Adam Ramey, who says he and his band of rap-rockers were totally not feeling Lil Xan's abrupt exit … as they are currently stranded in Florida with no shows to play in the meantime, and they're several thousand dollars in the hole.

The tour was supposed to run through the end of July in the U.S. and Europe, but as of now, American fans are left SOL with the European leg still on and popping.

Adam says he and the group felt good about Xan's inclusion on the tour, speaking with him a couple of weeks ago. However, Xan and Dropout Kings were supposed to kick off things at last weekend's So What? Festival, which Xan also skipped without warning -- and Adam says that's when he knew the storm was coming.

Xan recently appeared on Steve-O's 'Wild Ride!' podcast bragging about the tour essentially selling out … a tidbit Adam says is El Capitan.

The "Betrayed" rapper also claims promoters weren't accommodating his demands but as Adam points out, headlining acts typically don't look to the openers for assistance.

Nancy Hogshead-Makar, 3x Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer and civil rights attorney, wholeheartedly disagrees with Lia Thomas ... insisting trans athletes have a significant advantage over biological women.

Hogshead joined "TMZ Live" on Tuesday ... and addressed statements Thomas made earlier in the day when she joined Good Morning America for her first interview, telling Juju Chang ... "Trans women are not a threat to women's sport."

But, Nancy, who also runs a female advocacy organization called Champion Women, told Harvey and Charles that Lia is just wrong.

"After somebody has been through male puberty, you cannot roll that back. So, it isn't fair," the former Olympian said, citing several experts.

"We're hoping that we can get sports governing bodies and legislatures and others to care more about fairness than any other conclusion."

It's not that Nancy isn't supportive of Lia Thomas -- she says she is -- everywhere except the swimming pool.

"I affirm who [Lia] wants to be for all of her life. Whether it's employment, the classroom, or anyplace else. But when it comes to sports, sports is not based on identity. It is based on biology. That is why we have the women's sports category."

FYI, the UPenn swimmer, an NCAA champ in the 500m freestyle event, is done with college athletics after recently graduating. However, Lia isn't done competing ... she's made it clear she wishes to compete in the Summer Olympics in 2024.

And, Hogshead believes the future of women's sports is literally on the line.

"If sport is not based on sex segregation, and if gender identity equals sex discrimination, we might lose the right as woman athletes to be able to have separate sex sports."

That's something Nancy is intent on preventing from happening.

"I am not going to allow this generation of women to have to be gracious losers to somebody that has a biological advantage that you can't train for, you can't eat better, you can't find better coaching," Hogshead said.

A lion's not-so-purrfect hairdo is raising eyebrows ... prompting a zoo in China to brush the blame off themselves and onto mother nature.

Hang Hang the lion has the Internet buzzing about his rockstar mane, because let's face it ... sure looks like a total failure of a haircut -- but the Guangzhou Zoo claims it has nothing to do with his unique look.

They say high humidity is to blame for Hang Hang's blown-out mullet, claiming the lion licked his paws and brushed his hair out during a recent extreme heatwave.

The zoo chalks it up to "nature's magic," adding Hang Hang looks like a blonde supermodel, but most others don't see it that way. Some say he looks like one of The Beatles, mop-top and all, while many draw a resemblance to the "Tiger King" himself, Joe Exotic.

Zoo visitors are still skeptical the weather is at fault here ... one claims his hair looked nothing like this 2 months ago when they went to the zoo, and some even say the staff has ruined the lion's appearance altogether.

Transgender NCAA swimming champion Lia Thomas is firing back at those claiming her dominance is unfair to biological women ... saying trans athletes will not destroy women's sports.

The University of Penn athlete broke her silence on "Good Morning America" on Tuesday ... saying she knew she'd face backlash once she started competing against women, but no amount of scrutiny would stop her.

"I was prepared for that, but I don't need anyone's permission to be myself and do the sport that I love," she said.

Many have denounced Thomas' participation in women's sports after she finished first in the women's 500-yard freestyle back in March ... with everyone from Caitlyn Jenner to Florida governor Ron DeSantis to Joe Rogan, who called it "an assault on women's sports."

But, Thomas argues that shouldn't be the case ... saying, "Transitioning to get an advantage is not something that ever factors into our decisions."

"Trans women are not a threat to women's sport."

Thomas added, "Trans people don't transition for athletics. We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves."

Despite the outrage, Thomas -- who started hormone therapy in 2019 -- still plans to compete in the Olympics in the future.

Lil Uzi Vert's got his buddy Jack Harlow's back ...  saying the people trashing the rapper are out of their minds.

We got Lil Uzi outside of Catch in WeHo Sunday, and he jumped into the TMZ Celebrity Tour bus to snap some pics with his fans! He's clear ... the hate for Jack is ridiculous -- he says Jack's a great rapper, and doesn't understand where the haters are coming from.

Jack's success possibly coming from the color of his skin has been a hot topic for a while, but Lil Uzi doesn't think race has anything to do with it ... reminding everyone, "He's signed to black people!"

Of course, not everyone sees it the way Uzi does ... we got fellow rapper David Banner a few months back, and he told us being white is an advantage in all aspects of life, all around the world and hip hop is no different.

Paul McCartney either took a position in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard saga -- possibly a pro-JD one -- OR ... he's just playing a tune/music video that happens to feature the guy.

Macca performed in Orlando Saturday at the Camping World Stadium -- just one of his many stops on the 'Got Back' tour he's on right now -- and at one point in the show ... he started performing his track "My Valentine," the visual treatment for which has a Depp cameo.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ, showing PMC crooning on the piano, while an interesting image pops up on the jumbo screens flanking the stage -- it's Johnny strumming the guitar, opposite Natalie Portman ... who's also featured in Paul's 2012 music video.

We're told that when Johnny first showed up in front of everyone ... the whole stadium lost it and cheered. Paul didn't say anything to address it -- he just carried on playing -- but we're told there's no doubt the feeling in the room was that he'd done it on purpose.

There've been reports Paul has actually been using this song and visual treatment throughout his tour this year ... which just happened to coincide with the trial. Word is ... Paul has actually used this visual treatment on stage in tours past, so it could much ado about nothing.

Still, on the face of it... it would appear he deliberately chose to have this on his set list now, and to have Depp cameo. And if that's true, you could certainly argue he's Team Johnny.

Not to go too far down this rabbit hole here -- BUT ... some online have also made some interesting comparisons between Johnny's sitch and Paul's own once upon a time. For those who remember, he went through a nasty divorce with Heather Mills ... who accused him at the time of some pretty awful stuff, which kinda echoes what JD's been accused of himself.

The president of all things 'Star Wars' pissed off diehard fans when she said they were pivoting away from old characters and storylines -- but one of the OGs himself isn't trippin'!

We got Billy Dee Williams -- who famously played Lando Calrissian in the initial trilogy back in the '70s -- out in L.A. this week ... and we asked about all this hubbub in the 'Star Wars' universe after Lucasfilm honcho Kathleen Kennedy made some controversial remarks.

ICYMI ... Kennedy said they were packing up all the Skywalker stuff and moving it to the shed, as they look forward to new plots and heroes. She also said they were never going to cast new actors as original fan faves in the wake of 'Solo' ... a prequel/origin story of sorts.

That was taken as a shot at the actors who portrayed Harrison Ford's beloved character, as well as Billy Dee's ... but if you watch our interview with him here, you can tell the dude isn't stressing nearly as much as some of the fanboys are.

Far from it ... in fact, BDW seems to be siding with Kennedy about the notion of moving to bigger and better things -- wisely pointing out that nothing lasts forever, even in a galaxy far, far away.

Dave Chappelle and others -- like Ricky Gervais -- are free to make all the jokes they want on Netflix, including ones about transgender people ... again reaffirmed by its top dog.

The streamer's CEO, Ted Sarandos, tripled down in his defense with the NYT, saying that he views the airing of such specials -- such as DC's 'The Closer' or Gervais' new "SuperNature" -- as freedom of expression ... a value he thinks is lost in American society.

He says, "I think it’s very important to the American culture generally to have free expression," going on to add -- "We’re programming for a lot of diverse people who have different opinions and different tastes and different styles ... We want something for everybody but everything’s not going to be for everybody."

Sarandos went on to say the decision to back Dave actually wasn't difficult -- seeing how he's the comedian of our generation, and that he discusses the issue in a nuanced and thoughtful way. Of course, that's up for debate ... those offended might argue otherwise.

In the wake of Chappelle getting tackled at the Hollywood Bowl, Netflix sent a memo to their staff -- basically saying, if you find some of our content so offensive, beat it.

You can tell Netflix is sticking to their guns on this issue -- not only have they allowed 'The Closer' to stay on their platform, but they've inked even more deals with Dave. And Sarandos even said the backlash over not censoring DC is oddly different than it once was.

He says, "It used to be a very liberal issue, so it’s an interesting time that we live in ... I always said if we censor in the U.S., how are we going to defend our content in the Middle East?" BTW, these comments also apply to Gervais who caught flak for his own trans jokes.

Matthew McConaughey and some friendly pooches have touched down in Uvalde, TX -- but their presence alone won't fix what's become a major scandal on the slow police response.

The actor is back in his hometown, where he's meeting with families and children affected by the massacre on Tuesday ... when 21 people were slaughtered by a crazed gunman, including 19 children who were wiped out in a classroom he'd barricaded himself in.

Looks like he's with U.S. Congressman Tony Gonzalez -- representing Texas' 23rd district, encompassing Uvalde -- who posted some pics of their time together and thanked MMC.

Shortly after the news broke, Matt posted a lengthy message online calling for action and change on gun laws in the country, saying this phenomenon is "an epidemic we can control."

BTW, Matt's not the only one in town offering support ... there are doggos being trotted around town that are specifically aimed at making people feel better. The LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs are also making the rounds in Uvalde ... letting folks pet 'em to calm their nerves.

Not to knock any of these efforts to bring about calm and healing -- which this community desperately needs -- but there are slightly more pressing matters at hand ... like figuring out why Uvalde-area cops who were on the scene quickly waited so long to engage the shooter.

Col. Steven McCraw -- the director of the Texas Dept. of Public Safety, and Texas' top cop -- said the commanding officer that day made the "wrong decision" in his evaluation of what was happening ... which is why he ordered everyone to not approach for nearly an hour.

Apparently, this guy -- who's been ID'd as Uvalde School District's police chief, Pedro "Pete" Arredondo -- thought there was nobody (or nobody left alive) in the room the gunman had locked himself in ... but he was clearly wrong. Kids were calling 911 from inside.

Eventually -- as the story has now been reported -- Border Patrol agents eventually showed up and were told to stand down ... but after some time and building frustration, they went in anyway and killed the gunman themselves. At that point, though, it was far too late.

There are even reports of parents attempting to run into the school to get their kids since upwards of a dozen-plus cops were just standing around ... only to be cuffed and detained.

Elon Musk is speaking his piece on the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial -- this after being sucked into the middle of it -- and his parting sentiment to both is ... turn a new leaf, y'all.

The Tesla chief responded to somebody on Twitter who recapped their thoughts on the trial and the standout moments -- a tweet that you could, perhaps, interpret as anti-Amber -- with EM chiming in ... "I hope they both move on. At their best, they are each incredible."

That's an interesting take -- especially since he dated Amber briefly after her split from Johnny ... and, according to court testimony, also allegedly ponied up fat stacks of cash on her behalf.

On the face of this, you could argue that he sees both of them as deeply flawed ... but also notes a side to each that shines. Weirdly enough, we're not aware of any relationship Elon has with Johnny -- he only spent time with AH, it seems -- so his analysis is a bit cryptic.

As we all heard in this trial ... the COO for the ACLU, Terence Dougherty, testified about what Amber had (or hadn't, rather) donated since making her $3.5 million pledge in the wake of her divorce -- noting they'd only received a small chunk of change from her personally.

Now, Dougherty suggested Elon had donated at least $500k to the ACLU in Amber's honor. Ditto for the Children's Hospital ... another $500k there from Elon too, which also revealed in court. That's upwards of a $1M for a woman he was with for maybe a year. Yeesh ...

Elon was speculated to potentially testify in this case, but he was never called ... neither was Paul Bettany or James Franco, other men who got roped into this thing.

As for where we go from here ... the jury entered deliberations Friday without reaching a decision, so they'll pick it back up on Tuesday to decide once and for all who wins here. Speaking of the jurors -- Judge Penney Azcarate ruled they'd remain anonymous for a year.