Controversial S#!T

Former Formula 1 champ Nelson Piquet is apologizing for the controversial comments he made about Lewis Hamilton in an interview last year ... but claims there was zero racial intent behind his words.

Piquet was discussing an accident between the Mercedes superstar and his daughter's boyfriend, Max Verstappen, after the 2021 Silverstone Grand Prix ... when, according to a translation by CNN Brazil, he referred to Hamilton as a "little n*****."

The 69-year-old says he would never use such a disgusting term ... claiming the translation was completely inaccurate.

"What I said was ill-thought-out, and I make no defense for it, but the term used has widely and historically been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for 'guy' or 'person' and was never intended to offend," Piquet said in a statement Wednesday morning.

"I would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations," he added. "I strongly condemn any suggestion word was used with aim of belittling a driver because of his skin color. I apologize wholeheartedly to anyone affected."

Piquet praises Lewis as an incredible driver and apologized for the hurt he caused ... saying, "Discrimination has no place in F1 or society and I am happy to clarify my thoughts in that respect."

Lewis has yet to respond to the apology ... but tweeted a call for change within the sport on Tuesday.

"It’s more than language," the 7-time champion said. "These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action."

Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson was brought to tears after seeing Brittney Griner in shackles on Monday -- telling reporters it made her sick to her stomach.

Wilson made the comments just hours after Griner was seen in handcuffs and flanked by guards while at a court in Russia ... getting choked up while talking about it following her game against the L.A. Sparks on Monday night.

"I hated seeing it," Wilson said. "It made my stomach turn."

"That's our sister and I can't imagine what she's going through and I pray every single day that the people that are in high up are doing what they need to do to get her home because it's unacceptable."

The 25-year-old baller prayed the ordeal doesn't put a toll on Griner -- not just physically, but mentally as well.

Griner has been in Russian custody since February -- after she was accused of having hash oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

Donald Trump was not only in on the January 6th insurrection, he wanted to lead the insurrectionists to the Capitol, and when the Secret Service refused to drive him there, Trump tried to grab the wheel of the Presidential car ... this according to Mark Meadows' right hand aide, Cassidy Hutchinson.

Her testimony is shocking ... the January 6th House Committee called a special session so she could appear and tell her story about the events leading up to the riot.

Hutchinson testified ... Trump became aware on January 6th people in the crowd had weapons and were approaching the Capitol without going through security. She says she overhead Trump respond, "I don't f***ing care if they have weapons. They're not here to hurt me."

She went on to say Trump ordered the Secret Service to remove the metal detector from the area around his speech, presumably so armed protesters would be unfettered to approach the Capitol.

After Trump spoke to the crowd, he got back into The Beast (the presidential limo) and ordered the driver to take him up to the Capitol. The head of the security detail refused to take him, saying it was unsafe. She says Trump responded, "I'm the f***ing President! Take me up to the Capitol now."

When the head of security refused, she says Trump reached forward and grabbed the steering wheel and had to be physically restrained.

She says he then lunged at the head of security and allegedly attempted to go for his throat. Trump was again restrained and the limo proceeded back to The White House.

Hutchinson also testified Trump would often become enraged, throwing plates, pushing over chairs when things didn't go his way.

Trump has taken to his Truth Social platform in an attempt to discredit Hutchinson's testimony ... saying he didn't even know who she was -- and assuming she was only angry with him after being denied permission to travel with staff on a trip to Florida.

Juri Vips has just been fired by Red Bull Racing ... less than two weeks after the F2 driver was captured using a racial slur on a hot mic on a video game stream.

RBR just made the announcement, saying after completing its investigation into the junior driver, it decided to terminate Vips' contract.

"The team do not condone any form of racism," RBR said in their announcement Tuesday.

Red Bull Racing initially launched its probe into Vips last week ... after the 21-year-old used the n-word while playing "Call of Duty" on a live stream.

Vips did apologize following the incident ... saying in a statement on his social media page, "This language is entirely unacceptable and does not portray the values and principles that I hold. I deeply regret my actions and this is not the example I wish to set."

Tommy Fury's fight with Jake Paul could go up in smoke ... after TNT claims he was denied entry into the United States ahead of their scheduled press conference in New York.

Just when it seemed like the bout was FINALLY going to happen, Tommy shared the crappy news on his Instagram on Tuesday ... saying his team showed up at Heathrow Airport to hop over the pond ... but they were shut down.

"As soon as I entered the airport, I was pulled to one side and told by a Homeland Security officer that my ESTA had been denied and that I wasn't able to travel to the USA for a reason I apparently know," Tommy said in a video.

Tommy, boxing superstar Tyson Fury's younger brother, went on to say he's done nothing wrong ... and claims he's totally dumbfounded as to why he's not allowed to travel to the U.S.

"I've been training for a fight this whole time and that's all I've been doing," Tommy said. "I have no clue why I'm not allowed to travel and neither does my team or my lawyers."

"Now I've got to go to the embassy trying to resolve it and I'm in the middle of training. I don't know why this has happened a huge shock to me and my team."

As we reported, Tommy and Jake agreed to fight each other at the world's most famous arena -- Madison Square Garden -- in NYC on Aug. 6 ... but Tommy says the issues he's currently facing are bigger than the fight.

What's interesting -- Tommy was able to travel to California last month without issue ... something his nemesis pointed out.

Of course, this isn't going to sit well with fans who've been clamoring for the two boxers to fight after years of trash talk and failed negotiations.

The presser between Tommy and Jake was originally scheduled for Wednesday ... but it's been postponed, according to Most Valuable Promotions.

Despite the travel mishap, Jake isn't letting Tommy off the hook easily ... tweeting, "Tommy, no matter how hard u try to get out of this fight, I'm going 2 do everything in my power 2 not let u weasel ur way out."

Verstappen's GF, Kelly, has apparently made her stance clear ... liking an Instagram post defending Nelson's use of the word.

Lewis Hamilton is demanding change after former champion Nelson Piquet called him the n-word in an interview last year ... saying racism of any kind has no place in Formula 1.

Piquet -- a Brazilian F1 legend who won titles in 1981, 1983 and 1987 -- made the comments while discussing an accident in the first lap of the 2021 Silverstone Grand Prix ... when Hamilton made contact with Max Verstappen, leading the Red Bull driver to lose control and crash into the wall.

According to CNN Brazil, 69-year-old Piquet referred to Hamilton as a "little n*****" while speaking with Motorsports Talk ... adding, "The little black guy put the car in and left because there was no way to pass two cars on that corner."

"He made a joke," Piquet continued. "Lucky for him, only the other one [Verstappen] got f***** up."

FYI -- Piquet's daughter, Kelly, is in a relationship with Verstappen.

While the comment was made last year, it is just now gaining attention ... which led the Mercedes superstar to condemn the racist comment.

"It's more than language," Lewis tweeted minutes ago. "These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I've been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life."

"There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action."

Hamilton, 37, also tweeted a response in Portuguese ... saying, "Vamos focar em mudar a mentalidade" ... which translates to "Let's focus on changing the mindset."

The F1 world is now showing support for Hamilton ... with the sport's governing body releasing a statement Tuesday morning.

"The FIA strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behavior, which have no place in sport or wider society."

"We express our solidarity with Lewis Hamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motorsport."

F1 also addressed the comment ... saying, "Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society."

"Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect. His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to at F1."

Hamilton -- the only black driver to compete in F1 -- has been at the forefront of change in the sport ... and led the organization's anti-racism campaign following George Floyd's death in 2020.

WWE superstar Liv Morgan is donating cash to an abortion rights org ... just three days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

The wrestler announced on Monday that every dollar she earns in July from her Cameo appearances will go toward the National Network of Abortion Funds -- an org. set up to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access.

The money could end up being significant -- the 28-year-old is a huge star in the wrestling world, and she's charging $555 per video.

"Please consider booking a cameo from me so we can ensure every woman around the world has a choice," she said in her announcement.

Liv, who's been wrestling in the WWE since 2014, added a heart emoji as well.

Worth noting -- Linda McMahon recently praised the reversal of Roe v. Wade ... saying, "Today is a historic day! After decades of fighting for innocent lives, the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade."

Vladimir Putin is showing no mercy ... disgustingly firing missiles into a Ukraine shopping mall, and video following the attack shows the building -- with nearly 1,000 civilians inside -- up in flames.

Two Russian missiles were reportedly fired Monday into the shopping center, in the central city of Kremenchuk. According to officials, at least 3 are dead and 40 others are wounded. But, President Zelenskyy says, "It is impossible to even imagine the number of victims."

As you can see, the harrowing attack sparked a huge fire and caused a huge cloud of smoke to fill up the sky ... as soldiers and firefighters sifted through the rubble to search for survivors.

Zelensky confirmed the obvious ... that the mall held no military importance, and was not even near any other military target. Quite frankly, as Ukrainian officials put it ... the attack was a downright "act of terrorism against civilians".

Zelensky called it an effort by Russia to stop “people’s attempts to live a normal life, which make the occupiers so angry.”

Russia, on the other hand, has denied attacking innocent civilians since first launching the war on Ukraine, back in February.

"I would say 'kiss my ass,' but y'all can't afford it."

Sha'Carri Richardson gave an unfiltered message to all of her haters after failing to qualify for the world championships next month ... giving the double bird and vowing to return to dominance.

It all went down after the track star finished fifth with a time of 22.47 seconds at the 200-meter semifinals on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon ... which eliminated her from competing for Team USA at the 2022 World Athletics Championship.

The 22-year-old sprinter made sure to let her critics know she's blocking out all the negativity shortly after her disappointing outing ... and she didn't hold back.

"I normally don't be making video to post on here 'cause I really don't got nothing to explain to y'all," Richardson said on Instagram.

"But, to my supporters, I wanna thank y'all. It's been a long road. Ain't over yet. To my haters, I got another video for y'all."

Sha'Carri wasn't lying, because she posted a video laying on her back and spreading her legs ... basically telling all her haters they can "kiss my ass."

The critics weren't the only ones receiving the heat from Richardson ... she also went at the media about respecting athletes following her race.

"Be more understanding of the fact that they are still human, no matter just to the fact that y'all are just trying to get something to put out in an article to make a dollar. Thank you."

Of course, Richardson has been making headlines ever since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics controversy ... when she was banned for 30 days and missed the games after testing positive for marijuana.

Billie Joe Armstrong's had it with America after the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade -- so much so, he says he's dropping his U.S. citizenship.

The Green Day frontman unloaded his frustrations during a London concert -- he was actually onstage Friday, the same day the SCOTUS opinion was officially issued, and said he's decided the U.K.'s the place for him.

He told the crowd, "I'm renouncing my citizenship," adding the U.K. might just become his new home.

He continues, "There's just too much stupid in the world to go back to that miserable excuse for a country." The singer gives a word of warning, too -- "You're going to get a lot of me in the coming days."

The guy's been known to share his political thoughts publicly ... 2004's hit "American Idiot" speaks for itself, while a 2016 performance at the AMA's featured a seemingly-unapproved chant on live TV ... "No Trump, No KKK, No fascist USA."

Jussie Smollett is back in the limelight just 3 months after getting released from prison ... after attending the BET Awards and getting incredulous reactions online.

The actor showed up at Sunday night's ceremony in LA, all smiles ... telling ET he's excited to be "expanding his empire."

He was asked how he feels about working his way back into Hollywood, but Jussie doesn't see it that way -- he says this has always been the plan.

Twitter was on fire as JS walked the red carpet and took his seat ... memes were created in his name, while some called out BET for allowing "race-baiting liars" in its space.

Sunday night's host, Taraji P. Henson, has been a vocal supporter of Jussie -- they both worked on "Empire" ... but she was silent about her co-star during the ceremony.

Jussie still insists he did not lie about what he says was a homophobic and racist attack, because IF he had lied he'd be a total piece of s**t -- and he claims everyone knows he's not that.

Jodie Sweetin, known for playing Stephanie Tanner on 'Full House,' was knocked back by police during an abortions rights protest, slamming her down on the concrete.

Jodie was with other protestors on a freeway in Los Angeles when LAPD began to block their path ... Jodie ended up close to officers when she got shoved back into the crowd -- tripping over the curb and knocking her to the floor.

The original uploader claims she was trying to lead the group away from the freeway, which was when she got pushed back ... the crowd began chanting "No justice, no peace," with Jodie joining in quickly after.

Jodie tells TMZ ... "I’m extremely proud of the hundreds of people who showed up yesterday to exercise their First Amendment rights and take immediate action to peacefully protest the giant injustices that have been delivered from our Supreme Court. Our activism will continue until our voices are heard and action is taken. This will not deter us, we will continue fighting for our rights. We are not free until ALL of us are free."

And she's doing ok after the incident -- the entire event was meant to be a peaceful protest for abortion rights.

We've reached out to LAPD for comment ... so far, no word back.

Travis Scott is getting dragged for his latest purchase, a $5.5 million luxury car ... the family of a 9-year-old who died at Astroworld says it's just not a good look.

Bob Hillard, the attorney for the family of Ezra Blount, tells TMZ ... Ezra would still be alive today, enjoying his summer, if Travis would've spent half of what he paid for the Bugatti on simple safety measures at the deadly music festival.

As we reported ... Ezra, who was trampled at Astroworld, sued Travis before he died from his injuries ... and Travis recently splurged on a new Bugatti Veyron Chiron Super Sport despite the mountain of lawsuits he's facing.

While Ezra's attorney says Travis has every right to live life as he sees fit, including buying what he wants, Hillard rips Travis' choices as "excessive" ... and says everything Travis does should be questioned because of what happened at Astroworld.

Ezra's lawyer also has some choice words for Travis' camp ... ripping them for trying to make Travis look good with a $5.5 million car in his driveway as the Astroworld litigation heats up.

We reached out to Travis' reps ... so far no word back.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has made the overturning of Roe vs. Wade personal to make her point ... telling protesters in NYC she had been raped and thank God abortion was an option, although that never came to pass.

The NYC rep was front and center at the rally in Union Square, where she explained why the right to an abortion is essential as a path forward for many women.

She said, "I myself, when I was about 22 or 23 years old, was raped when I was living here in New York City. I was completely alone. In fact, I felt so alone that I had to take a pregnancy test in a public bathroom in midtown Manhattan."

AOC went on ... "When I sat there waiting for what the result would be, all I could think was: Thank God I have, at least, a choice. Thank God I could, at least, have the freedom to choose my destiny. I didn't know then, as I was waiting, that it would come up negative. But it doesn't matter ... This is for all of us. This is not a women's rights issue. This is an issue for all of us."

Abortion is legal in New York, but more than a dozen states have a trigger law that went into effect the moment Roe was overturned, which either severely restricts or outlaws abortion. A total of 26 states are expected to have such laws on the books quickly.

Sarah Silverman was smack in the middle of a demonstration for women's rights ... joining protestors who gathered to voice their outrage over Roe v. Wade being overturned.

TMZ obtained a bunch of photos and video of Sarah at Saturday's protest in New York City, where demonstrators made a human chain on 5th Avenue and 14th street, blocking traffic.

The group was protesting the Supreme Court overturning the half-century old precedent making abortions legal nationwide, while at the same time advocating for women's rights and empowerment.

We're told Sarah came up to the protestors and started shouting for women's rights.

Olivia Rodrigo used her festival set in England to take a shot at the Supreme Court Justices who overturned Roe v. Wade ... saying they couldn't care less about women's freedom.

Olivia brought out Lily Allen to sing her famous song "F*** You" and dedicated it to five members of SCOTUS ... Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh.

In speaking out against SCOTUS overturning the 50-year-old precedent that legalized abortions nationwide, Olivia told the crowd she's devastated and terrified ... warning many women and girls are going to die because of the change.

Folks at the Glastonbury Festival cheered as Olivia dedicated "F*** You" to the five Justices she says "showed us at the end of the day they truly don't give a s*** about freedom."

Lily sent a message to the highest court in the United States too ... flipping a double bird.