Controversial S#!T

Dave Chappelle recently hit a minor setback when protestors essentially forced his Minneapolis show to switch venues -- but Fat Joe thinks Dave's critics should realize he's an equal opportunity offender.

We caught up with the Don Cartagena Monday in NYC on Monday, and he said comedians like Dave Chappelle always intend for their jokes to hit the funny bones without striking emotional nerves. He also feels Dave tells jokes about everyone, not one particular group more than another.

Call it a game of Comedy Operation ... Joe acknowledges there are sensitive subjects to address -- especially within the LGBTQ+ community -- but he feels laughter is the best medicine for most issues.

Minnesota protestors, particularly angry over Dave's Netflix special lineage, successfully thwarted the comedic legend from doing his show at First Avenue, forcing him to move to a new venue with just a few hours notice. Joe wishes those angry about Dave would understand love outweighs hate when it comes to comedy.

Charles Barkley is naming his price in order to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour ... saying he'd hop on board if they offer him a whopping $60 million!!

The NBA legend addressed the org.'s reported interest in bringing him on as a commentator with the "Dan Patrick Show" on Monday ... saying he's more than happy with his current situation with TNT, but a certain number would get him to sign on the dotted line with LIV.

"Well, consider how much money I make now, it would take a really huge number for me to give up my life right now," Barkley told Patrick.

While Barkley didn't want to go into details about his current income, Patrick threw out a number -- $20 milli total between TNT and endorsements -- and Chuck admitted the guess was pretty spot-on.

Dan asked Chuck how he'd respond if LIV decided to triple his income ... and it's safe to say Barkley wouldn't be able to decline such a lucrative offer.

"If they triple it, and next time I'm on your show, the first question better be, 'Charles, where we celebrating at tonight?'" Barkley said.

"That should be your first question, that should be your first question if they triple what I'm making now. Your first question should be, 'Hey, Charles, where's the party tonight?'"

Barkley also said despite all the backlash surrounding the tour, he has no issue with guys like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka leaving the PGA tour for LIV ... 'cause at the end of the day, money talks.

"150 million dollars to play golf 15 times a year? I have no problem with those guys taking that money."

Bill Maher misses the days of old -- especially when it comes to James Bond ... whom he says has gone soft and mushy in the Daniel Craig era, going so far as to call him "woke."

The 'Real Time' host dished his thoughts on the fictional spy character during the most recent episode of his podcast, "Club Random with Bill Maher," where he was chatting with YouTuber Hannah Stocking about how he feels Bond has changed ... for the worse.

Watch ... Bill says they've turned 007 into a watered-down stud, who's deeply in love and in a committed relationship in this last installment, "No Time to Die" -- which BM says is so unlike Bond and counterintuitive to the spirit of the OG character by author Ian Fleming.

To make his point, he recalls when Denise Richards starred in "The World Is Not Enough" -- Pierce Brosnan's 2nd-to-last go-around -- and killed it by playing a hottie scientist/the love interest.

It's unclear if Bill's suggesting that actress Lea Seydoux, who's Craig's GF in the last two flicks, *isn't* hot -- because that's just wrong, she totally is -- or if his beef is more so with the dynamic in these newer Bond movies ... aka, lovey-dovey. In any case, he doesn't dig it.

Bill even says Bond bringing his gal (and their kid) along for the climactic mission at the end is super weird -- joking the MI6 agent might as well have stopped off for tampons.

Of course, not everyone agrees with Bill's take -- there are a lot of folks who actually like how Bond has progressed over these past several years ... with some saying he's perhaps more fleshed-out, complex and interesting than any other iteration before this.

Vince McMahon -- the longtime chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment -- is retiring from his role with the company, he announced Friday.

"As I approach 77 years old, I feel it's time for me to retire as Chairman and CEO of WWE," McMahon said in a statement.

"Throughout the years, it's been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you, and always entertain you."

"I would like to thank my family for mightily contributing to our success, and I would also like to thank all of our past and present Superstars and employees for their dedication and passion for our brand."

Vince bought the company from his father, Vincent J. McMahon in 1982 ... and has been the face of the brand ever since.

Vince was responsible for the "Attitude Era" in the 1990s, which turned professional wrestling into a mainstream phenomenon ... and helped Superstars like The Undertaker, Kane, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Chyna and more become household names.

The billionaire is also the mastermind behind WrestleMania ... which just had its 38th installment this past April.

McMahon bought WWE's biggest competitor, World Championship Wrestling, in 2001 ... making his company the most dominant organization in the sport.

"Most importantly, I would like to thank our fans for allowing us into your homes every week and being your choice of entertainment," he added. "I hold the deepest appreciation and admiration for our generations of fans all over the world who have liked, currently like, and sometimes even love our form of Sports Entertainment."

Vince recently stepped away from his role as chairman and CEO ... amid an investigation into alleged misconduct. His daughter, Stephanie, was named interim CEO and interim Chairwoman.

The investigation comes after a report claiming McMahon allegedly agreed to pay $12 million in "hush money" to 4 different women over a 16-year time period ... so they would not discuss their relationships with him.

McMahon appeared on "WWE SmackDown!" shortly after he voluntarily stepped down ... and made a speech that felt like a goodbye message to fans.

Story developing ...

Donald Trump was exposed Thursday night in the very building where he fanned the flames of insurrection ... and the outtake of his speech to the nation January 7th makes it clear -- the only thing he cared about was propagating the lie that he won the election.

The outtake is both shocking and, frankly, comical. When he gets to the part where he talks about the rioters breaking the law, he stops and exclaims, "I can't say that!" There's another part where he's supposed to say the election is over, but he won't say the words.

The January 6th Committee made it clear ... Trump only gave the speech because there was a move both in The White House and Congress to get him out of the Office of President, either by the 25th Amendment or impeachment.

There's a part of the outtake right out of the 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' with Ted Baxter. Trump is talking about what happened the day before and after flubbing the word "Yesterday," he says, "Yesterday is a hard word for me."

In another outtake, shot on January 6th, where Trump is supposed to quell the violence by calling off the insurrectionists, he begins with his grievances over the election results and ends with it as well.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger delivered rousing, impassioned remarks about Donald Trump and the impact of what he has done to American democracy. It's definitely worth watching.

The Black family whose children were snubbed by a Sesame Place character says new footage pokes holes in the theme park's initial explanation for the humiliating incident.

Remember, in response to the initial viral video ... Sesame Place put out a statement saying its Rosita character "confirmed that the 'no' hand gesture seen several times in the video was not directed to any specific person, rather it was a response to multiple requests from someone in the crowd who asked Rosita to hold their child for a photo which is not permitted."

The potential problem for Sesame Place is this new, wider angle -- from the other side of the parade route -- doesn't support that ... at least according to attorney B'Ivory LaMarr.

LaMarr is representing the family of Jodi Brown -- her daughter and niece are the girls who tried to interact with Rosita -- and he believes the new video obtained by his law firm undermines the park's claim.

He doesn't see anyone offering up a child for Rosita to hold ... not anywhere near the girls, anyway. In fairness to Sesame Place, the video is shot from across the street, so you can't hear any potential conversation between parents and whoever's in the Rosita costume.

Additionally, LaMarr thinks the new video shows Rosita's rejection gesture was made solely to the Black girls.

If true, that would be important because Sesame Place claimed, "The Rosita performer did not intentionally ignore the girls and is devastated about the misunderstanding."

As we've reported ... more videos have surfaced of similar incidents at the park, and Sesame Place is promising to tighten things up with bias training and a thorough review of how park workers engage with guests.

LaMarr says he's been flooded with calls from other folks who were at the same Sesame Place parade as Jodi and the girls.

LaMarr says community activists, such as Tamika Mallory, are organizing events to galvanize people outraged by the viral video.

As for the Brown family, he says their end goals are getting whoever was in the Rosita costume fired, and getting a sincere apology from Sesame Place ... something they feel hasn't happened yet.

Sesame Place tells TMZ ... they are in contact with LaMarr, and have offered to meet with him and the family to personally deliver an apology and acknowledgment that they hold themselves accountable for what happened. It also says, "We want to listen to them to understand how the experience impacted their family and to understand what we can do better for them and all guests who visit our parks."

Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett put it ALL on display at weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night ... droppin' trou and showing the whole crowd his bum as he called out fat-shamers!!

The lightweight contender is known for his fluctuating weight in between fights ... but when the time comes to hit the scale, he's always in incredible shape.

Despite getting absolutely shredded for his fights, Pimblett has been criticized by fans on social media ... and on Friday, he clearly got fed up with the haters.

"Everyone who tried to fat shame me or said I would miss weight or f***ing pull out -- kiss me ass," Pimblett said as he showed off his left cheek after weighing in at 156 pounds.

The crowd seemingly laughed it off ... which isn't surprising, given Paddy's fun spirit.

18-3 Pimblett is a rising star in the UFC ... and is facing off against 10-1 Jordan Leavitt in London on Saturday.

The Secret Service barely made it out of the Capitol January 6th along with Vice President Mike Pence ... and never-before-seen video shows just how close they came to calamity.

The January 6th presented video Thursday night showing a portion of the frantic 13 minutes in which the Secret Service tried to snake its way through the riot-torn building and bring the Veep to safety.

You hear and see the sheer desperation as one of the agents says if they don't get out now they may lose their ability to leave the building. They were literally feet from the mob, which was chanting "Hang Mike Pence."

An anonymous White House official testified how grim the scene was -- there were agents asking home base to contact their families to say goodbye. It was that desperate, and you hear and feel it.

Kim Burrell, the gospel singer who came under fire for insensitive comments made in church, will NOT step down -- she'll be ministering again after deep introspection and counsel from her pastor.

Kim and Pastor Dr. Mike Freeman of Spirit of Faith Christian Center in Maryland, tell TMZ ... the backlash won't silence her, because she believes speaking to the congregation is her calling from God.

Rest assured, though, Kim knows she crossed a line last weekend ... and says Pastor Freeman, and others, will make sure she doesn't have a repeat performance.

ICYMI, Kim went viral for last weekend's sermon where she referred to people as "broke" and "ugly," among other tasteless labels. Kim says the remarks were made in "jest," but most folks on social media didn't buy that -- even after she put out a written apology.

Pastor Freeman explained why he's standing by Kim, telling us ... "We don't shoot the soldier we nurse them."

He insists church members want to surround the singer with love, instead of knocking her while she's down.

Since her gaffe in the pulpit, Kim has posted a remorseful video, saying she just wants folks to see her heart.

A familiar foe is coming for Floyd Mayweather, but it's not Logan Paul or Conor McGregor -- PETA is going scorched-earth on the boxing legend over the $18,000 mink car seat he got for his grandson ... calling it a "monstrosity."

TMZ Sports broke the story -- TBE recently had a one-of-a-kind car seat installed into his 2022 Rolls-Royce Cullinan ... which was made with real fur and customized for baby Kentrell Jr., the son of Yaya Mayweather and NBA Youngboy.

The folks at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals were pissed to find out about the purchase ... ripping into Floyd's decision-making and bringing up the time he was arrested for domestic violence in 2010 in the process.

"Did Floyd Mayweather, who has a history of assault and battery of defenseless victims, really seek to update it by supporting an industry that throttles animals to death in addition to poisoning and electrocuting them?" PETA said in a statement.

"This man is hardly a role model for compassion and understanding, but to try to make cruelty look attractive to a child could earn him a medal for corrupting the natural kindness of a minor."

The two sides have been enemies for years -- in 2012, the org. went after Floyd for making comments comparing his training to dogfighting ... to which he replied, "s***, I don't give a f***, 'cause I wear mink coats. I'm gonna wear chinchilla, and I'm gonna rock mink coats."

Despite their history, PETA is offering to fix its issue with Floyd.

"PETA is calling on Mayweather to take a jab at teaching kindness, not cruelty, by replacing this monstrosity with faux fur, as most designers, department stores, and consumers have -- and PETA would be happy to provide it."

Ricky Martin is now speaking out about his nephew's claims that they had a sexual relationship and he stalked him, saying the last 2 weeks have been horrendous.

Ricky appeared on a video, obtained by TMZ, in which he expressed how he's been feeling over the last few weeks since the claims surfaced.

He says he needed to talk in order to start the healing process. Martin says he was muzzled by Puerto Rican law until the case concluded. TMZ broke the story, Ricky's nephew dropped the restraining order Thursday morning in court.

Ricky says it's been painful not just for him but for his family and friends. As for his nephew, "I wish him the best and I wish he finds the help so he can start a new life filled with love and truth and joy and that he doesn't hurt anyone else."

Ricky says his therapy will be music and he's anxious to jump back on stage ... btw, he's performing at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend.

Ricky Martin just won his case against his nephew who accused him of having a sexual relationship and then harassing him afterward, and that's because the 21-year-old nephew withdrew his claim.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the judge has dismissed the temporary restraining order that he had issued a week ago.

We're told Ricky showed up on zoom. His legal team tells TMZ, "Just as we had anticipated, the temporary protection order was not extended by the court. The accuser confirmed to the court that his decision to dismiss the matter was his alone, without any outside influence or pressure."

The team went on ... "And the accuser confirmed he was satisfied with his legal representation in the matter. The request came from the accuser asking to dismiss the case. This was never anything more than a troubled individual making false allegations with absolutely nothing to substantiate them. We are glad that our client saw justice done and can now move forward with his life and his career."

As we reported, the nephew had claimed he and Ricky had a 7-month sexual affair and after it ended Ricky began stalking and harassing him. Ricky strongly denied the allegations, saying he never had a sexual relationship with the man. The singer's legal team said the nephew suffers from mental issues.

The nephew had obtained a temporary restraining order last week, but Ricky and his team were not in court.

'Black Ink' star Ceaser Emanuel has turned himself in to authorities in connection to animal cruelty charges ... just weeks after a video showing him abusing a dog went viral.

A spokesperson for the City of South Fulton PD in Georgia tells TMZ Emanuel turned himself in ... jail records show Emanuel is facing two misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and one felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Ceaser was fired from "Black Ink Crew" shortly after the video -- which shows him beating a dog with a metal chair -- surfaced online. Emanuel's attorney says the video was recorded during COVID lockdown and possibly leaked by an ex-GF who had it out for Emanuel.

Cops have not yet confirmed if the charges are in connection to the abuse video, but we know investigators from South Fulton were looking into the incident ... so it likely lines up.

Of course, whether it was leaked or not, there's no excuse for abusing an animal ... but Ceaser insists the video doesn't reflect his true self -- telling us he was only trying to break up a fight between his animals.

Since the video was recorded, Ceaser tells us he no longer owns one of the dogs, it was given to a friend.

Farrah Abraham has been put on blast for allegedly taking her 13-year-old to a club ... but she says her critics don't know what's really up.

Farrah tells TMZ ... she went with her daughter, Sophia, and her friends to an "all ages" concert at The Empire Control Room in Texas Monday, thinking it would just be safer if she were there -- referencing last year's Astroworld tragedy.

Farrah's been getting slammed ever since posting about the event, with many assuming the 13-year-old was under the venue's age limit and that it was wrong to take a 13-year-old regardless.

She says there was no age limit for this particular concert. As for taking a 13-year-old, Farrah says she wanted to educate her kid on how to have a fun yet safe time at a concert.

Farrah's been working through a 12-step program for substance abuse and believes it's helped her with everything, including parenting. BTW, she says she was knockin' back H2O during the performances.

Dave Chappelle has been weirdly canceled by a Minnesota concert venue where he was scheduled to perform Wednesday night ... after social media went on the attack.

The comedian was supposed to take the stage Wednesday at First Avenue, a famous venue in downtown Minneapolis, but hours before his sold-out performance they announced his show was scrapped.

Chappelle's show was announced Monday, and tickets sold out Tuesday in 5 minutes ... but some folks flooded social media, voicing displeasure with First Avenue hosting Dave, because of his controversial Netflix special.

First Ave says they heard the backlash and did an about-face, explaining they let folks down by not holding themselves to the "highest standards." The venue says it's a safe space and lost sight of the impact a Chappelle show would create.

One of the comments on social media ... "Announced 24 hours in advance because y'all KNOW what you're platforming and simply continue to be money chasing cowards."

What's weird ... the venue had to know about Dave's special and subsequent appearances, and the controversy it all generated.

Dave will still take the stage Wednesday in Minneapolis, just not at First Ave ... the venue says his show is being moved to the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown.

Chappelle has two more performances scheduled at Varsity Theater on Thursday and Friday ... so it will be interesting to see how his week plays out.

The COVID-19 drama isn't behind Novak Djokovic just yet ... tennis officials confirmed the legendary player will NOT compete in the upcoming Grand Slam, the U.S. Open, unless he gets vaccinated.

The 35-year-old Serbian tennis star -- who isn't vaxxed against the virus -- will not be on the court in Flushing Meadows, Queens ... because the United States doesn't currently allow unvaccinated, non-citizens to enter the country.

There was hope amongst tennis fans that something might be done to allow Novak to play ... but on Wednesday officials squashed that idea.

"The US Open does not have a vaccination mandate in place for players, but it will respect the US government’s position regarding travel into the country for unvaccinated non-US citizens,” the Open announced.

Djokovic, a three-time U.S. Open champ, was also banned from the Australian Open for the same reason.

That story became one of the biggest and most polarizing in the sports world.

Technically, Djokovic still has time to get the jab ... the tourney doesn't kick off until August 29.

But, in the immediate aftermath of his victory over Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon (his 7th win), Novak reiterated his vax stance for anyone wondering if he had a change of heart with the Open looming.

"I'm not vaccinated, and I'm not planning to get vaccinated," Djokovic said, according to ESPN.

Djokovic, however, remained optimistic that the policy in the USA on the COVID vaccine could change ahead of the tourney.

Unfortunately for ND, that doesn't seem like it's going to happen ... and it's a big blow for Novak because he's just one Grand Slam title behind Rafael Nadal for the all-time lead.

FYI, 36-year-old Rafa has 22. Novak 21. 40-year-old Roger Federer 20.