Controversial S#!T

Kevin Durant is demanding answers over his NBA 2K23 rating ... saying there's NO WAY he's a 96 overall in the game, and claiming he should be a 99.

KD voiced his displeasure to Ronnie Singh from 2K on Twitter ... saying, "Aye @Ronnie2K I’m gonna need an explanation on why I’m not a 99? This has become laughable."

Singh jokingly fired back at the Slim Reaper -- writing, "I am petitioning for us to remove MJ on the cover and replacing with you the real 99."

Of course, 2K ratings have always been a sensitive subject for NBA superstars ... especially when they feel they've been snubbed or slighted by the video game franchise.

Durant is coming off his best season in a Nets uniform -- the four-time scoring champ put up insane numbers when he was on the court, averaging 29.9 points per game in 55 contests.

But, KD's gaudy stats and marksmanship on the hardwood weren't enough to secure him to the top spot in the rankings -- which went to Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who got a 97.

Giannis and KD have been battling for Eastern Conference supremacy since Durant took his talents to BK -- with the Greek Freak getting the best of Kevin in the 2021 East semifinals.

Durant received a 96 rating alongside LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid -- but it's clear, in KD's mind, he should be at the top of 2K's list.

Kanye West's allies are lining up for his increasingly heated showdown with Adidas -- and he now has a couple of hip hop heavyweights willing to stand with him.

Both Swizz Beatz and Diddy backed up Kanye's recent attacks against the shoe company with individual Instagram posts of their own.

Swizz, who's currently entangled in a legal culture war with Triller over Verzuz, admitted he was butting in the conversation, but still urged Adidas to treat Ye like a Spike Lee joint and do the right thing.

The post was supported by industry execs such as Bu Thiam and Dre London ... and eventually, Diddy, who texted Ye, vowing to never wear anything made by Adidas until everything was smoothed over.

Diddy cited Run-D.M.C. for pioneering the brand into hip-hop fashion, but threatened to burn it all down if Ye and the culture were further disrespected.

The Bad Boy CEO has emerged as a guardian of sorts in 2022 ... taking the exact same stance with Swizz and Timbaland in their fight against Triller.

Ye has been accusing the fledging sports apparel of stealing his designs -- only to sell them in lesser quality and expensive versions and demanding meetings with various heads of the company.

Operation FN Meka, Capitol Records' experimental A.I. rapper, might be resting in a virtual coffin now ... but one of its co-creators is lashing out one last time. We hope.

Anthony Martini, co-founder of Factory New -- the company responsible for unleashing FN Meka, tells The New York Times ... the digital rapper's critics are guilty of creating a double standard.

Martini says, “If you’re mad about the lyrical content because it supposedly was A.I., why not be mad about the lyrical content in general?"

The Georgia RICO cases against Young Thug and Gunna were already putting a spotlight on hip hop's lyrical content  ... and then FN Meka signed its contract in August, releasing a song titled "Florida Water" featuring Gunna and Clix.

The song featured FN Meka rapping about avatar Gucci and Rolexes while needing to find weed to smoke, and was pulled from streaming services when Capitol terminated the record contract after a wave of fan backlash ... especially from the Black community.

Following FN Meka flatlining, Martini released an extensive statement distancing himself from his company's business dealings ... an explanation that still doesn't do Kyle The Hooligan any favors!

Kyle actually voiced Meka's raps up to a point ... until he says team Factory New ghosted him and made their money moves without him. As we first reported, Kyle's now plotting a lawsuit against Factory New for money owed.

He's also denying having anything to do with FN Meka's last days when fans started railing against the project.

Jon Gruden should NEVER get another gig in the NFL again despite his recent plea for a second chance ... reps for one of the biggest women's organizations in the country tell TMZ Sports.

The National Organization For Women (NOW) said in a statement Tuesday that Gruden's emails -- ones in which he used racist, homophobic and misogynistic language -- were so bad, they're urging Roger Goodell to not allow him to walk another sideline as a head coach again.

"Jon Gruden should not be reinstated by the NFL," NOW officials tell us. "If hired back, this once again proves the NFL values misogyny, homophobia and racism."

Gruden -- who was ousted as Raiders head coach in 2021 after offensive emails from 2011 to 2018 were made public -- has apologized several times for the content of his messages.

In fact, in a meeting with reporters last week, he called them all "shameful."

He then, though, pleaded with NFL teams to give him one more look.

"I've made mistakes," the 59-year-old said, "but I don't think anybody in here hasn't, and I just ask for forgiveness, and hopefully, I get another shot."

One of his former players, Andre Rison, told us following Gruden's latest comments that the ex-Las Vegas coach should get another chance ... explaining he believes, "No one is God."

Meghan Markle is British royalty now, but growing up she was considered the "ugly duckling" who struggled to fit in with other kids ... that's according to Meghan herself.

The Duchess of Sussex just dropped the latest episode of her "Archetypes" podcast -- and she chats with actress Mindy Kaling about her childhood challenges. When Meghan said she was no beauty, Mindy was shocked and almost disbelieving.

Meghan, seemingly looking to offer evidence, said she had "'massive frizzy, curly hair and a huge gap in my teeth" which motivated her to become "the smart one."

Meghan says, she went to the Hollywood Schoolhouse and an all-girls Catholic school in L.A., and she had a hard time at both ... explaining she would join clubs and fill up her schedule so she didn't have to worry about having friends.

"I never had anyone to sit with at lunch. I was always a little bit of a loner and really shy and didn't know where I fit in. And so I just became, well, I was like, okay then, I'll become the president of the multi-cultural club and the president of sophomore class and the president of this ... and French club."

She continued, "And by doing that, I had meetings at lunchtime, so I didn't have to worry about who I would sit with or what I would do because I was always so busy."

Mindy says she just always thought Meghan was "that one nice hot girl who has her head screwed on right."

Britney Spears is calling out her son Jayden James ... accusing him of undermining her and wondering if he's pissed the gravy train is about to run dry.

Britney went on a long rant Monday on social media, and it was mostly a response to Jayden publicly talking about her challenges as a mom.

She scoffs at Jayden wishing and praying she gets better ... wondering if her son is worried about the fact he's not going to get any more money from her in a couple years once he turns 18.

Britney's also addressing her souring relationship with her sons, who she hasn't seen in months, claiming they ignored her when they hung out in the past and never felt she was a good enough mother if she didn't shower them with gifts.

Remember ... 15-year-old Jayden recently did a sit-down interview with Daphne Barak for "60 Minutes Australia" in which he accused his mom of not showing equal love and attention to him and brother Sean Preston, and talking about Britney's mental state.

Britney says Jayden sounds just like Jamie Spears in the interview ... accusing her son of secretly loving to look at her like something is wrong with her, the same thing she says the rest of her family is guilty of.

As for the unequal attention claims ... Britney says Preston would sleep the whole time when she had her sons over, while Jayden would play the piano ... and she claims her boys always left 2 hours early.

Tiffany Haddish is responding to the lawsuit filed by two people who say when they were sexually abused when they were children in a comedy sketch, saying she regrets doing the sketch but can't say much more.

Tiffany went on IG Monday and said, "I know people have a bunch of questions. I get it. I’m right there with you. Unfortunately, because there is an ongoing legal case, there’s very little that I can say right now."

She went on to express remorse, saying, "But, clearly, while this sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn't funny at all – and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it. I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can."

The 2 plaintiffs, a male and female, say Tiffany and Aries Spears "groomed" the then 14-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother, allegedly coercing them to film explicit skits. The boy says he was molested by both defendants.

According to the lawsuit, the girl says Haddish gained her trust and convinced her to film a sexually suggestive video, with Tiffany teaching her how to mimic fellatio for the skit.

Tiffany's attorney, Andrew Brettler, told TMZ the lawsuit was purely an extortion attempt ... "Plaintiff's mother, Trizah Morris, has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years."

Brettler went on, "Every attorney who has initially taken on her case -- and there were several -- ultimately dropped the matter once it became clear that the claims were meritless and Ms. Haddish would not be shaken down. Now, Ms. Morris has her adult daughter representing herself in this lawsuit. The two of them will together face the consequences of pursuing this frivolous action."

Both siblings say they have developed social disorders ... and the brother claims he is so afraid of being watched or recorded he places band-aids over all the cameras on his electronics.

The chemical engineer who hurled homophobic slurs on an airplane was also dropping a ton of other bigoted bombs as well -- namely, the N-word ... which got him into a fight.

Zachary Easterly -- the now-fired, ex-GlaxoSmithKline-employee -- alluded to being racist in the first video we got of him freaking out ... and now, we have the proof. Here's new video, obtained by TMZ, showing him on Tuesday throwing the epithet around like it was a frisbee.

This clip picks up with him being escorted off the plane, and he's literally dropping the N-word left and right -- in front of Black airline employees, no less -- with no shame.

As others hear him on his way out -- now entering the main terminal area of the airport -- he starts to get accosted and confronted by outraged bystanders ... who tell him to watch his mouth, or suffer the consequences. He chose to do the latter, and all hell broke loose.

Two men are seen tussling with Easterly at one point, and they even pin him down onto the ground -- seemingly in an attempt to make a citizen's arrest ... you can hear them talk about police/security. It's unclear if Easterly was ever detained or arrested, however. Philadelphia PD tells us they're looking into whether a case was opened in this matter or not.

What we do know is that he's without a job ... as GSK canned this man shortly after the video was posted and went viral. Once a proud chemist, now some jackass on the internet.

Easterly had suggested he was somewhat intoxicated during this, but that's obviously no excuse ... sounds like he got some things off his chest that he'd been holding in a long time.

Camila Morrone seems to be ready to move on with her life as a single woman following her split from Leonardo DiCaprio ... cause she's apparently already moved into a new apartment.

The model/actress was spotted Friday in Malibu moving into a new place. For the most part, she seemingly kept it cool with a neutral facial expression as friends and movers helped her get furniture and belongings into her apartment.

As you may know, Leo and Camila recently called it quits after 4 years of dating, though it's still not clear what may have led to the breakup. The two began dating back in 2017 and in 2020 they spent a great deal of time together during quarantine.

Meanwhile, the "Wolf of Wall Street" star has been spending some quality time with friends in the big apple. Last week, he was seen for the first time since they reportedly split ... grabbing some Italian food with his crew.

Jon Gruden is hoping to get one more chance at leading an NFL team, and his former player Andre Rison says he deserves that opportunity ... telling TMZ Sports he would not defend the coach if he truly believed he was not a man of character.

The former Raiders coach recently opened up about the email scandal that led to his departure in Las Vegas ... saying his words were "shameful," but hoping his mistakes wouldn't permanently keep him out of the league.

Rison -- who played for Gruden on the Raiders in 2000 -- tells us he believes his old coach is sincere about his regret and accountability ... and says if he were in charge of a team right now, he'd be giving Jon a call.

"No one is God," Rison said. "For some reason in today's time, everybody think they're God now because social media and whatever other platforms that they can voice their opinions."

"God gave him the gift to coach and it's up to him and God if he repents, and forgives for his negatives and his faults and his defaults, I have no problem with it."

Rison says he knows firsthand Gruden is not racist ... adding, "For him to be a racist, if he was a racist, he darn sure gave a lot of black athletes chances and opportunities to put food on the table for their families."

Gruden has been out of the league since 2021 ... when his emails including homophobic and racist language were made public.

Rison says Gruden should get the benefit of the doubt.

In one of the dumbest moves we've seen made by a person freaking out as they were kicked off a plane, a chemical engineer has now been fired from his job after announcing where he works to the entire flight.

The incident, which happened Tuesday night on a flight scheduled from Philly to Dallas, included the man seen in the video going off on passengers and flight attendants.

Shockingly, and maybe sarcastically, the man exclaims he's racist because he's a white male with a black bag which he states is, "a better bag than most of y'all can afford." But, he wasn't done yet ... admitting he was a little intoxicated.

Then things take a turn, the man starts hurling homophobic slurs ... calling everyone on the flight "liberal f******."

However, just before exiting the plane -- the man let everyone know he was a chemical engineer with pharmaceutical and biotechnology company GlaxoSmithKline.

We reached out to GSK, who tell us, "We immediately conducted an investigation and as of Thursday, he is no longer employed at GSK. The person’s remarks were reprehensible and do not reflect our company culture."

GSK takes it a step further, saying, "At GSK, diversity, equity and inclusion is embraced and celebrated and we are committed in policy, principle and practice to maintaining an environment which prohibits discriminatory behavior and provides equal opportunity for all persons."

As for what caused the freakout, one person on social media claimed the now-former chemical engineer was bothering a woman sitting next to him. We don't yet know his name.

Kanye West is back to taking shots at his family on Instagram, targeting Kim and the rest of the Kardashians in a flurry of posts that touch on everything from where his kids go to school to labeling himself, Scott Disick, Tristan Thompson and Travis Scott "c** donors."

Ye put up a bunch of now deleted posts Thursday night, including a text exchange with Kim where Kim begged Kanye to stop, writing, "From my mom- PLEASE ... Tell him to please stop mentioning my name. I'm almost 67 years old and I don't always feel great and this stresses me to no end."

That didn't phase Ye, who replied, "Y'all don't have so so over my black children and where they go to school. They will not do playboy and sex tapes. Tell your Clinton friends to come get me. I'm here."

Kanye recently opened up his Donda Academy, and apparently believes his kids should attend the academy for school. He's clearly also taking shots at Kim's sex tape and her and Kylie's posing for Playboy years ago. At one point, he even revealed his porn addiction ruined his family.

However, Ye wasn't done there ... he also posted the names of Travis, Tristan and Scott -- who all have kids with Kardashians -- and the caption, "Calling my fellow c** doners. We in this 2gthr."

He also took shots at Pete Davidson, who got Kim and Kanye's kid's initials tattooed on his neck, and who Kim recently split from, saying, "Ask Pete how those tattoos of my kids doing in the trauma unit."

The series of Instagram posts is just another attack Ye has laid out this week on social media. He also called out GAP and Adidas for allegedly leaving him out of business meetings and copying his designs.

Britney Spears reacted with sadness and anger late Thursday night, saying she's disappointed Jayden is now talking publicly about his mom's challenges as a mother.

Britney posted, "It saddens me to know [Jayden's] outcry of saying I wasn't up to his expectations as a mother."

15-year-old Jayden did a sit down interview with Daphne Barak for DailyMail in which he said, "I think mom has struggled giving us both attention and showing us equal love and I don't think she showed enough to Preston and I feel really bad for that."

Sources directly connected to Kevin Federline's family have told TMZ about Jayden's grievance, saying it has deeply disturbed K-Fed as well. They say when Jayden and Sean Preston would come over to Britney's house, all of the attention went to Jayden. They went on to say it hurt not only Sean Preston but really hurt and angered Jayden as well.

Jayden, who along with Preston hasn't seen their mom in nearly 6 months, added, "We've both been through so much pressure in the past that this is our safe place now, to process all the emotional trauma we've been through to heal, heal our mental state."

Jayden then went on to talk about Britney's mental state, saying, "It's just going to take a lot of time and effort. I just want her to get better mentally. When she gets better I really want to see her again."

Britney responded to Jayden referencing her own struggle, saying, "Finally at 40 without the restraints of what my family did to me ... I say to my son Jayden that I send all the love in the world to you every day for the rest of my life!!! My love for my children has no boundaries."

She then took a shot at Jayden, "As for my mental health ...my dear child understand you must learn to pick up a book and read one before you resort to even thinking about my intellect sweetheart!!! For the record, intellect and mental health are 2 different things.

And, that opens the door to a sore subject -- Jamie Spears. Jayden defended his gramps, saying he didn't deserve all the venom from the FreeBritney folks, adding, "He was just trying to be a father."

Britney wasn't having it ..."Psss if you can honestly sit back and say with your sensible brilliant mind what memaw and paw paw did to me was fine and call them not bad people ... then yes I have failed as a mother and hopefully that's a chat for you and your father to sit face to face and try to learn WHAT'S GOOD."

It appears one of the big reasons Britney's kids didn't attend her wedding was because most other family members -- including Jamie -- weren't invited.

Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears groomed a 14-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother, coercing them to film explicit skits, this according to a new lawsuit ... but Tiffany's legal team is calling it nothing but a shakedown ... years in the making.

The comedians are being sued by two siblings, going by Jane Doe and John Doe, who claim they've been traumatized for life as a result of allegedly being groomed when they were children. The boy also claims to have been molested by both defendants.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the older sister says she was just 14 when Haddish gained her trust and convinced her to film a sexually suggestive video, with Haddish teaching her how to mimic fellatio for the skit.

The allegations get even more disturbing ... in the suit, she claims her younger brother was only 7 when Haddish brought him to a home where Spears and Haddish molested him while filming a "Funny or Die" video titled "Through a Pedophiles Eyes."

Tiffany's attorney, Andrew Brettler, says the lawsuit is purely an extortion attempt, telling us, "Plaintiff's mother, Trizah Morris, has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years."

Brettler continues, "Every attorney who has initially taken on her case -- and there were several -- ultimately dropped the matter once it became clear that the claims were meritless and Ms. Haddish would not be shaken down. Now, Ms. Morris has her adult daughter representing herself in this lawsuit. The two of them will together face the consequences of pursuing this frivolous action."

The siblings claim Haddish was friends with their mother and they say the video featuring John Doe was published online via "Funny or Die" when he was too young to consent.

In their suit, the sister says her resulting trauma has prevented her from dating because she's scared she will be taken advantage of and "led down a path of false trust like the path that Haddish led her down."

Both siblings say they have developed social disorders ... and the brother claims he is so afraid of being watched or recorded he places band-aids over all the cameras on his electronics.

President Biden's student debt forgiveness policy has ruffled feathers across the political spectrum -- but Rep. Ilhan Omar says ... turn that frown upside down!

We got the Minnesota congresswoman at Ronald Reagan National Airport and asked what she made about the Debbie Downers who are pissed over JB wiping out millions of dollars in loans for countless Americans ... despite many who've paid their debt fair and square.

Watch ... Rep. Omar tells us that those folks simply need to look at this situation with a glass-half-full mentality -- namely, being grateful they could take care of their sitch, and happy others are getting the chance to do the same ... even if it's through a free ride.

The way she puts it -- just because we aren't burdened doesn't mean we shouldn't help those who are. Essentially, it's the greater good argument repackaged with a nice bow.

Of course, there are many who probably won't take that medicine sitting down ... but it doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done, and the President has spoken -- upwards of $10,000 per person is going to be cleared from the books whether the public likes it or not.

We know many in conservative circles -- including guys like Sen. Ted Cruz -- aren't happy about this ... but it goes beyond just left and right-wing ideology. Cruz said this could have ramifications come election time -- in favor of Dems -- which concerns him greatly.

Fat Joe had a Latino appreciation post blow up in his face because fans thought he was insinuating hip hop was just as much Hispanic culture as it was Black.

The post highlighted several Latino artists involved in hip hop’s earliest days, and though he never named them creators ... the backlash was fierce and swift.

Joe would go on to lash out at the haters, and DJ Tony Touch is aligned with his defense.

The proud Brooklyn-born, Puerto Rican-bred DJ also helped pioneer hip hop, and he’s telling TMZ Hip Hop ... Joey Crack’s comments weren’t anywhere close to being out of pocket.

Like Joe, Tony points out hip hop’s birthplace, the Bronx, had a healthy mix of Black and Latino people -- and the culture’s 2 chief creators, DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, migrated to the U.S. from Caribbean islands.

Kool Herc originally hailed from Jamaica, and Flash from Barbados -- after emigrating to the Bronx, they eventually hosted the very first hip hop parties. The rest is billion-dollar history.

Tony attributes the fierce Joe backlash to the Black Lives Matter movement ... noting how exclusion -- or even the perception of it -- often rubs people the wrong way.

He also points out that hip hop’s first film, 1983’s “Wild Style” is loaded with Latino talent such as members of The Rock Steady Crew and Cold Crush Brothers, Lee Quiñones and graffiti artist Lady Pink.