Controversial S#!T

Aaron Rodgers has no blind allegiance to anything ... he scorns politicians -- be them Democrats or Republicans -- who impose the way they want to live on their citizens, and that includes abortion.

Rodgers appeared on Bill Maher's "Club Random" podcast, which drops Sunday, and SFGATE got a preview.

The famed QB ridicules Cali, saying "State's going to s**t, but I'm hanging on." He's especially angry at the State's COVID restrictions, saying, "I grew up in a small town, very little cases up in Chico, California, but all the small businesses? F***ing gone."

Aaron lasered in on a bill that's apparently about to be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom that would put a doctor's license in jeopardy if he/she promotes COVID "misinformation." He asked, "What standard of information."  FYI ... this is exactly the worry doctors have over vague restrictions on abortion.

Speaking of ... Aaron says, "I don't believe the government should have any control over what we do with our bodies." He went on to say, "As much as I might lean pro-life, I don't want the government to tell me I can't smoke a cigar, I can't have a drink of alcohol, I can't choose my own medical decisions. And if I'm a woman, don't f**king tell me what do."

And then the key point ... "Like whether or not I agree with what you decide to do, who cares, and the government should not have a decision that infringes upon my own personal freedoms."

Rogers agrees with Bill ... Donald Trump is like a sore loser on the football field. Bill says, "You take it like a man. You don't go, 'We won that game.' That's what Donald Trump does. We won that game. You didn't. You lose it. It happens. You lose sometimes. Be a f**king man and just own up like every other president has ever done."

Aaron gets a lot of criticism, but you gotta say ... he's a pretty consistent libertarian.

There's a massive cloud hanging over The Royal Family regarding the "dark skin" comment that was allegedly made about Harry and Meghan's son Archie, and if it's not addressed soon, it could spell the beginning of the end of the monarchy ... according to a royal expert.

As you know, it remains a mystery who within the family raised concerns about how dark Archie's skin would be when Meghan Markle was pregnant -- a stunning revelation she made in an interview with Oprah. Most experts say the likely suspects are Charles, Camilla or William.

Royal expert Kinsey Schofield tells us she believes unless the issue is ironed out privately and also explained to the public, it could cause folks to push away from the Royals.

Schofield says supporters really started to question the morals of King Charles, Prince William and Queen Consort Camilla after Meghan made the allegation. Schofield says disappointment in The Royals still looms, but could be lessened with a proper explanation.

In order for things to turn around, Schofield believes people need to know exactly who made the comment, how it was said, and if it was done with malicious intent.

Of course, if it turns out there truly was racist intention behind the comment, things will go bad quickly ... but Schofield believes the only way for The Royal Family to continue on without issue is for the comment to be aired out once and for all.

Prince Harry traveled solo to see his grandmother as she was dying, and that wasn't by accident ... Meghan Markle reportedly did not get an invite to be by her side.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl tells ET ... it's understood the Duchess of Sussex was not included in the reach-out to Harry when news came down that Queen Elizabeth was on her death bed, which explains why he made the voyage on his own.

Some speculated Meghan might've opted out as a courtesy or out of respect for Harry, but the report points to it being a decision made by higher powers within the Royal Family.

According to Nicholl ... Meghan has said she'll go to Balmoral Castle -- where QE2 died -- at another time. Remember, Meghan could've easily gone ... she and Harry were already in the UK for work-related matters, and even canceled an event in London when they got the news.

In the end, Harry arrived at Balmoral after the Queen's death was announced -- King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla did make it in time, as they were already in Scotland for prior engagements. It's unclear which other family members made it to Elizabeth's side before she actually passed.

Keep in mind ... Kate Middleton did not join Prince William in Scotland either -- but she and William made it clear she was staying back with their 3 children at Windsor Castle.

As we reported ... the Queen died at 96, and was the longest-serving monarch in British history.

D.L. Hughley says the folks who were celebrating Queen Elizabeth's death are pretty soulless, because even if they have a point about her legacy ... the timing is in poor taste.

We got the comedian Thursday in L.A. on the heels of QE2's passing, which sparked an unsympathetic response on Twitter -- a ton of memes and jokes flying at her expense. While it was trending under "Black Twitter," that by no means represents the view of all Black people.

Still, it was a thing ... and D.L.'s got some poignant thoughts about the notion of dancing on someone's grave. To him, it's a low blow and completely unnecessary ... regardless of how you might feel about any one person.

The complaints that were being aired out about the Queen had to do with her role in upholding the legacy of British imperialism, which often affected nations with Black and/or brown people -- and to some, the fact she was the figurehead for this old institution is something that just didn't sit well in 2022.

But, even if some of those critiques are warranted, D.L.'s point here is that there's a time and place to get it out ... and in his mind, that shouldn't happen right as someone dies.

BYU athletics says the school did a thorough investigation into claims a fan hurled racial slurs at a Duke volleyball player last month ... and after checking hours of footage and interviewing dozens of spectators, it was determined there was no evidence to back the allegations.

Duke sophomore Rachel Richardson made the claims following a match on Aug. 26 ... saying a man in the stands was yelling racist comments toward her and several black teammates throughout the entire competition.

The fan in question -- who happened to be a Utah Valley University student -- was quickly handed a permanent ban, despite police and others in the stands being unable to support Richardson's account.

On Friday, the school announced the results of its investigation ... saying it has lifted the fan's punishment after determining he never said what he was accused of.

"From our extensive review, we have not found any evidence to corroborate the allegation that fans engaged in racial heckling or uttered racial slurs at the event," BYU said. "As we stated earlier, we would not tolerate any conduct that would make a student-athlete feel unsafe. That is the reason for our immediate response and our thorough investigation."

The school added ... "There will be some who assume we are being selective in our review. To the contrary, we have tried to be as thorough as possible in our investigation, and we renew our invitation for anyone with evidence contrary to our findings to come forward and share it."

Duke responded to the results of the investigation ... saying, "The 18 members of the Duke University volleyball team are exceptionally strong women who represent themselves, their families, and Duke University with the utmost integrity."

The L.A. Rams and Buffalo Bills' season opener nearly went up in smoke on Thursday ... when protesters rushed the field with a pink flare -- with one being dragged off by security.

Two women somehow found their way onto the field during the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium ... as many in the sold-out crowd whipped their phones out to record the debacle.

Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho was one of them -- and you can see in his footage one of the two women was holding up a pink smoke bomb while racing down the field like a running back.

SoFi security quickly caught up to her and tackled her to the ground -- right in front of the Bills' defensive huddle -- before hauling her away.

The protesters wore a RightToRescue.com shirt, which is a website that claims to help "the whistleblowers facing prison time for exposing factory farm abuses and rescuing suffering animals."

Direct Action Everywhere took responsibility for the protest and released a statement saying the two women were there to bring awareness to the upcoming trial of Smithfield Foods factory farm whistleblowers.

"The protest aims to shine a light on what DxE calls a landmark trial for animal rights, food justice and free speech, and more broadly, on the entire animal agricultural industry, which DxE says is inherently abusive and exploitative."

O.J. Simpson slaughtered his ex-wife and her friend -- so says a civil jury that awarded the victims' families $33 million -- but you wouldn't know it by the reception he received 13 miles from the murder site, because fans were beyond stoked to rub elbows with him.

O.J. returned to L.A. -- as far as we can tell for the first time in years -- to watch the Bills trounce the Rams at SoFi Stadium.

Simpson was like a rock star outside the stadium ... with fans flocking to him for a precious selfie. They could not mask their excitement, screaming his name, hugging and fist-bumping him ... they just couldn't contain their glee.

True enough, O.J. was found not guilty of murder, but the civil jury ruled he did indeed kill Ron and Nicole -- who was almost decapitated by the knife -- and left her dead on the front doorstep. If it weren't for a curious pedestrian, his children would have found the body.

"Bachelorette" contestant Erich Schwer -- the last remaining candidate for Gabby Windey -- is owning up to wearing blackface as part of a Halloween costume in high school ... saying he deeply regrets his actions.

A photo from Schwer's old yearbook made rounds on social media this week ... showing him dressed as Jimi Hendrix, donning dark makeup and an afro wig.

The 29-year-old real estate analyst from New Jersey is now speaking out on his costume choice ... saying he wholeheartedly apologizes for what he thought was a gesture showing love for the artist, but admits it only showed ignorance.

"I was naïve to the hurtful implications of my actions to the Black community and those closest to me, and will forever regret my offensive and damaging behavior," Schwer said on Thursday.

"I am deeply ashamed by my actions and understand that my apology is only the first step in taking accountability."

Schwer is Gabby's final chance at love on this season of the dating show ... after she parted ways with Johnny and Jason during the Fantasy Suite episode.

O.J. Simpson -- #32 back in the day -- just posted a 32-second video he shot in L.A. ... and as far we know, he hasn't been back in years, and there's a lot of history.

O.J. was in a suite at SoFi Stadium Thursday afternoon, getting ready to watch the Buffalo Bills square off against the L.A. Rams.

Simpson was giddy with excitement, telling his followers, "Hey twitterworld, it's me, yours truly!!!" He made it clear, he's rooting for his old team, and seemed amped up for the game.

Of course, it almost goes without saying ... O.J. in L.A. conjures up memories of June 12, 1994 and the murders that went down 13 miles from the stadium.

As you know, O.J. was tried for the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. He was found not guilty, but shortly thereafter a civil jury ruled he did indeed kill Ron and Nicole and did so with malice. The jury awarded the families $33 million but O.J. paid virtually nothing, and has even mocked Ron Goldman's dad, Fred, in the years that followed.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are about to find out exactly where they stand with his father, because the new King Charles III has a big decision to make about the couple's 2 children.

Here's the deal ... it's all about royal succession, and who gets what title. With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Harry and Meghan's kids -- Archie and Lilibet -- now, officially, get prince and princess titles and use of the HRH (His/Her Royal Highness). That's because their dad has moved up the line of succession.

But, here's the rub ... Buckingham Palace has made it clear it wants to reduce the number of so-called key royals. One way that could happen is if King Charles issues an amendment -- known as a letters patent -- which would effectively revoke Archie and Lilibet's titles.

Imagine how that would sit with Meghan and Harry ... especially since they've been estranged from Harry's dad ever since their big Oprah interview.

Remember, that's when Meghan suggested the real reason her kids wouldn't get royal titles is because someone in the family was concerned they might be too dark-skinned. She and Harry never named that person, but the wide speculation is it was Charles.

This desire to cut down on the royal family's central players is one of the reasons -- or excuses, depending on your perspective -- the Palace gave for limiting family members on the balcony with QE2 earlier this year during the Jubilee.

Of course, Harry and Meghan were, conspicuously, among the royals sent to alternate viewing areas.

A Virginia restaurant is doing some serious damage control after releasing a 9/11-themed seafood menu with items named after markers of the attack.

The Clubhouse restaurant came under fire Tuesday after manager George White posted the 'Patriot Day 2022' menu to Facebook with dishes that included a 'Freedom Flounder', 'Flight 93 Redirect' Crab Dip, 'Pentagon Pie,' '9-11 Oysters,' 'First Responder Flatbread' and the '2977 Chowder' -- a nod to the number of people who died on 9/11.

The 21st anniversary of the attack is Sunday, so it appears the restaurant thought the menu would act as a way to honor the victims ... but it clearly missed the mark.

White apologized shortly after, "I apologize for those I offended with the 9/11 seafood Sunday post. My intention was to bring attention to that horrific day 21 years ago. To honor those who lost so much as well those who gave everything that day. We will have a new theme tomorrow."

Ricky Martin says he's been "persecuted, besieged, harassed, stalked and extorted by a maladjusted person" -- AKA his nephew -- and he's now suing the guy who made wild accusations against him.

Martin filed a lawsuit Wednesday in San Juan against Dennis Yadiel Sanchez, who the singer claims is trying to "assassinate" his reputation.

Dennis had claimed back in July that he had a 7-month long romantic relationship with Ricky, and when it ended Ricky began stalking and harassing him -- something Ricky said was patently false. The nephew had filed a restraining order but when the heat was on him he withdrew the whole thing.

According to the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the nephew hasn't stopped. Ricky claims a month after Dennis withdrew his restraining order, he began sending messages to Ricky through Instagram ... threatening to "assassinate his reputation and integrity" unless he anted up cash.

Ricky says in the lawsuit before Dennis filed for a restraining order, he was publicly boasting about being Ricky's nephew. Ricky says the nephew bombarded him with messages -- sometimes more than 10 in a single day -- for 4 months.

Ricky says the messages were clearly written by a "maladjusted individual."

Ricky says the nephew then went rogue, posting the singer's cell phone number on his Instagram. Ricky says the nephew also made an IG account for one of his children, which made him uncomfortable.

Ricky says he's lost numerous, multi-million dollar deals because of his nephew's false allegations, and now wants no less than $20 million to compensate the singer for his losses.

The hottest sports take of the week goes to ... Jerry Seinfeld???

Yup, the comedian just unleashed the doozy on social media ... saying he believes the Mets' recent woes are all because of Timmy Trumpet.

Seriously.

Seinfeld -- a HUGE Mets fan -- made the claim in the comment section of SNYTV's Instagram post Wednesday ... pinning New York's September slide on Trumpet's Aug. 31 in-game concert.

"I blame that stupid Trumpet performance," Seinfeld said. "Celebrating in season. We haven’t won anything yet. Bad mojo."

Seinfeld then compared it to when his favorite team lost the 2000 World Series to the Yankees ... writing, "Same as when Baja Men showed up to play 'Who Let Dogs Out' in 2000 WS. Series ended right there."

Of course, it's going to be very hard to get Mets fans to agree with him. The team and its supporters have loved Trumpet and his famous "Narco" song, which plays over the stadium speakers when NY's closer, Edwin Diaz, comes out to the field.

In fact, the team's fans cheered LOUDLY when the musician played it in person at the Aug. 31 game.

Seems Seinfeld, though, is convinced it's all leading to the downfall of his beloved squad -- which is now tied for first place in the NL East with the Braves despite having a huge lead earlier this year.

Aries Spears is speaking out for the first time publicly after he and Tiffany Haddish were sued for grooming and molesting two children during an old skit they performed ... calling the whole thing a shakedown.

In a preview for his podcast "Spears & Steinberg" Aries admits there's not a whole lot he can't say, given the pending lawsuit ... but does take the time to thank his listeners and fans for all of their support over the last week.

He then gets more serious, calling the lawsuit an "extortion case" and a shakedown, saying, "We won't be shaken down."

Spears's comments come just a couple days after Tiffany Haddish posted about the situation on Instagram, 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."

Both comedians were sued by a male and female plaintiff who claimed they were groomed and convinced to take part in explicit skits. The girl claims she was 14 at the time and the boy just 7.

The skit, "Through a Pedophiles Eyes" with the young boy, included Spears applying massage oil to him as well as the boy making sexually suggestive motions with toys.

Discovery+ is scrapping an image from their latest Armie Hammer documentary that allegedly showed a gnarly bite mark ... and they're doing away with it because viewers are convinced it looks all too similar to a tattoo found online.

"House of Hammer" dives deep into the actor's sexual abuse allegations ... and features interviews with some of his former partners, including Courtney Vucekovich, who claimed he was a really hard biter.

As she goes into details, a picture of the alleged bite mark is shown ... she claims Hammer took the picture himself, although people online were quick to call out the familiar photo.

Viewers believe the mark looks identical to a tattoo that's on Pinterest -- not only do people see matching teeth marks, but they also think the fading lines going away from the center are the same, too.

Usher is happily accepting the "King of R&B" title, and while Tevin Campbell doesn't disagree with that high honor, he does think there's someone who could challenge ... if he weren't in prison.

We caught Tevin at LAX ... fresh off his jaw-dropping cameo during Usher's Las Vegas residency, where Usher had him perform his classic jam "Can We Talk" in front of thousands of screaming R&B fans.

R&B conversation in 2022 continues to heat up thanks to Diddy and his "R&B is dead" theory, and Tevin initially took a diplomatic approach ... similar to Brian McKnight's, by citing older legends such as Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke as true R&B royalty.

The pressure to pick a true king eventually got to Tevin and he went full Voldemort ... daring to speak R. Kelly's name in an era where the disgraced singer's been blackballed from public praise.

Tevin gives Usher a lot of credit, but says when it comes to R. Kelly's catalog, his hit-making is still unmatched.

He's not alone in this thinking ... Ne-Yo didn't hold his tongue this summer when he admitted to still streaming Kelly's music.

Of course, Kelly is just a few months into a 30-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking, and he's currently standing trial in a 2nd federal case out of Chicago.

A hit is a hit, but it's probably understandable why many fans won't push play anymore.