Controversial S#!T

Ulta Beauty tried promoting inclusivity by posting a clip of a transgender woman discussing femininity -- but the internet doesn't seem to be having it ... now calling for a boycott.

The company promoted a new digital campaign they're running called the "The Beauty Of ..." -- their latest entry being about girlhood, hosted by influencer Dylan Mulvaney -- who's trans -- and gender-fluid celeb hairstylist David Lopez, sitting down podcast-style for the chat.

In the promo clip from Thursday, Dylan is briefly heard discussing things she feels are still accessible to her as a trans woman -- including being able to find love, still being a performer and having a family/being a mother ... all of which she believes she can totally do.

It's part of a longer video that's up on their YouTube page, in which Dylan goes into detail about her recent transition and roots ... apparently growing up in a super conservative family and detailing how she came to find her inner beauty and the guts to show it off publicly.

The problem ... some say Dylan, and Ulta by extension, is appropriating womanhood and simply wearing it as a costume -- which is pissing off a good amount of folks who are up in arms about this and swearing to never buy Ulta products again.

Several people are bashing Ulta and Dylan, saying things like "she's actually a man" and other hurtful remarks -- to which Ulta is asking for dignity and empathy. A line they're repeating in the comments is ... "At Ulta Beauty, we believe that beauty is for everyone—and we kindly request that everyone be treated with respect on our channels."

Ulta is also saying they believe beauty has no boundaries, but it seems some of the comments are, in fact, crossing the line ... because there are several hidden replies.

Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt just said the Floyd family is considering suing Kanye for his statements on his death -- saying it's slap in the face. He calls Kanye's remarks false -- but also notes, they can't technically be defamatory since GF has passed.

Kanye West is talking again, and this time he's saying A LOT ... with very pointed thoughts on George Floyd in particular, which is catching tons of backlash right now.

The guy sat down with N.O.R.E. for a new interview on "Drink Champs" -- and during the 43-minute chat, Ye got a lot off his chest ... including the fact that he's buying what Candace Owens is selling in her new doc 'The Greatest Lie Ever Sold,' which is about BLM.

Namely, Kanye repeats a point Candace makes ... which is that, from her POV, George Floyd actually died as a result of a drug overdose and other preexisting conditions like heart disease -- as opposed to Derek Chauvin pinning him down for upwards of 9 minutes.

It's something Chauvin's defense attorney argued in court as well, despite expert witnesses testifying and refuting that ... which the jury ultimately believed through their verdict. BTW, this new take is ironic -- seeing how Kanye paid to cover George's daughter's college tuition.

At any rate, Ye's getting ripped on Twitter for this ... but it's far from the only controversial thing he talked about on 'DC.' He also went on to name-drop Pete Davidson, Trevor Noah, Diddy, Meek Mill, Jay-Z and his ex, Kim Kardashian ... hurling many, many accusations.

He also references Jews several times, again perpetuating antisemitic tropes that they "run the media" and are out to paint him as an abuser ... something he resents. Ye also called PD a "heroin addict" and decried the recent fireplace tidbit played up on "The Kardashians."

KW went after some of his own peers in the rap game as well ... Puff and Meek, specifically. He called them fake hard, and seemed to suggest one or both of them were a "fed."

Lastly, Kanye suggested that Drake has banged Kris Jenner at one point or another ... seemingly confirming it when he mentioned her current BF's name, Corey Gamble. He also called Drake the greatest rapper ever -- and even said he got his address on Google.

There's so much more -- including his gripes about JP Morgan Chase, MAGA, the Clintons, vaccines, White Lives Matter, etc. The full episode drops on Revolt TV Sunday.

Jeffrey Dahmer-inspired Halloween costumes have already gotten a ton of backlash, but more than anything they're evil and exploit families ... so says one victim's mom, who is urging folks to stay clear of them.

Tony Hughes was a deaf, non-vocal victim among the 17 young men murdered by Dahmer. His mom, Shirley, tells TMZ … it's already super triggering to see a hit Netflix series about the serial killer, much less folks dressing like the killer.

Most big retail stores have opted out of selling JD costumes given all the outrage, but many folks have flocked to online stores, such as eBay, to sell Jeffrey Dahmer costume props ... including blonde wigs, retro-style tops and even the wire-rimmed glasses.

Shirley says it hurts for Netflix and all the online stores to profit off her son's death, while none of the victims' families have seen a dime. She feels all the eBay ads should be taken down ... or at the very least, give the profits to the families.

While folks are able to dress like Dahmer for fun, the pain never goes away for Shirley. She says, if Netflix hadn't streamed the show, none of the families would be re-victimized ... and then there'd be no Dahmer costumes this year.

Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison in 1992 ... he was beaten to death in prison in 1994.

Former President Barack Obama railed on members of his own party over cancel culture, calling out some Dems as "buzzkills."

BO jumped on the "Pod Save America" podcast Friday and laid it out, Bill Maher style ... "My family, my kids, work that gives me satisfaction, having fun," Obama said. "Hell, not being a buzzkill. And sometimes Democrats are."

He went on ... "Sometimes people just want to not feel as if they are walking on eggshells, and they want some acknowledgment that life is messy and that all of us, at any given moment, can say things the wrong way, make mistakes."

Obama says he knows why cancel culture has gained traction, and clearly thinks it needs to stop if Dems want to win elections ... "I think where we get into trouble sometimes is where we try to suggest that some groups are more – because they historically have been victimized more – that somehow they have a status that’s different than other people and we’re going around scolding folks if they don’t use exactly the right phrase. Or that identity politics becomes the principle lens through which we view our various political challenges."

He also thinks his party and he himself has gotten mired in what he calls "policy gobbledygook." ... "That’s not how people think about these issues. They think about them in terms of the life I’m leading day to day. How does politics, how is it even relevant to the things that I care the most deeply about?"

Obama will be stumping for Democratic candidates in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Billie Eilish might very well be dating The Neighbourhood's Jesse Rutherford -- and Twitter is in a tizzy over it ... calling out the big age difference as wildly inappropriate.

A video surfaced online this weekend that appears to show Billie and Jesse leaving a haunted maze at Halloween Horror Nights in L.A. Friday night ... and as they're exiting, you see the two of them hold hands and walk off with a group that's trailing them.

While you can't quite make out Jesse or Billie's faces too clearly in the video, there's no question this is them ... you see, the internet has already retraced their steps, and they were both out and about last night in the exact same clothes.

Based on pics that JR and Billie posted on their respective socials -- they're all wearing the outfits seen in the clip, as were the guys that Jesse was rolling with (Finneas included).

There are also photos of Billie hanging out with Jesse from back in August of this year, so it's possible they may have been romantic since then.

Whether it was then or now, though, the cat's kind of out of the bag at this point. And fans sure have a lot to say about it -- mostly bad things, BTW.

The reason this is picking up steam is because Billie's 20 years old and Jesse is 11 years her senior ... at 31. While that might not normally be a huge deal on its own, Twitter truthers are noting Billie and Jesse have actually known each other for a good long while now -- which, to them, makes this would-be relationship all the more problematic.

Additional photos of Billie and Jesse posing together at what looks like a Halloween party date back to at least 2017 ... when Billie was around 15 years old.

Point being ... a lot of people are cringing at the fact that Jesse knew Billie when she was underage, only to seemingly hook up with her in adulthood. Many are saying it's gross and creepy, but the reality is ... they're both adults now, and can do what they want.

Billie has been linked to a small handful of guys since blowing up and becoming famous -- but has never really embraced anyone super publicly. She has said she likes to keep her personal affairs -- including SOs -- private because of the frenzy that fires up when the world gets a taste of her love life.

Elon Musk is begrudgingly agreeing to keep his satellite internet service up and running in Ukraine ... while complaining about how much money is going down the drain to do it.

The Tesla chief aired out his frustration on Twitter Saturday over a decision to potentially yank Starlink access out of Eastern Europe, apparently because it's too damn expensive ... and costing him and his company, SpaceX, a fortune to keep operating free of charge.

CNN says SpaceX honchos recently wrote D.C. to tell them they'd soon ask the Pentagon to start picking up the tab on Starlink as it pertains to Ukraine -- this after already burning through $80 million on their own dime ... with a projection of $100 mil by December.

Despite this report, EM himself is doing an about-face some 48 hours later. Now, he's saying 'screw it' ... we'll take the L and keep up the handouts, even if it puts us in the red.

He tweeted, "The hell with it … even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free." In response to someone saying no good deed goes unpunished, he said good deeds should still be done.

It's unclear if Elon's being sarcastic here, but on its face -- it sounds like he and SpaceX are gonna bite the bullet on this and keep their satellites afloat as the war with Russia rages on. That's surprising, because lately ... Elon has been accused of being a Putin sympathizer.

A few weeks ago, he offered a would-be solution to the conflict ... and there were some concessions he suggested for Russia, which a lot of people weren't happy about -- including Volodymyr Zelensky, who fired back at Elon publicly for seemingly changing his tune.

The president posed his own poll, simply asking ... "Which @elonmusk do you like more?" The options being ... "One who supports Ukraine" and "One who supports Russia." The overwhelming favorite was the former.

Ant Anstead might be picking up and moving -- but it's not gonna be across the street where his girlfriend, Renee Zellweger, lives ... despite it looking like he's doing exactly that.

The TV personality recently put his Laguna Beach cottage on the market for $3.3 million -- interesting because he'd called it his dream home after his split with Christina Haack ... but even more so because Renee, his current SO, has recently set up shop across the street.

As their relationship has continued to get more and more serious, there was speculation Ant might be finally shacking up with RZ after months of dating -- especially after some photos surfaced this week showing him carrying quite a few personal items over to her crib.

Sadly for RenAnt stans, that's not what's happening. Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... he's just storing some stuff at her house -- her garage, specifically -- for the time being as he prepares to stage his current LB cottage in the search for a new owner.

In other words, they're not moving in together ... but are still together. Our sources say Ant is still looking for his own new pad -- the reason being ... we're told he simply wants something new. He's been there a year-plus now after snapping it up for $2.8 million.

As for the house itself, well ... it's nice. The home comes with its own wraparound deck, vaulted ceilings, an original brick fireplace and a sunroom that can be turned into a studio.

Major controversy in the video game world -- the lady who's voiced 'Bayonetta' for years says she was offered chump change for part 3 ... and now wants the new entry boycotted.

Actress Hellena Taylor posted a series of videos Saturday, in which she accuses the honchos of "Bayonetta 3" of grossly lowballing her to reprise her character ... in an alleged amount of only $4,000, which she considered incredibly low and something to turn down in the end.

She ticks off her professional credentials -- not to mention her storied legacy as voicing Bayonetta since its inception in '09 -- as reasons why she thinks her talents are worth more.

According to HT, though, the companies behind 'B3' didn't think her services for the entire game deserved anything above a few thousand bucks ... which she says is insulting, and reason enough to stand up and speak out -- despite an apparent NDA she's breaking.

Taylor claims she even wrote the game's creator/ED, Hideki Kamiya, to explain why she thought it'd be a huge disservice to write her off and go with someone else ... and goes on to say he wrote her back with an empathetic message, and the final offer of $4k.

In the end, PlatinumGames/Nintendo -- which are behind the uber-popular 'Bayonetta' franchise -- tapped legendary voice actress Jennifer Hale ... a veteran in the gaming world, who almost certainly got paid more than just $4,000 -- that's what Twitter thinks, anyway.

Taylor says her beef isn't with Taylor -- whom she wishes the best -- but also notes ... this woman has no right to claim herself as Bayonetta, as the character as been helmed by herself since the beginning. She also slams the video gaming industry at large for what she says is a systematic practice of screwing over talent and keeping all the profits for execs.

PG and Nintendo have remained silent on the allegations so far, but Kamiya has fired back online with a somewhat ominous message ... "Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That's what all I can tell now. By the way, BEWARE OF MY RULES."

Jeffrey Dahmer costumes seem to be all the rage for this year's Halloween season, but people are up in arms over the tone-deaf outfit choice ... so we're taking a look at some of the most controversial costumes worn by celebs.

Chris Brown took the terrorist route for an outfit on Halloween ... complete with a beard and a turban.

Shaun White caught some flack when he once dressed up as Simple Jack from the film, "Tropic Thunder" ... a character mentally disabled in the flick.

Several celebs thought showin' up in blackface would be alright ... like Colton Haynes as Kanye or Canadian PM Justin Trudeau -- but none might've taken the controversial cake quite like Julianne Hough, who got a ton of backlash for portraying Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren from "OITNB."

Kirk Gibson says he knows firsthand how special Barry Bonds was during his playing days ... and he tells TMZ Sports the guy should be recognized for all his accomplishments -- even if it's not the popular opinion.

We spoke with the MLB great at LAX this week ... and asked about Aaron Judge's 62-home run season and whether he's the REAL single-season king, considering every player above him on the record list is allegedly tied to PEDs.

Gibson heaped a ton of praise on Judge ... but as for whether guys like Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire should lose recognition due to their alleged ties to steroids, he's against the notion.

"People go down different roads in different ways," the Dodgers legend said. "I've played with Barry. You gonna tell me the guy didn't accomplish anything?" Gibson asked.

Gibson and Bonds were teammates on the Pirates in 1992 -- and he said that 20 years from now, it might be popular to say Barry didn't accomplish anything.

"It's the thought of the day, 'Barry's was no good, he did this, that and McGwire did this and Sosa did this.'"

"How do you know what anybody does?" Gibson said.

We asked Gibson, a former Silver Slugger Award winner, if this 2022 Dodgers team that won 111 games during the regular season is the best in the franchise's rich history.

"They're pretty incredible," said Gibson, who hit the iconic walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. "They've had one heck of a run. This is maybe the best team to win."

Gibson won two World Series titles during his 17-year career ... and has always had a vested interest in the team's success.

So we had to talk about Craig Kimbrel, who was left off the Dodgers' NLDS roster ... and he tells us the flame-throwing righty will be fine once his confidence is restored.

"How many times has he succeeded?" Gibson asked. "Has he failed more than he's succeeded? That's why he's the closer."

"He's succeeded so much. He has to instill that feeling within himself. He'll be ready."

Finally, Kirk tells us about a man with one leg who will run a 26.2-mile marathon on two crutches to support his Kirk Gibson Foundation, which helps people with Parkinson's disease.

Phillies fans lived up to their ruthless reputation on Friday ... chanting "DUI" at Braves star outfielder Marcell Ozuna during Philadelphia's playoff game against Atlanta.

It all went down in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park in Philly -- Ozuna was up for his first at-bat of the afternoon ... when the fans trolled him over his August arrest.

"DUI! DUI! DUI!" the Philly faithful chanted in unison as 31-year-old Ozuna swung at an 81 MPH slider from Phillies' right-hander Aaron Nola.

Ozuna -- a 10-year MLB veteran -- was arrested for DUI after police in Georgia pulled him over for speeding and failing to maintain his lane while on the road.

Ozuna -- in his third season with the Braves -- told police on the scene that he was heading to a party at a nearby nightclub to celebrate his team's win over the Mets earlier.

Ozuna ultimately took responsibility for his actions ... telling the media that he was "disappointed" about the incident and expressing remorse to his teammates and family.

Manhattan congressional candidate Mike Itkis is letting it all hang out to win votes ... releasing a sex tape to show he's got the goods to go to Washington.

Itkis is locked in battle with the long-time incumbent, Rep. Jerry Nadler. The challenger is running on a sex-positive platform, so to prove he's not all talk, he posted a 13 min video of him doing the deed with porn star Nicole Sage. He posted the vid -- titled "Bucket List Bonanza" -- on a popular porn site.

As for his bona fides ... Itkis is all about legalizing sex work, so that's how he rolls.

He told City & State, "If I would just talk about it, it wouldn’t demonstrate my commitment to the issue. And, the fact I actually did it was a huge learning experience, and it actually influenced items on my platform.”

The 53-year-old is running as a 3rd party independent ... kind of a cross between the Birthday Party and the Birthday Suit Party!

He says it's the first time he's ever had sex on camera ...  “I’m kind of a nerd who doesn’t like to be the center of attention if I can avoid it. But, I thought the issues I’m trying to address are so important… I wanted to have my issues talked about in some way.”

Jeffrey Dahmer costumes might not be on the shelves at major stores this Halloween ... but that isn't stopping folks from hawking the killer costume online.

Tons of costume items inspired by the serial killer are up for sale on eBay, despite outrage from folks who say the costume, given Dahmer's history, is just downright disrespectful.

Folks on the site are selling everything from Jeffrey Dahmer-style glasses to a shirt similar to the one worn by actor Evan Peters in the new Netflix series. Some of the props for sale are made for children's costumes ... like a JD-inspired wig.

One kid already had social media up in arms after his rendition of the killer went viral, with folks suggesting anyone in Dahmer gear should be beaten up.

Halloween costume retailers Spirit, Halloween.com, and Party City all are not selling any official Jeffrey Dahmer costumes.

Dahmer killed 17 people and was convicted of 16 murders and sentenced to life in prison in 1992. He was beaten to death behind bars.

The NFL is punishing Tom Brady -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar has been hit with a fine for kicking at Atlanta Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett during Sunday's matchup.

The moment went down with 3 minutes left in the Bucs' 21-15 win over the Falcons ... when Jarrett was hit with a controversial roughing the passer penalty after sacking the 7-time Super Bowl champ.

As Jarrett got up off the ground, Brady appeared to kick at the DE ... although it's unclear whether he made contact.

Regardless, Brady -- who will have made more than $330 million for his on-field work at the end of his 23rd season -- was handed an $11,139 fine for the kick, the league announced on Friday.

Jarrett recently said he spoke to the league about the incident ... explaining his side of the situation.

As for the controversy surrounding the play, Garrett thought he did exactly what he was supposed to when he sacked Brady on the potential game-altering play ... but the refs threw the questionable flag, claiming Garrett committed the penalty.

Akon is officially copping to using his brothers to stand in for him on stage at the height of his ascension in music ... and laughing about it now, due to the fact he never got caught!!!

TMZ Hip Hop met up with the real Akon walking into DASH Radio, and he told us the underlying reason for pulling those switcheroos back in the day was not wanting to disappoint all the fans worldwide. Put simply, he says he couldn't be in more than one place, and some days he needed to be.

All of this predated social media, and Akon says he was still fairly new on the scene -- shortly after his hit single "Locked Up" -- and raging fans couldn't tell the difference. Remember, he and his brothers are not triplets!

This wouldn't work today, seeing as how his brother Bu Thiam's become a big-time exec in the music industry.

As for his brother Omar, Akon says he would go rogue and do shows on his own, and never offered up a cut of his pay.

Neither brother has the ability to sing and Akon says the DJ gave them the royal Milli Vanilli treatment by pushing play on his songs so they could lip sync!!! 😂

Akon is more tycoon than musician these days ... but fans will easily remember when he was hot as fish grease ... dropping platinum singles left and right, and collaborating with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Styles P.

Deshaun Watson is facing another sexual misconduct lawsuit in Texas after a massage therapist claims the now-Browns QB pressured her into giving him oral sex during a 2020 therapy session at a Houston-area hotel.

In the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Harris County under the name "Jane Doe," a licensed therapist claims the now 27-year-old Watson contacted her in December 2020 over Instagram DM and requested a massage.

The therapist, who was working at home during Covid, says she agreed to meet Deshaun at a local hotel, The Houstonian.

During the massage, the therapist claims ... “Watson removed his towel and offered to let her ‘get on top.’ Plaintiff refused to have sex with Watson, however, he was able to pressure her into oral sex with the Defendant.”

The therapist, who normally charges $115 per hour, claims she was paid $300 by the quarterback.

The woman claims she's "suffered from severe depression and anxiety" as a result of the interaction with Deshaun, according to the suit.

Doe's attorney, Anissah Nguyen, told ESPN ... "My client's experience with Deshaun Watson follows a series of disturbingly similar encounters reported by more than 20 women who have filed suit against the NFL superstar."

"Like so many others, my client spent nearly two years struggling to cope with the shame and trauma from all that he has stolen from her and the daily pain that has become her reality."

The lawsuit is not part of the group of suits settled out of court by Watson, and the filing comes just days after he was permitted to return to Browns practice. Deshaun is serving an 11-game suspension over the previous allegations against the QB.

Watson, nor his team, have yet to comment on the lawsuit.

Story developing ...