Controversial S#!T

Dave Chappelle's starting his third day of meetings with 'SNL' cast and writers, and his camp says there's been zero talk of an alleged boycott related to Dave's issues with the transgender community.

DC is hosting 'SNL' this weekend -- his first time since 2020, and since the release of his controversial Netflix special "The Closer" ... which sparked protests and much debate over jokes many people felt were transphobic.

The potential issue at 30 Rock this week is 'SNL' now has its first nonbinary cast member, Molly Kearney, and at least one writer who is transgender.

According to Page Six, the show's writers are boycotting, but a rep for Dave tells TMZ ... Dave's first 2 meetings with the staff have been full, and everyone's pitching sketch ideas as they normally do.

One of the writers, Celeste Yim, reportedly posted an Instagram story saying, “I’m trans and non-binary. I use they/them pronouns. Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned.”

Their post said nothing about a boycott. It's unclear if Celeste has been in the staff meetings with Dave this week. We've reached out to NBC for comment.

This will be Chappelle's third time hosting. He previously hosted in 2020 and in 2016, which was memorable for being the first show after the election of Donald Trump.

Dave famously said America should give Trump a chance, but since then the comedian's admitted he was way off.

Kanye West's Yeezy designs will, in fact, live on at Adidas after all ... but they'll have a completely different title when they drop.

Adidas honchos announced Wednesday the company plans to continue selling more of the Ye-inspired shoes starting as early as 2023, but without a trace of the Yeezy name ... according to Insider.

Adidas reportedly emphasized to their shareholders the company remains the sole owner of the core designs of the current Yeezys in circulation ... including shoe silhouettes and colorways. As such, they feel they have every right to keep hawking them.

Adidas also gave some sobering financial numbers -- noting it expects to lose up to half a billion dollars in annual revenue as a result of ending the partnership with Ye.

Previously, execs said they'd take a $247 million hit, this year alone.

Unclear if they're going to discard the Yeezy inventory they have right now, or retweak and rerelease them. In any case, it sounds like sneakerheads will see "Yeezys" on the market again soon enough.

Adidas had already signaled this move when it first cut ties with Kanye -- explicitly saying the shoe designs belonged to them. Kanye hasn't publicly said anything about that stance or the company's plan to sell rebranded Yeezys.

We know Kanye's griped in the past about ownership. As it stands, at least on paper, he only owns the patent to Yeezy Slides.

FWIW, there are 14 different Yeezy shoe products (sans the Slides) that have been released over the years, and lord knows they've been popular and profitable thus far.

No, LeBron James isn't demanding a trade back to Cleveland ... but a verified Twitter account pretending to be the Los Angeles Lakers star duped people into thinking so on Wednesday -- as a result of Elon Musk's $8 blue check mark rollout.

The bird app's new subscription feature already has the trolls running wild ... and King James was the first to fall victim to the antics.

An account named @kIngjamez tried to pull a quick one shortly after the verification party got started ... saying, "I am officially requesting a trade."

"Thank you #LakersNation for all the support through the years. 💯 Onto bigger and better things! 👑 #ThekidfromAKRON #ImComingHome."

Of course, the REAL @kingjames' most recent tweet is an ad for a video game.

Here's the issue -- If folks didn't notice the misspelling handle or click on the check mark to read WHY the account is verified, they were led to believe #6 was going back to the 216.

Another account pretended to be ESPN insider Adam Schefter ... claiming Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels had been fired.

Elon's decision to give any Twitter Blue subscribers a blue check without any vetting had people concerned for this exact reason ... and so far, it's proven to be a massive headache for some.

The new Twitter head defended his decision ... explaining it was a way for the company to make money.

Eminem received his flowers from the Rock Hall of Fame and shouted out a ton of hip hop legends ... but the current crop of Detroit rappers, such as Icewear Vezzo, think he could do more for the new wave they're currently experiencing.

Icewear visited The Breakfast Club Wednesday to discuss his recent signing with Quality Control and the loss of Takeoff -- when recent comments made by Detroit hip hop gatekeeper Royce Da 5'9" were brought up.

Royce feels there's a disconnect between himself and Eminem's generation ... a point Icewear agreed with. Detroit rap is having a marquee moment thanks to the likes of Babyface Ray, 42 Dugg, Peezy, Sada Baby and others and Icewear says Eminem's reclusive nature has left a hole in the timeline.

Royce was credited for diverting attention to spotlight the younger class ... but Icewear says he can't name anyone aside from Nickel who's ever met Eminem, let alone seen him in person!!!

Icewear contends Eminem is a GOAT rapper and has done great things for the city of Detroit ... but has left the up-and-comers hanging when it comes down to passing knowledge and spitting game.

Kyrie Irving is facing justified consequences for propagating antisemitic views -- despite some in the Black community feeling like he's getting a "lashing" ... so suggests Rev. Al Sharpton.

We got the civil rights leader in NYC Wednesday to speak about the growing sentiment that KI is being overly-punished and made an example of by the powers that be in the NBA ... even though he's apologized for his controversial comments of late.

The Reverend says people should denounce bigotry no matter what, and that applies to Kyrie too. He says just because African-Americans have been subjected to racism and mistreatment historically doesn't mean it's okay to normalize hatred of another group.

Sharpton also seems to be hinting that the two shouldn't automatically be conflated.

Sharpton apparently believes Kyrie's promotions were antisemitic -- and that he's on the side of those who are calling for accountability.

Even though Kyrie has tried walking it all back, some feel it's empty because he's implied the Holocaust is simply a cultural issue important to Jews, rather than an outright atrocity.

Since then, he's been suspended and has met with Commissioner Adam Silver, who's Jewish. But the debate about his treatment rages on, especially across racial/cultural lines.

A new bride really takes the cake in an aggressive wedding video that has triggered outrage on social media ... with a battle cry for divorce!

Check out this TikTok video showing the newlyweds dressed to the 9's for their big day ... with friends and family all around ... as well as a three-tiered wedding cake on a table.

Everything seems pretty chill at first ... but then the groom does a beeline for the cake, cuts himself a healthy slice and walks over to his giggling bride, who starts backing away.

The groom pounces on her, smearing the cake on her face and pushing her to the ground. He helps her up, but then turns his back on her and walks away. A guest uses a napkin to wipe remnants of the cake off the bride's beautiful white dress.

Interestingly, it was the bride who posted the video, saying it was all in good fun. But, you wouldn't know it from the reactions on social media, which were angry and swift.

One person wrote ... “I would divorce straight away!!!! P–ck !!!”

Another commenter said, “Too aggressive, my dad would have knocked him out."

Someone else pointed out, “It [sic] a very special day for a woman. She gets her hair all pretty, makeup done flawlessly, looking like a princess.. only to have it ruined like that."

One woman predicted, “Nahhhhh that would of been the shortest marriage ever."

King Charles loses his cool over bleeding pens, but keeps his head up when it comes to protesters ... armed with eggs!

The King and Queen Consort Camilla were out Wednesday in the city of York (the old one), and about to enter a historic gateway when the sticky biz went down.

A guy in the middle of the gathered crowd reportedly yelled out, "This country was built on the blood of slaves," and unloaded several eggs in the direction of KC3 and Cami.

The good news for the King is this guy has bad aim -- not a single yolk landed on the monarch or his wife -- but cops, and apparently a couple of citizens, immediately took down the protester.

You could hear a lot of "God save the King" and "hip, hip hooray" during the arrest -- and we gotta say, Charles at least looked calm and collected through the whole thing.

As for the protester ... the 23-year-old was reportedly arrested on suspicion of public order offence (they spell weird over there).

Johnny Depp's clearly moved on from walking the plank ... he's now strutting his stuff at Rihanna's Savage X Fenty fashion show.

J.D. looked swag walking through a fake forest with dancers in tow -- gussied up in Rihanna's men's collection.

The actor hit the runway to Outkast's "So Fresh, So Clean" ... unclear if the reference is to the dude or the duds.

TMZ broke the story ... Johnny would model at Rihanna's show, which has been littered with stars over the years, including Cindy Crawford and Erykah Badu. J.D. has the distinction of being the first man to assume the role.

WNBA star Brittney Griner is transferring to a Russian penal colony -- known for its terrible living conditions -- and her team has no idea where exactly she is or how she's doing.

BG's move from the detention center in Iksha began on Friday ... which happened to be one day after she met with U.S. embassy officials.

It's something Griner's family and team have feared ever since her conviction in August ... as a penal colony is far worse than a detention center. Prisoners are forced to perform labor, and it's much more difficult to make contact to the outside world.

Griner's team was not made aware of the update until Tuesday ... and her current location is unclear. Her legal team says it may take up to two weeks to be notified of her destination.

Lindsay Colas, Griner's agent, released a statement saying the number one concern is her client's health and well-being.

Colas says Griner's camp continues to work with the U.S. government in an effort to bring her home and keep her safe in the meantime.

"We are thankful for everyone's support, and hope that as we near nine months of detention, that BG and all wrongfully detained Americans will be shown mercy and returned home to their families for the holidays," Colas said.

The White House also released a statement ... slamming the move.

"Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

"As the Administration continues to work tirelessly to secure her release, the President has directed the Administration to prevail on her Russian captors to improve her treatment and the conditions she may be forced to endure in a penal colony."

Griner has been in custody in Russia since February ... after she was accused of bringing hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

She pleaded guilty to drug charges in July ... and was sentenced to 9 years in prison.

Griner spent her 32nd birthday behind bars last month ... and her appeal was denied on October 25.

Kyrie Irving reportedly had a "productive and understanding visit" with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday.

The report comes just 5 days after the All-Star guard was suspended at least 5 games for failing to adequately apologize for sharing a film containing antisemitic beliefs on Twitter.

Silver was furious with Irving after several opportunities to denounce antisemitism and the contents of the film ... saying he would be meeting him in person to address the matter.

"While we appreciate the fact that he agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize," Silver said at the time.

According to Shams Charania, the meeting went down earlier today ... and the report states it went well for both sides.

The report says the conversation is "paving the way" for the Nets and Irving to move forward ... which could potentially mean his return to the court once the 5-game punishment is up later this week.

Nick Cannon is ripping the Brooklyn Nets for "dehumanizing" Kyrie Irving with a list of demands that must be completed before he can return ... comparing the team to a master attempting to break a slave.

Cannon defended Irving during a conversation with Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt this week ... saying, "I can wholeheartedly say I know Kyrie Irving is not antisemitic."

Greenblatt says he took serious issue with Irving sharing a film that questioned the legitimacy of the Holocaust ... which he explained is dehumanizing to Jewish people.

Cannon says it goes both ways, though ... claiming the conditions of Irving's suspension -- including meeting with Jewish leaders and completing training -- is similar to "buck-breaking."

Nick explained the term for Greenblatt, saying ... "The slave masters would bring the buck -- the one that gets out of line -- so all the other slaves would see lash after lash, show them the power to set an example. 'This is what you must do to fall in line.' So, when we see the 6 things that Kyrie must do to get his job back, that's dehumanizing."

Cannon came under fire for making antisemitic comments in 2020, when he agreed with long-held stereotypes about Jewish people ... including having control over banks and much of the world's wealth. Nick also suggested white people were "a little less" than dark-skinned people.

He also defended ex-Public Enemy member Professor Griff for saying back in the late '80s Jews spread wickedness around the world.

Cannon later apologized for his comments ... saying he was "ashamed of the uninformed and naïve place that these words came from."

Gillie Da Kid's travel plans were soured a bit Tuesday ... after the Million Dollaz Game podcaster was pressed by a patrolling officer claiming he smelled of marijuana at the airport.

Gille and co-host Wallo had previously been enjoying their downtime at Dallas/Fort Worth with jokes ... but the fun would be short-lived once they began boarding their plane.

The dramatic video begins with the Philly-bred rapper arguing with the officer ... as both of them stand their ground.

With his bag open, Gillie and the officer go back and forth over search protocol ... leaving the officer in disbelief that Gillie would search his own bag -- and Gillie was left stunned he was singled out over everyone on the plane.

The bickering heightens with Gillie telling the officer he was probably "the richest" person on board the aircraft and the Marshal reiterating a cold hard fact ... cannabis is illegal in Texas.

The officer eventually backed off -- after realizing Gillie was backing down, but not before getting in one last angry shout.

There's at least one powerful celeb who ain't buying Kyrie Irving's apology ... Howard Stern absolutely shredded the NBA star, calling him a "f***ing moron" and a "douchebag!"

Of course, Irving (kinda sorta) apologized last week hours after he was hit with a minimum five-game suspension for pushing an antisemitic book/film on social media. Many felt the apology fell well short of what Irving needed to say to undo the harm he caused.

Count Stern, who happens to be Jewish, among that group ... the world's most famous radio host went in on the 30-year-old hooper Monday morning during his show.

"This Kyrie Irving is a complete douchebag. I mean what a f***ing ... you know he's a flat earther? He's a douchebag," Stern said.

Then, Howard mockingly imitated Kyrie, saying ... "Just let me hate the Jews. Don't bust my balls. I just wanna go on Twitter and hate Jews. Can't you just leave me alone? Everyone hates Jews. Why ya picking on me? I'm just an NBA player. I don't understand anything. A lot of people hate the Jews. Why ya picking on me? The Earth is flat. I think Jews are lizards. Next question. Just leave me be," Stern said to his millions of listeners.

Kyrie has served three games of his suspension ... meaning if he satisfies the team's requirements to return -- meeting with Jewish community leaders, etc. -- he could return this Saturday against the Clippers in Los Angeles.

Even if he returns, Irving reputation has suffered a massive blow ... as have his pockets.

Nike suspended its lucrative partnership with the Nets guard and halted the release of an upcoming signature sneaker.

It's not the first time Stern's gone after a celebrity who made offensive comments. Just a few weeks ago Howard compared Kanye West to just about the worst person possible ... Adolf Hitler.

"Kanye used to be fun crazy. Now he’s like Hitler," Stern said, also calling Ye a "douchebag."

A couple weeks after Stern made the comments, Kanye responded while on a podcast, telling him to "shut the f*** up," adding, "I used to be a fan of you."

Unlike Ye, Irving is yet to fire back at Howard.

A Vanderbilt University assistant football coach has been temporarily relieved from his duties ... after he wrote out a social media post that appeared to be defending Kanye West in wake of the artist's recent antisemitic remarks.

Dan Jackson, the school's defensive backs coach, initially posted the comment on his Facebook page -- saying in it, "Kanye is two steps ahead of everyone." He added in the post, "He's not crazy."

Jackson later apologized for it all, calling his wording "careless."

"I accept full responsibility for my words and will learn from this experience going forward," Jackson said.

But, the Commodores announced almost immediately after the post was discovered that they were investigating it all ... and on Monday night, athletic director Candice Lee said the coach will be sidelined as the probe pushes forward.

"Coach Jackson and I have agreed that he will step back from his responsibilities with the team," Lee said in a statement ... adding, "To be clear, Vanderbilt rejects antisemitism, racism and discrimination in all its forms."

Jackson is in his first year at Vanderbilt. He previously coached at Northern Illinois and South Dakota State.

Kyrie Irving will not lose his NBA career over his most recent controversy ... so says Julius Erving -- who tells TMZ Sports there's just no way teams won't give him another chance.

"The owners are greedy," Dr. J said out at LAX this weekend. "He's going to end up in the league playing for somebody, no matter how toxic he is."

There are many in Association circles that would disagree -- with some believing after he tweeted a link to an antisemitic film and then refused to apologize over it for several days, he's too radioactive to the roster at this point.

But, Erving -- an NBA legend -- tells us he believes that's just simply not the case.

"As long as he's young enough to score those buckets, and do what he does, be Kyrie, he's going have a job," he said.

Irving is currently serving a suspension from the Brooklyn Nets over it all that the team says will last at least five games -- although no one within the org. has guaranteed he'll be back with the team this year.

Erving clearly believes if the Nets somehow cut ties with the point guard, his career would resume elsewhere -- and it would do so fairly quickly.

Ultimately, the former 76ers star gave Irving some advice going forward.

Kanye West is going to need to shell out 10 figures if he wants any chance at owning the rights to 'White Lives Matter' ... so says one of the owners of the phrase.

Ramses Ja, who got the rights to 'WLM' last month along with his radio show co-host Quinton Ward, tells TMZ ... they're not looking to sell the trademark, but any potential buyer would have to come up with a $1 billion offer to even make them consider selling.

For Ramses, the most important thing is helping organizations fighting for Black people's rights ... so a $1 billion dollar offer would make them reconsider their desire not to sell, because they could do so much good with that kind of money.

Kanye's been stirring the pot with his "White Lives Matter" shirts for a month, but he hasn't been able to sell them in America because he doesn't own the rights.

As we reported ... the trademark was acquired by an anonymous listener of Ramses and Quinton's racial justice radio show, "Civic Cipher" ... filing it the same day Ye wore the controversial look at Paris Fashion Week.

The listener transferred ownership over to Ramses and Quinton a few weeks back ... and it covers the right to sell clothing with those words displayed.

Ramses says their lawyer would take legal action against Kanye, or anyone else if the shirts are sold ... and the $1 billion price tag would appear to be an even bigger deterrent.

Kanye's no longer a billionaire after losing tons of business partners over his antisemitic rhetoric ... and Ramses says Ye has not reached out to him about the trademark rights.