Controversial S#!T

Amber Heard has been treated atrociously by the public -- vilified and harassed -- and it's gotta stop now ... so says Gloria Steinem and more than a hundred others.

The famed feminist and 130 others have signed onto an open letter, condemning "the vilification of Ms. Heard and ongoing online harassment of her and those who have voiced support for her [sic] have been unprecedented in both vitriol and scale."

Steinem and co. go on ... "We condemn the public shaming of Amber Heard and join in support of her. We support the ability of all to report intimate partner and sexual violence free of harassment and intimidation."

Thing is ... the jury in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard case rejected all of her claims of abuse and, even decided her claims were not only false ... they were malicious.

Nonetheless, Steinem and others challenge the verdict, saying it indicates "a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner and sexual violence and how survivors respond to it."

As you know, A.H. was ordered to cough up $10.35 million dollars for her defamatory claims. J.D. was ordered to pay $2 mil for the defamatory claims his lawyer made.

It's undeniable ... the vast majority of the public ended up siding with Depp and many did indeed viciously attack Amber, especially on social media.

Amber is now living abroad with her daughter ... presumably to break free from all the drama and attacks.

California Governor Gavin Newsom's wife testified at Harvey Weinstein's L.A. sexual assault trial Tuesday ... and was STUNNINGLY asked to recreate how she faked an orgasm with the disgraced film producer.

Former actress, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, looked horrified on the stand after Weinstein's defense attorney questioned how she “indicated her pleasure” during what she claims was a 2005 rape by Weinstein at the Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills.

Siebel Newsom fired back, "This is not 'When Harry Met Sally.' I'm not doing that," referencing a famous scene in the 1989 film where Meg Ryan's character faked a loud orgasm in a crowded NYC restaurant. She then broke down in tears, saying, "I was making noises to get him to finish. He had already raped me. … This is so gross. I'm sorry."

Moments earlier, Siebel Newsom testified she had scheduled a business meeting with Weinstein at his hotel room. But, once she arrived there, things quickly turned ugly. She said Weinstein changed out of his suit and into a robe before masturbating in front of her and threatening her.

She claimed Weinstein penetrated her with his finger and then raped her with his "deformed penis." She described his genitalia as "kind of fish-like, the penis — something was distorted in the testicles … Lots of skin, lots of skin down there."

Siebel Newsom is the fourth woman to testify at the trial that Weinstein sexually assaulted her. She said she first met the producer at the Toronto International Film Festival when she was a bit part actress and he was at the height of his career.

Candace Cameron Bure wants to keep things old-fashioned at the new cable TV network she's working at ... which is drawing the ire of the LGBTQ community.

The "Full House" star recently said she'd be focusing on "traditional" families when it comes to future programming at the Great American Family network ... of which she's now the chief creative officer ... this after parting ways with her longtime home at the Hallmark Channel.

What she means by that ... portraying heterosexual relationships, and not same-sex couples. Of course, her remarks are catching a lot of backlash from a number of people and orgs ... perhaps most notably from GLAAD, which famously advocates for LGBTQ interests.

GLAAD slammed Candace, saying ... "It's irresponsible and hurtful for Candace Cameron Bure to use tradition as a guise for exclusion. I'd love to have a conversation with Bure about my wife, our kids, and our family's traditions." They went on to say CCB is out of touch, while calling on GAF stakeholders to take a stand if they cared about equality/representation.

A GLAAD rep adds, "If GAC Family's plan is to intentionally exclude stories about LGBTQ couples, then actors, advertisers, cable and streaming platforms, and production companies should take note and seriously consider whether they want to be associated with a network that holds exclusion as one of its values."

JoJo Siwa -- who's gay, and who also publicly feuded with Candace a few months ago -- also spoke out ... as did Candace's ex-costar Jodie Sweetin, who showed solidarity with JS. Hilarie Burton went so far as to call Candace a "bigot" ...

Mariah Carey won't be getting everything she wants for Christmas this year ... her attempt to trademark the phrase "Queen of Christmas" was just rejected, TMZ has learned.

The U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board denied MC's attempt to trademark "Queen of Christmas" on Tuesday ... along with her attempts to lock down the rights to "Princess Christmas" and "Christmas Princess," according to a release given to TMZ.

As we reported ... Mariah Carey applied for the trademarks back in March of 2021 but quickly faced some backlash.

Despite having some support ... legends like Darlene Love and singer Elizabeth Chan pushed back on MC -- Elizabeth filed an opposition, arguing no one should "monopolize" the word "Christmas."

As for what Mariah wanted to TM for, in her filing she said she planned to use the title for fragrances, lotions, nail polish, jewelry, cups, mugs, chocolate milk, coconut water ... as well as ornaments, toys, dog clothing, masks, lingerie and sweatshirts.

Kodak Black and 21 Savage are setting the stage for either one helluva Verzuz showdown ... or a petty social media beef, with the string of tough talk centering around 21 dismissing Nas as irrelevant.

After taking a break from Instagram, Kodak says 21 made him mad enough to return and address what he deems as disrespect.

21 and Drake just topped the Billboard 200 with their collaborative album "Her Loss" ... selling over 400,000 in the first week, prompting 21 to fire off a snarky tweet questioning rival album sales.

Kodak just dropped his "Kutthroat Bill: Vol. 1" album right before Halloween and seemed to take exception to the tweet ... as he only sold 43K.

On IG, he saluted 21 for his success, but took issues with the album sales. Kodak's view is he's been in and out of prison the last few years, and hasn't had time to generate momentum in the market.

Despite the sales differences, Kodak doesn't think he's being left in the dust and called out Drake and 21 for being 30+ in contrast to his 25 years young and promised to catch up with his next few releases.

Kodak also bigged up Nas for his music and business moves, and questioned 21's sanity ... accusing the Atlanta rapper of straight-up d***-riding Drake to get to the top of the charts.

The way Kodak sees it, hanging with Drake is cool and all but when you're from the trenches ... you sing songs like Nas' "I Can" for inspiration!!!

21 has yet to respond to Kodak since kicking off the Verzuz debate that he could beat everyone in his 2016 Freshman class -- but he did offer some sort of mea culpa after noticing that his Clubhouse comments about Nas had gone viral.

He claimed his comments were taken out of context and he would never disrespect a legend like Nas who made it possible for him to pop s*** in the first place!!!

Dr. Phil is uncovering a terrifying Jeffrey Dahmer tale -- 2 men raped, beaten and tortured by him who say the Dahmer in the Netflix series is not the "cold-blooded killer" they encountered.

Dr. Phil joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" ... telling us about several interviews he conducted for his 3-day series about Dahmer, his victims and their loved ones. He says many family members were hurt by Netflix's decision to create the show ... which has forced them to open up old wounds.

Case in point, the 2 men who knew Dahmer while he was in the army, and whose stories were not part of the 'Monster' series on Netflix.

Phil says they described their encounters ... which included getting drugged, and in one case, raped -- but according to them the military swept the attacks under the rug.

He's also featuring an interview with Dahmer's father, Lionel, where they dig into the killer's formative years ... and Phil says Lionel admitted missing several red flags.

As we've reported, the popularity of the Netflix series prompted ill-timed costume choices, pieces of Dahmer's ensemble going up for auction, and even a pizza special in "honor" of the mass murderer.

There's also been tremendous backlash, and Phil says his aim is to provide a platform for those most upset by Dahmer's macabre popularity.

Brian Laundrie's family wants an apology from "Celebrity Jeopardy!" after the game show used Gabby Petito's murder and Brian's suicide as a clue.

Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, tells TMZ ... "The entire Laundrie family is appalled and concurs with all of the comments on social media on how distasteful this was. I believe an apology is due."

As we reported ... social media users are up in arms over a "Celebrity Jeopardy!" clue on Monday's episode which brought up Gabby and Brian's deaths.

The clue reads ... "In 2021 Fugitive Brian Laundrie Ended His Days In Fla.'s Myakkahatchee Creek Area, Home to These Long & Toothy Critters." The answer was, "What are alligators?"

Tons of folks on social media have a problem with the clue ... the general feeling being it's making light of Gabby's homicide and Brian subsequently dodging a nationwide manhunt.

"Celebrity Jeopardy!" may want to rethink some of its answers, because lots of fans are pissed off the show used killer Brian Laundrie as part of the game.

Actors John Michael Higgins and Wil Wheaton squared off against comedian Joel Kim Booster during Sunday's semifinal round when all the drama went down concerning Brian Laundrie. Laundrie, as you may recall, killed Gabby Petito in Wyoming in 2021 while the couple was on a cross-country road trip. His remains were later found in a Florida nature preserve after he committed suicide.

"Jeopardy!" host Mayim Bialik read the clue from "The A List" category in which all answers included the letter "A."

Bialik said, "In 2021 Fugitive Brian Laundrie Ended His Days Fla.'s Myakkahatchee Creek Area, Home to These Long & Toothy Critters."

Booster correctly responded, "What are alligators?"

Bialik then went on to the next topic as if nothing was wrong. But, fans of the show saw A LOT wrong and took to Twitter to voice their fury.

One person wrote, "This is the most tasteless and insensitive answer I've ever seen on any Jeopardy! What the hell were they thinking? Making light of that tragic situation is repugnant. Damn."

Another roared, "THIS, this is beyond offensive. It's appalling & completely insensitive, not to mention totally unnecessary. Shame on, @Jeopardy."

A third observer asked, "What in the hell is wrong with you? Have you no soul? I can't believe this question got past your lawyers."

A fourth angrily stated, "That Jeopardy! question mentioning Brian Laundrie and the answer was alligators?? What the actual hell, that was so … out of line. Not necessary! There was no reason to mention him at all!"

Barnes & Noble has pulled the controversial book "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake up Black America" off its shelves ... while Kyrie Irving continues to face backlash for promoting it.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), commended B&N Tuesday morning ... saying the bookseller's decision to yank the book should set a precedent.

Greenblatt then turned his attention to Amazon, revealing he wrote to the company over a week ago, looking to have a conversation about the book/films presence on the giant retailer's website. The ADL CEO says he'd like a disclaimer added to the book and film, at the least.

Greenblatt added the book and film "will lead directly to the harm of Jews," adding Amazon needs to follow B&N's lead before it's too late.

Of course, Kyrie landed in hot water after tweeting a link to the controversial film.

The Nets eventually suspended Irving for an indefinite amount of time. He hasn't played since  November 1 ... and it's unclear when he will return.

Amazon is carrying the book and movie on its website.

Tim Hardaway was forced to issue an apology on Monday night ... after he disturbingly compared a player's rough defense to rape during the middle of a Warriors game.

The former Golden State superstar was in the TV booth for the team's special "Run TMC" broadcast -- which featured Hardaway, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond instead of the Warriors' regular announcers -- and a little more than halfway into the game, Tim put his foot squarely in his mouth.

While trying to talk about how he felt a player crossed the line on defense during the Warriors' matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, he shockingly said, "See, ya'll thought that was great D, I thought that was just raping him."

He added, "I think he should have called the police on that."

The other members of the broadcast booth quickly tried to move on ... but viewers were so outraged and appalled by the remarks, Hardaway had to issue a mea culpa just a few minutes later.

"Hey everybody," he said as the game headed into the fourth quarter. "I used a poor choice of words earlier in the broadcast. I want to apologize for that. And, you know, let's get back to the game. And, let's finish this game off with a 30-point win and go home happy."

No word yet from the Warriors if there will be any punishment coming for Hardaway.

Of course, this is not the first time the 56-year-old former basketball player has offended with his words -- back in 2007, during a talk on "The Dan Le Batard Show," he infamously said, "I hate gay people."

Hardaway eventually apologized for those comments.

If you thought competing in a marathon was tough, imagine running 26.2 miles while filling your lungs with smoke ... 'cause one Chinese man did exactly that during a race -- and he finished with a great time!!

The chain-smokin' athlete is a 50-year-old who goes by the name "Uncle Chen" ... and the Guangzhou man accomplished the feat at the Xin’anjiang Marathon in Jiande, China on Nov. 6.

Photos of Chen smoking during the competition went viral on Weibo -- a Chinese social media app -- and event organizers celebrated him by sharing his finishing certificate.

Chen -- who crossed the finish line with an impressive 3:28 time -- finished 574th overall out of nearly 1500 runners who competed ... despite taking heaters to the face throughout the race.

Chen has become a sensation for smoking during races -- in 2018, he blasted cigs during the Guangzhou Marathon, where he finished with a 3:36 time.

Adding to his legend ... Chen followed up his jaw-dropping performance in 2018 with another strong outing in 2019, finishing the Xiamen Marathon in 3:32, according to Canadian Running.

However, the outlet reports that not everyone was fond of Chen's smoking sesh ... with critics saying the stunt is hurtful to the other runners.

Nas and Hit-Boy just released their new "King's Disease III" album ... but to hear 21 Savage tell it, it's all just a formality.

During a heated Clubhouse debate about rappers' longevity, 21 questioned Nas' relevancy as a whole ... in addition to why fans still dissected hip hop music like it was anatomy class.

The Slaughter Gang rapper was also accused of "ageism" AKA hating on older MCs ... similar to DJ Akademiks' recent controversy.

21 virtually shot down every example of Nas' relevancy during the argument -- including his 2020 Grammy Award win, and doesn't think having ride-or-die fans who date back to his classic 1994 debut album "Illmatic" counts for current-day relevance.

The discussion tossed around several hip hop heavyweights such as Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Scarface, Too Short and Fat Joe as candidates for relevant "old rappers" ... while Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane also caught slander for a nonexistent joint album.

Mike Pence says Donald Trump's characterization of him as a coward on January 6th was reckless and made him angry ... and he got emotional talking about it.

The former Veep talked about that dark time with ABC's David Muir, and when Muir read back the ex-Prez's tweet as the insurrection was unfolding ... you can see MP get visibly upset, seemingly searching for the right words.

Eventually, he found them ... saying Trump's suggestion that he lacked the courage to do what was necessary to avoid a "steal" couldn't be more off the mark. Pence told his daughter, who was also at the Capitol, it takes more courage to uphold the law than to break it, which is what DT wanted him to do.

As Pence speaks, you see him incessantly tapping his foot ... itself a show of emotion.

Remember, Pence was overseeing the certification of the 2020 election on Jan. 6 ... when at some point in the day, in the middle of their session, hundreds of rioters came barreling through Capitol doors and windows, causing lawmakers to hide in fear.

For some reason, Muir pressed Pence about what he thought Trump could've possibly been doing at the White House that whole time -- Pence had no idea because he wasn't there. Pence told Muir he'd have to take that one up with Trump himself.

There's not much ambiguity here ... Pence has not only broken ties with Trump, he has contempt for him. It's especially stunning because during Trump's presidency Pence was his #1 cheerleader.

Donald Trump is becoming public enemy #1 in the Republican Party after being blamed for the midterm election results -- but Jon Voight's sticking by him ... for whatever that's worth.

The actor posted a new video Sunday addressed to the American people ... and it's pretty ominous. He decries the wins Democrats secured and suggests there's malfeasance afoot -- echoing false election denial claims propagated by the ex-Prez and his staunch supporters.

JV is one of those diehards, it seems, because he says DT is the only one who can restore truth and justice in this country again ... and he says that'll happen when he's back in office.

FWIW, Trump hasn't officially announced he's running for President again in 2024 -- but has stopped short of saying it for well over a year now. He's also got some big announcement on Tuesday ... which may, in fact, be him throwing his hat in the ring once more.

It's a little weird to see just how down the rabbit hole Jon finds himself -- he talks about a looming third world war, linking it to our domestic politics. His whole speech here is strange.

Regardless of what Trump and his holdout cronies might say ... the voters are making their voices heard at the ballot box. Thus far, Dems will retain control of the Senate -- and even though the House might go to Republicans, it'll probably be a slim majority.

Dua Lipa won't be performing at the World Cup after all ... according to Dua Lipa.

The singer shot down rumors Sunday that she'd hit the stage in a couple weeks for the opening ceremony in Qatar, which is usually a pretty big gig that tends to draw international stars. Shakira's done it before, so has J Lo, Pitbull, Black Eyed Peas and others.

A lot of people thought DL was up next -- among other artists who've been speculated on -- but she's saying it ain't happening ... all because of human rights, apparently.

Dua says, "There is a lot of speculation that I will be performing at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar. I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiation to perform." She adds ... "I look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the World Cup."

If you're unfamiliar, Qatar is notorious for mistreating its women and LGBT people ... often via punishment under the law. The country has made promises in the past to investigate certain matters and to improve its record, but many feel its fallen short time and again.

As for how this notion of Dua performing even got started ... we tracked down the source. A Twitter account called World Music Awards announced it recently, adding a bunch of other names that they claimed would be performing at the opening ceremony as well. While they seemed pretty sure of themselves, no reputable mainstream outlet picked up the news.

They asserted Shakira and BEP would be returning, not to mention J Balvin, BTS and Bollywood star Nora Fatehi. Nora is a performer, but not kicking things off. BTS's Jung Kook confirmed Friday he'd do the opening ceremony ... and thus far, he's the only official act.

Flavor Flav will tell you Spirit Airlines is like 9-1-1 ... a total joke, except he's not laughing after narrowly missing a flight in Las Vegas and losing his cool.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage of Flav trying not to pop his top Thursday night at a Spirit gate inside Harry Reid International Airport. Sources tell us it was around 11:30 PM, and the iconic Public Enemy rapper was sitting near the gate waiting to catch a flight to Detroit.

We're told he was working on his laptop and chatting on the phone -- basically, preoccupied -- when he noticed the gate agent shutting the jetway door. He ran up, but she wouldn't reopen it for him ... so he missed the flight.

You can see he was super annoyed, and argued back and forth with the Spirit employee -- another man even stepped in to plead Flav's case.

Flav was fired up and hurled some obscenities at the employee, who threatened to call security -- but thankfully for Flav, in the end, she didn't and he did not become public enemy #1 at the Vegas airport.

Sources close to Flav tell us he commonly waits to board after everyone else because people want to take pictures with him ... and he doesn't want to hold up the boarding process. Those sources also claim Spirit actually did reopen the door to let other passengers in -- before this video starts -- but closed it again on Flav and 2 other people.

Flav tells TMZ ... "Spirit Airlines shut the door on me while I was in line to board. I was upset and said some harsh words to the gate agent. I apologize to those who witnessed me acting out of character. I do not apologize to Spirit Airlines or the gate agent."

Vanilla Ice also had a similar meltdown after missing a flight a few years ago, and as we reported ... Gillie Da Kid just had an intense showdown with a TSA agent.