Controversial S#!T

Banksy is going to war with Guess -- accusing the clothing brand of stealing his work -- and now encouraging folks to steal from the retailer's London store.

The famous graffiti artist just put out a call to all shoplifters, encouraging them to visit the Guess retailer on Regent Street in London.

Banksy posted an image of the Guess storefront, and it looks like the retailer has his Flower Thrower graffiti displayed along with clothes bearing some of his famous works.

In his post, Banksy rips into Guess, saying ... "They've helped themselves to my artwork without asking, how can it be wrong for you to do the same to their clothes?"

Guess recently started selling a new collection and the clothing line ads brag about items "with graffiti by Banksy." Guess says the collection is a collab with Brandalised, which Guess describes as "an urban graffiti license whose mission is to offer Banksy fans affordable graffiti collectibles."

Taylor Swift is sorry for her fans who feel they were screwed by Ticketmaster in trying to score tickets for her tour ... blasting the company for failing to deliver on its promise for a smooth rollout.

The singer just broke her silence on the concert ticket disaster, with a lengthy statement on her Instagram Story where she's royally pissed at Ticketmaster ... echoing the same feelings from her legions of fans.

Taylor says she's extremely protective of her fans and adds, "It's really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse."

TS also says, "There are a multitude of reasons why people had such a hard time trying to get tickets and I’m trying to figure out how this situation can be improved moving forward."

She's pretty pissed at Ticketmaster, explaining ... "I'm not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could. It's truly amazing that 2.4 million people got tickets, but it really pisses me off that a lot of them feel like they went through several bear attacks to get them."

As we reported, there were tons of issues and delays with the Ticketmaster presale, and the ticket giant even canceled the public sale, and now the resale market is seeing sky-high price tags.

Taylor ends with a message to the fans who didn't get lucky enough to score tickets ... saying, "My hope is to provide more opportunities for us to all get together and sing these songs. Thank you for wanting to be there. You have no idea how much that means."

Elon Musk will tell ya the reports of Twitter's death are greatly exaggerated -- in fact, although news spread quickly the app's on the verge of shutdown, Elon says it had one of its best days ever.

Thursday night, while #RIPTwitter became the number 1 trending topic in the U.S., the Chief Twit himself tweeted, "We just hit another all-time high in Twitter usage lol ... let that sink in."

That tweet came after hundreds of his employees reportedly quit ... following his demands for people within the company to work "long hours at high intensity" or get booted.

The deadline for jumping ship or staying aboard was reportedly Thursday at 5 PM ... and it looks like a good amount were fine with saying goodbye.

The reported mass jump prompted millions of tweeters to take it as a sign of the end for the bird app ... although the surge to which Elon referred might have a lot to do with people using the "dead" platform to talk about its death.

Pretty damn meta (not you, Zuckerberg).

FYI -- a pretty cold projection popped up on the company's HQ in San Fran Thursday night, during this "all-time high" ... calling Elon a slew of names that just gets more and more brutal.

The judge who presided over Casey Anthony’s murder trial thinks prosecutors made a strong enough case to win a conviction ... but he's giving her lawyers props for their strategy.

Judge Belvin Perry Jr. joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live," and we asked if he was surprised the jury acquitted Casey of murder, manslaughter and child abuse following 2-year-old daughter Caylee's death. Casey was only found guilty of lying to cops.

Perry Jr. says he thought prosecutors presented enough evidence for the jury to convict Casey ... but still, he wasn't shocked when the jury acquitted her, because he's learned there are no locks when it comes to criminal trials.

Judge Perry Jr. is now retired from the bench, and told us a lot of what Casey's saying in a new Peacock documentary is the same "crap" she floated during the trial. Of course, she was acquitted, but Perry says that doesn't mean the jury bought what Casey was saying back then.

Instead, he gives credit to her defense attorneys, Jose Baez and Cheney Mason, who "littered that case with as much reasonable doubt as they possibly could."

Casey didn't take the stand during the trial and is now giving her version of events in an upcoming Peacock documentary -- but the former judge told us there are all sorts of problems with her claims, the new ones and the old ones.

Taylor Swift fans are outraged after waiting hours and shelling out big money just for a shot at getting tickets -- and they've griped enough to spark a new antitrust investigation into Ticketmaster.

Ever since Tuesday, Swifties have been sounding off about the disastrous presale for Taylor's upcoming tour, but Tennessee's attorney general thinks this might go beyond whining Gen Zers ... it could be a crime.

TN AG Jonathan Skrmetti says antitrust violations "could be an issue" for Ticketmaster. He's concerned the company lacks competition ... and with that, customers are left with sky-high prices and a poor experience getting tix.

Skrmetti questions Ticketmaster's lack of preparation -- he says given the company's size, it should've been ready for the "unprecedented demand" from Taylor's legion of fans. The woman commanded the Billboard Hot 100's entire top 10, after all!!!

As we reported ... Ticketmaster was in shambles as fans attempted to get their hands on a ticket to "The Eras Tour." Potential buyers were left in limbo after the website crashed ... and frankly, Ticketmaster's explanation of why things went wrong didn't make it any better.

Skrmetti's concern is Ticketmaster doesn't worry about pissing off fans -- of Taylor or any other artist -- because if they want to see a concert, there's typically no avoiding Ticketmaster.

The A.G.'s office has received a number of complaints from customers who experienced a severe lack of customer support, while others said Ticketmaster told them to wait 5 days for a response.

The good news for Swifties is you can still get Taylor tix, but the bad news is it's probably gonna cost ya a lot more on sites like StubHub.

Candace Cameron Bure says she has love for everybody -- after facing a rash of criticism for comments she made about focusing on "traditional" families on her new network -- but she isn't backing down on her position.

The new chief creative officer at the Great American Family network released a statement Monday, saying in part, "I am a devoted Christian. Which means that I believe that every human being bears the image of God. Because of that, I am called to love all people, and I do. If you know me, you know that I am a person who loves fiercely and indiscriminately."

She continues, "My heart yearns to build bridges and bring people one step closer to God, to love others well, and to simply be a reflection of God’s huge love for all of us."

As we reported, Bure chatted with The WSJ about her new role on the network, explaining they'd work to highlight heterosexual relationships ... unlike The Hallmark Channel. Though she says The WSJ didn't include everything.

Bure states, "I had also expressed in my interview, which was not included, that people of all ethnicities and identities have and will continue to contribute to the network in great ways both in front of and behind the camera, which I encourage and fully support."

She ends her statement by saying, "The God we serve is a wildly creative and loving God.  He didn’t just capture a small part of my heart, He has captured all of my heart. He will be reflected in everything I do and say; in my family, my work and my interactions with people from all walks of life, God’s love and God’s compassion is front and center."

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.