Controversial S#!T

ABC is pulling the plug on Christmas with the Backstreet Boys ... a late decision that comes immediately on the heels of Nick Carter being accused of sexual battery.

The band's special, "A Very Backstreet Holiday," was set to air on ABC next week, and featured all 5 singers -- Nick, Brian, Howie, AJ and Kevin -- but the network has canceled the airing ... TMZ has confirmed.

The special was shot last month in L.A., and, at this stage, would be complete and ready to air. ABC isn't offering any explanation for the last-minute cancelation, but with the announcement coming less than 24 hours after the lawsuit against Carter ... it's pretty clear.

TMZ broke the story ... Shannon Ruth sued the singer Thursday for sexual battery, saying she was 17 back in 2001 when was allegedly invited on his tour bus and given alcohol.

According to legal docs, Ruth -- who's autistic with cerebral palsy -- was then sexually assaulted by Carter ... and when she threatened to tell people about what he did, he allegedly called her a "r******* little bitch" who no one would believe. She says she contracted HPV after the incident and is now seeking damages.

Nick's attorney, Michael Holtz, told us the entire claim "is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue" ... saying Ruth has been manipulated into making false allegations about Nick.

Gayle King is weighing in on the T.J. Holmes/Amy Robach drama, calling the whole situation a "sloppy mess" -- but insists she's not gloating about her morning TV competition's crisis.

The "CBS Mornings" cohost dropped her 2 cents Thursday night on 'Watch What Happens Live' ... after Andy Cohen teed it up by asking what she thinks about "all hell breaking loose" at 'GMA.'

Gayle said, "I look at the situation and I say it's very interesting what's happening over there. It's just gotten very messy and very sloppy."

She gave ABC and 'GMA' execs props for their initial stance of letting 2 consenting adults remain on the air, but then added ... "The more you read, it's just very messy."

Gayle stopped short of accusing Amy and T.J. of cheating on their spouses -- an allegation they've denied -- but she did say, "I think, to me, it's just a sad situation because you've got kids involved, you've got families involved, and I keep thinking about that."

TMZ broke the story ... T.J. and Amy are still a couple one week after getting benched ... as ABC takes a deep dive into their romance, and whether they violated company policies.

Olive Garden is saying arrivederci to a controversial restaurant manager who allegedly got so fed up with employees calling out for work they demanded proof even if a staffer's dog died.

A message reportedly sent from the disgraced manager to employees and obtained by KCTV read, "Our call-offs are occurring at a staggering rate. From now on, if you call off, you might as well go out and look for another job. We are no longer tolerating ANY EXCUSE for calling off. If you’re sick, you need to come prove it to us. If your dog died, you need to bring him in and prove it to us."

The manager, who worked at an OG location in Kansas, continued their rant by claiming they'd not taken a single day off in more than 11 years at the franchise.

Allegedly writing, "Do you know in my 11.5 years at Darden how many days I called off? Zero. I came in sick. I got in a wreck literally on my way to work one time, airbags went off and my car was totaled, but you know what, I made it to work, ON TIME.”

Two Kansas high schools say they've launched an investigation after several students at a recent basketball game allegedly yelled the n-word -- while waving around a Black doll.

The incident went down Saturday -- when the Topeka H.S. boys basketball team took on Valley Center H.S. in Valley Center, KS.

During the contest, according to Topeka players, several VC students hurled racial slurs and offensive language at them. They also say some of the spectators taunted them with a Black baby figurine.

One video shot by a Topeka student shows the doll being held up by some fans in the stands as the action was unfolding on the court. Another clip appears to show students calling one of the players a "p***y."

Topeka head coach Geo Lyons said in a change.org petition that despite the "racial slurs, threats and disgusting taunts" -- Valley Center officials "did not address any of these actions while play was taking place although they were very aware."

On Tuesday, Valley Center officials said they hadn't found any evidence of racist language being used at the game ... but on Wednesday, they, along with Topeka admins, released a joint statement explaining they've launched a probe into it all -- and investigations are ongoing.

"As both districts work in a unified manner to investigate matters related to the athletic events on Saturday, we as superintendents are both committed to ensuring a safe and respectful climate at school events," the statement read.

"Incidents that occurred when individuals did not conduct themselves in ways that reflect our commitment to supporting students have been handled, and there are investigations that are ongoing. We will work together to ensure the appropriate individuals are held accountable and work together to prevent such incidents in the future."

Plies is ecstatic about Brittney Griner's release from a Russian prison ... and says there's no reason for Paul Whelan's plight to overshadow the WNBA star's homecoming.

The Florida rapper went on a rant about people, like his cousin, who are focusing on the sad and disappointing fact Whelan -- a retired Marine -- is still in a Russian prison, as he has been for almost 4 years.

Plies acknowledges Whelan's sentence is BS ... but says no one gave a damn about Whelan before BG got detained and turned into a political pawn. He suspects Paul's newfound supporters are really just Brittney haters.

That particular shoe might fit Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons, who has since apologized for initially reacting to the news with an outcry for Paul. For what it's worth, Whelan himself told CNN Thursday he's disappointed in Biden for not making a deal for his release.

The embattled WNBA star was released Thursday in exchange for "Merchant of Death" arms dealer Viktor Bout ... after nearly 10 months of diplomatic negotiations.

Plies says he has a new nickname for President Joe Biden: "Big State Biden"

The American Girl doll brand is standing its ground after getting a ton of backlash for a book that encourages young girls to explore their identity, and offers info about transitioning.

The company tells TMZ, "We value the views and feedback of our customers and acknowledge the perspectives on this issue. The content in this book, geared for kids 10+, was developed in partnership with medical and adolescent care professionals and consistently emphasizes the importance of having conversations and discussing any feelings with parents or trusted adults."

AG continues, "We are committed to delivering content that leaves our readers feeling informed, confident, and positive about themselves."

The franchise is known for promoting self-esteem among young girls, but it had a lot of folks up in arms for selling its book, "A Smart Girl's Guide: Body Image Book". Some social media users accused the company of promoting puberty blockers to children ... and convincing them they're born the wrong way.

One of the specific sections that got a lot of pushback reads, "If you haven't gone through puberty yet, the doctor might offer medicine to delay your body's changes, giving you more time to think about your gender identity."

Jamaican dancehall legend Sizzla is burning a bridge -- almost literally, because he didn't get a big enough credit for his work on some DJ Khaled albums.

The reggae vet lived up to his name Thursday, as he angrily set fire to the commemorative plaques Khaled and Epic Records sent to him. The burning issue for Sizzla?

The font used to print his name on said plaques was way too small!!! 😂

It's a pretty wild setup ... Sizzla and several of his friends cursed Khaled as the devil, and also called the small print disrespectful towards Jamaica as a whole.

Khaled's sons Asahd and Aalam's photos were spared from the inferno -- Sizzla says babies are "innocent" and he still refers to the boys as his godchildren.

Not sure that will still be the case after this stunt.

Fans in Sizzla's Instagram comment section maintained his reaction was overblown -- he's been a valued Khaled collaborator for years.

Sizzla actually appears on the very first track of both Khaled's "Grateful" and "Father Of Asahd" albums ... and is featured on this year's blockbuster "GOD DID" as well.

The Washington Commanders were allegedly behind the release of troubling old emails that resulted in Jon Gruden's firing as Las Vegas Raiders head coach, a new House Oversight and Reform Committee report claims.

The 79-page report -- titled "How the NFL and the Washington Commanders Covered Up Decades of Sexual Misconduct" -- was released on Thursday, more than a year after launching the investigation -- and it's ugly for Dan Snyder, with the committee concluding he "permitted and participated in" the horrific workplace culture.

In fact, the committee says Snyder attempted to shift blame onto others and away from himself, and even provided a host of damaging emails sent and/or received by former team president Bruce Allen to the House Oversight Committee ... the day before Allen was set to testify.

Those emails contained the profane and arguably racist messages sent by Jon Gruden years earlier ... which were published in the Wall Street Journal. Gruden, the Raiders head coach at the time, was forced to step down from his job as a result of the scandal.

The report says Allen asked a member of the NFL's legal team why they'd released the emails to the paper, to which the attorney responded ... "We didn’t do it at the league office. It came out of their side."

Of course, the emails from about a decade ago, which contained homophobic language and racial tropes, were made public by The Journal in October 2021 ... and the Super Bowl-winning coach stepped down shortly after. He has not worked as a coach since.

In addition to the revelation about the emails, the Committee report paints a damning picture of an organization rife with workplace misconduct, much of it originating from the very top of the Commanders.

Last month, Snyder announced he'd hired a bank to investigate potential interest in a sale for the Commanders.

As we reported, Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z, both interested in acquiring the team, recently had a secret dinner meeting in Los Angeles to discuss a potential partnership.

Kanye West has lost friends, business deals and billions of dollars for his hatred, and now he can add losing an honorary college degree to his woes ... cause the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has taken it away.

According to a school letter, obtained by TMZ, honchos decided to rescind Ye's degree, stating, "His anti-Black, antisemitic, and incendiary statements, particularly those directed at Black and Jewish communities, are disgusting and condemnable".

The letter, written by President Elissa Tenny, continues, "As a community, we know that there are varying opinions on what our School’s response should be––even as we all agree that his behavior is indefensible."

The disgraced rapper was awarded an honorary doctorate back in 2015 for his accomplishments and contributions to art and culture, but Tenny notes, "his actions do not align with SAIC's mission and values."

As we reported, Kanye was on "Infowars" last week claiming his love for Hitler and Nazis.

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons is apologizing for slamming President Joe Biden over the Brittney Griner deal ... admitting he was speaking "out of emotion" and wasn't educated on the topic.

The 23-year-old was livid after the Griner news broke Thursday morning ... solely because retired Marine Paul Whelan has been behind bars in Russia since 2018 after being accused of spying.

Parsons -- whose father is a military vet -- was irked after finding out Whelan wasn't part of the deal to bring BG home ... saying, "Wait nah!! We left a marine?!! Hell nah."

The 2021 first-round pick clarified he was thrilled Griner was on her way back to U.S. soil ... but explained, "I just have family who have served and it’s crazy to me the President wouldn't bring him home too."

"I'm the furthest thing from a Trump supporter but I'm not a fan of Biden either."

Parsons later backpedaled on his stance ... saying he talked things over with some people and now has a better understanding of the situation.

"I should have been more educated on the topic and not tweeted out of emotion for my family and other who have served," Parsons tweeted. "For that I apologize."

"Also if what I'm told about the attempts to bring Ret Marine Paul Whelan home are true then the best outcome was accomplished. I pray Mr. Whelan comes home but am extremely happy for Brittney and her family."

"I am not too prideful to admit when I've made a mistake."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell Netflix documentary isn't just a shot at the royal family over racism -- it also reveals her perspective, as she says, people didn't treat me like a 'Black woman' before moving to England.

In episode 2 of "Harry & Meghan" ... she says she never thought race would play such a big part in her marriage with Harry -- because growing up in L.A. as a mixed-race woman, being different had not been an issue for her.

Meghan says, "Now people are very aware of my race because they made it such an issue in the UK."

She added that before that, "most people didn't treat me like a Black woman," and as a result, she and her parents never had "the talk" about racism in America ... as most Black parents do.

The couple also got candid about their engagement in November 2017 ... saying the proposal was anything but natural, with Meghan laughing about the "orchestrated reality show."

On a much more serious note, Harry addresses his infamous costume -- he dressed up as a Nazi for a 2005 party -- and calls it the "biggest mistake in my life.”

He details the steps he took to learn from that moment, but admits there was a chance he could've mistakenly ignored all the criticism.

Drake is catching a stray from Styles P, who is reflecting on the short-lived Nas vs. 21 Savage "beef" ... and thinking Drizzy shoulda nipped the rift in the bud before it bloomed.

The Lox legend was a guest on Math Hoffa's "My Expert Opinion" where he stated he liked, not loved, 21's music ... and added he's not in the same class of rappers as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole or even Drake -- with whom 21 just dropped the "Her Loss" album.

Nas and 21 recently patched things up with a duet track "One Mic, One Gun."

The song's been celebrated as a peaceful follow-up to 21's comments on Clubhouse that Nas was irrelevant -- a move Styles says he would never do despite how much he agreed.

According to Styles, there are actually some legends who suck as lyricists and should bow in his presence ... but he's not here to knock anybody's hustle.

Kyrie Irving gave the middle finger to Nike with a message on his signature shoes Wednesday night ... covering the swoosh logo and etching "I am Free Thank You God I am" on a patch of tape after his breakup with the sneaker giant.

Irving hit the court at Barclays Center for the first time since becoming a shoe-free agent on Monday ... and while he decided to keep wearing his own kicks, he made sure to distance himself from his former partner.

Irving rocked the Nike Kyrie 3 PE in the "Raygun" colorway for the matchup against the Charlotte Hornets ... but if you look closely, the side logo is covered with black tape.

Kyrie switched kicks mid-game -- which is not uncommon for NBA players -- and the second pair also had the Swoosh scribbled out with black marker.

You'll recall ... the brand suspended its relationship with Kyrie after he tweeted a link to a film containing antisemitic content ... saying there was no place for hate speech at Nike.

Irving, however, continued to don Nike sneakers during games ... though it's unclear if he was contractually obligated to or if the decision was a personal choice.

Right after news broke that the Kyrie era was over at Nike, the 30-year-old tweeted out a GIF that read, "There's nothing more priceless than being free."

Tekashi 6ix9ine and social media influencer Steve Will Do It are having some fun at Balenciaga's expense in the wake of the fashion brand's photo controversy ... even if their jokes are kinda lowbrow.

During a trip to an undisclosed Balenciaga location, 6ix9ine and Steve pretended to investigate the store's current foot traffic -- it was pretty empty, aside from employees and a handful of customers.

6ix9ne assumed the role of a security guard, allowing his buddy Steve Will entry after he dropped the password ... "I like little girls" -- a direct jab at Balenciaga's crisis.

Steve Will roamed the store for a bit, as Tekashi flaunted his disrespect for the store -- plopping down on a display case with no regard for the expensive clothing!!!

As you know, the luxury designer is currently under fire for running an ad campaign depicting young kids holding teddy bears dressed in bondage gear ... and other imagery showing court documents referencing child pornography laws.

The 2 jokers didn't film themselves purchasing anything, but that seems to be the point -- they're down with boycotting Balenciaga ... even in the face of a 50% off sale.

TMZ Hip Hop recently spoke to Roddy Ricch who felt very conflicted over the Balenciaga scandal ... evidenced by him still wearing their sneakers, but he's still hoping for a positive outcome.

Elon Musk has reportedly been turning Twitter's office space into sleeping spaces for employees putting in extra time -- and he's pissed the city of S.F. is looking into whether or not the new setup violates any codes.

Twitter's CEO fired back to a report Tuesday that said S.F.'s department of building inspection would be launching an investigation into claims that parts of the company's HQ were retrofitted to include makeshift bedrooms.

Forbes reported mattresses were set up in some Twitter office rooms, with other homey modifications. Recent reports also suggested a handful of employees were spending the night due to the intense nature of the job and long hours under Musk's new regime.

Well, Elon didn't take too kindly to the idea of San Fran cracking down -- responding to a tweet about the news by writing … "So city of SF attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl. Where are your priorities @LondonBreed!?" London Breed is S.F.'s mayor.

He also attached an article about a toddler who OD'd after coming across fentanyl on a playground. Luckily, the kid survived.

One thing Elon's tweet didn't address though ... whether or not the employee bedrooms exist.

Popular Streamer IShowSpeed is coming under fire for a gross racist exchange he had with a Chinese fan at The World Cup ... with people urging he do better.

IShowSpeed -- who has 14M subscribers on YouTube and nearly 6M followers on Instagram -- is in Qatar for the massive soccer tournament, and has live streamed a lot of his time in the stands.

The controversial clip shows the streamer call attention to an Asian fan in an Argentina jersey. Speed asks why he's wearing the gear -- seemingly pointing out he doesn't look Argentinian.

From there, he shouts, "Konnichiwa!" -- a formal word for "hello" in Japanese -- several times at the fan. The fan tries to explain he's not Japanese, but Chinese ... and then ISS begins rambling off nonsense with an accent.

Naturally, and rightfully so, Speed's fans have littered the comment section on his social media pages denouncing the exchange. One wrote, "Stop spewing macro-aggressions and racism towards Asian people and use your platform for something positive."

Another said, "You failed Asian Americans and Asians everywhere. We all make mistakes. But grow up. Do better. Be a better example for the youth." While another simply wrote, "ishowracism should be your new name from now on."

The 17-year-old attempted to offer up an explanation as to what he was thinking, but it didn't really help his cause. He says he thought the man was Japanese -- though he doesn't explain why -- and that his adrenaline was pumping during the video.