Controversial S#!T

NBA guard Bryn Forbes -- who was just waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves last week -- was arrested on Wednesday morning after he allegedly hit a woman "several times."

The altercation, according to the San Antonio Police Department, happened in Texas at around 5 AM after the 29-year-old basketball player and a woman had been out on the town.

Police say the woman told them Forbes had become upset at her while they were out, and when they drove home, the two got into an argument that turned physical.

According to cops, the woman said Forbes struck her multiple times in the confrontation, "causing injury and pain." Police say EMS arrived on scene and provided her with medical attention.

Forbes was arrested a short time later and booked on a family violence charge. Jail records show as of Wednesday afternoon, he remained in custody.

Cops say an investigation remains ongoing.

Forbes went unpicked in the 2016 NBA Draft, but latched on with the San Antonio Spurs as a rookie nonetheless, playing in 36 games.

Damar Hamlin is breaking his silence on his controversial Super Bowl jacket ... saying he never meant to offend anybody by wearing it -- and calling it simply "abstract art."

Hamlin rocked the coat -- which featured a crucifix with an altered Jesus head on it -- to the Chiefs vs. Eagles game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. -- and a day later, Adrian Peterson ripped him for it.

The future Hall of Famer called it blasphemous and disrespectful. He said he later spoke to Hamlin to explain his opinion.

The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety finally opened up about the situation on his Twitter page Wednesday afternoon ... saying he had absolutely no intent to disrespect anybody with outfit choice.

"After talking with my parents I understand how my coat could have offended some people," Hamlin wrote.

"It was never my intentions to hurt or disrespect anyone, the coat is abstract art to me. It says Eternal which I am Eternally thankful to my Savior!"

He added, "My beliefs and Relationship with God is not tied to symbolic images."

The NFL player, who's still on the mend after going into cardiac arrest during a "Monday Night Football" game last month, then promised to learn from it all.

Lewis Hamilton isn't phased by a new rule in Formula 1 requiring drivers to get permission before making political statements during race weekends ... saying, he "won't be silenced."

“Nothing will stop me from speaking on the things that I feel that I’m passionate about and issues there are,” the seven-time F1 champion said Wednesday.

The FIA, Formula 1's governing body, implemented a rule in December prohibiting drivers from making political, religious, or personal statements without permission.

The idea is statements political in nature can be divisive (after all, much of the world is split when it comes to politics), and F1 doesn't want fans alienated. It's like the old Michael Jordan quote ... "Republicans buy sneakers, too."

Hamilton, one of the most vocal superstars in the sport, said he wasn't surprised when he learned of the FIA's new rule, and he doesn't plan to abide by it ... "I’m still going to be speaking on my end."

“I feel the sport does have a responsibility, still always, to speak out as a means to create awareness on important topics, particularly as we are traveling to all these different places, so nothing changes,” Lewis says.

Hamilton's had a contentious relationship with FIA ... he found himself in a battle with them last season after they (attempted to) crackdown on drivers wearing jewelry during races.

The Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 driver said that he's aware he would be penalized if he violates the FIA's new rule ... but contends he won't allow that to deter him from speaking out on issues.

"All American"s send off of Taye Diggs' titular character came as a shock to many, with some expressing serious anger online ... but long-running castmate, Bre Z is breaking down the meaning behind the loss of Coach Baker -- and why her character hasn't gotten the boot yet.

We got Bre Z, known for playing Coop on the CW series, at H. Lorenzo in WeHo Tuesday ... saying there's an incredible writing team behind the show, and the loss of Coach Baker is going to open up even more great storytelling post-death.

ICYMI, Monday's episode was a massive shocker ... and despite Taye previously talking about his decision to leave the series, it was never specified how his character would go out. The show even teased a life-changing episode ahead of Monday's big reveal.

Fans online were FURIOUS over the loss of Taye's character -- with some calling the death premature and nonsense ... some even flooded Taye's IG comments with major concern.

Some folks even said Coop should've been the one to go instead ... we talk to Bre Z about that too, but she doesn't think she's goin' anywhere.

FYI -- Taye thanked his fans for all their support after the episode aired, shouting out his cast for their "energy and unrivaled talent."

Kodak Black says he didn't have much luck betting on this year's Super Bowl, but he already has a plan to make up for it next year ... he's gonna need some help, though!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught Big Yak in AZ getting swarmed by adoring fans after the game, and he humbly admitted his pockets were feeling anything BUT victorious following the game. He didn't give us details but sounds like he laid a lot on the Eagles.

That said, Kodak didn't seem to mind that much. He got so much love exiting State Farm Stadium, you'd think he was one of the players.

Of course, a year ago Kodak's Super Bowl weekend activities ended in violence -- he and Justin Bieber are currently facing a lawsuit related to the 2022 shooting that went down in L.A. just ahead of Super Sunday.

We asked Kodak about the case, but his mind was already on 2024. The "Super Gremlin" rapper said he plans to bet several million on Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens to appear in next year's big game.

Drake is trying to put the kibosh on getting deposed in the XXXTENTACION murder trial — and he's making some legal moves to try to get out of it.

The rapper filed a motion, through his attorney Bradford Cohen, asking the judge to set aside the subpoena requiring him to sit for a private deposition in late February.

As we reported, the judge was persuaded by arguments made by defense attorney Mauricio Padilla to call Drake as a witness in the case. Padilla represents Dedrick Williams, one of three defendants charged with killing XXX. The murder trial for the 3 men began last week.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Padilla sent Drake a ZOOM link for the deposition without putting it under seal, which could have compromised Drake's security given that he’s an international star.

Several days later, the docs say Padilla filed a notice with the court but failed to include details on how the ZOOM interview with Drake would be conducted. As a result, Drake says the subpoena was procedurally defective.

Per the motion, Drake also claims his name never appeared in the investigative files and there's nothing to suggest he has any relevant knowledge about the case ... he believes it's unreasonable to ask him to sit for a deposition and says doing so is just an attempt to "add more layers of celebrity and notoriety to a tragic and unfortunate event."

Garth Brooks is joining a growing number of music superstars using their voices to sound off on the prices fans are forced to pay to see their favorite acts.

The country music legend is scheduled to speak on a panel in Los Angeles next week joined by Madison Square Garden Entertainment's James Dolan, former Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ, Makan Delrahim and moderated by music biz mogul, Irving Azoff.

The event will be the 34th annual Pollstar Live! conference discussion panel, which will go down February 22 at 9:45 AM PT at the Beverly Hilton in L.A.

As for what will be discussed, we're told Azoff, Brooks and team will talk ticket scalpers, how to score tickets to events without getting ripped off, the resale market and how outside hands have really soured the market for fans.

The Pollstar Live! conference won't just discuss ticketing though, there's also a convo between Mumford and Son's Ben Lovett, and Brian Teasley as well as a panel to celebrate 50 Years of Live Hip-Hop with Doug E. Fresh, DJ Quik & Big Daddy Kane.

It'll be held from February 21 until February 23.

As we reported, Taylor Swift fans sounded the alarms when tickets went on sale for her Eras Tour ... waiting for hours to score seats to the show and either getting shut out or hammered with crazy prices.

Swae Lee isn't validating Billboard's Top 50 rapper list for obvious reasons -- it's missing his and Rae Sremmurd's names, and that makes him suspect of the whole damn thing!!!

We caught Swae out in Glendale, AZ during the Super Bowl party blitz and he was hot at Billboard's omission, although he agreed with Jay-Z's spot at No. 1.

He explains his success as a rap star should've qualified him for a spot ... and he makes a decent point.

Swae Lee has 2 Diamond (sales of 10 million) tracks to his name ... "Unforgettable" with French Montana and "Sunflower" with Post Malone, and seeing as Billboard's whole deal is compiling stats and numbers, that should've counted for something, eh?

While Swae and Slim Jxmmi rank high amongst Gen-Z legends, their opinions don't differ much from one of rap's true pioneers Ice Cube ... who also unloaded on the list to TMZ Hip Hop last week.

As Cube sees things, Billboard doesn't have enough credentials to speak on hip hop culture, and couldn't be reasoned with once he realized his Mt. Westmore co-star Too $hort was left off the list!!!

Things are getting pissy on the set of the upcoming "Joker" sequel ... we're told extras are angry over the lack of bathroom access, causing tension with production.

Sources on set tell TMZ ... extras for the movie have been complaining about working for over 2 hours nonstop and not being allowed to use the bathroom or drink water during filming at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank.

We're told the potty problems are mainly cropping up when extras are on set for camera setups, which often last between 20 minutes to an hour. The background actors fear repercussions if they ask higher-ups to use the loo ... that's because they say some extras have already been berated.

Our sources say one extra had to use the bathroom "terribly" between camera setups, but in order to do so, they first had to "state their case" to the assistant director as to why it was really an emergency.

When the extra was on their way back to set after using the bathroom, we're told they grabbed a cup of water and an assistant director said to them, "Why are you drinking more water? So you have to go pee again?"

We're told another A.D. was overheard saying, "I've never had to go to the bathroom this much. What do they even do in there? Cause they definitely aren't using them."

With the shoot tentatively scheduled for 5 weeks, there's a lot of money and regular work on the table for extras during a normally slow period in Hollywood, which is why some don't want to ruffle any feathers over bathroom breaks.

We've learned SAG received a complaint about a break time violation and they investigated and spoke to production. We're told production's been cooperative and SAG will continue to follow up and monitor the set.

"Joker: Folie à Deux" is set to be released in 2024 ... and it's starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. Filming began in December.

It's the second time there have been bathroom issues on a "Joker" movie set ... as we first told you, during filming for the first movie back in 2018, extras were locked in a Brooklyn subway car for more than 3 hours and started peeing on the tracks.

Megan Fox is hinting she broke up with Machine Gun Kelly ... because it's hard to think of another scenario based on the song she referenced.

In a since-deleted post/account Sunday, Megan wrote, "You can taste the dishonesty it’s all over your breath" ... and it appears she's burning something.

As you know, Megan's quote is from Beyonce's song, "Pray You Catch Me," which is featured on her Lemonade album. As you know, the 2016 album is all about Jay-Z cheating on her.

Megan unfollowed everyone except 3 folks ... Timothee Chalamet, Harry Styles, and Eminem. Em is significant because he's heavy into beef with MGK.

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly got engaged in January 2022. She's also appeared in his music video for "My Bloody Valentine."

The two have been inseparable for a while now, but based on the post, that may all be history.

Idris Elba is clearing up what he meant when he recently said he no longer calls himself a Black actor -- this after much debate online -- by now saying, my job ain't about race.

The actor's original quote showed up in an interview he did with Esquire magazine this past week, in which he said ... "I stopped describing myself as a Black actor when I realized it put me in a box."

IE added at the time, "As humans, we are obsessed with race. And that obsession can really hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth. Racism should be a topic for discussion, sure. Racism is very real. But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be. We’ve got to grow. We’ve got to. Our skin is no more than that: It’s just skin."

His answer here sparked a lot of discourse, as many felt this was a controversial take ... seeing how it's in the same vein as what Morgan Freeman once said about Black History Month and racism -- namely, the best way to get rid of it was to stop talking about it.

Welp, Idris heard all the chatter ... and decided to set the record straight on how he feels about his Black heritage. On Saturday, he wrote ... "There isn't a soul on this earth that can question whether I consider myself a BLACK MAN or not. Being an 'actor' is a profession, like being an 'architect' ,they are not defined by race."

He added, "However, If YOU define your work by your race, that is your Perogative. Ah lie?"

In other words, Idris is saying that he finds it counterproductive to describe everything a Black person does -- especially as it pertains to work -- with a racial qualifier. Good of him to clarify, because -- for a minute there -- there were some who felt he was falling into the O.J. Simpson category.

George Lopez is getting dragged through the coals for what some say is him acting like a gate-keeping elitist in standup comedy -- this after kinda putting down a fellow Latino comic.

The legendary funny man was on a podcast this past week for the All Things Comedy network -- chatting with Steve Treviño and others ... and they were talking about George's legacy, especially as it pertains to paving the path for other Hispanic comedians.

Trevino said it was incumbent on the OGs of the biz -- like George -- to pass down the knowledge and assist up-and-comers in breaking through ... but GL disagreed on the way to go about that. He acknowledged he hadn't always been the most helpful, but noted he had shown the way ... arguing it was on others to chart their own path, the way he has.

Trevino pushed back, invoking Ralph Barbosa -- a young guy who's blowing up right now in standup -- and George almost immediately took issue with his name being mentioned.

George asked why Trevino was bringing RB up, suggesting he wasn't famous/worthy of getting roped into the convo. He then asked the room if it was messed up he was saying that ... but in the end, he stood his ground in writing Barbosa off as a relative nobody.

His takeaway point was ... look out for yourself. It would seem, in his mind, that means not talking about other comics or giving them a plug of any kind -- something Paul Rodriguez has alluded to when it comes to what he says is George's track record on this sort of thing.

A resurfaced clip of Paul telling a story about George is now making the rounds in the wake of this Barbosa snub ... and it paints an interesting picture. It would seem that even among George's contemporaries ... he's got a bad rep for not extending a helping hand to Latinos.

George would likely disagree with that characterization -- but he's also pretty clear in how he thinks he can best serve people, including Hispanics. A bootstrap approach, no doubt.

As for Ralph ... he's responded to all the chatter this has spawned, and a clip he reposted is quite telling. It's a scene from the movie 'Blood In, Blood Out' -- where Benjamin Bratt is getting grilled by his relative for turning his back on his own people.

Sam Smith and Kim Petras have pissed off lots of viewers who filed complaints with CBS and the FCC over their "Unholy" Grammys performance.

TMZ has obtained 18 complaints filed with the Federal Communications Commission  ... and the flashpoint is Satan.

Many claimed the performance was textbook devil worship and were appalled by the imagery shown on TV ... with one adding, "I will be canceling my television service due to this." Seems a little extreme.

Some called the performance anti-Christian. One viewer postulated the song had the potential to "increase violence against Christians." Some took offense to the BDSM and adult images.

And there's more ... "It was wrought with evil imagery, and depicted DEVIL WORSHIPING ACOLYTES writhing around on the floor virtually naked, and in CAGES. It was broadcast on live television, and I cannot believe that CBS allowed it."

One parent was furious ... "The performance of Sam Smith had people being whipped and in a cage. My 15 year old son who is an aspiring musician was traumatized by it."

Politicians even got in the act, with Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene finding the whole thing "evil" and "demonic."

PGA Tour star Tony Finau ain't too proud to admit it -- he misses some of his golfing pals who defected to LIV ... telling TMZ Sports he hasn't been able to see his buddies in a long time due to the creation of the new league.

Finau told us he used to be super close with guys like Carlos Ortiz, Abraham Ancer and Brooks Koepka ... but when they all left the Tour, it put a serious strain on their friendships.

"Man," he said out in Arizona this week, "I haven't seen them in literally like a year."

He added that it all sucks.

Of course, Finau's had his opportunities to head over to LIV and join his bros ... but he's been against it.

The 33-year-old has said in the past he'd rather stay on the Tour and compete there for glory ... as opposed to chasing money in the Saudi-backed LIV.

Jeffree Star has finally revealed his "NFL Boo" ... and it's veteran offensive lineman Taylor Lewan ... but despite teasing a romantic relationship, it appears to be strictly business.

The cosmetic mogul has been teasing fans, and upsetting NFL wives and girlfriends, since the season ended ... hinting at a romance with a pro football player ... but ultimately, it's just been promotion for a podcast.

Jeffree and Taylor made the big reveal Friday, two days before the Super Bowl ... and Jeffree hopped on Taylor's podcast, "Bussin With The Boys," which the Tennessee Titans star hosts with former NFL player Will Compton.

In late January, after 28 of the 32 NFL teams had finished the season, Jeffree began making it look like he was seeing an NFL player ... first posting a picture holding someone's hand on a private jet and hinting he was off to Wyoming with his "#NFL boo."

The mystery continued a few days later, when Jeffree posted another picture concealing the man's identity, along with the caption ... "His team didn't make it to the #SuperBowl but he's 6'6 and plays perfect in the bedroom❤️."

Justin Bieber and Kodak Black are being dragged to court over a shooting that occurred following Justin's concert after-party during last year's Super Bowl weekend ... two men who claim they were struck by bullets are suing.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Mark Schaefer and Adam Rahman say they were shot and severely injured in the February 2022 shooting outside The Nice Guy in L.A. ... and they're blaming Justin, Kodak and the venue.

TMZ broke the story ... three people, including Kodak, were shot outside the party... and Kodak's camp says when he was leaving the venue someone in his crew got jumped by an unidentified assailant, with the rapper throwing himself into the mix to help his pal out before shots rang out.

In the docs, the alleged victims claim Kodak was a major catalyst in the shooting ... they say he was trying to cause harm and escalate the situation and they're laying the blame for the shooting squarely on his shoulders.

What's more, the alleged victims claim security at the venue was lax ... they say the security guards who were hired couldn't handle the job, and the venue, promoters and performers, therefore, bear some responsibility, too.

The alleged victims are going after Kodak, Justin, The Nice Guy, The Hwood Group and Revolve Group, plus the City of Los Angeles, the City of West Hollywood and Los Angeles County for damages ... and they're being repped by Gloria Allred.

Kodak's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... "I have seen a lot of bad complaints in my day. This is the most poorly drafted complaint I have seen in 26 years. I expect Kodak to be dismissed from this suit fairly quickly."

Cohen continues ... "There is zero specificity in the complaint and Ms. Allred groups the defendants all together instead of making specific allegations against each. It's law school 101. I am embarrassed for Ms. Allred that she actually signed her name to that complaint."