Controversial S#!T

Don Lemon is on thin ice at CNN -- although he's being welcomed back for now, TMZ has learned he's a strike away from getting the boot permanently, and he knows it.

Sources with direct knowledge about Don's situation tell us ... when the veteran anchor spoke with upper management this week to discuss his sexist comments and the path forward, he was told this was his final warning on such antics.

We're told it was communicated to Don in no uncertain terms ... the next time he insults his cohosts or creates a toxic environment (on or off-air) will be his last with the network.

Of course, we know Don agreed to these terms in addition to signing off on participating in formal training of some sort. The guy's set to return to his job Wednesday, so he's up to speed on all this.

It's interesting Don was given this ultimatum, especially since we've heard from people in his world that he's not happy at CNN -- not at all -- so the uneasiness is mutual.

As for why Don was given such a short leash -- well, the fact is ... he's pretty polarizing. DL's racked up negative headlines (for one reason or another) in recent years, and not just from criticism from people on the right.

There's another factor here too that must be on the minds of CNN Worldwide CEO Chris Licht and co. ... ratings. Not only were Don's numbers for his former primetime slot not strong enough to warrant him sticking around there ... ratings on his new gig have tanked.

Plus, we're hearing staffers at CNN are still on edge over Thursday's incident ... with one source saying the anger is real and hasn't died down. It's truly become a distraction.

One of the descendants of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is blasting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for suggesting red and blue states separate ... telling us her idea is "nothing short of treason."

Reverend Robert W. Lee IV, a collateral descendant of General Lee, tells TMZ ... by calling for a "national divorce," MTG is acting no better than the Confederates who fought against the Union during the Civil War.

MTG tweeted out the idea Monday, calling for Democratic and Republican voting states to split. While she didn't use the word secession, that's exactly what she's calling for ... and she claims everyone she talks to agrees.

While advocating for the creation of 2 separate governments, she also calls for the federal government to shrink.

Robert admits his ancestor, General Lee, would be totally on board with MTG's suggestion, but adds that's nothing to celebrate. Instead, he says the Congresswoman from Georgia is outing herself as a traitor, and he'd like to see more politicians condemn her statement.

Remember, Rev. Lee famously denounced racism and white supremacy at the 2017 MTV VMAs ... and he's been outspoken about taking down statues of Gen. Lee.

Don Lemon returned to his CNN morning gig Wednesday and, if you tuned in to see some fireworks on set or an apology from the anchor, you were very disappointed.

Instead, Lemon tweeted an apology about 30 minutes before appearing on CNN This Morning, nearly a week after he made sexist on-air remarks.

Lemon tweeted, "I appreciate the opportunity to be back on @CNNThisMorning today. To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I’m sorry. “I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better. See you soon."

Then Lemon opened the show with a rather dull segment alongside cohost Poppy Harlow in the studio while Kaitlan Collins was reporting from Warsaw, Poland, where she's covering President Biden.

Don commented on Biden's speech about Kyiv standing strong one year after Ukraine was invaded by Russia. He turned to Harlow and said, "Very powerful speech from the President."

Harlow responded, "Very powerful and juxtaposed to what we heard from Putin in the morning," referring to the Russian President's speech in opposition to Biden's.

Harlow then turned to Lemon and cheerfully added, "What a day. Good morning everyone, Don and I are here in New York. And Kaitlin is live again in Warsaw Poland."

There was no mention of Don's sexist on-air remarks from last week -- nor was there an on-air apology from Lemon. It seemed like they were playing the role of a happy family on set or, at least, that's how the hosts were trying to portray it.

But, behind the scenes, there's much tension. As we reported ... Don is one strike away from being canned by the network. Our sources say if he screws up again, he's out!

We're told senior CNN executives gave the final warning to Don when they spoke to him this week. Don might not be so sad if he leaves. We're told he's not happy at CNN anyway.

And last week's debacle only ratcheted up the tensions. As you know, Lemon made sexist comments on air about 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley calling her past her prime at 51.

Boston sports radio host Tony Massarotti made a racially insensitive joke on air about two Black men on Friday ... and on Monday, he apologized for it, calling the comments "insensitive" and "hurtful."

Massarotti, a former sportswriter for The Boston Herald and The Boston Globe, was on the mic for his "Felger & Mazz" show on 98.5 The Sports Hub when he asked his cohost, Michael Felger, who was doing the show remotely, about two Black guys sitting behind him.

"I wanna know now who the two guys behind you are," Massarotti asked Felger, who was doing the show from a New Orleans hotel, according to WCVB.

"They can't hear us, right? Okay, so I would be careful if I were you. Because the last time you were around a couple of guys like that, they stole your car."

Massarotti said he was attempting to "poke fun" at Felger -- who reportedly had his car stolen in New Orleans in the fall -- but admits his remarks "hurt the cause" for people who believe in racial and social equality.

"Late in the show on Friday, I made some comments that angered and upset some people, and rightfully so," Massarotti said. "I wish I could take them back. I can't."

"So I owe everyone an apology. It's not who I am. It's not who we are. I can tell you that until I'm blue in the face -- those of you who know me will believe it."

Tony also said his comments came off as "ignorant" and he was regretful for that. He also apologized to his cohosts for dragging them into the controversy.

So far, no punishment for Massarotti has been revealed by 98.5 The Sports Hub.

LeSean McCoy believes Eric Bieniemy's race is "absolutely not" the reason the NFL offensive coordinator is being passed over repeatedly for head coaching jobs ... explaining Monday he thinks, simply, the guy just isn't good enough for the gigs.

The former star running back -- who played under Bieniemy for one season in Kansas City in 2019 -- laid out his argument on FS1's "Speak" ... saying during his time with the coach, he didn't see much that would suggest he could be a successful head man.

Shady said while he was in K.C., Andy Reid ran the offense in almost every single way. He then claimed Bieniemy had "nothing to do with the pass game at all."

"What's his value?" McCoy asked of Bieniemy. "What makes him a good coordinator?"

Of course, many have believed the exact opposite of Shady -- saying Bieniemy did more than enough in his five years as Patrick Mahomes' offensive coordinator to prove he deserves an HC role. Some have insisted he's only been passed over because he's Black.

But, Shady shot that notion down after his co-host Emmanuel Acho asked about it on the show.

"People want to win," McCoy said. "The color thing, I get it. There should be more Black coaches. I definitely believe that ... They want to win. It has nothing to do with the color barrier at all."

It didn't take long for former Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles to rush in to defend Bieniemy, saying on Twitter he vehemently disagreed with McCoy.

"I learned so many thing for EB and I still keep in contact with him," Charlies said in a tweet, "a great husband and father. He deserves to be a head coach."

Even though McCoy was critical of Bieniemy, who just left Kansas City this month for a new role as the Commanders' offensive coordinator, he did say he's still rooting for his former coach.

Master P doesn't have time to entertain past artists' gripes, and he's kinda serious about proposing a law to make it illegal for them to dredge up complaints about old contracts.

P vented his feelings about this on a podcast, and quickly grew angry recalling how some artists defected from his management ... only to diss him 10, 15, or 20 years down the line!!!

The No Limit Records CEO was responding to D.C. rapper Fat Trel's recent interview where he claimed P strung him along several years ago, while supposedly helping him break into acting -- but he claims P never got him a single movie script to even read.

Trel said he was aiming to land a role in a sequel to the hood classic, "Menace II Society."  Master P tells it differently ... he explained to "The Gauds Show" the movie was like a "Menace II Society," but production kept getting derailed because the lead actor, Gucci Mane, kept getting incarcerated at the time.

P compared unhappy artists to disgruntled baby mamas, and wants a 7-year statute of limitations placed on all the bad mouthing!!!

Interesting idea ... except for the whole freedom of speech thing in the Constitution. Master P, and other moguls, will just have to cope.

Don Lemon will return to his anchor's chair at CNN after his sexist on-air remarks ... but there's a string attached, and our sources say this may not be the end of it.

Lemon sat down with CNN Worldwide CEO, Chris Licht, and the two had a "frank and meaningful conversation," according to an internal email Licht sent to CNN staffers on Monday. During their chat, Lemon agreed to participate in formal training, but Licht didn't specify what type.

Licht continued, "It is important to me that CNN balances accountability with a fostering culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes. To that end, Don will return to 'CNN This Morning' on Wednesday."

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Don has not been happy for awhile at CNN, and that's been clear to management and others.  As one source put it, "He's not a happy camper, so who knows how long he stays?"

As you know, Lemon put his foot in his mouth last Thursday when he made sexist comments on air about 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, calling her past her prime at 51. Don was reacting to Haley's earlier remarks that politicians who are over 75 should get mental competency tests.

Lemon said, "Nikki Haley isn't in her prime. Sorry. A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s, and maybe 40s." "That's not according to me" "Look it up. if you Google 'when is a woman in her prime' it'll say 20s, 30s, and 40s."

His female cohosts, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, looked stunned and offended. Harlow asked Lemon to clarify if he meant prime for childbearing.  Don nervously responded, "Don't shoot the messenger. I'm just saying what the facts are. Google it."

Lemon didn't stop there, stating, "Nikki Haley should be careful about saying that politicians are not in their prime ... and they need to be in their prime when they serve because she wouldn't be in her prime according to... Google or whatever it is."

Things quickly went downhill for Lemon. Don made several apologies -- including one where he called into a morning staff meeting -- but they weren't well received.

J.K. Rowling isn't going to her grave anxiously thinking about how the world will remember her after being labeled transphobic -- on the contrary, she says she doesn't give a hoot.

The famed 'Harry Potter' author -- who's been mired in controversy these past 3 years for what some consider bigoted comments about transgender people -- made her position clear as day in a new podcast, "The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling."

In episode one, J.K. talks about her legacy ... one she says she won't be concerned about after she's gone. The reason she gives is pretty frank -- she says, "I'll be dead."

Rather than stress about how society will judge her in death, JKR says she's more interested in the right now and living life while she can. She says the notion of trying to please everybody and be beloved in the history books is a pompous way to carry on, and she won't do it.

She's gotten headlines again recently in the wake of the release of a new 'Harry Potter' game, which features trans characters ... seemingly flying in the face of opinions she's so tightly embraced -- that transwomen are not actually women and vice versa.

Despite making this POV clear and not backing down, J.K. has also said people are misunderstanding her intentions -- especially as it relates to any perceived malice.

Of course, that tends to fall on deaf ears a lot -- especially on Twitter. Rowling continues to be branded a "TERF" (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) and a bigot ... and has even had some of the 'HP' cast turn their backs on her as well.

Don Lemon seems to be trying to push himself out of the limelight amid all the anger pointed his way ... because TMZ has learned he's backed out of an upcoming event he was set to moderate.

Don was scheduled to host an event in NYC Tuesday, all about race and real estate in honor of Black History Month.

TMZ has learned Don stepped away from the gig ... making the decision not long after facing serious backlash for last week's misogynistic comments about Nikki Haley.

We're told Don was worried about his current news coverage overtaking the event, and our sources tell us event coordinators at Douglas Elliman agreed ... so he bowed out.

We've learned he's been replaced by real estate broker John Gomes, who works for Elliman -- the event will go on as scheduled.

As you know, Don was dragged after categorizing a woman's "prime" based on her age in regards to Nikki -- not only being met with anger online, but echoed by cohost Poppy Harlow.

Avril Lavigne and Tyga have been getting really comfortable around each other ... evidenced in new pics after they shared a meal at one of L.A.'s most famous celeb hot spots.

Tyga, Avril and a few others grabbed dinner at NOBU Sunday night, where we're told they seemed to be hitting it off. The two hugged it out after dinner in the parking lot, as if to say goodbye, but then left together in the same car.

We've spoken to sources close to both Avril and Tyga who say they've been hanging out together a lot lately ... though it's unclear if things are at all romantic.

It's well known Avril and Mod Sun got engaged in March 2022 while in Paris ... the two dated for about a year before he proposed.

Mod's new album "God Save The Teen" features several songs dedicated to Avril, including one titled "Avril's Song" with the lyrics, "She blew me a kiss, And I didn't wanna blow my brains out anymore. And she is everything I'm not. Without her, I am lost."

Meyers Leonard is back ... the NBA center is signing a contract with the Milwaukee Bucks -- almost two years after he said an antisemitic slur during a video game live stream.

The 7-foot big man will be joining Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on a 10-day deal, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday -- marking the first time Leonard will be on a roster since 2021.

Remember, the former Miami Heat player was suspended indefinitely after he made the offensive comment while playing "Call of Duty: Warzone" on Twitch in March 2021.

The NBA launched an investigation ... which ultimately led to a $50k fine and an additional suspension.

The Heat traded the 30-year-old to the Oklahoma City Thunder a few days after the incident -- but he was later released. He was also banned from the Twitch platform.

Leonard -- the 11th overall pick out of the 2012 NBA draft -- worked with several Jewish organizations to fight antisemitism while away from the NBA hardwood -- and told us back in Oct. 2021 that he had learned a ton, and was remorseful for his actions.

Don Lemon's absence from the "CNN This Morning" desk nearly got lost in the sauce at the top of the show Monday ... which could be additional writing on the wall for his time at the network.

Poppy Harlow -- who may or may not be in her "prime," according to Don -- opened the show with Sara Sidner sitting next to her and ran down the big breaking story about President Biden's surprise visit to Ukraine.

Sandwiched between that news and announcing her other cohost, Katilin Collins, being in Poland ... Poppy said, "Don has the day off."

It was literally one second and if you weren't looking for it, you'd surely miss it. Obviously, the honchos at CNN didn't want to make a big deal about the late decision for Lemon to sit out Monday's broadcast ... on the heels of his misogynist comment last Thursday about Nikki Haley.

Now, Don also had Friday off -- that was scheduled prior to the Haley remark -- and he spent it lounging on a Miami beach ... seemingly not having a care in the world.

But, as we reported, his Monday absence was not pre-scheduled, and staffers found out in a memo circulated this weekend about the 'This Morning' lineup switch.

It's unclear if Don's skipping today was his decision or his bosses'. No one's spilling that tea just yet ... as the fallout continues from Lemon saying Haley was "not in her prime" at the age of 51 -- because, as he put it, Google says a woman's prime is in her 20s, 30s, "and maybe 40s."

Former UFC star Nate Marquardt is in the crosshairs of the LGBTQ community ... after he tweeted an anti-gay response to a commercial that showed two men kissing.

The 43-year-old, who famously knocked out Tyron Woodley in a 2012 fight, fired off the offensive comments after he said he saw the ad while watching ESPN+.

In his tweet, he said the commercial was "disgusting" and that he had to tell his kids "look away so they don't see two men kissing."

The former fighter, a devout Christian, added a throwing up emoji.

Immediately, the ex-Strikeforce Welterweight Champion was panned by fans for the remarks ... but he doubled down on his stance in further tweets.

As of Monday afternoon, the posts were still up on his social media page.

Don Lemon will not be on the air to start the new week -- and his future at CNN seems a little uncertain too in the wake of his sexist comment ... this according to new reports.

Per the Daily Beast -- which cited insiders with knowledge of the situation -- Lemon will miss Monday's show for 'CNN This Morning' ... and will simply enjoy the holiday, President's Day. It's being reported that his upcoming absence was not planned prior to Thursday.

Rather than Don there, the two anchors that'll be holding it down are Poppy Harlow and Sara Sidner ... with Kaitlin Collins, another regular co-host, being stationed in Poland for coverage. Monday's on-air lineup was sent out to CNN staffers this weekend, so says DB.

That's not all ... according to the outlet, DL's position at CNN is apparently up in the air at this point -- with one of the cited insiders saying his time there is being discussed at the highest levels, while also adding ... "He is a constant distraction."

Another report by FOX News cites yet another CNN source, who says Lemon should return by Tuesday, but not even that is guaranteed ... because, apparently, it'll depend on "where his head is at." It's also unclear if this a straight up suspension, or if it's on Don's terms.

In any case, it sounds like there might be changes in the near future. We'd already reported that Don hopped on a staff call Friday to apologize, but it did not go over too well on the receiving end ... with sources telling us many took it has him patting himself on the back.

CNN Worldwide CEO, Chris Licht, is also said to have been pissed about the Nikki Haley quip, reportedly saying ... "His remarks were upsetting, unacceptable, and unfair to his co-hosts, and ultimately a huge distraction to the great work of this organization."

James Gunn just dropped another truth bomb about how the 'Superman' fiasco came about -- and it sounds like Henry Cavill was kinda being used as a pawn ... or so it seems.

Here's the deal ... the new co-chief of DC Studios responded to fans Sunday who inquired about an IG Story he threw up over the weekend, which touched on when exactly he'd been hired to start working on new DCU flicks -- including a big priority, 'Superman: Legacy.'

In his IG Story, Gunn clarified that while one film he's in charge of has already gone into pre-production -- 'Creature Commandos' -- both that movie and his 'Superman' project had actually been getting worked on quietly behind the scenes before he and Peter Safran were officially hired, which was on Oct. 25 ... a day after Cavill said he was "back" as Supes.

He further confirmed in follow-up tweets -- noting he'd been hired to write 'Superman: Legacy' over SIX MONTHS ago and that his movie was always going to be separate from Zack Snyder's version of the character ... the same one Cavill briefly thought he was reprising.

The bottom line is this ... James is saying he already had the green light to start charting a path for a whole new Superman storyline, but it doesn't appear Cavill was aware of that.

According to him, he was told by the WBD to announce he was officially returning to the role ... even though it now seems clear Warner had no real intentions of pursuing that -- evidenced by the hiring of Gunn/Safran as co-bosses, and their decision to give HC the boot.

In other words, Cavill appears to have been getting jerked around. As for who's to blame ... well, hard to say. There've been so many changes at WB over the past 2 years -- with execs coming/going -- it's not really clear if Cavill was totally misled (and by whom). Alternatively, there might've just been a miscommunication that led to the confusion/psych-out. 🤷🏽‍♂️

All we know, Henry probably ain't gonna be working with them again after this. His next few films are all with different studios -- and we don't see a water tower in his immediate future.

Mark Zuckerberg is going the way of Elon Musk -- and by that, we mean he's rolling out a similar subscription plan that'll allow people to be official and legit on his platforms.

The Meta honcho announced a new verification program that the social media company will be rolling out soon. He writes, "Good morning and new product announcement: this week we're starting to roll out Meta Verified -- a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support."

MZ adds, "This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services. Meta Verified starts at $11.99 / month on web or $14.99 / month on iOS. We'll be rolling out in Australia and New Zealand this week and more countries soon."

For those worried that Facebook/Instagram would fall into the same problem Twitter has suffered since the launch of Twitter Blue -- i.e., fake accounts and impersonators -- Meta says it's already considered that ... and will take active steps to combat imposters and jokesters.

For starters, they're saying they're going to make people submit government IDs to help match them up to their own profile before handing out any blue checkmarks to the normies. Meta also says they'll be actively monitoring for BS accounts that might spring up.

As for all the public figures who were verified before ... Mark and co. say they're going to leave them be with their already-established verified status -- unlike Elon, who says he'll phase out legacy blue checks (regardless of who they are) and make people pay $8.