Controversial S#!T

D.L. Hughley is pushing back against folks who say Chris Rock deserved to be slapped by Will Smith for making fun of Jada Pinkett Smith ... he finds the narrative extremely ironic.

The comedian ripped into The Root's Candace McDuffie, who went on CNN and claimed Chris had it coming after years of targeting Black women with his jokes, saying she's got it all twisted.

D.L. says Chris isn't punching down on marginalized women, as Candace believes, but rather making fun of celebs who put their business out in the streets ... he says it's all fair game.

The irony for D.L. ... Candace thinking the violent slap was justified while a comedic response goes too far, and everyone's allowed an opinion except for the man who actually got smacked in the face on live TV.

Lukas Gage has made quite a name for himself in Hollywood -- carving out a career that, oftentimes, includes him playing LGBTQ+ characters ... even though he won't self-identify.

The actor recently did an interview with NYT, where he was asked about backlash he's received over the years from people and critics who say he's stealing opportunities from others who are actually in the LGBT community -- while playing coy about his own sexuality.

The interviewer referenced a moment last year where he responded to someone on Twitter accusing him of exactly that, to which he replied at the time ... "u don't know my alphabet."

In response to pressure about labeling himself now and going forward, Lukas says he gets it from all ends, explaining ... "All the time. An agent that dropped me was like, 'Stop dyeing your hair, stop wearing weird clothes and pick a lane: gay, bi or straight. It’s too confusing.'"

He adds, "I understand representation and voices that need to be heard, but I don’t want to do anything on anyone’s accord but my own. Let me do it when I’m ready. And it’s acting. I feel like everyone should get the opportunity to play whatever they want."

LG has portrayed LGBTQ+ characters and/or LGBT-adjacent in shows like 'White Lotus,' 'You,' 'Euphoria,' 'Love, Victor' and in movies like 'Down Low.' The dude has bared it all too on camera, including one from 'WL' where he stripped down for a racy gay sex scene.

Amid all the speculation on where he lands, he's also been rumored to have been romantically involved with some famous dudes in Hollywood ... but he hasn't confirmed anything on the record thus far ... just leaving it to speculation.

Jimmy Kimmel's hosting the Oscars again tonight, and a year out from the infamous slap ... the dude has been talking a lot about it, kinda turning the moment into a punchline.

The late night funny man has been doing a ton of press in the weeks leading up to the big gig -- his third such time handling MC duties for Hollywood's biggest show -- and yes ... he's been asked repeatedly about Will Smith smacking Chris Rock, and how he'll address it.

Here's a few quotes of JK's from the past couple weeks or so. When asked by THR what he would do if someone tries to pull a copycat and slap him, Kimmel said ... "If I’m bigger than they are, I beat the s*** out of them on television. And if it’s The Rock, I run."

A few days ago, as preparations were underway, Kimmel made another joke about carnage ...  with reference to the color of this year's walkup. He said, "People have been asking, 'Is there going to be any trouble this year? Is there going to be any violence this year?'"

He adds, "We certainly hope not. But if there is, I think the decision to go with a champagne carpet over a red carpet shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed."

In other words, he's been swearing off the brutality by teasing the possibility of more, albeit in jest. On the issue of actually talking about it in his monologue, Jimmy says he'll do it.

He's said in interviews that he's going to "squeeze just a couple more drops out of it" and give a take that he thinks no one has heard yet. Kimmel did note he doesn't plan on talking about it at length but says it's the elephant in the room and that it must be addressed.

As for the whole crisis team thing -- namely, AMPAS hiring a bunch of people to "deal" with any craziness that might go on -- JK says he isn't privy to it ... and knows nothing of the logistics of what they have planned or how they would implement him if things go south.

It's interesting that Jimmy's been making light of the slap as much as he has, and will presumably do so again come 5 PM. Ya gotta figure ABC and the Academy have signed off on it all ... they're the producers and showrunners of this thing, and they call the shots.

Neve Campbell skipped out on the latest 'Scream' movie due to money negotiations -- but the studio's decision to move on seems to have paid off regardless ... big time, in fact.

'Scream 6,' which just hit theaters Friday, smashed through an opening weekend box office record that the films before it had set ... raking in about $44.5 million domestically through Sunday, which blows out the previous benchmark set by 'Scream 2' years ago -- $32 mil.

Last year's "Scream V" came close to touching that, with about $30 mil through 3 days of a 4-day holiday weekend ... but this new figure is by and far the best any of these movies have ever done. Paramount's gotta be happy -- it only cost $35M to make this latest slasher.

Interestingly ... they achieved this without Neve, which was a gamble. Fact is, she's been the face of the 'Scream' franchise since the start ... and her decision to exit last year was controversial. She claimed Paramount wouldn't pay her what she thought she was worth.

At the time, Neve was quoted as saying ... "As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to 'Scream.' I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise. It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my 'Scream' fans, I love you." Yeah ... scathing.

And yet ... her former costar, Courteney Cox, did take the money and sign on again -- reprising her role as Gale Weathers, and referencing NC's character, Sidney, in passing.

David Arquette -- another longtime fan fave, who was killed off in the last movie -- has actually been somewhat promoting "Scream VI" on IG -- but Neve hasn't uttered a peep about it ... focusing instead on other projects she's working on, including more horror stuff.

Funny enough, legacy characters (like Neve's) are actually alluded to in the new installment (yes, we've seen it). Ghostface, at one point, talks about how nobody cares about long-standing heroes from decades past ... and that the "rules" of re-quels have totally changed.

It would appear that sentiment held true in offscreen in real life as well, especially with a solid new young cast that everyone likes -- Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, etc. Oh, and Ghostface himself ... he's kinda the one who gets asses in seats ... or so it seems, anyway.

The Lufthansa flight from hell might never have become public if the airline had its way ... this according to a new report.

A passenger named Rolanda Schmidt told Insider ... when the plane plunged nearly 4,000 feet in extreme turbulence -- turning dinner service into what looked like a fraternity food fight -- a flight attendant got on the PA and asked everyone on the plane to delete photos and videos of the chaotic scene. The flight attendant allegedly made the request twice.

Schmidt said she and others were incredulous ...“I think we were all just like, ‘What?!'”

During the second announcement, the flight attendant reportedly said she was making the request to protect the privacy of those on board.

Schmidt says she's dealing with a concussion, a bruised arm and a possible fractured hip as a result of the 4,000 foot plunge.

Obviously, the flight attendant's request didn't take, and the images of the passenger cabin have littered the internet.

One of the passengers was Matthew McConaughey's wife, Camila Alves, who posted video with the caption, “To respect the privacy of those around me that’s all I am showing but the plane was a CHAOS And the turbulence keep on coming.”

Tiger Woods has fired back at his ex-gf, disputing her claim he had an oral agreement to let her live in his house and essentially support her for years ... in what is shaping up to be a hyper-nasty $30 million lawsuit.

Tiger's lawyers are challenging Erica Herman, who claimed in her lawsuit Tiger promised to support her and let her live in his house for at least 5 more years in return for services (she did not specify) -- this before he broke up with her a few months back.

According to legal docs, Tiger's lawyers said (BTW the house is partly owned by a trust)  ... "During their relationship, Mr. Woods invited Ms. Herman to live with him as his guest in the Residence. Mr. Woods never negotiated an oral tenancy agreement with Ms. Herman. Nor was there ever a written tenancy agreement between Mr. Woods or the Trust, on the one hand, and Ms. Herman, on the other hand. Mr. Woods never transferred to Ms. Herman any ownership interest in or rights of possession to the Residence."

Herman claimed in her lawsuit ... Tiger's people convinced her to pack a suitcase back in the fall for a "short vacation" -- without Tiger -- and drove her to the airport. Upon their arrival at the airport, Herman claims she was told the locks to the house were changed and she was out.

Tiger's lawyers claim the golfing legend did not throw Erica out in the cold ... rather, they say Tiger put her up in a luxury resort and gave her enough money for a new residence.

"SNL" eviscerated the Oscars Saturday night .... with a fantasy awards show that is absolutely hilarious!!!

The enforcer against a Will Smith redo is none other than Mike Tyson, played spectacularly by Kenan Thompson, who said, “I should warn you, the following things will set me off: clapping, statutes of gold people, shows that last more than three hours, and also hearing the phrase ‘the magic of movies.’”

Jamie Lee Curtis, who wore a dress right off the Costco rack, is equally funny.

But the best ... Tom Cruise showed up at the Oscars.  Well, it's actually Rep. George Santos, who slyly passed himself off as "Tom Q Cruise."

Ryan Garcia tells TMZ Sports Jake Paul would probably get "beat up" by Floyd Mayweather if the two ever got in the ring ... but he did put at least some respect on the YouTuber-turned-boxer's game -- saying he believes the tilt would at least go the distance.

A potential Paul vs. Mayweather fight appears to be in the works ... after the guys got into a heated back-and-forth outside of the Miami Heat game on Wednesday night.

So, when we got Garcia out promoting his upcoming match with Gervonta Davis out in LA this week -- we had to ask ... who'd win if the fight went down?

Garcia made it clear that despite his friendship with Jake, his money is on Floyd ... "but, guess what," he said, "Jake won't get knocked out."

His explanation for why was simple ... Mayweather couldn't KO Jake's big bro, Logan, in their exhibition match back in June 2021 -- and he obviously believes Jake's a better fighter.

As for the meetup in the streets this week ... Garcia called out Floyd for it all, saying it wasn't "right" to confront Paul with a huge entourage.

But, Garcia told us he isn't too worried about that matchup ... saying his focus is solely on Davis -- who he'll take on next month after years of smack talk.

Silicon Valley Bank collapsed this week, forcing the feds to step in and take over -- which is now having a ripple effect across the country ... and manifesting in a lot of fear nationwide.

ICYMI ... the FDIC took over SVB's operations Friday due to mass withdrawals that were happening among their many clients -- this after just about everyone got spooked by word of them trying to shore up more capital amid concerning investments (mortgage-backed securities and whatnot) that they'd made of late, which are starting to backfire/come due.

As a result, folks started to yank their cash out of the bank all at once ... which translates to a good old-fashioned bank run -- like the ones we saw during the Great Depression.

Some photos/video are starting to circulate on the internet, and the lines forming outside of SVB branches -- especially in the Bay Area, where they're mostly headquartered -- are quite startling. People are obviously flocking to try and recoup their money, but it might be too late at this point ... once the FDIC gets involved, a queue is formed -- and there's only a handful of guarantees they can make under federal law. The key figure, of course, is $250k.

The FDIC insures up to $250,000 for any given depositor in federally protected banks -- anything more than that isn't promised back though ... and reports indicate much of SVB's clientele -- typically steeped in the tech startup world, who often have boatloads of assets deposited -- might have way more than just that ... which may be lost when the dust settles.

On top of this, there are now reports of Wells Fargo accounts freezing for people who are trying to withdraw and transfer funds. Bank of America is also getting swept up in this -- both are trending, with a lot of Twitter users suggesting everyone get their cash out ASAP.

WF cited a "technical issue" their customers might be experiencing, but are saying not to panic. BoA's been quiet so far, but it also doesn't sound like anything concrete has happened just yet in their court -- just speculation/forecasts of things to possibly come.

Bill Maher was more subtle than usual Friday night ... tipping his hat to evolutionary social change and asking everyone to chill if things aren't perfect RIGHT NOW.

The "Real Time" host used Oscars weekend to make his point -- that even in liberal Hollywood there's a learning curve on the scales of social justice.

He points to 1973, when Marlon Brando snagged the Oscar for "The Godfather" and sent a surrogate in his place to accept -- Sacheen Littlefeather, who got up onstage to talk about injustices against Native Americans. She was met with boos and even tomahawk chops from people in the audience.

Today, BM says, she'd clearly be met with cheers, not jeers ... and that, he says, is progress.

Bill then broadens out his point ... Reagan was late on AIDS, but he came around. Obama was late with gay marriage, but he too came around. And, Bill wishes, Biden or his successor will step up and advocate the legalization of weed.

Being late doesn't make people bad, Bill says. Progress tends to be evolutionary, but it happens.

Check out what he says about a very famous movie that was shot just a few years back -- populated by diehard liberals in Hollywood. If that movie were made today, they'd be skewered.

N.O.R.E.'s attempt to squash the beef between Fat Joe and ex-Terror Squad rapper Cuban Link resulted in Remy Ma laughing so hard, they had to scrub the entire scene from a "Drink Champs" episode!!!

The DC crew huddled up on a recent interview to discuss their decisions not to interview Cuban, Jae Hood and Reek Da Villain due to their long-running conflicts with Joe, The LOX and Busta Rhymes, respectively ... and Remy, being the 1st Lady of TS herself, confirmed that the beef was forever up!!!

In 2021, Cuban Link falsely accused Joe of snitching, which reignited their beef that's been festering since the mid-'00s, causing N.O.R.E. to speak out and admit he had no intentions of interviewing any artist who's against his friends.

N.O.R.E. also addressed his former Def Jam labelmate Keith Murray's recent claims that he was snubbed in person at the last Rock The Bells Festival.

According to N.O.R.E.'s recollection, he was running about 30 deep (thanks to Capone and Tragedy Khadafi's entourages) and didn't want to add to any confusion.

A Black couple's hoping their recent settlement of a lawsuit becomes a game changer in real estate -- one that forces appraisers to quit lowballing home values for Black and brown homeowners.

Paul Austin and Tenisha Tate-Austin made headlines a few years ago when an appraisal firm valued their Northern California at $995K. Feeling like that number was too low, they asked a white friend to pretend they lived in the house ... and suddenly, the appraisal came in at $1.48 million.

That $500k difference prompted the Austins to sue the appraisal firm for discrimination.

The couple joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to discuss their settlement in the case, for an undisclosed amount, and said their goal was always to hold folks accountable for what they saw as clear racial bias.

Paul and Tenisha pointed out POC have been cheated out of real estate wealth for generations ... largely due to systemic racism -- be it conscious or unconscious -- despite the fair housing law being passed in the '60s.

Going forward, they hope to be a cautionary tale for home appraisers -- letting the industry know there could be consequences for perpetuating these historical biases.

Little People of America is demanding an apology from Bill Walton after he said the m-word twice on air on Thursday night ... calling his use of the term both "deplorable and inexcusable."

The org. -- regarded as the largest dwarfism support group in the world -- blasted the college basketball commentator in a statement to TMZ Sports on Friday ... less than 24 hours after Walton said the derogatory term while broadcasting the USC vs. Arizona State game.

Walton said at halftime while trying to praise the arena's in-game host, "He does not need a little chair because he is a giant in a world full of shriveling m*****s."

He used the word again when turning his attention toward his broadcast partner, Dave Pasch -- who awkwardly laughed off the whole situation.

The org. says Walton should have known better -- saying "ignorance at this point is simply not an excuse" -- and now, they want him to say he's sorry.

"Those who use the term m***** or any terminology that further stigmatizes people born with dwarfism are asked to educate themselves to eradicate this word," LPA officials said.

"Little People of America is asking Bill Walton to issue an apology and vow to use appropriate terminology rooted in respect and dignity going forward."

LPA also took aim at Pasch -- saying he should have denounced Walton's use of the term live on air.

"We hope that in the future Dave Pasch will speak up against disparaging language in solidarity with our organization fighting for disability equity and justice."

Bill Walton may be the king of out-of-the-box analysis, but he crossed the line while calling a college hoops game on Thursday ... dropping a derogatory word for little people -- twice.

The Hall of Famer and broadcaster used the m-word when calling the Arizona State vs. USC matchup ... when he was attempting to show praise for the Pac-12 Tournament's in-game host.

"He does not need a little chair because he is a giant in a world full of shriveling m*****s," Walton said during halftime.

Walton then turned to his broadcast partner, Dave Pasch, and cracked a joke ... saying, "Speaking of shriveling m*****s, what is your name again?"

Pasch responded by asking, "What is wrong with you?" He then did his best to move on from the awkward interaction to talk about the game -- but Walton interrupted.

"I'm guilty of having fun in Las Vegas, fun with a purpose," the 6'11" former center said ... before finally getting back to talking about the contest.

Pasch is heard chuckling as Walton goes through his analysis ... and fires off a zinger of his own as the focus gets back to the game.

"I don't know what you consumed at halftime."

If you're unfamiliar, the m-word has been deemed a derogatory slur by the Little People of America, which has urged people to stop using the term.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones found himself in hot water as well recently ... after using the term on the first day of his team's training camp last year.

The LPA fired off a response to Jones at the time ... calling on the NFL legend to apologize. He later issued a statement saying he was sorry.

As for the tourney matchup -- ASU beat USC, 77-72.

Ja Morant was investigated by cops for assault after allegedly clashing with a high school student back in September ... TMZ Sports has learned -- but the NBA star was never charged over the incident.

According to a Germantown Police Dept. report, the interaction between the teenager and the Memphis Grizzlies point guard happened at Houston H.S. in Tennessee on Sept. 22 at around 7:10 PM.

In the docs, police say at an after-school volleyball game, Morant's sister -- who attends Houston H.S. -- got into a verbal argument with another student.

Witnesses on the scene, according to the docs, told officers both parties had called each other "bitch" -- prompting Ja's sister to contact Ja about it all.

A short time later, cops say Ja, Ja's mom and dad, Ja's baby daughter and "a group of" adult males all came into the gym together. According to the documents, most of the group -- excluding Ja's father -- went to confront the student in the stands at the game who had been quarreling with Ja's sister.

"Which one of ya'll called her a bitch?" Jamie Morant, Ja's mother, allegedly said.

Cops say in the docs they told Jamie she "can not come upstairs and confront the students and they did not need to make a scene at the school." But, officers say while they were talking, one of the men with Ja moved past police and walked toward students.

According to the report, witnesses on the scene said the man slapped a phone out of a student's hand who had been attempting to take a picture of Ja in the stands ... and then said, "I don't care about none of that, I will beat y'alls ass."

A witness later said that man "was about to pull a gun" -- though cops on the scene said in the documents they never observed a firearm during the incident.

Police say everyone eventually left the gym without further problems.

The next day, cops say the mother of the student who had been in the spat with Ja's sister wanted to press charges against all parties, including Ja, for intimidation and harassment. Cops say Jamie Morant also wanted to press charges against the student who had been in the tiff with her daughter for threats and intimidation.

Cops investigated Ja for simple assault, intimidation -- no physical contact, but no charges were ever filed.

The mother of the student, meanwhile, tells TMZ Sports her son was also investigated, but did not end up being charged either.

According to the police report, the Grizzlies' head of security -- ID'ed as Kevin Helms in the report -- came to the school to discuss the incident with authorities. Cops say Helms "was asked to give a verbal trespass warning to all parties per the request of the Principal."

We've reached out to the Grizzlies for comment on the situation, but so far, no word back yet.

The situation was one of at least three times in the last calendar year that Ja has been investigated by cops. In the summer, police probed into allegations that he roughed up a teenager during a pickup basketball game at his home. Earlier this week, cops looked into video he posted where he brandished a gun at a Denver-area nightclub. He was not charged in either incident.

Ja -- a 23-year-old, two-time All-Star who's considered one of the best young players in the NBA -- is currently away from the Grizzlies in wake of the gun video.