Controversial S#!T

Ja Morant is officially back with the Grizzlies following his gun video suspension ... and his head coach said if everything goes according to plan, the superstar will suit up for Memphis as early as Wednesday.

The 23-year-old, who had been away from the Grizz for nearly three weeks, was reunited with his teammates on Monday ... and Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins called it "a good first day back," adding Ja addressed his teammates and coaches upon his return.

Morant vowed to seek help following his latest controversy ... and the two-time All-Star kept his word when he checked into a counseling program in Florida.

Since leaving the program, Morant sounded like he's focused on putting the drama behind him -- telling Jalen Rose in a sit-down interview that the gun in that IG video did not belong to him.

"I made a bad mistake and I can see the image I painted over myself with my recent mistakes," Ja told Rose. "But, in the future, I will show everybody who Ja really is, what I'm about, and change this narrative."

Ja told the ex-NBA star his time spent away from the NBA helped to put things in perspective ... and he better understands the responsibility he has to represent himself and his family in a more positive light.

Chloe Bailey fans are upset over her spicy sex scene with Damson Idris in Donald Glover's new series "Swarm" ... but her "Grown-ish" costar Trevor Jackson is advising she simply block out all that noise.

We caught Trevor at LAX on Monday, and he attributed Chloe's decision to do the scene to her being a grown-up and thinks it screams artistic freedom.

Trevor and Chloe have been starring in "Grown-ish" since its start in 2018, essentially growing up together, and he says she has his support no matter what.

Chloe plays Marissa Jackson in the new show while Damson plays her boyfriend, Khalid and the two set off the series with a short, yet effective romp that saw Chloe's name dominating the trending topics.

Her role was eventually compared to Halle Berry's Oscar-winning "Monster's Ball" performance but only because of the doggy style position they were both in.

Chloe admitted to nerves ahead of the sex scene until Damson made her relaxed by cracking jokes on set -- but admitted they weren't completely naked and had a squishy ball thingy between their bodies.

A United pilot scheduled to fly on 9/11 says he lived in denial for years about the possibility hijackers targeted his plane that day ... but he's more convinced than ever now.

We talked to Tom Mannello Monday on "TMZ Live" about that fateful day, as well as a theory he's fully onboard with -- namely, that he and his crew from United Flight 23 were targeted by terrorists on Sept. 11 ... something he says didn't fully believe until very recently.

What changed his mind was a new documentary we produced that's airing tonight on FOX -- "TMZ Investigates 9/11: The Fifth Plane" (9 PM ET/PT, 8PM CT) ... which does a deep dive into all the suspicious circumstances surrounding the activity on the grounded flight.

It's a story the United crew hadn't previously discussed publicly, and hearing the perspective of the flight attendants is changing everything for Mannello.

As he explains to us, he was content to accept everything that unfolded was mere coincidence ... but after we did some digging and reporting, he says he's a believer.

There are several elements that point to United 23 being in the crosshairs of bad actors -- including a group of suspicious passengers who were eager to get off the ground ASAP.

Another red flag ... the fact that eyewitnesses saw uniformed persons running through the cabin after the plane had been evacuated and locked -- this after official word the World Trade Center was under attack.

Then the FBI discovered a mysteriously opened hatch on the plane.

Agents also interviewed all of flight 23's attendants afterward ... plus, box cutters were found in an adjacent plane -- and all of that is more than enough for Mannello to buy into the notion they were next. He says, for years, he didn't accept it due to seeming inactivity from the feds.

Jalen Carter's tumultuous March might have cost himself some serious coin ... because former NFL GM Michael Lombardi tells TMZ Sports he'd now have "a lot of concern" drafting the UGA star if he were still running a team.

Carter was hit with two criminal charges on March 1 over his alleged role in a Jan. 15 car crash -- and then just 14 days later, he showed up to his Pro Day nine pounds heavier ... before struggling during the workout.

While the 21-year-old has since struck a plea deal with prosecutors to put his legal issues behind him ... Lombardi says it all would have him seriously wary of picking the defensive lineman in next month's NFL draft if he were still in charge of a team's war room.

"A lot of concern," the former Cleveland Browns general manager said. "You want this guy to become your team captain. When you pick a player like this in the top 10, you want him to become Richard Seymour. You want him to become a Hall of Fame player. You want to hit."

Of course, Carter had been considered a top-five pick right after the college season concluded -- and maybe even the No. 1 overall selection -- but now, Lombardi's making it clear ... top-10 might be out of the question.

Lombardi says Carter's jump from 314 pounds to 323 pounds in just two weeks is particularly alarming, noting, "If your weight starts to zoom up because you're literally sitting on the couch, that's a problem."

"He's got a lot of questions to answer."

A new show Chloe Bailey is in -- where she's shown having sex -- has sparked a debate about racism and colorism in Hollywood ... and now, Halle Berry's been roped in.

You might've noticed the latter is trending this weekend, and the reason is because of this discourse that's taken off since Donald Glover's latest TV series, "Swarm," debuted on Friday ... which starts out with a scene depicting Chloe doing the deed in very graphic detail.

Since then, there's been a lot of chatter about her decision to do the sex scene ... some say it's a great move/good for her, and others feel like it falls in line with other choices she's made of late -- like putting out a single with Chris Brown -- that some think are ... not so wise.

As one Twitter user put it ... "Where is a Chloe Bailey’s mentor pls??? She’s been making terrible decisions lately, she should have never done that sex scene in Swarm and I’m not even gonna go into her most recent collab." A lot of other folks reacted similarly.

On Saturday, that convo shifted when someone brought up Halle in comparison. She tweeted, "Halle Berry getting back shots role got her an Oscar right?" The point she was making ... Halle also did risqué stuff in her day -- "Monster's Ball" being the prime example, for which she won an Oscar -- but that, in and of itself, did not diminish her work/accolades.

This user was essentially saying Chloe's sex scene won't define her acting career, and that it's unfair to suggest she'll be derailed 'cause of it. Basically, stop giving her premature flak.

However, another Twitter user responded ... suggesting Halle enjoys the benefit of a lighter skin complexion and even went so far as to claim that she's "white passing." Obviously, she isn't -- Halle looks Black, not white ... which is literally what white-passing means.

Semantics aside, however, this woman's point (as she further explained on her page) is that Halle fits Hollywood's traditional white European beauty standard ... more so than Chloe, or any other dark-skinned Black woman for that matter. Therefore, she believes Halle has had an easier time in showbiz than Chloe might in this specific regard ... aka, baring it all.

In other words, this user feels like colorism is still very much alive and well in the entertainment industry ... and that darker-skinned Black performers will have a tougher go in comparison to any of their lighter-skinned counterparts -- which might be valid.

Of course, there's also the Bailey sisters factor here ... namely, the fact that Chloe's also-famous sibling, Halle Bailey, has a more buttoned-up rep than her older sis, perhaps, does.

Halle (Bailey) is literally starring in "The Little Mermaid" with Disney -- very family-friendly, etc. -- and she generally avoids controversy of her own doing. Chloe, on the other hand, is under a microscope more often ... and tends to get labeled as the wild child of the two.

Patrick Beverley's right -- at least, that's what Ja Rule is saying, telling TMZ Sports he believes Ja Morant is absolutely being poorly influenced by hip hop.

The Chicago Bulls guard made waves earlier this week by sayin' he believed rap and the culture surrounding it are contributing to Morant's recent missteps ... and when we got Ja Rule out at LAX this week, he couldn't have agreed more.

He said growing up he was influenced to smoke weed by Redman's "How To Roll A Blunt" -- and pressured to drink booze by Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice" ... and he made it clear, he thinks Morant is being similarly impacted by today's tunes.

But, the "Holla Holla" rapper told us he thinks Morant needs to quit all of that ASAP ... telling us, "that ain't the way."

"Go play ball, man," he said. "The streets ain't about nothing, man. Go grind on 'em. Keep balling. That's it, man."

Morant has been investigated by police at least three times in the past calendar year -- most recently when he was seen on video flashing a gun at a strip club earlier this month.

Each time, Morant has dodged charges ... though he admitted in a sit-down interview with Jalen Rose this week he needs to start making better choices.

"In the future," he told Rose, "I will show everybody who Ja really is, what I'm about and change this narrative."

Joe Exotic is getting dragged for his recent presidential run announcement, but it ain't by Carole Baskin -- instead, it's by the party he says he's running with.

Angela McArdle, chair and spokesperson for the Libertarian Party, tells TMZ ... "We stand for personal and economic freedom, we are not a landing pad for former reality stars and D-list celebrities." Ouch.

She says the "Tiger King" star hasn't shown he has a full grasp on the ideas of the party, and even calls out his 2018 gubernatorial run as a Libertarian in Oklahoma -- saying that attempt was "just tigers and glitter."

She adds she's very sympathetic to people "being mistreated in prison," but notes that doesn't mean it's right to support someone who's made "poor choices."

Angela tells us, hypothetically, anyone can run for office as a Libertarian, and there isn't a whole lot the party can do to block it -- instead, she urges folks to send libertarian literature to Joe while he's locked away. In her words, "If he's going to be spouting about libertarianism, he might as well get educated about it."

Aside from understanding his party's platform, there's the not-so-small issue of candidate Joe's 20 remaining years on his prison sentence!

San Francisco is one of the few cities that appears to be seriously considering reparations for its Black residents -- and there are some hard figures on the table ... from $1 to millions.

SF's Board of Supervisors -- consisting of 11 members -- heard a proposal this past week that was put forth by a reparations committee -- which formed a few years back, at the behest of the City, in the wake of the George Floyd protests across the country.

On Tuesday, those folks shared their suggestions on how to make things right with the African-American community ... and they landed on $5 million per eligible Black resident. There's certain criteria they have in mind ... including being at least 18 years old and having identified as Black/African-American in public documents for at least 10 years, among others.

There's more that folks could receive under the draft reparations plan. In addition to the one-time $5M payout, the committee recommended a guaranteed basic income thereafter ... in the amount of $97,000/year, for 250 years.

Plus, they'd have all their debts and tax burdens wiped clean, no questions asked. And finally ... single-family SF homes for just a buck. It seems each family would be allowed to buy just one, although it's not entirely clear.

In terms of paying for all of this ... the reparations committee didn't have any answers, instead putting that burden on the supervisors themselves. The BOS, in turn, actually supported the proposal unanimously -- and said they could figure out funding later.

The Board's only Black supervisor, Shamann Walton, has been leading the charge on this ... and says he wants the reparations package to be included in future City budgets.

BTW, not everyone agrees with the terms laid out by the committee -- which is made up Black leaders/community members in and around SF. One opponent is actually the NAACP -- which, while supporting the idea of reparations, is not on board with the $5M cash payouts ... instead calling for the focus of investment to be in institutions, like schools/housing, etc.

The lady who inspired "Mean Girls" is pissed Tina Fey and Paramount have cashed in on her work while she's been left with zilch ... and now, she says she's doing something about it.

Author Rosalind Wiseman told the NY Post this weekend that she and her lawyers are circling legal action to examine the movie studio's accounting books in order to figure out if there's money they've made from 'Mean Girls' over the years that could be sent her way.

The reason ... Wiseman says she feels like she's been screwed out of a lot of potential cash since the hit 2004 film was released -- especially in light of the Broadway musical that's been made about it ... which has done fairly well for years now in different markets.

According to RW, the deal she signed with Paramount and TF at the time -- which made her a one-time $400k, and which she acknowledges relinquished any rights to the work and/or derivatives -- guaranteed net profit points, meaning she could make more based on how well the flick did. However, she claims Paramount has, time and again, told her there's nothing left of the pie for her ... and that they haven't actually collected much from it long-term.

Wiseman thinks that's BS -- and her attorney, Ryan Keech, says, “I suspect most people would be shocked at how shabbily Rosalind Wiseman has been treated. And properly so."

He adds, "It is nothing short of shameful for a company with the resources of Paramount to go to the lengths to which it has gone to deny Ms. Wiseman what she is fairly entitled to for having created what has become one of the most iconic entertainment franchises of the last 25 years." Rosalind and co. say they want to audit Paramount, and are considering further next steps ... although they don't specify exactly how they'll get Paramount to comply.

As many people know ... 'Mean Girls' is based on Wiseman's 2002 parenting book, 'Queen Bees and Wannabes,' which Tina read and thought could make for a good script.

Of course, she was absolutely right ... the movie became a cult classic, and serves as a staple of the 2000s. Thing is ... Wiseman sounds salty about how Tina Fey has repurposed the material throughout the years, alleging TF's even roped her into appearances and workshops (regarding smaller 'Mean Girls' plays) without paying her an extra cent.

She says, "I’m clearly recognized and acknowledged by Tina as the source material, the inspiration. I’m recognized and yet I deserve nothing?"

Colin Cowherd has a new hot take that Sports Twitter is NOT reacting well to whatsoever -- and it entails Michael Jordan ... not really being all that great without some key pieces.

The FS1 broadcaster jumped on his own podcast network, The Volume, this week to talk about the NBA G.O.A.T. ... arguing that MJ's legacy and success are largely tied to two specific dudes that helped him achieve the status he enjoys -- Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen.

It doesn't sound like that wild of an opinion, but the way CC puts it is a bit harsher and cold-blooded, in his typical matter-of-fact style. Here's how he worded things ... "So, he tried baseball. He failed. He tried ownership, he was awful. He tried the Wizards, it bombed."

Cowherd adds, "Everybody understand, take out Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson -- this whole Michael Jordan mythology is sort of just that." He goes on to say MJ has always been a bit of a selfish player and guy, and that he'd never been great at building community.

Colin finishes by saying Michael has been really good about building wealth for himself, noting that's fine ... and that it's just a reality of who he is. The larger context of his convo here has to do with reports that MJ will sell his majority ownership stake in the Hornets.

As for how the Internet is taking this POV ... not great. Bird app users are kinda crapping on him with memes and jokes, suggesting that Colin's downplaying Mike's individual greatness.

Bill Maher used St. Patrick's Day to make a point ... the United States of America is (A) not united and (B) on the cusp of becoming the next Northern Ireland.

The 'Real Time' host served up a warning that would be useful to heed -- Our politics have become a religion for the majority of Americans, and the level of hatred toward people embracing "the other" religion has us dangerously close to calamity.

It happened in Northern Ireland, where a politically combustible landscape turned into urban warfare, and Bill sees us headed in that direction.

As he says, Democrats and Republicans are embracing that same level of hatred for those they oppose. The majority of people in both parties don't want their kids to marry someone attached to the opposing party.

And then, he invokes the name of Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has called for a "national divorce" -- in other words, creating two countries ... made up of blue states on the one hand and red on the other.

Aside from it being ridiculous, Bill points out there are fundamental disagreements within each political party, so thinking a divorce will create harmony is just stupid.

Don't book hotel rooms in Las Vegas just yet, Jets fans ... Packers legend LeRoy Butler tells TMZ Sports even with Aaron Rodgers -- "ya'll ain't going to no Super Bowl."

In fact, according to the Hall of Famer, NY won't even break .500 this season with Rodgers!!!

Butler gave us his prediction on Friday -- just a couple days after Rodgers made it known he wants to be traded from the Packers to the Jets -- and he's warning NY fans, be careful what you wish for.

Don't get it twisted, Butler thinks Rodgers can still sling the pigskin -- "you can blindfold Aaron flat-footed, and he'll hit a mosquito" -- he just thinks the way the quarterback is handling this offseason won't lend itself to big wins later in 2023.

"I'm going to say this," Butler told us, "I was on a team that went to two Super Bowls -- your team gotta be close."

"I don't know if Aaron Rodgers is going to be there the whole offseason to gel with the top Rookie of the Year wide receiver [Garrett Wilson] ... I don't know if he's going to be there to go to the clubs with Breece Hall. I don't know."

Butler said he's expecting it all to lead to only eight wins for the Jets in '23.

"And then, you have to waffle again if he wants to play for 2024," Butler said.

Butler added he's not been pleased with the way Rodgers has handled his impending exit from Green Bay -- straight up saying some of the signal-caller's words have come across as "disrespectful."

He added that he's happy the team can finally move on from the Rodgers saga with Jordan Love -- predicting GB will win nine or 10 games this season.

Leon Edwards may officially be UFC champion, but Kamaru Usman says Rocky knows who's truly the best 170 lb. fighter, and it's not him ... it's "The Nigerian Nightmare."

35-year-old Usman joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... just days before his highly-anticipated rematch in London against 31-year-old Edwards.

"At the end of the day when you are at home and you look at yourself in the mirror, you know who you are, you know if you're the best and you know if you're not the best," Usman said.

"There's nothing that he can tell himself that 'I'm the best' because you haven't proven that. Of course, you threw the Hail Mary and it landed and you have that belt but deep down inside, he knows what I've done to his heart and this Saturday, I'm gonna remind him."

Of course, Edwards was dominated for most of their UFC 278 in August 2022 ... and went into the fifth and final round needing a knockout to win the belt. In stunning fashion, Leon landed a perfectly placed/timed left round kick to Kamaru's head with just over one minute left in the fight, ending one of the best title runs in welterweight history.

We asked Usman if he planned to approach the fight differently ... perhaps using his wrestling more as a way to mitigate Edwards' striking ability.

"[Leon] has no answer for what I bring to the table as a mixed martial artist. Why change anything?" Kamaru responded.

"Of course, be mindful and keep your damn hands up so you don't get kicked in the head again but at the same time, I believe I'm the better mixed martial artist and this Saturday I can't wait to prove it again to the world!"

Kamaru and Leon are knotted up at one win a piece. The winner of Saturday's fight not only wins the trilogy but will leave the welterweight champ.

"I think the world knows who the better mixed martial artist is, and I can't wait to go in there and prove that on Saturday."

UFC 286 goes down from London's O2 Arena -- in Edwards' backyard -- Saturday afternoon!

We also talked to former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou about his good friend Kamaru's upcoming title fight, and while The Predator has respect for Leon, there's no doubt about who he's pulling for at UFC 286.

"Last of Us" actor Storm Reid isn't letting a bunch of anti-LGBTQ+ internet trolls rain on her parade, telling us no matter how much they bash the show's inclusive episodes ... she knows it's important to tell those stories.

We caught up with the talented young actress Friday at LAX. If you missed it, she had a guest role on episode 7 of the insanely popular HBO series where she played Riley, the best friend and love interest of the show's star Ellie ... played by Bella Ramsey.

Of course, the episode received a ton of praise, but there were also lots of people who thought it was unnecessary for "Last of Us" to include a lesbian plot.

Storm says not only are the stories told on "Last of Us" very real, but they're also purposeful ... and she's choosing to ignore the folks who can't see that.

Those naysayers flocked to the show's public forums to leave negative reviews, and even went so far as to rank it as one of "the worst" episodes of the season. Perhaps not shockingly, they also hated the third episode, which featured two gay characters.

BTW ... Storm says if there's ever an opportunity for Riley to come back for season two, she's 100% in for an encore!

The college hockey player who pushed a woman's wheelchair down the stairs at a Pennsylvania pub last weekend has been banned from the establishment ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Nate Sanders -- the security manager at Sullivan's Pub and Eatery in Erie -- tells us ... Carson Briere, the son of Philadelphia Flyers interim general manager Daniel Briere, is no longer welcome at the bar after security camera footage showed him pushing Sydney Benes' wheelchair down a flight of stairs on Saturday night.

According to a GoFundMe page organized by Sanders ... Sydney is a double amputee that requires a wheelchair to be mobile while she's learning to use her prosthetics. Nate told us he assists Sydney with getting around whenever she visits Sullivan's.

Sanders said that should Carson step foot inside Sullivan's moving forward following the ban ... he's prepared to get law enforcement involved if necessary.

Carson -- a junior center on Mercyhurst University's ice hockey team -- has apologized for his actions ... calling them inexcusable. He's since been suspended from the team as the school investigates the incident further.

Police have also launched their own probe into the matter.

Slim Thug’s key to staying rich is avoiding spending sprees on fancy clothes -- the Houston Boss Hogg admits he has no issue rocking discount threads ... even in da club.

Slim gave his fans a masterclass -- with more than a dash of homophobia, though -- as he chastised dudes who flock to clubs wearing the same expensive designer outfits.

In his post Thursday, he said he keeps it playa for just pennies, and proved it ... yanking the price tags of his top and shorts to reveal he'd dropped less than $20 for both.

Seems like price isn't his only issue -- he also mentioned gay designers make all those high-priced clothes. Basically, Slim thinks Dior and Gucci shirts make people look gay.

Um, WTH? 🤔

Hard to take his advice on saving cash, since he also bragged about dropping millions on jewelry to distract from his frugal fashion choices.

ST says he's seen many rappers go broke splurging on their wardrobes. Yeah, we're sure it's the clothing bill and not the bling.

Anyway, fans found Slim's message confusing ... considering the rapper's selling cargo pants for $75 on his own website!!!