Controversial S#!T

Khalid is not a fan of AI infiltrating the music world ... and while he thinks the tech could be a helpful tool, he draws the line when it comes to mimicking artists.

The R&B hitmaker gave us his 2 cents on AI and the future of his industry, especially now that new AI-generated songs are popping up on the Internet almost daily.

Khalid says AI programming, in general, seems to be inevitable, but he made it clear he's not necessarily hopping on that train. On one hand, he understands how AI software can be a beneficial tool, but he's more concerned it could eliminate the need for human performers, like himself!

As you know, Drake has been experiencing this firsthand. You'll recall, some AI-generated Drizzy tunes -- meaning computer-produced vocals -- went viral and sounded just like Champagne Papi IRL.

And, this happened shortly after an AI song featuring Drake and The Weeknd became an internet sensation ... until Universal Music Group got it removed from music streamers.

Of course, Drake's label and other big artists have made it clear they aren't here for the humanless music, and Khalid agrees. He says he appreciates music as it is, and AI takes away the authenticity of artists.

Frank Ocean's Coachella performance was originally set to feature an ice rink ... and while those plans were ultimately scrapped, TMZ has the first look at what could have been.

We obtained photos and videos of Frank's ice rink, which was set up about 50 yards from the main stage before he pulled the plug on the elaborate performance.

The images are from ice rink rehearsals on the Tuesday before Coachella Weekend 1 ... and folks who were there say security around the rink was very tight, with Frank not wanting anything about the frozen set to be spoiled beforehand.

It looks pretty cool ... and it may turn out to be one of the biggest "what ifs" in Coachella history ... because the ice rink didn't get worked into Frank's Sunday headlining set.

TMZ broke the story ... Frank hurt his ankle on festival grounds leading up to his show, causing some last-minute set changes, including putting the ice rink on ice.

Sources close to production tell TMZ ... ice skaters who had rehearsed for Frank's performance found out 3 hours before he was set to take the stage Sunday the rink plans were being scrapped.

Frank ended up performing without the ice rink, showing up an hour late and delivering what many festivalgoers felt was a lackluster performance.

TMZ broke the story ... Frank dropped out as a Weekend 2 headliner Wednesday, citing a fractured leg and sprained ankle.

We're told the ice skaters got an email Thursday informing them they would not be performing Weekend 2. They will only be paid for a month's worth of rehearsals, plus the Weekend 1 rehearsal and performance.

It's interesting ... sources say Frank was super nice, hands on and amazing to work with during the first half of the monthlong rehearsals leading up to Coachella, but about halfway through everything changed and Frank became very reserved and would just sit in the corner and not interact with the performers.

Megyn Kelly thinks she and those outraged over the Bud Light team-up with a trans woman scored a W ... 'cause there've been some big changes spurred by the parent company.

The veteran news anchor responded to some news that surfaced Friday -- namely, the fact that there's been a major reported shake-up within Bud Light leadership over the past couple weeks ... including the alleged apparent demotion of a key marketing exec.

Word is, Alissa Heinerscheid -- who, up until recently, was the marketing VP in charge of Anheuser-Busch's Bud Light brand -- has been replaced by Todd Allen ... Budweiser's global marketing VP. In other words, he's going to handle both brands, it seems, for now.

The other news coming out of this ... Heinerscheid is apparently taking a leave of absence. That's a big deal, seeing how she's been in charge of Bud Light since last June. She was on record as wanting to freshen up the brand and make it modern ... and more inclusive.

Now, in light of all this ... her decisions seem to have backfired. It's unclear if she's coming back to Anheuser-Busch -- or if this is it for her. Either way, her job's been replaced.

A statement from Anheuser-Busch reads in part ... "[W]e have made some adjustments to streamline the structure of our marketing function to reduce layers so that our most senior marketers are more closely connected to every aspect of our brands activities."

This seems to be addressing reports that Anheuser-Busch was out of the loop on the whole Dylan Mulvaney campaign ... a notion that Donald Trump Jr. recently backed.

The beer company adds, "These steps will help us maintain focus on the things we do best: brewing great beer for all consumers, while always making a positive impact in our communities and on our country." Megyn, of course, is reveling in this update.

She writes, "Bud Light waves the white flag, ousting disastrous VP of Mktg, weeks after destroying its own brand by going woke on gender. Let that be a lesson to other corporations. We’ve HAD IT."

On its face, it certainly seems that Anheuser-Busch caved -- in addition to these moves ... they recently trotted out a very traditional Budweiser ad that caters to their usual audience.

Those who followed this from the beginning -- including Anheuser-Busch's initial wishy-washy statement -- probably saw this coming. They weren't very firm in sticking by their decision to partner with Dylan ... and now, it appears the head honchos might've not even been in the loop on it ... and had to deal with the fallout -- and, frankly, there's been a lot.

Reports, of late, have suggested Anheuser-Busch's market cap has, in fact, fallen quite a bit -- and there were even more reports of distributors being spooked by the response.

Of course, a lot of beer-drinking customers did not take the campaign well at all ... accusing the company of going "woke" and purposely antagonizing their core demographic for kicks.

Phil Jackson says he hasn't watched the NBA since 2020 -- when it went into the bubble for the playoffs and publicly supported Black Lives Matter ... a step too far for him, it seems.

The iconic head coach -- who's got 11 championships under his belt from the '90s through the early 2010s between the Bulls and Lakers -- sat down with Rick Rubin earlier this month for a podcast ... which is making the rounds now 'cause of what Phil had to say.

Check it out for yourself ... Rick asks Phil if he watches NBA basketball to this day in the wake of retiring in 2011, and Phil says he kept his eyes on the game only through 2020.

When asked why, Phil says the NBA did something "wanky" while in Orlando -- namely, getting mixed up in politics with a bunch of slogans on the court and on the jerseys of the players themselves. He never says "BLM" ... but there's no doubt that's what he's talking about here. He even kinda mocks it -- saying he joked about it from home with his family.

Phil says guys would have phrases like "Justice" plastered across their backs instead of their surnames like normal ... and goes on to explain that he'd make cracks about "Justice" or so-and-so making a drive to the basket -- which he says his grandkids got a kick out of.

Long story short ... Phil thinks the NBA was pandering to a certain audience and demographic -- and their virtue signaling that year turned a lot of people off ... including himself. He says politics should stay out of sports, and that folks don't wanna see 'em mesh.

Phil cites athletes who've gone on to have political careers -- the implication being ... if you wanna pursue that, do it off the court and outside of the league. BTW, Rubin did a good job pressing Phil on what exactly bothered him about the BLM stuff ... and he responded clearly.

Now, as you can imagine ... Phil's getting ripped a new one on Twitter -- as this is coming as news to a lot of people who thought the dude was an unproblematic genius of basketball.

His resumé still speaks for itself, no doubt, but he's getting a helluva lot of side-eye now after these comments -- and you gotta wonder what some of his greatest former players -- many of whom were Black -- might have to say about this.

The first photos of Alec Baldwin on the new "Rust" movie set have trickled out ... and one showed him handling a lever action rifle.

Baldwin was shooting scenes for the film in Pray, Montana, Friday when the images were snapped -- the actor was spotted passing the prop gun, handle first, to another crew member.

Another picture shows the actor wearing old Western garb while standing next to a horse just one day after prosecutors dropped involuntary manslaughter charges against him in the 2021 killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the first "Rust" set in New Mexico. Director Joel Souza was also wounded in the shooting but survived.

From the beginning, Baldwin maintained that he never pulled the trigger when he shot Hutchins with a revolver while practicing for a scene, claiming the gun had discharged on its own. He also said he was told the gun was not loaded with live ammo.

The Santa Fe D.A. folded like a cheap suit, belatedly conceding the prop gun Baldwin used at the time had a modified trigger that increased the likelihood the firearm could misfire without actually pulling the trigger.

Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed still faces involuntary manslaughter charges. Former "Rust" assistant director David Halls cut a plea deal with prosecutors for his role in Hutchins' death and was sentenced to 6 months probation.

Bill Maher told a great story Friday night about an AAA-list Hollywood shindig where all the beautiful people were railing against cancel culture. They didn't have the balls to follow through, but Bill certainly did -- with the first annual COJONES AWARDS!!!

Bill says a big-time producer invited him to his Brentwood home to moderate a discussion on how to put the brakes on cancel culture. He says it seemed every big actor in Hollywood was there, and they were all charged up. When Bill suggested an awards show to honor those who pushed back, everyone was charged and promised to follow through. They didn't.

Well, on 'Real Time,' Bill did.  He presented awards to folks who, as Bill says, told the eggshell skull-whiners ... "F*** off you over-sensitive little s****."

This year's award recipients include the President of Cornell University, who refused to offer a "trigger warning" to students in lectures that may prove too much for them to handle.

Another recipient -- Trader Joe's, which refused to yank Trader José beer from its shelves.

And Netflix honcho Ted Sarandos snagged a set of balls for refusing to pull Dave Chappelle from the menu.

Savannah Chrisley says she was barred from taking a Southwest Airlines flight after a heated argument with an employee ... and it all stemmed from an unchecked bag.

The "Chrisley Knows Best" star took to Instagram Thursday to detail on video what happened, explaining that she was about to board the plane from New York to Tennessee when the Southwest worker at the gate said she needed to check her bag.

Chrisley responded that she wanted to take her luggage on the flight to see if it would fit in the overhead bin, but the employee said she couldn't.

After she pushed back a bit, Chrisley says the employee labeled her an "unruly passenger" and a pilot -- who was standing nearby -- came over to try to calm the situation.

But the employee turned to the pilot and stated, "Stay out of it … ma’am you’re not flying on this flight,'” meaning Chrisley.

Pissed, Chrisley says she called the worker an asshole, and then tried to reason with him by pointing out that she had to get home to be with her 10-year-old niece Chloe.

But the worker was undeterred, saying, "I don't care," according to Chrisley, who added, “So Southwest, you’re awful but not going to lie … your pilot was kinda hot.”

Chrisley says she finally boarded a late flight and arrived home in Tennessee around 2 am.

Becky G is catching major flak after it was announced she'd be honored with the key to the city of Coachella, but the mayor is coming to her defense with a list of reasons why the singer's well deserving.

Becky's getting the metaphorical keys to the desert kingdom Saturday ... the day after her performance at Coachella's second weekend. While it's a huge honor, some online couldn't help but scratch their heads.

Folks are sounding off in the comments of the city's announcement, calling it the "stupidest thing ever." Another irate citizen said Becky doesn't "do anything for the community plus they are not local" -- and some are even calling for Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez to get the boot.

Despite all that, Mayor Hernandez still thinks it's a fitting move --  he tells TMZ, "Becky has been incredibly supportive of the farm worker community through her work with Celebration Nation who held an event at our Veterans’ Memorial Park yesterday distributing food and other staples to our residents in need."

He goes on to say the Latin-American artist continues to honor her culture and is a big advocate on behalf of women everywhere. He adds he's also stoked to bring a little bit of the music festival to the people of the city by hosting Becky's ceremony.

A school bus driver in Colorado reportedly got stripped from his job after getting caught using his brakes as a cruel way to teach students to stay seated -- and he's apparently now facing a slew of charges as a result.

Douglas County School District bus driver Brian Fitzgerald tried to turn a recent ride home from Castle Rock Elementary into a messed up & teachable moment for the kiddos in his vehicle last month, as the security footage shows.

You can see him ask them to sit down, but it seems to fall on deaf ears ... he then offers a word of warning if they don't behave, then suddenly slams on his brakes -- throwing the kids forward with a loud thud, and resulting in a few kids shouting as it happens.

Fitzgerald makes sure they got the message, before demanding again that they all sit down ... it sounds like one kid asks "Why did he do that?" One child was reportedly bleeding on their cheek after getting brake-checked.

He's reportedly been fired from the district, but now is looking at 30 misdemeanor counts of child abuse, as well as a count of child abuse with bodily injuries. Fitzgerald's scheduled to appear in court next month.

Jim Jones paid a trip to The Breakfast Club Friday to offer clarification behind his super viral Pusha T remarks ... but he didn't bend to social media pressure and switch up his stance.

Jim was a recent guest on Spotify's RapCaviar podcast with TMZ Hip Hop's Trent Clark -- and they both agreed Pusha didn't belong on Billboard's Top 50 list ... with Jim going so far as to suggest Pusha's coke rhymes were essentially fairy tales.

Proud Pusha fan Charlamagne Tha God grilled Jim about his opinion -- and the Dipset rapper reiterated he meant no malice behind his comments but doubled down that Pusha's music never influenced or swayed him.

Jim then quizzed everyone's ability to rap along to either Pusha or his top songs when put on the spot, with the majority siding in Jim's favor. It might have been a skewed case study -- TBC's filmed in NYC, giving Jim a clear home court advantage.

DJ Envy spent considerable time in Virginia for college but openly admitted he hasn't memorized Pusha's tracks all that well, so there's that.

Oprah Winfrey is the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons after a new wall she constructed to save her home from flood water has her neighbors pissed.

Santa Barbara's Noozhawk reports there's been a boulder wall installed along the San Ysidro Creek to help prevent flooding and creek erosion on the billionaire's property.

However, folks in her Montecito neighborhood have reportedly raised concerns about the wall rerouting water onto their own properties during heavy storms.

Reports say a Carpinteria-based company called Jimenez Nursery used the media mogul's address when applying for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build the wall ... but it's still unclear if Oprah signed off on the whole thing at all.

Regardless, the new installation doesn't seem to be sitting right with a ton of folks in the swanky neighborhood ... apparently, there are also concerns about whether or not the wall could withstand the next rain storm.

As we reported ... weather has been a huge issue for the celebs living in the area. You'll recall, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah and other residents were forced to evacuate due to the terrible January storm and mudslides.

Of course, Montecito has a dark history of weather devastation. Remember, 23 people were killed by a mudslide that also destroyed more than 100 homes back in 2018.

Bud Light, and other major liquor brands, understand the impact the LGBTQ community can have on their bottom line, so naysayers -- like Kid Rock -- will just have to get used to it ... according to Sasha Colby.

We got Sasha Thursday at LAX, and as the first transgender woman to win both Miss Continental and "RuPaul's Drag Race," she had a strong opinion about Bud Light's collab with Dylan Mulvaney ... and the backlash that followed.

Sasha sent kudos to Dylan -- who partnered with Bud Light while documenting her transition -- for becoming a face of a corporation as huge as Anheuser-Busch. She says it's a clear sign corporate America really gets the importance of the queer dollar.

She says the folks angry about it are just making noise in an attempt to control corporate decisions. BTW, Sasha says most liquor brands regularly show up and support pride events, so this isn't a new thing.

As we reported, Bud Light got tons of outrage from non-celebs and celebs like Kid ... who posted video of himself firing gunshots into cases of Bud Light cans. Some folks have said they're opposed to the partnership because it's exposing children to the LGBTQIA+ community.

In Sasha's eyes, it's all BS -- she says kids don't drink booze, and suspects these folks actually do like the transgender community, but are projecting hate instead. Sasha's had her own success with a major brand after she teamed up with fashion powerhouse, Alexander Wang, further proving her point.

The youth wrestler who clocked his opponent in the face following a match earlier this month has been cited for assault ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Oak Park Police Dept. tells us the 14-year-old eighth grader was officially issued the citation on Thursday ... after he admitted to officers he punched his counterpart because "he was angry that he had lost the match."

The boy is now facing fines and penalties depending on the outcome of an adjudication hearing in Oak Park, Ill. next month.

As we reported, the incident went down on April 8 at Oak Park River Forest H.S. in Oak Park, Ill. ... after a 14-year-old SPAR Academy wrestler had won a match, 14-2, and had looked to shake hands with his opponent out of a show of sportsmanship.

Cops tells us ... when they arrived on the scene following the altercation, the victim had sustained a bloody nose from the cheap shot, but declined further medical care.

Police say all parties cooperated with the ensuing investigation.

It's unclear if the puncher will face further discipline -- such as a lifetime ban from wrestling -- but MMA legend Chael Sonnen told us this week he was hopeful the boy would avoid any sort of lengthy time away from the mat.

"This was a terrible moment," Sonnen said, "but it could also be a teachable moment."

Ralph Yarl is alive today thanks, in part, to the actions of 2 neighbors who came to his assistance minutes after Andrew Lester shot the 16-year-old boy twice -- and one of those neighbors is tearfully sharing the traumatic experience.

Jodi Rae joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live," and was almost immediately choked up remembering when Ralph banged on her front door, desperately seeking help. She says she couldn't see out her front door, and was uncertain about what was going on outside.

She had not heard the gunshots, but says it was clear Ralph was in dire need of assistance ... so, she decided to call 911. The operator told her there was an active shooter in the area, and advised Jodi not to open her door.

This definitely created a massive dilemma for Jodi ... one that brought her to tears as she told us about it -- she wanted to make sure her own son remained safe in their home, but also wanted to help Ralph, who she could see through her window falling to his knees.

Jodi says once she saw another neighbor walking outside, she figured the danger must have passed ... and immediately ran to Ralph's side. When she saw pools of blood outside her door, she realized the teen had been shot.

The story gets even more gripping and emotional at this point ... Jodi says she and a male neighbor used a towel to apply pressure to Ralph's head wound, held his hand and talked to him about school ... anything to keep his mind off the pain he was clearly suffering.

She fought through tears to tell us what Ralph told them about getting shot. She says she's had very limited contact with the shooter, Lester, since moving to the Kansas City neighborhood last year.

Jodi says she just kept thinking, "That's somebody's son," and knew she had to do something to help him. Sadly, she says there's been some backlash against her and other neighbors ... people who are, incorrectly, assuming the community did nothing to help Ralph.

While that's clearly not what happened, Jodi says she's mostly concerned with Ralph's recovery. She says, "Nothing compares to what that young man is living through every day."

Elon Musk's crusade to remove Twitter's blue checkmarks from legacy verified accounts is going into overdrive ... with a couple notable casualties among the celebrity ranks.

Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and K-pop supergroup BLACKPINK all had their blue checks stripped Thursday from their official Twitter accounts.

Elon targeted April 20 as the date for removing legacy blue checkmarks, announcing his intentions earlier this month, but lots of folks weren't sure if the bird app would actually follow through ... and now the reckoning is here.

For years, Twitter's blue checks were coveted ... they used to serve as the social media platform's official verification system, distinguishing prominent public figures from all the normies.

But, after buying Twitter for $44 billion, Elon decided to go in a different direction ... he's now charging folks $8 a month for subscriptions that come with blue checkmarks, and getting rid of the legacy checkmarks.

Tons of celebs have railed against Elon's policy ... including LeBron James, who said he wouldn't pay for a blue check, only for him to switch course.

The white geriatric gunman who shot and nearly killed a 16-year-old Black youth in Missouri is a Trump supporter who has been radicalized by racist conservative views in recent years ... at least according to his grandson.

Klint Ludwig was on CNN Thursday, railing on his 84-year-old grandfather, Andrew Lester, who stands accused of shooting Ralph Yarl outside Lester's Kansas City home last week.

Ludwig said he was "disgusted" by Lester's alleged attack on Yarl, calling it a "horrible tragedy." Ludwig also said he was 100 percent in Yarl's corner.

Don Lemon asked Ludwig why he was speaking out against his own grandfather. Ludwig responded, "It was right thing to do," adding, "This country it happens over and over again where people get away with killing unarmed innocent Black people."

He continued, "People need to speak out and not make any excuses for this kind of behavior and violence."

Ludwig went even deeper, accusing his grandfather of being a "stock American Christian male" with "racist tendencies."

Ludwig also stated as Lester got older, he became conspiratorial and would say "weird racist things," which seemed to be the result of watching conservative media outlets, such as FOX News, all day long. Ludwig went on to say Lester is a Trump supporter and, within the last five years or so, he became radicalized with these toxic views.

As we reported, Yarl mistakenly arrived at Lester's home in Kansas City last week while trying to pick up his younger siblings, who were staying at a different address.

After Yarl rang the bell, Lester answered the door while armed with a loaded revolver. Lester then opened fire through a glass door, hitting Yarl in the head and then firing a second time, hitting him in the right arm. At no point did Yarl step foot inside Lester's house.

Yarl was rushed to a hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries, but, miraculously, he survived. In fact, his attorney, Lee Merritt, posted a photo of the two back at Ralph's home Wednesday.

According to court documents, Lester told police he spotted Yarl yanking on an outer door handle and thought the teen was trying to break into his home. That's why, Lester says, he shot Yarl.

But Yarl allegedly gave a different story to investigators, telling them that he never pulled on the door handle and that he was standing patiently waiting for someone to answer the bell he rang.