Controversial S#!T

Detroit Pistons assistant general manager Rob Murphy is out of the job -- the team let the front office exec go on Wednesday ... following an investigation into a workplace misconduct claim made by a former female employee.

The Pistons confirmed the decision in a statement to the Detroit Free Press ... saying after a seven-month long probe, it had no other choice but to part ways with the 50-year-old, who was just promoted to the position last June.

"Mr. Murphy was recently terminated for violation of company policy and the terms of his employment agreement," the team told the outlet. "The facts that gave rise to his termination surfaced during a review, assisted by a national law firm, of allegations made by a former employee."

The Pistons said they cannot provide further details regarding the investigation due to it being a "personnel matter."

Murphy's career with the Pistons started back in March 2021 ... when he was hired as the president and GM for their G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise.

After one season, he was promoted to the Pistons' Senior Director of Player Personnel, before becoming the assistant GM in June 2022.

Ariana Madix ripping into her now-ex-BF Tom Sandoval about major sex life problems ... and, ironically, discussing those concerns with Raquel Leviss is the ultimate foreshadowing -- and that's about to play out for viewers.

The ill-timed convos were revealed in Wednesday night's "Vanderpump Rules" teaser -- where Tom tells Ariana he'd love to have more sex, and she bluntly responds, "I cannot have sex with somebody that feels like a stranger."

The real stunner is Ariana then telling Raquel about that argument -- a bad idea knowing what we know now! And, Raquel's response is wild ... telling Ariana that people who are dating "should want to have sex."

All shocking stuff ... considering how the Scandoval played out -- Tom having an affair with Raquel behind Ariana's back.

Unclear when exactly these scenes were shot, but we know Tom and Raquel's affair was already hot and heavy by this past January -- so, it's possible they were already banging when Ariana was confiding in Raquel.

As we reported, a deleted scene from 'VR' had all signs pointing to an affair with all 3 sharing a hot tub together ... joking about being a throuple while Tom couldn't seem to take his eyes off Raquel.

Dr. Dre's OG secret rap weapon, The D.O.C., has been trying to get his life story out into the world, and thinks he's nearing the finish line after a bit of friction.

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to the "No One Can Do It Better" rapper in the wake of his outburst over the delay of his self-titled film, which screened during the Tribeca Festival ... damn near a year ago.

D.O.C. tells us the forces standing in the way of releasing "The DOC" have subsided, and he's now looking for a suitable distributor for the film. He wants fans to know it features appearances from Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Cube and Dre that are life-changing ... to the core.

The Dallas rapper turned West Coast transplant, infamously damaged his vocal cords in a 1989 car accident, but has since resumed his rap career ... raspy flow and all. Just last month, he rapped on Codefendants' rap/rock mash-up track, "Fast Ones."

It's because he's gotten back on the mic, D.O.C. tells us he's at peace with not using AI to answer the "what if" on his career course -- even though his inbox is flooded with daily requests to license his voice for an AI recording.

Having been around during the glory and the gory days, we also got D.O.C.'s take on Suge Knight's claim Daz Dillinger actually produced Snoop's "Doggystyle" and let Dre take the credit.

Da Brat's wife Jesseca Dupart is attacking the notion they intentionally chose a non-Black sperm donor for their upcoming baby ... and her explanation is pretty in-depth.

On Wednesday, Jesseca came through with a boatload of receipts and broke the whole thing down. The couple recently conducted an interview where they openly admitted their baby's donor wasn't Black after realizing they had limited choices in the gene pool.

Brat also quipped one of the donors looked like Pinocchio's pal Jiminy Cricket.

So, yeah ... you can see how that got lumped into all the donors being cricket-faced killas!!!

Jesseca revealed her existing medical conditions also cut down her chances of carrying a healthy baby, and noted the lack of Black donors in general.

She even cited a Fox5 NY article from March that reports Black men make up less than 2% of sperm donors nationwide!!!

After weighing their options, Jesseca says she and Brat went with the best match, regardless of race.

Billie Lourd is calling out her aunts and uncles -- Carrie Fisher's siblings -- saying "they know why" they didn't get invited to Carrie's Walk of Fame ceremony ... and it's all about money and alleged exploitation.

Billie tells TMZ ... she's seen what her mom's brother and sister -- Todd Fisher and Joely Fisher -- have said recently and feels she has to speak up after being blasted by them for not inviting them to Thursday's ceremony.

She says her mom's death showed her all she needed to know. The way Billie sees it, they "chose to process their grief publicly and capitalize on my mother's death." She recognizes they're entitled to do what they please, but adds it hurt her a lot when they did interviews and wrote books about Carrie soon after her 2016 death, without consulting or considering how it would affect her.

Billie bluntly says there's "no feud" between them because "we have no relationship." She says she made the decision to not include them on the Walk of Fame guest list to "break a cycle" -- and thinks their public complaints about missing the ceremony back her up.

As we reported, Todd told us it was "heartbreaking" he was left off the guest list ... and he joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to tell us more about why he should've been included.

Billie responded just a couple hours after Todd's interview.

Carrie's sisters -- Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher -- called out Billie, calling their disinvite "deeply shocking."

Billie clearly doesn't care, and is putting it all out on the table now.

Carrie Fisher's brother says he'd be well within his rights to show up to her Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony and cause a fuss over getting snubbed from attending ... but he's opting to keep things "classy" in honor of his late sister.

Todd Fisher joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him why he and Carrie's sisters are officially off the guest list for the big event Thursday on Hollywood Blvd.

Todd says he doesn't know what's behind the snub ... but strongly hinted it's Carrie's daughter, Billie Lourd, calling the shots. He admits they don't really have a relationship these days, but seems genuinely puzzled as to why.

There's definitely some bad blood ... Carrie's sisters, Joely Fisher, and Tricia Leigh Fisher ripped Billie on social media for the snub. Todd seemed to be trying to play nice, as he would only say he hasn't talked to his niece since she ghosted an invite almost 3 years ago to visit a dying relative.

Todd says he's the one who got the ball rolling on Carrie getting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was shocked when he found out he didn't make the 30-person guest list.

Missy Elliott is basking in yet another historic moment in her storied career ... as the first female rapper inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame!!!

The Misdemeanor couldn't contain her excitement on Wednesday when the news broke ... admitting she's been crying tears of joy all morning as she thanked the committee.

Missy feels the honor will kick down barriers for other women in hip hop culture to get noticed by the Rock Hall, but it'll take a lot of talent and hard work to match the veteran artist's career catalog.

After getting her start producing alongside Timbaland and writing for Diddy, Ginuwine, and the late Aaliyah, she released 5 consecutive platinum albums that still impact music to this day.

The Spinners, Chaka Khan (via the Musical Excellence Award) and Zach De La Rocha and Tom Morello's Rage Against the Machine also got the nod on Wednesday -- but sadly, for deep-rooted hip hop fans, A Tribe Called Quest will NOT be joining the fold ... after getting the cold shoulder for the 2nd year in a row.

We reached out to ATCQ reps to see if they even care!!!

P.K. Subban body-shamed Lizzo live on-air while breaking down an NHL playoff game for ESPN on Tuesday night ... and his comment was so crass, many online are now demanding an apology from the former All-Star.

Subban -- who joined ESPN's hockey coverage following his retirement in 2022 -- made the remark while he was breaking down Game 1 of the Panthers vs. Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Playoff series.

Subban's co-host on the ESPN set, John Buccigross, suggested Toronto should "pack a lunch" after losing 4-2 -- insinuating the team should eat more to make it stronger in Game 2.

Subban agreed ... and then fired off a cheap shot at the "Truth Hurts" singer.

"Maybe they need to pack a Lizzo-sized lunch," Subban said.

The words were immediately hit with backlash on social media ... with many calling for the former New Jersey Devils defenseman to say he's sorry. Others on Twitter urged ESPN to punish its top hockey analyst for the comment.

So far, neither Subban nor ESPN has addressed the controversy. Lizzo hasn't either ... though she's no stranger to responding to comments about her body.

Consequence is buggin' out over A Tribe Called Quest's 2nd consecutive snub from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and says he and the group won't be disrespected a third time!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Cons Wednesday as he stood outside the famed ATCQ mural in Queens, NY ... on the group's Linden Boulevard stomping grounds.

The veteran rapper acknowledged the newest inductees -- including a history-making Missy Elliott -- but blasted the HOF committee for embarrassing the group's legacy, and seems to feel a bit of race-baiting is at play ... with ATCQ dangling on the hook.

Cons also took exception with Billboard's take that Tribe needs to make a bigger fuss to get the committee's rock-minded and majorly white voting base on its side.

Always the team player, Cons tells us he's willing to lead any public campaign necessary to secure the Rock Hall nod and will go to bat for his cousin Q-Tip and the late Phife Dawg any day of the year.

Carrie Fisher's brother won't be the only family member missing at the late actress' Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony -- her sisters, Joely, and Tricia Leigh Fisher say they too weren't invited -- blaming the snub on their niece, Carrie's daughter, Billie Lourd.

Joely and Tricia took to Instagram on Wednesday with a joint statement, "In response to all of you asking whether or not we will be part of the celebration ... Strangely we won’t be in attendance to celebrate our sister, whom we adored."

They continued, "For some bizarre, misguided reason our niece has chosen not to include us in this epic moment in our sister’s career. This is something Carrie would have definitely wanted her siblings to be present for. The fact that her only brother and two sisters were intentionally and deliberately excluded is deeply shocking. We have all been grieving the loss of our favorite human for some years now…we have given Billie the space to do that in her own way. We have been nothing but loving and open, consistently."

They ended the post by saying ... "This isn’t about a photo op on Hollywood Blvd…this is about celebrating the permanency of Carrie’s legacy in this industry, taking her place with a star on the iconic Walk of Fame alongside our parents. We thank the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for honoring our sister in this way. May the Fourth Be with you Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher".

As we reported, Carrie's only brother Todd Fisher -- son of late singer Eddie Fisher and Late actress Debbie Reynolds -- told us he was heartbroken he was intentionally omitted from attending the ceremony... adding he was the one who got the ball rolling for Carrie to get her star.

Todd says Disney told him Carrie's family was in charge of the final guest list, and they had filled all the 30 seats given ... adding he was told not to stress Billie Lourd over the whole ordeal.

Henry Cejudo believes he's one win away from securing a spot as one of the greatest four fighters in MMA -- joining legends Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, and Anderson Silva -- and all that's left to do is beat champion Aljamain Sterling.

36-year-old Triple C joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where he talked about his return to the Octagon after 3 years away, and what a win would mean for his legacy.

"I think that puts me on the Mount Rushmore of MMA. I'm probably not better than Demetrious or Jon Jones or Anderson Silva, but I think that puts me at number four," Henry said.

"I think that puts me in a league, I'm a two-division champ, Olympic champ. I come back three years later, I do believe in my heart that I am the greatest combat athlete of all time, just by my resume, just by my accolades, but I think this fight right here puts me on Mount Rushmore."

Of course, Henry hasn't fought since he beat the legendary Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May 2020. He was in the midst of a 6-fight win streak, including dubs over Mighty Mouse, Marlon Moraes, and T.J. Dillashaw.

FYI, Cejudo won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling back in 2008 in Beijing.

Now, Henry will look to earn that spot on Mt. Rushmore ... with a win over bantamweight Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 on May 6.

If he gets past Aljo, Henry says he'd like to fight rival "dirty Q-tip Ronald Meth-Donald" 'Suga' Sean O'Malley.

Once he does all that, Cejudo believes there is a path to becoming the greatest ever, period. In order to do that, he believes he needs to beat current pound-for-pound king Alex Volkanovski for a third belt ... which has never been done before.

Rob Lowe is not only showing the WGA his support during the writers' strike, but he's got his son's back, too -- picketing together outside Paramount and joining thousands of writers across the country to fight for fair wages.

Rob and his son John Owen were out in Hollywood Tuesday as the big strike went into effect, echoing the thoughts of many that film and TV writers are a true backbone in all content today.

The actor tells us he's extremely proud of his son for fighting alongside his colleagues, especially early on in his career -- for those unaware, John Owen and Rob are cocreators on Netflix's "Unstable," and the 28-year-old wrote on 33 episodes of his dad's series, "9-1-1: Lone Star."

John Owen sends the love right back to his pops, too ... saying he's thrilled to have his support -- but couldn't help but get a great joke in about Rob's priorities.

BTW -- Natasha Lyonne was outside Paramount, too ... and she made it a point that writing great projects really takes a village, and she thinks serious change is a necessity for getting the industry back to where it needs to be.

Jimmy Fallon says he wouldn't have a late-night show without his writers, and he supports them in their strike, but a 'Tonight Show' staffer begs to differ ... claiming Jimmy's all talk.

Sarah Kobos, a senior photo research coordinator on Jimmy's talk show, ripped him Tuesday on social media as the writers' strike began, saying ... "He wasn't even at the meeting this morning to tell us we won't get paid after this week."

Sarah tagged Jimmy in her tweet, adding ... "@jimmyfallon please support your staff. Had fun bowling with ya last week, but a fun party won't pay my rent."

Jimmy, like all other late-night hosts, is scrambling to figure out how to handle personnel matters during the writer's strike, which will affect all employees -- including non-writers -- because all the network talk shows are shutting down.

Monday at the Met Gala, Jimmy was asked about the strike and told Variety, "I wouldn’t have a show if it wasn't for my writers, I support them all the way."

In follow-up tweets, Sarah says she's not a striking worker because she isn't a member of the Writers Guild of America, but again ... with all the shows airing reruns, her livelihood will be impacted nonetheless.

She adds 'Tonight Show' employees were told "NBC decided to stop paying us after this week and end our health insurance after this month if the strike is ongoing. They won't even tell us if we will technically be furloughed. Just active employees who aren't paid."

Fairly or not, Sarah also openly compared Jimmy to Seth Meyers, who hosts 'Late Night' on NBC ... saying she was told Seth was on a Zoom meeting telling his staff and crew he would try to take care of them financially "after NBC stops paying."

Carrie Fisher's getting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but her only brother, Todd Fisher, says the family is shutting him out from attending ... and he considers it a slap in the face.

Carrie's bro tells TMZ ... "It's heartbreaking and shocking to me that I was intentionally omitted from attending this important legacy event for my sister, Carrie."

Todd, the son of late singer Eddie Fisher and late actress Debbie Reynolds, says the snub is ironic because he claims he's the one who got the ball rolling on getting Carrie a star on the Walk of Fame ... and he says he's worked tirelessly to honor and preserve the family's Hollywood legacy.

Todd says he and Carrie were inseparable for more than 60 years -- so, he views the guest list snub as "extremely hurtful and distressing as I was always a big part of everything my sister and mother did historically over their lifetimes."

Todd points out he went with Carrie to their mother's own Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony back in the day, as well as her handprint dedication at the famed Chinese Theatre. Fittingly, Carrie's getting her star Thursday, May the 4th (be with you) ... aka "Star Wars Day."

When Todd found out he didn't make the guest list cut, he says he had his team reach out to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which oversees the Walk of Fame plaques, for clarity ... and he says he was told the guest list was controlled by Disney.

Todd says Disney told him the final say came down to Carrie's family ... and he says he was told they had filled the 30 seats they were given and to not add anymore stress to his niece, Billie Lourd, over his snub.

Carrie's brother says the event is about her -- not him or his family -- but adds, "Frankly, it's a distressing situation and I don't deserve to be put in this position. As the only brother of the Carrie Fisher, being omitted from this special day is truly hurtful."

Trans TikTok star Jesse Sullivan says KISS singer Paul Stanley's criticism of kids transitioning is misplaced ... Jesse says those who are transitioning aren't just doing it as a fad.

We got Jesse and Francesca Farago Monday at LAX and asked him about Paul's controversial comments, where the rocker claimed kids are being encouraged to transition at a young age.

Jesse says anyone who is considering transitioning is doing it because they know deep down who they truly are ... and he says the process is anything but fun. During his transition, Jesse says he lost family and he explains why the process is hard on the body and mind, not to mention the social changes.

Jesse acknowledges it's a hot-button issue right now ... but he thinks trans kids need real support because there's a lot for them to fear in this climate.

We also asked Jesse and Francesca about Dwyane Wade's decision to move his family out of Florida because of the state's LGBTQ policies ... and they tell us they actually skipped an event in Florida for the same reasons.

Chance the Rapper is thankful he cleaned up his act following his 2013 breakout project, "Acid Rap" -- he swears his drug-binging days while making that music would've eventually killed him.

The Chicago rap star made the sobering admission while basking in the LP's 10-year anniversary with Complex.

According to Chance, he earned enough money from his first headlining tour to rent a house outside of his parents' supervision ... and went buck wild with the drugs.

Chance thanks a spiritual intervention for pulling him out of the substance abuse splurge and noted how his legacy would have just been limited to an acid user had he succumbed.

His story sounds eerily similar to that of Mac Miller, who died in 2018 following a drug overdose in the Los Angeles house where he'd been holed up.

The sounds of "Acid Rap" are set to have their biggest stage yet, come August 19 at Chicago's United Center for its 10th-anniversary concert.

The show is coheadlined by "Acid Rap" collaborator Saba ... which opens the door for other hometown featured artists Vic Mensa, BJ The Chicago Kid and Twista to make appearances all the same.