Controversial S#!T

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass apologized on Tuesday afternoon ... saying a post he made on his social media page earlier this week was "hurtful to the Pride community."

On Monday, Bass reshared a video to his Instagram Story from the account "dudewithgoodnews" ... which appeared to feature anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

The clip urged people to boycott "Target, Bud Light, and any other corporation that's pushing the things they're pushing" -- in light of their recent LGBTQ promotions.

Bass did not add any further commentary on the vid when sharing it ... though he was dragged by many MLB fans for re-posting it nonetheless.

But, during a short meeting with reporters at Rogers Centre ahead of Tuesday night's Toronto vs. Milwaukee game ... he said he was sorry for it.

"I recognize yesterday I made a post that was hurtful to the Pride community, which includes friends of mine and close family members of mine," said Bass, who has since deleted the Instagram post. "I am truly sorry for that."

"I just spoke with my teammates and shared with them my actions yesterday. I apologized to them, and as of right now I am using the Blue Jays' resources to better educate myself to make better decisions moving forward."

He continued, "The ballpark is for everybody. We include all fans at the ballpark. We want to welcome everybody. That's all I have to say."

The Blue Jays -- who are set to host a Pride night on June 9 -- said in a statement of their own that "individual player sentiments are not representative of the club's beliefs."

"The Blue Jays bring millions of fans together across Canada," the team added, "and are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming experience for all."

Tom Sandoval may want to choose his words more wisely, because some of the folks who run the City of Pittsburgh are not happy he trashed their fair city ... something Tom denies.

TMZ broke the story ... Tom was on a plane over Memorial Day Weekend heading for Pittsburgh, when a fellow passenger overheard him on the phone with Raquel Leviss, telling her he was headed for "f***ing Pittsburgh." There is no version of that which is complimentary.

Pittsburgh City Councilman Anthony Coghill tells TMZ, "He clearly doesn't know what he's talking about," adding, "Has he ever set foot in Pittsburgh?"

Coghill took a shot at Tom, saying, "I never heard of the guy, never heard of his show."

Another Councilman -- Bobby Wilson -- has indeed heard of the show, and says "It's unfortunate somebody who is having relationship problems is trying to take a swing at Pittsburgh," adding, "Why bring us down. Work on yourself."

Tom flew there because his band had a gig in the area, and speaking of the area, Councilman Coghill sings the virtues of his city, bragging about the beautiful cultural district, wonderful parks, a great downtown area, the best universities and hospitals, and on and on.

Despite Tom's slight, Coghill says Tom is still welcome there ... "We are welcoming, polite and help strangers with directions to get them where they're going."

BTW ... the fact that Tom was yakking on the phone with Raquel suggests the rumors they have broken up are bogus.

Tom tells TMZ he did not say "f***ing Pittsburgh," adding, "The show we played in Pittsburgh was sold out and the people were incredible."

Uncle Sam isn't liking Uganda's new harsh anti-gay law -- which criminalizes "aggravated homosexuality" -- and we might just do something about it as a nation to condemn it.

President Biden's Sec. of State, Anthony Blinken, spoke out against the African nation's Anti-Homosexuality Act, which just got signed into law, and he says the U.S. will now consider visa restrictions against Ugandan officials and others for what he calls a human rights abuse.

Blinken says he's instructed the State Dept. to update travel guidance as well for Americans who might want to travel to Uganda for business or pleasure -- so, perhaps restricting travel.

As for POTUS ... he's also slamming the law, and says he might even impose sanctions against Uganda over this -- adding he would review the ramifications of the law "on all aspects of U.S. engagement with Uganda."

As for what is actually illegal now ... well, it's murky. Uganda says one can still identify as gay or as part of the LGBT community -- but that any promotion of homosexuality or any overt public acts of homosexuality, as it's vaguely described, is punishable by prison.

If you're thinking our politicians here would be divided on this, you'd be wrong -- at least as it pertains to Sen. Ted Cruz, anyway ... who publicly called out Uganda for overstepping.

He wrote, "This Uganda law is horrific & wrong. Any law criminalizing homosexuality or imposing the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” is grotesque & an abomination.  ALL civilized nations should join together in condemning this human rights abuse."

Something about the new live-action version of "The Little Mermaid" isn't sitting right with singer Paloma Faith ... who says the movie's plot is a really hard one to explain to her kiddos.

Paloma took to social media over the weekend, first congratulating Halle Bailey for her performance in the new Disney flick -- before dragging the story's main focus, saying "I don’t want my kids to think it’s ok to give up your entire voice and your powers to love a man."

She added, "Wtf is this s***?! Not what I want to be teaching next gen women at all.” Of course, she's referring to Ariel giving up her own voice to become a human to be with her love interest, Prince Eric.

For those unaware, it's the same trope that was used in the original 1989 version, so it seems Paloma might've forgotten the story before watching this new adaptation.

However, Halle told Edition earlier this year that her new version "definitely changed that perspective of just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy ... It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and what she wants.”

The makeup artist who gave Ursula her look in "The Little Mermaid" says the blowback he's gotten from members of the LGBTQ community is ridiculous ... that only someone from that community should have been tapped for the job.

Peter King, a seasoned makeup artist, has been under fire from some LGBTQ members, who groused Melissa McCarthy's sea witch character -- inspired by drag queen Divine -- should not have been done up at the hands of anyone outside the community.

King went on the offensive, saying, "I find that very offensive. Why can't I do as good a job as a queer makeup artist?"

Mr. King is seasoned at his craft, doing makeup for "The Lord of the Rings," "Star Wars: Episode VIII -- The Last Jedi, and "Spider-Man." He said, "I personally don't get it. Yes, I'm very old now, so that's fine, I get that too, but you know, a makeup artist or makeup designer could design makeup, they don't have to have an attachment to the nature of what they're doing."

Meanwhile, the #1 film this weekend -- expected to top $120M -- had a famous guest in one of the theaters ... Halle Bailey, who posted video of herself in disguise taking in the action.

And, speaking of action, a fight broke out at one theater ... unsure what it was about, but fists were flying -- adult fists -- which is crazy, right?

A sign of the times.

Jimmie Allen is officially pulling up stakes in Nashville ... putting his house up for sale on the heels of his divorce, and the bombshell rape allegation against him.

According to property records the country star is selling his home in Brentwood -- a Nashville suburb -- for $2.5 million. He originally listed it last month for just under $3M, before slashing the price this week.

According to a real estate source Jimmy had planned to put the home on the market 3-4 months ago.

Of course, Jimmie's been in pretty hot water lately. As we reported, his estranged wife Alexis Gale, who's pregnant with their third child, pulled the plug on their marriage -- and then his former business manager sued him for allegedly raping her.

Jimmie told us there's "no truth" to the allegation, and accused her of trying to squeeze him for money after their 2-year consensual relationship ended. He's publicly apologized to his estranged wife for the affair, and for being a poor example for their children.

On the heels of all that, he's lost biz deals, too, such as his collab with The Frozen Farmer ice cream company.

Now, he's hoping for some good news on the real estate front as he unloads the 5-bed, 5-bath home ... which sits on 1.5 acres with lots of great features.

Jimmie and Alexis got married during a secret wedding in 2020, and he bought the home in  December of that same year for $1.5M.

Selena Gomez was caught on camera yelling at a security guard while heading into a Beyoncé concert this week -- and it certainly has strong echoes of Taylor Swift.

The pop star/actress was one of several stars who hit up Bey's show in Paris Friday -- just one of many stops on her Renaissance tour -- and while she was crossing the main stage area ... you can see she had a heated confrontation with one of the dudes trailing her.

He's with security, no doubt, and it seems he might've done something to piss Selena off -- 'cause she was definitely chewing him out. You can see he comes over closer to talk to her and then points in another direction. As for what this was about ... there are some theories.

Some on social media are claiming the bodyguard -- who was seen following Selena at other points in the show, leading sleuths to believe he might actually work for her personally -- aggressively shut down a fan who was trying to reach/talk to Selena as she was passing by.

There's no evidence of that from what we can see, but it's plausible -- she was getting pretty close to the front row crowd as she was heading to her VIP area ... and was even high-fiving several along the way. Maybe somebody got a little too handsy past the barricade.

There's one video circulating that purports to show a group of people attempting to mob her on the stadium floor ... but, to be honest, it's hard to make out what's what in the clip.

Of course, right on cue, there are some haters who are criticizing SG over this -- suggesting she overreacted to a tactic used in her best interest -- and others who are praising her. But, again, nobody seems to actually know what this was all about -- it's pure speculation.

Now, if there's any truth to the security/fan story ... you'd naturally compare it to what Taylor recently did at one of her shows -- where she stuck up for a concertgoer who had a run-in with security down on the floor. That incident was much easier to parse, though.

A former toy owner has claimed Barbie was never for the broke and downtrodden but, rather, for the rich/privileged -- however, as the Queen once said ... recollections may vary.

A fierce debate -- which has largely been one-sided -- unfolded on Twitter this weekend ... this, after comedian Avery Edison posted a tweet that clearly PO'd Barbie fans everywhere, who came out in droves to correct her take on the doll's affordability, historically.

In her OG remarks, which have been deleted, she wrote ... "don't know if this is entirely fair but when someone says 'I grew up loving Barbie' I hear 'my family was not poor.'" She goes on to describe kids who had Barbies growing up as ones who "had savings accounts and went on vacations." Avery also cheekily invited Barbie discourse in a follow-up tweet.

Welp, Twitter was definitely up for it -- users flooded her comments and retweets en masse with a lot of eyebrow-raising and questions ... like, where were you buying your Barbies?

The reason ... it appears Barbie dolls are actually pretty damn cheap, and perhaps always have been -- which flies in the face of what AE was suggesting -- namely, that they were indicators of class and wealth, which is something most people don't seem to agree with.

In fact, some even pulled up old catalogs dating back to the '60s and '70s ... and there, too, the dolls look to have been reasonably priced. American Girl dolls, by contrast, are the "rich kid" toys -- at least that seems to be consensus on Twitter. In other words, Twitter was screaming "WRONG!!!" and quite loudly too. So, what does the original tweeter think now?

Well, she's lamenting the fact this has turned into such an aggressive virtual dunking at her expense, and she's defending herself by saying she was simply sharing her personal memories and offering musings/light-hearted analysis as it relates to the upcoming movie.

AE also slams people resorting to personal attacks for her take, noting how toxic the app truly is ... regardless of who owns it. It's a double-edged sword, really -- Twitter is the town square for debate, but dogpiles are common ... oftentimes over something as silly as this.

Halle Bailey's 'Little Mermaid' got tons of backlash when it was first announced, but now that it's out -- it seems folks are more curious than angry ... 'cause they're flocking to see it.

Disney's latest live-action adaptation hit theaters this weekend -- a 4-day one at that -- and so far, 'TLM' is cleaning up in ticket sales ... projected to land on a record-setting box office haul, with an estimated $120 mil-$130 mil to its name by the time Monday rolls around.

Some analysts have the film pegged to make more than $130MM -- but Disney's hedging their bets, saying it'll probably be closer to $125 MM domestically. Overseas, the movie is said to likely draw an additional $80 mil ... so it could hit around $200 mil soon enough.

That's great for the Mouse House, as this movie reportedly had a budget of about $250 million -- so they need this one to continue doing numbers for a bit to turn a profit.

While there's certainly excitement for the debut weekend, time will tell if Ariel has legs to go the distance in the weeks thereafter. As we reported, "Aladdin" star Mena Massoud recently opined he didn't think it'd hit a billion like his movie did ... which came out pre-pandemic.

Funny enough, with these estimated figures, 'Mermaid' is actually on pace to overtake what "Aladdin" achieved in 2019 -- and it's on a new list of Memorial Day weekend titans. If all goes according to plan, 'TLM' should sit at fourth behind "Top Gun: Maverick," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End," and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable character is sparking a furious online debate over whether he should be named one of the top 10 TV dads -- this after all of his legal woes involving sexual assault.

Cosby played the role of Cliff -- the beloved doctor -- in the popular '80s sitcom, "The Cosby Show," and, as a result, became an instant icon to all families.

But all that came to a crashing halt in the 2010s when he was accused of drugging and raping multiple women. In one case, Cosby was prosecuted and convicted of aggravated indecent assault, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. But Cosby's conviction was later overturned, and he was released after nearly 3 years behind bars.

Twitter users have compiled a list of the 10 best TV dads -- starting with Danny Tanner (Full House), then Dan Conner (Roseanne), Tim Taylor (Home Improvement), Philip Banks (Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air), Carl Winslow (Family Matters), Phil Dunphy (Modern Family), George Lopez (The George Lopez Show), Andy Griffith (The Andy Griffith Show), Mike Brady (The Brady Bunch) and Al Bundy (Married... with Children).

People are asking whether Huxtable should be on the list for obvious reasons -- but it seems many on Twitter are arguing on his behalf, although they still have mixed feelings.

One person wrote, "So Cliff Huxtable is trending because he wasn't included in a list of top 10 TV dads. Who can't forget about a rapist who played an OBGYN that conducted vaginal exams in his basement?"

Another person said, "Cliff Huxtable was one of the greatest TV dads of all time. Bill Cosby is a sexual deviant who got away with rape because of a technicality. We can say one without compromising the other."

A third individual pointed out ... "Separating Cosby from Cliff Huxtable is a tough ask, but the character was undeniably a great one -- and an important one. He belongs on the list."

So we gotta ask ...

Roger Waters is clapping back at criticism over the Nazi-themed getup he wore during two recent Berlin concerts ... insisting he's not a fascist.

The rock star took to Twitter Friday, posting a lengthy statement detailing his defense of his Gestapo-like appearance during his May 17 and May 18 performances.

Berlin Police have opened a criminal investigation to see if Waters' outfit -- a black trench coat with a red armband -- incited the crowd by glorifying Nazis and, therefore, disturbed the peace. Waters was flanked by men dressed as Nazi stormtroopers firing toy machine guns.

Waters now says his critics have launched "bad faith attacks" designed to "smear and silence" him because they don't agree with his political and moral views.

He says his performances were trying to convey the opposite message in the fight against "fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms." He claims Nazi-infused imagery has been woven into his music since the release of the 1979 record, Pink Floyd's “The Wall."

Waters went on to say he has spent his life condemning authoritarianism and oppression and reminded everyone his parents battled the Nazis in World War II. He noted his father died making the ultimate sacrifice.

Taylor Swift is going full throttle supporting Ice Spice ... bringing her onstage Friday in the middle of her Eras Tour in New Jersey.

TS and IS performed the "Karma" remix at MetLife Stadium which was, of course, packed to the gills.

Taylor clued the crowd in on how the collab went down ... "She [Ice Spice] reached out and said, ‘If you’d ever like to do a collab, I would love to.' And what she didn’t know at the time is that when I was training for the tour, I was listening to pretty much exclusively just her music every single day. All day … So I said, ‘Absolutely, when can we do it?’"

She went on, gushing about Ice Spice ... "So we immediately went into the studio and I just not only fell in love with her, but just decided she’s the entire future. … I’ve been around so many artists and so many artists just starting out, but I’ve never been around an artist who’s so prepared and curious and focused on what she wants.”

There was no reference to Taylor's BF, Matty Healy, and the racist comments he made back in February. Healy has apologized, but lots of her fans still aren't buying it.

One of the brands who created some of Target's Pride collection says their items have been yanked from brick-and-mortar stores ... and they're blaming "threats from domestic terrorists."

The brand, Ash+Chess, says the majority of their products have been removed from Target stores following backlash.

The New York-based brand, which says it is "queer + trans owned," says it's saddened by what's going down at some Target stores ... where folks are destroying Pride displays.

Ash+Chess says ... "Emotionally, we do not currently have the bandwidth to comment further on this. We appreciate your support and love. Queer and trans people exist in the past, present, and future, and we are stronger together. We love you all."

While Target apparently yanked the brand's products from storefronts, the collection is still available online as of this post.

Some of the Pride items from Ash+Chess include beanies, cards, shirts, shorts, sweatshirts, hoodies, posters and calendars ... and they mostly celebrate being queer and trans.

As you know, there's a boycott targeting the nationwide chain over its decision to feature LGBTQ apparel and other items, a boycott that's cost Target $9 billion and counting.

Raquel Leviss and her family are so terrified after a wave of death threats stemming from her affair with Tom Sandoval, they've contacted the country's top law enforcement source for help ... TMZ has learned.

The "Vanderpump Rules" star's rep tells TMZ ... Raquel and her family have been on the receiving end of violent and graphic death threats both online and over the phone that has gotten so bad they've had to contact the FBI.

We're told some of the alleged threats include messages sent to Raquel through social media, saying ... "Tear you limb from limb" and "Un-alive and dump the body."

A source close to Raquel tells TMZ ... it's understandable why people hate her for the Scandoval, but to elevate that hate to the point of threatening Raquel and her family takes things too far and is disturbing.

A spokesperson for the FBI tells TMZ ... "FBI neither confirms nor denies investigations. Obviously, we review all allegations reported to us and encourage anyone who believes their life is in imminent danger to call 911."

As we reported, Raquel's getting mental health treatment in the wake of the cheating scandal, and we haven't seen her out in public in weeks ... so she's clearly in a bad spot, and the alleged threats aren't helping.

As we reported ... Tom and Raquel were raked over the coals during part one of the "VPR" reunion, with some of their fellow costars threatening Tom with violence.

But death threats are on a whole other level.

Here's how insane the culture wars have gotten ... people are now vandalizing Target stores and destroying Pride signs, and that's not all.

A guy named Ethan Schmidt, a radically right-wing internet personality, paid a visit to a Target store and ripped down a "#TakePride" sign around an LGBTQ clothes rack.

His anger and hatred are palpable in the video.

Target has been just that -- a target for featuring LGBTQ apparel and other items. In addition to the boycott which has already cost the chain $9 billion, employees have been harassed. That led to a decision to move some of the LGBTQ items, which infuriated people from the community. It's the proverbial rock-and-a-hard place.

There have been other, more subtle gestures, like someone who left a case of Bud Light next to an LGBTQ display.

Now there are folks attacking the store for not having a display honoring the military on Memorial Day. One of the protesters proclaimed, "You're going to go down like Budweiser."

Shakur Stevenson vs. Devin Haney is a fight virtually everyone in boxing wants, but it's still not the biggest scrap out there for the star boxer from Jersey, who tells us a matchup with Gervonta "Tank" Davis is actually number one!

"I think both [Davis and Haney] fights is great fights for me," the 25-year-old undefeated lightweight told Babcock when he joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show this week (airs weekdays on FS1).

"Obviously, I think me and Tank is a bigger fight, but me and Dev is a fight where I could establish who I am as a fighter."

Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) has made it clear ... he wants smoke with all the top 135 lb. fighters, including the champ, Haney (30-0), Davis (29-0), and Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3), who many believe actually beat Devin last Saturday night in Vegas.

Now, there's talk Devin, who has to cut a lot of weight to make 135, could go up in weight class ... and if he does move to junior welterweight, Shakur says he'll understand, because cutting weight sucks. But, it's not the move he'd make with so many doubting whether he truly won his last fight.

"If [Devin] can't make the weight and he don't feel the same, then just go up, but if it was me, if I was in his shoes, I would have the [Loma] rematch," Shakur told us, adding, "I would have to show the world that that dude can't f*** with me. That's how I would do it."

Regardless of what the other top fighters do, Shakur has a plan mapped out.

"It's definitely some great fights to make," Shakur told us, adding, "If [Devin] stays, I think me and Dev should fight next. If he doesn't stay and he decides to go to 140, I think me and Lomachenko should bang it out. I think that's the big fight and the world get to see who I truly am, how special I am."

Stevenson clearly has a lot of respect for Lomachenko ... and believes the 35-year-old future Hall of Famer proved he's not done with his performance against the younger and bigger Haney.

"I feel like Lomachenko just showed the world that he's not washed. He's not washed up. Now that we know that, I think it's only right, throw me in there with him, and let's see if I'm the truth. I'll keep saying I'm the truth."

There's much more ... we talked to Stevenson about his take on the Haney-Loma fight (which has changed a bit now that he's rewatched it on TV), what he and Devin said to each other in the ring after the Loma fight, and whether there's truly a chance boxing fans get these super fights.