Controversial S#!T

Elton John and Kevin Spacey were having a blast overseas while out to dinner ... enjoying each other's company a month after the singer's crucial testimony in Spacey's sexual assault trial.

The 2 pals dined out at La Petite Maison in France this week, along with Elton's husband, David Furnish, the couples' kids and a few other friends.

They were serenaded by a group called The Snugglers, who posted a clip of the friends' night out on the town. BTW, the group was singing Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" as the table enjoyed their grub.

Elton certainly is a true friend to Kevin, and we aren't just talking about a fun dinner together -- as we reported, he took the stand, remotely, last month during Kevin's trial in London, where he was being accused of sexually assaulting 4 men from 2001 to 2013.

The Rocket Man's testimony challenged the claim of one of Kevin's accusers ... who alleged he was groped by the actor while they were going to one of Elton's annual parties, saying it happened either in 2004 or 2005.

Elton testified, under oath, that timeline wasn't possible ... because Kevin only attended his 2001 party he hosted. David also testified, saying he found old photos to back up Elton's memory.

It was a vital one-two punch in that accuser's case.

Former "Big Brother" contestant Luke Valentine says there's a simple explanation for him casually dropping the n-word -- but his quasi-apology isn't doing him a lot of favors.

Luke shared his thoughts Wednesday on social media as he went live from Havana ... claiming it's "pretty clear" he meant no harm when he used the racial slur around 3 houseguests, one of whom is Black.

He says his slip came after a week of not eating and getting pretty crappy sleep -- and he wants folks to know the 'BB' game can take a big toll on people.

Luke does say he regrets saying the n-word, but brushes off the whole thing in the same breath ... adding, "What happened, happened" and laughingly says the whole incident felt like when he was running his mouth in middle school. He understands why they had to boot him from the house, but ultimately thinks production made the wrong decision.

As you'd imagine, 'BB' fans online aren't taking his explanation that well -- one called it a "piss poor apology," while another wrote, "Trying your hardest to look as unbothered as possible and failing miserably."

As we reported, Luke let it slip and then swapped the word for "dude," laughing over it while his fellow contestants shamed him. He stuck around with housemate Jared, who ended up telling Luke, "I don't give a f***" in response to his using the epithet.

Michael Oher knew the Tuohy family were his "legal conservators" in 2011, despite claiming in legal docs that he just became aware this February ... and the proof is in the former NFL star's own book.

Oher wrote "I Beat The Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond" -- a memoir that was released in 2011 -- and specifically talked about the legal relationship he had with the family.

"It kind of felt like a formality, as I'd been a part of the family for more than a year at that point. Since I was already over the age of eighteen and considered an adult by the state of Tennessee, Sean and Leigh Anne would be named as my 'legal conservators,'" Oher said.

Michael continued ... "They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as 'adoptive parents,' but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account. Honestly, I didn't care what it was called. I was just happy that no one could argue that we weren't legally what we already knew was real: We were a family."

Of course, it seemingly puts a hole in Oher's story. Just this week he claimed in legal documents filed in Tennessee that he only found out about the conservatorship in early 2023 ... a move his attorney alleges the Tuohy's pulled to gain "total control over Michael Oher's ability to negotiate for or enter any contract."

His beef with Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy centers around money he claims they earned from the hit movie, "The Blind Side" ... of which he says he got nothing.

However, the Tuohy's issued a statement refuting Oher's claims across the board -- forcefully denying they got rich from the film, and saying they never misled Michael about the conservatorship.

Oher's attorney asked for an accounting of money the family made through contracts negotiated on his behalf ... in what appeared to be a precursor to a lawsuit.

It'll be interesting to see what happens now that the book has resurfaced, since Oher clearly knew of the conservatorship.

Tan Mom's run for a U.S. Senate seat is due, in no small part, to some of Ron DeSantis' policies -- she tells us some of Florida's most controversial issues prompted her decision to run ... and to do it as a Republican.

The bronzed mother of 5, whose real name is Patricia Krentcil, joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," saying things like books being banned in FL and Gov. DeSantis' restrictions on Medicaid were enough to get her to step up to the plate.

We also talked to her about her choice to run as a Republican, even though she's openly opposing the party line on several issues ... particularly in Florida.

Patricia says she's just always been a Republican, but doesn't think her views about certain topics require her to change parties.

She says she's hoping she can break out of her "Tan Mom" brand, and wants her fellow conservatives to try to see things the way she does.

Doja Cat reportedly lost thousands of social media followers last month when she blasted diehard fans for worshipping her career -- a small price to pay, she thinks, to find her genuine supporters!!!

Doja posted an IG story Tuesday where she explained she had no regrets about ripping her rabid fanbase for calling themselves "kittenz" -- she actually referred to their social media rejection as a weight lifted off her shoulders.

She wrote, "Seeing all these people unfollow makes me feel like I've defeated a large beast that's been holding me down for so long and it feels like I can reconnect with the people who really matter and love me for who I am and not for who I was."

The clarification coincided with Doja's Harper's Bazaar cover story where she further vented about fans to Angie Martinez, saying ... "My theory is that if someone has never met me in real life, then, subconsciously, I’m not real to them. So when people become engaged with someone they don’t even know on the internet, they kind of take ownership of that person.

She adds, "They think that person belongs to them in some sense. And when that person changes drastically, there is a shock response that is almost uncontrollable ...  I’ve accepted that that’s what happens."

It's also clear Doja's fine losing some of that fan induced-pressure. As she said in Harper's ... "I put my wigs on and take them off. I shave my head or my eyebrows. I have all the freedom in the world."

Former NBA player Enes Kanter says if he threw on a wig, changed his name to "Eneshia" and joined the WNBA ... he'd be the greatest player the org's ever seen -- averaging 60 points and 30 rebounds per game.

The 31-year-old ex-Oklahoma City Thunder star made the claims during an interview with Fox News this week ... while trying to explain why he believes transgender women should be banned from competing against cisgender females.

Kanter said those born as men innately have an unfair advantage over their biological female counterparts due to strength and size discrepancies ... and, to prove his point, he said he'd absolutely dominate the WNBA if it allowed him to play now.

"I'm 7-foot, 270 pounds," he said. "And, if I decided to identify myself as a woman and decided to play in the WNBA ... would that be fair to all the women who have been chasing their dreams since they were a little kid?"

He continued, "If I am allowed in, I will average 60 points and 30 rebounds. I will break records."

Kanter -- who averaged 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game during his 11-year NBA career -- said he doesn't understand why there's even a debate surrounding the topic ... and he implored both men and women all across the country to join him and speak out.

"Men do not belong in women's spaces," he said. "Restrooms, locker rooms or sports."

"Everybody knows we are bigger, stronger, taller, more muscular," he added. "It's just not fair. It's just not fair, period."

One tough matador is on the mend after getting gored in the ass during a recent bullfight ... but despite the horrifying scene, he says he's doing OK.

It all went down this week at the annual Prieto de la Cal in Madrid ... when Alejandro Conquero -- the son of famous matador The Hurricane of Huelva -- challenged a white bull with a pink cape.

In footage of the competition, the 28-year-old matador clearly held his own until one of the bull's horns caught him ... and he got sent flying into the air.

That's when it turned gruesome -- the massive bull rammed his horns right into Conquero's rear end and threw him up several feet for a second time.

Thankfully, other matadors jumped into the ring to divert the bull away from Conquero ... and he was rushed to a nearby hospital.

Doctors told COPE that Conquero suffered "a goring in the posterior perianal region, which dissects the rectum through the coccyx and could affect the external sphincter of the anus" ... but the matador says he feels fine.

"I am excited and I give a thousand thanks to those who at this time have thought or have been interested in me," Conquero said per his IG story.

"The evolution is positive, there is no fever, pain, the normal one but with the hope of being able to dress up soon. Thank you very much."

The goring comes just weeks after the "Messi of Matadors" was struck by a 1,100-pound bull in Spain during a show ... suffering injuries to his neck, face, and legs.

The Killers are apologizing to their fans after getting pelted with boos at a recent concert in the country of Georgia for bringing a Russian fan onstage and calling him their "brother."

The rock band, led by singer Brandon Flowers, invited a fan up onstage at their Shekvetili gig Tuesday to play the drums -- a tradition the group's been doing for a while. This fan, however, claimed he was from Russia ... something the Georgian crowd wasn't thrilled with.

Brandon and co. got a swarm of negative responses instantly, prompting him to suggest the man was the country's brother -- which set them off even more. After more booing, he asked if he wasn't their brother, being from America ... and got more boos.

The crowd got pretty pissed, and many folks in the crowd reportedly left in protest ... and the band offered up an apology after the rough show, saying, "Good people of Georgia, it was never our intention to offend anyone!"

Responding to the "brother" comment, they add, "We recognize that a comment, meant to suggest that all of The Killers' audience and fans are 'brothers and sisters,' could be misconstrued. We did not mean to upset anyone and we apologize."

Bradley Cooper is being dragged over his portrayal of legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, and one of the criticisms is at least worth talking about, while the other is utterly ridiculous.

Cooper stars in "Maestro," chronicling the life of the New York Philharmonic conductor, who happens to be Jewish.

One criticism is that Cooper wore a prosthetic nose for the role, which some folks online are calling a "Jewface" stereotype. Point of fact -- Bernstein did have a large nose, so we suppose that's a fair issue to debate.

The ridiculous criticism ... some folks are slamming Cooper, who is not Jewish, and producers for casting him in a role that could have gone to a Jewish actor.

Note to critics -- Bernstein became famous because he was a great conductor who HAPPENED to be Jewish. So if Neil Armstrong were Mormon, should producers only cast a Mormon actor to play him? Absurd.

BTW ... the movie was produced by Steven Spielberg ... 'nuff said.

Todd Chrisley isn't irked at all by his family starting a new reality series while he's locked up in prison -- in fact, he thinks it's a fantastic idea.

Jay Surgent, Todd's attorney, tells TMZ ... the reality star is "thrilled and happy" members of his family are launching the new show, and hopes it'll depict the devastation his family has been facing since he and Julie were sent to prison at the beginning of this year.

Translation: It's all good, as long as no one's smiling! Less joy, more pain.

We're told Todd will not be a part of the show, but their kids Chase, Savannah, Grayson, and adopted daughter, Chloe -- as well as Todd's mom, Nanny Faye -- are all reportedly starring in the new series, picking up after Todd and Julie started doing their time.

TMZ broke the story, Todd claims he's been severely mistreated while locked up at FPC Pensacola -- allegedly dealing with things like photos being taken of him while sleeping, his mail not being delivered to him and no AC in Florida's summer conditions.

What's more, Todd's now telling Jay he has no way of contacting him from inside prison -- Jay's allegedly blocked from Todd's mail, phone and email lists, but the attorney has no clue why ... and says he can't get answers from prison administration.

For what it's worth, we're told Jay is able to set up appointments to speak with Todd, through the help of Todd's prison counselor.

The Tuohy family says before Michael Oher made "outlandish," "hurtful" and "absurd" claims about them in court on Monday ... he actually tried to shake them down for $15 MILLION.

Marty Singer -- the Tuohy family attorney -- said it all happened recently ... and, what's worse, he claimed this is not the first time Oher has done this.

Singer -- in a lengthy statement to TMZ Sports -- said Oher came to the Tuohys prior to filing his 14-page petition in Shelby County, Tenn. ... and threatened them, saying if they didn't pony up an eight-figure check, he'd "plant a negative story about them in the press."

Singer denied all of the allegations in Oher's court filing ... explaining that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy absolutely did not trick the former NFL star into getting into a conservatorship when he was 18 years old as he had claimed.

The conservatorship "was established to assist with Mr. Oher’s needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver’s license to helping with college admissions," Singer said. "Should Mr. Oher wish to terminate the conservatorship, either now or at anytime in the future, the Tuohys will never oppose it in any way."

As for Oher's claims that the Tuohys used the conservatorship to broker a movie deal with Fox behind Oher's back that netted them millions -- while leaving Oher with nothing -- Singer said that was BS as well.

"The notion that a couple worth hundreds of millions of dollars would connive to withhold a few thousand dollars in profit participation payments from anyone -- let alone from someone they loved as a son -- defies belief," Singer said.

Instead, the attorney claimed Tuesday the Tuohys had "received a small advance from the production company and a tiny percentage of net profits" from "The Blind Side" ... money Singer said the Tuohys have always either shared with Oher or have tried to share with the former Baltimore Ravens tackle.

"Over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from 'The Blind Side,'" Singer said. "Even recently, when Mr. Oher started to threaten them about what he would do unless they paid him an eight-figure windfall, and, as part of that shakedown effort refused to cash the small profit checks from the Tuohys, they still deposited Mr. Oher’s equal share into a trust account they set up for his son."

Singer continued, "Unbeknownst to the public, Mr. Oher has actually attempted to run this play several times before – but it seems that numerous other lawyers stopped representing him once they saw the evidence and learned the truth. Sadly, Mr. Oher has finally found a willing enabler and filed this ludicrous lawsuit as a cynical attempt to drum up attention in the middle of his latest book tour."

Singer added the Tuohys are "heartbroken" over it all and they hope to reconcile with Oher soon ... though "they will not hesitate to defend their good names, stand up to this shakedown and defeat this offensive lawsuit."

Twitter is home to a lot of ridiculous opinions, but the latest trend involving Sandra Bullock might be the app's worst ... users are calling for her to lose her Oscar on the heels of "The Blind Side" controversy.

It's about as crazy as it sounds, especially since there's zero evidence Bullock -- who played Leigh Anne Tuohy in the movie -- had any clue of the drama behind the scenes with Michael Oher and the Tuohy family.

One user wrote, "So Sandra Bullock should have to give back her Oscar right, and man do we need to start checking these good feeling stories. The parents blocked $300 in earnings the movie from him getting any of it and gave the money to their real children? WOOOOOOOW!"

Another says, "If the Michael Oher allegations are true then we have to go AND TAKE THE OSCAR back from Sandra Bullock and give it to Gabourey Sidibe for 'Precious'" and "Sandra Bullock should give her Oscar back. She knows she didn't deserve that s***."

However, there's also people coming to her defense, writing, "Not y'all calling for Sandra Bullock's Oscar to be revoked. It ain't her fault the real life people were exploitative scammers and thieves," and "You know Sandra Bullock deserved her Oscar because she acted so well, she made the Tuohy family likeable."

As we reported, the former NFL star claims the Tuohy family never adopted him -- as the movie suggests -- but he was instead placed under a conservatorship. Oher claims the family made a ton of cash off his life story in "The Blind Side," while he got nothing.

Sean Tuohy is calling BS on Oher, saying the family's only option to legally make him part of their family was a conservatorship -- as he was over 18 -- and each family member made about $14,000 from the movie ... including Oher.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Beyoncé is setting the record straight on her feelings toward Lizzo -- not only is she back to name-dropping the artist in song, she also singled her out with a loving shout-out.

Bey was bringing the house down, per usual, Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in ATL, and performed "Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)," which supports her fellow female artists -- including Lizzo -- by shouting them out.

You may recall, Lizzo was notably absent from the song's callout section during a Beyoncé show earlier this month, but she was back on the lineup a couple of days later. Bey took things a step further this time, though -- saying, "I love you, Lizzo!"

The crowd certainly took that as a sign -- one fan in the crowd even responded, "OK!"

As we reported, Beyoncé ditched Lizzo's name at a Massachusetts show on August 1 ... coming directly after the "About Damn Time" singer was slapped with a lawsuit from 3 of her former dancers, claiming she created a hostile work environment with alleged sexual harassment and fat-shaming, among other things.

Lizzo, for what it's worth, has denied the allegations against her ... and it looks like Beyoncé's got Lizzo's back, and then some.

Tina Knowles is laughing off a report about Beyoncé bringing personal toilet seats around with her on tour ... she says it's a case of mistaken identity.

We got Beyoncé's mom Monday at LAX and our photog asked her about the viral photo from her "Renaissance" tour ... which shows a container labeled "Beyoncé Toilet Seats."

Tina says the big black box doesn't actually have toilet seats inside ... as some news outlets previously reported ... she says Beyoncé's tour uses the boxes to position fans onstage.

For some reason, these things are called toilet seats ... and Tina says the notion Beyonce is such a diva she lugs around a custom toilet seat is "so ridiculous."

Tina would know ... she's been to more than a few of Beyoncé's shows during the "Renaissance" tour, and she's planning to check out the upcoming concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.

Shocking allegations from Michael Oher ... the former offensive lineman says the family who took him in, helped him become an NFL star and was later portrayed in the hit movie "The Blind Side," lied to him, never adopted him and screwed him out of potentially millions of dollars.

The ex-Baltimore Ravens tackle spelled out the eyebrow-raising claims in a petition filed in Shelby County, Tenn. on Monday ... alleging Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy "exploited" him "for their own benefit" after realizing he was a "gullible young man" with athletic talent.

Oher says he initially got involved with the Tuohys during the summer following his junior year of high school ... after he claimed "a broken social system" in Tennessee left him homeless and in need of aid.

In the docs, Oher says the couple invited him to stay in their home often during that summer to help him out, and took him on shopping trips where they'd buy him clothes. Eventually, before his senior year started, he says they asked him to move in with them.

"The Tuohys did tell Michael they loved him and that they intended to legally adopt him," Oher said in the documents. "Michael believed them, was delighted to be part of a real and stable family, and trusted Mr. and Mrs. Tuohy completely."

A short time later, however, Oher says the Tuohys pulled one over on him.

In the docs, the former football player -- who's now 37 years old -- claims the Tuohys presented him with legal papers that he believed were needed to begin the process of the family adopting him. Instead, however, he says he just learned in February 2023 that they were actually a petition to appoint them as his conservators -- a filing that would allow the Tuohys to "have total control over Michael Oher's ability to negotiate for or enter any contract, despite the fact he was over 18 years of age and had no diagnosed physical or psychological disabilities."

Oher claims the conservatorship then allowed the Tuohys to negotiate a deal with Fox for "The Blind Side," the '09 flick based on Oher's life.

Oher says the Tuohys got themselves and their kids -- but not him -- "a contract price of $225,0000 plus 2.5% of all future 'defined net proceeds.'" The movie -- in which Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy -- ended up grossing over $300 million.

Oher claims as part of the deal with Fox, a contract giving away the rights to his story without any form of payment whatsoever, was signed. Oher says he "at no time ever willingly or knowingly signed this document and that nobody" ever made him aware of what the document actually entailed.

Oher is asking for a judge to end the conservatorship. He's also asking for damages ... as well as an accounting of the money the Touhys made through contracts negotiated on his behalf. It all appears to be potentially a precursor to a lawsuit.

Oher -- who's previously been critical of "The Blind Side" over the way he feels he was wrongly portrayed as dumb -- played in the NFL from 2009 to 2016 ... starting 110 games in his career.

Stephen Amell seems to have changed his tune when it comes to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike -- first demonstrated in his actions, and now further cemented by his own words.

The "Arrow" star spoke to a photog this week not long after he was spotted out in NYC with other fellow SAG members, hitting the picket line and showing support/solidarity for his union amid the ongoing negotiations ... which have dragged on for about a month or so now.

Check out what he had to say ... SA says he doesn't believe he's done a 180 on the issue, but rather -- that he just misspoke at first, and now has some clarity on how he feels.

What that manifests into, as he notes, is unwavering support for SAG-AFTRA ... something he's had since the beginning. And while he did say he didn't support the act of striking -- pointing out how hard it was on working actors -- he now says he's been educated on the process ... this after speaking to SAG leadership, who explained it wasn't done lightly.

You'll recall ... Stephen got a lot of backlash, at first, for saying what he said about striking, but since then ... it sounds like the dude has come around to realizing it's for a larger purpose, despite some growing pains people might be experiencing on the ground.

Interestingly, what Stephen says here on camera strongly echoes what he told us on "TMZ Live" a couple weeks ago ... when he was trying to put his original remarks in context.