Controversial S#!T

2:55 PM PT -- Otra que muerde el polvo ... Jennifer Hudson también se está arrepintiendo de traer de vuelta su propio programa de entrevistas, esto luego de que Drew Barrymore y "The Talk" hiciera exactamente lo mismo.

Variety informa que "The Jennifer Hudson Show" ha retrasado la fecha de su estreno de la segunda temporada, y también ha detenido la producción, la cual estuba en pleno apogeo esta semana. La nueva temporada se iba a estrenar el lunes en varias cadenas (es un programa sindicado) pero ahora, todos esos O&Os tendrán que encontrar otra programación para llenar el espacio.

El programa de Bill Maher es el único que sigue adelante sin sus guionistas, y si conocemos a Bill, no va a ceder como hicieron los demás. Eso es, a menos que WB tenga algo que decir al respecto en los próximos días. Una vez más la presión pública hace el trabajo.

10:38 AM PT -- Parece que la CBS está poniendo en orden sus programas de entrevistas diurnos, porque 'The Talk' ahora está siguiendo el ejemplo de Drew y posponiendo su propio regreso también. Y sí, también son un programa de golpes.

Un representante de CBS dice ... "'The Talk' está pausando su estreno de temporada previsto para el 18 de septiembre. Seguiremos evaluando planes para una nueva fecha de lanzamiento". No es tan dramático como el anuncio de Drew ... pero es, obviamente, debido a su decisión de pulsar el botón de pausa.

'The Talk' contrata a guionistas sindicados para su programa ... a diferencia de otros programas similares como 'The View', que no lo hacen. De todos modos, parece que la presión pública de la WGA funcionó... ¡¿Qué te parece?!

Drew Barrymore no va a cruzar la línea después de todo, ahora dice que NO va a volver a la producción de su programa de entrevistas mientras que la huelga del Gremio de Escritores continúe.

Drew nos sorprendió a todos el domingo por la mañana cuando anunció: "He escuchado a todo el mundo y estoy tomando la decisión de hacer una pausa en el estreno del programa hasta que la huelga haya terminado. No tengo palabras para expresar mis más profundas disculpas a todos los que he herido y, por supuesto, a nuestro increíble equipo que trabaja en el programa y lo ha convertido en lo que es hoy."

El giro se produce exactamente una semana después de que dijera por primera vez que empezaría a rodar nuevos episodios y desde entonces se ha enfrentado a una oleada de reacciones y críticas que casi la llevaron a las lágrimas en un vídeo de disculpa por volver al programa.

Tal vez no sea una coincidencia que su cambio de opinión se produzca horas después de que Rosie O'Donnell se fuera contra ella.

Como informamos, Rosie O'Donnell criticó a Drew el sábado, publicando instrucciones sencillas sobre cómo puede salvar la cara con el sindicato y el público. Escribió: "Deja de grabar el programa. Deja de pedir a la audiencia que cruce la línea, luego, que a alguien te ayude a elaborar una declaración, que deberí ser algo como: "He cometido un error pido disculpas al WGA por faltar al respeto al trabajo de los guionistas profesionales. Pido disculpas a todos los miembros del sindicato que están soportando verdaderas penurias mientras yo vivo una vida de lujo".

Bueno, Drew no dijo eso palabra por palabra, pero en esencia, es lo que acabó diciendo.

Por cierto, el vídeo de disculpa ha sido borrado y Drew parece ahora decidida a no volver hasta que termine la huelga. Dice: "Realmente intentamos encontrar la manera de seguir adelante. Y espero de verdad una resolución para toda la industria muy pronto".

Drew Barrymore will not cross the picket line, after all ... she now says she is NOT going back into production on her talk show while the Writer's Guild strike continues.

Drew completed a massive flip-flop Sunday morning when she announced, "I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over. I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today."

The turnaround comes exactly one week after she first said she would start shooting new episodes -- and since then she's faced a wave of backlash and criticism that nearly brought her to tears in a video apology for coming back, but oddly said was still going to return to production.

Perhaps not coincidentally, her change of heart -- to pull the plug on a comeback -- comes hours after Rosie O'Donnell ripped into her.

As we reported, Rosie O’Donnell excoriated Drew on Saturday, posting simple instructions on how she can save face with the union and the public. She wrote, “Stop taping the show. Stop asking audiences to cross the picket line, Then ask someone to help you craft three declarative sentences. They should follow along these lines: I made an error. I apologize to the WGA for disrespecting the work of professional writers. I apologize to all union members who are withstanding real hardship as I live a life of luxury.”

Well, Drew didn't say that word-for-word, but, in essence, it is what she ended up saying.

BTW, the video apology has been deleted, and Drew now seems resolute in not coming back until the strike ends. She says, "We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon."

It will be interesting to see if other shows or hosts bow to pressure to honor the strike -- "Real Time With Bill Maher," "The Talk" and Jennifer Hudson's talk show are also returning without their striking writers.

Hay una nueva presentadora en 'Meet the Press', y en el primer día de trabajo consiguió que Donald Trump admitiera que necesitaba votos para ganar las elecciones de 2020, lo cual es bastante.

Kristen Welker está ahora al timón después de que Chuck Todd renunciara, y su primer programa del domingo contó con una larga entrevista que hizo con el ex presidente. Hay un interesante fragmento de sonido donde ella le pregunta acerca de su negativa a aceptar los resultados de las elecciones.

Échale un vistazo a este intercambio, Welker señala que Trump ha dicho en repetidas ocasiones que sólo necesitaba unos pocos miles de votos en cada estado para ganar, por no hablar de llamar a algunos Secretarios de Estado en un intento de presionarlos para "encontrar" votos, y él reconoce que eso es cierto.

Entonces Welker pregunta lo obvio: "Cuando dice que necesitaba una décima de punto, ¿necesitaba una décima de punto para ganar?". Trump admite que sólo necesitaba un puñado de votos.

Ella vuelve a presionar: "¿Para ganar?" Trump responde: "Sí". Welker entonces va al siguiente hecho obvio aquí: "Pero señor presidente, usted está diciendo que necesitaba más votos para ganar las elecciones, ¿está reconociendo que no ganó?". Eso envía a Trump a un frenesí de "Disculpe".

Cuando ella finalmente le pregunta si está admitiendo haber perdido, él dice que no, insistiendo en que estaba amañado.

Hay otros puntos interesantes de la entrevista, como la pregunta de Welker a Trump sobre si teme ir a la cárcel. Él le dice que no porque al parecer ni siquiera piensa en ello.

Ahora, debemos señalar que Welker/NBC está recibiendo algunas críticas por su decisión de entrevistar a Trump y darle una "plataforma". Eso es una tontería, sin embargo el tipo se dirige a convertirse en el candidato republicano, y sigue siendo de interés periodístico. 🤷🏽‍♂️

There's a new host over at 'Meet the Press' -- and on day one of the job, she got Donald Trump to admit he needed votes to win the 2020 election ... which is quite something.

Kristen Welker is now at the helm after Chuck Todd stepped down, and her first show Sunday featured a lengthy interview she did with the former President ... and it contains an interesting soundbite where she asks him about his refusal to accept the election results.

Check out this exchange ... Welker points out that Trump has repeatedly said he only needed a few thousands votes in each state to win -- not to mention calling some Secretaries of State in an attempt to pressure them to "find" votes -- and he acknowledges that's true.

Then Welker asks the obvious ... "When you say you needed one-tenth of a point, you needed one-tenth of a point to win?" Trump concedes he needed only a smattering of votes.

She again presses ... "To win?" DT responds, "Yeah." Welker then goes to the next obvious fact here ... "But Mr. President, you’re saying you needed more votes to win the election, are you acknowledging you didn’t win?" That sends Trump into an "Excuse me" frenzy.

When she finally asks him if he's admitting to losing ... he says no, insisting it was rigged.

There are other interesting takeaways from the sit-down ... including Welker asking Trump if he fears going to prison. He tells her no, because apparently, he doesn't even think about it.

Now, we should point out ... Welker/NBC is catching a bit of flak over their decision to interview Trump at all and to give him a "platform." That's silly, though -- the guy is headed toward becoming the Republican nominee, and he continues to be newsworthy. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Tinashe says she regrets her collaboration with Chris Brown -- something he heard loud and clear, and which he didn't kindly to ... trashing her by suggesting she's not big time.

The singer was on a podcast earlier this week and at one point, she was asked about her R. Kelly and CB joints in 2015 ... which made Tinashe cringe, not to mention explain. She actually laughs out loud in distancing herself, saying she didn't want to work with them.

For the R. Kelly team-up -- 'Let's Be Real Now' -- she says she blocks that memory out of her mind. Tinashe also says it was strictly a label decision ... and says the same thing applied for her Chris collab. From her POV, having him on the song didn't make sense.

Of course, most media outlets ran headlines pointing out Tinashe seemingly bashing Chris -- even though she really didn't go all that hard on him -- and Chris caught wind of it.

He responded to an IG post that captured a headline which read, "Tinashe Regrets 2015 Collaborations with R. Kelly & Chris Brown: 'That Is So Embarrassing.'" In the comments, Chris wrote, "NAME 5 TINASHE songs or die ... EVERYBODY DEAD."

After Chris's burn, the Internet has reacted a couple different ways -- naturally, many people are slamming Chris for trying to diminish Tinashe's career ... and some are even saying they couldn't name 5 Chris Brown songs with a gun to their head. Twitter's calling cap, though.

Fact is, Chris has far more recognizable of a catalog than Tinashe does ... and a more decorated music career in general. Others are also saying the song they did -- that Tinashe now regrets -- is actually a bop ... going on to speculate that she's only saying this because it's fashionable these days to stiff-arm CB over his controversial personal history.

Joyner Lucas put it quite well in a video ... saying he'd defend Chris to the death, and that he wouldn't accept any slander of him. Per usual, everyone's divided on the issue.

As for Tinashe ... she's moving on. On Sunday, she appeared to respond to all the hubbub, taking to Twitter and writing ... "Anyways ... stream NEEDS." It's her new single, and that's clearly what she wants to focus on -- as opposed to ancient history.

Still, it is interesting that Chris continues to be as polarizing as he is. Anytime somebody works with him these days -- or even reflects on working with him -- it creates a buzz.

El presunto novio de la diputada Lauren Boebert no sólo es demócrata, sino que presumiblemente apoya a la comunidad LGBTQ, así que la trama no hace más que complicarse.

Quinn Gallagher, el hombre que estaba agarrando el pecho de Bobert como ella estaba agarrando su entrepierna mientras veían un musical, tiene un bar en Aspen (el Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar) que alberga espectáculos de drag.

Como probablemente sepas, la incendiaria republicana ha arremetido contra los espectáculos de travestis, preocupada por que los niños puedan ser influenciados de alguna manera para hacer algo, aunque nunca ha sido específica.

Es la última vuelta de tuerca de una historia de locos. Como ya informamos, Boebert fue expulsada de la obra de "Beetlejuice" en Denver, después de fumar (algo que ella negó pero que está tan claro como el agua en el vídeo de vigilancia), hacer señas, interrumpir y hablar mal a otros miembros del público.

En otro vídeo, se ve a Gallagher manoseando el pecho de Boebert y a Boebert manoseándole la entrepierna.

Y, como ya informamos, a la salida del teatro le dio la vuelta a un acomodador.

Rep. Lauren Boebert's presumed boyfriend is not only a Democrat but presumably a supporter of the LGBTQ community ... so the plot just keeps thickening.

Quinn Gallagher, the man who was grabbing Bobert's breast as she was grabbing his crotch as they watched a musical, has a bar in Aspen -- the Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar -- which hosts drag shows.

As you probably know, the Republican firebrand has railed on drag shows, worrying that children might somehow be influenced to do something, although she's never been specific.

It's the latest twist in a nutty tale. As we reported, Boebert was ejected from the "Beetlejuice" performance in Denver, after vaping (something she denied but is as clear as day in the surveillance video), signing, disrupting and talking trash to other audience members.

In another video, you see Gallagher pawing Boebert's breast and Boebert groping his crotch.

And, as we told you, on their way out of the theatre, she flipped off an usher.

Rosie O’Donnell excoriated Drew Barrymore Saturday for bringing her talk show back during the Writer's strike.

It was almost like talking to a child ... Rosie wrote, “Stop taping the show. Stop asking audiences to cross the picket line, Then ask someone to help you craft three declarative sentences. They should follow along these lines: I made an error. I apologize to the WGA for disrespecting the work of professional writers. I apologize to all union members who are withstanding real hardship as I live a life of luxury.”

Alyssa Milano co-signed later, writing, "Not complicated at all."

Drew's moves have been bizarre. At first she announced she was bringing back her show without writers, and then a day later she shot a video tearfully apologizing but still going forward with the show. We're hearing Drew didn't think she'd get the kind of backlash she did, which is, well, surprising.

The best QB of the 2020 NFL Draft class might not end being Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts OR Tua Tagovailoa ... at least, that's according to LeRoy Butler -- who tells TMZ Sports it could actually be Jordan Love!!

The Packers legend made the eyebrow-raising claim following Green Bay's win in Week 1 ... explaining he thinks that after sitting behind Aaron Rodgers the past three years, Love could now be best set up for success out of all the '20 signal-callers.

"I think he may be better than those guys," the Packers legend said, "because he's going to have that opportunity because he had to sit and wait."

Sunday's victory over the Bears marked just the second time ever that Love has started an NFL game ... but Butler was clearly impressed.

The Hall of Fame defensive back loved the way the 24-year-old -- who the Packers took with the 26th overall selection in 2020 behind Burrow, Herbert and Tagovailoa -- played within himself ... and he liked it so much, he now believes there's a chance Love finishes his career as 2020's best pick.

Butler actually compared the situation to his own career ... saying that while 47 guys were drafted ahead of him -- and played way more than him as a rookie -- he's now got a bust in Canton.

"There's a lot of guys who went before me," the 1990 second-round pick said. "But I'm in the Hall of Fame -- and they're not."

El mejor quarterback de la clase 2020, de la NFL Draft, podría no terminar siendo Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts O Tua Tagovailoa, al menos, de acuerdo a LeRoy Butler, quien le dijo a TMZ Sports que en realidad podría ser ¡¡Jordan Love!!

La leyenda de los Packers hizo la afirmación después de la victoria de Green Bay en la Semana 1, explicando que después de sentarse detrás de Aaron Rodgers en los últimos 3 años, Love podría estar mejor preparado para el éxito de todos los '20 signal-callers.

"Creo que puede ser mejor que esos chicos", dijo la leyenda de los Packers, "porque va a tener esa oportunidad porque tuvo que sentarse y esperar".

La victoria del domingo sobre los Bears marcó apenas la segunda vez que Love inicia un partido de la NFL, pero Butler quedó claramente impresionado.

Al back defensivo del Salón de la Fama le encantó la forma en que el jugador de 24 años -a quien los Packers tomaron con la 26ª selección global en 2020 detrás de Burrow, Herbert y Tagovailoa- jugó... y le gustó tanto, que ahora cree que hay una posibilidad de que Love termine su carrera dentro de la mejor selección de 2020.

Butler de hecho comparó la situación con su propia carrera, diciendo que aunque 47 chicos fueron reclutados antes que él, y jugaron mucho más que él, como novato- ahora tiene un busto en Canton.

"Hay un montón de tipos que estuvieron por delante de mí", dijo el elegido en segunda ronda en 1990. "Pero yo estoy en el Salón de la Fama y ellos no".

Hasan Minhaj has been caught stretching the truth in a handful of stories he's told in his stand-up comedy -- and his response to this revelation is ... eh, it's not a big deal, guys.

The comic -- famous from 'The Daily Show' -- got called out in a New Yorker piece ... which got him to admit that he'd fabricated much of the details to several bits he'd done on stage over the years ... almost all of which played up racism and bigotry over his Muslim heritage.

One such anecdote that was embellished is about his daughter ... and how he had to rush her to the hospital after an envelope with white powder was sent to his house. As it turns out, all the daughter stuff was made up -- as he revealed when pressed by the New Yorker.

Other stories he exaggerated or flat-out lied about included one of him getting turned down for a school dance due to his race -- the woman in question says this wasn't the case in the slightest -- and another about how an FBI informant infiltrated his community mosque. In both instances, there appears to be little truth to the substance of the stories.

Minhaj said this to the New Yorker, "My comedy Arnold Palmer is seventy per cent emotional truth -- this happened -- and then thirty per cent hyperbole, exaggeration, fiction." After being pressed further by other media, he released a lengthier statement, which is interesting.

He says ... "All my standup stories are based on events that happened to me. Yes, I was rejected from going to prom because of my race. Yes, a letter with powder was sent to my apartment that almost harmed my daughter. Yes, I had an interaction with law enforcement during the war on terror. Yes, I had varicocele repair surgery, so we could get pregnant. Yes, I roasted Jared Kushner to his face. I use the tools of standup comedy -- hyperbole, changing names and locations, and compressing timelines to tell entertaining stories."

Rolling Stone's founder just lost decision-making power in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- all because he called Black and female artists inarticulate ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the Hall tells us Jann Wenner has been booted from the famed HOF's Board of Directors for their Foundation -- this after a vote was taken among the current members.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the only dissenting vote was from Jon Landau.

Jann Wenner -- who helped launch RS Magazine way back in 1967 -- did an interview with the NYT this week in which he talks about who he interviewed for his forthcoming offering, "The Masters," which contains wide-ranging sit-downs with 7 rock and roll gods.

That includes Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Jerry Garcia and Pete Townsend ... all of whom, as the NYT journo noted, are white and male.

The Q: "There are seven subjects in the new book; seven white guys. In the introduction, you acknowledge that performers of color and women performers are just not in your zeitgeist. Which to my mind is not plausible for Jann Wenner. Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, the list keeps going ... What do you think is the deeper explanation for why you interviewed the subjects you interviewed and not other subjects?

Wenner's answer is telling. He says, "When I was referring to the zeitgeist, I was referring to Black performers, not to the female performers, OK? Just to get that accurate. The selection was not a deliberate selection. It was kind of intuitive over the years; it just fell together that way. The people had to meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them."

He adds, "Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level." The reporter pushes back, incredulously asking if he really doesn't think Joni Mitchell was articulate enough to talk music on an intellectual level.

Wenner responded, "It’s not that they’re not creative geniuses. It’s not that they’re inarticulate, although, go have a deep conversation with Grace Slick or Janis Joplin. Please, be my guest. You know, Joni was not a philosopher of rock ’n’ roll. She didn’t, in my mind, meet that test. Not by her work, not by other interviews she did. The people I interviewed were the kind of philosophers of rock."

El fundador de Rolling Stone acaba de perder el poder de decisión en el Salón de la Fama del Rock and Roll. Todo porque llamó a los artistas afro y femeninos inarticulados, TMZ ha indagado.

Un representante del Salón nos dice Jann Wenner ha sido expulsado de la famosa HOF de la Junta de Directores de su Fundación, esto después de una votación se llevó a cabo entre los miembros actuales

Fuentes con conocimiento directo nos dicen que el único voto en contra fue de Jon Landau.

Jann Wenner, quien ayudó a lanzar la revista Rolling Stone en 1967, ha concedido esta semana una entrevista al NYT en la que habla de las personas a las que ha entrevistado para su próximo libro, "The Masters", que contiene amplias entrevistas con 7 dioses del rock and roll.

Entre ellos figuran Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Jerry Garcia y Pete Townsend, todos ellos, como señala el periodista del NYT, blancos y varones.

La pregunta: "Hay siete temas en el nuevo libro; siete hombres blancos. En la introducción, reconoces que los artistas de color y las mujeres artistas no están en tu espíritu. Lo que, en mi opinión, no es plausible para Jann Wenner. Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, la lista sigue, ¿cuál cree que es la explicación más profunda de por qué entrevistó a los sujetos que entrevistó y no a otros?

La respuesta de Wenner es reveladora. Dice: "Cuando me refería al zeitgeist, me refería a los intérpretes negros, no a las intérpretes femeninas, ¿vale? Para que quede claro. La selección no fue deliberada. Fue algo intuitivo a lo largo de los años. La gente tenía que cumplir un par de criterios, pero era simplemente mi interés personal y mi amor por ellos".

Y añade: "En cuanto a las mujeres, ninguna era lo bastante elocuente a nivel intelectual". El periodista le replica, incrédulo, preguntándole si realmente no cree que Joni Mitchell fuera lo bastante elocuente como para hablar de música a un nivel intelectual.

Wenner responde: "No es que no sean genios creativos. No es que sean inarticulados, aunque, vaya a tener una conversación profunda con Grace Slick o Janis Joplin. Por favor, adelante. Sabes, Joni no era una filósofa del rock 'n' roll. Ella, en mi mente, no cumplía esa prueba. Ni por su trabajo ni por otras entrevistas que hizo. Las personas que entrevisté eran el tipo de filósofos del rock".

El nuevo single de Drake con SZA está causando furor entre sus fans, pero una persona no está feliz con el hit, y esa sería Halle Berry ... cuya imagen se utiliza para promover la canción.

La actriz publicó un post críptico en su cuenta de Instagram acerca de ser la persona más grande (o adulta) en ciertas situaciones. Esto, poco después de que Drizzy lanzara su nueva canción, "Slime You Out", que acaba de lanzar el viernes. En los comentarios de ese mismo post, sin embargo, Halle lo ataca de frente.

Alguien le preguntó qué opinaba de que Drake utilizara una foto suya de los Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards de 2012, en donde se hizo famosa por ser manchada de baba mientras estaba sentada en su asiento. Se trata de un primer plano de Halle con todo el exudado verde sobre ella, y Drake lo está utilizando en las redes sociales como imagen de portada. En la subida oficial del audio, hay arte alternativo.

De cualquier modo, Halle Berry no está contenta. La actruz respondió, que esta "no tiene su permiso", que "eso no está bien, y ¡tenía una mejor opinión de él!". Y en respuesta a otro fan añade: "de ahí mi post de hoy. Cuando la gente a la que admiras te decepciona tienes que actuar de mejor manera y pasar página".

Halle hizo otros comentarios en respuesta a su post, incluyendo uno en el que dice que todo se trata de los principios, lo que podría aludir al hecho de que probablemente ella ni siquiera posee los derechos de la imagen en cuestión.

Y, por supuesto ... también está la naturaleza gráfica de la canción en sí, que alude a actos sexuales -y que algunos se han ofendido en nombre de Halle. Ella también lo cuestiona, y le respondió a un fan que preguntaba sobre la palabra slime: "¡Exactamente! ¿Qué significa eso?".

No está claro si Drake posee esta foto de Halle, de manera limpia o no, pero es interesante que ella le esté llamando la atención sobre el asunto. Recientemente se vio envuelto en otro escándalo de portada, con nada más ni nada menos que Vogue, y que al parecer le costó un poco de dinero en efectivo después de que lo demandaron.

Drake's new single with SZA is all the rage among his fans, but one person isn't happy about it -- and that would be Halle Berry ... whose image he used to promote the song.

The actress took to IG with a somewhat cryptic post about being the bigger person in certain situations -- this shortly after Drizzy released his new track, "Slime You Out," which just dropped Friday. In the comments of that same post, though, Halle bashes him head-on.

Somebody asked what she thought of Drake using the photo of her from the 2012 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards -- where she famously got slimed while sitting in her seat. There's a close-up shot of Halle with all the green ooze on her, and Drake is using that on social media as a cover image. On the official audio upload, there's alternative art.

Anyway, HB isn't pleased. She responded, writing, "didn't get my permission. That's not cool I thought better of him!" She adds in response to another fan, "hence my post today. When people you admire disappoint you you have to be the bigger person and move on!"

There are other comments she made in response to people on her post, including one where she says it's about the principle of the matter -- which might allude to the fact she likely doesn't even own the rights to the picture in question.

And, of course ... there's also the graphic nature of the song itself, which alludes to sex acts -- and which some have taken offense to on behalf of Halle. She, too, questions this ... writing to one fan who commented on what slime refers to, "exactly! What does that mean?"

It's unclear if Drake got this picture of Halle cleared or not, but it's interesting that she's calling him out on it. He was recently caught up in yet another cover art scandal -- with Vogue, no less -- and that one reportedly cost him a bit of cash after they sued.

Russell Brand got ahead of explosive allegations against him -- including claims of rape -- before they hit the news ... taking to his own channel to vehemently deny wrongdoing.

The comedian-actor turned podcaster hopped on YouTube and Twitter Friday night with a video addressing what he said was a couple different stories that were set to be released ... which detailed allegations made by women, some of whom say he'd abused them.

The two pieces were published Saturday -- it was a collab between The Times (UK) and Channel 4 ... and their reporting appears to be extensive with a year-long investigation.

A total of at least 5 women have gone on the record to detail disturbing stories that they claim occurred between them and Russell from 2006 to 2013 -- when RB was at the peak of his fame in Hollywood. They range from outright rape and sexual assault to abuse ... as well as claims of controlling/threatening behavior. One woman, who stayed anonymous, alleged her toxic interactions with Russell started while she was underage ... at just 16 years old.

In anticipation of the pieces being ran, Russell talked to his audience directly ... telling them that he completely refutes the allegations that rise to a criminal level -- seemingly, the rape/sexual assault claims. He says all of his sexual episodes have been consensual.

Russell does acknowledge that he was very promiscuous once upon a time and that he's had a lot of partners -- but also says he's been very open about all of this in the years since.

Eventually, he goes on to suggest that he's being targeted by mainstream media agendas ... and that the reason might lie in his recent stances and politics, on which he's been vocal.

If you haven't followed Russell's journey lately, the dude is very much leaning right these days -- and has espoused strong opinions on everything from COVID to Ukraine and beyond. He's very much so in the Joe Rogan field of POVs ... and thinks that's at the root of this.

It doesn't sound like anything formal has been done as it pertains to the allegations -- including police reports or lawsuits -- but he says he's going to look into all of them.