Controversial S#!T

Meyers Leonard is wasting no time making good on his vow to educate himself about the Jewish community in the wake of his anti-Semitic incident ... TMZ Sports has learned the NBA player has already been in contact with multiple Jewish organizations and Jewish leaders.

We've spoken with multiple people connected to Leonard and reps from several high-profile Jewish orgs. and everyone is essentially saying the same thing ... nobody wants Leonard to be "canceled," they want to help him learn and grow from this experience.

As we previously reported, Leonard was live-streaming during a 'Call of Duty' video game sesh on Monday and used the anti-semitic K-word to insult an opponent. Video of the incident surfaced on Tuesday and things escalated quickly.

Leonard issued an apology saying he was "deeply sorry" -- and insisting he was "committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it."

We've learned the people who have since been in contact with Leonard are leaders in different parts of the Jewish community from rabbis to Holocaust survivors ... even NFL star Julian Edelman, who publicly reached out to Leonard on social media and invited him to a Shabbat dinner.

The impression Leonard is leaving on people so far is that he is genuinely sorry and is committed to doing the work to educate himself about why the K-word is offensive and dangerous.

... and yeah, we're told Leonard is seriously considering taking Edelman up on his Shabbat dinner offer.

One important point ... all of the people we've spoken with are telling us the focus is on getting results, not publicity, which is why we're not naming the orgs. he's been in contact with.

Meyers Leonard is getting an olive branch from at least some in the Jewish community -- a group called "Jew in the City" wants to work with the Heat player, instead of canceling him.

We got "Jew in the City" founder Allison Josephs in NYC Wednesday during a protest in front of NBC, which we'll get to in a moment -- but right off the bat, we asked her about Leonard's anti-Semitic slur incident.

Allison's actually pretty merciful, saying the guy should get a second chance, as long as he's willing to learn what the epithet he used really means to Jews ... and to learn more about Jewish people, in general.

She suggests Meyers actually meet with some Jewish folks. As we reported, Patriots star Julian Edelman's already reached out to him, and Allison believes that's the right approach in these situations.

Speaking of educating the masses ... the group was demonstrating at 30 Rock as part of its campaign to correct inaccurate depictions of Orthodox Jews on NBC shows like "Nurses" and 'Law & Order: SVU.'

You might've heard about the "Nurses" fiasco recently -- which forced NBC to yank the episode in question entirely after it was accused of rehashing anti-Semitic tropes. Welp, Allison says that's nothing new, and points to a Season 9 SVU episode that's just as cringeworthy.

Meghan Markle set the wheels in motion for Piers Morgan to quit "Good Morning Britain" ... reportedly by filing a complaint with his bosses about his remarks after the Oprah interview.

According to multiple reports, The Duchess of Sussex went directly to honchos at ITV -- which airs 'GMB' -- shortly after Piers' initial tirade where he questioned her suicidal thoughts.

Meghan's concern wasn't only about the personal nature of his inflammatory comments, but she was more worried about how Piers downplaying mental health could affect UK viewers dealing with suicidal thoughts.

It's unclear for certain if her calling had any impact on Piers deciding to leave the show altogether -- but he certainly made it seem that way in a follow-up interview outside his home Tuesday night ... where he doubled down on not believing a word she says.

Check out the clip ... he also talks about the notion that he had to "fall on his sword" to make a point about free speech -- so, it seems clear he didn't go on his own terms.

On paper, Piers offered his resignation ... and ITV said they accepted it, refusing to comment further. Piers' exit came on the heels of another dramatic day on set.

Remember, PM got into it with ITV weatherman Alex Beresford ... who claimed he had a personal vendetta against Meghan after she cut him out of the loop, suggesting they were actually friendly once upon a time. Piers eventually stood up and stormed out.

As for the reported complaint Meghan filed, there were lots of others that came in right around the same time -- a reported 40,000 or so came flooding in after Piers' comments Monday ... and UK media regulator Ofcom has said it's investigating whether Piers might've violated any of their rules.

Jewish NFL star Julian Edelman says the anti-Semitic slur uttered by Meyers Leonard is the result of "casual ignorance" ... and he's offering to educate the NBA player on Jewish history so he doesn't make the same mistake twice.

Edelman says he's never met Leonard before -- but he's clearly caught up on the scandal surrounding the Miami Heat player, who used the anti-Semitic K-word to attack an opponent during a video game live stream this week.

Leonard later issued an apology -- claiming he was not aware of the hateful history of the word and vowed to educate himself about it.

"I'm sure you've been getting lots of criticism for what you said," Edelman said in an open letter to Leonard ... "Not trying to add to that, I just want to offer some perspective."

"I get the sense that you didn't use that word out of hate, more out of ignorance. Most likely, you weren't trying to hurt anyone or even profile Jews in your comment. That's what makes it so destructive."

Edelman continued, "When someone intends to be hateful, it's usually met with great resistance. Casual ignorance is harder to combat and has greater reach, especially when you command great influence."

"Hate is like a virus. Even accidentally, it can rapidly spread."

Edelman ended his letter with an offer to Leonard -- "I'm down in Miami fairly often. Let's do a Shabbat dinner with some friends I'll show you a fun time."

Lyft's not waiting around for an attack to go down in one of its cars -- it's banning the maskless rider who coughed on and attacked an Uber driver.

Lyft hilariously dissed the woman who vowed she'd only use Lyft after Uber banned her. The app said it made a preemptive decision to ban the rider permanently ... citing her disrespectful behavior.

As we reported ... the woman and the Bay Area Uber driver got into a dispute over a mask policy last weekend that quickly escalated when she coughed on the driver and ripped off his mask. Cops say the woman and her 2 friends also attacked the Uber driver with what they believe to be pepper spray.

Of course, Uber banned the rider ... and shortly after the ban, she posted a video excusing her behavior. She did apologize for pretending to have COVID-19 during the incident -- admitting "that was disrespectful as f***."

However, she added she's going to sue Uber, cursed out the driver ... and said, 3 times, this is why she takes Lyft.

Meghan Markle's frozen yogurt shop shoutout is bringing a business boom to her first employer ... and now she's getting honored with her own special flavor.

Meghan mentioned her first job during her interview with Oprah, she says she served froyo at Humphrey Yogart in Los Angeles when she was 13 years old, and now the place is getting overrun with customers.

Check out the scene at the last remaining Humphrey Yogart ... there's a huge line, and we're told the shop served more than 200 folks the day after Meghan's interview aired. We're told a normal Monday sees 50 or so customers, so the Meghan bump is real.

Meghan didn't even work at this location, tucked inside a Gelson's grocery in Sherman Oaks, but that didn't stop fans from taking pics in front of the stand and snatching up all the merch.

FYI ... Meghan used to work at the Humphrey Yogart on La Cienega, which is now closed, just like every location aside from the original.

While the owners of Humprey Yogart tell us they don't even remember Meghan working for them, they're still honoring her and Prince Harry with their own limited-edition flavor, called "Banana Royale."

The special flavor is a blended combo of banana and peanut butter ice cream with chocolate chips mixed in ... we're told it's inspired by Meghan's love of chocolate chip banana bread and Harry's love of PB&J.

Kevin Powell says his very first season of 'The Real World' 28 years ago foreshadowed many of the racial problems that have been brought to the forefront in America ... bookended by the Capitol riots.

One of the OG stars of "The Real World: New York" appeared on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to explain how the controversial discussions he sparked with his housemates about racism are more pertinent than ever today ... despite the fact no one seemed to take it seriously back then.

He says the cast -- especially his friend, Norman Korpi -- now fully acknowledges he was onto something ... and their discussions are ongoing.

If ya don't know, Kevin and the rest of the original cast reunited to film a 'Homecoming' docuseries ... and cameras were rolling as they witnessed the January 6 insurrection together from their famous NYC loft.

Kevin likens what went down at the Capitol -- along with the recent cases of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd -- to the 1992 Los Angeles riots ... which also occurred when the OG cast was together under one roof.

He tells us the recent events show no matter how much society has progressed, there's still a lot of work to be done ... and he hopes people see how his experience with his 'Real World' co-stars can make a positive impact.

Vanessa Bryant has just won an important battle in her case against the L.A. County Sheriff's Department ... a judge ruled she can obtain the names of the deputies who allegedly took and distributed graphic photos from the Kobe crash site.

Vanessa alleges that shortly after Kobe, their daughter, Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash in Jan. 2020 ... sheriff's deputies took pictures of the wreckage and the bodies in it and shared the images.

County prosecutors had argued the names of the deputies allegedly responsible for sharing the photos should be kept under seal ... saying it could put the deputies in harm's way.

Vanessa, though, opposed that ... and it looks like she convinced the judge.

U.S. District Judge John F. Walter ruled in favor of Bryant on Monday, according to the LA Times, writing in a ruling, "Although the Court recognizes that this case has been the subject of public scrutiny and media attention and that the Deputy Defendants are legitimately concerned that they will encounter vitriol and social media attacks, such concerns, by themselves, are not sufficient to outweigh the public’s strong interest in access."

The county will have the opportunity to appeal the ruling.

Queen Elizabeth's approach to dealing with the allegations made by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in their Oprah interview is to keep it in the Royal Family ... and behind closed doors.

According to Buckingham Palace ... the issues raised by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex -- "particularly that of race" -- are "concerning." The Palace says ... "While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."

The Royal Family also says it is "saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan."  It's an acknowledgment what Meghan went through with her mental health struggle was real in the Queen's eyes.

The Queen's people add that the ex-senior royals, along with their son Archie, remain "much loved family members."  Makes sense, because Harry mentioned he's in regular touch with his grandma and Meghan said she's always been treated warmly by her.

Of course, the mention of Archie in the Palace statement is notable because of Harry and Meghan's claim that a member or members of the Royal Family believed Archie's skin color could potentially be a problem if he was born "too dark."

Prince Charles has Black friends, or at least Black people who'll talk to him -- that's the image the palace seems to be putting out on the heels of Prince Harry and Meghan's racism claims.

The official Clarence House Instagram account posted a number of photos Tuesday showing the Prince of Wales visiting a place called Jesus House, which just popped up in London as a new vaccination site under the country's National Health Service.

In all of the pics you see Charles yukking it up with both workers and visitors ... all of whom are Black.

The caption reads, "Continuing Their Royal Highnesses’ work to encourage vaccine take-up, The Prince of Wales today visited @jesushouseuk in London." Clarence House also wants us to know Charles is committed, as is Jesus House, to combatting vaccine hesitancy in the Black community.

Now, Buckingham Palace is denying this visit is just about optics, and claim Charles was scheduled to visit over a week ago.

Of course, the Royals certainly knew when Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview was going to air more than a week ago. Also, Charles' last visit to Jesus House was way back in 2007.

So, was this a response to the allegations of racism in the British Monarchy ... and someone in the Royal family being concerned about Archie's skin color?

Les Miles is OUT at KU ... the school parted ways with the head coach Monday, just days after a report revealed he had been accused of sexual misconduct during his time at LSU.

The report -- which was released by LSU last week to show its findings of how the school had handled past sexual misconduct allegations -- was alarming.

In the docs, investigators say Miles was accused of inappropriately messaging female students, requiring females in his football program to be attractive, and even driving one of the students to his condo and kissing them.

Miles -- who was head man at LSU from 2005 to 2016 and was later hired by the Jayhawks in 2018 -- had denied the kissing allegations ... but KU placed the coach on administrative leave anyway last Friday following the report's publishing.

And, just 3 days later, the school announced it was officially parting ways with the coach.

"I am extremely disappointed for our university, fans and everyone involved with our football program," the school's athletic director, Jeff Long, said in a statement. "There is a lot of young talent on this football team, and I have no doubt we will identify the right individual to lead this program."

Added Miles, "This is certainly a difficult day for me and for my family. I love this university and the young men in our football program. I have truly enjoyed being the head coach at KU and know that it is in a better place now than when I arrived."

Thomas Markle says his daughter's mental health struggles were partly her fault, because she chose to ghost the family that could have helped her -- her own family.

Markle appeared Tuesday on "Good Morning Britain" and responded to Meghan's harsh comments about him during the Oprah interview ... in particular his decision to work with the tabloids as a roll-up to her wedding.

Thomas says he's apologized for that over and over, and then went on the offensive ... saying Meghan's psychological problems and loneliness could have been averted if she would have reached out to her family instead of shutting them out of her life.

Thomas took direct aim at Harry, saying he was heartless to him before the wedding as he lay in a hospital bed after suffering a heart attack. He says he had a conversation with Harry -- this was after Harry learned Thomas was dealing with the British tabloids -- and said, "If you had listened to me this wouldn't have happened to you." Thomas said he was so angry at Harry's "snotty" comment he hung up on him ... and that was their last conversation.

A few more items. Thomas said yeah, he's made mistakes, but he's never played naked pool or dressed up like Hitler ... referring, of course, to Harry.

Black lives do NOT matter to the Royal Family ... at least according to a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, who is now calling for a royal boycott.

Opal Tometi, one of the originators of the BLM movement, tells TMZ ... after hearing Meghan Markle's experience with racism within the Royal Family, people should no longer stand with the Royals or the monarchy.

Opal says Meghan and Prince Harry's admission to Oprah, that at least one member of the monarchy wanted to discriminate against their son Archie because of his skin color, makes it clear the Royal Family places virtually no value on Black lives ... and thus, the masses should turn their backs on the Royals like at least one of them did to little Archie.

As you know ... the entire globe has been left to guess who brought up the skin color concerns to Harry, and neither he nor Meghan is ratting them out. The Palace remains silent, though Oprah did offer ... it wasn't Prince Philip or the Queen.

Regardless of who it was, Opal says Meghan and Harry's experience shows just how problematic the Royal Family has been for quite some time, and the world doesn't need to have institutions that treat Black people as if they don't matter.

Remember, Meghan also says things got so bad she contemplated suicide and went to human resources begging for professional help, but she got turned down flat.

Opal says Meghan's experience is what all too often happens with Black people ... they try to go through the proper channels to resolve problems, but then it turns out the issue is with the institution itself.

Pepe Le Pew was never meant to be interpreted as rape-y, but the times have caught up with him to make it seem that way ... so says the daughter of the guy who first drew him.

Linda Jones -- whose father, Chuck Jones, is credited as the creator and original animator of Pepe and other Looney Tunes -- tells TMZ she strongly disagrees with the notion the suave skunk contributed to rape culture, as suggested in an NYT op-ed.

On the contrary, Linda says she doesn't think anyone who ever watched Pepe was inspired to go out and rape, or even harass, people. She gets pretty literal, saying Pepe never raped another character on the show -- which, okay ... that's a given.

Still, LJ just doesn't think Pepe should be canceled or shelved over this -- because the OG running gag with him was never meant to be predatory ... she says it was more about how much he stunk as a suitor, despite thinking he was desirable.

She does admit Pepe's grabby approach toward Penelope Pussycat certainly doesn't look good by today's standards ... but insists folks who were watching him in the '50s, '60s and '70s were NOT thinking of that dynamic as normalizing rape culture.

Perhaps that was wrong or ignorant of audiences back then, she muses, but that just wasn't the vibe, nor the intention -- as she explains her pops, Chuck, was a super liberal dude, and was never out to hurt people. Linda says the purpose of Pepe was pure comedy.

As for axing Pepe from the new 'Space Jam' movie entirely ... Linda tells us that's Warner Bros.'s prerogative -- and that if they choose to give him a break for a while, so be it.

She did suggest something interesting to rebrand Pepe and capture the spirit her father intended -- write him as a perpetual job-seeker who keeps getting rejected, but constantly changes up his routine thinking he's the perfect candidate.

Meghan Markle's sister is furious the Duchess essentially disavowed her family -- especially their dad -- during the Oprah interview, and claims she's merely playing victim for sympathy.

Samantha Markle went HAM Monday while on the Australian radio show "Fifi, Fev & Nick" ... calling BS on Meghan telling Oprah she'd lost her father because of Royal family pressures.

Samantha said, "When she said 'I lost my dad' -- the world watched as my dad was in interviews wanting communication with his daughter. She didn't lose her dad. She iced her dad!"

Samantha didn't pull punches, as she played dime-store psychologist on Meghan, saying ... "I see a narcissistic personality disorder," and suggested Meghan needs counseling.

It gets worse ... she also equated Prince Harry to a kidnapping victim who's falling in love with his captor. Samantha said, “I feel sorry for Harry. He fell victim to her negligence, and I will say sociopathy ... she pulled him away from his family, all of his friends, the life that he knew."

As for Meghan's claim to Oprah that she didn't know anything about the Royals and their way of life -- Samantha claims Meghan studied the UK Monarchy, and even tries to emulate Princess Diana.

Samantha added, she doesn't think Meghan's embarrassed of her family -- she just didn't want them around to expose lies Samantha claims her sister's told.

“It’s unacceptable, obviously. It's heartbreaking to hear what [Meghan Markle] went through, what she’s still going through.”

That's Leon Edwards -- one of the baddest MMA fighters alive -- who is also a Black man that was raised and still lives in the United Kingdom ... commenting on Markle's shocking allegations during her interview with Oprah.

Of course, Markle told Winfrey that someone in the Royal Family had conversations about baby Archie's skin color ... implying it might be too dark for the role of Prince.

TMZ Sports talked to 29-year-old Edwards -- who moved to England as a 9-year-old -- about the allegations of racism made by MM.

“[Meghan's] a new mom, know what I mean? Just got married. This should be a fun time in her life. Should be enjoying her family, enjoying her baby, but this is what she has to deal with," Edwards says.

"I think that’s part of the UK. There's racism, but it’s very hush racism, right? It’s not like in America, there’s blatant racism sometimes. But, in the UK, it’s like very down low racism, but it's there, and it's sad to see in 2021.”

We asked Leon if the Royal Family was in need of major changes given the allegations ... and he said it's absolutely time.

“You can’t keep an old monarchy in 2021. You can’t do that. They need to come up to date with the times. Hopefully, like I said, I wish [Meghan] well, and she can get through it.”

BTW, Edwards has a huge fight Saturday against Belal Muhammad at UFC Fight Night 187. We talked to him about his next move ... and whether he still has beef with Jorge Masvidal.