Controversial S#!T

Dave Chappelle's camp says no one from Netflix has approached Chapelle or his team about setting up a meeting or conversation ... which is the opposite of what the woman who organized the Netflix walkout claims.

The comedian's rep tells TMZ ... Dave would be open to dialogue if folks from Netflix actually reach out to him for a discussion.

As we reported ... Ashlee Marie Preston says she invited Dave to come to the table to talk about the damage she and others believe he's inflicted on the LGBTQ+ community, but she said, "Dave chose not to show up."

Dave's camp tells us they're unsure why Ashlee is making those claims ... they say she NEVER reached out to him. He's not against open dialogue with any group, as he points out in his Netflix special jokes.

Dave also makes this point in his special ... empathy should go both ways and we should get away from cancel culture ... so a sit down would make sense.

Jon Gruden is finally speaking out about his barrage of homophobic, sexist and misogynistic emails ... insinuating to a reporter this month there's more to the story.

"The truth will come out," Gruden said, according to NFL insider Andrea Kremer.

Kremer revealed the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach -- who stepped down from his role following the public release of his crass messages -- made the comments recently to one of her producers, who cold-called the coach for a story on Mark Davis that the two were working on.

"He's still in Las Vegas," Kremer said of what Gruden told the producer. "He said he's letting the dust settle. He said, 'People who know me know what I stand for, for 58 years. I have a resume of 58 years.'"

"He said, 'The truth will come out.'"

Kremer acknowledged the Gruden comment was "cryptic" ... but it seems the coach did not reveal anything further.

Kremer added that Jon also questioned whether the whole drama could spell the end of his coaching career.

Gruden hadn't spoken publicly since his 2011-to-2018 emails were made public ... only saying in a statement following his release from the Raiders, "I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone."

Jon Stewart has a message for everyone pissed off at Dave Chappelle -- he's asking them to pay attention to what's in his friend's heart ... as much as what comes out of his mouth.

We got Jon as he was leaving Capitol Hill, and asked for his take on the beef between Chappelle and Netflix employees who staged a walkout Wednesday. Jon thinks there's clearly been a miscommunication, and seemed confident both sides will squash the feud ... once they start talking.

The reason he's confident? Well, Jon -- who, ICYMI, is a close friend of Dave's -- says, "I know his intention is never hurtful. He's not that kinda person."

TMZ broke the story ... Dave's team says he's ready and willing to sit down with Netflix employees who are protesting their company continuing to stream "The Closer," Dave's latest standup special. One of those employees, Ashlee Marie Preston, claimed Dave had rejected a meeting ... but Dave's camp says he's totally down for it.

Speaking of people with good intentions ... Jon was in D.C. to continue lobbying lawmakers to approve medical benefits for military veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits.

The NBA may have another Daryl Morey situation on its hands -- the league's Chinese broadcast partner has pulled Boston Celtics games from its site after Enes Kanter publicly denounced President Xi Jinping as a "brutal dictator" and posted a pro-Tibet video.

Kanter shared a nearly 3-minute long speech on the "cultural genocide" going on in Tibet ... saying, "Under the Chinese government's brutal rule, Tibetan people's basic rights and freedoms are nonexistent."

"They are not allowed to study and learn their language and culture freely. They are not allowed to travel freely. They are not allowed to access information freely. The Tibetan people are not even allowed to worship freely."

Shortly after Kanter posted his video, TenCent -- China's site for watching the NBA -- pulled Celtics replays and highlights from the web ... and Boston's upcoming games are no longer listed on the schedule.

FYI, Tencent reportedly signed a $1.5 BILLION deal to broadcast NBA games for 5 years. The Chinese market is incredibly important to the NBA, as basketball is very popular amongst the country's 1.44 billion population.

The situation is familiar to the backlash the league faced after Morey (who was GM of the Houston Rockets at the time) tweeted "fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong" back in 2019.

The tweet created a ton of backlash in China ... with massive Chinese e-commerce site Taobao yanking all Rockets merchandise and CCTV pulling NBA games from broadcast.

Worth noting -- now that Morey is the GM in Philadelphia, Sixers games are not available to stream on Tencent either.

Kanter -- who's been an outspoken activist throughout his career -- took his message one step further by wearing "Free Tibet" sneakers at the Celtics vs. Knicks game on Wednesday ... which were designed by Chinese-Aussie artist Badiucao.

Dave Chappelle's living it up, seemingly without a concern, 'cause here he is walking out of a packed London nightclub ... the same day Netflix employees walked out of work to protest him.

The comedian hit up the super exclusive Annabel's nightclub Wednesday night ... partying at the members-only spot while the controversy over his latest Netflix special kept swirling back home

Safe to say, Dave doesn't look like he's feeling the heat from across the pond.

As we reported, Netflix HQ was the scene of a mass protest Wednesday, when employees staged a walkout to show displeasure with the CEO's decision to keep streaming Dave's special, "The Closer."

There's been a ton of backlash over Dave's LGBTQ+ jokes, but so far, he doesn't seem bothered.

Ashlee Marie Preston, who helped organize the Netflix walkout, says she's invited Dave to have a conversation about the harm she and others believe he's inflicted onto the LGBTQ+ community, but claims he's ghosted them.

Brian Laundrie's parents are "heartbroken" after their family attorney says remains found off a Florida trail almost certainly belong to their son.

Steven Bertolino, who has repped the Laundrie family for weeks now, told CNN's Chris Cuomo Wednesday, "the probability is strong, that it is Brian's remains" found by the FBI.

Bertolino says Laundrie's parents contacted authorities Tuesday night to let them know they wanted to search the trail Wednesday, and the finding of his belongings was a total coincidence.

The FBI said in a press conference Wednesday that the area where Brian's backpack and notebook were found near what appeared to be human remains was previously under water. Authorities have not yet identified the remains, and say investigative teams will be in the area for several days gathering evidence.

Bertolino told Cuomo, "It's quite sad, you can imagine as a parent, finding your son's belonging alongside from the remains. That's got to be heartbreaking. And I can tell you that they are heartbroken."

Bertolino says Laundrie's dad, Chris, first found a white bag in the woods about 20 feet off the trail ... and shortly after, law enforcement discovered Brian's backpack.

It all raises the question ... how did Laundrie's dad zero in on something the FBI couldn't find for more than a month?

Leslie Jordan is visibly conflicted over the conflict raging at Netflix over Dave Chappelle's latest special.

We got Leslie Wednesday at Reagan National Airport in D.C., and he said right out of the gate he has conflicting loyalties ... he's both a comedian and a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.

Leslie feels good comedy must have a subversive element, but at the same time, it shouldn't be designed to hurt people's feelings.

You see his mind at work as he navigates the controversy. He ultimately concludes Chappelle crossed the line because of the impact it had on the trans community ... a community that has been misunderstood and marginalized for decades.

As we reported, there was a walkout over at Netflix Wednesday to protest the CEO's decision to keep Chappelle's special on the menu.

Mel Gibson will star in the new "John Wick" TV series -- a controversial casting that left even the franchise's own creator in shock, but the guy's still willing to let it be ... for now.

Screenwriter Derek Kolstad -- who penned the initial "John Wick" movie, and contributed to the other 2 installments, tells TMZ ... like many others who heard the Gibson news this week, he too was surprised by the decision -- adding he had no idea it was coming.

Kolstad says that even though his creator status earns him an executive producer credit on the show -- which will be a prequel titled, "The Continental," the name of the hitman hotel in the flicks -- he hasn't been in on the creative process playing out behind the scenes, including casting.

Despite being in the dark, DK tells us he's willing to give the guy a shot, and will watch the series with naked eyes.

As for why Mel deserves a chance here ... well, Kolstad tells us he simply doesn't believe in canceling someone over previous mistakes -- of which, Gibson's had several.

Fact is, Gibson was never canceled -- despite the anti-Semitic moments and alleged domestic violence, he's been acting and directing for years now ... even after the scandals.

Still, the Twitter mob is pissed he's been tapped to carry the flag for a mega-franchise like "John Wick" ... especially in 2021, where folks are getting called out for lesser transgressions than Gibson's old messiness.

Charles Barkley says there's no bad blood with Kenny Smith after their passionate debate over Kyrie Irving's refusal to get vaccinated ... telling TMZ Sports everything's cool between them.

We talked to Chuck outside LAX on Wednesday ... and asked the Hall of Famer if he was beefin' with The Jet after the 2 buddies got into a heated conversation on "Inside The NBA."

"Me and Kenny are great. We’re great," Barkley said, adding, "We can be different, it's all good."

If you missed it, Smith -- who is vaccinated -- basically said there's nothing anyone can do to force Kyrie to get the jab ... because the NBA All-Star is clearly willing to accept the consequences of not being vaxxed.

But, Barkley wasn't hearing it ... and the almost always light-hearted and jovial former NBA MVP vehemently disagreed with Kenny's take on Irving.

So, fans wondered ... could the friends be on the outs? Thankfully, Barkley set the record straight.

Chuck also doubled down on the vax, again pleading with the unvaccinated to get the shot.

"They do have the right, but this is not about the right for you. You’re trying to take care of other people. You do have the right not to get vaccinated, but that's selfish in my opinion. I wouldn't want to get somebody sick."

Barkley's message, in closing ... get the damn shot.

There's a crazy scene going down at Netflix headquarters ... where employees are walking out of the office building in protest of the controversial Dave Chappelle comedy special.

As you can see, trans Netflix employees and their allies are making their displeasure known with CEO Ted Sarandos and his response to their concerns about Dave's LGBTQ+ comments, which are getting tons of backlash.

You can hear the chants ... "Trans lives matter" ... being repeated over and over again as protestors wave pickets signs in the air.

There's also a group of folks defending Dave ... they've got signs saying "jokes are funny" and "Dave is funny."

The planned protest comes on the heels of Sarandos defending Dave and downplaying transphobic concerns in an email to Netflix staffers, which leaked.

As we reported ... Sarandos has since apologized for how he delivered his message, but he's not caving to internal pressure to take down Dave's special, "The Closer."

So far, Dave's been mum on the pushback ... we got him out shortly after the special dropped, but he had nothing to say.

Reality star Harry Jowsey is under fire after a clip from his podcast calling James Charles a homophobic slur made it online, only to be deleted shortly after it was posted ... and Jowsey is already apologizing.

The former "Too Hot to Handle" star dropped a new episode of his popular 'Tap In' podcast Tuesday, and about 8 minutes in you can hear him talking to someone in the room about makeup guru James Charles ... claiming Charles is making advances on him.

Jowsey says, "James Charles is trying to f*** me ... the makeup artist. You don't know who he is? Just some f*****."

It appears the comment was not supposed to make the podcast's final cut, and seemed to be more of a conversation between Jowsey and a member of his team. However, listeners were quick to grab the audio and post it online.

The original version of Jowsey's podcast was 40 minutes long, and it's now only 27 minutes ... so it appears an editor cut the James Charles comment as well as other segments of the episode out and re-uploaded the shorter version.

Harry tells us, "I'm deeply embarrassed that I used such an offensive term so casually in conversation. I spoke with James already privately and I look forward to using this as a learning experience and not forgetting the weight that my words carry. I also want to sincerely apologize to the entire LGBTQ+ community who I wholeheartedly support.”

The comment is somewhat surprising considering Jowsey recently said he was an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, saying trans women are women and sharing he had hooked up with Nikita Dragun.

As for Charles and Jowsey, it doesn't appear the two have any sort of solid friendship, though we have seen them at the same events.

James Charles has not yet commented on the audio.

Netflix's top dog is apologizing for how his words about the Dave Chappelle special may have come across to some employees -- but he's not changing his actual stance.

Ted Sarandos gave some new thoughts on the drama over at his company that's been brewing for 2 weeks now -- confessing he "screwed up" in his initial email to Netflix staffers (which leaked), where he defended "The Closer," while also downplaying transphobic concerns.

The guy says he should've led those emails with humanity first, and acknowledged that there were a group of people that were hurting over the sheer nature of Dave's stand-up.

As far as what Sarandos says he might change in hindsight, he says he probably would've mentioned that content can, in fact, have real-world impact ... be it bad or good, something he seemed to dismiss by analogizing Chappelle's special to first-person shooter games.

That said, he's standing firm on his main point -- namely, that this special, specifically, does NOT fall under hate speech, does NOT cause real-world harm ... and won't be taken down. So, essentially, Ted's apologizing for how he relayed that sentiment ... not the sentiment itself.

He noted their business has to appeal to a variety of customers with differing tastes and views than some of his employees -- and that's just something they'll have to accept.

Sarandos also said content that literally has a call to action to cause harm or remove protections from a certain protected group would cross the line -- but he simply feels Dave didn't cross that with 'Closer' ... even if some at Netflix feel differently.

There are certainly a group who are still riled up over this -- because there's an employee walkout happening Wednesday that's in direct protest to Netflix's decision to keep it up.

Eboni K. Williams is pissed she and her 'Real Housewives' costars won't have a reunion to clear the air -- but she's also making (and teasing) a lot of lemonade from these lemons.

The newest star of 'RHONY' -- who really stirred the pot this season -- dished on Bravo axing a post-show get-together with Andy Cohen, which is custom with all the 'Housewives' show ... and almost always happens, no matter what.

That won't be happening this time around, though -- Bravo chalked it up to "scheduling challenges -- and when a photog asked Eboni about it in NYC at the release party for Dave Quinn's new book this week ... she was honest.

Check out the clip ... it sounds like she feels there's unfinished business (and beef, we're sure) that she was hoping to hash out at the would-be reunion, and she's pretty sour her series debut won't get the traditional follow-up that every other spin-off has enjoyed.

She gives some examples, BTW -- and sure enough, it appears there might be some racial tension and lingering hurt feelings Eboni wants to address head-on with some of her castmates ... dovetailing a recurring theme this season, that may or may not have hurt 'RHONY' ratings.

As we reported ... there's been a feeling that Eboni's focus on racial conversations might've been the reason this season of 'RHONY' dragged in viewership -- even though she's disputed that.

Adam Silver wants Kyrie Irving to end his COVID-19 vaccine standoff ASAP ... saying it's time for the Brooklyn Nets star to listen to the science and do what's best for his family, the community and his team.

The NBA commish addressed the drama surrounding Irving's status with TNT's "Inside The NBA" prior to the start of the 2021-22 season on Tuesday ... and was asked what he'd say to the 29-year-old as he remains away from the team.

"I'd tell him to get vaccinated, first and foremost, for himself and his family," Silver said minutes ago. "Next, for his teammates and his community and also for the league that I know he cares so much about."

"I understand that it's not just Kyrie, there are people in this county who disagree with the notion of getting vaccinated. But, at least from everything that I understand, science is firmly on the side of getting vaccinated."

Silver praises the "miracle" vaccine for helping the league get to where it is today ... reflecting on the journey back to normalcy after the paused 2020 season and the bubble in Orlando.

"I think at some point for Kyrie to be engaged member of society, putting aside this league -- he needs to get vaccinated and that's, you said, that's the law in New York. The law in New York is if you want to play in an arena, if you want to visit an arena, you want to participate in an activity in an arena, you need to be vaccinated."

Silver -- who's in Milwaukee for the Bucks' championship ring ceremony -- says he wishes Irving was in town as the Nets face off against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co.

Kyrie has been adamant against getting the vaxx ... with reports claiming he is standing up for those losing jobs over mandates.

Howard Stern just went OFF on Kyrie Irving ... calling the NBA superstar an "idiot" and a "douchebag" over his anti-COVID vaccine stance.

The radio icon laid into the Brooklyn Nets guard in an epic rant on his SiriusXM show ... explaining he cannot wrap his head around Irving's refusal to get -- and promote -- the shots.

"In terms of idiots, he's got to be the top idiot in the country right now," Stern said of Irving. "Guy's got a chance as a young man to make millions of dollars, all he's got to do is get vaccinated but he doesn't want to get vaccinated."

Irving was just barred from both Nets practices and games last week because he won't get the vaccine ... and in a rambling social media video shortly after the announcement, he said he has no plans as of now to change that -- even if it cost him MILLIONS in lost paychecks.

Stern said that's one of the dumbest things he's ever heard ... explaining he believes Irving is straight-up "stupid."

"This guy's got a history of being stupid," Stern said. "He's one of those guys who was a flat-earther too. And, you know what, he doesn't know anything. His mind works in a very strange way."

Stern then praised the Nets for their firm stance in keeping Irving away from the team amid his vaccine decision, further ripping into the NBA player.

"I don't know who runs the Brooklyn Nets, but I wish they were running the country," Stern said. "I love this. Basically saying, 'Listen, douchebag. You've got to do what is right. That's it.'"

Irving has previously stated he's NOT against getting the vaccine ... but claims his stance is to shine a light on those losing jobs over strict mandates forcing people to get the jab.

Jamie Lynn Spears' money is not welcomed by a charity she chose to support, and it seems undeniable the reason has to do with her big sister.

The charity is called This Is My Brave ... and Jamie Lynn made it clear it was near and dear to her heart by pledging a share of the profits from her upcoming memoir to the org.

Well, the charity said no thank you ... "We hear you. This Is My Brave was recently recommended to be a beneficiary organization for the proceeds from Jamie Lynn Spears' upcoming book. We have made the decision to decline the offer of receiving proceeds from the book sales."

Britney has now famously railed on her sister for leaching off her fame and not helping her when she was down. Britney seemed very upset Jamie Lynn was writing a book at all, the working title of which was "I Must Confess" -- a lyric in Britney's "Hit Me ... Baby One More Time." The book is now titled, "Things I Should Have Said" ... still a clear reference to Jamie Lynn's relationship with her sister.

Britney has warned her little sis and her parents that they should be nervous if she does an interview.