Controversial S#!T

A pharmacist denied a guy ivermectin, despite the man having a doctor's note, and put his foot down ... saying they're not giving the drug out for COVID purposes, period.

No word on where this happened or when, but it seems somewhat recent. Check out the video -- you see the patient trying to pick up his prescription of ivermectin, which the pharmacist flat out refuses to fill ... noting it's not FDA approved for the virus.

The customer is adamant that it was prescribed to him by a licensed physician, and that the pharmacist is breaking the law by overriding his doctor's orders -- but the pharmacist tells him to kick rocks, and to complain to whoever he feels he needs to complain to.

While the pharmacist does recognize it is a legit drug approved for certain things -- like parasitic illnesses -- it has NOT yet gotten the official green light by the feds ... something the man tries to push back on by saying it's an "off-label" treatment.

The pharmacist won't budge, though ... and the video cuts out before we can see how this headbutt ended. Presumably, the man left that location empty-handed ... but it brings up an interesting dilemma.

For starters, it's unclear how the pharmacist even knew what the guy needed ivermectin for -- there's no indication if the Rx noted it was for COVID, or if the pharmacist simply assumed/deduced it. The man sorta gives it away by not pushing back on his premise.

There's also the issue of whether a pharmacist can legally do this -- refusing to fill a prescription -- and the answer is yes ... in some states, that is. California is one example.

The smoking gun that claimed the life of Halyna Hutchins might've been more than just an on-set prop -- it was also being fired recreationally, even when cameras weren't rolling.

Multiple sources directly connected to the 'Rust' production tell TMZ ... the same gun Alec Baldwin accidentally fired -- hitting the DP and director -- was being used by crews members off set as well, for what we're told amounted to target practice.

We're told this off-the-clock shooting -- which was allegedly happening away from the movie lot -- was being done with real bullets ... which is how some who worked on the film believe a live round found its way in one of the chambers that day.

Obviously, authorities would want to speak to anyone who had been using the weapon for target practice, and -- more importantly -- to whoever was putting the gun back among others used for filming.

We've reached out to law enforcement to see if that's happened yet.

Jon Gruden's time in the NFL could be over for good ... so says Nate Burleson, who tells TMZ Sports he's "not sure" if the league will ever take the coach back.

Less than two weeks after the 58-year-old stepped down as head man of the Las Vegas Raiders due to crass emails he sent between 2011 and 2018 ... we asked Burleson out at LAX if he thinks there's any way Jon can get another gig in the league.

The wideout turned TV star acknowledged time does heal all wounds ... but he added he's just not sure if Gruden can rebound from the scandal -- given the racist, homophobic and misogynistic language he used in the online messages.

"The league is 75 percent Black and some of those words can be interpreted as racist, insensitive," Burleson said. "And, Carl Nassib is an openly gay player. And, the words that [Gruden] used when talking about Michael Sam, it really does hurt the heart to hear."

Nate added, "This is an inclusive league. And, I think that's what we pride ourselves on. I'm not sure if we'll see him back in the league. I'm not sure."

As for Gruden's claim that he made earlier this week that "the truth will come out" ... Burleson said, "There's some truth of his in those emails. Which is why it was so disheartening."

Jon has apologized for the messages -- saying he was "sorry" in his resignation statement -- and his close friends, like Andre Rison, have said they do not believe he's a racist or a homophobe.

Dr. Fauci might be getting grilled anew -- Congress wants to know why his branch of the NIH allegedly funded research that saw puppies being tortured in the name of science.

A bombshell report from The Hill -- based on docs a nonprofit called the White Coat Waste Project claims to have obtained via FOIA -- suggests the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases partially funded experiments being conducted in Tunisia between late 2018 and early 2019, in which upwards of nearly 4 dozen young beagles were being killed.

WCWP alleges these docs show the NIAID, under the umbrella of the NIH, paid anywhere between $375k up to $1.68 million in grant money for drug research ... which was apparently being carried out on 44 puppies, this despite the fact the FDA condemns such practice.

Some of the twisted experiments alleged to have been carried out include putting puppies' heads into mesh containers, and letting sand flies eat them alive. Some of the puppies are also said to have been left out in the desert overnight for 9 days straight -- where there, too, they were devoured by the infectious flies ... which can carry deadly viruses.

The lab workers are alleged to have silenced the dogs' barking by surgically removing their vocal cords, so they could work in peace. As a result of these ghastly claims, 24 members of the House of Representatives have fired off a letter demanding accountability.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R) led the charge, but got support from several colleagues across the aisle ... including signatures from Reps. Ted Lieu, Cindy Axne, Steve Cohen, Jimmy Gomez, Josh Gottheimer, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Mike Quigley, Terri Sewell and other Dems.

Lil Nas X jokingly said he had a new song coming out with Boosie Badazz -- but the latter didn't think it was funny ... and hurled every homophobic slur he could at the guy.

The Louisiana rapper unloaded on LNX Saturday with an expletive-laden diatribe that's shocking -- calling Nas X the f-slur, among other things ... while also telling the 'Montero' artist that he should kill himself.

Boosie writes, "STOP TROLLING ME F***** LOL 📷U A WHOLE BITCH PLAYING WITH A GANGSTA SMH U CAN KEEP SUCKING D*** N GETTIN F***** N YOUR ASS."

As if the horrendous homophobia wasn't enough, he continued ranting and telling Nas X to kill himself, claiming he'd be doing the world a favor if he did so.

Yeah, we know ... it's wild, and about as unhinged as we've ever seen Boosie on this topic.

The hate speech comes on the heels of an IG video Nas X made, where he claimed he had a new collab coming out with Boosie ... obviously, a troll comment, as everyone knows Boosie would likely never agree to something like that ... based on his well-documented history.

Lil Nas X doesn't appear to have responded to Boosie's rant just yet -- but something tells us he'll have something to say. This one just goes way too far not to address.

Travis Tritt took a hard-line stance on performing at places requiring anything to help stop the spread of COVID-19 -- and in return, he's singing at a playoff MLB game.

The country star is set to belt out the National Anthem Saturday at Truist Park, where the Braves are hosting the Dodgers for Game 6 of the NLCS. It's a game that'll be aired on TBS, and which will obviously get mainstream coverage.

Tritt made the surprise announcement that he'd been tapped late Friday night, writing ... "FYI - I will be singing our National Anthem for Game 6 of the NLCS in Atlanta tonight between the @Braves and the @Dodgers," adding an American flag emoji at the end.

There's been no explanation for this choice on the part of the Braves -- but it's telling considering Tritt has been in the news of late for publicly stating he would not play shows at venues that had any COVID mandates whatsoever -- including vaccine mandates, negative test mandates or even mask mandates ... and canceling shows to that end.

He recently went on Fox News and said he found COVID protocols discriminatory and unnecessary in many cases ... which is why he was putting his foot down, a la Eric Clapton and other musicians who've taken similar positions.

BTW, Truist Park doesn't have any mandates in place besides for those stepping on the field -- and, apparently, Travis will be performing from somewhere behind home plate.

Lori Loughlin is back in front of the camera since getting out of prison -- doing work on a network you may have never heard of ... until now!

The former 'Full House' star and Hallmark Channel darling is acting in her first TV show since the college admission scandal ... which implicated Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli - both whom eventually pleaded guilty and served time behind bars.

The dust has mostly settled on that front -- and, so, here's a first look at Lori getting back to normal with the upcoming holiday series "When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas" ... a 2-part premiere that'll be airing on the GAC Family network in December.

This series is a spinoff of Lori's old Hallmark show, "When Calls the Heart," and she's reprising her longtime role of Abigail Stanton. The difference now ... this new show is NOT on Hallmark and was picked up by GAC, which is a lot like THC in the content department.

You'll recall ... Lori got dropped by Hallmark on the heels of being charged in the college admission scandal in 2019 -- and they made it quite clear she wasn't welcome back.

With that said, it's bizarre that a Hallmark-linked show got greenlit elsewhere ... with Lori's character being brought back, and folks making the Hallmark connection. Still, it's not technically being carried on their airwaves -- maybe they think their hands are clean. 🤷🏽‍♂️

In any case ... she's not the only one getting a second chance -- Felicity Huffman, too, is going back to work. She's set to star in a comedy series on none other than ABC.

Bill Maher unsurprisingly leaned in hard Friday night, defending Dave Chappelle, saying embracing Dave's latest Netflix special does not make someone transphobic.

The "Real Time" host was jawboning with Andrew Yang and NYT opinion writer John McWhorter, and on this one, all 3 were in lockstep ... all saying they support the LGBTQ community but also standing firm on Dave's right of commentary.

Maher's central point -- there is not one true opinion about anything, and he referenced the view of one of those outraged by Chappelle ... someone who said there are not two sides to this controversy.

Maher didn't mention Chappelle said he's open to having a conversation with members of the trans community to hear them out. The reality is this ... some people in the trans community are not only hurt by Chappelle's "The Closer" ... they believe it engenders hatred and even violence.

Yang chimed in with this ... it's a comedian's job to entertain and to make us think, but goes on to suggest no one believes the role of a comedian is to tell us what and how to think. Some members of the trans community, however, say whether a comedian tells people what to think or not ... they still have an influence.

The centerpiece of the discussion is about people on both sides feeling like there's only one side to any argument. McWhorter, who wrote the book, 'Woke Racism,' suggests this type of thinking has become a religion of intolerance. He also says believing in the notion of absolute right or wrong is simplistic, childlike thinking.

The Phoenix Suns are looking to get ahead of a potentially damning report of racism, sexism and sexual harassment within the organization ... alleging the claims are "completely baseless."

The statement comes shortly after NBA insider Jordan Schultz claimed a "massive story" accusing team owner Robert Sarver of several incidents of misconduct was looming.

Before the report was published, the Suns released a scathing statement bashing the allegations as nothing more than a hit piece.

"We understand that an outlet is considering publishing a proposed story that makes completely baseless claims against the Suns organization concerning a variety of topics," the team said Friday.

"Documentary evidence in our possession and eyewitness accounts directly contradict the reporter's accusations, and we are preparing our response to his questions. We urge everyone not to rush to judgement here."

"Especially based on lies, innuendo, and a false narrative to attack our organization and its leadership."

Depending on the severity of the allegations, Sarver's role within the organization could be in jeopardy ... and it wouldn't be the first time an owner would be forced to sell their team.

Donald Sterling was handed a lifetime ban from the NBA back in 2014 ... after TMZ Sports published audio of the businessman spewing racist remarks to his then-mistress V. Stiviano.

As for Sarver, he claims to have been blindsided by the allegations ... saying he's against racial or sexual discrimination of any kind.

"While I can't begin to know how to respond to some of the vague suggestions made by mostly anonymous voices, I can certainly tell you that some of the claims I find completely repugnant to my nature and to the character of the Suns/Mercury workplace and I can tell you they never, ever happened," Sarver said Friday.

"I don't begin to know how to prove that something DIDN'T happen, and it is difficult to erase or forget ugly accusations once they are made. Even hints of racism or sexism in our culture today are toxic and damaging and should not be lightly raised," he added.

"I categorically deny any and all suggestions that I used disparaging language related to race or gender, I would like to think that my actions and public record regarding race, gender, or discrimination of any kind, over a lifetime in business and community service, will adequately answer any questions anyone might raise about my commitment to equality and fairness."

The debate over the NBA's anniversary team has begun -- with Klay Thompson PISSED over getting snubbed from the list.

88 voters -- ranging from people like Michael Jordan to Stephen A. Smith -- selected 75 players they think are NBA's greatest.

The league revealed the list (which ended up being 76 players because of a tie) this week for their 75th anniversary ... and the Golden State Warrior sharp shooter didn't make it.

"Maybe I'm just naïve in my ability to play basketball," the 31-year-old said of being off the list on Thursday.

"But in my head, I'm TOP 75 of all time."

Is he naïve, though? Well, let's take a look ...

Thompson is a 3x champ, 5x All Star, holds the record for most points in a quarter, the most 3 pointers made in a game and ties the record for most 3-pointers made in a single playoffs (98) with his teammate Stephen Curry -- who made the list.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr agrees with Thompson ... and feels Draymond Green should be on there too, saying, "I definitely think that both guys are top 75."

"Just based on winning and two-way basketball and everything that really matters more than statistics. What matters is if you’re winning championships, that’s what counts."

To be fair, selecting only 75 players is a pretty tough task ... and many, who would be considered top level, didn't make the cut.

Some notable names ... Grant Hill, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Penny Hardaway and Dwight Howard also got left off the list.

At the end of the day, should Thompson be up there?? Maybe he'll make the 100-year anniversary list.

Jamie Lynn Spears says she went through hell when pregnant at 16, and her parents and team were a driving force behind her misery ... pushing adoption, abortion and going to great lengths to hide her from the public.

We've obtained several snippets from Spears' upcoming book "Things I Should Have Said" where she lays out the events that followed her telling her parents and management she was pregnant in 2007.

In one passage, Spears says people from her inner circle, "... came to my room trying to convince me that having a baby at this point in my life was a terrible idea … 'It will kill your career. You are just too young. You don’t know what you’re doing. There are pills you can take. We can help you take care of this problem … I know a doctor,'" adding, "everyone around me just wanted to make this 'issue' disappear."

Jamie Lynn says flatly, "...everyone was certain that termination would be the best course of action."

Spears says her phone was taken away to stop her from communicating with people outside her immediate circle ... the goal being to keep everything on the down-low.

Jamie Lynn claims she wasn't even allowed to tell Britney she was pregnant, saying, "I needed her more than ever and she wasn’t able to help me in my most vulnerable time … To this day, the hurt of not being able to tell my sister myself still lingers.”

At one point, Jamie Lynn says she and her dad Jamie got into a fight over the unborn baby, "slinging words and tossing insults" when he pushed adoption.

Spears says eventually her team made an exclusive agreement with OK! Magazine to break the pregnancy story, and give them the first images of Jamie Lynn's baby.

Jamie Lynn says she and her mom went to some cabin in where she thought was Connecticut to hide until the article came out. The two spent Thanksgiving there together, where "Momma wore her disappointment like her favorite jacket."

Jamie Lynn has come under a lot of heat lately from Britney fans who feel she's taking advantage of Britney's current situation to make a buck off the book, but if the snippets we've obtained are any indication ... she's also got a lot to say about how she was raised and her parent's tactics.

The book comes out January 18, 2022.

We talked about it on the latest episode of the TMZ podcast.

Queen Elizabeth's condition is a mystery ... and there are now allegations the Palace lied about it to keep everything under wraps.

The Queen was back at Windsor Castle Friday after being hospitalized for an undisclosed condition. The palace says doctors have a "preliminary investigation" underway to get to the bottom of the Queen's ailment.

As for the lie ... the Palace said Wednesday the Queen had canceled a trip to Ireland after doctors ordered her to get some rest. They had strongly intimated the problem was just that, the 95-year-old Queen had been working too much.

There was no mention that she was actually hospitalized until Thursday, after The Sun broke the story. At that point the Palace fessed up and acknowledged it.

Brian Laundrie was extremely upset when he left home for good about a month ago and his dad tried but failed to stop him ... so says the family's lawyer.

Steven Bertolino said on MSNBC Thursday Brian's father, Chris, tried to stop Laundrie from leaving the day he took off for the woods, but Brian was determined and there was nothing his dad could do.

The most interesting part of the conversation ... whether Laundrie's parents will reach out to the Petito family ... presumably to offer condolences and discuss what happened.

Bertolino hedged, saying certain conversations must happen first before there's any communication between the two families. He never amplified on the nature of those conversations, but he offered a hint ... that Bertolino needed first to have a discussion with the Petito family attorney.

This sounds like Bertolino is worried about a wrongful death lawsuit, which is definitely in the cards. The other fairly obvious concern ... whether cops have Brian's parents under a microscope to determine if they in any way helped him escape ... something Bertolino has dismissed as hogwash.

As we reported ... the remains found Wednesday at the Carlton Reserve -- a portion of a skull -- was positively ID'd as Laundrie's.

One thing that could be highly relevant in determining what happened to Gabby Petito -- the contents of Laundrie's backpack, which was found near the remains. The question ... did he leave a note detailing what happened to her.

Robert Durst will finally stand trial for allegedly murdering his wife, Kathie Durst, in 1982 -- that is, if he survives COVID-19 and his already incredibly frail condition.

A grand jury in NY state heard testimony last week, and the murder charge was filed Tuesday in Westchester County. The D.A.'s Office is confirming the charges were filed, but won't comment any further.

It's unclear when he would stand trial, but the former real estate tycoon -- featured in the HBO documentary, "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst" -- is already at death's door. As you know, an L.A. jury convicted Durst last week for the murder of Susan Berman, and sentenced him to life in prison.

Two days later, 78-year-old Durst was placed on a ventilator after contracting the coronavirus.

Remember, Durst seemingly confessed on an open mic while recording an interview for 'The Jinx' ... saying, "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

Elton John says his childhood traumas can still control him today and, in addition to shaping his parenting style ... they can make him erupt in anger without warning.

Sir Elton had already revealed in his 2019 memoir that his parents had beat him as punishment for things as simple as taking off his school blazer the wrong way, and he's now revealing that influences his and his husband David Furnish's parenting choices.

The icon told The Guardian, "We never hit them or lose our temper with them. When they’re bad, they lose their pocket money, or their electronic stuff for a week – but they don’t get punished physically or mentally."

He added, "I was always afraid of my parents, and I didn’t want my children to ever be afraid of me." Elton and David have 2 sons ... 10-year-old Zachary, and 8-year-old Elijah.

Of course, Elton famously had a short fuse, especially in the heyday of his legendary career. He says David's support and 30 years of sobriety help him control it now, but he also admits, "My behavior was so erratic and so unpredictable. And it’s still in me, to explode at any moment."

The same thing that's hurt Kate Beckinsale's career is helping Ross Butler's take off in Hollywood, and that thing is ... brain power!!! Lots of it.

We got the "13 Reasons Why" and "Riverdale" star Thursday at LAX, and considering his collegiate history, he's the perfect person to address Kate's recent reveal about her high IQ.

ICYMI ... KB told Howard Stern her intelligence has hurt her career. She wasn't specific about why, but added that doctors have said she'd be much happier if she were less brilliant.

Well, Ross -- who studied biomolecular and chemical engineering -- says he's had a much different experience. Check out his explanation for why his smarts are making him a better actor. BTW, it's not like he's playing brilliant scientists on camera.

The heartthrob also opened up about another hot topic ... his dancing session with "Outer Banks" star Madelyn Cline! Y'know, the one that had everyone thinking she'd broken up with her costar Chase Stokes?