Controversial S#!T

Ice Cube is saying no to a $9 million payday, because he's not saying yes to getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

The rapper and actor is passing on his role in the upcoming movie, "Oh Hell No," because he refused a request from producers to get the jab ... according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Ice Cube's not only giving up a starring role alongside Jack Black and a chance to film on location in Hawaii -- but he's also giving up the reported $9 mil he would have earned for the flick.

Cube and Jack signed on to the Sony project back in June, and at some point after, producers reportedly put in a request for all cast to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

There's been nary a peep from Ice Cube on the vaccine, at least publicly, but he seems to be taking the pandemic seriously ... he donated face coverings to a college in Oklahoma in August, and raised money for frontline healthcare workers at the beginning of the outbreak by selling shirts picturing him with a mask.

With Ice Cube out, Sony is reportedly looking to find someone to fill his shoes.

Somewhere in Hollywood right now, Deon Cole is still laughing -- at least we think so, based on his reaction to a hot-button Dave Chappelle topic we threw out to him.

The comedian and "Black-ish" star was bolting from The Ivy Thursday afternoon in WeHo when we asked what he thought about Chappelle's (half-joking, we think) demand for Netflix employees to admit fellow comic Hannah Gadsby is not funny, before he agrees to meet with them.

Admittedly, that could be a tough question for Deon, who's friends with Chappelle -- but tours a lot of comedy clubs too, and could run into Hannah from time to time.

Nevertheless, he responded, but you really gotta see how. This isn't just top-notch deflecting -- it's straight-up funny!!!

You'll recall ... Hannah fired the first shot at Dave, describing "The Closer" Netflix special as his "emotionally stunted partial world view."

Dana White has entered the Jake Paul vs. Claressa Shields beef ... eviscerating the YouTube superstar for calling the boxer/MMA fighter a "loser" ... saying, "I hope he runs into her somewhere and she knocks him the f*** out."

Jake recently called out "T-Rex" after her first loss as a pro fighter with PFL earlier this week ... saying, "Claressa Shields is a loser. In MMA, and even more so with her prima donna attitude."

Dana -- who hates the Paul bros. with a burning passion -- got wind of Jake's comments ... and he didn't hold back.

"Jake Paul calls Claressa Shields a loser? Claressa Shields is nothing but a winner who actually fought real people in her weight class, in her own age, in her own sport and then goes over to MMA and tries to win a world title," he told MMA Fighting. "That's not a loser, that's a winner."

There's more -- "When are you gonna start fighting somebody your own f***ng age, your own weight, that actually fights in your own f***ing sport that you're claiming you're in? Shut the f*** up, you goofball. For you to call Claressa Shields a loser is f***ing unbelievable!!"

Dana also showered Shields with praise ... adding, "Nothing but respect for Claressa Shields."

"To be looked at as the best female boxer, right, and to come over here and start training and start to do this, not easy. Nothing but respect for her."

We've now learned why the 'RHONY' reunion never happened ... and it was all thanks to an ongoing third-party investigation into Eboni K. Williams' allegations of racism against Ramona Singer.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Eboni filed a formal complaint against Ramona in the weeks leading up to the 'RHONY' season 13 reunion, and as an investigation launched and moved forward, Bravo kept pushing back the shoot date.

We're told the probe was tasked with looking into an alleged comment Ramona made that Eboni felt was racially motivated.

As part of the investigation, we're told the cast and production crew sat down for interviews ... and in the end, Ramona was cleared because nothing was found to corroborate Eboni's claims. We're told once the investigation wrapped the network felt it was too late to film a reunion because too much time passed from the end of the season.

One source tells us ... "It was already a low-rated season so there were concerns about who would tune in 3 months later."

For what it's worth, we're told Eboni wasn't the only one to lodge a complaint against Ramona for race issues, a crew member did the same prior to Eboni -- but clearly, the alleged conduct had continued -- and that's why Eboni felt it was important to complain as well.

While we're told Eboni was satisfied with the thorough investigation, she seemed sour over the scrapped reunion ... telling us last week she has unfinished business and implying she's ready to come back for another season and confront the women.

The delays and ultimate cancellation cost the 'RHONY' stars money ... the housewives are paid per episode and we're told the reunion would likely have been 3 episodes, meaning stars like Ramona, Luann and Sonja lost upwards of $100,000.

Morgan Wallen deserves the opportunity to prove he's a changed man ... at least according to Shawn Stockman, who says the country star's probably not the only one guilty of casually using racial slurs.

That might come off as a very backhanded compliment, but the Boyz II Men singer was genuinely calling for the music biz to let up off Morgan ... when we talked to him Thursday at LAX.

As we reported, the American Music Awards banned Morgan from attending their ceremony next month, even though he's nominated in 2 categories. Shawn thinks the move is purely about optics, but adds ... at some point they gotta "let the man live" and show he's grown up and learned from his mistakes.

Speaking of mistakes ... Shawn says the industry needs to stop pretending Morgan is the only country star who's used the n-word the way he did earlier this year. Watch the clip ... Shawn was laughing as he broached the delicate subject, but only half-joking.

The Country Music Association has also yanked Morgan from the guestlist for its award show next month, but Shawn's calling for more forgiveness in the world.

DaBaby just made his return to the Rolling Loud stage for the first time since he made homophobic remarks during the festival's Miami stop ... and it's all thanks to his buddy 50 Cent.

50 was on stage at Rolling Loud New York, and brought out DaBaby as a special guest ... we’re told Rolling Loud organizers approved DaBaby’s appearance.

Rolling Loud is a significant location for DaBaby's return considering it was during his festival set in Miami back in July when he told audience members to only put their hands up to party, "If you didn't show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that'll make you die in 2-3 weeks" and "Fellas, if you didn't suck a n**** d*** in the parking lot."

He later attempted to apologize, but only made things worse when he said the comments weren't aimed at his actual fans because his fans aren't, "nasty gay n****s" or "junkies." He later deleted the apology.

The fallout for the rapper was massive ... he was dropped from multiple festivals and slammed by Dua Lipa, who he had a huge single with called "Levitating."

Rock icon Todd Rundgren is about to get what some call the ultimate honor in the music biz -- induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -- and he couldn't care less, because he says the institution's a total crock.

Todd won't be saying (or singing) "Hello It's Me" to his fellow inductees -- who include Jay-Z, Tina Turner, Carole King and the Foo Fighters -- this weekend in Cleveland. He joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to explain why he'll be a no-show and ripped the Hall for even existing.

The way Todd sees it, halls of fame make way more sense in the sports world ... where it's all about competition, but that's just not how he views the music industry. The legendary performer and producer says, for him, music's not about being #1 -- it's just about making tunes his fans can enjoy.

Todd also echoed some of The Weeknd's complaints about the Grammys -- telling us the Rock & Roll HOF needs to be more transparent about how its "fan vote" really works. Check out the interview ... he says he, and his fans, got burned badly the first time he was up for induction.

That being said, now that TR's finally made it into the HOF, he doesn't wanna hobnob with millionaires at the induction ceremony. Instead, he wants to celebrate with real fans -- he feels the HOF honor is more for them, anyway -- which is why he'll be onstage, performing in Cincinnati.

Kevin Durant is opening up about the Nets' early-season struggles … admitting that the team misses having their superstar Kyrie Irving out on the floor.

Irving hasn’t been allowed to practice or play at all this season since he’s unvaccinated ... and it doesn’t look like that’s changing any time soon.

The Nets picked up their third loss of the season last night — losing to the Miami Heat at home 106-93 — prompting one reporter to ask KD what’s "missing" with the team’s offense.

"I know what you want me to say," Durant joked before getting real. "Yeah, we do miss Kyrie. We do. He’s a part of our team."

"For the most part we been generating great shots, we been getting into the paint. It’s a matter of us knocking them down. I think it’ll come."

Brooklyn’s offense has clearly struggled without KI ... the squad is currently 25th in points per game in the NBA.

Supporters of Irving took to the streets this past weekend to advocate that the Brooklyn Nets star be allowed to play … and looking at this Nets offense through 5 games, it might explain why they went so hard.

Not everyone's ready to forgive Morgan Wallen ... the country music superstar is being blocked from the American Music Awards, even though he'll likely win a couple of the trophies.

The award show announced Thursday it's barring Morgan from attending this year's show due to that video showing him using the n-word. Reps for the show said, "As his conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity."

Here's the thing, though ... AMA nominees are determined purely by Billboard Chart performance, and despite the backlash against him most of the year, Morgan's album has dominated sales. That's why he's still nominated for 2 AMAs -- favorite country album and favorite male country artist.

It's unclear how producers of the award show will handle it in the likely event Morgan wins one or both categories. Remember, the winners are determined purely by fan votes ... and we know Morgan's fans have stood firm behind him all year.

Morgan has issued an apology, and did an interview with GMA back in July saying he'd been working on himself. The AMA reps say they'll "evaluate his progress in doing meaningful work as an ally to the Black community and will consider his participation in future shows."

“When I found out Derrick [Rose] tore his ACL, I remember the smells, who I was with, everything. I had the same feeling of when I saw the plane hit the tower [on Sept. 11th]. People will be like, ‘He’s crazy for saying that.’ No. I’m telling you how I felt.”

That's former NBA star Joakim Noah explaining he was so devastated when a young D-Rose suffered the serious injury, it harkened him back to the day thousands of Americans died in one of the darkest days in America's history.

36-year-old Noah -- who last played with the Clippers in 2020 -- dropped the shocking quote about his close friend during a long form conversation with ESPN.

Of course, the injury happened during the 2011-2012 NBA playoffs. The Bulls were the #1 seed in the East ... and were playing the Sixers in the 1st round of the playoffs.

Chicago won game 1, but the game was marred by the ACL tear to Rose, the leagues reigning MVP.

With only about a minute left in the game, Rose tore the ligament in his left knee.

Before the season ending injury, D-Rose was a rebound and assist away from a triple double (23 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists).

The Bulls ended up losing the series ... and although Rose -- now one of the NY Knicks' best players -- has come back since as a highly capable player, but never returned to pre-injury form.

"We really believed we were gonna win that championship," Noah says.

"That was our time. Derrick represented that much hope. Every time he stepped onto the court, we had the most special player in the world. That's a lot of hope to carry on one person."

Marshawn Lynch wasn't the only one caught on TV droppin' F-bombs this week ... 'cause broadcast mics picked up an NHL player's "F*** you!" during a game Wednesday -- and it was LOUD.

The cussing was captured during the first period of the Philadelphia Flyers' tilt with the Edmonton Oilers ... and it could be heard crystal clear on television.

No word yet on who unleashed the profane remark ... but it appeared to happen because of an on-ice collision between a Flyers player and an Oilers player.

Shortly after the two guys got tangled up ... the F-bomb could be heard in the arena -- and it didn't take long for social media to notice it, and laugh about it.

Of course, it's the second time this week the F-word has made it on national airwaves ... with Lynch saying "what the f***" on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" Manningcast on Monday.

WARNING TO CERTAIN KIDS: LEAVE YOUR TRACK SUITS AND SLIP-ON VANS AT HOME THIS HALLOWEEN!!!

Three elementary schools near Syracuse are banning "Squid Game" costumes this week, because they say it sends a message of violence to impressionable students.

The principals justify the prohibition because of what they call "the potential violent message aligned with the costume."

Parents from the 3 schools received emails saying, "We have observed some students at recess have been playing a version of [Squid Games] ... which is intended for mature audiences ages 16 and older. Due to concerns about the potential violent nature of the game, it is inappropriate for recess play or discussion at school" ... this according to WSTM, which obtained the emails.

The Superintendent of the school district, Craig Tice, told the Washington Post, "Because of this activity our principals wanted to make sure our families are aware that it would be inappropriate for any student to wear to school a Halloween costume from this show."

BTW ... "Squid Game" costumes are topping the list of Halloween getups ... at least on Insta.

Alec Baldwin is seemingly declaring his innocence in the accident that killed Halyna Hutchins by pointing out he was told it was a "cold" gun ... when it was actually loaded with a live round.

Baldwin retweeted an article Wednesday night about the most recent search warrant filed in the death investigation. The NYT story -- headlined, "Gun Handed to Alec Baldwin Was Not Thoroughly Checked" -- focused on the documents TMZ first told you about, which highlight several safety failures.

In the affidavit filed Wednesday, Assistant Director Dave Halls admitted to cops he had not thoroughly checked the weapon for live rounds before handing it to Baldwin.

While Alec hasn't said anything publicly since his first tweet the day after Hutchins was killed, his actions on social media speak volumes, retweeting multiple articles saying he was told the weapon was safe.

Head armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, told authorities prior to the scene, and during the movie's lunch break, the gun was locked in a safe and very few people had access to it.

The question that remains ... how did live ammo not only get on set, but into the gun's chamber? We spoke with several people from the set who told us outside of filming, the gun was sometimes used for recreational use and target practice.

Both the Santa Fe Co. Sheriff's Office and District Attorney held a press conference Wednesday where they said charges are technically still on the table for everyone involved.

Colby Covington says he'll have some pretty powerful and famous guests in the building when he rematches Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 ... telling TMZ Sports he's expecting Donald Trump's kids, Don Jr., Eric and Lara Trump Octagon-side.

We talked to the 33-year-old, #1 ranked UFC welterweight ... and asked him if former President Trump or his fam would be at Madison Square Garden on November 6.

"Yes, there will be some members of the Trump family there. You know, I was just talking to Donald Trump yesterday. He was at the golf course, giving me his well wishes," Colby says.

"I know he has a big rally that day so I’m not sure if he’s gonna be able to make it, but I’m sure that I’ll have my average phone call with him after my every fight. So, I’ll be talking to him."

Of course, Colby and Donald -- a big MMA fan who's also tight with Dana White -- have been friends for a while. Covington even visited DT at the White House a few years back.

So, likely no 45 ... but Covington expects 3 of the prez's children to be there for the stacked fight card, that also features Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler and Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili.

Great fights ... but, the biggest draw is Covington vs. Usman 2, the main event.

The first fight was electric (Kamaru won via 5th round TKO) ... and fight promotion aside, these guys still HATE each other.

And, Covington has revenge on his mind ... saying he intends to take back the belt (CC was interim champ),

"It’s amazing having [the Trump family's] support. I have this energy that I get from [Donald]. I call it 'dragon energy' and I’m gonna unleash that dragon energy next weekend," Colby says.

Nikita Dragun wants to take Dave Chappelle to school ... extending an olive branch of sorts, and offering him a chance to get an education on the transgender community.

We got the transgender influencer Wednesday at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills and asked her about Dave's controversial LGBTQ+ jokes.

Nikita says both sides need more understanding and communication ... and she says one way to achieve that is through education.

She wants to help school Dave, sitting down with the comedian and coming at him in a non-threatening way.

As you know ... Dave's jokes are rubbing lots of folks the wrong way, including trans employees at Netflix, where his controversial special, "The Closer," streams.

There was even a walkout protest at Netflix HQ ... but as we've told you, Dave's saying he is down to meet with members of the transgender community to hear them out, with a few conditions.

The national anthem has been used to protest against injustice, but Keke Palmer took it as an opportunity to honor her ancestors ... telling TMZ Sports she sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the World Series to show respect for those who came before her.

The anthem has been quite the hot topic in recent years ... from Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest to lyrics mentioning slavery in the third verse.

We spoke with the 28-year-old singer/actress fresh off her anthem performance prior to Game 1 in Houston on Tuesday ... and she said taking part in the tradition was an easy decision.

"I just feel like my ancestors built this country," Palmer told us at LAX on Wednesday.

"So, I show love for their lives that were taken. I stand on this ground because they couldn't stand in certain places."

"For me, that's what it's about, you know, they built the country. They deserve their respect."

Palmer -- who's been a strong advocate for social justice -- says the gig was incredible despite the controversy around the song ... and also served as a special way to honor her grandma, who recently passed away.