Controversial S#!T

Halle Berry gave Cardi B a crown many feel belongs to Nicki Minaj -- and while Winnie Harlow vouched for the latter on live TV ... CB seems to want no part of the debate.

This is all started Saturday, when Halle and co. were hosting a premiere for her new flick, 'Bruised' -- a movie she directed and stars in ... and one that features a soundtrack full of female rappers, which was curated by both Ms. Berry and Cardi.

In fact, Halle shouted Cardi out by name ... but in doing so, also called her the "Queen of Hip Hop" -- something Nicki Minaj's fans didn't take very kindly to.

The "Barbz," as they're known, were swarming with fury about the title ... which has often been given to Nicki because of her many years in the game, and her undeniable influence in hip hop at large. Of course, many feel Cardi has emerged as a more influential figure in a shorter timespan ... and, apparently, Halle believes the same.

Fast-forward to Sunday, where during MTV's 2021 Europe Music Awards ... Winnie seemed to get into the fracas herself with what may be a little jab of her own while announcing the winner of the Best Hip-Hop winner. That winner, of course, was Nicki Minaj.

Winnie prefaced saying Nicki's name with ... "the one and only Queen of Hip Hop," which can interpreted as being in response to Halle's own remark. Who knows ... maybe it's nothing.

Enter Cardi herself ... who had some thoughts on the matter, and which may be the final say, for now. She writes, "I know how some of you girls like to tussle over this typa childish s***… but ntm on Halle Berry. Anyway her movie #BRUISED dropping THAT SHE DIRECTED HERSELF on Netflix on November 24th. The FIRST female rap movie soundtrack!! we produced together out this FRIDAY!"

Mr. T seems to be going from the A-Team to the B-Team in this pandemic -- and "B" is for booster shot ... something the man says he's now happily been injected with.

The actor announced Saturday that he'd been inoculated anew with a new round of the vaccine -- taking to Twitter to write ... "I am Blessed and I am Thankful. I just got my Booster Vaccination shot. My arm is a little sore but no pain. I Pity Pain! Thanks again to all the Doctors and Nurses…"

He adds, "Even though I am fully vaccinated, I will still wear my mask and keep my distance, thank you. #SaturdayThoughts."

Now, there are two very different reactions to Mr. T coming out as pro-vaxx -- a good handful of folks are praising him, of course, and calling him a true inspiration and hero ... like he portrayed on screen for so many years (minus that one time from "Rocky III").

Even guys like Dan Rather are singing T's praises for putting out a good message.

Then again ... there are others responding far differently -- suggesting Mr. T is acting as a proxy for the U.S. government to push the vaccine, aka propaganda ... a term we've been seeing a lot lately from folks on the right, including politicians like Ted Cruz.

You'll remember ... Senator Cruz slammed Big Bird, of all people puppets, after the Sesame Street denizen announced he, too, had been vaccinated -- which ticked off Cruz to no end.

The daughter of ex-NBA player Corey Benjamin was involved in another on-court fight just weeks before her viral sucker punch ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

The violent altercation went down in mid-September in Del Amo, Calif. -- just two months before she sucker punched a girl during a youth basketball game near Anaheim last weekend.

In the footage, you can see the teenager was jockeying with another girl to try to gain position inside the key ... when she suddenly snapped.

Video shows Benjamin's daughter threw several punches at the girl -- before sprinting toward another girl on the court and throwing even more haymakers.

We're told officials later hit her with an indefinite ban from the venue over the altercation.

You'll recall, Benjamin's daughter was hit with a similar punishment following her actions during a game this past Saturday.

In that incident, the girl laid out her opponent after she felt she was fouled on a jump shot. The mother of the teenager who was punched tells us she has filed a criminal report against Benjamin's daughter over it all.

Benjamin has issued an apology over his daughter's actions, telling NBC L.A. this week, "As a father, I'm shocked and disappointed at my daughter's behavior as this is not a reflection of the values and standards that my family holds. Nor does it exemplify the values, character and spirit of sportsmanship that the game of basketball requires."

There's nothing foul about President Biden using the word "negro" when referring to the old baseball league ... at least according to the steward of the league, who's defending and applauding him for saying the word.

No doubt you've seen the clip of the Prez speaking on Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery and flubbing in a big way ... saying he'd "adopted the attitude of the great negro at the time." Cringeworthy, for sure, but to be fair Biden misspoke, and eventually cleared it up intending to call out the great Negro League player Satchel Paige.

Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, tells TMZ ... not only was it crystal clear to him what Mr. Biden meant to say, but it would have been "harmful" if he'd used any other word.

Bob says he was surprised at the online fallout -- people ticked off POTUS used such a dated term -- because he says there's a reason the word is still on walls of his museum. As Bob put it, they still use "Negro" to preserve the league's nearly 30-year history -- from 1920 to 1947. He compares it to the NAACP, which also hasn't changed its name, despite the fact (almost) no one uses the "C" word nowadays.

Further, he says "It was an honor that the President made a point to honor Satchel Paige, who happened to be one of the greatest pitchers" in the history of ANY baseball league.

Jim Hayford -- Seattle University's men's basketball coach -- has resigned from his position ... after he allegedly used the n-word on multiple occasions.

Hayford was initially placed on administrative leave last week ... after Stadium Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman reported that the coach had used the racial slur during a scrimmage.

According to the report, Hayford -- who is white -- said the n-word last Thursday after a player had used it.

Goodman reports this was not the first time Hayford had been accused of using the term around his team.

Hayford reportedly apologized to his squad over it all on Nov. 6, but according to Goodman, some players refused to accept the mea culpa, and ultimately vowed to never play for him again.

Seattle U's Athletic Director, Shaney Fink, issued a statement Thursday announcing Hayford's resignation, saying, "It is clear to me that coach Hayford is no longer able to effectively lead this team."

"The top priority within the Athletic Department is, and always will be, to support the wellbeing and success of our student athletes -- in and out of the classroom and in their chosen sport."

Fink continued, "We are committed to advancing an athletic community that is inclusively excellent. We will take additional steps to ensure any concerns within the program are addressed and that all our student athletes are seen, heard, and supported."

Jon Gruden is accusing the NFL and Roger Goodell of conducting a "malicious and orchestrated campaign ... to destroy [his] career and reputation."

It's all spelled out in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, filed in a Nevada court on Thursday ... in which Gruden says the Goodell and the NFL obtained his private emails with his friend and former coworker Bruce Allen.

The former Raiders head coach accused the NFL and its commish of holding the emails for months ... only to leak them when they could cause maximum damage to Gruden.

Gruden characterizes this as a "soviet-style character assassination."

In the docs, Gruden points out that the NFL uncovered hundreds of thousands of emails as part of a larger investigation into sexual harassment allegations against the Washington Football Team ... but the only emails that he claims the NFL leaked are the ones that implicate Gruden.

The 58-year-old, meanwhile, says Goodell and the league have kept all of the other ones under wraps.

Gruden also claims the NFL initially only released a single email -- the one containing the reference to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith's lips -- and immediately began pressuring the Raiders to fire him over it.

But, when the Raiders refused, Gruden claims the NFL then released a batch of other emails, saying the league "weaponized" them, and ultimately caused the Raiders to pressure Gruden into resigning.

Gruden notes in the suit that the NFL has historically tried to appear transparent, by issuing written reports on a host of past investigations, including Deflategate, the Ray Rice incident, and the harassment allegations against the Miami Dolphins.

The former coach says the leak is an attempt to distract from the NFL's failure to properly handle the sexual harassment allegations against the WFT.

Gruden is suing for unspecified damages -- including punitives -- claiming the NFL's actions caused him to lose his sponsorships and recognition (including his place in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Ring of Honor).

It should be noted -- nowhere in the documents does Gruden deny sending the offensive emails.

For its part, the NFL has denied Gruden's allegations ... saying in a statement they "are entirely meritless and the NFL will vigorously defend against these claims.”

Andre Iguodala believes Kyrie Irving is the 4th greatest point guard of all time ... and you can keep your comments to yourself, 'cause he says it's not up for debate!!

The Warriors forward recently told The Athletic that in his mind, Kyrie has cemented his spot as one of the top 20 NBA players EVER -- and on top of that, he's cemented his spot on the Mount Rushmore of point guards in NBA history.

"Magic (Johnson), Steph (Curry), Isiah Thomas. They're the only guys that I will allow you to say are better than Kyrie," Iggy said, adding he's open to the idea of adding Chris Paul to the mix ... but makes it clear his pick is Uncle Drew.

The list of greatest point guards is always a topic of discussion ... but Iggy is leaving out some legends that will certainly have some folks up in arms over the comments.

We're sure Jason Kidd, John Stockton, Oscar Robertson, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson and many more would like to have a word with Iggy ... 'cause they didn't make the cut.

It's possible Dre is speaking from recency bias or personal experience ... 'cause he knows firsthand just how skilled Kyrie is ... his ridiculous crossovers and scoring ability make him one of the most exciting players in the NBA.

After all, he got to witness up close and personal in the 2016 NBA Finals.

Corey Benjamin -- former Chicago Bulls guard -- is apologizing for his teenage daughter after she blindsided an opponent, clobbering her with a punch to the head during a basketball game last weekend.

"This is not how I raised my daughter," Benjamin said.

TMZ Sports published video earlier this week showing Benjamin's teenage daughter flattening her 15-year-old opponent with a haymaker for seemingly no reason during a basketball game in southern California on Sunday.

Alice Ham, the mother of the girl who was punched, tells us her daughter sustained a concussion as a result of the punch.

The former 1st round draft pick in 1998 -- who played 4 seasons in the NBA, averaging 5.5 points for his career -- spoke to NBC LA ... and it's clear the former hooper knows his daughter really screwed up.

"To the young lady who was punched by my daughter during a youth basketball game, I sincerely apologize to you and I am praying for your complete healing both physically and emotionally," Benjamin said.

"To her family, I deeply apologize and regret that this happened to your daughter as she did not deserve this to happen to her. Finally, I apologize to all of those who have been impacted and hurt by the actions of my daughter as well as those of her mother. I am here for your family and wish only the best for you."

It's interesting ... Corey also said sorry for the mom of his daughter ... who is seemingly heard on video directing her kid to hit the 15-year-old just seconds before the attack.

Corey continued ... "As a father, I'm shocked and disappointed at my daughter's behavior as this is not a reflection of the values and standards that my family holds. Nor does it exemplify the values, character and spirit of sportsmanship that the game of basketball requires."

"My daughter made a mistake. One that she will need to make right. I am committed to getting my daughter any help she may need and support her in taking accountability for her conduct."

But, the apology from Corey might not be enough ... 'cause Ham has lawyered up, hiring attorney Kevin Hahn.

Nestor Carbonell, the weather guy on "The Morning Show," says his character is the new poster child for cancel culture -- and how out of control it's gotten -- which was the whole point of season 2.

Nestor plays Yanko Flores on the Apple TV+ drama, and when we saw him at LAX, he solved a tiny mystery about his storyline. Don't worry ... if ya haven't seen it yet, we're not giving away much.

In a nutshell ... Yanko was doing a report about famed groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, when he refers to the little guy as his "spirit animal." That sets off a "woke mob" backlash, his bosses get pissed and the weatherman meteorologist gets hung out to dry.

Fans have been debating whether the Yanko plot was mocking cancel culture or embracing it -- and, not to offend equestrian lovers -- but, we went straight to the horse's mouth for the answer.

Nestor tells us, "What [Yanko] was canceled for was kind of absurd, which is kind of the point." There ya have it ... straight-up satire!!!

Donald Trump seemingly defended the Capitol insurrectionists who were out to hang then Vice President Mike Pence, claiming they were understandably angry.

Trump did an interview with ABC's Jonathan Karl, who asked 45 whether he was worried for the Veep's safety back on January 6th. Trump poo-pooed the notion Pence was in danger, saying "I thought he was well-protected and I had heard he was in good shape."

That didn't satisfy Karl, who noted how terrible the rioter's conduct was, to which Trump said, "well, the people were very angry." Karl shot back, "They were saying, 'hang Mike Pence.'"

Trump then launched into the defense of the crowd, saying, "Because it's common sense, Jon. How can you -- if you know a vote is fraudulent, right? How can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress? How can you do that?"

So, Trump is in essence saying Pence deserved the ire of the crowd, because he wouldn't block certification of the election.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is going to bat for Bo Davis after he aggressively cussed players out over a bad loss this weekend ... praising the d-line coach's passion as a positive moment.

As we previously reported, Davis was heard calling players "motherf***ers" on the team bus after losing 30-7 loss to Iowa State on Saturday ... going in on the athletes for seemingly not taking the beating seriously.

The clip has been polarizing -- some say Davis crossed a line, while others defend the coach for giving a damn deep in an underwhelming season.

Sark made his stance clear with reporters on Thursday ... defending his staffer and also criticizing the player who leaked the audio.

"I think one thing that jumped out to me when I first saw the video was, one, you could hear the passion in Bo's voice," Sark said. "We really believe in the staff that we hired and what we came here to do."

"I think you could feel the passion and the want to get it done. I think that Bo exemplifies that."

As for the player seemingly trying to expose the coach's behavior in a negative light, Sark claims that does not reflect the entire reaction from the team.

Travis Scott and his team were oblivious to the mass casualties in the crowd at his show while he continued to perform, so says his attorney, who claims emergency workers never relayed the message ... and Travis didn't know the scope of what happened until the next day.

Ed McPherson was on 'GMA' Friday, saying there's still a lot to do in investigating exactly what went wrong last week, but he insists his client was in the dark.

McPherson says Travis was clueless about the calamity in the crowd because he had an earpiece blaring music, blinding lights and no one gave him a heads up. As we reported, Travis even left after the concert and hit up Dave & Busters for an afterparty ... unaware that people had died and hundreds were injured.

McPherson points out the now-viral video of Travis stopping the show to get a fan help who had passed out. He also says it was hard for Travis to determine that at one point there was an ambulance in the crowd ... saying it looked more like a golf cart with lights.

When pushed as to whether or not Travis was inciting his audience to get aggressive by telling them to "rage" -- a phrase he's used for years -- McPherson says that was simply Travis trying to get his crowd into the show and have a good time.

TMZ broke the story, Houston cops were seen taking photos and videos while Travis performed 25 mins after the event was considered a "mass casualty event." McPherson says this is further evidence Travis didn't have a clue what was happening. The lawyer points out, if the cops didn't know ... how could Travis?

On Thursday, 22-year-old Bharti Shahani succumbed to her injuries suffered during the show, she was allegedly trampled during a crowd crush, suffering multiple heart attacks and being declared brain dead.

Soulja Boy says fans should be more aware of their surroundings the next time they're at a crowded concert like Astroworld ... but it's also on organizers to create a safe environment.

We got the rapper in NYC on Thursday and asked him what artists are doing to prevent another deadly scene like the one we saw in Houston from happening again.

Soulja says it will take a collective effort to prevent another tragedy ... telling us it's also up to fans to enjoy themselves without getting too wild and making sure they know what's going on around them.

As you know ... the death toll from the Travis Scott show now stands at 9.

SB says people can get caught up in the concert, especially when they all have their phones out, and that's when bad things can happen.

But it's not just up to the fans ... Soulja says venues and promoters need to take the proper precautions for everyone's safety, no matter if it's looked at as an inconvenience. Interestingly, he did not mention the responsibility of the artist.

First responders were desperate to get Travis Scott fans help, even calling for the show to end in order to help those needing serious medical attention ... and you can hear the urgency in their radio communications that night.

Several audio clips have surfaced online of Houston Police officers and other medical personnel addressing the issues of crowd crushing, fans passing out and even structural issues during Scott's performance. Things are clearly dire, as one voice says, "... folks are coming out of the crowd complaining of difficulty breathing."

During another radio transmission, emergency workers can be heard saying, "... a lot of people trampled and passed out at the front of the stage."

While the audio doesn't make it clear exactly what time all of this was happening, one thing is certain ... authorities knew things were bad. In fact, at one point they flat out say, "They have to stop the show because there's people trampled and (inaudible) not breathing."

Of course, the major question now -- apart from how 9 people died -- is where the communication broke down between emergency responders and show organizers.

TMZ broke the story, Houston PD officers were spotted taking cellphone video and photos of Travis and Drake as the rappers hyped up the crowd.

According to the timestamps, the officers were seen calmly watching Travis perform between 9:57 PM and 10:02 PM.

Rev. Jesse Jackson tells us, "I'll be in court next week." He says the line of thinking from Gough is "unacceptable" and a "public trial involves public observation."

Sharpton tells us, "The arrogant insensitivity of attorney Kevin Gough in asking a judge to bar me or any minister of the family’s choice underscores the disregard for the value of the human life lost and the grieving of a family in need spiritual and community support."

He continues, "I respect the defense attorney doing his job but this is beyond defending your client, it is insulting the family of the victim."

The lawyer for defendant William 'Roddie' Bryan in the Ahmaud Arbery trial complained to the judge ... "black pastors" coming to court and sitting with the family is unfair.

Attorney Kevin Gough voiced his displeasure in open court after Rev. Al Sharpton showed up to sit with Arbery's family inside the courtroom.

Gough groused, "I've got nothing personally against Mr. Sharpton ... but if we're starting a precedent where we're gonna bring high-profile members of the African-American community into the courtroom to sit with the family during the trial in the presence of the jury, I believe that's intimidating and it's an attempt to consciously or unconsciously pressure or influence the jury."

And, he goes on ... " ... if their pastor is Al Sharpton right now, that's fine, but then that's it. We don't want any more black pastors coming in here. Jesse Jackson, whoever was in here earlier this week sitting with the victim's family trying to influence the jury in this case."

BTW ... Jesse Jackson was never in the courtroom. He may be referring to attorney Ben Crump, who was in court earlier in the week.

The judge was less than receptive, interrupting Gough and shutting down his argument, after the lawyer makes a Colonel Sanders reference.

Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee says she was a recent target of anti-Asian hate ... claiming she was pepper-sprayed and had racist slurs hurled at her.

18-year-old Lee detailed the altercation in an interview with Pop Sugar released this week ... saying she was waiting for an Uber with her friends -- all of Asian descent -- after a night out, when a car sped by and yelled phrases like "ching chong" and "go back to where they came from."

Lee -- the first Hmong American Olympic gold medalist -- says one person even sprayed her arm with pepper spray before speeding off.

The "Dancing with the Stars" contestant opened up on the incident -- which happened a week before the interview -- saying, "I was so mad, but there was nothing I could do or control because they skirted off," she told the outlet.

The number of hate crimes directed at Asians in America has risen in recent years ... with a study at California State University, San Bernardino reporting a 150% increase in 2020.

"I didn't do anything to them," Lee added, "and having the reputation, it's so hard because I didn't want to do anything that could get me into trouble. I just let it happen."