Controversial S#!T

Colton Underwood says he would literally hide from his teammates in the locker room during his football playing days ... admitting he was terrified he would get turned on and be outed as gay.

29-year-old Underwood -- who played in the NFL from 2014-16 -- opened up about being in the closet throughout his athletic career in an interview with "Call Her Daddy" ... claiming he went through extreme measures to make sure no one knew about his sexuality.

"I wouldn't shower after practice because I was afraid of getting turned on in the locker room or in the shower," Colton told Alex Cooper.

"I never really was attracted to anybody who I played with, or coaches. So, it's sort of silly to even say that. But, I wanted to avoid any chance of being outed, so I would not shower with the rest of the team."

Instead, the former Bachelor star said he would change clothes in a corner or in a bathroom stall ... or just leave the locker room entirely.

"There was just a lot of things that I sort of did differently than other players because I felt like I had to, because I didn't want questions to start being asked."

The caution remained through college as well -- Colton says he'd even sleep through his own house parties out of fear of revealing his sexuality while drunk.

Colton says his excuse would be that he's too focused on his career to party ... which is also the same reason he said he was famously a virgin late into his 20s.

Travis Scott's Astroworld stage is finally being broken down and hauled away after the tragedy in Houston.

Crews were hard at work Wednesday, dismantling the stage that continued to stand tall for 40 days after the deadly concert. There's a ton of crew members removing everything from lighting to the video screens and structure of the Houston event.

As for why it stayed up so long, law enforcement likely needed everything in place while they continued their investigation into what happened and what went wrong with the show's logistics and apparent lack of a safety plan.

As you know, the death toll from the Astroworld festival reached 10, and there's massive lawsuits pending against Travis and the concert promoters.

Ben Affleck says his marriage to ex-wife Jennifer Garner helped kickstart his alcoholism -- claiming he turned to booze to cope with feeling "trapped."

The actor -- who's now with Jennifer Lopez -- didn't hold back while talking to Howard Stern about his drinking problem and his time with JG, which he made sound pretty damn miserable.

He says if they would've stayed together, they would've been "at each other's throats," and not just that -- but he even speculated if he was still married to her, he'd still be boozing.

Here's another telling quote from the Tuesday interview ... "Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped." He adds, "I was like, 'I can't leave because of my kids, but I'm not happy, what do I do?' And what I did was like drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution."

On the surface, it's a pretty galling statement for Ben to make, considering how supportive Garner was through his bouts with the bottle. She famously took him to rehab in 2018, and remained a pillar for him.

Which is why Ben's comments are NOT being well-received online. A lot of people are slamming him for even trying to connect his personal demons to her individually, noting Jen has time and again been there for him when he's relapsed.

Ben added that despite their best efforts, they simply couldn't salvage their relationship and didn't want that to be the model of marriage for their children.

Ben also mentioned their kids while talking about rekindling things with J Lo, telling Stern he thought twice about getting back with her -- all because he feels his kids are his highest responsibility and was concerned about the inevitable headlines.

One last thing ... while it might sound like Ben totally trashed his ex-wife, he ended on somewhat of a sweet note, saying ... "We did our best. I knew she was a good mom, and I hoped she knew I was a good dad. I had to get sober, and I acknowledge that."

Anyway, as we said ... it sounds like he and his ex are on good terms now, and have been for a while. Even with J Lo around -- which she was for Halloween -- there doesn't seem to be much animosity there these days.

The referee who was violently stabbed by a wrestler in the ring on Saturday actually agreed to take $75 to bleed during the match ... this according to cops.

A spokesperson for the Irving Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... officers spoke with the ref, Lando Deltoro, shortly after Devon Nicholson -- aka "Hannibal" -- repeatedly jammed an iron stake into his head at an independent wrestling event in Texas over the weekend.

The spokesperson says Deltoro told them he cut a deal with Nicholson prior to the match -- agreeing to dress up like a referee and then take hits to the head and gush blood in the squared circle.

The spokesperson says Deltoro told police, however, that the bit went too far ... and Nicholson actually ended up hurting him badly with the stake.

But, according to cops, Deltoro told them he did not want to press charges.

We also spoke to Deltoro on Wednesday, and he confirmed with us he was paid for the match, though he did not specify the amount. Deltoro also told us he did not agree to Nicholson's "extra" spiking.

As we previously reported, Deltoro suffered major head injuries as a result of the match, requiring sutures to close the open wounds in his head.

For his part, Nicholson says Deltoro gave him no indication during the match that he was being injured.

Elon Musk and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are going at it -- their war of words is erupting, and it's all over TIME naming him Person of the Year, or as she would put it ... "Freeloader of the Year."

The U.S. Senator from Massachusetts fired the first shot across the bow ... calling out Musk for -- as she sees it -- not paying enough taxes. She tweeted Tuesday, "Let's change the rigged tax code so The Person of the Year will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else."

The world's richest man quickly responded to Sen. Warren, saying ... "You remind me of when I was a kid and my friend's angry Mom would just randomly yell at everyone for no reason."

He got even more personal, claiming Warren is simply projecting when she accuses him of ripping off taxpayers.

We've heard Sen. Warren issue this same grip before ... earlier this year she ripped another billionaire space guy (and former richest man), Jeff Bezos, for not paying enough income tax, while sinking billions into his space program.

Both Musk and Bezos have pointed out they're only taking advantage of the very tax code Warren and the rest of Congress created.

'Black Panther' fans have spoken, saying Chadwick Boseman's beloved character should be recast going forward, and believe it or not ... the man's own brother concurs.

CB's bro, Derrick Boseman, tells TMZ ... yes, he does think T'Challa needs to live on in the 'Black Panther' franchise, and if that means tapping another actor to portray the king of Wakanda -- the role Chadwick made famous and legendary, then so be it.

Here's the thing ... Derrick tells us he believes his sibling would've wanted with this too -- explaining Chadwick thought T'Challa was bigger than just himself as one guy. Frankly, Derrick says Chadwick knew the power of the character, and the positive influence it carries.

Derrick says there's so much power in seeing a Black king -- especially in a superhero capacity, like in the Marvel flick -- which has a HUGE impact on African-American youth. DB tells us with Marvel killing off that character so quickly in the wake of Chadwick's death, they're kinda depriving black kids of a role model.

As you know, there's a major push among fans to #RecastTChalla amid all the speculated drama with Letitia Wright.

Derrick says there aren't a whole lot of positive influences for young black children these days -- he thinks hip-hop glorifies certain social ills, and Marvel has a chance to counteract that by bringing back T'Challa -- who he sees as a symbol of Black people's potential.

The guy speaks from experience, telling us his own nephew has told the family he wants to be a scientist and cites 'Black Panther' as his inspiration.

Billie Eilish says she consumed so much porn as a kid, it gave her nightmares ... and the mental effects of the addiction have now hurt her in her adult love life.

The 19-year-old singer spilled the beans Monday on SiriusXM’s "The Howard Stern Show," sharing her experience with violent porn and its impact on her life, "I think it really destroyed my brain and I feel incredibly devastated that I was exposed to so much porn.”

Billie clearly hates it now, "I think porn is a disgrace. I used to watch a lot of porn, to be honest. I started watching porn when I was like 11.”

She says that watching the "abusive" porn not only caused her to have trouble in the bedroom once she began having sex ... but she also believes watching it caused her to have sleep paralysis and nightmares.

She now says she is angry that porn is loved and mad at herself for thinking it was okay ... "The first few times I, you know, had sex, I was not saying no to things that were not good. It was because I thought that’s what I was supposed to be attracted to.”

As far as her love life, she says it has been hard, being a celeb and finding love. Saying that people are either "terrified of you or think that you’re out of their league.”

While she admits to thinking last year she'd be single for the rest of her life, she says she got over that thought pretty fast.

Though the 19-year-old may have had trouble with her love life, her music career has had a pretty good year.

Elon Musk can read a room -- getting ahead of potential groans and eye-rolls over him being named TIME's Person of the Year by sprinkling some adorableness on the ceremony ... courtesy of his kid.

The Tesla and SpaceX chief popped in for a Q&A Monday night in NYC, not too long after it was announced he was TIME's number 1 person for the entirety of 2021. His entrance turned out to be a big fat father-son love fest, 'cause EM trotted out X Æ A-12 for the sit-down.

It's pretty hilarious ... as soon as Elon comes into the room with X in his arm, just about everyone lets out the expected "awwwws" that come in the presence of any toddler.

X's appearance definitely softened any would-be tension that might've existed among the reporters and spectators there ... 'cause, as you may have read or heard, not everyone was all that thrilled with Elon getting the huge honor.

Nobody probably would've made a scene or anything, but bringing X along for the ride is definitely a good PR move on Dad's part.

As for the actual interview itself, Elon talked about a lot of stuff -- including whether he considered cars or rockets more important, and whether he'd ever get his ass up into space like his billionaire rival, Jeff Bezos.

Meanwhile, young X was on his best behavior (for the most part) ... not really fussing too much, and listening to his pops chat it up in what was almost certainly a new environment for him.

Caitlyn Jenner got denied service at the Beverly Hills Hotel because of her ripped jeans, and she just ripped the hotel a new one over the diss.

Caitlyn went on the attack Monday, writing, "f*** your horrible service for not letting me have lunch with this tiny rip in my jeans. Shame on you. Disgusting. I have been a patron for decades. No longer."

It seems she tried to eat at the famed Polo Lounge, which is sort of a combo now of old school (as in dress codes) and new school. The P.L. was kind of a dour joint for a long time ... until the last few years, when it experienced a resurgence with young Hollywood. It's actually become a hot spot for both lunch and dinner.

A source close to Caitlyn tells us she was really caught off guard, especially because she was dressed in full hair and makeup. Caitlyn's jeans were more distressed denim than ripped jeans, making it that much more surprising to her.

What's more ... our source says staffers weren't enforcing the "no photos" policy -- as Caitlyn took many with fans -- yet they decided to enforce the dress code against her.

Caitlyn for sure has been going there for years, but it looks like that ship has now sailed. She tagged the hotel's parent company, The Dorchester Collection, to express her displeasure.

There have been issues with Dorchester hotels in the past, with LGBTQ orgs calling for a boycott ... our Caitlyn source wonders if those previous problems might really be true.

AEW star Anthony Bowens is opening up about the fan who shouted a homophobic slur at him last week ... telling TMZ Sports he's glad the incident was captured on video, 'cause it proves there's still more work to be done towards inclusion.

As we previously reported, Bowens was called the homophobic f-word while competing in a 4-on-4 tag team match when the incident took place.

"Unfortunately that kind of stuff comes with the territory, being an out LGBTQ athlete," Bowens says.

"This is actually the first time that I've audibly heard something like that during a performance or during television."

Bowens -- who came out as bisexual in 2017, but now identifies as gay -- tells us it's something he's gotten used to after going public ... saying when he started a YouTube channel with his boyfriend, they received similar, if not, worse treatment.

"I have really thick skin, I'm kind of used to it from my boyfriend Michael and I," Anthony said. "We have our YouTube channel and when we first started that the comments were brutal."

"I can't even repeat them."

But Bowens makes it clear his time at AEW has been nothing but great ... and this was an isolated incident.

"This is not indicative of the AEW fans at all," Bowens said. "Any interactions I've had with them since starting the company have all been positive."

As for AEW, Bowens expressed his gratitude toward the company for supporting him throughout the entire ordeal ... and making him feel comfortable enough to be himself.

"General Hospital" actor Ingo Rademacher -- who got the boot from the show because he refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 -- is suing ABC, calling the vaccine mandate put in place for talent unconstitutional.

Rademacher -- who was a part of 'GH' for 25 years -- filed docs Monday in L.A. claiming he'd asked ABC for a religious exemption from getting the vaccine but was denied. Prior to the denial, Rademacher says he was subjected to a 30-minute interview from the network to prove his religious status ... but clearly, the network didn't buy it.

Rademacher says he was terminated by ABC in early November for refusing to get the shot ... he calls it a violation of his right to privacy under the California Constitution.

In the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the actor lays out the history of the vaccines, saying they were first developed under the Trump Administration, which caused a lot of Democrats, including now-President Biden to be skeptical at first.

Clearly unhappy with how the last year and a half has been going, Rademacher calls the COVID lockdowns and rules the "most draconian restrictions in modern history."

Rademacher also says ABC's actions are "blatantly unlawful" and believes most large corporations have only forced vaccines on employees to please the Biden Administration.

He's asking the court to declare ABC's vaccine mandate unconstitutional and wants damages.

Stevie J says the incident that ended with his son and him getting booted from a Delta flight is rooted in race -- and he believes a white traveler would've gotten a pass.

We got the music producer Monday outside 3SIXTY9 in Los Angeles and asked what went down last week during his trip from L.A. to Atlanta.

Stevie says the gate agents told him and his son, Stevie II, to toss their alcoholic beverages before boarding ... but there was no way they were going to waste their booze.

He says they threw back the drinks and scanned their boarding passes and were walking down the jet bridge when all of a sudden dozens of police swarmed and escorted them off for a chat.

Stevie says it's a case of power-hungry cops mixed with racism -- claiming police took things too far, and would never treat white passengers the same way.

As we first told you ... Stevie is threatening legal action, and now he says he doesn't want beef with Delta but hopes they come to the table to hash things out.

Stevie says he's a good guy who was making people laugh in line to board the plane, and he's surprised this happened on Delta -- he proudly told us about his elite status with the airline.

Steve Harvey committed another gaffe during a Miss Universe show -- this one wasn't as bad as what he'd done before ... but it was still pretty dang cringeworthy.

The comedian was tapped yet again to host the beauty pageant during Sunday night's broadcast, which was being televised all the way from Israel. While talking to the finalists, he got around to the eventual winner, Harnaaz Sandhu of India, and asked a strange question.

Watch ... the guy reads from his card and notes she supposedly has an interesting talent -- impersonating animals ... and he asked her to do just that right on the spot.

You could tell she wasn't prepared for that, let alone having to actually do it. And yet, Sandhu toughed it out anyway like a champ, telling Steve she would, since she had no other option on live TV. And then ... she did a cat impression, and it was actually really good.

Sandhu belted out a handful of loud meows, and went on to say that a particular skill -- such as this one -- could lead to bigger and better things ... so dream big, kids!

Now, while this might seem relatively harmless -- SH is actually catching some backlash for the ask here ... because, apparently, he didn't pull this same stunt with other contestants he interviewed in the moment. Instead, he asked about their legit accomplishments.

Of course, this brings back memories of him mistakenly announcing the wrong Miss Universe winner in 2015 ... and while this isn't nearly as big a blunder, it's still not great.

A lot of uncertainty over the filming of the 'Black Panther' sequel -- due, in part, to Letitia Wright's vaccine status -- has now got fans wondering ... why not just recast T'Challa???

Here's the deal ... reports have surfaced in recent weeks saying Letitia wants out of the Marvel Universe entirely, supposedly in response to the vaccine mandates they're enforcing over at Disney. One report claims the writers actually had to rework the ending -- one which was originally going to heavily feature Shuri -- because of this alleged ongoing problem.

Meanwhile, THR says Letitia is expected back to resume filming in January -- this after taking some time off to recover from an on-set injury -- but the outlet also reported a little while ago that she was, in fact, spreading anti-vax sentiments with folks on the production.

In a since-deleted Instagram post, LW completely denied that account. Still, fans think there's  trouble in paradise, and are now wondering why producers wouldn't just get a new king of Wakanda ... aka, replace Chadwick Boseman with a new actor.

While many have argued that the mantle couldn't possibly be taken on anew -- because of how deeply tied it was to Chadwick's legacy -- others say ... actually, it could've ... and probably should've, especially in light of all the reported drama happening now. Now, folks are saying the idea of tapping a new T'Challa wouldn't have been the worst thing.

One Twitter user writes, "I know this is a bit of a hot take but a lot of this rumored on set drama of Black Panther 2 might’ve been prevented if they just recast T’Challa. I know people loved Chadwick Boseman, I did too, but that character had more stories to tell."

The argument is ... the character of T'Challa deserved a lot more screen time and movies to himself -- and that alone outweighs any perceived slight toward Chadwick and his memory by passing on the torch to another actor playing the same character.

BTW, this whole thing isn't just a few people firing off hot takes online ... there's an entire hashtag dedicated to this movement, #RecastTChalla. Some even say Chadwick's own words in previous interviews support the notion that he'd actually be behind this.

Of course, Marvel has held firm on their stance that they'll never get another T'Challa in front of the camera -- and besides, at this point ... they're knee-deep in production, and will very likely NOT go down that road, despite some of the fan base's clamoring.

Ryan Reynolds is here to save Peloton's day -- narrating a new spoof ad that's in direct response to the outrage over Mr. Big dying in the new 'SATC' show. Also ... spoiler alert.

The actor just posted a hilarious 38-second clip, something Peloton apparently whipped up over these past few days. It shows Chris Noth -- who plays Sarah Jessica Parker's love interest throughout the OG series -- yukking it up with actress Jess King.

She stars as the hot Peloton instructor that Big is kinda into during the first couple episodes of 'And Just Like That ..." -- which killed off Carrie's hubby after a Peloton bike ride. As you can see, he's doing just fine ... and even jokingly asks if King wants to go for another ride.

As you've probably heard, CN's death made for a huge twist -- but it also had very real-world ramifications for Peloton ... whose stock price took a nosedive in the wake of the premiere.

Peloton came out and said Big didn't die as a result of riding their bike, but because of what he'd done prior to hopping on ... namely, living large. A company spokesperson responded, "Mr. Big lived what many would call an extravagant lifestyle -- including cocktails, cigars, and big steaks -- and was at serious risk as he had a previous cardiac event in Season 6."

They added, "These lifestyle choices and perhaps even his family history, which often is a significant factor, were the likely cause of his death. Riding his Peloton Bike may have even helped delay his cardiac event."

A Popeyes franchise in Philly has a pretty awful solution to the homeless crisis ... ban them from the store.

The sign is front and center inside the fast-food joint, which reads in big block letters, "NO HOMELESS PEOPLE ALLOWED INSIDE THE STORE."

There are a bunch of problems with this, aside from the absence of humanity. First, if someone is homeless that doesn't mean they don't spend money on food. The sign doesn't say homeless people are not allowed to loiter inside ... it's a flat prohibition, even if a homeless person simply wants to buy a chicken sandwich.

Second, it's kind of ridiculous to think someone can automatically be identified as homeless. And that leads to the third point ... if someone "looks homeless," are Popeyes' employees supposed to boot them from the restaurant?

Not the way to solve the prob, Popeyes.