Controversial S#!T

Conan O'Brien's well-landed joke halfway through Sunday night's Oscars -- about Kendrick Lamar calling Drake a pedophile -- was nearly left in comedy purgatory, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Hip Hop.

Last night, Conan used a commercial break return to poke fun at the halftime cue for Kendrick to shade Drake, in a nod to rap's biggest moment last year, and last month's Super Bowl show (see below) ... but we're hearing both the Academy and ABC had strong reservations about getting the joke in, and pushed back in fear of how the crowd would react.

One particular producer made the case and fought the powers, because they firmly believed in the joke. Whether good or bad, the gag was bound to have a big, audible reception!!!

Michelle Trachtenberg was left out of the in memoriam segment of the Academy Awards just days after her shocking death -- and, fans aren't happy about it.

The in memoriam segment -- which kicked off with a touching tribute from Morgan Freeman to the recently deceased Gene Hackman -- paid tribute to many people who did pass away last year ... including Maggie Smith, James Earl Jones and David Lynch.

However, Michelle wasn't included among their ranks ... and, social media users are outraged by the snub.

Diane Warren has just joined an exclusive club she probably never wanted to be in ... 'cause she just tied the record for most Oscars losses without a win -- with a catch.

The singer-songwriter -- who was given an Honorary Academy Award back in 2022 -- was up for Best Original Song for her track "The Journey" from "The Six Triple Eight" ... but, she lost to "El Mal" from "Emilia Pérez."

The loss marked the 16th of Warren's career ... which ties her with sound engineer Greg P. Russell for most official nominations lost without ever winning a golden statue.

Conan O'Brien's confusing the Academy Awards with the Super Bowl ... 'cause he says the show's halfway done -- so, it's time for someone to quote Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us."

The show just came back from break ... and, Conan let everyone know the Oscars are at the midway point -- which means it's "time to call Drake a pedophile."

Conan's referencing Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime show performance last month ... when he rapped the song which calls Drake a predator. During that show, he did censor himself and didn't rap the word.

Conan O'Brien's clearly not afraid of ruffling some feathers at the Academy Awards ... 'cause he took a shot at Karla Sofía Gascón during his monologue -- reminding everyone about her controversial tweets.

The famous talk show host took the stage Sunday night and delivered a speech full of jokes about some of Hollywood's biggest players ... including a shot at Timothée Chalamet's bright yellow suit and a spoof of "The Substance" where he climbed out of Demi Moore's skin.

In the middle of all that, Conan joked that "Anora" features the f-word and variations of it 479 times ... which is just three more than the number Gascón's publicist used after she found out about Karla's tweets.

FBI Director Kash Patel wants UFC fighters to train his Agents ... and well there's one that is totally down! 🙋🏽 Justin Gaethje.

TMZ Sports spoke to 36-year-old Gaethje, who at the moment is a little tied up preparing for his co-main event scrap with Rafael Fiziev, who was plugged in for an injured Dan Hooker this week.

After the March 8 scrap in Las Vegas, the lightweight contender is down to help the country's top law enforcement agency in any way he can ... training personnel, or just kickin' the ass himself.

Elon Musk ain't apologizing for his controversial hand motion after Donald Trump was inaugurated ... instead, he's doubling down with a series of Nazi jokes that almost certainly won't tone down the criticism of the mogul.

The Trump ally and tech entrepreneur stopped by "The Joe Rogan Experience" for an episode published Friday ... and, during the chat he opened up about liberals and others claiming he was giving a Nazi salute at Trump's inauguration in January.

Remember, Musk drew ugly comparisons when he pointed his right hand in the air -- much like a Heil Hitler salute ... though he claims he was just saying his heart goes out to the audience. Now, he says he did "not see" the backlash coming.

If you thought Kanye West couldn’t shock us anymore with his Nazi-loving opinions, think again -- he was spotted wearing one of the swastika T-shirts he was selling on his site before it went dark.

Check out the video -- the rapper was dressed in the shirt while out in L.A. Thursday, chatting with a group of guys. He then noticed the camera and made sure to stroll farther into the frame, ensuring a full, uninterrupted view of him in the shirt.

It’s a disturbing sight -- Kanye standing there alone in the shirt, staring at the camera and scanning his surroundings like he’s completely oblivious to the weight of what he’s doing.

Mary Kate Cornett and her parents are coming off an emotional 48 hours ... one which her parents said left them feeling helpless -- though a recent development may help the Cornetts take some of their power back.

We spoke with Mary Kate Cornett's mother, Leslie, and her father, Justin ... who tell us all the claims about their daughter floating around on the internet are untrue.

We're told the last couple days have been difficult for the trio, who are all spending time together in Oxford, Mississippi -- the city where the University of Mississippi resides.

The Ole Miss student accused of sleeping with her boyfriend's father is hellbent on clearing her name ... and she's calling out big sports names like Antonio Brown and Pat McAfee for spreading "complete lies" to their massive audiences.

Mary Kate Cornett -- a member of the Kappa Delta sorority in Oxford -- claims she's at the center of a "deliberate and coordinated cyberattack" involving straight-up false information about her personal life.

Her name was a trending topic on X after countless users shared the allegations this week ... which her family believes started as "some sort of fraternity prank that has mushroomed out of control."

Justin Tucker's wife is speaking out on the disturbing allegations made against the All-Pro kicker ... saying she is standing firmly in his corner through it all.

The Baltimore Ravens star has been accused by 16 massage therapists of acting inappropriately during sessions from 2012-2016 ... which sparked an NFL investigation.

Tucker has adamantly denied any wrongdoing ... and this week, his wife, Amanda, broke her silence on the matter.

LAFC defender Sergi Palencia is currently under investigation ... after being accused of using a derogatory term toward a Colorado Rapids player during Tuesday night's contest.

Play was halted at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles during the 85th minute of the Concacaf Champions Cup match ... when Rapids defender Chidozie Awaziem began speaking intensely with a referee over what he deemed hate speech.

The official then talked to both coaches and the respected team captains before the action was resumed ... which ended in a Rapids loss by a final score of 1-0.

11:46 AM PT -- Bhad Bhabie went on Instagram live and teased a possible Kanye collab. She posted a snippet of a song that featured Kanye on it, and fans are speculating there may be a Bhad Bhabie and Kanye remix soon.

Bhad Bhabie just dropped a new diss track -- "MS Whitman" -- targeting her nemesis Alabama Barker and making it abundantly clear -- she ain't playin'!

Bhabie's music video takes a direct shot at AB and her famous family, featuring a Travis Barker lookalike who plays the drums as BB twerks around him in white lingerie.

Lyrically, no one is safe either. At one point, Bhabie raps about the Kardashians while claiming Alabama's "stanky p***y got you kicked out the Kardashian house." In real life, Alabama is close with stepmom Kourtney Kardashian.

Diddy's legal team is attacking the search warrants federal agents obtained to raid his homes and examine his internet history -- claiming feds "made false statements" in their applications for the warrants.

The super producer's lawyers filed the documents Sunday ... asking a judge to suppress all of the evidence obtained in the searches because the government "presented a grossly distorted picture of the facts" when obtaining the warrants.

Diddy's team says the feds had a variety of evidence that would prove at least one alleged victim willingly participated in the so-called "freak-offs." In court documents, the feds define a "Freak Off" as days-long sexual activity between Diddy, a woman and a male commercial sex workers, some of whom were transported over state lines.

Dave Grohl's got another confession to make ... he's a bit stressed -- or at least he looked it while walking around Los Angeles!

The singer-songwriter was spotted Friday afternoon ... grabbing lunch at the luxurious Chateau Marmont before heading over to the ritzy grocery store Gelson's and then CVS.

DG -- keeping a low profile by tying his hair back and throwing a baseball cap on -- was furiously puffing on a cigarette ... getting his nicotine fix.

Scott Disick's ex seems to be calling out the star for trying to pressure her into plastic surgery ... 'cause she's heavily implying he wanted her boobs and butt augmented.

Holly Scarfone hopped on her "Suite n' Salty" podcast earlier this week ... and, she opened up about how a guy she dated really pushed her to change her figure.

Listen to the clip ... Scarfone won't say the guy's real name -- but, she shares alleged text messages with the contact initials reading "SD" and at another point in the pod she used the fake name "Rot Shnisnick."