Controversial S#!T

Pastor to the stars John Gray III is reacting to Marvin Sapp's viral Church donation request -- telling ushers to close the doors until the congregation coughs up $40,000 -- and he says culture and context are key.

John tells TMZ ... Marvin is a good friend of his and he's seen a lot worse donation requests in other churches.

Pastor Gray says he understands why folks who weren't at the service are upset with the way Marvin went about raising money -- asking everyone in the crowd for $20 -- and he tells us why culture and context are being left out of the conversation in sole favor of optics.

The family of actress Kim Sae-ron -- who died by suicide in February -- is firing off at a Korean screen star who they claim groomed their daughter ... revealing texts he allegedly sent her when he was an adult and she was still underage.

The family's attorney held a press conference Thursday ... sharing messages allegedly sent in 2016 between 15-year-old Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun, who was 28 when the lawyer claims the messages were sent.

Written in Korean, these texts translate to seemingly inappropriate messages between the two ... with Kim Soo-hyun saying he wants to kiss and hug Kim Sae-ron through the night.

Kanye West and Andrew Tate didn't just hang out in a recording studio and take photos together ... they also sat down and recorded a podcast.

Andrew's girlfriend and sexual assault accuser Bri Stern mentions the podcast in her lawsuit against Tate, claiming Tate and Kanye filmed the episode earlier this month in Los Angeles ... before Tate allegedly attacked her during rough sex.

We previously obtained photos Kanye and Tate took the night of the alleged incident ... and this was also the same night Kim Kardashian yanked North West out of Kanye's recording studio after Ye invited the Tate brothers to join them.

Gospel singer and bishop Marvin Sapp is under fire for his unorthodox way of asking church members for donations ... because he's on video telling ushers to close the doors until a huge goal is met.

Resurfaced video from Marvin's sermon at the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World annual summer convention is going viral ... and folks are taking issue with Marvin's fundraising style.

In the clip, the gospel music legend-turned-preacher tells the ushers to close the doors until the 1,000 worshipers in the building donate $20 each.

Kim Kardashian could face serious consequences -- as serious as losing custody -- for not taking ex-husband Kanye West to court if he poses a danger to his children ... so says Dr. Phil.

Dr. Phil appeared on the latest episode of the "2 Angry Men" podcast with Harvey and Mark Geragos, and he had a lot to say about Kim's predicament with Kanye. As we reported, the latest blowup occurred when Kim yanked North out of Kanye's recording studio after Kanye invited the infamous Tate brothers to join them. Kim felt any interaction with the brothers would pose a danger to her kids.

And that's the problem, Phil says. If Kanye's erratic behavior -- which includes telling the world in his view the man makes the final decision on everything -- poses a danger and Kim does nothing, authorities could step in and remove the children from the home.

Comedian Mike Glazer got heckled by a Donald Trump supporter in the middle of his stand-up act, with the guy calling Mike a "Jew pig" ... and it's all on video.

Mike was telling a joke about sitting in a corner with his weed pen when suddenly he turned his attention to a guy in the crowd, asking him, "How can I help you?"

The guy responded by telling Mike he wasn't "going to listen to some Jew pig."

Joe Rogan is riding hard for Justin Baldoni ... tearing into Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for lawyering up against him.

It all went down on "The Joe Rogan Experience" over the weekend, where Joe called out Blake and Ryan for screwing up big time -- his guest, Brendan Schaub, agreed, saying the backlash they’re getting is well-earned for trying to weaponize the #MeToo movement against Baldoni.

Joe slammed Blake and Ryan for trying to hijack "It Ends with Us" -- the movie where all this drama started -- saying plain and simple, it’s Baldoni’s film ... and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, owns the rights to the film and its sequel.

D.L. Hughley ain't holding back about Kanye West ... saying he's undeniably hateful given his track record. But when it comes to music, he says you can’t deny the man’s a genius.

We caught up with D.L. on "TMZ Live" Tuesday, and he made it clear that Kanye’s comments about Black and Jewish people don't sit well with him at all, but when it comes to music, the guy’s got serious talent.

Ye's talent aside, D.L. ain't buying the excuse that Kanye’s behavior is all because of his mom, Donda, passing in 2007 ... telling us that when tragedy really drives some people insane, they end up sleeping on a park bench or under a bridge -- and don't get the kind of passes Ye keeps getting, because of his talent.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick misspoke when he commented about citizen reactions to the Trump administration's handling of Social Security -- at least, that’s what Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick seems to think.

Rich stopped by "TMZ Live" Monday and, while he’s giving Lutnick the benefit of the doubt, he thinks compassion is key when it comes to Social Security -- after all, it’s people’s own money coming back to them -- and they should never be denied their benefits.

Secretary Lutnick said on a podcast last week that anyone who complains about delayed or missing Social Security payments is a "fraudster." Lutnick, who is a billionaire, said his 94-year-old mother-in-law would not call to complain if she didn't get her check this month, and explicitly said "whoever screams is the one stealing."

It might be sunny down at Major League Baseball Spring Training in Florida, but the moon came out early during one game -- 'cause a mischievous fan pulled down his pants and mooned the camera!

The Toronto Blue Jays were taking on the Philadelphia Phillies Friday at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, FL ... and, one fan behind the plate appeared to be talking to a pal on the phone.

This isn't abnormal at baseball games -- where the fans behind the plate are in full-view of the audience at home ... but, most of the time these fans give a wave or a thumb's up to the folks at home.

"Impractical Jokers" alum Joe Gatto has denied a TikToker's viral allegation that he sexually assaulted her when she was 19 in 2023.

The comedian told TMZ in a statement ...  he "used poor judgment" in the past and has therefore "violated the trust of the people" he loves ... but is confident anyone who knows him knows he "wouldn’t assault anyone."

He adds, "Working on myself is an ongoing process, and I am now going to take some time away from the public eye to focus my energies where I need to."

An upstate New York high school girls’ basketball coach has been canned after he yanked a player’s hair following their team’s loss on Friday -- an appalling moment was caught on camera.

As you can see, Northville High School player Hailey Monroe was already in tears after the game, but to add insult to injury 81-year-old coach Jim Zullo appeared to viciously yanked her back by her ponytail.

In the upsetting moment -- Monroe tried to pull away as another player appeared to tell Zullo to stop, but the coach was seen berating her, wagging his finger in her face and screaming at her.

Mathew Knowles is making it crystal clear -- Kanye West’s controversial antics -- especially those attacking Mathew's family -- won’t fly forever, and it’s just a matter of time before it costs him dearly.

Just days after Ye took an offensive swing at Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s kids during his online ravings, Mathew tells TMZ ... after 35 years in the biz, he knows one thing for sure, "People pay a price for being stupid, especially in the music industry."

The widely held belief is Ye's mental illness is fueling his recent ranting, and Mathew acknowledged that, saying, "I'm hopeful Kanye gets the type of help he needs, in terms of mental health."

The husband of the Indiana teacher charged with sexually abusing children by allegedly asking them to gangbang her while wearing "Scream" masks is taking a stab at a new life ... because he filed for divorce.

Brittany Fortinberry is the 31-year-old former high school teacher who is facing a slew of child sex abuse charges ... and legal docs obtained by TMZ reveal her husband, Nicholas Fortinberry, filed for divorce back in February when a police investigation was just getting started.

As we reported ... Brittany is accused of sexually abusing multiple junior high students she met at two different schools. Cops say she would ply the kids with alcohol and magic mushrooms before having sex with them, including one alleged instance where she orchestrated an orgy that had the boys wearing masks from the "Scream" movie franchise.

Justin Baldoni's PR rep Jennifer Abel is firing back at her former boss, Stephanie Jones, with her own lawsuit ... after being sued by SJ in December.

Abel has hired Baldoni's powerhouse lawyer Bryan Freedman, who accuses Stephanie of triggering the whole legal drama between Justin and Blake Lively involving their film, "It Ends with Us."

Freedman filed the counterclaims on Abel's behalf against Jones -- who's the CEO of the PR company Jonesworks, which still represents Justin.

Two weeks after getting smacked in the head with a baton by an opponent during a meet, causing a brain injury ... sprinter Kaelen Tucker is set to make her return to the track at an upcoming meet!

Tucker's father, Keith Tucker, tells TMZ Sports that doctors have cleared his daughter to run again ... following a concussion she suffered during the VHSL Class 3 State Indoor Championships in Virginia on March 4.

The injury occurred during the 4x200 relay race ... as Tucker, a junior track star, and senior Alaila Everett rounded the corner ... when Everett swung the baton, hitting Kaelen's head.