Controversial S#!T

Actor and comedian Russell Brand won't be addressing the halls of higher learning this week after all ... a college in Florida has decided to reschedule a speaking engagement after confirming his attendance earlier this week -- all this in the wake of sexual assault allegations against him.

Brand -- who's facing charges in London of sexual assault by four women, as well as a lawsuit and an investigation in NYC on similar charges -- was set to take part in a panel discussion at the New College of Florida this weekend about free speech and censorship.

A spokesman for the college tells TMZ the decision to reschedule "follows changes in event logistics," listing the unavailability of the venue where the event was planned to be held, and citing ticket availability issues.

2:53 PM PT -- The NBA just announced it's rescinded the technical foul that sparked Tuesday night's drama.

Luka Doncic got the boot from an important Lakers game Tuesday night ... because an official with a quick whistle couldn't delineate fan trash talk from referee chirping.

The bizarre scene all unfolded in the fourth quarter of L.A.'s road tilt with Oklahoma City ... after Doncic hit a floater in the lane to give his team a 108-107 lead.

After making the basket, the 26-year-old turned toward the crowd and began mouthing off -- but a ref thought the chatter was aimed at him ... and Doncic -- who had been hit with a technical foul just a few minutes earlier for arguing a call -- was immediately ejected.

Harriet Tubman’s family is fired up after the National Park Service quietly yanked her photo and quote from the Underground Railroad web page, among other edits... calling it a total slap in the face to Black history, which they stress is American history -- period.

Tubman's relative Rita Daniels -- author, speaker, and founder of the Harriet Tubman Learning Center -- tells TMZ she was shocked by the move, which came amid President Trump’s anti-DEI push, pointing out Tubman played a key role in shaping U.S. history ... particularly helping escaped slaves find their way to freedom, as well as helping the Union during the Civil War. The edited page also removed references to the history of enslavement in the U.S., aside from a single caption ... before public outcry prompted their restoration.

Rita's asking the big question -- why is Black history such a threat to certain people? And why are they trying to erase Black history from America's story? She notes first the administration removed Dept. of Defense references to Jackie Robinson, and then the Tuskegee Airmen.

Nothing’s off-limits for Damon Wayans -- not even his nephew’s ex-girlfriend -- 'cause he's just openly admitted falling in love with her ... and years later, he's not sorry about it!

On Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast, the host laid down the rule -- no exes of family members ... but Damon couldn’t care less, saying his nephew was never in love with the unnamed woman, but he definitely was.

Damon Wayans said he met the woman in 2001 after his divorce from Lisa Thorner, fell in love at first sight, and only later found out she’d dated his nephew -- something he casually chalked up to the slim California dating pool.

Kenya Moore fans are calling for her return to "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" ... standing with her as season 16 rolls on after she was suspended indefinitely last summer for unveiling alleged oral sex posters of Brittany Eady.

A new episode of 'RHOA' comes out Sunday night ... and, it captures Keyna, Brittany and the rest of the ladies from filming last summer -- before Moore was suspended indefinitely.

At some point in the episode, the producers appear to have added a message explaining that because of Moore's behavior, she was kicked off the show ... basically explaining why fans won't see her moving forward in season 16.

Remi Bader's not letting the haters get to her ... enjoying a relaxing beach day just a couple weeks after firing back at those online who blasted her for keeping her weight-loss surgery to herself.

The model enjoyed some surf and sun in Miami Saturday ... wearing a cream-colored bikini accented with pink. She walked around the beach with a pal -- stepping into the crystal clear water for a dip.

Bader swam around ... seemingly unbothered by the torrent of criticism she's dealing with these days.

Daniel Penny -- the man who was found not guilty of choking Jordan Neely to death back in December -- made his New York City runway debut Saturday night.

The ex Marine strutted down the runway in a kilt -- reportedly to Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero" -- for a charity event titled "Dressed to Kilt" held on the Upper East Side.

Notably, co-founder Geoffrey Scott Carroll introduced him as a "hero," applauding him for protecting women, children, and elderly people on the NYC subway in May 2023 when Neely allegedly began threatening them with a knife.

Johnny Depp's saddling up for a new Dior commercial ... donning a cowboy hat and a Clint Eastwood-style poncho while shooting in the desert.

The actor shot the spot in the hills of Villaspesa, Spain -- the same country where ex Amber Heard lives now, BTW -- looking rugged against the dry countryside.

Johnny took direction -- not a problem for a veteran actor like him -- from the director ... and, he even waved to a few onlookers, all smiles on location.

The K-pop group Kiss of Life is apologizing for all the distress a recent video they posted caused ... claiming they weren't trying to be racist while dancing to 50 Cent's "In da Club."

The band -- which boasts nearly 300K fans on X -- shared a handwritten apology Saturday admitting they erred by posting the recent birthday clip.

ICYMI ... the four bandmembers shared a clip where they danced to the hit 2003 track -- while wearing their hats askew and big gold chains around their necks, basically parodying clothing some rappers might wear.

The artist of the Donald Trump's portrait in the Colorado Capitol Building is firing back at the president's claims she distorted his image for political reasons ... insisting she didn't do that, and adding his comments have hurt her career.

Sarah A. Boardman -- the artist who painted the controversial portrait of the Commander-In-Chief -- finally released a statement Saturday firing back at President Trump after he claimed she "must have lost her talent as she got older."

Boardman says the Colorado State Capitol Advisory Committee, Denver commissioned her to paint the portrait ... and the committee signed off on all progress photos she provided along the way as well as the final product itself.

Bri Stern -- Andrew Tate's ex-girlfriend who is suing him for allegedly attacking her during sex -- is now speaking out against the self-proclaimed misogynist ... saying while their relationship was initially loving, it took a dark turn.

Stern sat down for a full interview with the Daily Mail, published Friday ... and, she opened up about the early days of their relationship, noting everything was wonderful early on.

Stern says a mutual friend hooked her up with Tate ... describing him as a "big teddy bear" -- claiming she knew nothing about his controversial internet comments before meeting him and his brother Tristan in Romania.

President Trump's no-nonsense Attorney General Pam Bondi has made it clear she wants Luigi Mangione executed for allegedly committing murder — and, if she gets her way, the 26-year-old Ivy League grad faces a torturous fate, TMZ has learned.

TMZ interviewed University of Richmond Law Professor Corinna Lain, who provided us with a road map of what Luigi can potentially expect if he is federally convicted of stalking and murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The federal prosecutor presents aggravating factors to the court after a conviction, and the jury must unanimously agree on those factors before the judge decides whether to impose the death penalty. In federal cases, the death penalty typically results in lethal injection.

"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" might be a cultural phenomenon now ... but, while filming the pilot, the production had a shoestring budget -- and made a coarse decision about a cast member's health.

Audri DuBois -- the original Yellow Power Ranger in the pilot episode -- tells the story on the next episode of "Hollywood Demons" titled "Dark Side of the Power Rangers" ... explaining the OG episode was shot in the desert in 110-degree heat.

DuBois says one of the actors -- playing a villainous character -- was decked out in a wetsuit and rubber mask ... and, he suffered heatstroke mid-shoot, collapsing to the ground.

Gayle King is catching some flak online after casually using a gay slur on live TV ... throwing it out in the middle of a joke she was quoting.

The TV host was interviewing Matteo Lane -- a well-known author and comedian -- on "CBS Mornings" about his new book "Your Pasta Sucks: A Cookbook" ... when she quoted one of Lane's jokes back at him.

King says, "Can we talk about the stand-up? Can I just say one joke? I hope I don't get in trouble. You do a riff about white women who approached you, and they said something about cooking, and you said, 'What in the f****try are you talking about?'"

Onijah Robinson is back in New York City after going viral in Pakistan ... and she says she married her online boyfriend after all -- despite being accused of catfishing him.

We got Onijah outside Brooklyn Chop House Steakhouse and our photog asked her about her viral trip to Pakistan and Dubai.

Onijah got famous on the internet this year after going to Pakistan to marry a 19-year-old man she met online. She reportedly catfished him by using a filter in video chats to look like a white woman with blonde hair and he refused to marry her, resulting in her demanding money from the Pakistani government.

Russell Brand's legal trouble has people looking through old clips ... including one where the star said he could get his assistant to do anything -- like get naked and massage a radio DJ.

The comedian -- who was charged with rape and sexual assault among other crimes Friday -- was chatting on the phone in an interview aired on BBC 2 Radio with media personality Jimmy Savile way back in 2007 ... and, he told Jimmy he'd love to meet him someday.

Jimmy joked he doesn't meet men alone ... but, if Brand has a sister he'd happily meet her. RB responded by saying he doesn't have a sis -- but, he does have an assistant ... who "greets, meets and massages" anyone he tells her to.