Controversial S#!T

Justin Bieber’s digging his heels into L.A. soil -- making it clear he ain't gonna be chased outta town by the paparazzi!

In an IG post, Justin shared a pic of a lion -- using it as a symbol for God being his strength, helping him find patience as he deals with the relentless paps in Los Angeles ... a city he admits he moved to knowing full well it was "f***ed."

He briefly muses about whether laws should be changed, saying "people have had to die cuz of this sh**," citing Princess Diana's 1997 death. In another post, he doubled down -- saying his God-given purpose is exactly why he’s staying put, basically asking fans if they really thought he'd ditch a place that needs his influence the most.

George Santos isn't looking to make any new friends behind bars if he's sentenced to serve prison time ... telling Matt Gaetz he's going to ask for solitary confinement.

The disgraced former NY congressman stopped by "The Matt Gaetz Show" on One American News Network Thursday to discuss fraud and identity theft charges ... telling Gaetz he's asking to serve only two years and hopes to spend the entirety of his sentence all by himself.

Santos says he's allowed to request protective custody because of who he is ... as a former member of Congress, he claims, he stood on defining issues that put him at risk.

Roseanne Barr’s breaking her silence on "The Conners" TV series finale, which stirred the pot with a nod to her old character in a graveyard visit -- and interestingly, it looks like she's trying to find the silver lining in it all.

Jake Pentland, Roseanne’s son and rep, tells TMZ that while she definitely got screwed over and written out of her own revival show after a controversial tweet ... she and the fam are still glad "The Conners" crew got seven solid seasons of work out of the show she built.

Off the back of that, the family says there’s no need to dangle anyone’s job over her head anymore -- "The Conners" had their run, and that chapter’s officially closed.

Pedro Pascal is slamming J.K. Rowling after she backed the UK Supreme Court’s new ruling that trans women shouldn’t be legally recognized as women under Britain’s Equality Act.

The actor’s sister, Lux, is transgender, so you can imagine this hit him hard -- and Pedro didn’t hold back, commenting "awful disgusting S*** ... Heinous LOSER behavior" under a clip of someone discussing the 'Harry Potter' author celebrating the anti-trans ruling.

In an IG video posted by activist Tariq Ra'ouf, TR broke down how Rowling played a part in the ruling, financially backing the campaign group For Women Scotland, and Tariq called for a boycott of all things 'Harry Potter.' Tariq later shouted out Pedro for his support.

Justin Bieber's waxing poetic about religion ... telling fans the Bible and church alone aren't enough to save a person -- but, he says truly receiving God's forgiveness can.

The singer-songwriter shared multiple photos to his Instagram Story detailing his religious philosophy ... kicking it off by acknowledging he's flawed, but says God chooses to work through him every day regardless.

It's a long message -- definitely worth reading all the way through ... but, a few of Justin's lines will certainly perk up fans' ears, including one part where Justin talks about how guilt can only be assuaged by forging a relationship with the Lord Almighty, not by going through the motions of reading the Bible and going to church.

Billy McFarland's giving up the iconic FYRE Festival brand ... announcing he's decided to sell amid all the scrutiny surrounding the second version of the event.

The founder of FYRE Festival released a statement Wednesday ... letting fans know the last two years have been a commitment to finishing what he started and making things right following the absolute debacle that was the first FYRE Festival.

Billy points out FYRE Festival has dominated headlines for years ... grabbing the attention of news agencies, documentarians and many fans around the globe -- and, the event needs a team more experienced than him to get the second event over the finish line.

Shannon Sharpe's accuser's lawyer has released new audio in which you can hear the ESPN commentator threatening to choke the woman in public -- but the Pro Football Hall of Famer's team is adamant it's not what it sounds like.

Attorney Tony Buzbee dropped the file Wednesday morning and issued a statement, saying Sharpe’s attacks on him and his "Jane Doe" client were a "big, stupid mistake."

Buzbee goes on to say the audio "provides a fair picture of the relationship shortly before the alleged assault in this case," although he has not said when it was recorded.

Kanye West is firing off more than just disturbing, antisemitic rants online these days ... the rapper is also making a racket with his SUPER LOUD casting calls, and offending neighbors with a prominent racist hate symbol, in Los Angeles, TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... Kanye plastered L.A.'s Larchmont neighborhood with an "urgent" advertisement seeking "AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES" for his "hooligan choir," which has set up shop in a warehouse near an elementary school.

In the flyers, Kanye requires any prospects cannot be "fat" and must wear all black with the skin complexion of Sean "Diddy" Combs -- who is about to go on trial for alleged racketeering, sex trafficking and other federal crimes. The ad also requires anyone to be "COMFORTABLE WEARING SWASTIKAS," and, of course, there are other conditions.

Wiz Khalifa says his time and value as an artist is very valuable -- and you won't see him onstage unless he's getting paid a 7-figure sum!!!

The megastar rapper recently paid the Joe Budden Podcast a visit out in NJ, where Wiz revealed his stock is still up from 10 years ago, when he and Charlie Puth released their mega-Diamond-certified single "See You Again."

Joe was in disbelief ... but Wiz maintained his guest feature price is a cool $250,000 a pop ... and upwards of $2 million per show!!!

Tech N9ne is admitting he was so in love with his 7th grade teacher that he refused to rat about their relationship -- even after they almost got sniffed out!!!

The shocking revelation came on Jelly Roll's wife Bunnie XO's "Dumb Blonde" podcast Monday, with the Strange Music boss also highlighting society's double standards on the matter.

Tech recalls the teacher being young and naturally beautiful, and once he showed her a photo of his father in a police uniform, she began flirting with him daily.

Nico Harrison just made a shocking admission while discussing his blockbuster Luka Doncic trade ... saying he didn't realize how much fans in Dallas loved the 26-year-old NBA superstar!

The Mavericks general manager, who executed the Doncic for Anthony Davis trade in early February, met with media in Big D on Monday ... where he fielded questions about the crazy controversial move which saw the 5x NBA All-Star shipped to Los Angeles.

Harrison was asked whether he knew how beloved Luka was ... and to his credit, Harrison copped to not fully understanding.

Donald Trump just got torched -- literally -- at a Spanish festival, where his effigy was strung up and burned as part of their centuries-old Judas tradition … and they did not hold back.

Forget Chucky, this huge blonde Trump dummy -- dressed in a black suit and red tie -- was the real stuff of nightmares as it was paraded through the streets for the Quema de Judas Festival in Coripe, Spain, on Easter Sunday.

As per tradition, the effigy was hung from a tree, set on fire, and brutally blasted at close range by a group of rifle-wielding locals.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace says she was harassed at a store, sharing a clip of the interaction ... though many online are split about who's in the wrong here.

The representative from South Carolina shared an interaction she says went down at a makeup store this weekend ... filming a dude after it seems he asked her if she planned to have any other town halls this year like she did last year.

While the man seems to be asking with what might be a bit of snark and amusement in his voice -- Congresswoman Mace loses it ... repeatedly saying this man is harassing her and telling him he could've gone to a dozen town halls last year.

Colin Kaepernick hasn't played in a professional football game in nearly a decade, but the former star quarterback is STILL training for his NFL comeback ... this according to his longtime partner Nessa Diab.

TMZ Sports caught up with the radio and TV host this week in New York City ... when we asked about Kap, who remains a free agent, as several NFL teams are still without a QB.

Nessa -- who had a child with the former 49ers quarterback in 2022 -- told us Kap's busting his ass in the gym, training regularly, hoping an NFL GM will give him a shot to show he's still got what it takes to lead a football team.

Colorado legend Chad Brown's clearly not a fan of his alma mater making the quick decision to retire Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter's jersey numbers ... telling TMZ Sports he finds the choice "odd."

The school revealed earlier this month they're putting away the Nos. 2 and 12 forever in honor of the recent Buffaloes' efforts on the gridiron ... but Brown told us Friday he does not love the move.

The former Buffs linebacker -- who left the school in 1993 -- said both guys are certainly deserving of the honor ... but so are a bunch of others who've been waiting far longer.

You won't catch Jon Beason boycotting Shedeur Sanders' jersey retirement later Saturday ... the former NFL star tells TMZ Sports he's cool with the honor -- although he does admit, it is a bit early.

The ex-Univ. of Miami linebacker -- who actually wore No. 2 with the Hurricanes to pay homage to Shedeur's dad, Deion Sanders -- broke down the situation for us while out at the grand opening of his new Dynasty Commodities cannabis dispensary in New York City.

Beason noted that most teams wait much longer to honor their stars ... but he said, at the end of the day, he doesn't have any qualms with it.