Controversial S#!T

9:11 AM PT -- The L.A. Zoo has confirmed Billy and Tina the elephants have been "safely" transferred to the Tulsa Zoo despite fierce backlash over the move.

Contradictory to what critics argue, the zoo says in a statement Billy and Tina "will receive the same love and expert individualized care that they have had at the Los Angeles Zoo."

They also confirm Mayor Karen Bass inquired about having the elephants relocated to a sanctuary ... but after a "comprehensive evaluation" the decision to transfer the elephants to the Tulsa Zoo was "made with the health and well-being of the individual elephants as the top priority" -- plus a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and its Elephant Species Survival Plan.

Cher is gonna be pissed! The beloved L.A. Zoo elephants she went to bat for -- Billy and Tina -- were secreted outta the zoo under the cover of darkness last night ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the L.A. Zoo tell us Billy and Tina were removed around 1:30 AM Tuesday and, presumably, loaded up to be shipped to Tulsa Zoo -- a controversial move that prompted protests, a lawsuit and an angry letter to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass ... which Cher and several other celebs signed.

We're told the elephant exhibit at L.A. Zoo was empty Tuesday morning -- no elephants, no keepers and the electric perimeter fence was off ... clear indications the animals were on their way to Oklahoma.

Rudy Gobert wants to make it abundantly clear he's not abandoning his son after splitting from his pregnant partner, Julia Bonilla ... sharing a picture of them spending time together to get his point across.

The 32-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves center posted the snap of him lying shirtless in the grass with one-year-old Romeo and included the caption, "Great day" ... an apparent break from preparations for the Western Conference Finals this week.

The timing is interesting -- Gobert's currently going through a split amid the NBA playoffs ... and sources told TMZ Sports last week he instructed Bonilla to move out of his home and take their kid with her.

Drake's hoping to garner some support for his pal Tory Lanez's release ... sharing a petition calling on California Governor Gavin Newsom to pardon him.

The rapper took to Instagram Friday night to share a change.org link with the caption "@torylanez come home soon" ... and, the link led to a petition calling on the governor to "Correct a Deep Injustice" and pardon Tory.

According to the petition, Tory's conviction wasn't supported by enough physical evidence ... and, they feel the justice system straight up railroaded the guy and landed him a 10-year sentence.

Bianca Censori knows how to cool off a hot day ... grabbing ice cream with her man Kanye West -- and wearing her skimpiest clothes out.

The two stars were spotted in Mallorca with Bianca's sister, Angelina ... stopping off for a sweet treat in a crowded marketplace -- and Bianca's back in her summer ensembles, leaving nothing to the imagination.

BC wore a mesh top out with no bra underneath -- so, everyone around them got to see everything she's packing up top.

Audio from former President Joe Biden's interview in a damning special counsel report about his memory struggles is now out in the ether ... and it further shows Biden's memory lapses.

Axios just released a portion of Biden's interview with former special counsel Robert Hur ... the clip is from a since-shuttered investigation into BIden's handling of classified documents, in which Hur concluded Biden was a "well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory."

Biden was president at the time of the interview ... and he had trouble recalling dates and other important events ... namely, the year his son Beau died.

James Comey shared some controversial digits on social media ... and now federal officials are calling for a criminal investigation, claiming it's a call to assassinate President Trump.

The former director of the FBI took to Instagram Thursday to share a post with the number '8647' written out on a sandy shore in seashells ... later deleting it after some accused Comey of making a threat on Trump's life.

If ya don't know ... to "86" someone is hospitality shorthand for throwing them out of somewhere -- usually a bar or restaurant. But 86 could also be taking someone out in a more violent way ... depending on how the numbers are used.

Haley Joel Osment's trying not to draw too much attention these days ... stepping out in an incognito ensemble in his first appearance since he used a slur while being arrested in Mammoth.

The actor took his dogs for a walk around the block Wednesday ... dark sunglasses covering his eyes and a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.

He added a maroon polo, a gray jacket and black pants ... looking like any other normie out for a stroll instead of one of the biggest child stars of all time.

JoJo Siwa’s "Celebrity Big Brother" stint came with its fair share of controversy -- courtesy of some offensive remarks from Mickey Rourke -- and she hasn't heard from him since the show wrapped.

Photogs caught up with the "Dance Moms" alum in NYC, where she joked that Mickey had probably forgotten who she is by now.

The actor agreed to leave 'CBB' over his inappropriate behavior and language on the show, including homophobic remarks directed at JoJo.

Jordon Hudson penned an emotional letter to her cheer team after making the decision to quit ... and in the note, she issued an apology to her squadmates for all of the hoopla her relationship with Bill Belichick caused.

The message -- which was obtained by The Washington Post -- appeared to be sent this past winter ... after Belichick had accepted the UNC football head coaching job.

Hudson explained to her teammates she would no longer be flying for ECE Blackout in Massachusetts -- as she was going to follow her 73-year-old boyfriend to Chapel Hill.

Sean Penn’s openly skeptical of Dylan Farrow’s long-standing sexual assault allegations against her adoptive father Woody Allen -- in fact, he says he’d work with the controversial filmmaker again in a heartbeat if the project felt right.

The actor made it clear on "The Louis Theroux Podcast" that he's standing by Woody, who directed him back in 1999's "Sweet and Lowdown" -- explaining with allegations like these, you can never know 100% what really happened, and added they usually come from people he "wouldn’t trust with a dime."

Louis pushed back, asking if Penn was speaking generally, since in Woody’s case, the accusations came from Woody's estranged daughter Dylan and his journalist son Ronan Farrow. But Penn wasn’t having it, saying Louis called Ronan a "journalist," not him.

Donald Trump’s online, bragging about a "flying palace" -- a luxury plane gifted from Qatar’s royal family slated to serve as one of the presidential Air Force One fleet of jumbo jets ... but it’s causing a stir, since accepting foreign gifts like that is legally questionable.

The $400 million Boeing 747-8 -- AKA the world’s biggest plane -- could be Trump’s new Air Force One for the rest of his term ... and it’s being called one of the priciest gifts ever from a foreign power to the U.S.

Trump posted on Truth Social: "So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!"

Cher’s stepping up for the L.A. Zoo elephants, saying they’ve been through enough -- and while their reported Oklahoma move might offer more space, a zoo’s still a cage ... just with a bigger backyard.

The icon, who’s been fighting for Billy, Tina, and other animals for years, didn’t miss a beat when L.A. resident John Kelly sued to block their move to Tulsa Zoo -- she jumped in with a declaration backing their freedom, saying a sanctuary, not another zoo, is where they belong.

In her declaration to the L.A. County Superior Court, Cher said the elephants have done their time in confinement -- now they deserve a shot at peace and dignity.

Pope Leo XIV's brother will need to cop to using some unsavory language at his next confession ... 'cause he called Nancy Pelosi a bad word in a resurfaced social media post.

The pope's older brother, Louis Prevost, is a regular poster of political content on his Facebook page ... much of it from a more conservative viewpoint.

While there's nothing wrong with sharing a political opinion, one particular post did raise some eyebrows online ... a post where Prevost referred to Pelosi as a "dumb c***."

Ramona Singer's landed herself into some hot water online ... 'cause she's catching a ton of flak for posting a picture with Daniel Penny -- calling him a "hero."

The former "Real Housewives of New York" star shared the photo to her social media this weekend ... flashing a big smile in a black dress with her arm draped over Penny's shoulder.

Penny's dressed in a suit ... smiling with his own arm wrapped around her back.

John Legend is heartbroken to see the "devolution" of his former mentor and friend Kanye West ... saying in a new interview that his rampant antisemitism and anti-Blackness is "sad" to watch.

The "All of Me" hitmaker candidly spoke about his ex-pal while chatting with The Times, explaining he is not the Kanye who signed him to his G.O.O.D. Music record label back in 2004.

He explained ... "Back then Kanye was very passionate, very gifted, and he had big dreams not only for himself but also for all the people around him ... It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now."

Kanye, of course, has had an array of public woes and breakdowns over the years, from bad-mouthing the wife of his four kids, Kim Kardashian -- such as wishing he had children with her friend Paris Hilton instead -- to his more recent shameless passion for all things Adolf Hitler.

"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" alum Siggy Flicker says karma is coming for Kanye West following his seemingly never-ending antisemitic rants and the recent release of his despicable new song titled "Heil Hitler."

TMZ caught up with Siggy this week after President Trump appointed her to the Holocaust Memorial board. During a Zoom call, Siggy told us that although she agrees with Ye's right to free expression, his Nazi rhetoric will ultimately catch up to him.

In fact, Siggy tells us that Kanye is missing out on the "true gift" of life because he's unable to raise the four children he shares with Kim Kardashian. Instead, Siggy says, Kanye's living in sin by parading his nearly naked wife -- Bianca Censori -- around in public all over the world.