Controversial S#!T

Michael Rapaport's putting the blame on riffing for his controversial comment about Colton Underwood on the hit show "Traitors" ... claiming the seemingly homophobic remark came out while he was spitballing at the table, and no one interrupted him.

The actor further clarified his low moment in an interview with Andy Cohen on 'Watch What Happens Live' Tuesday night ... telling the host he wasn't taking a shot at Colton's previous reluctance to come out as gay -- he was just running his mouth.

Rapaport says he went into defense mode when Colton and his alliance came after him ... and, he simply started rattling off arguments against Colton and his costars, believing someone else at the table would eventually jump in.

Rashee Rice has yet to address abuse allegations made by his ex-girlfriend, Dacoda Jones, earlier this month ... and that remained the case when we directly asked him about them at LAX on Tuesday.

TMZ Sports asked the 25-year-old for his side of the story after Jones, who never mentioned Rice by name in the allegations, shared photos of bruises and wounds on her body.

Rice, who wore a purple hat with a black sweatshirt at the airport, elected to stay quiet ... despite the NFL and his employer, the Kansas City Chiefs, acknowledging the claims ... with the former launching an investigation.

Sydney Sweeney shouldn't get a free pass for lacing the iconic Hollywood sign with brassieres ... at least according to an artist who got arrested for changing the landmark to read "HOLLYWEED."

Zach Fernandez, also known as Jesushands, tells TMZ … when he famously altered the Hollywood sign in 2017, he got arrested for trespassing and had to pay a fine and complete community service. SS should be held to the same standard.

As we first told you, Sydney's stunt was legally dicey ... and now Zach says she should be held to the same standard as him.

The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents Saturday in Minneapolis has seen an explosion of sympathy and support from across the nation over the past three days ... but not from Megyn Kelly.

The conservative commentator blasted the late ICU nurse's conduct on Monday's episode of "The Megyn Kelly Show" and flat-out said she doesn't feel sorry for Pretti.

Kelly criticized people protesting violent immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis ... she said if she had to protest publicly, she'd do so by standing on the sidewalk -- and not "interfering" with officials.

She said Pretti was part of a group of "organized agitators" who were looking to interfere with authorities ... and described him as "subversive."

Megyn added Pretti was attempting to "cause trouble" for federal agents -- and the trouble "came back on him."

Pretti, who was recording a group of federal agents, was shot and killed after he was wrestled to the ground and assaulted by several U.S. Border Patrol agents. He had a concealed weapon and a legal permit to carry it.

Trump Administration officials have claimed the shooting was self-defense, but multiple videos show Pretti did not brandish his gun, and was not attacking or resisting the agents.

U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino is leaving Minneapolis as soon as Tuesday, Jan. 27 ... after weeks of unrest across the Twin Cities in response to harsh immigration enforcement activity at the hands of federal agents under Bovino's authority.

Trump Administration officials told CNN Bovino is set to return to El Centro, California, where he formerly served as the chief of the Border Patrol's sector in that Southern California region -- about 100 miles east of San Diego, and 18 miles north of the Mexican border -- on Tuesday. An unspecified number of agents are also set to depart Minneapolis as well.

Administration officials were upset about the way Bovino and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem handled the fallout from the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti Saturday. A senior official said discussions about having Bovino leave Minneapolis began that afternoon.

The Atlantic reported Monday evening Bovino would lose his title as commander-at-large and was expected to retire in the near future, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Bovino hadn't been "relieved of his duties" on X ... and described him as "a key part of the President's team and a great American."

President Donald Trump will still be keeping an eye on the situation in Minnesota ... and he announced he was sending Border Czar Tom Homan to the state yesterday.

Bovino's tenure in Minneapolis has been marked by tension ... three people in the Minneapolis area have been shot -- two fatally -- by federal agents since the first week of January.

Kanye West is doubling down on his apology tour -- insisting his remorse over his antisemitic and alarming behavior is real, not some slick PR play to save his music career.

In a new Vanity Fair interview, Ye rattled off his recent wins ... Top-10 most-streamed artist in the U.S. on Spotify in 2025, plus his upcoming album "Bully" already among the most pre-saved ... saying business is fine, so this isn’t about reviving his brand.

Instead, he claims he apologized because his behavior "went too far" and weighed heavy on his heart ... again singling out the Jewish and Black communities for direct remorse.

Amid rising tensions in the States, some ICE agents are getting out of Dodge ... U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will play a role in providing security in Italy during the 2026 Winter Olympics, which start in February.

The federal agents will not be running immigration enforcement, but will instead help provide diplomatic security during the Games in Milan, according to the Associated Press, a role they've also played during past Olympics.

As you might expect, given recent headlines surrounding the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, not everyone is rolling out the red carpet for ICE ... including the mayor of the host city, Milan, who isn't happy.

Dean Cain is swooping in to defend the federal immigration agents who killed Alex Pretti ... like Superman coming to rescue Lois Lane.

The 'Lois & Clark' star joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday, and we asked him about Saturday's fatal interaction between Pretti and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.

Dean, who is volunteering for ICE and helping with recruiting, doesn't have a problem blaming Pretti ... he says the nurse was playing with fire by, in his eyes, resisting and impeding Border Patrol while armed with a handgun.

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has taken out an ad in The Wall Street Journal apologizing to "Those I Hurt," for his bigoted and alarming behavior in recent years ... naming his gravitation toward Nazi symbolism as something he particularly regrets.

In the ad, Ye blames the car crash that nearly took his life 25 years ago for causing undiagnosed damage to his frontal-lobe, which he says affected his mental health and led to his bipolar type-1 diagnosis.

He writes, "I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret."

He continued ... "It does not excuse what I did though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people."

Amber Heard says her voice has felt drowned out since the Johnny Depp trial ... lamenting the loss of her story in a new documentary.

The actress appears in the new doc "Silenced" which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival Saturday ... and she reflects on her legal battle with her ex-husband in the clip -- including the impact it's had on speaking her truth.

Heard said, "I didn’t understand it could get so much worse for me as a woman, using my voice. I have lost my ability to speak. I am not here to tell my story. I don’t want to tell my story, In fact, I don’t want to use my voice anymore. That’s the problem."

Brooklyn Beckham's dance with Victoria at his wedding left everyone in the room feeling uncomfortable -- and Marc Anthony didn't help the situation ... so says a famous British DJ.

DJ Fat Tony says he spun tracks at the wedding -- a 3-day affair that included both the pre-wedding event, the wedding itself, and a brunch the following day ... with the brunch being the most awkward part because everyone was talking about the uncomfortable reception.

Since he was standing at the DJ booth at the time, Fat Tony says he got a great look at Brooklyn's dance with his mom ... which he says got off to a rough start when Anthony asked the most beautiful woman in the room to come up to the stage -- before clarifying he meant Victoria, not Brooklyn's bride Nicola Peltz.

A lawyer and activist who allegedly helped organize a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this week has been arrested.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Nekima Levy Armstrong was taken into custody at her direction Thursday morning, writing in a social media post ... "Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP."

Bondi said Chauntyll Louisa Allen was also arrested.

A former school police officer who was on active duty during the 2022 Uvalde school shooting has been found not guilty on 29 charges ... nearly four years after the tragic incident in which 19 children and 2 adults were killed by a campus gunman, as police officers waited for more than an hour to engage with the shooter. Ten students survived.

Adrian Gonzales was acquitted of 29 counts of endangering children on Wednesday evening, ABC News reports. Each of the counts carried a maximum penalty of two years in prison. The Texas jury deliberated for more than 7 hours before returning its verdict.

Prosecutors argued Gonzales hadn't followed his training at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in May 2022 during the shooting. The defense claimed Gonzales had been targeted for a wider failure by law enforcement officers.

Gonzales' lawyers argued the former school police officer did everything he could have and acted according to the information he'd been given ... they added several other officers had arrived at the scene at the same time as Gonzales.

Several family members of the children who'd died in the shooting were present during Gonzales' trial proceedings ... many became emotional when his verdict was read.

Former Robb Elementary student Salvador Rolando Ramos shot and killed 19 students and two teachers before he was killed by a Border Patrol agent who rushed into the school by himself.

Naomi Osaka found herself in a ton of drama Down Under ... with a match ending in a tense handshake and some serious shade in a post-match interview -- but she has since apologized for it all.

The 28-year-old tennis superstar went up against Sorana Cirstea in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday ... and her opponent took issue with her yelling "Come on!" after several points, even complaining to the judge about the matter.

After Osaka secured the W in three sets, the two met at the net ... and it was anything but cordial.

President Trump's potty mouth is rubbing off on other world leaders, including a European Parliament official who gave DT a dose of his own medicine.

Anders Vistisen --  a Danish member of the European Parliament -- stood up in front of his fellow politicians Tuesday and delivered a scathing speech that targeted Trump for threatening to take over Greenland, which is currently under the authority of Denmark.

Check out this video ... which captures the exact moment Vistisen torpedoes Trump with some choice words while standing at the podium. In a calm, steady voice, Vistisen says to Trump, "Let me put this in words you might understand, Mr. President, f*** off."

A Roblox user has created an in-game version of Jeffrey Epstein's private island, Little St. James ... and the attention to detail is disturbing.

The game, titled "Saint Silverlemon Isle," includes several cabanas, a yacht, and a secret underground temple, as well as a villa complete with a massage table.

A description for the game tells players to "survive Jeffery the Killer and Donald on the island" in a not-so-subtle reference to the one-time friendship between convicted pedophile Jeffery Epstein and President Donald Trump.

FYI ... Epstein purchased Little St. James, located in the U.S. Virgin Islands, in 1998, and he owned the island for more than two decades prior to his death by suicide in jail in 2019.

Numerous high-profile international figures in politics, business, academia and entertainment -- including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Stephen Hawking -- reportedly visited the island, where Epstein allegedly trafficked several victims.

In December, the Congressional House Oversight Committee released numerous photos taken on the island by investigators, and there was plenty of troubling stuff on the island ... including a room set up to resemble a dentist's office with creepy masks of old men lining the walls.