Controversial S#!T

President Trump claims he was as surprised as anyone about the imagery in a video he shared earlier in the day of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes ... but he sure as hell isn't sorry.

Here's the deal ... the president's Truth Social account posted a video depicting the Obamas as apes ... which was met with swift blowback and condemnation on social media and from many on Capitol Hill. The White House initially said the video was fine ... but it was later deleted over all the heat.

Trump was pressed by reporters this afternoon aboard Air Force One ... and he pleaded ignorance, saying all he knew was the video was a commentary on voter fraud -- and had no idea about the Obamas being depicted as apes in the jungle.

President Trump is posting racist videos taking shots at the Obamas on social media ... and the Obamas are responding by posting loving videos about their relationship.

Barack and Michelle's Obama Foundation seemingly fired back at Trump with a super cute social media post looking back on their love story.

The post comes on the heels of Trump posting a video on his social media platform depicting the Obamas as apes ... which was met with swift blowback and condemnation on social media.

U.S. Senator Tim Scott is slamming President Donald Trump's controversial video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes ... which he's describing as incredibly racist.

ICYMI ... the video, which Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday night, showed Barack and Michelle's faces imposed on a pair of apes ... and as we know, depicting Black people as monkeys or apes is a racist trope that's been around for centuries.

Trump, meanwhile, imposed his own face on a lion's body.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told TMZ ... "This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public."

The video was eventually removed from Truth Social, and a White House official told The Hill a staffer "erroneously made the post."

Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, hit out at Trump on X, writing ... "Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it."

California Governor Gavin Newsom called it "disgusting."

Radio host Tommy Sotomayor says he's not offended in the slightest by President Trump posting a short video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.

Tommy joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday, and we asked how he felt seeing Trump share a blatantly racist video clip ... and he explained why he thinks Black people shouldn't be outraged.

The radio host's reasoning here was enough for us to stop him right in his tracks for a quick history lesson ... but Tommy really dug his heels in and tried to bring up some other issues ... and the conversation even veered off into colorism.

The biggest story out of the 2026 Olympics so far has been reports of a penis-injecting doping scandal rocking the ski jumping community ... but officials say so far, it's nothing but a "wild rumor."

The news spread like wildfire on Thursday ... with outlets stating the World Anti-Doping Agency was keeping a close eye on crotches throughout the sport due to speculation athletes could be pumping their members with hyaluronic acid to get a leg up on the competition.

Why the heck would they do that?? The belief is athletes used the acid to temporarily increase their junk size during suit measurements ... which would result in extra fabric in the groin area -- adding lift to the uniforms to help them jump farther.

The attorney who represented Jaxson Hayes' ex-girlfriend in a domestic violence lawsuit against the Lakers' big man is ripping the NBA after it handed down a suspension for shoving a mascot ... telling TMZ Sports he feels the league doesn't have its priorities in order.

Hayes was hit with a one-game ban for his run-in with the Washington Wizards' mascot on Jan. 30 ... and Waukeen McCoy is scratching his head at the Association's swift action.

"They gave him a one-game suspension, that's ridiculous," McCoy said.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is spending his Thursday apologizing to fans after he used the n-word during a livestream ... saying "there's no excuse for what I said."

McMillan issued the remorseful message on Instagram ... saying, "I sincerely apologize for speaking thoughtlessly and will do better."

The first-year player was playing Madden in "The Streamer Bowl," a charity esports tournament that has Twitch streamers and NFL stars on teams as they take on challenges.

T-Mac was streaming with YonnaJay and Tamir when the moment occurred. After intercepting a pass, he shouted the slur in excitement.

Billie Eilish’s acceptance speech at the 2026 Grammy Awards ruffled lots of feathers across Hollywood and beyond ... and now Amber Rose is sharing her 2 cents about the whole situation.

ICYMI ... Billie spoke her mind after winning the Song of the Year award on Sunday, stating ... "as grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land ... f*** ICE."

Amber took to Instagram on Thursday and urged her fans to cut Billie a break ... writing Billie is "only 24 years old and thinks she’s helping."

She wrote ... “I truly believe Billie thinks she’s doing the right thing as well as many of her peers right now but they’re not! YALL ARE MAKING THINGS WORSE! Do ur research and be a positive voice if you have a platform!”

Amber -- who’s an avid supporter of President Donald Trump -- finished her message with “America First!!!” and three American flag emojis.

Others have expressed anger at Billie for her anti-ICE sentiment, including race car driver Danica Patrick and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

Billie has property in L.A. that sits on Tongva land ... a spokesperson for the Tongva Native American tribe expressed appreciation for the singer's words after the Grammys.

Director Jonas Pate's tense interaction with a production assistant on the "Outer Banks" set was caught on video ... and while it shows him grabbing her, it's not nearly as violent as it was initially described.

TMZ has obtained the exclusive clip ... which shows the P.A. walking through a room buzzing with activity, before passing in front of a camera and Pate.

The co-creator and director of the hit Netflix series grabs the P.A.by the arm as she passes him while carrying an object. That's when he appears to chew her out, and then Madelyn Cline joins the action.

Jeffrey Epstein's suicide in his jail cell was a gruesome end to his long campaign of alleged sexual abuse of underage females ... and now we're getting an up-close look at the aftermath of his lurid death.

The Department of Justice recently released a slew of photos as part of the latest Epstein Files document dump, which show the convicted pedophile lying dead inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on August 10, 2019. The images capture a shirtless Epstein on a stretcher surrounded by paramedics trying to revive him, to no avail.

The pics also show Epstein's messy jail cell with bed sheets and clothing strewn everywhere -- and the piece of fabric used to kill himself dangling from his bed frame.

Shaboozey found himself in hot water after his big Grammy win Sunday ... 'cause some viewers took issue with his acceptance speech, suggesting it ignored the role of enslaved Africans and their descendants in America.

In a mea culpa posted Tuesday, Shaboozey penned a message giving more context to his words.

The singer wrote ... “To be clear, I know and believe that we -- Black people, have also built this country. My words were never intended to dismiss that truth. I am both a Black man and the son of Nigerian immigrants and in the overwhelming moment of winning my first Grammy my focus was on honoring the sacrifices my parents made by coming to this country to give me and my siblings opportunities they never had.”

Shaboozey went on to note the significance of being the first Black man to win the Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance on the first day of Black History Month.

Representative Jasmine Crockett says she can't divorce the art from the artist ... and that means she straight-up ain't listening to Nicki Minaj tunes anymore.

We spoke to the Democratic congresswoman from the great state of Texas on Tuesday -- and she made it clear she's always been more of a Cardi stan anyway -- but Nicki's foray into right-wing politics has certainly upped her distaste for the "Starships" rapper.

JC says she can't do "sellouts" -- especially not in a moment as politically fraught as this one -- and, she feels that's exactly what NM is, given she's an immigrant cozying up to an administration obsessed with hunting down undocumented immigrants.

A Detroit Lions fan is going scorched earth in court after his viral sideline clash with Steelers star DK Metcalf -- and he’s swinging for a MASSIVE payday.

Michigan man Ryan Kennedy filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Court on Tuesday … demanding a jaw-dropping $100 million over a Dec. 21 dust-up with Metcalf at Ford Field that blew up across the internet.

Kennedy is now turning to the courts … going after Metcalf, the Pittsburgh Steelers, ex-NFL wideout Chad Johnson, Shannon Sharpe's Shay Shay Media, and more … claiming they spread what he calls "defamatory and life-altering" claims about him after the incident.

Nicki Minaj says she's got no problem with transgender people, as long as they're adults ... but minors are a different story.

TMZ obtained a clip from Nicki's interview with Katie Miller ... and Nicki explains her thoughts on trans folks.

In a nutshell, Nicki says adults can do whatever they want with their bodies -- more power to them -- but she says it's a different ballgame when kids are seeking out gender-affirming surgeries.

Brett Ratner’s downplaying his connection to Jeffrey Epstein ... and he’s claiming he “didn’t have a personal relationship” with the late pedophile.

ICYMI ... the director was photographed alongside the late financier in a set of photos included in a recently released batch of the Epstein Files. The two were seen lounging on a couch with two women, whose faces were redacted, in one of the photos.

The photos featuring Ratner are not dated, and the director is not accused of any wrongdoing in the files.

Talk about a jungle joyride -- two gorillas went completely bananas for each other, tossing modesty into the bushes, and getting busy in broad daylight ... giving stunned onlookers a surprise mating call they definitely didn’t sign up for!

The clip was filmed Monday and it’s pretty NSFW -- don’t say we didn’t warn you -- capturing a much larger gorilla mounting a female inside an enclosure at Belgium's Zoo Antwerpen ... and yes, the background audio makes it painfully clear there were kids watching the whole thing go down😳.

It’s a jaw-dropping clip, we get it ... but being there must’ve been next-level unhinged, with the pair going at it as adults nervously laughed, cringed, and clearly had no idea where to look.