Controversial S#!T

Andy Cohen is reacting to the Jill Zarin firing ... and he says he knew it was bad when a fabrics company with a family connection to Jill came out hard against her on social media.

The Bravo host addressed Jill's recent firing from the E! reunion show "The Golden Life" on his radio show ... and he says what sent things over the edge for him was an Instagram post from Zarin Fabrics.

As you know ... Jill got canned for her controversial comments on the Bad Bunny performance at the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. Some folks took her comments on Bad Bunny singing in Spanish as racist. She also lamented a lack of white people in the production.

2/13 -- 6:03 AM PT -- Following his chat with us, Too $hort tells TMZ ... “I’m seriously into politics & I wish everybody would get involved & fight for the causes they believe in. I’ve been closely following American & world politics since I was a kid. No Americans should stay out of politics. Especially in 2026.”

Too $hort is blowing the whistle on rappers joining political movements ... he says hip hop should limit politics to the ballot box.

We got the Oakland OG at Chanel West Coast's single release party at Andys in West Hollywood, and our photog asked him about Nicki Minaj and Nelly recently going full MAGA.

Too $hort says not just rappers, but all Americans should keep their political views to themselves. He then takes us down memory lane ... throwing it back to a time when fans didn't care what their favorite artists believed in politically.

HGTV star Nicole Curtis has one person coming to her defense after a video leaked of her using the N-word on her popular show "Rehab Addict" ... well, kinda.

Here's the deal ... the network shelved Nicole's show yesterday after the slur was made public ... and she later issued an apology, telling TMZ the use of that word does not represent who she is.

Ryan Sawtelle -- who worked on "Rehab Addict" and dated NC during the decade they knew each other -- told us he thinks Nicole's a bad person who treats others on the show like garbage ... so he's not surprised this video was leaked. He pointed to reports in the past of contractors suing her, claiming they weren't paid for their work.

However, he also added, “As much as I dislike her -- and it may be validating to see her get in trouble -- she is unequivocally not a racist. Nor has she ever said anything racially insensitive over the years we dated, and I have known her.”

Ryan -- who was actually holding the ladder in the 2022 episode clip when you hear Nicole blurt out the N-word -- told us she often used nonsensical words and gibberish to avoid cussing on the show … and calls it "unfortunate” she mistakenly blurted out the slur. RS points out ... “It was so unexpected, the crew laughed because we knew that isn’t her."

Chuck D didn't mince words when addressing Gene Simmons' comment that rappers shouldn't be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ... he told us KISS is rock, but they got no roll.

ICYMI ... Simmons slammed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on an episode of the "LegendsNLeaders" podcast, saying, "Hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, nor does opera, symphony orchestras ... it's called the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame."

Chuck D says he's well acquainted with Gene Simmons' views, as the KISS member "seems to say this every 3 years."

Jill Zarin's controversial comments about Bad Bunny's halftime show have tons of people turning against her ... and one company with a former connection to the star is paying the price.

Here's the deal ... Zarin Fabrics -- a company owned and run by Zarin's stepson David -- has commenters on Yelp and Facebook accusing the company of racism.

Check it out ... commenters are posting one-star reviews and demanding they immediately ditch Jill. The problem ... the company's already addressed the controversy -- and Jill hasn't had a role with Zarin Fabrics for years.

Taylor Armstrong is backpedaling hard ... apologizing after saying she was embarrassed by Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show.

As you know, the "RHOBH" alum blasted the performance for being "totally in Spanish with a Cuban flag!!" ... but in a lengthy IG post Wednesday, she clarified she simply didn’t personally connect with the show's creative direction.

Taylor said as an American she understands Spanish is a major part of U.S. culture ... and she confessed her "lack of awareness of the Latin culture" led her to mistakenly label the flag Cuban.

Nicole Curtis is addressing the controversy surrounding HGTV pulling her show "Rehab Addict" from its platforms following the release of leaked footage showing her using a racial slur during filming.

Curtis tells TMZ ... "I want to be clear: the word in question is wrong and not part of my vocabulary and never has been, and I apologize to everyone." She tells us she was unaware of HGTV's decision to pull the plug on her show on the same day it was set to return to air after a hiatus.

Despite the surprising split, she tells us, "I'm grateful for the 15-year journey we've shared. It's been a meaningful chapter, but my focus isn't on my career. My focus, at this moment is rightfully on my relationships, and my community -- the people who truly know my character and where my heart is."

Jill Zarin is struggling to process her sudden firing from E!'s upcoming reunion series "The Golden Life" and TMZ has learned she feels blindsided by the fallout.

In case you didn't know ... Blink49 Studios cut ties with Jill Tuesday following her posting -- then deleting -- an Instagram video Sunday, criticizing Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show. The comments, later reposted on X, sparked backlash and ultimately led to her firing from the show.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Jill believes she was punished for expressing an opinion, while other Housewives have said or done far worse without facing similar consequences. People close to Jill have told us they strongly dispute accusations that her comments were insensitive, insisting anyone who personally knows her would say that characterization is unfair.

President Donald Trump and his party might hate Somalia ... but, at least Somalia executes pedophiles there instead of electing them -- so says Rep. Ilhan Omar.

The Democratic Congresswoman from Minnesota took to social media, apparently to express her frustration with POTUS, after Trump badmouthed the country where she was born in a Tuesday night Fox Business interview ... in which he claimed Somali immigrants are damaging the state.

Omar -- who moved to the U.S. at 12 years old -- posted on her X account ... "The leader of the Pedophile Protection Party is trying to deflect attention from his name being all over the Epstein files. At least in Somalia they execute pedophiles not elect them." Her account has more than 2.7 million followers.

The chaos and controversy surrounding Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance did NOT hurt the viewership numbers -- 128.2 million people tuned in to watch!

The numbers for the "DtMF" singer were announced by NBC on Tuesday, confirming that fans had their TVs stuck on the Super Bowl during halftime to watch Bad Bunny do his thing.

The performance didn't lack star power ... with special guests like Cardi B, Lady Gaga, and Ricky Martin as part of the show.

Despite the strong numbers, it wasn't the most-watched halftime show ever. By comparison, last year's halftime performance with Kendrick Lamar drew a historic 133.5 million viewers across TV and digital platforms.

Teddy Riley is ridin' hard for Chris Brown -- telling TMZ there’s nothing shady about Breezy's comment on Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance and, in his book, he did nothing wrong!

We caught up with Teddy in NYC Tuesday, and he straight-up co-signed Chris’ IG post -- "I think it’s safe to say … they need me!" -- agreeing Brown absolutely belonged on that iconic stage.

Watch the clip, 'cause Teddy makes one thing clear: he’s not anti-BB. He gives the performance its flowers. But -- and it’s a big but -- he says when it comes to events like the Super Bowl, ratings matter.

More like Bonnie Blue ... her back out! The adult content creator reportedly had unprotected sex with around 400 men, setting a world record.

That's right ... While the Winter Olympics wage on in Italy, the bedroom Olympics raged in the UK over the weekend. Us Weekly reports Bonnie -- real name Tia Billinger -- had men waiting in line for up to 7 hours at Lord Davenport's mansion on February 7 for the chance to "breed" her.

According to Us Weekly, the previous record was 65 men. That achievement was reached by Ariana Jollee in 2004.

9 AM PT -- Kid Rock just posted a video on X denying reports he lip-synced his performance of "Bawitdaba" during the Turning Point USA Halftime Show. His deejay, Paradime, even flew out to rap the song with him live ... to prove they know the lyrics.

It looks like even Kid Rock had to go back and watch Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show ... because the country-rap-rock star delivered his critique of BB's performance on Fox News last night.

Rock told Laura Ingraham on "The Ingraham Angle" ... "Like most people, I didn't understand any of it. I saw there's a lot of dancers and a lot of big to-do stuff. And, you know, he said he wanted to have a dance party; it looked like he had one."

And while Rock admitted it wasn't his "cup of tea," he revealed he doesn't have any beef with BB. He's more upset with the NFL.

He clarified ... "I don't fault that kid for doing the Super Bowl, getting in front of a global audience. I fault the NFL for putting him in that position and Turning Point for having to come out and have an alternative for people to watch. You know, it's just -- poor kid."

Meek Mill is shutting down the Bad Bunny halftime show haters ... telling TMZ Sports the global superstar absolutely deserves the Super Bowl spotlight.

The Philly rapper weighed in outside the Fanatics luncheon on Friday as debate continues to swirl over the NFL tapping the Latin music icon for the coveted performance slot … with some critics questioning whether Bad Bunny’s style and Spanish catalog will connect with viewers.

“I think he’s going to do well,” Meek said. “He’s a great artist, one of the legends and I think everybody deserves a shot.”

Not only does Dave Portnoy believe his Patriots will win big in Super Bowl LX, he thinks it's the start of Drake Maye's NFL domination ... telling TMZ Sports he expects the young quarterback to win at least championships for New England.

The Barstool Sports founder chopped it up with us at the "Sports Illustrated The Party" bash in the Bay Area on Saturday ... and he said it's nice to be back in good graces with the NFL after their longstanding beef.

Portnoy and Barstool were previously banned from the Super Bowl after he and three others protested the Deflategate ruling at NFL HQ, but we broke the story earlier this month -- he's now welcome to attend the Big Game once again, as long as he buys a ticket -- which he did.

"The dog ate my homework" excuse is old news ... try "My Olympic obligations got in the way" instead!

Madeline Schizas -- a figure skater for the Canadian Olympic team -- is trying that line out on her college professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada ... sharing an email she sent asking for an extension.

Check it out ... Schizas writes she thought a assignment for her sociology class was due Sunday, not Friday -- and, she didn't have time to complete it anyway because she was representing Canada at the Olympics.