Controversial S#!T

Tyga has a message for everyone calling "$TARFACE" an A.I. album ... learn to read.

The rapper -- dressed in '80s garb with a lit cigarette -- stopped by "TMZ Live" Thursday and said he only used A.I. for some synths and guitar solos ... stressing he spent three months in the studio, wrote every song, and performed every vocal himself.

Tyga blamed the confusion on Gen Z not reading his original comments ... and shrugged off Pitchfork's rare 0/10 rating ... joking, "I don’t really know what Pitchfork is. All I know is the devil uses a pitchfork."

Lionel Richie's mocking Chris Brown and Usher's tour all night long ... claiming the two aren't doing anything groundbreaking on tour ... and bringing up Chris' checkered legal history.

The singer-songwriter -- who is currently touring with Earth, Wind & Fire -- took time out of his performance to comment on Chris and Usher's "The R&B Tour" ... telling his audience The Commodores and Earth, Wind & Fire pulled off a similarly massive tour 4 decades ago.

Lionel take a swipe ... "Only difference is, between then and now, we didn't go to jail!"

The WNBA is blasting "bad-faith efforts" to push a narrative about transgender women competing in the league ... after ex-NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White claimed they're women and vowed to enter next year's WNBA Draft.

The WNBA held an anti-hate task force meeting Wednesday to discuss trans athletes ... and afterward, a league spokesperson said general managers and presidents came to the conclusion that there "are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA," adding ... "we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others."

So, it sounds like Enes and Royce won't be entering the Draft after all.

The WNBA noted they will "continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months" and "will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league."

Bill Gates' daughter is getting some heat after her app allegedly took credit for sales it didn't drive ... and a new report claims she knew it was happening.

People with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg that Phoebe Gates and her Phia co-founder Sophia Kianni had allegedly known about the practice since December and shared internal Slack messages about it.

A Phia spokesperson had told the outlet back in July that they'd become aware of the "misattributions" only within the last 24 hours, saying at the time ... "As soon as we were notified, our team worked overnight to identify, mitigate, and has since resolved the issue."

Miss North Carolina USA winner Brittany Boltinhouse says she isn't sorry about using the n-word in the past ... even if she had to cough up her crown.

In a new interview with Daily Mail, the scandalized pageant queen was asked if she thought she should apologize for using the slur, but she doubled down, saying ... "No. Not at all."

She told the outlet she felt like she was "unfairly targeted," saying ... "It's a constitutional right, it's your First Amendment right to express yourself ... and I feel like I was ripped of that as a proud American."

The man accused of peeing all over a family at a Morgan Wallen concert has been arrested ... and he's now facing multiple criminal charges ... TMZ has learned.

Maryland Transportation Authority Police tell TMZ ... 33-year-old Jayson Reed was arrested in North Carolina following an investigation into the July 18 incident at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

Police say Reed is charged with four counts of second-degree assault, public urination and other related offenses. He's currently being held in North Carolina pending extradition to Maryland.

Oprah Winfrey is distancing herself from Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz ... both politically and professionally ... saying everything they've done since her talk show launched their careers falls squarely on them -- not her.

Oprah defended herself in a new interview with Emmy Magazine ... after facing criticism for giving both men major platforms.

In explaining why she originally brought them onto "The Oprah Winfrey Show" back in the day, Oprah says Dr. Phil first impressed her while helping her through a tumultuous time in 1998, when six Texas cattlemen sued her, claiming she defamed the beef industry.

Oprah's legal team hired Dr. Phil ... and she says she quickly found him to be practical, down-to-earth and real. She says they rode in the car on her way to trial every day for six weeks, and he was so instrumental in helping her, she thought, "Oh, you could help a lot of people. You should come on my show."

Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya is one step closer to a seat in the U.S. Senate after winning the Minnesota Republican primary on Tuesday ... dominating the other candidates -- which included WNBA hopeful Royce White.

The ex-NBC employee will now face off against Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to replace retiring Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat.

The results weren't even close ... with Tafoya earning more than half the votes. Navy SEAL and Marine vet Adam Schwarze finished second.

Cheryl Miller isn't mincing words about Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White ... and the women's basketball great isn't amused.

TMZ Sports caught up with the Hall of Famer at LAX on Tuesday, and she made it clear she's not wasting any energy on the pair's recent comments about the league.

"I'm not giving them, those two, in particular, a whole lot of thought, because there's outsiders looking to hijack our network," Miller said. "It's horrible energy. It's horrible energy."

John Hinckley Jr. is still sending Jodie Foster his love ... 45 years after he attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan to impress her.

According to a preview for an upcoming interview on "The Mark Joseph Show" -- obtained by Entertainment Weekly -- Hinckley Jr. says ... "I just wish Jodie Foster well, you know."

He continued ... "I don’t really see her movies, but I wish her well, and I know she’s doing quite well. And that’s all I can say is just, I wish Jodie well, and I hope she has a good life."

President Trump left some of his biggest cabinet members aboard Air Force One while he secretly escaped Turkey amid an alleged Iranian threat against POTUS and AF1 ... including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top aides.

The Wall Street Journal reports Rubio and several senior officials remained on the older AF1 after Trump made a big show of boarding it in Turkey ... only for Trump to sneak off in an airport catering truck and fly away on a military plane.

Israel reportedly warned the Trump administration Iran could target Air Force One with shoulder-to-air missiles ... prompting the Secret Service to take extraordinary measures to protect Trump -- and no one else.

A traffic stop in Arkansas went off the rails when a state trooper threw an 18-year-old woman to the ground and punched her ... it's on video, and now her attorney wants answers.

Dashcam footage from the August 1 stop shows Trooper Moisses Arellano ordering Alisa Hackett to place her hands on the trunk and take two steps back ... he then asks her to put a hand behind her back, and suddenly he's body slamming her to the pavement and punching her.

She repeatedly asks, "Sir, what did I do?" ... but within seconds, Arellano forces her to the ground and mounts her as she screams, asks to call her mother, and protests her arrest.

Hunter Biden is worried President Trump may try to stay in the White House beyond his second term ... joining those who are already sounding the alarm.

Former President Joe Biden's son was leaving LAX on Monday night when a photog told him people fear Trump will run for a third term -- and Hunter didn't hesitate ... replying, "Yeah, me too."

Hunter also said his dad is holding up amid his prostate cancer battle, remains tuned into politics and will be remembered as a "great president" -- though Joe hasn't revealed who he wants leading the Democratic Party next, at least not in his conversations with Hunter.

President Trump isn't taking any chances when it comes to Iran ... 47 ducked inside a catering truck before he was whisked away in a military jet for fear of being assassinated. 

That's right ... according to The Washington Post, Trump flew to Turkey for the NATO summit last month and, while he was there, he and other U.S. officials publicly stated the prez would be leaving on July 8.

Trump told reporters he would be traveling on one of the older Air Force One jets -- and not the new luxury version gifted to the commander-in-chief by Qatar that he flew in on, saying he was doing it "for old time's sake."

Enes Kanter Freedom has officially submitted paperwork in hopes of entering the 2027 WNBA Draft ... claiming it's totally in bounds with the league's current rules.

The 34-year-old former NBA big man revealed the signed letter on Monday ... which states, "Please accept this formal document as my official written notification to the Women's National Basketball Association of my voluntary decision to enter the player pool for the 2027 WNBA Draft."

"Consistent with the current league collective bargaining agreement, I am submitting this notice to exercise my draft rights and to affirm that I am at least twenty-two years old and that I have no remaining intercollegiate eligibility, as required by Article XIII, Section 1(b)."

Sophie Cunningham and DiJonai Carrington just turned a heated WNBA matchup into a full-blown controversy ... with Carrington getting ejected after a hard hit on Cunningham, followed moments later by a social media post that appeared to take a shot at the Indiana Fever star.

During Saturday’s Fever-Sky game in Chicago, Carrington made contact with Cunningham’s head during a first-quarter play. Officials initially called a common foul ... but after a review, upgraded it to a Flagrant 2 and ejected Carrington.

Cunningham quickly got up, while teammate Makayla Timpson stepped between the two players, however the drama continued online. Shortly after the ejection, a post reading “WHITE PRIVILEGE” appeared on Carrington’s Threads account, tagging the Indiana Fever.