Controversial S#!T

McKenna West claims she was facing the threat of a six-figure fine under her surrogacy contract if she didn’t abort the baby she was carrying for a California-based couple ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained the lawsuit McKenna filed against Worldwide Surrogacy over the baby she was carrying for Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed. As we've previously reported, the parents wanted the baby aborted due to health issues doctors found.

McKenna refused and gave birth on August 12 in Texas to a baby boy she named Gabriel ... which the couple says is not the child's name.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton spoke out in favor of McKenna ... and took steps to ensure two Texas hospitals would provide medical care.

Surrogate McKenna West sent an emotional plea to the surrogacy clinic and the biological parents, saying she was not sure she could live with herself if she went through with an abortion, days before the procedure was scheduled.

The biological parents wanted to terminate the pregnancy, per the surrogacy agreement, after an ultrasound revealed the fetus had a serious heart issue.

According to letters filed in court documents, obtained by TMZ, McKenna notified Worldwide Surrogacy on May 4, 2026 to say she could not go through with the scheduled termination ... writing, "After careful thought, I have decided that I cannot terminate this pregnancy. This baby is in my body, and I care for him very much."

Geno Auriemma isn't buying the latest culture-war freakout surrounding the WNBA!

The legendary UConn women's basketball coach chopped it up with Babcock this week ... and the Hall of Famer chalked up the trans athlete debate as a manufactured non-story, insisting there's nothing to see.

"Well, not to belittle it at all because I don't mean to because listen, you know, people have a right to their opinion. I get it," Auriemma said. "But why are we making a big issue over an issue that doesn't exist?"

Andrew and Tristan Tate have a group of supporters fighting in their corner ... with protesters taking to the streets Thursday outside the Miami jail where the brothers are being held and demanding their release.

A crowd gathered outside Federal Detention Center Miami ... marching through the area while holding signs supporting the controversial influencers and calling for them to be freed.

The protesters appeared fired up as they moved past the lockup in the sweltering Florida heat ... chanting in support of the brothers while several onlookers recorded the demonstration.

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.