Controversial S#!T

Kelly Rowland is speaking out about her heated exchange with a security guard at the Cannes Film Festival ... and strongly suggesting she was singled out because she's Black.

The Destiny's Child singer addressed the drama Thursday for the first time since the blowup, telling an AP News reporter she "stood [her] ground" during the tense incident out of respect for her boundaries.

KR says she was "scolded" by the event staffer, while other women on the red carpet "who did not quite look like me" were left alone.

5/23 -- 3:20 PM PT -- Chaka Khan tells TMZ ... "In these troubling times, I'm reminded that the energies of violence and abuse can take many forms, affecting individuals and communities worldwide. As someone who has faced personal lessons, I believe in the power of meditation, prayer and inner peace to bring light and hope to our lives and the world around us."

"We can address most issues, prevent negativity, and cultivate compassion by seeking Self. Let us take responsibility for our actions, strive to be better, and support those who are hurting."

She concluded, "May we find strength in grace and wisdom as human beings, walking towards a more loving and just world."

"Seinfeld" star Michael Richards is not looking for a redemption arc -- even though he's finally coming out of hiding -- but he does want to clarify a few things related to his infamous Hollywood Laugh Factory incident.

The actor's rarely been seen since the 2006 rant when he shouted the n-word and other racial insults at an African-American man who was heckling him during his standup routine.

Michael told People Mag he was immediately sorry in the aftermath of that meltdown -- and nearly 2 decades later he insists ... "I'm not racist. I have nothing against Black people. The man who told me I wasn’t funny had just said what I’d been saying to myself for a while. I felt put down. I wanted to put him down."

NYC Councilman Erik Bottcher is taking a far more direct stance than Mayor Eric Adams regarding Diddy's key to the city -- he wants to yank the honor, and stat.

Erik jumped on "TMZ Live" Wednesday, and said taking away the honor is a "no-brainer" in the wake of the Cassie beatdown video. EB says Diddy has no right to be in the company of Nelson Mandela ... the Nobel Peace Prize recipient who received a key back in 1990.

The Councilman says, "It would be bad enough if it was just the video, but [Diddy] put out a statement before accusing these women of lying, accusing them of looking for a payday. So, it's despicable and consequences need to follow."

Jermaine Dupri is incensed over Apple Music's 100 Best Albums list ... specifically, the lack of R&B inclusion.

The So So Def hitmaker joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday and groused that several iconic R&B acts, such as Mariah Carey, TLC, Diana Ross, and Jodeci ... didn't make Apple's cut.

JD, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018, notes the music that influenced him and his peers was shockingly ignored.

Kelly Rowland went from 0 to 100 real quick at the Cannes Film Festival ... and a lip reader's now dishing on what exactly went down during her red carpet showdown with a security guard.

Jacqui Press has dissected the singer's fiery confrontation from Tuesday's "Marcello Mio" premiere -- and she says it all kicked off smoothly, with KR graciously telling the security guard, "It's OK," after she accidentally stepped on her dress. But then things took a drastic turn!

Jacqui spills to MailOnline that the security guard's response is still a bit fuzzy, but it was enough to irk Kelly 'cause she apparently fired back with a firm, "Don't talk to me like that."

Patrick Mahomes is sticking up for Harrison Butker ... praising the kicker as a man of good character following his controversial commencement speech earlier this month.

Butker is at the center of a ton of criticism after speaking at Benedictine College's graduation ceremony ... in which he shared his views that many considered sexist, anti-gay and politically divisive.

The Kansas City superstar addressed the Butker backlash with reporters at Chiefs practice on Wednesday ... and while he said the two might not see eye-to-eye on every issue, he still understands his teammate to be a good guy.

Roger Goodell just addressed Harrison Butker's controversial commencement speech ... and he didn't take a stance on it one way or the other, opting instead to simply praise the NFL's "diversity of opinions."

The Chiefs kicker's polarizing Benedictine College talk came up at the end of Goodell's chat with media members on Wednesday at the Spring League Meeting in Nashville ... when a reporter wondered if the NFL's commissioner had further thoughts on the matter.

Many, of course, had hoped Goodell would admonish Butker -- after critics called the KC star's words anti-gay and misogynistic.

Lauryn Hill's record-breaking "Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" is the best album of all time ... on Apple Music's 100 Best Albums list, beating out iconic projects from Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Kendrick Lamar and more!!!

The Apple Music team surprised Lauryn and her son YG Marley with an intimate dinner to crown the 1998 Diamond-selling album -- to which she replied, "That's crazy" before describing the project as a "rich, deep narrative."

Upon its release, Lauryn broke the record for most Grammys in a single night by a female artist, and it remains her only studio project 25 years later.

10:45 AM PT -- Boeing just released a statement saying, "We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them. We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew."

A Singapore Airlines plane took a 6,000-foot drop after running into some nasty turbulence ... leaving 1 person dead and over 30 hurt.

Check out the clip -- you can see the food and debris left behind after the Boeing 777-300 jet hit bad turbulence when flying to Singapore from London Tuesday ... forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok at 3:45 PM local time.

11:30 AM PT -- A source familiar with the situation tells TMZ … Cam'ron's rep was fully aware and briefed about the segment and topic ahead of his interview on CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip.

9:53 AM PT -- Cam'ron isn't apologizing for his behavior during last night's wild CNN interview.

On his "It Is What It Is" sports show he cohosts with former Bad Boy rapper Ma$e, the Harlem rapper said CNN only contacted him to talk BS, so he gave them just that -- a BS interview!!!

Amber Rose publicly endorsed one candidate for the 2024 US Presidential Election ... surprising many followers with her choice -- as it seems to contradict her public stances.

The model-turned-activist took to Instagram on Monday to share a photo of herself, Donald Trump and Melania Trump ... making it clear she'd be voting for the former prez in November. Alongside the upload, AR wrote ... "Trump 2024."

It didn't take long for Amber's followers to sound off in the comments ... with many calling out how Trump's political stances directly contradict her own beliefs -- at least ones she's been open about anyway.

A transgender high school runner won a state title over the weekend, but instead of a rousing ovation, the athlete was met with a chorus of boos ... with spectators voicing their displeasure over the track star's participation in the event.

The controversial incident happened Saturday at the Oregon School Activities Association track and field championships in Eugene ... where McDaniel H.S. sophomore Aayden Gallagher raced girls in the 200-meter finals.

Gallagher trailed, but a late push saw her cross the finish line in 23.82 seconds, just ahead of the second-place runner.

6:11 PM PT -- OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman tells TMZ ... “The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson's, and it was never intended to resemble hers. We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused using Sky’s voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better.”

Scarlett Johansson appears ready to go to legal war (again) -- only now, it's all about ChatGPT's newest voice sounding eerily similar to her ... and she says that's no coincidence.

The actress came out swinging Monday on the heels of OpenAI -- the creator of ChatGPT -- yanking their newest feature of their hottest commodity ... namely, suspending AI voices they recently trotted out, including one that many said sounded just like ScarJo.

They dubbed the new voice Sky ... and many felt it eerily mirrored Scarlett's AI character in 2013's "Her" -- where Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with a computer that sounds human.

There are lots of reasons to drag Diddy over his video apology -- the public outrage is still fresh over what he did to Cassie -- but when it comes to him not saying her name in the mea culpa ... there's a legal reason he couldn't.

As you know, Diddy and Cassie reached a settlement one day after she filed her sexual assault lawsuit against him in November -- and sources familiar with the agreement tell TMZ ... it includes a very strict NDA, which prevents both of them from speaking about each other in public.

You'll notice -- since the release of the 2016 beating video -- you have not seen or heard Cassie trashing Diddy, as you'd expect.

Kid Rock is pushing his provocative persona to erratic new levels -- at least according to a new feature by Rolling Stone ... which claims he waved a gun around and said the n-word.

The outlet dropped a fresh piece that chronicled an interview with the rapper Sunday ... where KR is described as brandishing a firearm to the reporter, as well as dropping the racial slur a number of times while talking about politics and the history of the Republican party.

Per the journo, David Peisner, KR ranted at him after drinking several Jim Beam/Diet Coke cocktails ... at which point he allegedly pulled out a handgun from behind a leather chair. Kid Rock allegedly yelled ... "And I got a f***ing goddamn gun right here if I need it ... I got them everywhere!"