Controversial S#!T

Bath & Body Works is scrambling to remove a holiday candle off its shelves ... after the packaging was compared to hoods worn by the Ku Klux Klan.

The candle went viral Tuesday when an X user posted a screenshot of the product, which showed the "Snowed In" scent featuring a snowflake design set against a red backdrop.

However, it didn't take long for users to compare the print to the infamous KKK hoods, as they too are all white, with pointed tops and tiny holes cut into them.

Kanye West is being sued by a man claiming to be his former director of intelligence ... who has alleged the rapper ordered him to orchestrate investigations into both wife Bianca Censori and former in-laws, the Kardashians.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ ... the man -- who is suing anonymously as John Doe -- claims the rapper never paid him for work done over several pay periods and caused him emotional distress.

Per the lawsuit, in December 2022, Ye had initially hired the staffer to be his campaign manager for his presidential run ... but later reworked his role to be Yeezy's "Director of Intelligence."

"Joker: Folie à Deux" is officially DOA -- even wildly despised by some theatergoers -- but the actor at the center of one of the biggest fanboy gripes has one question ... Why so serious?

Be warned ... there are major spoilers for 'Joker 2' below!

Here's the deal ... The highly anticipated sequel starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix only made a weak $20 million at the domestic box office opening weekend ... and even worse ... the Todd Phillips-led movie got slapped with a dismal "D" grade on CinemaScore.

A cast of Donald Trump's head was recently used as an unconventional soccer ball ... all in the name of art.

Check it out ... what appears to be a rubber or latex object shaped like 45's dome was kicked around at an exhibit at Superchief Gallery in Los Angeles last weekend. As you can see, participants dribbled and booted the facsimile of the former president's noggin in an indoor game.

The controversial art installation comes from the activist art collective INDECLINE ... best known for creating the jaw-dropping naked Trump statue that "Ghost Adventures" star Zak Bagans bought for a whopping $28K.

Travis Barker's daughter says she's not educated enough on the issues to cast a ballot this year ... and, she doesn't have the interest in politics to try to figure it out.

Alabama Barker -- TB's 18-year-old daughter, who he shares with Shanna Moakler -- took to Instagram Live Thursday to tell her followers she doesn't plan to vote in the November election.

Basically, Alabama says she's not educated on the issues ... and, even though she has some opinions on politics, she doesn't know enough to feel comfortable hopping in a voting booth next month.

The smashed-up Taylor Swift guitar has found a new home ... because someone bought the controversial item on eBay.

According to the e-commerce site, someone scooped up the guitar -- which was featured in a viral video at the end of September -- on Tuesday evening for a whopping $6,550 ... even amid doubts about the guitar's authenticity.

As TMZ previously reported ... Gary Estes, a Texas resident, spent $4,000 at a charity auction on a guitar advertised as bearing a Taylor Swift signature on it. Upon receiving the guitar at the auction, Gary was also handed a hammer ... and proceeded to smash it up.

Carole Baskin bought a home late last year ... with funds from her Big Cat Rescue org ... TMZ has learned.

Carole and her husband Howard got the Odessa, FL house for $895,000. The deed, obtained by TMZ, lists Big Cat Rescue as the property owner. There is no mortgage evident from the deed, so it appears the property was purchased outright with Big Cat Rescue funds.

BCR is a charitable org and Carole is the CEO. Carole tells TMZ, she bought the place after she and Howard sold their sanctuary/headquarters and moved the cats to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas.

Melania Trump is recalling the first time her now-husband, Donald, made a pass at her ... revealing 45 went about the flirtation in an unconventional way.

The former First Lady shared the memory in her memoir, titled "Melania," confessing Donald approached her at a 1998 Fashion Week party ... while on a date with someone else.

As Melania put it ... the former prez made his way over to her at the industry event, even though he was escorted by an "attractive blonde woman" that evening.

"American Horror Story" alum Naomi Grossman is coming to Ryan Murphy's defense amid the growing debate surrounding "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."

ICYMI ... the Menendez brothers have made it clear they aren't fans of the show, with EM previously bashing the Netflix drama as a "dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime."

Yet, when we caught up with Naomi in Santa Monica, California, she voiced her shock at the siblings' outrage ... since she felt the show painted Lyle and Erik as "total victims."

Chappell Roan was back at it, moaning and groaning -- this time airing out some old classroom drama as she went full savage mode at a former teacher, boldly dubbing her a "b****" onstage.

You gotta check out the clip -- Chappell took an expletive-filled detour while introducing her track "My Kink Is Karma" at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, yelling into her microphone, "I usually dedicate this song to my ex but I dedicate this song to my f****** theater teacher ... who kicked me out, b****! I'm here!"

A fan shared the star's no-nonsense statement online, tagging it with, “F*** the theater teacher that kicked out Chappell. We ride at dawn!"

Sally Field is opening up about her own "illegal" abortion experience ahead of the November election ... as she hopes her story will resonate with voters.

The Oscar winner shared her "traumatic" story in a video posted to Instagram Sunday evening, where she confirmed she got pregnant at 17 just after graduating high school.

As she put it ... she didn't have family support or finances to go through with the pregnancy, and so, a family doctor arranged to take her to Mexico so she could get an abortion.

Alec Baldwin's film "Rust" is gearing up for its world premiere at Poland’s EnergaCAMERIMAGE International Cinematography Film Festival next month ... but it’s being slammed as tone-deaf by industry peers of the late Halyna Hutchins.

Many are raising concerns about whether it’s appropriate to showcase the controversial Western at an event that Hutchins, who was from neighboring Ukraine, regularly attended -- since she died on the set of the film 3 years ago after being hit by a bullet fired from a loaded prop gun.

The festival -- which will also host a special panel to honor Halyna’s life -- promoted the upcoming premiere on IG with several stills from the movie -- but the comments section is anything but hyped for the event.

The creative director of Beyoncé's company, Parkwood Entertainment, is catching heat from a congressman ... who thinks an influencer allegedly promoting violence "has no business" shaping culture.

New York Congressman Ritchie Torres took to IG Sunday, posting a screen-cap of an earlier post by Andrew Makadsi depicting a man who reportedly set his arm on fire Saturday at a protest in Washington, D.C. ... Torres accuses Makadsi of glorifying the self-immolation of an anti-Israel activist.

Torres posted on the eve of October 7, which marks a year since Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 251.

Talk about a heavy topic for some late-night laughs ... "Saturday Night Live" went all in on Diddy, who’s currently behind bars on charges related to racketeering, sex trafficking and other serious crimes.

On the show's "Weekend Update" segment, Michael Che quipped alongside a pic of Diddy, “It was reported that the U.S. added 245,000 new jobs. Unfortunately, they were all 'Diddy accusers.'”

The audience erupted in laughter as Michael kept it rolling, saying, "It was announced that Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking case has been assigned to a new judge. One that Diddy hopes is cool with rapes."

Utah State is joining a growing list of schools forfeiting volleyball matches against San Jose State ... in an apparent protest against a transgender player.

The Aggies are the fourth program to boycott against the Spartans this season ... after it was claimed in a lawsuit, filed by former college swimmer Riley Gaines, that a member of the SJSU roster is a biological male.

Gaines notably competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the NCAA championships in 2022 ... and has since become an activist against trans women competing in women's sports.

Caitlin Clark's popularity is being used to catapult the WNBA's racism conversation to the forefront ... so says retired legend Sue Bird, who claims the negative treatment from fans has been an issue long before the Indiana Fever superstar was drafted.

Clark's fellow WNBA ballers have spoken out on their mistreatment numerous times this season ... which has led many to believe it's the new spectators she brought to the league that are majorly at fault for the hate.

Bird weighed in on the subject on her "A Touch More" podcast with her ex-USWNT superstar wife, Megan Rapinoe ... and she said given her 21 years in the league, she knows damn well Clark wasn't indirectly responsible -- she's just being used as a "pawn" in the situation.