3:19 PM PT -- The man who allegedly stormed NBC's "TODAY" show offices, lunged at Craig Melvinand called him the N-word is now facing a slew of hate crime charges ... TMZ has learned.
11:05 AM PT -- NBC News' TODAY tells TMZ ... "There was a security incident this morning at the TODAY show studio. An individual entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A. The person approached anchor Craig Melvin, who alerted security. The individual was detained and taken into custody by law enforcement without further incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured."
They continue ... "TODAY is cooperating fully with law enforcement as they investigate the matter. NBC and TODAY take the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously. We are reviewing the incident and our security protocols and remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios."
A terrifying security breach rocked the "TODAY" show Thursday morning ... a stranger breached security and stormed inside the building from the plaza before allegedly lunging at NBC host Craig Melvin.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the man was asking for Al Roker after somehow slipping past security. We’re told he couldn't find Roker and turned his attention to confront Craig in a restricted area and allegedly lunged at him while yelling the N-word at him.
We’re told the incident happened around 9 AM ET and that staff and security rushed in -- and the intruder was ultimately detained and arrested. The man, who we're told is white and was unarmed, had entered a stairwell and made his way backstage -- we're told near the dressing room, though where exactly is unclear.
Richard Pryor's daughter is opening up life as a kid of the legendary funnyman ... and one memory in particular is pretty messed up ... and it involves her mother, a fight, and a racial slur.
Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, Richard's third eldest child with Maxine Silverman, says in her new book, "Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me" that her white mom called her the N-word during an argument when she was just 12 years old.
That memory is seared into her mind ... and she says it was one of her earliest traumatic experiences as a biracial woman.
The Houston Police Department is investigating an officer who is going viral after apparently using a series of racial slurs in a shocking social media video.
Officer Ashley Gonzalez has been relieved of duty pending the results of an investigation, according to Click2Houston.com ... with HPD saying they are looking into a video where a woman, who is reportedly Gonzalez, is telling a story about her wallet almost being snatched.
In the video, the woman says the guy who tried to take her wallet was Black ... and she called him the n-word after she says she caught him.
Dan Bilzerian's standing by his very public assertion his opponent for a seat in Congress is a "fat Jew" ... and, yet, he's simultaneously insisting he's not antisemitic. Yeah, buckle up for this!
The former "King of Instagram" is running for U.S. Congress against Rep. Randy Fine in Florida's 6th Congressional District, and hurled the derogatory phrase on social media ... after Rep. Fine blasted a dude for putting up "missing" posters of Adolf Hitler.
We gave him the chance to explain himself Wednesday on "TMZ Live" ... and, while at first Bilzerian talked about his opposition to the nation of Israel, Harvey and Charles asked him specifically about the post on X.
After losing her job at HGTV for saying the N-word on camera, Nicole Curtis went on "The Breakfast Club" Tuesday only to receive even more backlash.
ICYMI ... a behind-the-scenes clip of the former "Rehab Addict" host blurting out "fart n****r" in a moment of frustration went viral and led to her firing.
In her 'Breakfast Club' discussion over the incident, Nicole tried to explain the gaffe by saying that she often uses terms like "fart digger" and "fart knocker," seeming to imply that she just accidentally combined the two.
Quentin Tarantino is making it crystal clear how he really feels about Rosanna Arquette criticizing his filmmaking ... and, turns out, he's got a few criticisms for her, too.
Tarantino slammed Rosanna for a "lack of class, no less honor” after she recently called him out for using the N-word in his films.
QT fired back Monday in a statement to Deadline, writing ... "I hope the publicity you’re getting from 132 different media outlets writing your name and printing your picture was worth disrespecting me and a film I remember quite clearly you were thrilled to be a part of?”
ICYMI ... the actress -- who had a minor role in Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" -- slammed the director while chatting with The Sunday Times, calling him "racist and creepy."
Rosanna tore into the filmmaker -- and the industry -- for letting him get away with using the slur, saying ... "I cannot stand that he has been given a hall pass."
This isn't the first time Tarantino has defended using the N-word in his movies.
Back in 2022 he went on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” and told critics to not even bother watching his films, saying ... "If you have a problem with my movies then they aren’t the movies to go see."
Delroy Lindo is addressing the racial slur that was heard during the BAFTA Film Awards last weekend while he and Michael B. Jordan were presenting onstage.
As we reported ... a man identified as Tourette's syndrome advocateJohn Davidsonshouted a racial slur from the audience last Sunday while Lindo and Jordan were at the podium. The remark was picked up on the live broadcast and immediately sparked outrage.
A Black high school basketball player is being met with an "outpouring of encouragement and support" after a fan hurled the N-word at him during a recent game ... and TMZ Sports has learned he's even back on the court, despite the ugly incident.
The disgusting moment happened in the second quarter of last week's Flint Metro League boys basketball semifinal game, when a Goodrich High School fan yelled a racist slur at a Flint Kearsley High player.
The incident, which was captured on a live stream of the game, predictably sparked outrage ... but also a whole bunch of love and support for the player, especially from his teammates, classmates, and the community.
Shocking and disturbing moment at a high school basketball game ... a student yelled the N-word at a Black player as he was shooting free throws, and it was all captured on video.
The racist moment happened last Tuesday during the Flint Metro League boys basketball semifinals matchup between Goodrich High School and Flint Kearsley High.
In the second quarter, a Kearsley player was preparing to set up to the charity stripe ... and that's when a fan from the Goodrich student section abruptly shouted the N-word.
The crowd immediately reacted, making it clear they were disgusted by the slur.
John Davidson's Tourette's tic -- which resulted in the disability activist screaming out a racial slur during an awards broadcast -- isn't necessarily about his true feelings coming out ... so says a reality star with firsthand knowledge of the disorder.
Baylen Dupree -- star of the hit show "Baylen Out Loud" -- released a statement Tuesday about Sunday's incident ... saying she felt she needed to say something as a person who deals with tics as well.
Baylen writes these verbal tics are not thoughts, opinions, or beliefs hidden deep beneath the surface -- they are involuntary impulses -- no different than a hiccup or a sneeze.
The BBC is under fire for failing to edit out the N-word from its broadcast of the BAFTAs ... though the organization has reportedly told employees it did catch another slur.
Here's the deal ... Kate Phillips -- the Chief Content Officer for the British Broadcasting Company -- sent an email to staff members apologizing that the racial slur involuntarily thrown at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo by Tourette's activist John Davidson wasn't edited out of the broadcast.
There's continued fallout from the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) N-word controversy ... a Black jury member just quit over the org's "utterly unforgivable" handling of the situation.
As we reported ... John Davidson was heard shouting the N-word during Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo's presentation Sunday night. Host Alan Cumming did his best to address the incident, but many people were still upset about what happened -- and demanded answers.
Jonte Richardson resigned Tuesday from BAFTA’s emerging talent judging panel ... making it clear the handling of the incident -- and initial lack thereof -- was unacceptable.
The Tourette's activist who created a firestorm when he shouted the N-word during the The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) has broken his silence.
As we reported ... John Davidson was heard shouting the N-word during Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo's presentation last night. Host Alan Cumming did his best to address the incident, but plenty were still heated about what happened -- and wanted answers.
John just released a statement, saying he appreciated Alan's mid-show announcement ... and, "I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me.”
The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) just issued another apology ... amid the mounting headlines of how they fumbled the handling of a racial slur shouted during the major award show.
As we reported ... Tourette Syndrome activist John Davidson was heard shouting the N-word during Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo's presentation last night. Host Alan Cumming did his best to address the incident, but plenty were still heated about what happened and how it was addressed.
Clearly, the Academy felt the heat ... because the organization just dropped a full-throated apology, saying in part ... "We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologize to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy."
Delroy Lindo is finally addressing that shocking moment at the BAFTAs -- and he’s making it clear he wasn’t thrilled with how it was handled.
The "Sinners" star says he wished someone from BAFTA personally checked in with him or Michael B. Jordan after Tourette Syndrome activist John Davidson yelled the N-word while they were onstage presenting at the BAFTAs Sunday evening.
Speaking to Vanity Fair at the Warner Bros. afterparty, Delroy said both he and Michael did what they had to do -- and that was keep it moving and calmly finish presenting their award.
