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President Biden is apparently one of the few people on Earth who hasn't seen the Will Smith slap by now -- and that's exactly why he can't say if it was wrong or right.

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said as much Tuesday during a press briefing, when she was asked about the Oscars confrontation by reporter Simon Ateba of Todays News Africa -- who asked if the White House condemns this violence?

You'd think it'd be an easy enough response -- yes, violence is never the answer, etc. -- but, Bedingfield refused to weigh in officially on behalf of the Prez and the administration, explaining Biden simply hadn't seen it yet -- so she couldn't respond.

If you think that's hard to believe, you aren't alone ... but Bedingfield said, "I know the President was not able to watch the Oscars -- didn't see it," adding, "So I don't have anything. I don't have any official comment from him or from the White House on this."

Ateba then kept it more broad about condemning violence in general, but even there ... Bedingfield waffled and refused to say one way or another, again explaining she had nothing official to offer on the matter.

46 had barely arrived in the U.S. from Europe on Sunday -- this after attending to Ukrainian refugees and meeting with troops/world leaders to discuss Russia throughout the past week -- so it's totally feasible he may not have watched it that day.

But, between Sunday and Tuesday, you gotta imagine he peeped a clip online somewhere -- as Ateba noted, it was indeed the biggest story at that point -- but the WH is clearly denying that ... which is a bit strange.

Facebook is determined to beat out its biggest rival, TikTok ... going so far as to hire a major political consulting firm to smear its competitor with an elaborate nationwide campaign.

Facebook's parent company, Meta, is paying Targeted Victory -- a GOP consulting firm -- to turn Americans against TikTok and ultimately steer young users back to FB ... according to the Washington Post.

In an internal email obtained by WaPo, one of the firm's directors says Targeted Victory needs to "get the message out that while Meta is the current punching bag, TikTok is the real threat, especially as a foreign-owned app that is #1 in sharing data that young teens are using."

The firm's tactics include targeting TikTok through op-eds and letters to the editor in regional news outlets, recruiting politicians, political reporters and public relations firms to help turn the public against TikTok and planting negative stories about the Chinese-owned app.

You might have seen some of the negative press ... like stories about the so-called "slap a teacher" TikTok challenge, which actually started on Facebook.

Targeted Victory is a huge digital consulting firm within GOP circles ... receiving $237 million in Republican campaign spending during the 2020 election cycle. It's unclear how much Meta is paying the firm.

The remains of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins have arrived in L.A. on the bands private plane, and the emotions from the group are palpable.

The plain-black casket was loaded onto the chartered 757 jet Tuesday at the El Dorado Airport in Bogota, Colombia ... he arrived at LAX later the same day.

Officials in Colombia released the body Sunday after an autopsy was completed. As we reported, authorities said just a day after Hawkins' death he had 10 substances in his system ... including opioids, tricyclic antidepressants, and benzodiazepines.

Hawkins was found dead in his hotel room in Bogota Friday, the same day the Foo Fighters were supposed to headline Stereo Picnic Festival in Colombia.

The band broke the news to fans, saying, "The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins. His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever."

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson should start cleaning out her drawers at the Court of Appeals, because she's headed to higher ground -- the U.S. Supreme Court.

Republican Senator Susan Collins just revealed she'll support the nom, which all but assures her confirmation. With a 50-50 split, Collins will provide the cushion so the Veep doesn't have to cast a tiebreaker. What's more, Collins could open the door for more Republican support, although don't count on it.

Collins said, "After reviewing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's extensive record, watching much of her hearing testimony, and meeting with her twice in person, I have concluded that she possesses the experience, qualifications, and integrity to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. I will, therefore, vote to confirm her to this position."

Collins met with Brown Tuesday for a second time, and said after the meeting that the Judge had provided clarification on certain issues ... unclear what those issues were.

"The Sopranos" actor Paul Herman has died ... and on his 76th birthday, no less.

Paul's former "Sopranos" castmate, Michael Imperioli, confirmed his death in an Instagram post calling Paul a great dude and "one hell of an actor".

He continued ... “Paulie lived around the corner from me the last few years and I am glad we got to spend some time together before he left us. I’ll miss him. Lots of love to his family, friends and community of actors and filmmakers.”

No cause of death has been disclosed yet.

Paul was well-known for his role as Peter "Beansie" Gaeta, who was a drug dealer turned Pizza shop owner on the HBO hit drama.

Herman will also be remembered for his notable roles in many other films, including "The Irishman" and "Goodfellas" ... clearly he was in with Martin Scorsese.

He also starred in "Silver Linings Playbook" and "American Hustle" ... both directed by David O. Russell.

Aside from all his big acting gigs, Paul and his brother Charlie ran a popular cafe in Manhattan that was frequented by actors, gangsters, dancers and even FBI agents in the '90s.

Paul was 76.

The doctor who Will Smith portrayed in the 2015 film "Concussion" says the actor's physical outburst at Sunday's Oscars ceremony isn't indicative of who he is, and thinks when the dust settles, Will's image will be untarnished.

Dr. Bennet Omalu -- portrayed by Smith -- tells TMZ ... the actor transformed his life for the better, noting he's one of the most beautiful people he's ever met. He says the incident with Chris Rock doesn't sully the actor's reputation ... it simply shows a more human side of him.

While the doctor doesn't condone violence, he thinks the slap was simply an impulsive act, which proved to viewers he isn't like other "superstars" ... he's way more authentic.

He also attributes the outburst to pressure ... with the looming question of who will win Best Actor no doubt on Will's mind. Dr. Omalu says he loves Smith even more after the incident.

Ezra Miller certainly doesn't seem to be making friends in Hawaii -- not only were they just arrested for a karaoke bar dispute -- cops were also called for another disturbance at a bar just weeks before.

In the video, shot earlier this month, you see "The Flash" star get denied entry to a bar -- with a female employee physically preventing them from going inside the Chinatown-area watering hole. A witness tells us the confrontation went down after Miller was kicked out of another establishment across the street.

Things got so contentious between Miller and the female staffer that cops were called, and more than half a dozen officers showed up.

You can see Miller chatting with officers before they asked the actor to leave ... law enforcement sources say EM was given a trespass warning, but they were not arrested.

As we reported, Ezra was arrested Monday for disorderly conduct and harassment after an incident at a bar in Hilo on the Big Island. Cops say they responded to a report of a disorderly patron at a pub ... officers were told Ezra became agitated when folks at the bar started singing karaoke.

Ezra allegedly hurled obscenities and grabbed the mic from a woman who was singing ... and cops say they were told EM also lunged at a guy playing darts and refused multiple requests from the bar owner to calm down.

Apple Watts, former star of "Love & Hip Hop," is still fighting for her life after a violent car crash sent her to the hospital with severe injuries.

Sources close to Apple tell TMZ ... the wreck left her with 2 breaks in her neck, a shattered arm and a brain injury. While we're told she's able to breathe on her own, she's still getting oxygen in hopes it helps with the healing process.

We're told she still has not opened her eyes or been able to verbally communicate. Doctors are doing what they can ... she underwent a successful surgery Tuesday night on her neck.

As we reported, Apple was driving on the freeway last week in Baker, CA when her Mercedes collided with a Ford F250 pickup truck. Her car flipped multiple times, bursting into flames before it came to a stop.

The 36-year-old was pulled from the wreckage by the passenger of the truck and was life-flighted to a hospital in Nevada to be treated for her injuries.

Matt Stafford ain't letting Odell Beckham Jr. and Aaron Donald leave L.A. without a fight -- the Rams quarterback tells TMZ Sports he's "doing what I can" to keep the stars on his team.

Both dudes could be headed toward the exit door this offseason -- OBJ is a free agent and AD is pondering retirement -- but when we got Stafford out in Beverly Hills this week ... he told us he's recruiting the guys hard to stay for the 2022 season.

In fact, Stafford joked with us that he was out shopping for gifts for them to try to get them to return to L.A.

As for how the recruiting is going, Matt seemed optimistic about getting the two back -- but he did add, "you're going to have to ask those guys" about their future plans.

We also asked Stafford about the return of Tom Brady ... and it's not hard to tell he's surprised the Buccaneers star is still making magic happen at 44 years old.

"It's crazy that he can still do it," Stafford said, "but he's doing it good."

Actress Elaine Hendrix put us all in our seats when she played Meredith Blake like a true boss in "The Parent Trap" --  back in 1998.

With her iconic wardrobe and her disdain for children, she shared the screen with lead actress Lindsay Lohan, Natasha Richardson and of course was gold diggin' her way to Nick Parker's heart -- played by Dennis Quaid.

We must applaud her performance in the 1999 film "Superstar" playing the character Evian ... another sassy role that she nailed.

"And for your 4-1-1," she is still serving us diva greatness today on the series "Dynasty" playing Alexis Carrington Colby -- a character Elaine brought back to life.

O.J. Simpson apparently sees a little bit of himself in Will Smith after his Oscars slap -- saying that he, too, wanted to put hands on people back when he was in the spotlight.

The Juice sounded off on the whole saga, and his main takeaway is in his Twitter caption ... "He was wrong but I understand the sentiment." In the video, he elaborates ... explaining, yeah, Will made a mistake -- but he kinda sympathizes with him.

Check it out ... O.J. says he's also been through a lot of "crap," and on the other side of that -- presumably in reference to his acquittal in the '90s -- was often the butt of tons of jokes.

He makes no bones about how he felt about those "O.J. routines," saying he wanted to "b-slap" at least a couple of those comedians -- but acknowledges he restrained himself, almost drawing the contrast between him and Will ... which, to many, is the ultimate irony.

Bottom line ... O.J. defends Chris Rock here, saying it's comedy -- and no matter how it makes you feel, you (and Will by extension) have to accept it.

Now, here's the kicker ... O.J. theorizes that if he woulda pulled the same stunt after his Las Vegas arrest/conviction -- he believes he would've gotten life in prison without the possibility of parole, seemingly pointing out that Will's getting a pass because he's Will Smith.

The teenager who fell to his death in an Orlando amusement park was wearing a safety harness that was still locked after the tragedy ... according to Florida officials.

The new detail comes from an accident report that claims 14-year-old Tyre Sampson came out of his seat when "magnets engaged" during the free-fall ride's rapid descent. Here's the puzzling part ... Florida officials say Tyre was wearing his safety harness and it "was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped."

The report, first obtained by People, says Tyre died from "multiple injuries and trauma."

As we previously reported, the terrifying incident happened last week when the Missouri teen fell from the "Orlando Free-Fall" ride, which stands 430 ft. tall.

The ride, which just opened in December, reportedly plummets at 75 mph.

Tyre's family has reportedly raised concerns he was too big for the ride ... or so they believe after checking the ride's safety manual.

While there's lots of POVs on Will Smith's slap -- one person has a take we haven't heard, and that'd be Bill Maher ... who sees it as a microcosm of society at large these days.

We got the HBO host and legendary comic Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and he kept it as honest as ever when dishing his thoughts on the whole Oscars saga. Long story short ... BM seems to think Will's reaction was literally faux Twitter outrage encapsulated in, well, 'Real Time.'

Check out Bill's perspective ... because it really feels spot-on as far as what exactly happened, or at least what we all saw anyway.

Bill gives the play-by-play, explaining that Will laughed at Chris Rock's "G.I. Jane" joke at first -- apparently finding some humor in it, or so it would seem -- but then changing his tune on a dime, which looked to be in direct response to how Jada Pinkett reacted ... AKA, not well.

It was then that Will got up and did what he did, which Bill says was a total overreaction -- not dissimilar from what he believes a lot of Twitter justice warriors do on the daily.

In his mind, a lot of folks might think something is funny at first (privately) but then look around the room and realize they aren't "allowed" to actually feel that way ... and then pivot accordingly, oftentimes resulting in overblown indignation.

That's what Bill thinks Will's episode amounted to -- him realizing Jada was more offended than he was, and taking on her cause in the most outrageous way possible ... going up and striking Chris, whom Bill defends to no end here -- even calling him the "hero" of the day.

There's more that Bill gets into here with us ... including the fact that he was actually at the same after-party that Will and co. eventually flocked to, and he's got some tea about how a prominent figure in the Black community analyzed Chris' reaction ... or lack thereof.

The show will not go on for the Foo Fighters after Taylor Hawkins' death ... not for now, at least.

The band just announced it's pulling the plug on its current tour, saying ... "It is with great sadness that Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother Taylor Hawkins. We're sorry for and share in the disappointment that we won't be seeing one another as planned."

The band had more than 50 shows scheduled for the rest of 2022 -- with dates through The United States, Canada, France, The UK, Australia and others.

The announcement comes 5 days after Taylor was found dead in his Bogota, Colombia hotel room. Dave Grohl and co. had been touring South America, headlining several Lollapalooza festivals around the continent.

As we reported, they returned to L.A. over the weekend ... when they'd been scheduled to play Lollapalooza Brazil. We didn't know when, or if, they'd feel ready to return to the road, but they're putting an end to any speculation.

The band says this isn't the time to worry about their next concert ... "Instead, let's take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we've made together."

Chael Sonnen allegedly threw a woman into a light fixture and struck her -- causing her to bleed from her face -- during a wild fight in a Las Vegas hotel in December 2021 ... according to new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. say they responded to the Four Seasons Hotel on Dec. 18 regarding an alleged fight between Sonnen and several other people, including security guards.

Cops in the documents say a Four Seasons Engineer told them the altercation all started as he was coming out of a room.

Cops say the man said as soon as he opened the door, Sonnen punched him in the jaw. Officers say the man told them he then closed the door and called for security.

Police in the documents say, though, that a short time later ... a couple told them they encountered Sonnen outside of the room and the former UFC star got aggressive immediately.

Cops say Christopher Stellpflug and his wife, Julie Stellpflug, told them Sonnen -- who was apparently wearing a white robe and a partially bloodied T-shirt -- knocked a glass out of Christopher's hand.

Then, cops say the couple told them, Sonnen flew off the handle, attacking Christopher and throwing him to the ground and hitting him repeatedly. Cops say Julie told them he then turned his attention toward her after she tried to intervene.

In the docs, the officers say Julie told them Sonnen threw her against a light fixture and socked her in the face. Christopher, according to police, told them the strike caused Julie's lip to split and bleed.

Cops say a witness on the scene told them security eventually arrived, but Sonnen punched the guard in the throat. Police say the witness was then attacked, with the man saying Sonnen elbowed him in the chest several times and shoved him.

In the documents, police say the fight was eventually broken up ... and when they questioned Sonnen about it all, they say the former pro fighter told them he "did not have memory of anything."

According to the docs, Sonnen told them he and his wife took a sleeping pill hours before the alleged altercation and he "could not recall anything else."

As we previously reported, Sonnen has since been hit with 11 charges -- including felony battery by strangulation -- over the incident. He's also been sued by the Stellpflugs, who claim they both suffered concussions in the alleged attack.

Jim Carrey is verbalizing what a lot of people have on their minds after Hollywood collectively gave Will Smith a standing ovation following his Chris Rock slap ... saying the whole thing was disgraceful.

The comedian and actor tore into everyone who got on their feet Sunday after Will won for Best Actor ... and after delivering a lengthy and emotional speech, which touched on both his work in "King Richard," but also seemed to address the slap moment just minutes earlier.

Check out Jim's take, he's got some pretty choice words while chatting with CBS's Gayle King -- calling the Academy/the attendees "spineless" ... and showing how stars often preach one thing but demonstrate another.

He doesn't finish there ... Jim says if he were in Chris' shoes, he'd sue Will.

JC went on to call the whole thing sickening and sad, especially since it overshadowed pretty much the entire ceremony and everyone else who went on to win that night. And, as many have since argued -- Will could've opted for any other way to express his objection to Chris' words ... but that he had no right to resort to violence.

Jim also pointed out that there seemed to be something deeper bothering Will -- beyond just the joke about his wife's hair loss -- and it would appear most agree with that as well ... in other words, this was about way more than just being offended over a tasteless crack.

As we've reported, Will finally apologized to Chris and to everyone else -- but he did it in a social media statement ... as of Monday, our sources said the two had not spoken personally.