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The "Big Brother" houseguest who got tossed, because he used the n-word, is NOT a racist ... according to his father, who says their family ties prove a lack of prejudice.

If ya missed it, Luke Valentine was booted this week after live feeds captured him using the racial slur in conversation with 2 other white houseguests, as well as a Black man. His dad, James, tells us his son's behavior was surprising and disappointing for a few reasons.

Luke's father says his son has many family members who are Black, including a stepmom and step-siblings, as well as biracial cousins ... and he says Luke is absolutely not a racist and was not raised in a racist family.

The dad says Luke's stepmother was also disappointed to hear him use the n-word on the live feeds, but we're told she feels he's a good kid regardless and they have a good relationship.

Luke's pops also says he's never heard Luke using the racial slur, and he believes his son was not intending to be racist, though he admits his kid said the wrong thing and has to be more mindful of what comes out of his mouth.

Needless to say, Thanksgiving's gonna be interesting.

TMZ broke the story ... CBS kicked Luke off the show the same day as the incident, telling us there's "zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur."

James says it's disappointing his son was kicked off the show, in part because he seemed to be enjoying himself, and the family wanted to see him on the program longer.

Tony Rock is ripping the white "Big Brother" houseguest who casually used the n-word in conversation ... setting the record straight on who can and can't use the racial slur.

We got the veteran comedian at LAX on Thursday and our photog asked him about Luke Valentine getting booted from 'BB' for dropping an n-bomb on the live feed.

Tony says no one named Luke Valentine should ever say the n-word ... and his rule of thumb is to refrain from using the slur unless you are a person of color.

Chris Rock's brother also finds it interesting Luke was so quick to apologize ... he says that should be a sign Luke should have known better in the first place. He also feels it's a trend whenever people or companies offend Black people.

Tony's fascinated by the reaction from Luke's fellow white houseguests to having the n-word dropped into a conversation ... he says the virtue signaling is in full effect.

'Big Brother 25' contestant Luke Valentine just got kicked out of the house after casually dropping the N-word in the middle of a conversation with other houseguests.

CBS and the reality show's producers tell TMZ ... "Luke violated the BIG BROTHER code of conduct and there is zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur. He has been removed from the house."

We're told Luke's departure will be addressed in Thursday's episode.

Wednesday morning's live feed captured Luke chatting with contests Jared, Cory, and Hisam as Luke says, "We were in the f****** (inaudible) room, n****."

Luke immediately tried to correct himself by saying "dude" ... and he laughs it off and later tells Jared, who is Black, that it was a slip of the tongue.

Jared didn't seem all too concerned with Luke using the slur, telling him ... "I don't give a f***" ... though it's possible Jared kept his cool for gameplay purposes.

'Big Brother 25' contestant Luke Valentine created a pretty tense situation after dropping the N-word mid-conversation with some fellow houseguests.

Luke was seen chatting on the live feeds early Wednesday morning with contestants Jared, Cory, and Hisam when he said, "We were in the f****** (inaudible) room, n****." Realizing his mistake immediately, Luke tries to correct himself by saying "dude" ... and laughs it off.

Cory and Hisam immediately tense up, and rightfully so ... Luke looks over to Jared, who's Black, before apologizing. It seemed to tick off Cory and Hisam, who definitely didn't laugh with him -- instead, they step out, leaving Luke alone with Jared.

Surprisingly, Jared doesn't seem all that concerned with the apparent slip-up -- it's possible he wanted to keep his cool for gameplay purposes -- later telling Luke, "I don't give a f***," in response to the slur.

White folks dropping the N-word on 'BB' has become a reoccurring theme ... it's happened quite a bit over the years, especially in 2018 when houseguest Kaitlyn said it while quoting Drake's "0 to 100."

BTW, producers just warned the cast about their language after 2 contestants were worried their tans would make them look "ghetto."

CBS has threatened to kick people off the show for situations just like Luke's ... but it's unclear if he'll be forced to pack his bags anytime soon.

Michael J. Fox says he doesn't think he's going to be around in 20 years as he continues to battle Parkinson's disease -- which is making his life more difficult by the day.

The beloved actor -- who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 -- sat down with CBS Sunday Morning for a new interview that's hard to watch ... because he says, in plain terms, he honestly doesn't think he's going to live past the age of 80 the way things are going.

Check it out ... MJF heartbreakingly describes how the disease continues to wear on his body -- which results in more accidents, falls, and injuries as he gets older. Despite this, he actually calls Parkinson's a gift ... albeit, one that keeps on taking, as he puts it.

Mike says he's fortunate to have resources around him to help him deal with it -- but notes, not many people have lived with Parkinson's for as long as he has ... over 30 years.

And yet, the guy continues to keep up an incredibly good attitude -- maintaining his sense of humor ... and carrying a positive outlook, big picture. There's a telling mantra he upholds -- with gratitude, optimism is sustainable. In other words, he says if you have something to be grateful for ... you have something to look forward to. And Fox says he's grateful for a lot.

There's a touching story he shares about watching "Back to the Future" recently on TV ... which he hadn't seen in years. As he took the movie in anew, he says his wife asked what he was doing, and he told her. He says he quipped to her, "I'm really good in it."

Kelsea Ballerini doesn't regret her groundbreaking performance alongside drag queens on national television, and it definitely wasn't a surprise to showrunners ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... the backlash Kelsea's getting for Sunday's CMT Music Awards moment -- having four "RuPaul’s Drag Race" queens come on stage during one of her performances -- is falling on deaf ears ... 'cause she doesn't regret it one bit.

We're told Kelsea fully stands by her decision to feature the drag queens ... which some folks in conservative circles have gone ballistic over -- accusing CMT of going woke.

FWIW, the drag queens' appearance was fully planned. Production sources tell TMZ ... both CMT and CBS were extremely supportive of the cameo and knew about it from the get-go ... we're also told they'd been part of rehearsals since Friday.

One of the drag queens, Manila Luzon, says it was actually Kelsea's idea to involve them -- and she did so cause she's an ally. Manila says the drag queens were super happy with how things went and appreciate the network heads for giving them a platform in front of a new type of audience.

ML adds ... country music is moving forward with the rest of the world. The performance was a celebration of love and a celebration of artistry.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sat down with "60 Minutes" -- something that has drawn the ire of some Dems -- but like it or not she now has power, and Lesley Stahl seemed incredulous as Greene doubled down on her view that Democrats are a party of pedophiles.

Greene points the finger at President Biden, claiming he backs "children being sexualized" by supporting transgender surgeries. Lesley's SHOCKED, but goes on to ask if she'd be able to do away with the name-calling while fighting her fight -- the response is ironic.

Lesley also put the Georgia Rep. on the spot by bringing up a comment she once liked on Facebook -- referring to Nancy Pelosi getting a bullet to the head -- she quickly denies that interaction, claiming she's not involved with everything presented on her social channels.

And check out her response to past comments the Parkland school shooting was fake.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is scheduled to be the next big guest on "60 Minutes" this weekend ... and Twitter sure ain't happy about it.

The controversial Georgia congresswoman was tapped as one of the big interviews on the weekly magazine news program, with none other than Lesley Stahl taking on the challenge of talking to her on camera. The official "60 Minutes" account teased their time together.

Their description of MTG was weirdly flattering ... at least that's how many took it, and it left a lot of folks sour. "60 Minutes" writes of Rep. Greene, "Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, nicknamed MTG, isn’t afraid to share her opinions, no matter how intense and in-your-face they are. She sits down with Lesley Stahl this Sunday on 60 Minutes."

Of course, political pundits and journos on the bird app have been crying foul for the past 24 hours ... openly wondering why CBS would think it's a good idea to sit down with Greene.

The reason they're asking, of course, is because MTG has, at times, apparently shown support for the Jan. 6 insurrection, displayed transphobia, advocated for a new national secession ... and continued to support President Trump, among many other issues.

For her part, Greene actually signaled that the interview went well ... shouting out Stahl for being a trailblazer in journalism, and for giving her fair questions. MTG wrote, "It was an honor to spend a few days with the legendary icon Leslie (sic) Stahl and talented crew @60Minutes. Leslie (sic) is a trailblazer for women in journalism. And while we may disagree on some issues, I respect her greatly. Tune in tomorrow 7 pm ET on CBS."

The Grammys wanted to honor Janet Jackson in a big way last weekend, but TMZ has learned those talks fizzled after discussions on how to address the way CBS treated Jackson after her infamous Super Bowl Halftime performance.

Sources connected to The Grammys tell us ... the Grammys wanted to bestow Janet with a Global Impact Award, but there was a snag. Recording Academy honchos wanted Janet to attend a pre-Grammy event with the Black Music Collective days before the main event to accept the award, but her schedule wouldn't allow it.

From there, we're told discussions pivoted to a way Janet could receive the honor during the actual broadcast, but that presented another problem ... CBS never made amends with Janet for making her persona non grata after the wardrobe malfunction.

It was Super Bowl XXXVIII, broadcast on CBS, when Justin Timberlake ripped Janet's top, revealing her breast. The network received a ton of flack over the incident, and CBS CEO  Les Moonves pulled Janet's invite to the Grammys that year.

Our sources say Janet's team and Grammy organizers began talking about ways CBS could either apologize or figure out a way to acknowledge how she was treated by the network, but things just got too complicated and talks ended.

Since Janet couldn't attend the Black Music Collective event, she didn't get the Global Impact Award. She also did not attend the Grammys ... fact is she hasn't been there in years.

Gayle King is weighing in on the T.J. Holmes/Amy Robach drama, calling the whole situation a "sloppy mess" -- but insists she's not gloating about her morning TV competition's crisis.

The "CBS Mornings" cohost dropped her 2 cents Thursday night on 'Watch What Happens Live' ... after Andy Cohen teed it up by asking what she thinks about "all hell breaking loose" at 'GMA.'

Gayle said, "I look at the situation and I say it's very interesting what's happening over there. It's just gotten very messy and very sloppy."

She gave ABC and 'GMA' execs props for their initial stance of letting 2 consenting adults remain on the air, but then added ... "The more you read, it's just very messy."

Gayle stopped short of accusing Amy and T.J. of cheating on their spouses -- an allegation they've denied -- but she did say, "I think, to me, it's just a sad situation because you've got kids involved, you've got families involved, and I keep thinking about that."

TMZ broke the story ... T.J. and Amy are still a couple one week after getting benched ... as ABC takes a deep dive into their romance, and whether they violated company policies.

CBS has started what could be a devastating ripple effect on Twitter ... hitting the pause button, indefinitely, on posting new tweets amid uncertainty under Elon Musk's stewardship.

The network's news division, CBS News, announced Friday it'd be suspending all Twitter activity from its official profiles as it continues to monitor things. CBS News says it's doing this out of an abundance of caution and in light of all the tumultuous updates.

Word of CBS News' decision was first reported Friday during that night's broadcast of "CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell," during which reporter Jonathan Vigliotti seemingly announced the move on behalf of the entire company. CBS confirmed it shortly thereafter.

Vigliotti was reporting on the rumored chaos at the bird app's HQ ... where a majority of employees are said to have quit recently, leaving Twitter as a bare-bones operation and at risk of completely shutting down. That hasn't happened quite yet, but the fear is there.

CBS News's last original tweet links to a story about ex-WH Press Sec. Jen Psaki's failed effort to quash a subpoena she's been roped into. The account also retweeted a TV segment discussing the DOJ's new special counsel investigating Trump. Both of those were posted almost a full 24 hours ago, and CBS News hasn't tweeted anything new since.

Ditto for local affiliates, it seems. KPIX -- the Bay Area's CBS News arm -- hasn't tweeted anything since yesterday either ... and that policy seems to apply to most, if not all, of CBS's stations across the country. We should note, they're still posting stories to their home pages.

The reason this is a big deal -- assuming it carries on for an extended amount of time -- is because Twitter has become the go-to source for news ... not just for users, but for news organizations themselves. A lot of outlets rely on Twitter to get news out quickly, not to mention the traffic captured as one of the key social media sites and the wide reach it carries.

CBS News refusing to tweet is a major statement, and if it catches on among other big publishers ... it could make Twitter even less relevant, sparking a true mass exodus.

"Survivor" alum and "The Challenge: USA" contestant Tyson Apostol thinks he could wipe the floor with the OG's of the MTV program ... but series staple Johnny Bananas thinks he has no clue what he's talkin' about.

We got Johnny in New York Tuesday at RiseNY ... and he thinks Tyson's claims aren't holding up -- adding the reality star is a little too new to the series to be yappin' his mouth.

Simply put -- Johnny doesn't think TA's ready to run with the big boys.

In case you missed it, Tyson's been a standout contestant on the CBS spinoff, but last month he called out a majority of the cast on Twitter ... saying the face-off would be a cakewalk.

"The Challenge: USA" -- wrapping its first season -- takes recognizable faces from "Big Brother," "Survivor" and other CBS shows and pits them against each other, just like MTV's does.

A "Big Brother" contestant is being accused of racism after some live feed footage was conveniently left out of the finished product.

The guy's name is Kyle Capener and he's one of the remaining house guests on the reality show's current season. There was uproar this week when the new episode aired on CBS, but some troubling comments he'd recently made during the 24/7 Internet feed were nowhere to be found.

Some fans think the network is covering his ass in an attempt to keep him around longer ... even though many feel he oughta be booted immediately.

As for what everyone's up in arms about -- there's one specific moment that's getting referenced a lot, a conversation Kyle had with another white contestant ... where he expressed concern about an alliance forming among the housemates of color.

He calls it a "cookout"-like collection of characters, and notes they've said they're in the house for ethnic representation on TV. With this in mind, he suggests to the other housemate they should form their own alliance ... what some have perceived as a "white" alliance.

Apparently, there are other comments he's made that some are calling "microaggressions" ... and they feel like the dude is straight-up racist, warranting producers axing him from the show entirely.

CBS hasn't commented on this controversy, but there's a disclaimer at the start of each episode that emphasizes the contestants are being filmed constantly ... and that they may say things that don't necessarily align with the company's values.

The "Big Brother" crew has been working hard to stop fans from revealing details to houseguests over their studio walls ... and it sounds like the extra efforts are paying off.

CBS has gone a solid 8 weeks with no disruptions at its L.A. studios, according to production sources. The security teams have been able to keep people FAR from the studio, unlike in previous seasons.

As we reported, CBS made the call to beef up security last season ... after fans showed up with bull horns, yelling over the wall to try and help certain houseguests.

In addition to CBS's security team AND a third-party company that has eyes on the space 24/7, we're told they've also planted production assistants around the area to keep watch.

We got pics of security and PAs near an area of the fence that would give easy access to the studio wall -- 6 people were posted at the spot.

This week has been even more essential to keep the wall yellers away -- half the house had to live in the backyard. Luckily, not a peep was heard from the outside world.

Two "Big Brother" contestants did the deed on a butterfly-shaped pool floatie ... but it doesn't sound like their evening of romance lasted very long!

Kyle and Alyssa are houseguests on the latest season of the reality show, and they've been hooking up, forming a showmance.

Things got hot and heavy in the "Have-Not" room -- the show swapped out beds with pool floaties on the hard floor ... but that didn't stop the two from getting it on.

After their hook up was over, Kyle jumps into apology mode -- confessing he lasted a grand total of 10 seconds.

Alyssa didn't seem to mind ... although she sounded a little embarrassed when talking to housemate Turner after.

She does, however, call the quickie a "really nice moment."

CBS and "Big Brother" missed a chance to highlight an LGBTQ couple by deciding NOT to air castmate Michael reading a letter from his fiancé, Hayden Middleton.

Here's the deal ... Michael won Head of Household this week, which means he gets a letter from a loved one, but CBS didn't air video of Michael reading the note to his fellow 'BB' players.

Hayden tells TMZ ... he's upset his letter was not heard on TV because it would have been a good opportunity to highlight a monogamous, committed relationship at a time when there is a lot of negativity directed at the LGBTQ community.

Hayden tells us he doesn't think there was any ill intent from CBS and 'BB' ... but he's still disappointed because the last two HOH winners had their letters featured on TV.

CBS does not air every letter to an HOH winner, and this year only 2 of the 5 HOH winner letters made the final cut.