Controversial S#!T

Phoebe Bridgers had a strong message for the guy who used to run the Grammys -- even though he ain't dead yet ... she wished an awful farewell in the afterlife once his day comes.

The singer shared her harsh words Sunday night while talking to the press backstage after her group boygenius' big win ... taking a moment to single out Neil Portnow -- the former CEO of the Recording Academy -- and his infamous sentiment from a few years ago.

Check out what Phoebe had to say about NP's note to women in the music industry 5 years ago -- when he told them they should "step up" if they wanted to be nominated more. She said she hopes he "rots in piss" once he dies ... a twisted take on RIP, obviously.

Safe to say ... PB hasn't forgotten that, not to mention the fact that he's embroiled in a lawsuit that alleges he sexually assaulted a woman -- something he's adamantly denied.

Nevertheless, Phoebe unloaded on him ... highlighting her win, and the fact the Academy seems to have turned the page from Portnow, and that there's more female artists being nominated than perhaps ever before.

Portnow hasn't addressed her comments ... and he's been out of the spotlight for a while now, having exited his role as top dog at the Grammys in 2018 with Harvey Mason Jr. replacing him.

Jay-Z kept it real at the Grammys -- during his acceptance speech, he defended Beyoncé ... suggesting she oughta have more wins herself, including the long-elusive top prize.

The Roc Nation honcho was given an honorary statuette Sunday night dubbed the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award -- and Hov went up there to accept with his daughter, Blue Ivy, by his side ... and with Bey looking on from the audience.

Jay-Z went on to address his history with the Grammys -- including feelings he's experienced over the years where he thought it'd be worth boycotting, for one reason or another.

That led him to basically get to the point that he and his contemporaries just want the Grammys to get it right ... even if it's not perfect, the Recording Academy can at least strive toward being better -- and he suggested the award show had gotten better in recent years.

Then came some tension ... Jay singled out Beyonce and said some things the Grammy voters do doesn't make sense -- including giving her the most Grammy awards ever (Bey holds the record at 32 total) ... but not giving her the crème de la crème, Album of the Year.

Jay harped on this point a little longer ... saying one thing doesn't track with the other.

It was a little awkward, no doubt -- because he basically articulated a gripe Beyoncé fans have long aired out about her continuously being snubbed at the Grammys ... including as recently as last year, when Harry Styles took ATOY over 'Renaissance.'

Her loyal base has been outraged before, but now ... it's obvious that it bothers Jay -- and, presumably, Bey herself as well. Jigga wasn't done airing his grievances just yet though.

Jay went on to say that some people there in the building will go home feelin robbed -- and in some cases, he said they may be right ... but in others, not so much. In fact, Jay said some of the artists that were nominated didn't even deserve to be in the category.

That spurred a chorus of oohs/ahhhs, but he didn't name any names. It was spicy, though.

Anyway, Jay spoke his piece and made it known -- he thinks Bey should be more celebrated than she already is ... and his advice to her (and others) was to just to keep showing up.

Shane Gillis is finally going to take the "Saturday Night Live" stage ... four years after he was fired for racist comments before his first episode.

The controversial comedian will host the show on February 24 alongside musical guest 21 Savage -- a little over four years after he was fired from the program after jokes featuring racist and homophobic slurs came to light.

As we previously reported ... SG was hired back in 2019 before a comment he made on "Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast" the previous year. You can watch the clip above ... it's pretty demeaning language.

Obviously, this comment caused a firestorm ... with an 'SNL' spokesperson saying Lorne Michaels and other execs had sat down with Shane and decided he wasn't the right fit for the show.

Shane responded at the time with the statement, "I'm a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you're going to find a lot of bad misses." He also said he'd personally apologize to anyone who was offended.

Bowen Yang -- the prominent Asian American cast member of the iconic sketch show, who was hired the same year as Shane and is still on the show -- said he was going to sit down with Shane after the decision was made.

Yang will almost certainly appear alongside Gillis in the episode ... unclear if their convo ever went down or how he feels about the embattled comedian.

FWIW ... Gillis hasn't stopped saying controversial jokes over the years -- though perhaps they aren't as inflammatory as his 2018 comments.

However, he's still got fans up in arms over his hosting gig ... with many taking to social media to blast the NBC staple for allowing Shane the platform.

We'll have to wait and see if Shane addresses his firing on the show in a few weeks.

Shane Gillis finalmente va a subir al escenario de "Saturday Night Live" cuatro años después de haber sido despedido por comentarios racistas antes de su primer episodio.

El polémico comediante será el anfitrión del show el 24 de febrero junto al invitado musical 21 Savage, un poco más de cuatro años después de que fue despedido del programa después de que salieran a la luz chistes con insultos racistas y homofóbicos.

Como informamos anteriormente, el comediante fue contratado en 2019 antes de un comentario que hizo en "Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast" el año anterior. Puedes ver el clip arriba... es un lenguaje bastante degradante.

Obviamente, este comentario causó una tormenta de fuego, con un portavoz de "SNL" diciendo que Lorne Michaels y otros ejecutivos se habían sentado con Shane y decidieron que no era el adecuado para el programa.

Shane respondió en ese momento con la siguiente declaración: "Soy un cómico que va más allá de los límites. A veces fallo. Si repasas mis 10 años de comedia, la mayoría de ellos malos, encontrarás muchos fallos". También dijo que se disculparía personalmente con quien se sintiera ofendido.

Bowen Yang -el destacado miembro asiático-americano del elenco del icónico programa de sketches, que fue contratado el mismo año que Shane y sigue en el programa- dijo que iba a sentarse con Shane después de que se tomara la decisión.

Yang es casi seguro que aparecerá junto a Gillis en el episodio y no está claro si su conversación fue en torno a cómo se siente respecto a la participación del comediante.

Gillis no ha dejado de decir chistes polémicos los últimos años, aunque tal vez no son tan inflamatorias como sus comentarios de 2018.

Sin embargo, todavía tiene a los fanáticos en armas por su actuación como anfitrión, con muchos tomando las redes sociales para arremeter contra NBC por permitirle participar a Shane.

Tendremos que esperar y ver si Shane aborda su despido en el programa en unas pocas semanas.

Kanye West is free to spew antisemitic hate because at this point it's safe to say he will never be canceled ... at least that's the feeling among some people in entertainment.

As part of our new documentary on Kanye -- premiering Monday at 9/8c on FOX -- we asked Bill Maher, The Game and Angela Yee if cancel culture will ever come for Ye ... and the answer is a resounding "NO" -- for several reasons.

Bill says the Angel of Death seems to simply pass over Kanye's house ... pun intended .. because others in Hollywood have had their careers derailed for much less egregious behavior.

The Game says it's all about Kanye's mentality ... telling us Ye doesn't fear cancel culture and thus can't fall victim ... no matter what he says, about Jewish people or otherwise.

For Angela, Kanye's already blown way past the line in the sand and at this point he would have to do something truly horrific, like committing a crime for example, to truly be canceled.

Kanye West es libre de vomitar todo el odio antisemita que desee porque a estas alturas es casi seguro decir que nunca será cancelado, al menos ese es el sentimiento entre algunas personalidades del mundo del entretenimiento.

Como parte de nuestro nuevo documental sobre Kanye, que se estrena el lunes a las 9/8c en FOX, le preguntamos a Bill Maher, The Game y Angela Yee si la cultura de la cancelación vendría alguna vez por Ye y la respuesta es un rotundo "NO", por varias razones.

Bill dice que el Ángel de la Muerte parece simplemente pasar por encima de la casa de Kanye, lo que es un juego de palabras porque otros en Hollywood han visto sus carreras descarriladas por un comportamiento mucho menos atroz.

The Game dice que todo recae sobre la mentalidad de Kanye. Nos dice que Ye no tiene miedo de la cultura de la cancelación y, por lo tanto, no puede ser víctima. No importa lo que diga sobre el pueblo judío o de cualquier tipo.

Para Angela, Kanye ya ha sobrepasado los límites y en este punto tendría que hacer algo realmente horrible, como cometer un crimen, por ejemplo, para ser realmente cancelado.

Alyssa Milano's responding to claims she got Shannen Doherty fired from "Charmed" way back in the early 2000s ... well, kinda.

The actress -- who played Phoebe Halliwell on 178 episodes of "Charmed" from 1998 to 2006 -- hit the stage at 2024 MegaCon Orlando Friday to talk about the hit show ... and, of course, Shannen Doherty's controversial comments came up.

ICYMI ... Doherty hopped on her podcast titled "Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty" back in December and spoke with former costar Holly Marie Combs about their experiences on the show -- and with Milano.

Among the many stories -- Holly said Alyssa went to the producers and laid down an ultimatum ... axe Shannen or she'd quit and sue "Charmed" for being a hostile workplace which led to Doherty's unceremonious exit.

Obviously, fans needed to get an answer from Alyssa, and they got one ... just one that completely skirted the claims themselves.

Check out the video taken by a fan at the convention and posted to YouTube. Alyssa starts by saying she wants to address the elephant in the room, but she basically avoids the tusks and trunk entirely.

Instead of answering the claims directly, Milano kept reiterating how "sad" she was by all of the "toxicity" surrounding the show before saying she was upset "people can’t move past it. And I’m sad that we all can’t just celebrate the success of a show that meant so much to all of us."

It seems Milano did get choked up while saying her piece, appearing to brush away tears onstage ... but she didn't clear up what happened with Doherty's exit, and the whole thing actually makes it seem like Milano may have done exactly what SD accused her of.

BTW ... Alyssa's active on Twitter -- retweeting a couple posts about her comments at the convention, but not adding any new info as of yet.

Shannen's still got her podcast though ... so maybe another Alyssa Milano-filled episode coming soon?

Britney Spears' recent post deserves another look ... 'cause it seemed like an innocent throwback with her sis, but it might've been a coded dig at her mom.

The 42-year-old singer-songwriter took to Instagram Saturday afternoon to share a sweet pic from back in the day with her sister Jamie Lynn Spears ... showing BS in a black turtleneck with JLS pulling off 2000s chic in her brown cap and bright orange T.

Brit captioned the pic, "Throwback!!! I can't stop laughing" followed by some laughing emojis. She even went as far as tagging her sister in the caption ... so it seems the two may even still be on speaking terms!

However, another family member was also in the photo, but didn't make the cut on Spears' IG grid ... 'cause Lynne Spears is off to the left in the actual pic!

Here's the full photo from way back in 2002 ... and there's Lynne in the bright red top, pearly-white smile on her face.

So why didn't she make the cut on Instagram ... there are any number of innocuous reasons for the exclusion like Britney only wanted to show her and Jamie's faces -- both of which are highlighted by rather funny expressions. Or, perhaps, the full pic wouldn't fit on Insta, so Britney was forced to cut Lynne out.

But, with all the turmoil in Brit's family from the past -- and the fact that Spears didn't even mention cutting her mom out in the caption -- it's always possible the two had another falling out despite their attempts at reconciliation.

We broke the story ... Britney and Lynne started working through their issues weeks before Mama Spears attended her daughter's 42nd birthday celebration at the beginning of December.

Everything seemed to be heading down the right path ... with Lynne expressing hope her daughter would come to Lousiana for Christmas to keep the good times rolling.

Since then though, we haven't heard a peep ... which suggests the wheels may have fallen off their relationship though we certainly don't know anything for sure.

On a brighter note ... Jamie Lynn seems to be back in Britney's good graces! We knew a reconciliation between the two was also taking place back in December though the actress wouldn't tell us anything when we caught up with her at LAX.

So, it seems we'll just have to wait and see if Lynne has anything to say about getting the axe from Brit's pic.

Los arrebatos de Kanye West han llevado a algunas personas a cuestionar su aptitud como padre, incluso algunos se han preguntado si Kim Kardashian debería poner límites en las interacciones de su exmarido con sus 4 hijos, aunque otros dicen que sería indignante restringirle los encuentros con ellos.

Como saben, Ye ha soltado numerosos comentarios antisemitas, ha dicho que se identifica con Adolf Hitler y que teme el "adoctrinamiento" judío de sus hijos. Se opone también a que los niños vayan a una "escuela judía".

Ahora en un nuevo TMZ Investiga, que se emitirá el lunes en FOX a las 9/8 central, diversos expertos en psicología y amigos de Kanye compartirán sus pensamientos sobre cómo la pareja está cuidando de sus hijos.

Uno de ellos es el Dr. Kevin Cokley, profesor de Psicología en la Universidad de Michigan, quien piensa que Kim necesita sentar a sus hijos y tratar de hacerles entender que pueden amar a su padre sin aprobar todo lo que dice.

Otros, entre ellos The Game, dicen que es absurdo preocuparse por Kanye y sus hijos. Game dice que Kanye los ama más de lo que se ama a sí mismo.

Aunque algunos pueden querer que Kim le prohíba a Kanye ver a sus dos hijos y dos hijas, sobre todo porque lucha con un trastorno de bipolaridad, el psiquiatra Dr. Kyle Smith dice que una persona no puede proteger a sus hijos de todo.

Smith dice que siempre y cuando Ye no está poniendo en peligro a los niños no es diferente de otros padres que tienen prejuicios, y eso es un grupo grande.

Kanye West's outbursts have led some people to question his fitness as a parent ... even wondering if Kim Kardashian should put guardrails on her ex-husband's interactions with their 4 kids, while others say it would be outrageous to curtail Ye's interactions with his children.

As you know ... Ye's spouted off numerous antisemitic comments -- saying he identifies with Adolf Hitler, fears Jewish "indoctrination" of his children, and is opposed to the kids going to a "Jewish school."

Now, in a new TMZ Investigates on FOX Monday night at 9/8 central ... experts in psychology, Kanye's friends, and others share their thoughts on how the couple is raising their kids.

One such expert is Dr. Kevin Cokley -- a Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan -- who thinks Kim needs to sit their kids down and try to get them to understand they can love their father without approving of everything he says.

Others, including The Game, say it's absurd to worry about Kanye and his kids ... Game says Kanye loves them more than he loves himself.

Though some may want Kim to stop Kanye from seeing their two sons and two daughters -- especially as he struggles with bipolar disorder ... psychiatrist Dr. Kyle Smith says a person can't shield their kids from everything.

Smith says as long as Ye's not endangering the children ... Kanye is no different than other parents who have prejudices ... and that's a big group.

Don Lemon says Taylor Swift could put Donald Trump through a very cruel summer ... 'cause, if she wants to, he thinks she could swing the election in President Biden's favor.

We caught up with the former CNN anchor Friday at LAX where he warned MAGA supporters to keep an eye on just how involved the singer-songwriter opts to be during this presidential campaign.

Lemon says TS wields a ton of power and influence, and while she's not exactly his generation ... he gives her all the props for fighting for her catalog and becoming a self-made billionaire.

As we reported ... members of Trump's inner circle are reportedly ready to go to "holy war" with Taylor if she decides to endorse President Biden -- as she did in 2020 -- but Don thinks it will take more than one-liners to combat her impact on the election.

Translation: underestimating her could sink DT's White House dreams.

This all falls in line with what FOX11 political reporter/anchor Elex Michaelson said on "TMZ Live" earlier this week ... warning Trump's going toe-to-toe with Swift, and Swifties, is a risky strategy.

Although, he does see a scenario where Swift ends up helping both candidates -- basically, Trump could use a Taylor endorsement for Biden to blast Hollywood elitism, and mobilize his supporters to get out and vote.

There has been a vocal minority hating on T-Swift ... even celebs like Plies, who are getting tired of seeing her all over their TVs when they're watching a football game -- so it's not far-fetched to imagine that hate motivating Trump backers.

Jake Gyllenhaal came under a microscope this week after reports surfaced about alleged erratic behavior on a movie set ... but now, the film's director's clearing the air.

Here's the deal ... director Thomas Bidegain spoke with the French magazine Technikart last week where he discussed his movie "Suddenly" -- which, at one time, had Gyllenhaal and Vanessa Kirby attached before both allegedly dropped out during pre-production.

The interview detailed several alleged frenzied episodes involving Gyllenhaal ... like demanding a car that was neither "red or white," rehearsing in a ridiculous accent like the Pepé Le Pew accent, and stripping down to his undies before launching himself into the freezing ocean -- all of which was being mocked and widely discussed on social media.

Ultimately though, all of it might not be true -- 'cause while Bidegain refused to comment on the validity of those stories, he did tell Variety his issue came from creative differences with JG and VK rather than any unprofessional behavior.

TB explains it like this ... the film was still very early in the process, not shooting and not even in pre-production yet like Technikart suggested. This was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, so the creative team had only spoken over Zoom when Thomas pitched the idea of meeting as a group in Iceland for a week to work on the project.

The French director said he thought they all were on the same page, but quickly realized their visions weren't in sync when they started breaking down the script together ... Kirby and Gyllenhaal apparently had entirely different opinions on the story's meaning and themes.

Bidegain says he peaced out on the trip after four of the seven days when he realized it wouldn't be a fruitful partnership ... with Thomas noting he'd never worked with an actor-producer like Gyllenhaal before ... and that, he says, created challenges.

Vanessa later contacted Bidegain about purchasing the script, Thomas claims, but he wouldn't sell ... instead making the movie with French actors -- as they seemed more in tune with his vision.

Thomas is more diplomatic in his response now ... saying he wanted to make the movie his own way. We'll admit though ... what he's quoted as claiming against Jake in the OG article is ... a little wild. BTW, this movie of his finally came out last year.

In any case, it's all water under a bridge, it seems ... and there's a lesson in this.

Jake Gyllenhaal estuvo bajo la lupa esta semana luego de que surgieran informes sobre un supuesto comportamiento errático en el set, pero ahora el director está aclarando las cosas.

Esta es la cuestión, el director Thomas Bidegain habló con la revista francesa Technikart la semana pasada sobre su película "Suddenly" que tuvo a Gyllenhaal y Vanessa Kirby antes de que ambos supuestamente abandonaran la pre-producción.

La entrevista detalla varios episodios supuestamente frenéticos que involucran a Gyllenhaal, como exigir un carro que no era ni "rojo ni blanco", ensayar en un acento ridículo como el de Pepé Le Pew, y desnudarse hasta quedar en ropa interior para sumergirse en el océano helado, todo lo cual fue objeto de burlas y ampliamente discutido en las redes sociales.

En última instancia, todo esto podría no ser verdad, porque aunque Bidegain se negó a comentar la validez de esas historias, le dijo a Variety que su problema provenía de diferencias creativas en lugar de cualquier comportamiento poco profesional.

Thomas Bidegain lo explica así: la película todavía estaba en una etapa muy temprana, no había rodado ni pre producido siquiera, como sugirió Technikart. Esto fue en plena pandemia, por lo que el equipo creativo solo había hablado por Zoom cuando Thomas lanzó la idea de reunirse en Islandia durante una semana para trabajar en el proyecto.

El director francés dijo que pensaba que todos estaban en la misma página, pero rápidamente se dio cuenta de que sus visiones no estaban alineadas cuando empezaron a desglosar el guion juntos. Al parecer, Kirby y Gyllenhaal tenían opiniones totalmente distintas sobre el significado y los temas de la historia.

Bidegain dice que abandonó el viaje después de cuatro de los siete días, cuando se dio cuenta de que no sería una asociación fructífera. Thomas señaló que nunca había trabajado con un actor-productor como Gyllenhaal antes y que eso creó desafíos.

Vanessa más tarde se puso en contacto con Bidegain sobre la compra del guion, dice Thomas, pero él le habría dicho que no lo vendería y en lugar haría la película con actores franceses, ya que parecía más en sintonía con su visión.

Thomas es más diplomático en su respuesta ahora y dice que quería hacer la película a su manera. Sin embargo, hay que admitir que lo que afirma contra Jake en el artículo de OG es... un poco descabellado. Por cierto, esta película suya finalmente salió el año pasado.

En cualquier caso, todo es agua pasada y se puede sacar una lección.

2:09 PM PT -- Ayo Edebiri stood shoulder to shoulder with Jennifer Lopez for a new 'SNL' promo that just dropped -- and it's hard to say if there's any sour feelings between them after this pod news dropped.

Check out the three promos that were just uploaded on the 'SNL' page ... it's Ayo standing in the middle with Jen to her right and Heidi Gardner (a cast member) to her left. They rattle off some lines, and the first take seems to show Jen and Ayo expressing their mutual fandom.

Like we said, there's no true way to tell if Jen's mad -- the body language is pretty neutral. It's possible they shot these before the news dropped ... so we'll see how Saturday goes!

Well, this is awkward ... Ayo Edebiri eviscerated Jennifer Lopez's talents 4 years ago -- well before she was super famous -- and now ... the 2 of them are doing 'SNL' together.

The 'Bear' star is this weekend's host, and Jenny is the musical guest -- so you gotta imagine her resurfaced comments could make it a little bit awkward during rehearsals ahead of the big show tomorrow night.

Ayo was featured on a podcast in 2020 with a woman named Laci Mosley who hosts "Scam Goddess" -- which is dedicated to uncovering "scams" in the public eye and gossiping about them. In this particular episode, she had Ayo (who, again, was not a big-time TV star yet).

Right from the get-go, they start to discuss one "scam" they perceive ... and that would be the "career" of J Lo -- their words, not ours. Ayo then trashes Jen in very harsh terms.

You can listen to her remarks for yourself -- but essentially ... Ayo and Laci are yukking it about the notion Jennifer just isn't that great of a singer, at least in their eyes -- and they believe she's fooled the masses into thinking she's this fantastic vocalist.

Ayo herself even leans into this long-standing (and unfounded) rumor that J Lo has allegedly used ghost singers in her career ... something AE runs with as fact, and just further evidence (from her POV) that Jen has fleeced the industry. Like we said, this is rough.

There are more mean comments that Ayo and Laci make, which we won't include here.

Anyway, the bigger point is ... Ayo and Jen are literally in the same building right now, and they will most certainly see each other over the next 24 hours, so it'll for sure come up.

The question, of course, is ... will they be able to play nice and get through the show?

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... this incident with Ayo was long ago, and that she is most certainly a fan of Jenny right now -- we're told she's excited to work with her and be in her presence. As for Jen ... our sources tell us she doesn't usually let these sorts of things bother her -- and that her mantra is about moving on and moving forward.

We're told J Lo is looking forward to working with Ayo this weekend.

Gracie Bon's leading the charge for big booty travelers everywhere ... asking for more accessible seating while 30,000 feet in the air -- doubling down on her plea from earlier.

We talked to the Instagram model on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and she absolutely torched the seat sizes on airlines as they currently exist, explaining she's comfy on trains and automobiles -- but there's barely any room for her on planes. Yes, it's a real problem ... so says GB!

As explained to us here, Gracie hasn't seen any airlines offering options to bigger people ... and she suggests putting a couple extra large seats on each plane exactly for people with a bit more junk in the trunk.

Gracie says she needed two economy seats to fly to Rome, where she called us to do the interview ... and even that wasn't comfortable for her. Check out the vid -- she's clearly doing her best, but the makeshift bench ain't supporting her big behind, the way she needs.

Harvey and Charles also asked asked Bon about some rumors/assumptions that she's had butt implants ... making the size of her caboose her choice, but Gracie set the record straight. She said she's never enhanced her ass -- instead, she just downsized the rest of her bod.

As Gracie tells it, she used to weigh 300 pounds, but she got surgeries to manage her weight in her belly and arms, so she looks small up top. When it comes to her thighs and butt though ... the good docs left all that intact.

Now, she's not hating on girls who've gotten surgery though ... saying the airlines should accommodate every passenger they can to give people of all body types the same experience.

Bon's opened up about her body to us a lot in recent days. We spoke with Gracie Thursday too, and she told us pretty much the same thing -- adding she's serious about petitioning airlines for more equitable accommodations.

Tech expert Brian Heater isn't buying the notion a new virtual reality headset will further isolate people from human interactions ... at least not in the short term.

Brian, an editor at TechCrunch, joined us on "TMZ Live" and gave us the lowdown on the latest offering from Apple ... the Apple Vision Pro.

As Brian explains, the fancy new device blends virtual reality with augmented reality ... presenting some really cool features, and the potential to take an already isolated society and further remove us from real life.

But, Brian's not ready to declare the Apple Vision Pro a danger to society just yet ... not while the headset comes with a $3,500 price tag.

Plus, Brian says we're already interacting through screens on Zoom calls and FaceTime ... so it's not a huge shift here with what basically amounts to a smartphone on steroids.

The real societal changes, Brian says, will be felt further in the future ... when the Apple Vision Pro and similar gadgets become more affordable and accessible to the masses.