Controversial S#!T

Jussie Smollett's always cool with Lee Daniels ... saying he appreciates the director giving him his big break -- and, he'd rather keep their relationship private.

We caught up with the embattled actor in New York City Friday outside a movie theater on the same day "The Lost Holliday" -- a project JS directed -- received it's wide release ... and, we had to ask about Daniels' recent comments about him.

Jussie says he's got a lot of love for LD ... admitting he appreciates the opportunity Lee gave him -- his starring role on "Empire" -- and, he doesn't like to talk about their relationship publicly 'cause it's so special to him.

The 2024 presidential election just gets weirder and weirder ... 'cause a statue of Donald Trump is towering over Las Vegas -- depicting the former prez in his birthday suit.

The art piece depicting the former POTUS was erected -- no pun intended -- just outside Las Vegas ... towering over Interstate 15 on the way to Utah. We've had to blur the pics a bit here, but you get the basic idea -- the prez wears no clothes.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the statue stands 43-feet-tall and bears the name "Crooked and Obscene" ... a reference, we're told, to the controversial nature of both the man and the statue itself.

Jacob Elordi's letting his cares melt away under the warm Italian sun ... flaunting his six-pack alongside girlfriend Olivia Jade Giannulli -- all while some back in the U.S.A. are blasting his recent casting in "Wuthering Heights."

The actor and his GF hit the Italian coast with her family ... and, clearly he enjoyed the refreshing blue water in the Mediterranean -- launching himself off the boat and into the surf repeatedly.

He's dripping wet in most of these pics ... flaunting his six-pack in just a pair of navy blue shorts while his better half seemed to mainly stick to the shore and the ship.

An OnlyFans model in Australia couldn't help but get a little naughty in a hardware store ... and now she's banned.

Here's the blueprint ... Cynthia Lin took her seemingly doe-eyed performances into Bunnings -- a chain Down Under --  and filmed a series of sexually charged videos with random customers.

Seeking a “single tradie” ... CL would wander around until she found a man by himself ... and then hit on him with sexual innuendos before asking to exchange numbers.

Diddy's grand jury is still looking into the allegations against him ... hearing from at least one more sex worker about their alleged relationship with the mogul, and it's possible it could lead to new charges.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the grand jury is absolutely still convened, and this week it heard testimony from a male escort who said he's interacted with Diddy in the past.

We're told the testimony covered Diddy's alleged outreach to the escort and his willingness to participate in a "Freak Off."

A promotional flyer for the Colorado Buffaloes' matchup against the UCF Knights was met with a ton of backlash on Friday ... with football fans wondering why the social media post wasn't kept in drafts in light of Hurricane Helene -- as it featured a star player knee-deep in water.

The Deion Sanders-led program's official X account shared the imagery at 12:30 PM PT ... in an attempt to signify 24 hours 'til kickoff from FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando.

The flyer was intended to be a play on star defensive back Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig's "Shark" nickname ... but considering what surrounding Southeast regions experienced over the past day, many users felt the theming of the promo was insensitive.

Vivica A. Fox says her nephew Jussie Smollett has his career back on track ... claiming fans love the new movie they worked on together -- fully separating art from the artist.

We caught up with the actress at LAX on Friday ... and, we had to ask her about how audiences were receiving her new flick, "The Lost Holliday" -- and, whether opinions about Smollett have contributed to criticism of the movie.

VAF points out "The Lost Holliday" has played in theaters all over the world ... from London to New York to Los Angeles -- and, so far, she says it's only received positive reviews.

Beyoncé went 0-for-17 at the People's Choice Country Awards despite her staggering number of nominations ... and her consolation prize is an onstage shoutout from Shaboozey.

Queen Bey was up for more awards Thursday than any other female artist ... but she walked away empty-handed, losing categories like People's Artist, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Female Artist.

Beyoncé's country album, "Cowboy Carter," is right up there with Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish releases ... at least as far as commercial success goes ... but the financials aren't translating to awards.

Caitlin Clark is speaking out against the gross mistreatment of WNBA players this season ... saying no one should have to tolerate racist and hateful comments being hurled in their direction.

The W has seen a large increase in popularity after the former Iowa guard entered the league in April ... but it's clear some of the new spectators crossed way over the line when supporting their teams and players -- to the point where the org. and its players and coaches have had to address it numerous times.

After her Indiana Fever was eliminated from the playoffs earlier this week, Clark was asked about inappropriate fan behavior in her exit interview ... and she said the people who act out aren't really fans at all -- they're "trolls."

Megyn Kelly doesn't think Zach Bryan is a "real" man after the country singer fled from social media in the wake of making controversial comments about Taylor Swift.

During Thursday's broadcast of her SiriusXM podcast, "The Megyn Kelly Show," the conservative commentator weighed in on the "Bad Blood" instigated by Bryan ... when he infuriated Swifties by suggesting Kanye "Ye" West is better than Taylor.

Kelly made it clear she was less than impressed with the country star's apologetic handling of the controversy, commenting on her show ... "Oh my God, I’m sorry, Zach Bryan, where are your balls? Mankind would like to know."

The hits keep coming for Macklemore ... he’s just been axed as the headliner for Neon City Festival, hot on the heels of his "F*** America" drama.

The Neon City Festival in Vegas didn’t outright blame the controversy for Macklemore’s removal, instead chalking it up to "unforeseen circumstances" -- and totally wiping him clean from the 2024 headliners section on their website.

Whatever the reason, it’s gotta sting for Macklemore, especially since he was just announced as a headliner ... days before he sparked outrage by chanting his anti-America stance during a pro-Palestine show.

8:48 AM PT -- Authorities tell TMZ ... the Tuesday incident was allegedly the fourth time in two months that the 28-year-old mom snuck her kids into the park. This just happened to be the first time she was caught afterward ... hence the arrest and citation.

Disneyland Resort wasn't the happiest place on Earth for one parkgoer, who was put in handcuffs and escorted out of the Anaheim park yesterday ... as her crying children screamed and held on.

Video footage of the arrest has been making the rounds on TikTok ... showing an unidentified woman yelling obscenities while police and park personnel boot her out of Disney's California Adventure.

The suspect repeatedly shouts ... "You're f***ing hurting me," as onlookers take in the dramatic scene.

Donald Trump says the Iranian government is out to assassinate him ... declaring Iran's already tried and failed to kill him, and he believes they will try again.

The former President and current Republican presidential candidate posted about an alleged Iranian assassination plot on his Truth Social platform, saying ... "Big threats on my life by Iran. The entire U.S. Military is watching and waiting."

Trump adds ... "Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again. Not a good situation for anyone."

7:38 AM PT -- Chappell Roan is still not happy with how her political views are being portrayed in the public, taking to TikTok again Wednesday to make it clear she's not endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.

While the singer confirmed she will be voting for the Harris-Walz ticket this November, she emphasizes she has issues with Democratic Party policies ... some of which she calls "transphobic" and "genocidal."

She cites the Biden administration's handling of Palestine as a key reason she isn't making an endorsement for Harris.

Watch the vid ... Chappell says there's a difference between endorsing and voting, emphasizing she believes there are "huge problems" plaguing both parties.

Per Chappell, she's "done talking about it" ... though, she adds she refuses to settle for the political options laid before her.

Chappell Roan is setting the record straight after saying she wasn’t endorsing Kamala Harris -- making it clear she’s not backing Donald Trump either.

The singer hopped on TikTok Tuesday saying her Kamala comments were taken out of context ... adding she believes actions speak louder than an endorsement -- and by the looks of it, she's all about taking that action by not backing either major party.

CR explained, "If you come to my shows, if you read my full interviews, if you literally know anything about me and what I stand for, you know that this is not lip service. This is not virtue signaling. My actions have always paved the way for my project."

Jojo Siwa's been pushing boundaries since her "Dance Moms" days ... but her latest photo shoot has sent shockwaves across the internet.

The singer's rocking a custom rhinestone corset complete with built-in abs and nipples for Ladygunn mag -- and, yep, a matching blinged-out bulge. If you did a double-take, you're not alone!

Jojo had a few other less tame shots, but that dazzling bulge pic is definitely the most risqué -- and by the looks of it, definitely her favorite 'cause she's clearly feeling herself in it.

The assisted suicide debate is heating up on the heels of a U.S. citizen going to Switzerland to use a company's suicide pod to end her life -- and her death has police investigating the company.

The Last Resort, creators of the Sarco suicide pod, confirmed a 64-year-old Midwestern woman died Monday using its device -- noting the company's co-president Florian Willet was the only other person present, despite a contrary report from the police.

Local police in Northern Switzerland have confirmed multiple people were detained after the death -- the first using the Sarco pod -- with prosecutors opening an investigation into suspicion of incitement and accessory to suicide.