Controversial S#!T

The viral sailor who braved Hurricane Milton on his tiny boat in Tampa, Florida reportedly has a checkered past ... with police alleging he once tried to light a woman on fire.

The alleged incident involving Joseph Malinowski -- better known as "Lieutenant Dan" on TikTok -- took place in February 2023, according to the New York Post, which cites Palm Beach County Sheriff's records.

The Post says cops claim Malinowski was arguing with a woman named Sarah Perry while she was smoking a cigarette about 20 feet away from him near West Palm Beach. She was with her brother and a friend.

Georgetown University's women's basketball team is catching flak for honoring a former player who was fatally shot by a police officer who she slashed with a knife.

The Hoyas' official X account posted a tribute to ex-player Sydney Wilson, mourning her "tragic loss" last month ... but now the post is drawing criticism because newly released police body cam footage shows her attacking the cop -- cutting his face -- before he shoots and kills her.

The tribute post has been on the Georgetown women's basketball team's X page since September 20. Sydney, who played for GU from 2009 to 2013, died Sept. 16 in the police shooting -- and the video of the fatal altercation was just released Monday.

Paula Abdul is fabricating new details of an alleged sexual assault she claims her former "American Idol" boss Nigel Lythgoe committed ... according to new docs he's filed in their ongoing battle.

The former 'Idol' and "So You Think You Can Dance" EP filed docs Tuesday, calling out Paula's memory of an alleged 2015 incident in Las Vegas. As we first reported, Paula initially claimed she witnessed Nigel groping her assistant during a 'SYTYCD' shoot ... which Nigel denied when Paula first filed her lawsuit last December.

But Nigel's raising an eyebrow at the fact Paula's story changed 9 months later when she filed an amended lawsuit ... accusing him of also sexually assaulting Paula in Vegas. She claims after the assistant rejected him, Nigel touched Paula's "buttocks, hips, waist and her breasts" and also tried to kiss her on the neck.

Diddy has at least one celebrity showing him some support ... Bow Wow says the music industry has been missing out on the rap mogul's famous parties due to his mountain of legal issues that have put a stop to them.

Last week, BW was interviewed by host Rocsi Diaz on the "More To The Story" podcast — and the two got on the subject of "takedowns" in the industry without specifically naming Diddy but implying it was him.

Diaz first asked BW if he was nervous about the takedowns — and BW said he, personally, wasn't feeling the heat.

Chappell Roan is proving her "Femininomenon" is as impactful as ever ... performing for a massive crowd at Austin City Limits, moving past her recent controversies.

The pop star closed out the Texas-based music festival Sunday evening, where she performed a number of her hits to thousands of screaming fans.

Check it out ... a sea of Chappell fans sing and dance along to the singer's hits, "HOT TO GO!" "Good Luck, Babe!" and "Pink Pony Club" ... supporting the rising star in the wake of her recent drama.

A man who allegedly possessed multiple illegal weapons was arrested about a quarter of a mile from Donald Trump's Coachella rally.

According to the Riverside County sheriff’s office, 49-year-old Vem Miller was stopped at a checkpoint Saturday night not far from Trump's Coachella Valley rally.

Cops claim Miller was illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine. They say they took him into custody without incident.

Donald Trump wants a 'Full Metal' military ... playing a video at last night's rally calling out Kamala Harris for wanting a "woke military" -- and playing clips from Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket."

The former POTUS was in Coachella, California Saturday night when he started talking military ... and, he played a video which is easier to watch than explain.

The video -- which Trump has since posted and pinned to the top of his X account -- shows a version of America's military run by him vs the military he says "Comrade" Kamala Harris will run.

Tupac Shakur's brother is still side-eyeing Diddy over Pac's murder ... recently saying Diddy's claim that he had no involvement in the rap legend's death might not be 100% honest -- in his opinion.

Mopreme Shakur -- Tupac's stepbrother who rapped alongside him in the group Thug Life -- stopped by "Piers Morgan Uncensored" Friday ... and Piers asked him about the well-known theory that the Bad Boy founder played a part in 2Pac's death.

Piers mentions how Diddy actually called Mopreme back in 2008 and denied any involvement in his little brother's death, after an infamous L.A. Times piece alleged associates of the rap mogul planned the 1994 shooting of 2Pac at Quad Recording Studios in NYC.

"I'm supporting the president that's going to be the most pro-life president."

That's Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker throwing his weight behind Donald Trump ... while at a campaign event in Missouri, for U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, a buddy of the 3x Super Bowl champion.

"The [Pro-life] topic is the most crucial topic for me," 29-year-old Butker said during an appearance on FOX News' "The Ingraham Angle" on Thursday.

Donald Trump isn't going to Aurora, Colorado to stoke tension between Americans and undocumented immigrants ... he's going to bring more awareness to gangs reportedly taking over buildings there -- according to one city councilmember, that is.

We spoke with Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky -- the woman who originally leaked the shocking video of alleged members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua forcing their way into an apartment with guns -- about Trump's scheduled rally in the city Friday.

The rally is garnering controversy 'cause many feel the former POTUS will use it to stoke trouble for immigrant communities in the area. The Denver-metro city's mayor Mike Coffman even came out and said his city of 400,000 ain't a "war zone," as Trump's campaign has called it.

Bath & Body Works is scrambling to remove a holiday candle off its shelves ... after the packaging was compared to hoods worn by the Ku Klux Klan.

The candle went viral Tuesday when an X user posted a screenshot of the product, which showed the "Snowed In" scent featuring a snowflake design set against a red backdrop.

However, it didn't take long for users to compare the print to the infamous KKK hoods, as they too are all white, with pointed tops and tiny holes cut into them.

Kanye West is being sued by a man claiming to be his former director of intelligence ... who has alleged the rapper ordered him to orchestrate investigations into both wife Bianca Censori and former in-laws, the Kardashians.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ ... the man -- who is suing anonymously as John Doe -- claims the rapper never paid him for work done over several pay periods and caused him emotional distress.

Per the lawsuit, in December 2022, Ye had initially hired the staffer to be his campaign manager for his presidential run ... but later reworked his role to be Yeezy's "Director of Intelligence."

"Joker: Folie à Deux" is officially DOA -- even wildly despised by some theatergoers -- but the actor at the center of one of the biggest fanboy gripes has one question ... Why so serious?

Be warned ... there are major spoilers for 'Joker 2' below!

Here's the deal ... The highly anticipated sequel starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix only made a weak $20 million at the domestic box office opening weekend ... and even worse ... the Todd Phillips-led movie got slapped with a dismal "D" grade on CinemaScore.

A cast of Donald Trump's head was recently used as an unconventional soccer ball ... all in the name of art.

Check it out ... what appears to be a rubber or latex object shaped like 45's dome was kicked around at an exhibit at Superchief Gallery in Los Angeles last weekend. As you can see, participants dribbled and booted the facsimile of the former president's noggin in an indoor game.

The controversial art installation comes from the activist art collective INDECLINE ... best known for creating the jaw-dropping naked Trump statue that "Ghost Adventures" star Zak Bagans bought for a whopping $28K.

Travis Barker's daughter says she's not educated enough on the issues to cast a ballot this year ... and, she doesn't have the interest in politics to try to figure it out.

Alabama Barker -- TB's 18-year-old daughter, who he shares with Shanna Moakler -- took to Instagram Live Thursday to tell her followers she doesn't plan to vote in the November election.

Basically, Alabama says she's not educated on the issues ... and, even though she has some opinions on politics, she doesn't know enough to feel comfortable hopping in a voting booth next month.

The smashed-up Taylor Swift guitar has found a new home ... because someone bought the controversial item on eBay.

According to the e-commerce site, someone scooped up the guitar -- which was featured in a viral video at the end of September -- on Tuesday evening for a whopping $6,550 ... even amid doubts about the guitar's authenticity.

As TMZ previously reported ... Gary Estes, a Texas resident, spent $4,000 at a charity auction on a guitar advertised as bearing a Taylor Swift signature on it. Upon receiving the guitar at the auction, Gary was also handed a hammer ... and proceeded to smash it up.