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Bill Maher unsurprisingly leaned in hard Friday night, defending Dave Chappelle, saying embracing Dave's latest Netflix special does not make someone transphobic.

The "Real Time" host was jawboning with Andrew Yang and NYT opinion writer John McWhorter, and on this one, all 3 were in lockstep ... all saying they support the LGBTQ community but also standing firm on Dave's right of commentary.

Maher's central point -- there is not one true opinion about anything, and he referenced the view of one of those outraged by Chappelle ... someone who said there are not two sides to this controversy.

Maher didn't mention Chappelle said he's open to having a conversation with members of the trans community to hear them out. The reality is this ... some people in the trans community are not only hurt by Chappelle's "The Closer" ... they believe it engenders hatred and even violence.

Yang chimed in with this ... it's a comedian's job to entertain and to make us think, but goes on to suggest no one believes the role of a comedian is to tell us what and how to think. Some members of the trans community, however, say whether a comedian tells people what to think or not ... they still have an influence.

The centerpiece of the discussion is about people on both sides feeling like there's only one side to any argument. McWhorter, who wrote the book, 'Woke Racism,' suggests this type of thinking has become a religion of intolerance. He also says believing in the notion of absolute right or wrong is simplistic, childlike thinking.

NFL star A.J. Brown says there might be some good to come out of his food poisoning disaster ... telling reporters Friday he could land a deal with Chipotle over it all.

The Tennessee Titans receiver revealed Chipotle has reached out to him after he claimed that some bad food from the restaurant gave him serious issues prior to, during and after his game against the Bills on Monday night.

And, in their talks, Brown said there has been some initial discussion with the company about "possibly doing something with me."

Brown -- despite saying he felt like hell over the food -- seemed interested in signing on ... though he made it clear there's no way he'll do a deal that requires him to consume the product again.

"I don't know," he said of the potential pact. "I'm not eating it, though. No, sir!"

Brown did say Chipotle was trying to remedy the situation, asking him which location he ate at so they could presumably fix any future issues.

Deal or no deal ... Brown reiterated he'll never eat ANY type of fast food again following the whole ordeal, saying, "The way I was feeling guys, I'm telling you, no fast food for me."

What's interesting ... Brown actually had his best game of the year while dealing with the illness, going off for 7 catches and 91 yards against Buffalo.

Shar Jackson's full up on chills, screams and terror for this Halloween after observing -- and surviving -- a real-life exorcism inside one of Hollywood's most infamous haunted homes.

The former "Moesha" star signed on for the experience, which was filmed for a special called, "Celebrity Exorcism." Shar was joined by "Full House" star Jodie Sweetin, ex-NBA star Metta World Peace ... and an actual exorcist.

The foursome went inside L.A.'s Rosenheim Mansion, where "American Horror Story" famously filmed. Shar told us on "TMZ Live," they actually had to get training before entering the home ... which has a dark history of murder, suicide and torture.

Yes, there's apparently a supernatural boot camp, which Shar says was intended to steady their nerves before the exorcism. It's pretty debatable whether the training did a damn thing, based on what Shar says here.

We know this ... never count on a 6'7" NBA champ to protect you from spirits or demons. Check out Shar's account of what went down in the mansion. Sorry, Metta ... some ghost stories just gotta be told!!!

Dave Chappelle's camp says no one from Netflix has approached Chapelle or his team about setting up a meeting or conversation ... which is the opposite of what the woman who organized the Netflix walkout claims.

The comedian's rep tells TMZ ... Dave would be open to dialogue if folks from Netflix actually reach out to him for a discussion.

As we reported ... Ashlee Marie Preston says she invited Dave to come to the table to talk about the damage she and others believe he's inflicted on the LGBTQ+ community, but she said, "Dave chose not to show up."

Dave's camp tells us they're unsure why Ashlee is making those claims ... they say she NEVER reached out to him. He's not against open dialogue with any group, as he points out in his Netflix special jokes.

Dave also makes this point in his special ... empathy should go both ways and we should get away from cancel culture ... so a sit down would make sense.

Jon Stewart has a message for everyone pissed off at Dave Chappelle -- he's asking them to pay attention to what's in his friend's heart ... as much as what comes out of his mouth.

We got Jon as he was leaving Capitol Hill, and asked for his take on the beef between Chappelle and Netflix employees who staged a walkout Wednesday. Jon thinks there's clearly been a miscommunication, and seemed confident both sides will squash the feud ... once they start talking.

The reason he's confident? Well, Jon -- who, ICYMI, is a close friend of Dave's -- says, "I know his intention is never hurtful. He's not that kinda person."

TMZ broke the story ... Dave's team says he's ready and willing to sit down with Netflix employees who are protesting their company continuing to stream "The Closer," Dave's latest standup special. One of those employees, Ashlee Marie Preston, claimed Dave had rejected a meeting ... but Dave's camp says he's totally down for it.

Speaking of people with good intentions ... Jon was in D.C. to continue lobbying lawmakers to approve medical benefits for military veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits.

Dave Chappelle's living it up, seemingly without a concern, 'cause here he is walking out of a packed London nightclub ... the same day Netflix employees walked out of work to protest him.

The comedian hit up the super exclusive Annabel's nightclub Wednesday night ... partying at the members-only spot while the controversy over his latest Netflix special kept swirling back home

Safe to say, Dave doesn't look like he's feeling the heat from across the pond.

As we reported, Netflix HQ was the scene of a mass protest Wednesday, when employees staged a walkout to show displeasure with the CEO's decision to keep streaming Dave's special, "The Closer."

There's been a ton of backlash over Dave's LGBTQ+ jokes, but so far, he doesn't seem bothered.

Ashlee Marie Preston, who helped organize the Netflix walkout, says she's invited Dave to have a conversation about the harm she and others believe he's inflicted onto the LGBTQ+ community, but claims he's ghosted them.

Leslie Jordan is visibly conflicted over the conflict raging at Netflix over Dave Chappelle's latest special.

We got Leslie Wednesday at Reagan National Airport in D.C., and he said right out of the gate he has conflicting loyalties ... he's both a comedian and a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.

Leslie feels good comedy must have a subversive element, but at the same time, it shouldn't be designed to hurt people's feelings.

You see his mind at work as he navigates the controversy. He ultimately concludes Chappelle crossed the line because of the impact it had on the trans community ... a community that has been misunderstood and marginalized for decades.

As we reported, there was a walkout over at Netflix Wednesday to protest the CEO's decision to keep Chappelle's special on the menu.

Kyler Murray had a bone to pick with Myles Garrett following their game Sunday ... telling the Cleveland Browns star he was ticked over his inclusion in the dude's Halloween QB graveyard!

Murray's hilarious beef was all picked up on a hot mic after the Cardinals beat Cleveland ... with the quarterback asking Garrett why he had to be on one of the headstones in the pass-rusher's front lawn.

"Why you got me in the graveyard, dawg?!" Murray asked. "Why you got me in the graveyard?!"

Garrett gave a sheepish smile and then explained, "I need some added motivation."

Murray clearly didn't love the answer, replying back, "Damn!" But, he did tell Garrett he did appreciate not having a "RIP" on his marker.

As we previously reported, Garrett has laid out QB gravestones in front of his house to celebrate the spooky season ... with Murray, Lamar Jackson, Ben Roethlisberger and four others being featured in the decorations.

Garrett had said they were up because he thought they were funny, and that he liked being "kind of a troll."

Don't worry ... it seemed like Murray didn't care that much, 'cause he complimented Garrett's game and said, "You're the best at it, man."

There's a crazy scene going down at Netflix headquarters ... where employees are walking out of the office building in protest of the controversial Dave Chappelle comedy special.

As you can see, trans Netflix employees and their allies are making their displeasure known with CEO Ted Sarandos and his response to their concerns about Dave's LGBTQ+ comments, which are getting tons of backlash.

You can hear the chants ... "Trans lives matter" ... being repeated over and over again as protestors wave pickets signs in the air.

There's also a group of folks defending Dave ... they've got signs saying "jokes are funny" and "Dave is funny."

The planned protest comes on the heels of Sarandos defending Dave and downplaying transphobic concerns in an email to Netflix staffers, which leaked.

As we reported ... Sarandos has since apologized for how he delivered his message, but he's not caving to internal pressure to take down Dave's special, "The Closer."

So far, Dave's been mum on the pushback ... we got him out shortly after the special dropped, but he had nothing to say.

The Chicago Sky beat Diana Taurasi on Sunday and then they beat down her psyche on Tuesday -- trolling the hell out of the hooper by bringing the door she allegedly broke to their WNBA championship parade.

Taurasi was reportedly so pissed about losing the Finals to the Sky over the weekend, she launched a physical assault on a door in the Chicago arena, nearly breaking it in half.

The Mercury star didn't want to comment on the alleged incident in a meeting with reporters this week -- saying only, "There was a lot of doors in there" -- but the Sky made sure the storyline wasn't forgotten regardless.

The team brought the broken door with them on the stage just behind their DJ, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, showing it off to all the fans that came out to celebrate the Sky's title.

Petty, sure ... but ya gotta admit, it is a perfect troll job.

The Sky's players, meanwhile, are doing more than just rubbin' salt in Taurasi's wounds -- they're currently on buses partying in the streets of Chicago ... with Chance the Rapper!

Jon Stewart is back after a long hiatus -- and it sounds like he thinks a couple things are ripping this country apart ... sensationalism in the media, and focusing on Donald Trump.

The former 'Daily Show' host sat down with CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday, to plug his new Apple TV+ show, "The Problem with Jon Stewart," but to also discuss the current state of things as it relates to our politics, national discourse and culture wars we're going through.

On that last point ... Jon got pretty real on what he thinks about issues like CA's new gender-neutral toy section law -- and that feeling is ... this is trivial, so who gives a s***!!!

Check out his thought process ... we as a society -- plus the media, by selecting/feeding us headlines -- seek out the conflict lines as opposed to news that actually matters in our daily lives. The gender-neutral thing is one example, but he brings up Karens/masks too.

Jon notes we see a ton of anti-masker stories all across media ... but what about stories reassessing the efficacy of masks, which affects us day-to-day??? Nowhere to be found.

Of course, Jon also talked Trump after Tapper asked him about his role in the ongoing division in the U.S. -- but Jon doesn't think this issue lives and dies with DT ... if anything, he says Trump is just the latest incarnation of a phenomenon that has long existed here.

His point is that there've been many rulers and institutions of this nation, historically, that've been power hungry, and he thinks the solution -- as it always has been -- lies in the people.

It was as inevitable as snow in winter ... "Saturday Night Live" did a sketch Saturday night on Netflix's hit show, "Squid Games."

Pete Davidson and guest host Rami Malek did the honors, with a country-type song about the phenomenon.

The song was a takeoff on Branchez & Big Wet's hit, "Turn Up On the Weekend," and it was pretty hilarious. It went like this ... the 2 guys were in a deep financial hole, so they signed up for the game.

They played the usual kids games, like Red Light Green Light, and the results were fatal for some.

One of the lyrics ... “There’s a robot girl who caught me running, better duck behind the nearest guy.” At one point Pete's face is splattered with blood as he keeps singing.

There's a really funny reference to the confusion over Korean cash and the prize money.

Davidson boasts in song how he killed all of his friends to make a killing in the game. Pete returns to the U.S. triumphant and flush with cash ... which he loses on a really bad bet.  Sorry NY Jets, but it was super funny!

Pete goes back to Korea for more, but this time things don't work out as well.

If you wanna know how hard it is to stand out in the Los Angeles real estate market, just ask this guy ... who went all NSFW with his listing ... trying to score a sale!!!

The realtor, David Ferrugio, shamelessly bared all on his Instagram to promote a $1.29 million home on the market in the Monterey Hills neighborhood near L.A.

Ferrugio posed for not one, not 2, but 5 naked pics to showcase the 3-bed, 2-bath, 2,100 sq-ft. house that was just listed this week ... including a cheeky kitchen shot and a couple full frontals -- in the front and back of the property.

According to Ferrugio ... his clients were on board with his adult-themed marketing tactic, and to be fair -- he's strategically blurred.

Tough to say if that helps or hurts David with prospective buyers, but it should be noted ... actual realtor sites only include the shots of the home, and not the nude realtor.

Adele is walking back her harsh rejection of her homeland's most beloved cartoon swine, Peppa Pig, saying she's definitely down to collab with her ... after an on-air confrontation.

If ya missed it ... during the "Easy on Me" singer's very first IG Live last weekend, she answered a fan's question about working with Peppa with a very blunt "NOOOO!"

So, Peppa called in during Adele's interview Friday on the "Capital Breakfast" show and called her out ... saying it made her really sad to be rejected and asked, "Don't you like me?"

But, all's well in the world of Peppa and Adele fans now, because the singer admits she immediately felt terrible about her response and "anytime you wanna go jumping in muddy puddles and singing in muddy puddles, I'm with ya babes."

With that beef quickly squashed, Peppa's free to return to trolling other artists about their album reviews -- like Kanye -- and throw her full support behind Adele's upcoming album -- like her best friend, Drake, did.

It's officially spooky season at Myles Garrett's house ... 'cause the Cleveland Browns superstar has decorated his home for Halloween -- with gravestones of NFL QBs!!!

The 25-year-old put out the set up at his Ohio pad just a few days ago ... laying headstones on his front lawn with seven quarterbacks' last names, numbers and helmets on them.

The list of signal-callers features opposing players on the Browns' schedule this season ... including AFC North rivals Lamar Jackson, Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Burrow.

The other four names include Bears' Justin Fields, Patriots' Mac Jones, Cardinals' Kyler Murray and Chargers' Justin Herbert.

Unclear why other QBs on the Browns' schedule like Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers missed the cut ... but you can see in photos, obtained by TMZ Sports, it's all hilarious nonetheless.

Each "grave" has it's own light fixed on it ... and on Jackson's and Jones', the words "RIP" and "Here lies" are written on the top.

There's also two giant skeletons, a scarecrow, pumpkins and more on the property!!

Of course, some could perceive these as possible bulletin board material for Myles' opponents ... but even all the motivation in the world ain't going to help tackles block Garrett better.

Because, after all, have you seen the dude?!?

Mick Jagger's heating up the most ancient beef in rock -- on the heels of Paul McCartney dissing the Rolling Stones -- but, as someone once said ... ya can't always get what you want.

Mick and the Stones played Thursday night at L.A.'s SoFi Stadium, and the frontman made a point of responding to McCartney's comment earlier this week that the Rolling Stones were basically a "blues cover band," and the Beatles were much better.

So when MJ started shouting all the celebs in the audience -- Megan Fox, Lady Gaga and Leonardo DiCaprio -- he added, "Paul McCartney is here. He's gonna join us in the blues cover band."

It was clearly intended as a soft jab back at Paul, but it kinda backfired on Mick -- because the crowd cheered wildly, thinking McCartney was about to make a surprise appearance!!!

Ahhh, when old men argue. Good stuff.