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Linda Fairstein's presence on a nonprofit's board shocked some members of the org, but long before she resigned ... there were some who wanted her booted because they knew about her history with the Central Park 5 case.

TMZ spoke with a handful of former and current members of Safe Horizon -- the New York-based org that helps victims of abuse and violent crimes -- and they said Linda's position on the board of directors was known to be heavily criticized by many staffers.

We're told the disapproval dates back to at least 2016.

We're told a number of staffers had complained, and even went through proper channels all the way up to the CEO, only to be ignored time and time again.

The main gripe was Fairstein didn't represent Safe Horizon's values -- specifically, assisting abuse victims who are predominantly people of color. They felt her role in the CP5 case could undermine their work and image.

Remember, Fairstein was one of the lead investigators for the prosecution on the 1989 case. She's long been criticized for allegedly coercing false confessions out of the 5 boys ... leading to their convictions. That's a central plot in the Netflix series, "When They See Us."

Although they were exonerated by DNA evidence in 2002 ... Linda, to this day, maintains they did it.

We're told another issue for Safe Horizon staff was Linda's link to the Harvey Weinstein scandal when it broke in 2017. She was one of many high-level attorneys Weinstein met with through the years ... allegedly to influence the Manhattan D.A.'s Office -- where Fairstein used to work -- to drop sexual misconduct cases against him.

Sources close to Weinstein tell us he never retained Fairstein as an attorney and was simply asking his longtime friend for "off the record advice" on how to handle one particular allegation against him.

Again ... we're told their concerns of Safe Horizon employees fell on deaf ears.

5:19 PM PT -- A rep for Safe Horizon tells us, "After careful consideration, Lina Fairstein has made the difficult decision to resign from the Safe Horizon Board of Directors. We thank her for her decades of pioneering work on behalf of victims of sexual assault and abuse. For more than 40 years, Safe Horizon's top priority has been empowering victims and survivors."

The statement continues, "We believe every victim deserves access to safety and support and will continue working toward that reality."

2:37 PM PT -- Fairstein has just resigned from her position on the board with Safe Horizon, but also insists she's the one who's been done wrong by the Netflix series, "When They See Us."

Fairstein sent a letter to Safe Horizon saying the program "depicts me, in a fictionalized version of events, in a grossly and maliciously inaccurate manner."

The NY Post first published details from Fairstein's letter, in which she said she was leaving Safe Horizon's board to avoid becoming a "lightning rod to inflict damage on this organization."

However, she took a parting shot, saying the group's CEO "declined to meet with me to learn the truths behind the inflammatory and false narrative depicted in a movie."

She also described the #CancelLindaFairstein movement as a "mob-mentality reaction."

Linda Fairstein, a key figure in the wrongful prosecution of the Central Park 5, is facing a new backlash -- the nonprofit organization she worked on for nearly 20 years wants her canceled ... TMZ has learned.

Ever since Ava DuVernay's Netflix series, "When They See Us," debuted over the weekend, Fairstein has been feeling the heat. She was head of the Manhattan D.A.'s Sex Crimes Unit in 1989 when the 5 boys were convicted ... and her role in coercing confessions is sparking renewed outrage.

Sources at Safe Horizon -- a nonprofit aiding victims of abuse and violent crime in NYC -- tell us its staffers are incensed the former prosecutor's been allowed to remain on the board for so long, considering her checkered past.

We're told the animosity began when the CEO held a meeting on May 21 where nearly 100 directors were informed about the Netflix drama and Fairstein's connection to it.

We're told some staffers didn't even know Fairstein was on the board of directors, and when they found out tempers quickly flared. Many questioned why she was allowed on the board of an organization that mostly serves minorities.

Felicity Huffman plays Fairstein in "When They See Us" which documents her controversial role in getting the 5 boys -- all black or Hispanic -- to confess, under heavy duress, to the 1989 rape and attack of a Central Park jogger.

We're told Safe Horizon staffers accused Fairstein of racism and demanded her immediate dismissal, but the CEO asked for time to evaluate.

Our sources say a majority of Safe Horizon's directors are fed up, and plan to take legal action this week to get Fairstein 86'd if the CEO won't do it.

As we first reported, Central Park Five exoneree Raymond Santana believes Fairstein -- who became a successful author -- is finally getting what she deserves. That includes the growing boycott of her books and publishers.

As he puts it, "Even if it's 30 years later, she has to pay for her crime."

2:08 PM PT -- Fairstein just resigned from the Board of Trustees at Vassar College in New York.

Linda Fairstein, a central figure in the wrongful prosecution of the Central Park 5, is facing even more fallout ... Glamour magazine says they messed up when they honored her as their woman of the year.

Fairstein was Glamour's Woman of the Year in 1993 ... only a few years after she helped convict the Central Park 5 as head of the Manhattan D.A.'s Sex Crimes Unit.

On Tuesday, Glamour issued a scathing rebuke of their decision to honor Linda ... saying, "Unequivocally, Glamour would not bestow this honor on her today."

Linda is getting crucified on social media in the wake of Netflix's new show about the case and its aftermath ... and some people are now directing their hate toward Glamour, calling the mag out for promoting "When They See Us" ...yet staying silent on Fairstein until finally caving Tuesday to mounting pressure.

TMZ broke the story ... Fairstein is facing huge backlash in the wake of Ava DuVernay's new Netflix show, and a nonprofit organization Fairstein worked with for nearly 2 decades wants to force her out.

As we first told you ... Central Park 5 exoneree Raymond Santana told us he believes karma is finally catching up to Fairstein, who became a successful author of children's books and mysteries -- with people calling for a boycott of her books and publishers.

Fairstein has been silent ... making no comment since "When They See Us" debuted last weekend.

Fab 5 Freddy says Linda Fairstein was "evil" to the Central Park 5, and until she says sorry for her misdeeds ... she deserves every bit of backlash she's getting.

We got the hip-hop legend outside a West Hollywood cafe, and asked about Ava DuVernay's new Netflix series about the case, "When They See Us." As a native New Yorker, Freddy said he remembers the case well -- specifically how the boys were convicted in the media, even before the verdicts.

Freddy says Fairstein -- as head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan D.A.'s Office -- knowingly ruined the kids' lives by interrogating them under duress to get false confessions. He says she needs to admit that publicly if she wants the public's forgiveness.

Even though all 5 were exonerated in 2002, Fairstein has maintained she got the case right.

Freddy says that's why he's also backing the #CancelLindaFairstein. She went on to become a successful author, and the movement calls for boycotting publishers and distributors of her books ... east until she shows contrition.

He's also pissed about Donald Trump, who infamously took out newspaper ads at the time calling for NY State to reinstate the death penalty for the Central Park 5. Freddy says the now-President should be big enough to apologize now.

Fat chance ... Trump said in 2016 he still believes the wrongfully convicted men are guilty, despite all evidence to the contrary.

One of the men who was wrongfully convicted as part of the Central Park Five says karma's a bitch for ex-prosecutor Linda Fairstein, who's getting crucified on social media in the wake of a new show about the case and its aftermath.

Raymond Santana -- who was one of the teenagers arrested, prosecuted and eventually convicted in connection to the brutal 1989 rape and beating of a female jogger -- tells TMZ ... the online movement to #CancelLindaFairstein and boycott her books is warranted.

Fans have taken to Instagram and other platforms, calling for retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble to remove Fairstein's book collection from their shelves on the heels of Netflix's new series, "When They See Us" -- which covers the how the case was handled by Fairstein and others, as well as how it impacted Raymond and the rest of the so-called CP5.

He believes Fairstein -- who became a successful author of mysteries and children's books -- is facing her comeuppance right now, which he takes no issue with. In fact, he says it quite bluntly ... "Even if it's 30 years later, she has to pay for her crime."

Fairstein was head of the Sex Crimes Unit for the D.A.'s Office, and she reportedly got confessions from the boys under duress and pressure from police. All 5 men were eventually fully exonerated in 2002, despite having spent years behind bars.

Raymond also takes a jab at the many reporters and civilians who were quick to label them as criminals before a trial got underway, including Donald Trump ... who called for their execution in a newspaper ad that circulated quickly after the crime.

Kanye West described in vivid detail what it's like to have a bipolar episode, and he grouses people just don't get it ... and actually made it way worse for him.

Ye opened up about his mental health struggles to David Letterman for his Netflix show, 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction' -- and we got hold of the footage where he tries to get people to imagine a sprained ankle and then transfer that concept to a sprained brain.

Listen to Kanye ... it's a revelation when you think of a people bearing down on a sprained ankle, causing pain and exacerbating the injury. Now, think of doctors and society doing the same sort of thing to a cerebrum.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye had what seemed like a nervous breakdown back in 2016, which turned out to be a bipolar episode. He was handcuffed to a hospital bed and left alone, which -- as he explains in this clip -- only made things worse.

He says he's opening up about all this to start a conversation about the way we treat bipolar disorder ... and has been applauded for his efforts in speaking about it so candidly.

The entire season -- which also includes interviews with Ellen DeGeneres and Melinda Gates -- drops Friday on Netflix and we're told through it all, Kanye is for the most part very cogent and clear.

"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" star Tituss Burgess is passionately supporting Netflix for speaking out against Georgia's abortion bill and says his stance ain't about toeing the company line.

We got the actor leaving LAX and asked what he made of Netflix saying it will seriously consider moving its productions out of GA if that state's controversial "heartbeat" law takes effect next year.

It's the first major studio to speak out so strongly, and Tituss -- who reminded us he's a Georgia native -- is fully on board with the honchos.

He says folks back home, especially the "bunch of old white men" in the legislature, need to know they can't take control of women's bodies ... and he thinks Hollywood can apply financial pressure.

The legislation, which the governor already signed into law, would ban abortion after six weeks -- and is set to go into effect on Jan. 1.

Tons of production companies shoot in GA and get huge tax breaks for it. So far, Netflix and Disney are the only major studios to threaten to pull out in 2020.

Ellen DeGeneres revealed she's a victim of sexual assault ... and hopes her story helps other victims who are afraid to come forward.

The famed talk show host opened up on season 2 of David Letterman's Netflix show, 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction' ... about her mother, Betty DeGeneres, marrying a "very bad man" who took advantage of Ellen when she a teenager.

She claims her stepfather waited until her mom was out of town and told her he needed to feel her breasts because he'd found a lump in her mom's breast and needed to check hers.

Ellen says she was 15 or 16 when it happened, and she's still angry at herself because she was too weak to stand up to him. She says ... "It's a really horrible, horrible story and the only reason I'm actually going to go into detail about it is because I want other girls to not ever let someone do that."

Ellen adds ... "We [women] just don't feel like we're worthy, or we're scared to have a voice, and we're scared to say no ... That's the only reason I think it's important to talk about it because there's so many young girls and it doesn't matter how old you are."

She says she's angered when victims do come forward and aren't believed, because women don't just make stuff up ... but feels it's time for women to have a voice, and have power.

One of the female inmates featured in Netflix's new docuseries about life on the inside is right back where she started on the show ... behind bars in good old Sacramento.

Megan Hawkins -- known as "Monster" on the series -- was arrested in Elk Grove, CA Friday after she allegedly tried opening a bank account with an ID with someone else's name on it. Cops say that one of the bank employees recognized her from the show and called it in.

According to Elk Grove PD ... Megan was gone by the time officers arrived, but she hadn't gotten far. Police say they found her parked nearby in a vehicle that'd been reported stolen ... with tons of credit cards that didn't belong to her and a controlled substance.

She was arrested and booked for five felonies -- ranging from identity theft to forging or altering checks, just to name a couple. She's being held on a $10,000 bond in Sacramento County Jail -- the same place where she's featured for Netflix's new hit.

Megan is one of the most recognizable characters on the docuseries -- her tongue is split right down the middle ... hence the whole "monster" thing.

The expletive-spewin', hot tubbin', Caddy drivin' former head football coach featured in "Last Chance U" is putting down the cigar and picking up a pen ... 'cause he's writing a book!!!

Jason Brown -- who recently resigned from his gig at Independence CC in Kansas for telling a German-born player he's his "new Hitler" -- starred in season 3 and 4 of the super-popular Netflix show ... and now he's ready to put his thoughts in writing.

"I have partnered up and signed a book publishing contract with SBPRA, to write a book. I will send the details once the book is printed," Brown tweeted on Thursday.

"Much love for all the support!"

Brown became a massive hit with the show ... thanks to his IDGAF attitude and unorthodox coaching style ... so we're assuming this thing is gonna be entertaining as hell.

The guy who was suing the Duffer Bros. for allegedly stealing the idea for "Stranger Things" from him is doing a complete 180 and yanking his lawsuit ... right before their trial was set to begin.

Charles Kessler reportedly withdrew his suit against Matt and Ross Duffer Sunday, issuing a statement as well that completely recanted any and all claims of plagiarism he'd made against them over the past year.

His reasoning is a bit odd, as it seems he just realized he had no case against them. Kessler wrote, "After hearing the deposition testimony this week of the legal expert I hired, it is now apparent to me that, whatever I may have believed in the past, my work had nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things."

He added, "Documents from 2010 and 2013 prove that the Duffers independently created their show. As a result, I have withdrawn my claim and I will be making no further comment on this matter."

TMZ broke the story ... Kessler sued the Duffers back in April of last year, alleging that he'd met with them in 2014 to pitch an idea similar to "Stranger Things" but never heard back -- only to see a show incredibly similar to his idea get greenlit by Netflix courtesy of the bros.

He claimed that his 2012 short film "Montauk" was the inspiration for the show, but he never got any credit ... or cash. The Duffers, meanwhile, fired back saying they had documented evidence that they'd been working on "Stranger Things" since at least 2010.

We reviewed some of those documents -- emails that the Duffers were sending back and forth -- and sure enough, it appeared to prove they were, in fact, developing a "Montauk"-like series well before Kessler came into the picture.

Netflix chimed in on the news as well Sunday, saying ... "We are glad to be able to put this baseless lawsuit behind us. As we have said all along, Stranger Things is a ground-breaking original creation by The Duffer Brothers."

The studio continued, "We are proud of this show and of our friends Matt and Ross, whose artistic vision gave life to Stranger Things, and whose passion, imagination and relentless hard work alongside our talented cast and crew made it a wildly successful, award-winning series beloved by viewers around the world."

Zac Efron's movie about Ted Bundy is pissing off a lot of people who were expecting tons of bloodshed and violence -- but one survivor of Bundy's killing spree says the lack of gore is a good thing.

Kathy Kleiner Rubin -- who was brutalized by Bundy and left for dead at Florida State University's Chi Omega house way back in 1978 -- tells us she thinks the Netflix adaption works better without massive amounts of blood, because it's not supposed to be a horror flick.

Sorry, bloodthirsty millennials ... Kathy says it's better to use your imagination, or just take the time to read up on Bundy's brutal murders.

Check out our clip ... Kathy gets super emotional as she talks about Bundy's long list of female victims, telling us Netflix did a great job portraying them even though it's difficult to tell their full stories in one movie.

Netflix is deeming its new series, "Our Planet," too graphic for some animal lovers, and warning them to shield their eyes during some disturbing scenes.

Netflix issued a dire warning Wednesday, alerting folks to several scenes it feels might be too much for the faint of heart ... because seeing animals eat, prey, or die, is too much for some people.

Netflix's warning involves scenes in 5 segments of the multi-episode docuseries, which covers the effects of climate change on wildlife around the planet. Netflix only gave time codes for the scenes to skip, but we did the leg work and figured out what the hell they're actually talking about.

Hit the fast forward button if these images will make you cringe:

- Baby flamingo's legs encased in solidified salt ("One Planet")

- Killer whales eating a penguin, polar bear making a meal of a baby seal, walrus falling off a cliff ("Frozen World")

- Jaguar killing an alligator ("Fresh Water")

-Cheetahs killing a wildebeest ("Deserts and Grassland")

Not all of the potentially disturbing scenes are gory. One of the red-flagged time codes corresponds to a scene showing ... fish getting caught in fishing nets!!!

The new Netflix series "Our Planet" is pissing off some viewers distraught about graphic images of walruses falling to their deaths -- but the studio is standing behind the filmmakers and the disturbing scene.

In case you haven't heard, Netflix dropped the multi-episode series Friday. It documents the effects of climate change on wildlife around the globe. One episode focuses on Russian walruses that are dying off due to receding ice levels.

In covering the epidemic, filmmakers recorded several walruses scaling rocky cliffs near the ocean, and some of them fell over the ledge ... leaving them seriously injured or even dead from the impact.

The scene left tons of viewers traumatized.

Some critics accuse the producers of emotional manipulation and twisting facts ... and that includes some zoologists and prominent environmentalists, who claim the walrus scene is out of context.

For instance, Dr. Susan Crockford went public this week saying the walruses filmed for this scene were falling off the cliff to escape polar bears ... not because climate change is reducing their natural icy habitat. Patrick Moore, the co-founder of Greenpeace, backed that up too.

Worth noting the clip doesn't show any polar bears, and you also don't see any of the walruses attempting to flee a predator.

Netflix is standing firm behind what they say is a documented fact -- that walruses are being forced to gather on land because there's less ice available ... which leaves them in unfamiliar, dangerous territory.

Additionally, Netflix tells us the "Our Planet" team worked with a seasoned Russian biologist who's worked on that stretch of coastline -- and with those walruses -- for 35 years.

"Selling Sunset" star Chrishell Hartley knows there are haters who doubt she and her castmates are legit in the real estate game, and now she's punching back ... with a velvet glove.

If you haven't seen it (what the hell ya waiting for?), the new Netflix hit series follows the super hot female agents of The Oppenheim Group real estate brokerage. Chrishell joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and we asked her point-blank -- hardcore real estate agents or just pretty faces? What's the deal?

Chrishell says she understands why viewers might have doubts. We mentioned all 6 women on the show are super gorgeous, right?

But, she insists they don't just talk a big real estate game, they can all back it up in more ways than one. Even though she's low man on the totem pole, Chrishell -- whose husband is "This is Us" star Justin Hartley -- says she's quickly making a name for herself.

A couple of Lori Loughlin's "Fuller House" costars are hesitant to talk about her legal situation, but the looks on their faces make it pretty clear ... they've got lots of love for her.

Bob Saget and John Stamos were leaving Avra restaurant in Beverly Hills Thursday when we asked if they're still supporting Lori ... or if they're upset with her in any way for her alleged part in the college admissions bribery scandal.

Bob had a little more to say, telling us you love who you love and stick with them ... echoing the message of another "Fuller House" star, Candace Cameron Bure, at the Kids' Choice Awards.

Saget was quick to add ... "Life's complicated."

That's a sentiment with which Stamos agrees, but other than that he's tight-lipped.

As we reported ... Loughlin's not coming back to "Fuller House" for its fifth season, and also lost her Hallmark gig in the wake of her arrest for allegedly paying bribes to get her kids into USC.