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Comedian Shane Gillis is back under the microscope -- with 'SNL' announcing he's hosting, it reminds some people of the racial epithets he used in his podcasting days.

Shane's known for his edgy stand-up comedy -- he's very popular on YouTube and Netflix -- and while he hasn't shied away from his past controversial humor, it's jarring to hear him dropping slurs in the middle of anecdotal jokes.

Lorne Michaels and 'SNL' hired Shane in 2019, but fired him before he ever appeared on the show due to backlash over anti-Asian jokes he'd made on a different podcast.

The offensive content here comes from a podcast called "A Fair One," and Shane delivers some controversial jokes -- or at least the language was controversial ... as he unloaded the n-word, the homophobic f-word, and a particular Jewish slur, too.

Based on Shane's history with 'SNL' ya gotta believe producers know some of this material is floating out there on the internet.

When he got canned back in 2019, he apologized, saying ... "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 apologize to "anyone who's actually offended by anything I've said."

It's fair to assume, 'SNL' feels he's made amends, or evolved as a comedian ... because they've brought him back to host.

If you're familiar with Shane's standup specials, you know he tells plenty of racial and LGBTQ+ jokes -- but the podcast stuff feels even edgier. Definitely not the kinda language you'd expect in his 'SNL' monologue.

Sure, it's late-night programming, but NBC's censors are still up and watching!

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will be in Vegas this weekend -- and with love in the air and their romance at an all-time high ... one venue's offering to make them man and wife for free!

With visitors flocking to Sin City for the Super Bowl this weekend, you'd figure there's no better time than Saturday/Sunday to say "I do" ... which is exactly what the Little White Wedding Chapel is thinking, and why they're extending an invite to Tay Tay and TK.

The wedding venue tells TMZ they're offering Taylor and Travis a comped marital service if they're feeling like tying the knot at some point this weekend ... and their doors are open for business, even though they'll completely cover the cost.

LWWC says, "Taylor and Travis – you two have enough on your plate so let us take care of you! Taylor just bring your lucky, and Fabulous Grammys gown and we can handle the rest! We have our florist on standby for the bouquet of your dreams, our ministers and Elvis are ready too. Whatever you want, our chapel is ready to take care of you!!

BTW, their offer here doesn't just extend to T-Swift and Travis -- it actually applies to all the football players and their significant others who might be in town in the next few days.

We're told Little White will cover the costs for any of the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs team members, including coaches -- anyone affiliated has the chance to get married there ... for free. From the aisle to the pitch ... that'll be one tight turnaround!

A complimentary confetti canon will be incorporated into the celebration for members of the winning team. Talk about scoring big on and off the field. Both SB teams will get specially created bouquets for the occasion, which will make it an even playing field for everyone.

LWWC also notes that while wedding days are traditionally all about the bride ... they wanna show some love to the SB men, 'cause the sporting event is one of the most exciting and important things happening in Vegas now. So yeah, they wanna show the dudes love!

They also tell us they hope the offer can serve as an added promo for the venue ... with football fans coming to the chapel to get married in a spur of the moment kinda deal after the game. Don't expect them to cover those weddings though -- just SB heads, y'all.

Not that the chapel really needs it ... with the likes of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Jason Alexander, and more celebs exchanging vows there -- with an Elvis impersonator as a witness, of course.

Gina Carano is suing Disney over her firing from "The Mandalorian" -- claiming she was punished for not toeing the political party line ... and Elon Musk's backing her.

The actress -- who got canned by the Mouse House in 2021, right in the thick of COVID -- just filed suit against her former employer ... alleging she was wrongfully terminated from her job over posting her political views on social media ... something she claims didn't happen to her male co-workers who made similar posts.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Carano claims she was fired for not conforming to "progressive orthodoxy" that was being espoused at the company and in the general public, especially as pertained to COVID policies at the time.

Specifically, Gina says a message she reposted that referenced persecution of Jews during the Holocaust -- comparing that scenario to what was going on with folks who spoke out about COVID and other conservative-leaning positions -- was what pissed Disney off.

While the company came out at the time to slam her for what they said was "denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities" ... GC says her social media post wasn't meant that way whatsoever, and that the context of what she was getting at got lost.

More importantly, Gina claims Disney didn't fire her over performance -- but simply for expressing political views that were considered unpopular and antithetical to Disney's ... and Gina says that was a legal no-no.

What's more, Gina says other male costars of hers also made politically inflammatory comments online at the time -- including when Mark Hamill was accused of liking a transphobic tweet -- but Disney accepted their explanations and moved on.

Bottom line ... Carano says her career was negatively impacted, and that she lost out on boatloads of cash considering her work was going swimmingly before things took a political turn. She's suing for unspecified damages ... but we're guessing it'll be a lot.

The door that blew off a Boeing 737 Max airplane during an Alaska Airlines flight appeared to be missing bolts that are supposed to keep the panel secured ... per a new report.

In a preliminary report from its investigation, the NTSB says four bolts meant to lock the door to the body of the plane were removed by Boeing to fix another issue and appear not to have been replaced.

The NTSB says the bolts were removed at a Boeing factory when the door was opened as part of a repair on damaged rivets on the plane's fuselage.

It's unclear who removed the bolts, the NTSB report doesn't say, though the safety board says it looks like at least 3 and possibly all 4 bolts were never reinstalled after the rivet repair.

The NTSB says Boeing removed the bolts for a September repair and there's no evidence the door was ever opened again before the 737 Max was delivered in October to Alaska Airlines.

As we reported ... the door blew off back in January, shortly after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland International Airport.

The plane, which was packed with passengers, had to make an emergency landing.

Boeing's 737 Max planes were grounded as airlines checked the bolts on the doors ... and the aircraft was only recently given the green light to get back up in the sky, despite some saying it was too early.

A cross-country road trip nearly turned fatal for one driver ... when he stopped to fill up, an out-of-control pickup truck crashed through a gas station pump ... feet away from his car.

Ya gotta see the video ... dash cam footage shows a car pulling into a gas station when suddenly a pickup comes barreling through, running over a gas pump and igniting a fiery explosion.

The pickup keeps on trucking as it plows over the gas pump ... knocking down the gas station canopy, which comes crashing down in front of the driver as he slams on the brakes.

"Oh my f******, God!!!" screams the driver as the crash unfolds in front of him at a Speedway gas station in La Plata, New Mexico.

The guy who took the dash cam video says the incident happened Feb. 4 on his cross-country road trip from Seattle to Mississippi.

He says he reported the incident to the local Sheriff and gave police the video for documentation.

As for the reason behind the crash, the guy says cops told him the pickup truck driver was having a seizure.

3:40 PM PT -- A rep for Post tells TMZ ... "Post Consumer Brands was excited to partner with Broadus Foods and we made substantial investments in the business. We were equally disappointed that consumer demand did not meet expectations."

12:50 PM PT -- Following Snoop Dogg and Master P's filing today, Walmart tells TMZ Hip Hop, "Walmart values our relationships with our suppliers, and we have a strong history of supporting entrepreneurs. Many factors affect the sales of any given product, including consumer demand, seasonality, and price to name a few. We will respond as appropriate with the Court once we are served with the complaint."

Snoop Dogg and Master P are accusing Walmart of shelving their Snoop Cereal but not on the main floor … a new lawsuit accuses the grocery giant and Post Foods of intentionally hiding their product!!!

The rap legends' attorney Benjamin Crump officially filed docs which TMZ Hip Hop obtained on Tuesday … which allege Walmart and Post conspired together to bury their Broadus Foods company after agreeing to partner with them.

According to the suit, Post first attempted to buy out Snoop and P, and later pretended to share their vision by agreeing to adopt their cereal as one of their own and distribute the product in big-name retailers such as Walmart.

Broadus Foods argues Post should have stacked the Snoop Cereal next to their other top sellers but Post only agreed to the deal to shut them out of the market altogether.

Snoop Cereal launched in Walmart in July 2023 but the suit claims customers complained they could no longer find it a few months later.

Walmart stores online allegedly showed the Snoop Cereal to be sold out across the board … before store employees discovered the product was being stowed away in back stockrooms far away from potential buyers and uncoded to sell in the first place.

The lack of sales cut into P and Snoop’s contract with Post, which they feel was the intent all along -- and they're suing for damages they say fall under the "deceptive trade practices."

We reached out to P for comment … so far, no word back!!!

It's a landmark ruling, the first of its kind ... the mother of Michigan high school shooter Ethan Crumbley has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter ... and she could be sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Jennifer Crumbley was convicted of being grossly negligent by not stopping her son Ethan Crumbley from killing 4 students at Oxford High School in November, 2021.

The jury reached the unanimous verdict on the second day of deliberations.

Never before has a parent been criminally charged with a child who committed a mass shooting. Jennifer's husband, James, is also facing manslaughter charges and will stand trial next month. He's the one who purchased the gun.

Jennifer testified in her trial James was responsible for hiding the gun their son used in the shooting.

Jennifer also testified she knew her son was struggling but had no idea he was capable of committing a mass shooting. She never put her son Ethan in therapy and said if she had it to do over again she would have done nothing differently.

A crew member fell to his death at a well-known movie studio in Los Angeles -- and it was while preparing for a show for none other than Marvel ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us first responders were dispatched to Radford Studio Center in Studio City, CA Tuesday -- just outside of central L.A. -- in response to an apparent accident on a set there.

We're told paramedics arrived to sound stage 3 on the lot and came upon a middle-aged man, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Our sources tell us the man appears to have fallen from the rafters area in the sound stage ... and it happened early in the morning.

According to Deadline, it was actually a worker who was prepping a set for Marvel's "Wonder Man" TV show -- which isn't set to go into production until next month. A Marvel rep says ... "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident."

"Wonder Man" is set to star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II -- with Destin Daniel Cretton set to develop the show -- which will eventually debut on Disney+. The man who died was reportedly a rigger ... somebody who deals with setting up lights on set.

Our sources tell us there's no foul play suspected at this point in the police investigation -- but we're told this has actually triggered a federal probe ... OSHA's now looking into it.

The identity of the individual who perished has yet to be revealed.

Jim Irsay says he's getting over his recent health issues ... revealing Tuesday he's officially "on the mend."

The Indianapolis Colts owner suffered multiple medical scares in the last few months -- including a suspected overdose at his Indiana home followed by a respiratory ailment -- but, thankfully, he said on his X page he's now doing better.

He told his fans he appreciated all of their support as he went through his recovery process ... writing, "Grateful for all the messages of love."

The Colts first announced 64-year-old Irsay was struggling with his health back on Jan. 9 ... when they said he was battling "a severe respiratory illness." The issue was so dire, it actually forced Irsay to back out of a concert with his band.

To make matters worse for the NFL owner, TMZ Sports learned that just weeks prior -- on Dec. 8 -- cops were called to his Carmel home after they said he had been found unconscious with a blue skin tone.

In police documents, cops said first responders administered live-saving measures before taking him to the hospital ... classifying the incident as both an "overdose" and "overdose/poisoning."

Conservatives are up in arms over Netflix's depiction of Alexander The Great as a gay man in their new docuseries ... despite a long-standing belief that the dude was definitely bi.

The "End Wokeness" X account -- widely known in right-wing circles -- took offense to ATG, played by Buck Braithwaite, passionately kissing his pal/ potential lover Hephaestion early in the first episode of "Alexander: The Making of a God".

The account wrote, "Netflix made a new documentary about Alexander The Great. Within the first 8 minutes, they turned him gay."

Despite the indignation from the conservative-leaning account -- not to mention from its followers -- even more people were quick to point out ... Alexander is widely considered to have been something other than just straight-up heterosexual, even by historians.

Worth noting ... the legendary conqueror was also depicted as bisexual in the 2004 film, "Alexander", played by Colin Farrell. So ... this whole idea of him being bisexual ain't new.

Funny enough, X even fact-checked the comments themselves ... under the initial post, it was noted ancient historians and scholars had widely accepted Alexander was bisexual and believed to have had long-standing intimate relationships with both men and women.

It fell on deaf ears, though ... the account doubled down on their outrage, writing: "It's still unproven speculation and should definitely not be shoved into the first 8 minutes."

The streamer dropped the 6-part docudrama on Jan 31 ... unveiling ATG's radical transformation of the conqueror from an exiled young man to his obsession with defeating the mighty Persian Emperor Darius ... which allowed him to conquer the known world in just under 6 years.

Interviews with historians and plenty of dramatic reenactments bring the series to life ... and of course, there's a heavy focus on ATG's sexual orientation.

Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones of Cardiff University in Wales says in the first episode that same-sex relationships were quite the norm throughout the Greek world and Dr. Salima Ikram of the American University of Cairo adds Hephaestion wasn't just Alexander's cherished companion but perhaps his "greatest love."

Rich people are gonna feast like it at the Super Bowl this weekend ... 'cause the luxury suite that comes with a $2.5 MILLION price tag will be fully stocked with the finest grub!!

Some lucky media members got an inside look at the expensive box that'll house 20 wealthy football fans when the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs face off at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Super Sunday ... and they certainly won't have empty stomachs by the end of the night.

The spread consists of some bomb-lookin' items ... from a surf-and-turf buffet with wagyu beef and lobster to carne asada fries, seafood stuffed potatoes, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, cheesecakes and your classic souvenir popcorn, according to reporter Luke Sawhook.

There will be plenty to drink, too ... with a full-service bar complete with bartenders.

For those less financially blessed, StubHub says the get-in price is currently $5,300 -- a bargain from last week -- and the average ticket is going for $8,800.

12:21 PM PT -- A United Airlines spokesperson tells TMZ ... "Our inflight crew thoroughly cleaned the area shortly after customers brought this to our attention. We provided sanitizing wipes and offered travel vouchers to those in the surrounding area."

A United Airlines flight that touched down on the West Coast stunk to high heaven some 30,000 feet in the air ... all because of some dog doo-doo that spilled out into the open.

Check out this footage of UA Flight 498, which was taken Monday night traveling from Denver to Portland ... where a handful of unlucky passengers, we're told, were subjected to the sweet smell of caca right in the middle of the journey, which is visible here.

Here's what we're told happened, per eyewitnesses on the scene ... a woman who'd apparently been flying most of the day -- coming from Cincinnati -- was traveling with a pooch in a crate ... which we're told was a female chihuahua.

At some point in the flight, we're told this woman took the dog out of its crate because it was fussy -- and that's when the pup opened up its bowels and blasted crap all over the place.

This is where the complaints come in -- we're told people on the plane weren't so much bothered by the accident itself (s*** happens after all) ... but the bigger issue we're told passengers were dealing with was the alleged slow response to this whole situation.

Eyewitnesses tell us it took flight attendants a good 10 minutes to even come over and address the fact the dog had pooped -- and that there was feces all over the seats and floor.

We're told people were literally getting sick having to sit through this mess -- and while an attendant eventually came over to deal with it ... eyewitnesses say it took way too long, and just wasn't dealt with properly/in a timely fashion. We're also told passengers in the immediate area were offered flight vouchers between $50-$75 ... and nothing more at the moment.

A special week for Lakers fans just got better ... the same night the purple and gold unveil the Kobe Bryant statue outside Crypto.com Arena, LeBron James and Co. will rock Mamba uniforms, designed by the late legend himself!

The Lakers made the announcement Tuesday morning, saying the squad would wear their Black Mamba uniforms vs. the Denver Nuggets on February 8, the same night the team will introduce Bryant's bronze statue in Star Plaza outside of the arena.

Aside from the jerseys looking fresh, they're extra special because Kobe actually helped create them back in 2017 ... borrowing elements from the Lakers uniform he wore during his rookie season in 1996-1997.

The Mamba unis, which the team will wear on 2/8/24 (another nod to the legend), feature a black, snakeskin-like print ... and also include "LA 24" on the belt, with Kobe's number 8 and 24 stitched on the leg of the shorts.

It won't be the first time the Lakers have worn the uniforms ... they debuted them in January 2018. They also wore them again during the 2020 championship season following Bryant's tragic death.

As cool as the uniforms are, the statue is also a huge honor.

Kansas City Chiefs fans seem way more amped up for Super Bowl LVIII than their San Francisco 49ers counterparts ... at least in terms of interest in short-term rentals in Las Vegas.

The good folks over at Airbnb tell TMZ ... searches for rental listings in the Las Vegas region are up by more than 65% for the week of the Super Bowl, and most of the potential renters are flocking in from K.C.

Airbnb says Chiefs fans were in a frenzy looking up places to stay in Vegas after Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce beat the Baltimore Ravens to secure a spot on SB LVIII ... the day after the AFC and NFC Championship Games, total Airbnb searches were 3x higher from K.C. than SF.

The numbers make ya wonder if there's a Taylor Swift effect at play here ... the Chiefs are playing in the Super Bowl for the 4th time in the last 5 years, so it's nothing new to them and their fans, and Taylor's bringing in new fans and tons of extra interest.

No matter which team's fans are booking short-term rentals, Las Vegas looks like the big winner here ... Airbnb says the rental interest is bringing big economic potential to the region.

L.A.'s forecast lately is a 100% chance of rain, and a 0% chance Bianca Censori will cover up her body during outings with her husband Kanye West.

Just check out these pics ... even in a heavy downpour Monday evening, the Aussie model opted to be naked ... wearing only a sheer rain poncho to protect herself from getting wet as she and Kanye arrived at a music studio.

The branding on her lightweight outerwear just about managed to cover her breasts, but she had to skillfully position her hand to avoid flashing anything down below -- although, it does appear she was wearing a skimpy nude-colored thong.

Knee-high stiletto boots were the only notable wardrobe item the 29-year-old architect wore as she strutted along with the rapper -- who, for his part, pulled out all the stops to remain dry head-to-toe.

In stark contrast to Bianca, he was in full waterproof attire in his signature black ski mask and a khaki poncho. Sure, it was oversized enough to cover Bianca too, but sharing was not caring in this instance. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Of course, Bianca's nakedness is nothing new -- she's known for her barely-there ensembles -- but this is the first time we've seen it while a historic storm batters the West Coast.

Luckily, BC didn't have to suffer in the wet weather for too long ... she and KW soon made it indoors to the music studio, where they allegedly met up with Playboi Carti.

Later, Ye shared his only IG post ... a cryptic "1", which presumably refers to his delayed album "Vultures: Volume 1" which should be dropping later this week.

Toby Keith -- the iconic country music singer -- has died after a battle with stomach cancer.

Keith passed away Monday night while surrounded by his family, according to a statement posted to his Facebook page.

"He fought his fight with grace and courage," the message read, alluding to his serious health issues.

In June 2022, Keith announced he had been diagnosed with cancer the previous fall and was receiving chemo and radiation therapy, as well as having surgery.

At the time, he said he was doing well, but he needed time to "breathe, recover and relax."

As you know, Keith was one of the biggest names in country music. Throughout his three-decade career, he released 24 studio and compilation albums and 2 Christmas records, generating $40 million in worldwide music sales.

Keith also produced 61 tracks that appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, with 20 of them hitting number one and 22 others landing in the top ten.

Some of his most recognizable tunes were "Who's Your Daddy?," "Made In America," "Should Have Been A Cowboy," "As Good As I Once Was," and "Beer for My Horses," a 2005 duet with Willie Nelson.

Born in Oklahoma, Keith landed his first record deal in 1993 after being employed as a rodeo hand, a roughneck and playing semiprofessional football. He worked around the clock, once telling former TV news anchor, Dan Rather, "I didn't take many vacations the first 20 years of my adult life."

Using his intense work ethic, Keith cranked out album after album and became a household name in 2002, when he released a controversial song, "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)." He wrote the tune in response to the 9/11 attacks and the death of his disabled veteran father in a vehicle accident the same year.

Keith went on to perform numerous shows for US military officers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as three former American presidents, namely Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George W. Bush. At his performances, Keith was known to dole out gifts to wheelchair-bound veterans wounded in combat.

In 2021, then-President Trump honored Keith with the National Medal of Arts award, which is "the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government," according to the National Endowment for the Arts.

Last September, Keith took home the Country Music Icon Award at the People's Choice Country Awards 2023. After accepting the statue, he gave a speech that brought some levity to his cancer diagnosis and stunning weight loss, saying, "Bet you thought you'd never see me in skinny jeans."

Fun fact for Swifties -- Taylor Swift was actually a huge fan of Toby's, and he played a big role in getting her career in country music started. Per reports, he helped sign her to her first record label, Big Machine Records, and was partially responsible for launching her career.

There's an old interview showing Taylor gush about Toby ... and how she'd always be star-struck by him.

Toby is survived by his wife, Tricia, and three children, Shelley, Krystal and Stelen. He was 62.