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Gene Simmons is defending David Foster for praising his wife Katharine McPhee's post-baby figure ... and he's got a strong message for anyone hating on the couple.

We got Gene at Beverly Glen Deli on New Year's Eve and asked him about the firestorm David ignited when he took to social media to applaud his wife for losing the baby weight.

Gene says David absolutely should be saying wonderful things about his wife ... and ditto for anyone in a loving relationship.

As we reported ... David recently posted a pic of Katharine in a bikini with the caption, "what baby!" He's referencing Katharine giving birth back in February and since looking fit and toned ... but lots of folks pounced, claiming he was out of touch.

Gene thinks it's mostly women attacking David and Katharine ... he's got some reasons why he thinks men aren't behind the hateful comments ... and says women need to be kinder to other women, if for no other reason than karma.

For her part, Katharine says the online trolls are being "overly sensitive" and says folks need to "get a life" ... and Gene echoes some of those sentiments.

Kenny Chesney just unloaded his HUGE home in the Nashville area for $11.5 mil ... and that price comes at a huge discount.

The country singer originally listed the 4 bedroom, 9 bath home for $13.9M, but apparently it just sat, in the middle of a housing boom no less.

Despite the fact the house didn't move at its original price, Kenny scored a hefty profit. He bought the property back in 2009 for $9.25 mil.

The property is 56 acres in Franklin, TN, with the main house just under 12,600 sq ft.

The new owner will have no parking problems, with a 10-car garage -- unless the buyer's Jerry Seinfeld or Jay Leno. It also has a home theatre, infinity swimming pool, spa, limestone fireplaces and other bells and whistles.

At the beginning of each year, there is a huge rush of fit fanatics that make a mad dash to the closest gym to begin their New Year's resolutions ... and we've got a little famous fitspiration to get your body moving in the right direction.

These shredded celebs don't really need any new year, new me motivation because it's clear they've been hard at work all year round ... and shared some super hot selfies of their textbook physiques in the gym for the world to gawk at!

Two Kobe Bryant and LeBron James game-used jerseys just hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports has learned they're so unique, they're expected to bring in over $100K apiece.

The white Bryant one is ultra-rare -- it's a "Noche Latina" Lakers uni that the Mamba wore when he played against the Bulls back in 2013.

The jersey features "Los Lakers" stitched onto the front for the Latin-themed night -- and, on the back, Bryant signed his name in white inside of the 2.

The jersey also features some significant patches -- there's a "JB" on the front to honor Jerry Buss, and there's also a "Noche Latina" emblem placed on the chest. A "Noche Latina Latin Nights" logo sits on the front tail, too.

James' jersey, meanwhile, doesn't come with an autograph ... but what makes it so unique is that it's a uniform he wore several times during his first season as a Laker.

The guys at Goldin, which is running the auctions, tell us the 37-year-old actually wore the uni for six games in the 2018-19 season -- recording three triple-doubles and a 36-point game with it on.

Both pieces are now on the auction block -- and we're told the Bryant jersey may go for $125k while James' could go up to $150k.

Don't let these two almost identical images of Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson make you want to turn back the clock! Strike at midnight to see if you can ring in all the sneaky switches!

The fun musical-comedy duo were prepping for their 2022 celebration special, "Miley's New Year's Eve Party," which aired last night ... and we have made a few changes to the original pic! Pop that bottle of champagne and see if you can cheers to the differences in these two super similar snaps! Don't drop the ball!

Beloved actress, comedian and American icon Betty White has died, just weeks before a milestone birthday ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Betty passed away at her home just before 9:30 AM Friday.

A trailblazer and pioneer in media, Betty had the longest running career for any woman in TV prior to her death -- starring in multiple shows over the past 8 decades, starting way back in 1939.

Betty is perhaps most famous for her lead role as Rose Nylund in "The Golden Girls," which ran from 1985 to 1992. She'd been in TONS of other big hits throughout her life though.

Betty got her start in radio in the '40s, making appearances on "Blondie," "The Great Gildersleeve," and "This is Your FBI." She eventually got her own radio program. In 1949, she began working on a TV variety show with Al Jarvis called "Hollywood on Television" -- which she later co-hosted -- before breaking out into more TV roles.

Her breakout comedic role came in 1973 when she played Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" ... which ran until 1977, and then she got her starring role in "The Betty White Show."

With 115 acting credits to her name, Betty had roles in productions like "Life with Elizabeth," "Date with the Angels," "The Love Boat," "Mama's Family," "The Golden Palace," "Ladies Man," "That '70s Show," "Higglytown Heroes," "Boston Legal," "The Bold and the Beautiful," "Pound Puppies," "Hot in Cleveland," and many, many, many other shows and films.

Betty won 5 Primetime Emmy Awards -- including 2 for 'Mary Tyler Moore,' 1 for "Golden Girls" and 1 for her 1975 'SNL' appearance -- along with Screen Actors Guild Awards, American Comedy Awards and even a 2012 Grammy.

She's been nominated for several Golden Globes and has also been honored with lots of Lifetime Achievement Awards and celebrations through several organizations.

Betty had just made headlines this week when she told People, "I've heard Ryan [Reynolds] can't get over his thing for me" -- they co-starred in the 2009 movie, "The Proposal."

Ryan jokingly responded on Twitter ... "I'm absolutely sick of the media exploiting past relationships just to drive clicks."

The last time we got Betty on camera, she was teasing the launch of her Facebook page back in 2012.

As we've reported ... Betty had been extra cautious during the pandemic, mostly chilling at home and passing the time by reading, watching TV and doing crossword puzzles.

Betty was 99 and she would have celebrated her 100th birthday on January 17.

RIP

The Las Vegas Bowl was on the verge of an all-out brawl in the crowd, but after the punches started flying one man stomped out the fuse with a colorful threat.

Ya gotta see the video ... Arizona State fans are jawboning each other in the stands at Allegiant Stadium and the Sun Devil on Sun Devil crime escalates to some haymakers.

Then, a Wisconsin Badgers fan runs over and lays down the law ... putting his fingers in the ASU supporters' faces and telling them he'll knock them out cold if they don't cut the crap.

Folks who nearly had a front-row seat to a much bigger fight roar in approval after the Wisconsin fan silences the trash talkers ... and both fan bases bond over a "Let's Go Badgers" chant.

The Wisconsin fan saved others a headache ... we're told police and security didn't come to the section, and this all happened midway through the 4th quarter.

Katharine McPhee is not taking criticism of her husband David Foster lying down ... she's upright on the sand, looking great, and in no way, shape or form is she apologizing for losing the baby weight.

Katharine posted these pics that were taken in Hawaii, where she and David are spending the XMAS holiday.

The 37-year-old gave birth less than a year ago, and that inspired David to post a pic of his wife a few days back, with the caption, "what baby!"

Of course, David got dragged on social media by people who somehow thought complimenting his wife on losing the weight is somehow a slight on other women who did not ... or for being superficial.

Katherine pounced on David's critics with another pic of her ... firing back, "I'm sorry but we are not sorry," adding, "For all of you who can't deal with it, maybe this helps. I've struggled with weight my whole 20s and 30. I've gone up and down 10 times over. Does that make you feel better? There is nothing wrong with that — most people do."

She wasn't done ... "Seriously get a life. Stop being so offended by what people post who have zero impact on your life and move on. Maybe you should have more of an attitude of like, let's say, 'Oh that's nice he thinks his wife is hot.' I cannot with this overly sensitive society right now. But, as Taylor Swift said haters gonna hate. Byyeeee."

Erin Foster added to the chorus ... "If I can accept my stepmom looking like this, you certainly should be able to."

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are not royalty ... he's not a sir, she's not a duchess, but still, they lounge like royalty.

The multibillionaire and his GF were sprawled out on what looks like some sort of chaise. It's as if one of the trusty crew members will feed them grapes as they catch some Caribbean rays.

Jeff and Lauren have been on a superyacht, tooling around the St. Barths area, and that's where they will be celebrating New Year's Eve.

They've been showing a lot of skin lately, and everyone's talking about Jeff's bod. He's jacked for sure, and lots of people think it's thanks to HGH, but our sources say that's not true -- it's all-natural.

They've been super touchy-feely on the trip ... making out during a hike earlier in the week.

With the tragedy at the Naples Zoo, it's heartening to know one of the rarest tigers in the world was born at the London Zoo, and to celebrate, the zoo has started a naming contest.

The baby is a Sumatran tiger ... they are few and far between ... an endangered species.

The cub came into the world on December 12 ... and the birth was recorded on a "cubcam" in the enclosure.

You gotta watch ... the cub's mom, 10-year-old Gaysha, is seen cleaning her baby and then watching it take first steps.

There are only around 300 Sumatran tigers in the world, so this birth is a big deal.

The ZSL London Zoo wants people to throw a proposed name in the hat -- from regulars at the zoo to strangers, all suggestions are welcome.

The birth announcement comes just a day after a horrific event at a zoo in Naples, Florida, where a custodian went rogue and apparently stuck his hand in a tiger's cage, either to feed or pet the animal. The tiger, Eko, clamped onto his arm, police were called and they ended up shooting and killing the tiger.

Who says you never get dressed up for your family?

The Kardashians had a scaled-back holiday this year -- with Omicron and such -- but it didn't stop them from dressing to the 9's in an impressive show of glitter.

As we reported, Kris Jenner scaled back her XMAS Eve party, and now we have the pics to show it was both elaborate and intimate.

Christmas trappings are everywhere, and the photos show that as life goes on, people blend families in all sorts of ways.

There are photos, of course, of Kim, Khloe, Kourtney and Kendall. But, then there are pics of Travis with his kids and Kourtney with one of her kids (the boys were nowhere to be seen, at least in the pics).

Kim's still deep into Balenciaga. As you know, Kanye inspired it and she connected with it.  BTW, Ye wasn't at the party.

There was even a Santa present ... Kourtney nuzzled up to Mr. Claus.

Jeff Lewis may be rethinking his comments about his holiday party, because a remark he made about COVID may have gotten his daughter rejected from private school.

Jeff said his 5-year-old daughter, Monroe, was just given the thumb's down from a private school, and he insinuated it's because he posted that he had a holiday party at the home of Lea Black. Jeff insisted they took precautions and made sure everyone was vaccinated, but he says in the days that followed, he, along with co-host Megan Weaver, his assistant Shane Douglas, "Shahs of Sunset" star Mercedes Javid Feight, actress Monika Casey and boyfriend Scott Anderson all tested positive for COVID.

And, then Jeff said, "That was an epic party. It was so worth almost dying for."

Jeff said Tuesday on his radio show that he was "exaggerating" when he said the party was "worth almost dying for."

He went on ... "If someone said to me, 'You're going to go to this crazy party, you're going to get wasted, s***faced, you're going to have crazy, drunken sex, whatever. You're going to go, but you're gonna get COVID. It's going to be light symptoms. It's going to be runny nose, achy, you're going to stay home for five days …' — I would still go to that party, yes."

And then he said, "But if someone said, 'Look, you're going to get COVID, and you're going to have these chills for 24 hours, you're not going to get warm, you're going to have a 104-degree fever, you're going to be delusional, whatever …' — no, I'm not going to go to that party. So, that's what I meant."

But still, he made light of his prognosis ... "There were a few days I thought were my last, so I did open up a few nice bottles of wine."

Jeff now says he and Gage Edward, his ex and also the father of Monroe, believe 4 or 5 other private schools may reject their daughter because of the post.

As for the first rejection, Jeff said, "... they got back to us right away. They said, 'We know who you are. We know who Monroe is and... we are not interested in Monroe.' That's what they said."

He blasted the school, saying, "She's a f***ing angel," why would you deny her? She has so much to offer to that school."

Monroe was actually kicked out of the Montessori preschool back in 2019, after parents started complaining that Jeff dragged the school on his radio show.

COVID is derailing the best-laid plans of New Year's Eve ... because some big bands have just pulled the plug.

CBS's "New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash" will air minus the Zac Brown Band, because Zac tested positive.

Sam Hunt and Elle King have also pulled out, citing COVID-19 protocols, organizers told The Tennessean.

As for Zac, he said, "To Our Fans, We are deeply disappointed to share that Zac Brown Band will no longer be performing at Nashville's Big Bash tomorrow night on CBS," adding, "Despite taking precautions, I've tested positive for COVID-19."

Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and countless other country stars are still scheduled to perform and keep the good vibes rolling into 2022!

Detectives working to find out who killed Drakeo the Ruler are fighting an uphill battle, finding it hard to get anyone who may have info on the suspect to come forward and talk ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... investigators are mostly relying on surveillance and cellphone footage to crack the case. As we reported, he was stabbed in the neck backstage at the Once Upon A Time in L.A. festival on Dec. 18.

Our sources say detectives attempting to chat with witnesses to the scuffle ... but they're not talking, which makes it hard/next to impossible to nab the culprits.

Detectives are starting to go another route -- looking to see if the Slim 400 murder might be connected to Drakeo the Ruler's demise.

As we reported, there's a lot of tension between gangs in the City of Angels as of late, so cops are well aware of the chance for retaliation.

Nothing's been made public to connect the Drakeo and Slim murders -- but our sources say cops aren't ruling it out.

Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and 50 Cent were among the acts set to perform at the festival where Drakeo was killed ... Snoop posted a heartfelt message, saying, "My prayers go out to everyone affected by the tragedy. Please take care, love one another and stay safe y'all."

He ended with, "IM PRAYING FOR PEACE IN HIP HOP."

Apparently, buyers like the thought of sharing the same living space once inhabited by Hollywood and political legends ... because Bing Crosby's former estate has attracted offers like bees on honey.

Crosby's pad in Rancho Mirage was listed this week, and agent David Emerson of Compass says interest has been intense ... with a dozen calls a day for the property, and of those ... around 15 real buyers, some of whom have already seen it.

We're told those who have shown interest run the spectrum -- from celebs to wealthy CEO's -- and people all around the world.

The estate is listed at $4.5 million and has hosted the likes of John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. In fact, there's a guest house called the "JFK Wing" where he used to stay on the down low with MM, with 2-bedrooms, 2-bathrooms, plus a full kitchen and living room.

In all, the place has 5-bedrooms, 6,700 sq feet of living space, a giant pool, movie theater, 1.36 acres to spread out on and stunning views.

Francis Ngannou is known for his striking and downright scary power ... and now the UFC champ tells TMZ Sports he'd like to box a top heavyweight like Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder.

We talked to the 35-year-old, 16-3 (12 KO's) UFC star ... and asked him if he still had designs on hopping to the boxing ring.

"It's always been down the line. This is something I'm not taking my eyes off of. It's gonna happen, either way. Even if, when the UFC and I finalize a deal, the boxing part has to be into it because I can't see myself retire without boxing," Francis says.

FYI, Francis has 1 fight left on his deal with Dana White's organization ... a title defense against interim champ, Ciryl Gane.

But, Ngannou isn't looking to box a tomato can ... he literally is going straight to the top for an opponent.

"Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder. I would like to test myself to that level," Francis told us.

"It's not the same sport, although I'm the champion, I'm in the top in this division. At the end of the day, it's just about like trained hands, trained punches, having a good delivery system to produce bombs and I'm sure that if I deliver my own punch, it's pretty good, I can make some damage."

Of course, Fury -- the top heavyweight boxer in the world -- recently beat fellow great Wilder in one of the best heavyweight fights of all time.

Fury is likely to fight Dillian Whyte early next year. Wilder's next move is currently unknown. But, a Ngannou fight vs. either man would obviously be a huge event.