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The Joe Burrow and Kid Cudi bromance keeps growing stronger ... 'cause the Bengals QB just gifted his childhood idol with the jersey he wore in Sunday's AFC Championship Game!!

Cudi revealed that after Cincy's huge victory on Sunday ... he hit up Joey B and asked if he could have the game-worn threads.

"Ok. So after the Bengals win against the Chiefs, I hit Joe and congratulated him and asked if I could have his jersey," Cudi wrote on social media.

And, Burrow wasted no time holding up on his promise -- shipping it right to the Cleveland native just 5 days after the Bengals secured their spot in the Super Bowl.

"Rockin' this bitch to the game and then framing it," Cudi said Friday. "I am so geeked right now."

Of course, Joe Cool is known for his on-field connection with his teammate Ja'Marr Chase ... but as of late, it's Cudi that Burrow has had all the chemistry with.

Joe got a shoutout from Cudi -- who was celebrating his 38th birthday the night of the game -- after the Bengals big win.

The two have a budding relationship that started when Burrow was drafted with the #1 overall draft pick out of LSU ... and this latest gesture from Joey Franchise is proof of that.

Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong's 'Masked Singer' walkout over Rudy Giuliani being a contestant will not be a long-term protest -- both judges are back on the job, and looking pretty damn happy too.

Ken and Robin joined their fellow judges Nicole Scherzinger and Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Thursday for a photo shoot to promote the show's upcoming 7th season. The fact they're still all in to hype the show is a great sign they're willing to sweep Giuliani-gate under the rug

As TMZ reported … During the first taping of the season, Donald Trump's former attorney was the first to get kicked off the show, and when he was unmasked to the judges and audience members, Robin and Ken walked right off set -- a clear protest of his participation in the show.

That all went down last week, but Thursday all seemed forgiven during the shoot outside "The Masked Singer" studio.

While there were some complaints when Sarah Palin appeared on the show back in 2020 ... it was nothing as visceral as Ken and Robin storming off the stage.

Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber keep parking their luxury cars in handicap spots at their Pilates class ... and despite criticism that it's illegal and wrong, they persist.

There they are again ... in the vast parking lot attached to a bunch of businesses -- including the Pilates studio Hot Pilates -- and their parking spots of choice are feet from their destination. The problem is -- it's reserved for the disabled.

We've seen them do this repeatedly over the last few weeks, but they continue to park there.

Our Kendall sources say the owner of the Pilates studio asked them to park in the handicapped spaces because their presence was causing a scene with photogs. Problem is -- the studio owner doesn't control the space -- it's for all the businesses in the parking lot.

We're also told on most days, their security teams will move the cars after Kendall and Hailey get into class -- and bring them after. If the cars aren't moved, security stands by and can get them out of the way if needed.

Our Hailey sources say there are other celebs who've been instructed to do the same thing when they're at the gym.

The Mayor of Los Angeles is ripping a page out of Bill Clinton's playbook ... insisting he was holding his breath while posing for pics without a face mask -- and claiming it was totally COVID-safe as a result.

Mayor Eric Garcetti is catching flak for a pic he took at SoFi Stadium on Sunday during the NFC Championship game -- he was smiling big in the shot with Magic Johnson, but not wearing a mask.

He responded to the criticism by telling KCBS, "People want a picture, I hold my breath. Zero risk." Yes, he said that with a straight face.

In other words, "I didn't inhale" ... much like President Clinton famously claimed back in 1992 about smoking marijuana while he was going to college in England.

If Clinton's claim made you chuckle, Garcetti's has to be a full LOL. The reality is, hizzoner the Mayor's hardly the only person who went maskless at the game -- we all know people who've done it.

But, it's yet another example of the apparent hypocrisy from politicians who encourage their citizens to wear masks, while not following the mandates in public.

Speaking of which, Cali's Gov. Gavin Newsom -- ripped for his infamous indoor dining at French Laundry in 2020 -- also took a maskless photo with Magic during the Rams-49ers matchup. No word if he too employed the breathless method.

The Beijing Olympic Winter Games are officially underway ... kicking off with an elaborate opening ceremony at Beijing National Stadium.

Chinese President Xi Jinping officially declared the games open ... marking the start of the historic sporting event.

The Olympics are being held in China -- across three different time zones -- as various athletes from all over the world compete for medals in 15 different sports.

These games mark the second time China is hosting the Olympics -- they previously held the Summer Games back in 2008 -- and won the bid for the 2022 Winter Games in 2015.

Beijing -- where the games are being played -- is the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Of course, Team USA will be there ... and is expected to perform well. But, they'll have to do it without the support of their govt. officials -- at least, in person, that is.

President Biden and his administration are imposing a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games ... due to China's "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity."

The move from #46 is a deviation from the norm -- it's tradition for the U.S. to send high-profile delegates to represent the country and support America's athletes.

The boycott, however, does not stop the athletes from competing ... and the White House still supports Team USA in their endeavors. In fact, a "record number" of 177 US athletes walked during the opening ceremony, according to CNN.

Jennifer Lopez isn't sweating New York City's cold snap -- not while she's draped in a giant fur coat and sticking to Ben Affleck like white on rice! Don't worry, Ben ... she'd choose you over fur.

Right?

J Lo was beaming Thursday after she and BA did dinner at the Polo Bar in NYC, and then scurried into a frigid winter night (just above freezing) that had to have them thinking ... we're not in Bev Hills anymore!

Anyway, the couple still managed to look stupidly hot -- Jennifer in that Coach coat, while Ben went for a black on black on black outfit.

The joy on her face has us thinking: 'Memba last summer when these 2 had just rekindled their romance after 17 years?

They always looked ridiculously happy, and were constantly staring into each other's eyes ... grinning, laughing and smiling???

Kanye West seems both surprised and upset over parenting issues as he navigates his divorce from Kim Kardashian ... and the latest dispute erupted over a TikTok video.

Kim posted a TikTok video of her and North West lip-syncing a Rae Sremmurd song, and it didn't sit well with Ye ... having his 8-year-old on the social media platform.

He posted, "SINCE THIS IS MY FIRST DIVORCE I NEED TO KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO ABOUT MY DAUGHTER BEING PUT ON TIK TOK AGAINST MY WILL?"

So, let's unpack ... there's obviously tension between Kim and Kanye over childrearing, and this is not the first eruption. As you recall, Kim threw a birthday party for Chicago last month and Kanye was extremely upset, claiming he wasn't invited. Kim begged to differ and told Kanye he was welcome. Ye showed up and thanked everyone BUT Kim.

There might also be a little shade to her when Kanye says it's his first divorce ... because it's Kim's third. Shade, or just inexperience?

Whatever it is ... it's a super relatable conflict. Co-parenting is the trickiest road to navigate post-divorce.

The family of 'Walking Dead' actor Moses J. Moseley does not think he committed suicide ... they believe he was kidnapped and murdered.

Moses' sister, Teerea Kimbro, tells TMZ ... everyone who was close to Moses knew he loved life and she believes with all her heart he was kidnapped and then killed 3 days later.

We broke the story ... law enforcement sources told us Moses' body was found in Georgia Wednesday and cops were investigating his death as a possible suicide.

But, Moses' sister says he'd booked a taping for the Monday before his body was found but never showed up ... something she says he would never do. She went on to say he loved where his career was heading and they were planning big things in the near future.

Cops say they found Moses' body in his car with the doors locked, a gun in his lap and a facial bullet wound.

His sister says investigators told her the gun in question was one of hers -- she says she and Moses liked to go to the gun range and that he had a license to carry.

The family says cops told them they're looking at possible foul play, and Henry County Police Captain Randy Lee tells TMZ ... "It is being investigated as a possible suicide, however, detectives are following any and all available avenues and not ruling anything out."

Gotta hand it to Lindsay Lohan ... she's killed it in a Super Bowl commercial!!!

It's an ad for Planet Fitness, and the theme is that the gym has turned Lindsay's life around from train wreck to the picture of mental and physical health.

The voiceover is hilarious ... Lindsay has gone from DUI to DIY. She's so mentally acute she destroyed on "Jeopardy!" And the turnaround has left the paparazzi in tears!!!

There's a pretty amazing supporting cast in the 30-second ad -- William Shatner, Dennis Rodman, Buzzy Cohen and Danny Trejo ... all touting the virtues of exercise and fitness.

BTW ... NBC said Thursday all the Super Bowl ad slots have been filled, and it ran companies that advertised between $5.8 million and $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime.

Lindsay's been under the radar for a few years now, so the ad is actually more effective because of it. It's kind of like a reveal on "Extreme Makeover" ... except a lot more cerebral. It's actually a great P.R. move for her, because it's believable ... somewhat.

Mac Etienne -- a forward on the UCLA men's basketball team -- was reportedly cited by cops Thursday night after he appeared to spit on fans following the Bruins' game against Arizona.

Just after UCLA fell to the Wildcats, 76-66, at the McKale Center ... cameras appeared to capture Etienne, a 6-foot-10 redshirt freshman, getting into it with U of A fans.

In the video, Etienne can be seen exchanging words with people in the stands ... before he appeared to spit at them twice. The footage shows officials then grabbing Etienne and hurrying him away from the scene.

According to the L.A. Times, University of Arizona police found and cited Etienne a short time later. The outlet reported Etienne was not detained, though, and was allowed to leave the city with the rest of his team that same night.

"UCLA Athletics is committed to and expects the highest level of sportsmanship," a spokesperson for UCLA men's basketball said in a statement to the Times. "We are aware of the incident involving a student-athlete at tonight's men’s basketball game, and the matter is under review."

We've reached out to cops for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Etienne is sitting out this season because of an injury. He played in 13 games for the team last season, starting one.

Now here's an idea ... filming "The View" at the Museum of Tolerance to show support for the Jewish community and educate viewers about the Holocaust.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper from the famed Simon Wiesenthal Center in L.A. tells TMZ ... he'd love to have the show air live at the Museum of Tolerance. He thinks a special week-long visit to the Museum -- which focuses on the Holocaust -- would be enlightening, and he thinks given what was said on the show, the network has to show some accountability.

Ok, let's back this up for a minute. Rabbi Cooper thinks it's absurd to even suggest Whoopi Goldberg is anti-Semitic. She's been a tried-and-true friend of the Jewish community for decades.

That said, the Rabbi thinks her comment that the Holocaust was not racially-based was way out of bounds, and since she said it on the show ... the show should take steps to educate the audience.

It's an interesting take ... especially since the Prez of ABC News came out and proclaimed her network was a big supporter of the Jewish community.

Rabbi Cooper also has an opinion about Whoopi's 2-week suspension -- an opinion that is at odds with many others in the Jewish community. He thinks the suspension is appropriate, because he thinks accountability is important.

The head of the Anti-Defamation League and many others beg to differ, saying Whoopi apologized, recognized the error in her ways, and that should be the end of it.

Fact is ... lots of people think this is ABC reacting out of fear -- since Sharon Osbourne was suspended for defending Piers Morgan's take on Meghan Markle, ABC felt it had to do the same with Whoopi.

There's another way of looking at it ... that both Whoopi and Sharon shouldn't be suspended for stating their opinions on live, opinion-based TV. If neither said what they said from a place of malice, then why the suspensions? In Whoopi's case, she actually gave a mea culpa, so it's unclear exactly what the ABC President expects her to reflect on.

Cooper says one of his colleagues has a relationship with Whoopi, and they've reached out to her for a meeting. Since Whoopi seems to already get what she did, it's unclear what the point of the meeting would be.

Kevin Smith says there were 2 main factors in his decision to stop consuming animal products ... his near-fatal heart attack, and his daughter's master plan.

We got the director leaving Crossroads Kitchen in L.A. -- one of the most famous vegan joints in town -- and asked him if the vegan lifestyle is the secret to his vastly improved fitness.

Kevin's looking pretty good these days, and he explains how he made some big changes in his life after suffering that massive heart attack back in 2018.

He says after learning he had a full blockage in a major artery -- which caused the widowmaker heart attack -- he sat down with a nutritionist, and finally followed his daughter, Harley, to the vegan side.

Kevin, who initially thought he was having a reaction to spoiled milk when he had the heart attack, is only eating plant-based products these days and he tells us why he'd never followed Harley's lead before.

The way Kevin explains it ... she was pretty Machiavellian about it, but he's grateful she was.

Kanye West's desire to rename Black History Month is totally off the mark ... according to noted philosopher Cornel West, who's taking a moment to ring the school bell for Ye.

We got the former Harvard and Princeton professor Thursday at L.A.'s Sunset Plaza, and took a deeper diver with him into Ye's announcement that "FEBRUARY IS NOW BLACK FUTURE MONTH" ... instead of BHM.

Well, Prof. West started out by giving Mr. West some props, calling him a genius ... but adding he's "confused" in many ways. Cornel says the idea that BHM is only about Black people's past is misguided. Check out his explanation, but the Prof. says it's very much about the future as well.

C-Dub says he thinks Ye understands this concept, because he hears it in his music -- but, for some reason, he loses it outside of the studio. Or, as he put it, "There's a sense of which his artistry is so much more profound than his rhetoric."

It's clear he's got love for Ye, though -- he wonders if they're distant relatives -- and he compliments one of Kanye's tracks, in particular ... before playfully urging the rapper to "get off that symbolic crack pipe."

Yes, Cornel came in hot with the jokes. BTW, he also dropped some jewels for T-Pain, who told us he doesn't think there should be a Black History Month anymore.

Portland-based actor Andy Lindberg is best known for playing the conniving kid Davey "Lardass" Hogan -- who enters the Great Tri-County Pie Eat with the intention of creating a barf-o-rama amongst the viewers and his peers in Gordie's campfire story -- in the iconic 1986 coming of age film "Stand By Me."

Lindberg shared the big screen with some of the biggest stars in the '80s including Wil Wheaton as the pistol-wielding storyteller, Gordie Lachance, Jerry O'Connell as the safety first friend, Vern Tessio, Corey Feldman as the four-eyed companion with a looney dad, Teddy Duchamp ... and of course River Phoenix as the brave younger brother, Chris Chambers.

Rebel Wilson is getting court-ordered protection from a man she claims keeps showing up at her home, imagining they have a son together and leaving gifts and letters.

Rebel's lawyer, Susan Haber, beelined it to court for a temporary restraining order ... to protect the singer from a 39-year-old man she claims has been harassing her for months.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Rebel claims the guy somehow found her secluded Los Angeles home and dropped off a handwritten note falsely claiming they have a 20-year-old son together.

Rebel says the note described how they met at a club in 2001 and conversed, kissed and "we both know what happened thereafter" ... but Rebel says it's complete BS because she's never even met the guy.

In the docs, Rebel says the guy's also showed up at the home to leave behind handwritten notes to their fictional son ... as well as some strange gifts.

Rebel claims one of those gifts was a small, stuffed penguin with a card that says "love."

In the docs, Rebel says the man is "delusional by creating in his mind a fictitious history of a relationship he had, and wants to continue to have" with her ... and she fears for her safety, claiming he won't stop harassing her unless a court intervenes.

Law enforcement officials are facing serious backlash ... after failing to inform the public about a 49ers fan who was allegedly assaulted in the SoFi Stadium parking lot during Sunday's NFC Championship game.

According to the L.A. Times, it took 3 days for authorities in Inglewood to acknowledge the incident even took place ... and Thursday, officials were met with skepticism over why they didn't tell the public sooner.

40-year-old restaurant owner Daniel Luna is believed to be the man who was the victim of the heinous assault, according to the report.

Police Lt. Geoffrey Meeks said Los Angeles County Fire Dept. paramedics found Luna wearing a Niners jersey 30 minutes after the game started ... but it's unclear when the attack actually happened.

Of course, the timing is inauspicious for Los Angeles County -- the area is set to host Super Bowl LVI in the coming weeks -- which leads many to believe that authorities weren't as quick to release information surrounding the event out of fear of a PR nightmare.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports no suspects have been identified in the case ... but police launched an investigation into the matter sometime around 7 PM Sunday night, according to the report.

Officials at SoFi Stadium did, however, say they were "aware and saddened by the incident," and they were working with law enforcement officials throughout the course of their investigation.

"Our thoughts are with Mr. Luna’s friends and family during this difficult time."