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Melinda French Gates has left no doubt ... she was appalled at Bill Gates' friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, whom she described as "evil personified."

Melinda told Gayle King Thursday on "CBS Mornings" ... Bill's relationship with Epstein was definitely a factor in their divorce. You gotta hear the way she describes that relationship -- the disgust in her voice is loud and clear.

Melinda said, "I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no. I made that clear to him."

She also tells King she met him a grand total of one time, and it creeped her out ... "I wanted to see who this man was and I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door ... he was evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterward."

She says her heart breaks for the young women who suffered at the hands of Epstein ...  and she says she made her feelings very clear to Bill.

Melinda makes it clear there are still hard feelings between her and Bill ... she says they have a working relationship but are not "friends."

TMZ broke the story ... when they initially planned on announcing the divorce in March 2021, Melinda and their kids went to a private island, anticipating a media onslaught -- and Bill was not invited. The family was furious at him ... we're told largely because of his alleged relationships with other women.

Russian billionaire Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich has announced he's selling his beloved soccer team ... and, in a surprising move, he said he'll donate all of the proceeds to victims of the war in Ukraine.

The soccer club's boss explained his decision in a statement Wednesday ... saying he believes unloading the team is in "the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club's sponsors and partners."

In his statement, Abramovich said the net dollars from the sale will go to Ukrainian relief efforts ... adding he hopes the funds will help war victims as well as "the long-term work of recovery."

The news comes on the heels of Abramovich -- an oligarch --  reportedly being pressured to sell the team due to his rumored ties to Vladimir Putin.

The oligarch has been friendly with the Russian leader for years ... and with many pushing for sanctions for those who might have the ear of Putin, some believed Abramovich's soccer club was on the verge of being seized.

Experts expect Chelsea FC to sell for around $3 billion ... and given that Abramovich bought the team in 2003 for around $200 million, hundreds of millions of dollars could soon be on the way to Ukraine.

Renee Graziano is getting the help she needs to kick a pill addiction she's been battling for years -- and doing it side by side with another reality TV vet, no less ... Mr. Jason Wahler.

The "Mob Wives" star tells TMZ ... she recently linked up with her "The Hills" compadre and his foundation, Red Songbird, to get treatment for a number of issues she's suffered from since her 20s -- namely, being hooked on prescribed sleeping meds.

We're told just last month, Dr. Drew put her in touch with Jason -- who's since been brought into the fold over at Songbird ... which Renee says has been working wonders in getting her back to a good place.

She tells us a lot of these issues stem from anxiety, depression and former abusive relationships -- which included sexual assault -- and because of her new regimen ... her life is finally getting on track in a healthy and productive way.

In addition to having one-on-one chats with Songbird staffers to talk through her issues, RG is also delving into EMDR -- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing ... allowing someone to deal with old wounds, but from a safe distance. It also gives recipients a new perspective on how to deal with the hurt.

Renee also gets therapy ... joining processing groups, anger management sessions, wellness discussions and other meetups that help keep her grounded.

We're told Renee came into treatment in California on Feb. 6, and that she's about a month sober at this point -- with no plans to leave until she feels grounded.

As for the Jason connection, Wahler has had substance abuse issues of his own in the past, with more than a dozen arrests. He said back in 2019 that at age 18-23 he was a "womanizing alcoholic" and went to 12 different rehab centers. He's now dedicated his life to helping others.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy has made it to safety in the United States after fleeing war-torn Ukraine ... and he just reunited with his wife at the airport.

Check out this emotional video of the "Dancing With The Stars" alumni Wednesday at LAX ... you can see he's happy to see his better half, Peta Murgatroyd, after a harrowing experience in Europe ... and they share a long embrace and kiss.

Maksim is clearly impacted by what he witnessed in the middle of war ... and he says he's just trying to process all that just happened in Kyiv, where bombs are exploding.

It's scary ... Maksim says when he was in Ukraine he was told to get a gun and watch YouTube videos on how to use an AK-47 ... but he says he opted to document everything for the world to see, using his iPhone as a weapon instead of a firearm.

Maksim's also got some strong words for Russian strongman Vladimir Putin ... wishing him a similar fate as Adolf Hitler.

It's the culmination of a long journey for Maksim as he flees his native Ukraine and the Russian invasion devastating his countrymen.

Maksim, who lived in Ukraine until he was 14 and then recently returned to Kyiv to work on a dance competition show, documented much of the daring journey on social media ... first sharing a video of him on a balcony in the capital while sirens blared around him.

Stuck in Kyiv as Russian forces surrounded the city, Maksim spent time in a bomb shelter before boarding a train bound for Poland. The train ended up being packed to the gills, and during the journey to Warsaw he says he witnessed a boy say goodbye to his dad.

About 16 hours ago, Maksim boarded a plane from Poland ... and now he's reached safety in the USA.

DMX's fiancée Desiree Lindstrom opened up on "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" about how she's been after her beau's passing ... and how things are going with their son, Exodus.

"My life changed so fast," Desiree told Raq. "Holidays get lonely ... because Earl was my family, but I do have Exodus and I try to make the best of it, because I know that's what he would've wanted me to do."

The emotional discussion is tough for her ... but she thanks everyone that's checked on her and their son. She thinks X's fans played a big part in keeping her going in the months following his death.

TMZ broke the story ... the legendary rapper was rushed to the hospital following an overdose. After a week of being on life support last April, he passed away ... survived by his 15 children.

At his celebration of life, tons of artists came to say goodbye -- Ye, Swizz Beatz, and Nas were just a few. Desiree gave a tear-jerking speech about how much he meant to her ... ending it with "Forever X."

The "Wheel of Fortune" contestant who missed what many consider the most obvious answer ever says the bright lights played a role in his historically unforgettable moment on the show.

Christopher Coleman -- one of the 3 'Wheel' contestants who failed to solve ..."ANOTHER FEATHER _N YO_R _A_" -- tells TMZ ... the pressure and scrutiny were just too much in his big moment.

It wasn't just the stress of trying to solve the puzzle in crunch time, though ... Christopher says it had been more than 30 years since he last heard the idiom, "another feather in your cap."

By now you have probably seen the clip of Christopher spinning the wheel and guessing "G" before getting another crack and guessing "D" -- neither of which were in the phrase.

As Christopher explains, he guessed "G" because he thought the last word was "bag," but meant to say "C" when he guessed "D" ... a mistake he chalked up to being up against the clock.

Naturally, folks on social media are having a field day at Christopher's expense ... but he's calling for some empathy and has a message for all the trolls out there.

Pat Sajak has come to the contestants' defense ... and Christopher echoed many of Pat's comments, saying folks at home don't know what it's like to be in the middle of a nerve-wracking game, and it's easy to poke fun from your couch.

Christopher is owning up to his mistakes though ... he says he should have just solved the puzzle when he finally figured out the answer, instead of taking a risk on another spin and going bankrupt.

Despite the viral fail, Christopher says going on 'Wheel' fulfilled a lifelong dream and he appeared on the show in memory of his grandmother, Lucy, who recently passed away.

"Keep fighting boys! Never surrender!"

That's heavyweight champion Tyson Fury addressing Vladimir Putin's Russian invasion of Ukraine ... voicing support for star boxers like Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old boxing superstar about the unprovoked war ... and the "Gypsy King" even said if the fight came to the US or UK, he'd be right there, gun in hand.

"Two laws, love your woman and fight for your country. So they should be fighting for their country. Why not? If the war comes to the United States or United Kingdom, then I'll be joining. Don't worry about that. We all will! Why ain't we gonna defend our own land? C'mon, behave yourself."

Some people have been surprised the boxers -- who are all famous and wealthy -- have put themselves at great risk of harm or death by fighting Putin's forces.

But, Tyson makes a great point to rebut the notion the boxers are risking too much by fighting alongside the military.

"What's money got to do with it? You got no homeland to go back to, all the money in the world's no good to you. You can't spend it."

We also talked about more optimistic topics ... like Fury's return to the ring!

Of course, Tyson is just a few months removed from his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder. The first fight was a draw ... and TF won the last 2 bouts by knockout.

Now, Fury is set to take on fellow UK star, Dillian Whyte on April 23 at Wembley Stadium in London.

New York City native Lil Mama (real name Niatia Jessica Kirkland) was only 17 years old when she shot to stardom after she released her Billboard charting first -- and only -- album 'Voice Of The Young People' back in 2008 ... which included the smash single "Shawty Get Loose," -- plus "G-Slide (Tour Bus)" and of course "Lip Gloss."

Lil Mama continued her success by pivoting into hosting and acting roles and could be spotted on shows like "America's Next Top Model" and "The Reel" ... but her standout acting credit was her role as Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in the 2013 VH1 Biopic "CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story."

Kanye West appears dead set on burying Pete Davidson -- or at least the cartoon version -- he just imagined the burial of his ex-wife's boyfriend in a music video for a song where he rips the 'SNL' star.

Ye just dropped the music vid Wednesday for his song "Eazy" with The Game. The track features the verse, "God saved me from the crash, just so I can beat Pete Davidson's ass" ... and the video shows animated Pete being buried alive by Kanye.

The video -- interestingly debuting on the very day the judge declared Kim and Kanye single -- is mostly clay animation and at one point, Kanye's character is dragging a body tied up by ropes with a bag over the head. Kanye then pulls off the bag to reveal Pete's face and sprinkles some rose seeds over his head.

Later in the video, Pete's got roses coming from his head, and the roses are loaded into the back of a pickup truck. The whole thing is a creepy connection to the truckload Kanye sent Kim Kardashian for Valentine's Day.

Kanye's not done sending not-so-subtle messages to Kim's BF ... the last 3 frames in the video feature another jab at Pete.

Ye ends with this ... "EVERYONE LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER / EXCEPT SKETE YOU KNOW WHO / JK HE'S FINE."

Helen Mirren thinks the internet is jumping the gun over a possible film based on the war in Ukraine ... saying it's way too premature, because we don't know how the story ends.

We got Helen at LAX on Wednesday ...  and talked to her about the prospects of a film about Ukrainian President Zelensky and his bravery during the Russian invasion.

"Culture always responds to what is happening in the world," she tells TMZ. "The end of that story, we don't know yet, clearly."

Helen also weighed in on Jeremy Renner playing Zelensky -- it's making the rounds on social while she says she's not the one to make that call, she notes Renner is quite the actor -- more than capable for the challenge.

Helen mirrors the sentiment of her fellow actors -- supports Ukraine and the artists that have been affected by the conflict.

Kim Kardashian's quest to become a single woman has become a reality because the judge has granted her request to end her marriage to Kanye West. Kim will hereinafter be known just as Kim Kardashian ... the West is gone.

Kim was on a video call for Wednesday's court hearing -- her lawyer, Laura Wasser was in court -- and Kanye was absent. Kanye's lawyer did not object to restoring Kim's single status, although his lawyer said he had 3 conditions -- 1. any right to get reimbursement of money that's supposed to be divided up will be preserved in case either of them dies ... the judge granted that condition.

There were 2 other conditions the judge rejected -- that Kim would not transfer any assets she had in trust, and if Kim remarries she would waive the "marital privilege." That privilege means a new spouse would not have to testify about communications he had with her. The judge said nope to that.

To close out the hearing, Kim answered a series of questions, known as the "prove up" which included, "Are there problems in your relationship?" and "Do you think your marriage can be saved with counseling?" Kim answered "yes" to the first and "no" to the other.

A source close to Kanye tells TMZ, he also wanted the divorce to be granted. He's now a single person as well.

TMZ broke the story, Kanye recently dropped his 4th divorce attorney, Chris Melcher ... we're told there was little communication between Kanye and Melcher, making the relationship extremely difficult. It's been just over a year since Kim filed for divorce. We're also told Melcher was whipsawed ... one day Kanye wanted the divorce, and the next day he wanted to fight for the marriage.

Kim's been asking the judge to restore her single status since December, when she stated in docs, "I very much desire to be divorced." She also said she'd asked Kanye to keep their divorce private, which he hadn't, and his social media posts had caused "emotional distress."

Kanye and his legal team had continued to resist, making arguments the couple's prenup should be presumed invalid and even calling into question whether Kanye actually wrote the nasty social media posts -- FYI, he claimed he hadn't been hacked.

Of course, Kim and her team felt like this was all a stalling tactic ... this as Kanye had continued his overtures in a bid to win her back, even if it meant attacking her and her new BF, Pete Davidson.

Stanford women's soccer star Katie Meyer -- a Cardinal goalkeeper and a team captain -- has tragically died, the school announced Tuesday.

She was only 22 years old. No cause of death was revealed.

"Please join us in offering our deepest condolences to her parents and sisters," university officials said of Meyer in a statement. "We would also like to extend our heartfelt condolences to Katie's friends, hallmates, classmates, teammates, faculty and coaches."

School officials added that counseling has been made available all over campus to students and others who are grieving the loss.

Meyer -- described by the school as "a bright shining light for so many" -- was one of the Cardinal's best players ... and had helped the team win the NCAA women's soccer championship in 2019.

During that title game against North Carolina, she made two massive saves to help secure the victory. Her celebration afterward went viral.

Meyer was slated to be a redshirt senior on Stanford's team this season.

Whaddaya do when you win the Super Bowl??

You get all your friends together on a yacht and head to Cabo, of course!!

L.A. Rams head coach Sean McVay did just that this week -- boarding a $15k-a-night boat and having the time of his life ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

36-year-old McVay, his fiancée, Veronika Khomyn, and their closest friends made the trip down to Mexico and partied it up on a 75-foot Sunseeker called Sea La Vie.

McVay quickly ditched his shirt for the occasion ... showing off his impressive build as he soaked in the rays before riding around on a jet ski.

Sean has a lot to celebrate -- he is fresh off leading the Rams to a Super Bowl win over Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals ... becoming the youngest head coach to win it all.

On top of that, pretty much every major network wants him to leave his coaching gig to start a career in the broadcast booth ... reportedly being offered insane checks in the process.

Cain Velasquez allegedly rammed his truck into the car of a man accused of molesting the UFC legend's family member, before allegedly firing multiple shots into the man's vehicle, striking the alleged molester's stepfather.

TMZ Sports has obtained court docs that spell out the allegations against 39-year-old Velasquez.

In the docs, officials say Velasquez followed a 43-year-old man named Harry Goularte -- who was recently charged with 1 felony count of a lewd and lascivious act for allegedly molesting Velasquez's "close relative" -- along with his mom and stepdad from their San Martin, CA home on Monday afternoon.

Velasquez, who was driving a black Ford F-250, then allegedly began shooting into the Chevy Silverado driven by Goularte's stepdad.

Authorities say Cain caught up to the car and rammed it, before eventually firing off more shots.

Cops were called, and Velasquez allegedly left the scene. Soon after, cops located Cain on the road, pulled him over and took him into custody without issue.

According to the docs, police found a 40-caliber semi-automatic handgun in Cain's truck. They also noted they found two 10-bullet magazines in the vehicle, noting that 8 total bullets were missing from the mags.

Cain has been hit with 10 charges, including 1st degree attempted murder, multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and shooting an occupied motor vehicle, among others.

If he's ultimately convicted, Cain is facing decades in prison.

But, it's the circumstances surrounding the case that makes this situation unique.

Darren Criss' older brother, Charles Criss, has died by suicide -- and his sibling is sending out a powerful message about mental health in the wake of such a tragedy.

The actor revealed the sad news Wednesday in a social media post, throwing up a bunch of photos of his bro, as well as a lengthy statement about what had happened ... and what the takeaway is for him as a result.

Charles -- who Darren refers to as Chuck -- took his own life sometime last month ... although the exact circumstances are unclear.

What is clear, however, is how much thought Darren put into breaking this to the public -- because his note here is incredibly powerful and well worth a read in full.

To sum it up, he says that Chuck -- with whom Darren actually started a band -- had apparently suffered from depression ... something DC says he and his family were somewhat aware of, but not to the extent they thought it would ever lead to this.

He says his brother lost sight to the darkness -- despite the fact he was so very loved -- and also takes a moment to acknowledge ... this is something that cannot be discussed in just a sentence or two, going on to acknowledge the complexities of mental health that any one individual may be going through ... even if everything looks okay from the outside.

Darren writes, "There is simply no sense, nay, compassion or decency, to try to find blame in any direction other than the inner most tragedy of an untreated illness," going on to add ... "Which is why it is paramount for me to remind anyone reading this that may be feeling consumed by any similar kind of darkness -- that there is absolutely no shame in feeling shame, and furthermore, nothing wrong whatsoever with seeking help."

He also makes sure to hit this point home ... that Chuck's life is not defined by his suicide, and that it was so much more than just that -- acknowledging the great things he contributed to this world, including three young children that he leaves behind.

Darren's brother was just 36. RIP

Jon Stewart is blown away by what he's seeing in Ukraine ... first by Volodymyr Zelensky's remarkable leadership, and second by seeing war play out in real-time on social media.

We got the former 'Daily Show' host Wednesday on Capitol Hill and asked him about the Russian invasion and what he's seeing from his fellow comic, who is now leading Ukraine.

Jon says comedians are usually not the most courageous bunch  ... which is what makes Zelensky's strong leadership in the face of the massive Russian army so impressive.

The Russians have the military advantage, at least on paper, and are bombing the crap out of Ukraine ... and Jon says it's remarkable to see Zelensky and his people holding it together in the face of danger.

Jon also says it's unfathomable to see the real cost of war unfold on TikTok, pointing out it's a lot more intense than the old WWII footage, and offers this sobering point ... we're not that far away from the grand mistakes of the past.