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Will Smith sticking around at the Oscars, after slapping Chris Rock, is NOT what the Academy wanted -- but he dug in his heels when they tried to give him the boot.

That's the new startling claim from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which fired off a letter Wednesday, announcing their Board of Governors has begun disciplinary proceedings on Will for violating their Standards of Conduct.

In the letter they write ... "Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently."

That's pretty shocking, especially since the speculation up to this point was that the Academy and the show producers allowed Will to stay until his Best Actor category was announced -- something for which they've been heavily criticized.

They go on to say this about the whole thing in terms of logistics ... "consistent with the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, as well as California law, Mr. Smith is being provided at least 15 days' notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response."

The Board further explains that at their next meeting on April 18, they'll have a decision on his punishment -- which could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions permitted their bylaws.

One final note from them on what Will did -- "Mr. Smith's actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television. Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event."

Of course, the question now is ... when exactly did they approach him about beating it, and to what extent did they insist?

Chris Rock is locked and loaded for the kickoff of his comedy tour, arriving at the venue in Boston and looking like he's ready for funny business.

We got photos of Chris arriving at the Wilbur Theater in Beantown, looking pretty stoic and clearly knowing ... millions and millions of folks are waiting for him to take the mic and say SOMETHING about that slap.

Chris' "Ego Death Tour" is all the rage ... all 5 nights at the Wilbur are not only sold out ... tickets are being scalped at a king's ransom -- some going for over $1,000.

Chris has not said anything publicly about the incident and has not publicly accepted Will Smith's apology. We know as of Tuesday night the 2 had not spoken, so it doesn't appear Will picked up the phone to privately apologize.

As for whether Chris accepts Will's Instagram mea culpa ... don't count on it. His brother, Tony Rock, has scoffed at Will's apology, and based on everything we know the 2 brothers are in lockstep.

As we reported, there's a lot of smoke that Will's tirade goes way beyond a hair joke. Back in 2016, when the Smith's called for a boycott of the Oscars because of a lack of inclusiveness, they asked Chris to join the boycott, but he declined ... and ever since there's been beef between them. Chris' jokes about Will and Jada at that ceremony further cemented their divide.

Will Smith's slap has at least one comedy club on its toes and ready to defend its talent at all costs -- going so far as to post a very clear sign ... no slapping allowed, period!

Dani Zoldan -- who owns Stand Up NY in the Big Apple -- tells TMZ ... management decided to tape up a message in their storefront window that directly addresses the Chris Rock moment, as a way to discourage would-be copycats who might now feel emboldened.

The poster is in a bit of a meme format, with the snapshot of Chris getting slapped crossed out with a big "NO" sign streaked across the front, and a shot of Will crying right next to it.

Their message, "Comedians play a critical role in our society, especially during times of chaos and uncertainty. They make us laugh, bring perspective and remind us there are different ways of seeing our reality." More importantly, they add ... "Comics must be protected."

Then comes a warning from Stand Up NY ... "Heckling and physical abuse of comics is prohibited, and patrons will be immediately removed from the showroom." Their crying WS photo has a description -- saying that'll be you if you get a little slaphappy on the premises.

Zoldan emphatically disavows Will's actions, reaffirming his establishment's note -- that comedians are here to entertain us and make us laugh ... and that they deserve respect.

As for other big-time comedy clubs ... they seem to be keeping an eye on things -- but not necessarily enacting any policy changes in response to the Will-Chris smack. That includes the Comedy Cellar in NYC, Carolines on Broadway and even the Laugh Factory here in L.A.

'Masked Singer' costumes don't come cheap, and one contestant's lucky theirs isn't damaged beyond repair after a high kick fail led to a very nasty fall ... all caught on camera.

We got this footage of the Armadillo going down while shooting their televised routine -- the celeb got pretty wild with their choreography and flexibility, attempting some kinda kicking maneuver ... but it did not go well.

While the spill might make ya chuckle, we're told folks on set immediately panicked for a couple reasons. First off, Armadillo landed flat on their back, and backup dancers broke routine to try to help out ... as everyone was concerned about the celeb's well-being.

The other reason is damage to the very expensive costume. We're told they weren't designed to take this kinda beating, and producers worried it could be ruined.

As we've reported, this season has had its share of costume problems ... with some taking tumbles and others being unable to enter and exit the stage properly.

We recently found out that the Hydra -- a towering 3-headed costume that blows smoke -- has become a major safety concern, requiring extra crew just to get them on set.

It might not look like much, but the Armadillo's high kicks aren't an easy task -- with or without a restricting costume. The mystery performer's confidence in their athleticism/flexibility might be a valuable clue.

Shocking scene at a high school track meet in Florida over the weekend ... when an athlete sucker punched a runner in the head during a race.

The incident went down at the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee on Saturday ... when witnesses claim the athlete in a black uniform was standing on the track as the runner in white and red was circling around and leading the pack.

Witnesses say the runner in first place yelled at the athlete in black to move ... but when the next lap came around, the guy appeared to purposely get in the way of the runner by standing on the track.

According to witnesses, the runner in first then pushed the athlete in black to get him out of the way. In response, the athlete chased down the runner and punched him from behind.

The runner who was attacked then fell to the track ... but it's unclear if he suffered significant injuries or if he finished the race.

We reached out to the host school for comment ... but it claims no Osceola County students were involved.

However, we're told law enforcement and the Florida High School Athletic Association were notified of the incident.

We reached out to cops, but they've yet to provide us any further information.

Issa Rae is shutting down any chatter about her being preggers, and as you'd expect ... she's doing it in the most hilarious way.

The "Insecure" creator and star addressed a new rumor circulating for the past week -- namely that Issa is expecting her first child. Now, this is based purely on a video of her where folks apparently thought they saw evidence she had a bun in the oven.

Welp, IR is finally weighing in, saying ... "I am not pregnant, f**kyouverymuch." For extra emphasis, she added ... "LET A BITCH EAT DRINK AND BE MERRY."

The clip in question was shot last Friday at the Kennedy Center in D.C., where she was hosting a festival touting Black creatives.

She was definitely in a celebratory mood -- dancing and embracing a friend -- and perhaps that spurred people to connect dots that weren't really there. Some commented her stomach seemed to be poppin' ... but those folks were dead wrong, and Issa's now put 'em in their place.

She did just marry her longtime BF, Louis Diame, last year ... so maybe people thought there was something to that as well.

A-Rod's baseball talents clearly didn't rub off on his ex -- Jennifer Lopez came up to bat, with Ben Affleck and daughter Emme watching, and struck out. Frequently.

The couple took J-Lo's 14-year-old daughter to the cages Tuesday in L.A. ... while Emme stepped in for some swings, Ben and Jen were doing some PDA in the background.

Eventually, it was Mom's turn to step up, but it didn't go smoothly. First of all, Jen tried swinging while still rocking her purse. Not to worry ... Ben held it while she got back in the box.

Made absolutely no difference, though ... still a whole lot of striking out. Gotta admit, though -- no one's ever looked this good, while looking so bad at a sport.

Ben and Jen are in escrow for a massive estate as of a few weeks ago -- putting around $55 million down for the compound! Ben, days after entering escrow, was longingly looking at Jen during her acceptance speech at this year's iHeart Music Awards, likely excited for their future.

The verdict is in and Damon Dash isn't gonna like it -- he has to cough up more than $800,000 to the director and producers of a movie he tried to claim as his own.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, Dash took the L Wednesday morning ... when the jury sided with director Josh Webber and Muddy Water Pictures who made the feature film, "Dear Frank" -- starring Brian White, Claudia Jordan, Nick Turturro, Lil Durk and Columbus Short.

The filmmakers sued the Roc-A-Fella co-founder 3 years ago for copyright infringement and defamation, alleging he tried to shop and advertise the movie as his own ... despite Dash getting dropped from the project.

To make matters worse, they say Dame sent promo material of the movie to outlets like BET, but changed the title to "The List."

Let's rewind a bit ... Josh and Muddy Waters say Damon was supposed to direct the film starting in 2016, but they claimed he wasn't fit for the job because he was often high on set while filming his Sherman Oaks property.

They cut him in 2018 and completed the movie without him. Damon fired back, claiming they shot the movie at his house and used his equipment, before stealing the footage to work on it without him.

The jury didn't see it that way, and now Dame's got a hefty tab to settle. Attorney Chris Brown repped the plaintiffs and tells TMZ, "I will get every penny due to my clients."

"90210" star Trevor Donovan is using some Hollywood acting skills to show students across the country how to stop being a bystander to bullying and harassment.

Trevor joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to explain how his 'Team Upstanders' program is empowering students to help each other ... especially those who aren't able to defend themselves against bullies.

His assemblies feature skits where he acts out bullying scenarios with the kids ... which allows them to experience these emotionally charged incidents from different perspectives.

Trevor says letting the kids feel the impact is an effective learning experience, albeit a painful one at times.

By the end of the program, Trevor picks students to be ambassadors ... and it becomes their job to promote an anti-bullying environment.

After a recent assembly at Deer Lakes Middle School in Russellton, PA, Trevor says he was approached by a parent online, saying her kid was a target of bullying. He quickly jumped on a Zoom with the school's counselor and 2 upstanders he appointed -- and they all worked out a solution.

Tom Parker from The Wanted is dead after a battle with brain cancer.

Tom, who was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma back in October 2020, died Wednesday with his family by his side ... according to his wife, Kelsey.

Kelsey says Tom fought to the end, sharing, "Our hearts are broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can't imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence. We are truly thankful for the outpouring of love and support and ask that we all unite to ensure Tom's light continues to shine for his beautiful children."

As we reported ... Tom was recently confined to a wheelchair while undergoing cancer treatments at a clinic in Spain, which specializes in his particular type of brain cancer.

Tom got treatments for 3 weeks and was able to rejoin the band in February for an emotional reunion, also appearing on stage at a U.K. concert and performing from a gold throne.

Born and raised in Bolton, England, Tom learned to play the guitar when he was 16 years old ... eventually dropping out of school to pursue his singing career before joining The Wanted way back in 2009.

Tom is survived by Kelsey and their two children, 2-year-old Aurelia and 1-year-old Bodhi.

He was only 33.

Facebook teaming up with a major Republican consulting firm to turn public opinion against their fiercest rival reeks of desperation ... so says Taylor Lorenz.

The Washington Post columnist joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to break down her bombshell report on the ways in which Mark Zuckerberg's FB and Meta are playing dirty in their war with TikTok.

Taylor says Facebook looks incredibly weak for paying operatives at Targeted Victory -- a GOP consulting firm -- to carry out a calculated smear campaign to damage TikTok's standing in America and drive teens over to their social media platforms.

As for the Republican role in all this, Taylor says Targeted Victory is trying to drum up anti-Chinese sentiments and link TikTok to the Chinese government because the app is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.

But, she says there's no evidence TikTok is in bed with Communist China ... despite claims by former President Donald Trump and others in the GOP.

Bruce Willis won't be acting for the foreseeable future -- and it's all due to a medical condition he's developed that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for him to communicate.

Bruce's daughter, Rumer Willis, shared the sad news Wednesday ... posting a photo of her dad with a pretty revealing caption about his health: "To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities."

Rumer adds, "As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him."

She goes on to explain how this is a really challenging time for the Willis family and that they appreciate the compassion and messages of support. She also says she wanted to be up front about this because they all know how much their dad means to his fans and the public alike.

Rumer finishes with this ... "As Bruce always says, 'Live it up' and together we plan to do just that. Love, Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, & Evelyn."

Aphasia impacts the ability to comprehend words and/or speak. It can be caused by strokes, tumors or other brain damage -- but Rumer isn't saying what led to Bruce's diagnosis.

While Bruce hasn't been in many mainstream productions lately, he's still been busy ... acting in more than a dozen movies in the last 2 years.

Chris Rock has his feet firmly planted on Boston soil, as he prepares to kick off his "Ego Death Tour" ... and you better believe there won't be an empty seat in the house.

A photog asked Chris as he was leaving the airport if he could ask a few questions, but the comic was mum.

Chris is one of the biggest comedians in the biz, but after the slap, everything's gone up several levels. All of his 5 shows in Beantown are sold out, and tickets are being scalped for a king's ransom ... and we're not talkin' "King Richard."

Tony Rock, Chris' brother, made it clear, he thinks Will's apology to Chris was BS, says he did NOT approve of it.

It seems from everything we know Chris doesn't approve either, because he hasn't said a word about it since Will posted his regrets. As for why ... well, for starters, you'd think when someone assaults someone else, the aggressor might pick up the phone and deliver a personal apology rather than telling it to the world.

Diddy had said Chris and Will spoke and buried the hatchet, but multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ that's just not true. They have not spoken.

What everyone wants to know ... will Chris address the attack Wednesday night at his show.  We'll let you know as soon as it goes down.

Justin Bieber might need a lesson in "know your audience" ... 'cause fans booed the hell out of the singer during his tour stop in Montreal on Tuesday for dissing the hometown Canadiens.

Bieber -- a MASSIVE fan of the Habs' hated rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs -- showed love for his team right before his final song of the night ... saying, "How about those Leafs though, huh?"

The "Ghost" crooner even gave a shoutout to his close buddy for scoring a goal against the Canadiens on Saturday ... saying, "Auston Matthews is really doing some work here in Montreal."

Of course, the Canadiens are hot garbage this season ... sitting at the very bottom of the standings with an 18-38 record, despite beating the Leafs over the weekend.

Biebs made sure to let the crowd know he was well aware of their struggles this season ... adding, "How's that playoff spot looking for you guys this year?" and "Maybe next year, maybe next year."

The fans weren't having it -- letting the boo birds fly and even shouting expletives as Bieber continued to diss the hometown team ... even starting a "Go Leafs, Go" chant.

The stunt comes one week after the Leafs debuted their Bieber-designed Drew House jerseys ... which they wore on the ice for their Next Gen game.

Bieber eventually got real and stopped the trolling ... saying Montreal is truly one of his favorite places to perform in the world.

Johnny Manziel's training for his comeback in the most Johnny Football way possible ... by hitting the beach with an Instagram model and throwing the pigskin!!

The 29-year-old ex-NFL quarterback touched down in South Beach this week ... just days after he told TMZ Sports he's returning to the gridiron for Fan Controlled Football.

Johnny certainly looks serious about the comeback ... 'cause he brought along a ball as he caught some rays with a bikini-clad Kenzie Werner.

We're told Werner and Manziel aren't strangers -- in fact, they've spent time together in Scottsdale in the past ... and partied it up in Miami over the weekend.

They appeared pretty close on Tuesday ... with Werner straddling Johnny as he held her up with his arms.

Johnny even ditched his shirt to play catch with his new lady ... but don't worry, she made sure he had plenty of sunblock by rubbing it all over his arms.

Manziel told us last week he'd be lacing up the cleats for season 2 of the FCF ... saying he's hoping to work alongside new team owner, comedian Druski.

Johnny hasn't played in the NFL since 2015 ... and pretty much shut the door on a return to the league, saying he just doesn't have what it takes to compete at that level anymore.

As for the personal side of things, Johnny's been pretty private about his dating life since his divorce from Bre Tiesi -- who is now expecting a child with Nick Cannon -- but things seem to be going well with Werner.

Eric Church has canceled a huge concert this weekend so he can watch his beloved UNC basketball team play Duke in the Final Four ... and the country music superstar's fanbase is not happy with his decision.

Church announced the cancellation in a message to his supporters Tuesday -- explaining he wants to watch the Tar Heels game on Saturday night so badly that he won't be able to perform at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

Church called the move "the most selfish thing" he's ever asked of his fans in a statement to them ... but he implored them to understand because the game just means that much to him.

"I've watched Carolina and Duke battle over the year," Church said, "but to have them matchup in the Final Four for the first time in history of the NCAA Tournament is any sports enthusiast's dream."

Some fans, though, were not understanding ... as several stormed his official Facebook page to let off their frustration.

Some called him a "clown," while others said they'd boycott his concerts going forward.

To be fair to Eric, the game is being heralded as one of the biggest college basketball games ever -- and the dude does love Carolina (he's got a hit song about it!).