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Kanye West popped up for a rare appearance ... this time at the 2022 BET Awards ... to pay tribute to his favorite artist -- Diddy.

Kanye made a surprise appearance Sunday night, at L.A.'s Microsoft Theater ... dressed head to toe in black.

Ye took the stage to honor Sean "Diddy" Combs, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Kanye gave a lengthy speech ... calling Diddy his favorite artist and talking about the impact he's had on his own life.

Kanye said, "I go to him for advice to this day. He inspires so many of my choices, so many of my life choices. My wife choices". He also let folks know he's taking a hiatus and wanted to "declare myself dead" .... but says, he wanted to make sure he was there for Diddy.

Of course, Kanye has mainly been off the grid, since April ... after pulling out of Coachella.

Moments after the intro from Kanye and Babyface, Diddy took the stage. He dedicated the moment to his ex, Kim Porter, who died back in 2018. He said, "I just want to say thank you to Kim."

Jussie Smollett is back in the limelight just 3 months after getting released from prison ... after attending the BET Awards and getting incredulous reactions online.

The actor showed up at Sunday night's ceremony in LA, all smiles ... telling ET he's excited to be "expanding his empire."

He was asked how he feels about working his way back into Hollywood, but Jussie doesn't see it that way -- he says this has always been the plan.

Twitter was on fire as JS walked the red carpet and took his seat ... memes were created in his name, while some called out BET for allowing "race-baiting liars" in its space.

Sunday night's host, Taraji P. Henson, has been a vocal supporter of Jussie -- they both worked on "Empire" ... but she was silent about her co-star during the ceremony.

Jussie still insists he did not lie about what he says was a homophobic and racist attack, because IF he had lied he'd be a total piece of s**t -- and he claims everyone knows he's not that.

There was action both inside the ring and outside of it at Sunday night's AEW event in Chicago ... as a fan and a security guard got into a wild fistfight in the stands.

The scene went down at some point during the AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door Pay-per-view at the United Center, when multiple guards tried to pull a fan from his seat.

It's unclear exactly what the man allegedly did to get the boot from arena staffers ... but you can see in video, he was not willing to go quietly.

It took multiple security guards to rip him from his chair ... but even as they got him up the stairs -- he pulled away from the guards' grasp, and started throwing punches!

The stadium official on the receiving end of the blows didn't take the haymakers kindly -- and returned fire with several fists of his own.

Eventually, staffers appeared to corral the man and take him from the scene.

The BET Awards are going off tonight, but what TV cameras can’t show you is how hyped the celebs are behind the scenes.

The audience is full of big names at the Microsoft Theater in LA Sunday night ... Lena Waithe, Cynthia Erivo, Billy Porter, Janelle Monáe, Ari Lennox, Ella Mai, and Lucky Daye -- to name a few!!!

Everyone from the front to the back had good vibes all night with Taraji P. Henson hosting ... and those A+ performances kept them on their feet.

Lizzo kicked the night off in all gold, performing one of her hits -- and you know it was "About Damn Time" for a flute solo.

Jack Harlow brought out Lil Wayne and Brandy for his debut performance ... this coming after the guy got in a little heat -- he recently admitted he wasn't aware of the impact she made in the R&B game.

Latto's W was one of the biggest of the night -- she took home the award for Best New Artist, and the crowd clearly had her support.

A woman is suing Daily Harvest, the organic food-subscription company, claiming its French Lentil + Leek Crumbles have upended her life, causing her gallbladder to be removed, liver damage and all sorts of other problems.

Carol Ann Ready claims back in May, she bought the product through her online subscription. The same day she ate the Crumbles, she began experiencing abdominal pain and gastrointestinal distress.

It got so bad she couldn't handle it ... she said on a pain scale she was either 9 out of 10 or possibly 10 out of 10. So, 2 days later she went to the ER and got pain meds and was told to go home and eat a bland diet.

Now here's the crazy part ... she went home and several weeks later ate more Crumbles and it made a bad situation desperate. Her abdominal pain intensified so she went back to the hospital.

Doctors found she had elevated liver enzymes, and she stayed in the hospital for 4 days. Doctors concluded she had both liver and gallbladder dysfunction. She was told she may have to endure the pain indefinitely. They told her the best course would be to remove her gallbladder, which they did.

It's unclear if she continues to have liver problems, but she says she continues to suffer significant pain and she'll need time to see doctors and that could mess up her career.

She's suing for more than $75,000 -- btw, that's just a placeholder. She'll probably ask for a lot more.

As we previously reported, the company has told its customers not to eat the Crumbles and they are investigating. Scores of customers have complained of severe pain and various medical problems connected to the product.

Vic Mensa's pleading guilty to possession of a controlled substance, but he won't do any time behind bars after striking a deal with prosecutors ... TMZ has learned.

Kendra Glover, a rep for the Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney, tells TMZ ... Mensa pled guilty to one count of possession of a Schedule III controlled substance, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

We're told as part of the plea deal he got 12 months in jail, but that was suspended -- meaning instead of serving it behind bars, he'll have a year of unsupervised probation.

Vic will also have to take a substance abuse assessment, perform 25 hours of community service, and pay a $1k fine. BTW, he'll get 50 percent off that fine if he successfully completes the other probation terms.

As we've reported, Vic was arrested back in January at Dulles International airport for going through customs with a stash of shrooms.

Vic tells TMZ ... "In this case, I have decided to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge. I have been extremely vocal about my mental health, the culture at large and access to mental health treatment. It is important to note the extensive research being done on the topic of psilocybin [shrooms] and the many significant movements underway for legalization and decriminalization.

He continues, "Esteemed universities such as Johns Hopkins, University of California, NYU, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and The Imperial College of London have all immersed themselves in years-long research programs with full departments and centers dedicated to this work. Unfortunately, our laws have not kept up with the research showing that psychedelic plants and compounds can be successfully used to treat otherwise treatment-resistant mental illness."

After Ryan Garcia beats Javier Fortuna next month, the young boxing superstar tells TMZ Sports his sole focus will be boxing Gervonta 'Tank' Davis ... and he says he's putting him to sleep!

"That fight will not go the distance. No way possible can it go the distance. I will not let Gervonta Davis off the hook," Garcia said about the potential super fight with Tank.

"I'm gonna beat your ass. I promise that -- I will whoop your ass and I will put you to sleep!

And, Garcia's clearly dead serious ... warning 27-0 (25 KOs) Tank not to let his IG fame fool him, 'cause at the end of the day -- despite his 8+ million followers and funny clips -- he's still a 22-0 boxer.

"Just know that there's a lot more than meets the eye with me. Don't think I'm soft," Garcia said.

"You come find out and actually make that decision to fight me, you'll find out real soon there's nothing soft about me."

Of course, the 23-year-old lightweight has to get through Fortuna (37-3, 26 KOs) first -- that bout is set to go down on July 16th at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles (it's airing on DAZN).

"He's an ex-world champion. He's a veteran," Garcia said about Fortuna.

"But, the fact that I'm coming into, I feel my prime and my best ability skillfully and mentally, I feel like this will be a short night for Javier Fortuna."

Garcia added one last thing, "I just know I'm gonna fight Tank after I beat Fortuna."

Bruce Willis' openness about a medical condition making it difficult if not impossible for him to communicate is already having a profound effect ... folks are learning about the disorder.

The actor was recently diagnosed with aphasia -- a language disorder impacting the ability to comprehend words and/or speak -- and a recent survey shows more Americans are now aware of the term, and many say they first heard about aphasia with the news about Bruce.

The National Aphasia Association tells us ... it just conducted a survey in the wake of Bruce's announcement -- they usually wait 4 years between surveys but changed it up in the wake of media coverage around Bruce -- and numbers showed increased awareness across the country, which they found "astounding."

Some of the findings:

- 68% of people have heard the term "aphasia" ... a huge jump from 2020, when only 14% had heard of the condition

- 40% of people are "aphasia aware," meaning they've heard the term and can identify it as a language disorder ... a significant increase over 2020, when only 7% were "aphasia aware"

- Significantly fewer people think having difficulties with speech indicates being intellectually deficient, with the number dropping from 42% in 2020 to 21% currently.

We're told roughly 1 in 5 respondents mentioned Bruce's name when responding to a question about the last place they remember reading or hearing about aphasia.

American socialite and fashion influencer Olivia Palermo was just 22 years old when she was cast as one of MTV's chosen stars for 'The City' -- 'The Hills' spinoff series, which followed a young crowd as they journeyed their way through the fashion industry in New York City.

Joining Olivia in the dramatic experience was of course fellow Hills star Whitney Port as she ventured off to the Big Apple from Los Angeles, 'Brothers and Sisters' cast member and actress Roxy Olin and actor from VH1's 'Hit The Floor,' Adam Senn.

Ben Affleck's 10-year-old just got into a little mischief ... by jumping into the driver's seat of a VERY expensive Lamborghini, and with the engine running he put it in reverse and it made contact with another car.

Ben and Jennifer Lopez went with Samuel Garner Affleck Sunday to 777 Exotics, a Bev Hills luxury car rental dealership. They were all looking at various cars when Ben let Samuel hop into the driver's seat of a yellow Lambo.

Seems Samuel or someone else had the engine running ... the boy put the Lambo in reverse and it seems that's when it made contact with the white BMW.

From the video, it seems the rear bumper on the passenger side of the Lambo made contact with the BMW's front wheel and possibly the fender.

It's hard to tell from the pics, but Sam jumped out of the Lambo and went to the back to inspect possible damage.

A rep for Ben tells TMZ ... there was no damage and everyone's ok.

An employee at 777 Exotics told us there was no accident and the cars were just parked really close together -- which is true -- but that doesn't explain why Samuel would get out and inspect the 2 vehicles.

Rudy Giuliani was allegedly the subject of a physical assault while out shopping in New York, TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Giuliani was at a ShopRite store in Staten Island Sunday after helping campaign for his son, Andrew Giuliani, when an employee allegedly came up to him, smacked him hard on the back, and said "What's up, scumbag?"

We're told cops arrived and took the 39-year-old suspect into custody, who was on the clock at the time. Giuliani refused medical attention.

Police are still investigating and interviewing witnesses ... cops say some were shocked by what went down.

Rapper Shyne is jumping back into the music scene in a big way ... he's set to join a ton of artists at the BET Awards to honor one of the biggest names in the game.

The Belizean rapper-turned-politician is gearing up to take the stage for Sunday night's ceremony ... in recognition of Diddy's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Shyne's going to be performing one of his classics from 2000, "Bad Boyz" ... the guy hasn't done the song live much -- once in a lifetime opportunity for fans to witness.

Shyne's been getting into politics since laying down track after track in the industry ... he currently lives in Belize where he serves as Leader of the Opposition and the Ambassador of Music. He's also in Belize's House of Representatives.

Jodie Sweetin, known for playing Stephanie Tanner on 'Full House,' was knocked back by police during an abortions rights protest, slamming her down on the concrete.

Jodie was with other protestors on a freeway in Los Angeles when LAPD began to block their path ... Jodie ended up close to officers when she got shoved back into the crowd -- tripping over the curb and knocking her to the floor.

The original uploader claims she was trying to lead the group away from the freeway, which was when she got pushed back ... the crowd began chanting "No justice, no peace," with Jodie joining in quickly after.

Jodie tells TMZ ... "I’m extremely proud of the hundreds of people who showed up yesterday to exercise their First Amendment rights and take immediate action to peacefully protest the giant injustices that have been delivered from our Supreme Court. Our activism will continue until our voices are heard and action is taken. This will not deter us, we will continue fighting for our rights. We are not free until ALL of us are free."

And she's doing ok after the incident -- the entire event was meant to be a peaceful protest for abortion rights.

We've reached out to LAPD for comment ... so far, no word back.

Bam Margera has vanished from a Florida rehab facility -- and police are on the lookout for him … this coming just 2 weeks after he bolted from a court-mandated rehab center, TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Bam was last spotted around 5:30 PM Saturday in Deerfield Beach, FL, after he left LifeSkills residential facility without permission. He was sporting a black shirt, black sweatpants and black sneakers.

Broward County detectives are now searching for Bam, asking anyone with information as to his whereabouts to call them.

Earlier this month, Delray Beach cops went looking for Bam after he disappeared from a rehab facility.

According to a police report, the 'Jackass' star went missing on June 13 after Bam told the facility's manager that he was unhappy with their services. Bam allegedly told the manager he was going to check himself into a different rehab center nearby ... and then left the premises in a black sedan without authorization from the staff or the court.

Days later ... cops found Bam at a Delray Beach hotel in the area and escorted him back to the treatment center. TMZ obtained photos of Bam out the day before he was found, at a few bars close to his hotel. We're told he'd been off his medication for several days, and his team was worried he'd relapsed.

Travis Scott is getting dragged for his latest purchase, a $5.5 million luxury car ... the family of a 9-year-old who died at Astroworld says it's just not a good look.

Bob Hillard, the attorney for the family of Ezra Blount, tells TMZ ... Ezra would still be alive today, enjoying his summer, if Travis would've spent half of what he paid for the Bugatti on simple safety measures at the deadly music festival.

As we reported ... Ezra, who was trampled at Astroworld, sued Travis before he died from his injuries ... and Travis recently splurged on a new Bugatti Veyron Chiron Super Sport despite the mountain of lawsuits he's facing.

While Ezra's attorney says Travis has every right to live life as he sees fit, including buying what he wants, Hillard rips Travis' choices as "excessive" ... and says everything Travis does should be questioned because of what happened at Astroworld.

Ezra's lawyer also has some choice words for Travis' camp ... ripping them for trying to make Travis look good with a $5.5 million car in his driveway as the Astroworld litigation heats up.

We reached out to Travis' reps ... so far no word back.

Move over Hollywood Vampires ... there's an even bigger band on the run.

Paul McCartney performed at the Glastonbury Festival Saturday in the UK, and brought out some musicians you may have heard of ... Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl.

It was a closing-of-the-book type concert -- at least that's the hope -- it's the first Festival since the pandemic hit.

Paul, who recently turned octogenarian, played some Beatles classics, like "Can't Buy Me Love," and then went into post-Beatles territory with "Maybe I'm Amazed."

Then the fun ... he brought out Dave for "I Saw Her Standing There," and "Band on the Run."

Then it was Bruce's turn ... he and Paul sang "Glory Days" and "I Wanna Be Your Man" -- interesting he picked one originally sung by Ringo.

Now get this ... Paul sang 38 songs during the 3-hour show. What makes this remarkable is that when Paul was barely 20, the Beatles routinely only performed for 15 or 20 minutes during concerts.

The Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary, and 200,000 people were on hand for the festivities.