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Comedian Andrew Schulz refused to bow down and censor his comedy special for Amazon, deciding to release it on his own, and the decision is already paying off to the tune of more than $1 million.

Schulz recently revealed honchos at a streaming service "freaked out" when they watched the material he wanted to include in his upcoming comedy special. We're told jokes in the project ranged from topics like Ted Bundy, abortion and Michael Jackson. Schulz claimed the honchos told him to remove the sensitive stuff, or they couldn't release it to users.

We've spoken to sources close to Schulz who tell us he was shopping the special to Amazon and Netflix -- Amazon bid the highest -- but then backed out after Schulz refused to remove the triggering content.

Now, Schulz has decided to self-release the special for fans through his website at $15 a ticket. We're told in the first day alone, he made $500,000 in sales and has made over $1 million in less than a week.

Our sources say the way tickets are selling, he'll make more than his deal with Amazon was in the first place.

We should note, he's partnered with Moment House to sell his tickets -- the same company behind Justin Bieber and Kygo shows -- and we're told he's already broken sales records.

Vince McMahon -- longtime chairman and chief executive of WWE -- agreed to pay $12 million in "hush money" to 4 different women over a 16-year time period, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

The paper claims all of the women were formerly associated with WWE ... and all signed agreements with McMahon preventing them from discussing their relationship with the now 76-year-old billionaire.

One of the reported settlements included a $7.5 million payment to a former wrestler ... who according to WSJ, claimed McMahon coerced her into giving him oral sex. Ultimately, Vince allegedly declined to re-sign the wrestler to a new deal after she refused further sexual encounters.

In 2018, the wrestler and her lawyer allegedly approached McMahon and negotiated a $7.5 million settlement in exchange for her silence.

There were two other previously unknown, alleged payouts made by Vince to former female employees. Each of those women reportedly received around $1 million. Those instances reportedly occurred around 2006 and 2008.

The new report comes on the heels of another WSJ story which led to McMahon voluntarily stepping down from his post at the helm of the wrestling promotion. In that instance, Vince reportedly agreed to pay a former WWE paralegal $3 million after they had an affair following her hiring in 2019.

WWE's Board of Directors -- where Vince sits as the director -- recently hired an outside law firm to investigate the allegations. Despite being at the center of the inquiry, McMahon has said he's "committed to doing everything in my power to help the Special Committee complete its work."

It's unclear what the latest developments will mean for that investigation.

Meanwhile, Vince's daughter, Stephanie, is back with the company as interim CEO and interim chairwoman after briefly taking a leave of absence "to focus on family."

Doja Cat's quiet efforts to hook up with Joseph Quinn are now out there for the world to see -- and she's pissed at his co-star Noah Schnapp for blowing her cover by posting their DMs.

Doja went live on TikTok Thursday night to address what went down, and you can tell she was trying like to hell to keep cool about it -- she realizes the 17-year-old actor might not have known better, but she thinks that excuse can only go so far.

To be clear, Doja was only chatting with the kid because she wanted him to hit up Joseph, who plays fan-favorite Eddie Munson in the latest season of the Netflix series.

Noah posted a now-deleted TikTok Wednesday that showed his brief chat with Doja ... where she asks about hitting up Quinn.

She checked herself pretty quick in the convo, though -- after asking Noah to set it up, she says no, asking "Does he have a GF?"

As for Noah's loose social media lips -- she says it's "borderline snake s***," but she hopes that's not who Noah really is and it was just a one-time slipup.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot on Friday while campaigning for a candidate ahead of his country's national elections, according to reports.

Video on social media showed the stunning moment Abe collapsed to the ground and was bleeding from gunshot wounds to his neck and chest in the Japanese city of Nara, near Kyoto. Authorities say one of the bullets pierced his heart.

The 67-year-old was rushed to Nara Medical University Hospital, where doctors said they tried to stop the bleeding from his wounds and did a transfusion, but ultimately couldn't save him. Abe was pronounced dead just after 5 PM.

Police reportedly arrested the alleged gunman, Tetsuya Yamagami, who was initially charged with attempted murder before Abe's death was announced. Cops recovered what appeared to be a homemade gun that the suspect had been holding, according to local reports.

At a press conference, current Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the attack on Abe a "heinous act," adding, "It is barbaric and malicious, and it cannot be tolerated."

Abe was in Nara campaigning ahead of Sunday's elections for the Upper House of Parliament. He was less than a minute into a speech in support of Kei Sato, a current member of the Upper House running for re-election, when the shots rang out behind him.

What makes Abe's assassination even more shocking is that Japan has one of the world's lowest rates of gun crimes because of its strict laws on owning firearms. Japan, which has a population of 125 million people, reported just nine gun-related deaths in 2018, compared with nearly 40,000 in the U.S. that same year.

Abe was Japan's longest-serving prime minister, getting elected to two terms, from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020. He resigned in 2020 due to health issues.

Drake and The Weeknd are 2 of the biggest artists … EVERRR, and they just both happen to be from Toronto -- and Drake's celebrating that ahead of a milestone for his friend.

The Weeknd’s playing a huge hometown show Friday night at Rogers Centre, and Drizzy got in his feels a bit ... reminiscing on hearing Weeknd's music before he was a Billboard-breaking superstar.

He thanked OVO capo Oliver El-Khatib for putting him on back in the day and plugged the stadium show for Abel's After Hours til Dawn Tour ... which was delayed several times during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weeknd was a literal instrumental part of the success of Drake's 2011 breakout album "Take Care" where he worked on several tracks before he himself blew up on the commercial scene a couple years later.

Earlier this year, Both Drizzy and Weeknd signed new record deals with Universal Music Group rumored to rival NBA contracts in terms of cash money.

Don't be surprised if Weeknd brings out Drizzy on stage tonight. With him being in town, you should probably expect it! BTW, there are still some seats left for it ... if you're in the Six.

Young Thug's nephew is in police custody after allegedly shooting his girlfriend in the face and killing her ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

Fardereen Deonta Grier was arrested Wednesday after cops were called to a residence outside Atlanta. East Point PD spokesperson Allyn Glover tells TMZ ... when officers responded, Grier was crying and his girlfriend, Destiny Fitzpatrick, was dead in a pool of blood by the front door.

Glover says Grier told cops he was Young Thug's nephew, the son of YT's oldest sister ... but it's unclear why he chose to share the information. A source close to Young Thug confirms the relation.

As for what happened ... we're told Grier first told responding officers he was fending off 2 armed, masked intruders, but officers say he eventually admitted to shooting Destiny in the face. A neighbor allegedly heard arguing in the residence prior to the shooting.

Grier was arrested and charged with murder.

As you know, Young Thug is currently in custody as well ... on a wide range of RICO charges after being denied bond multiple times. His fellow YSL artist, Gunna -- also charged in the RICO case -- was in court Thursday trying to get released on bond, but a judge shot it down.

Summer officially started in June ... but it's not really here until Magic Johnson and his famous pals hop aboard a $150K a day luxury super yacht and cruise to some of the most beautiful places in the world!

The 62-year-old Lakers legend and wife Cookie, along with LL Cool J (a staple on the summer vacation), toured an ancient citadel called Acropolis of Athens ... and it looks like they had a great time.

LL and Magic -- complete with a spear and shield -- even posed with a man dressed as an ancient Greek warrior, in addition to taking in all the sights.

The boat trip has been a tradition for years ... going back to at least 2017 when the Hall of Famer dropped $680K weekly on a yacht that he lived on for several weeks. Johnson hasn't missed a year since ... not even a global pandemic could stop him.

In addition to LL ... other celebs like Samuel L. Jackson (who may be on this trip, too), Rodney and Holly Robinson Peete, and others were on the trip in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

As for the actual yacht -- named the Solandge -- it's pretty darn incredible. The 85-meter ship has 8 staterooms for 12 guests. It holds a crew of up to 34. The yacht was initially built in 2013 ... and it got a facelift in 2019.

Solandge has just about every amenity you could dream of ... including a jacuzzi, swimming pool, sauna, gym, helipad, and movie theatre.

To rent the yacht, it'll cost you about $1 million a week.

Unclear where the group, who also made a stop in Santorini, intends to go next in the Mediterranean.

Gregory Itzin, star of "24," "NCIS" and several other huge TV hits, has died ... according to a close friend and co-worker.

Gregory played U.S. Prez Charles Logan for 6 years on "24" ... a brilliant role, alongside Kiefer Sutherland, that earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

Sorry for the spoiler (it's been more than 10 years, though), but Itzin's villain turn in the series is pretty epic.

"24" executive producer Jon Cassar shared the news of Gregory's death Friday morning on Twitter, saying "He was one of the most talented actors I had the honor to work with, but more than that he was an all around great guy. He'll be missed by his 24 family who had nothing but love & respect for him."

Itzin went on to nab roles on "NCIS" -- as Director Charlie for several seasons -- "The Mentalist," "Judging Amy" and "Star Trek: Enterprise" ... where he played Admiral Black.

He even had a bit role in the Phoebe wedding episodes of "Friends."

Gregory is survived by his wife Judie and their 2 children.

He was 74.

Kim Kardashian went full tourist mode while in Paris for fashion week ... getting a private tour of The Louvre with her daughter North West.

Kim and North, joined by Kris Jenner apparently got a sneak peek inside one of the world's most famous museums before it opened up to the public.

Of course, the trio made a point to get some serious facetime with the Mona Lisa ... and marvel at the museum's other famous pieces. Kris posted an almost eerie pic showing the usually bustling halls of The Louvre totally empty for their private tour.

The sightseeing comes on the heels of the duo's busy trip for Paris Fashion Week. Kim and North have been spotted out on several occasions, including the Balenciaga show.

Forget cheering or crying ... Maveric Lamoureux's folks straight up swapped tongues to celebrate their son's selection in Thursday's NHL draft -- and it was such a wet kiss, the broadcast's commentators even noticed it!!!

Just seconds after the Arizona Coyotes drafted Lamoureux -- a Canadian defenseman -- with the 29th pick of the first round ... the 18-year-old's parents got in a little tonsil hockey.

ESPN's cameras managed to catch the PDA -- and, of course, its analysts couldn't help but remark on it.

The guys giggled on-air, with the show's host, John Buccigross, saying, "Get after it, Mom and Dad!"

But, the TV guys weren't the only ones who seemed to notice the makeout sesh ... Lamoureux also appeared to see it, and looked sheepish on stage about it all!

After the kiss, Lamoreux's dad said during an interview that he's very proud of his son, calling it "the best day of my life."

The amount of support for "Outer Banks" stand-in Alexander "AJ" Jennings has been massive since his untimely death ... but his family says the best way to honor him would be to donate some cash to a charity.

LuJean Jennings, Alex's mother, tells TMZ ... they've been offered help for funeral costs from "Outer Banks" cast and crew members, but she thinks a donation to the Red Cross would make more sense, given the deep ties he has with the org -- and it's not just his CPR and lifeguard certification.

Alex, who stood in for Chase Stokes on the Netflix series, was born in Russia and was adopted from an orphanage when he was 18 months old. He was proud of his heritage ... up until Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- something he found extremely upsetting.

Being a 22-year-old actor, Alex didn't always have the means to make financial contributions of his own, but his family would often send money to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The fund assists people leaving Ukraine with shelter, basic aid items and medical supplies.

Alex's family is asking those wanting to show support for the late actor to help the refugees by chipping in to the IFRC instead.

As we reported, Alex was struck and killed by two vehicles early Tuesday morning in Charleston, both of which fled the scene. According to preliminary reports, he was walking along the main thoroughfare between James Island and Folly Beach when he was hit.

A personal trainer is inspiring the latest exercise fad ... by mimicking what dogs do.

Nathaniel Nolan faced a dilemma ... he wanted to stay fit, but high-intensity workouts caused intense joint pain. So, what's a 31-year-old personal trainer to do ... run like a dog on all 4's.

That's what the Indianapolis dude calls it ... "all fours training." He scurries around on his hands and legs for hours a day ... and it's done wonders for him. Turns out its really good strength training and it made him super flexible. And, you know what flexible dogs can do, so congrats!!!

Nathaniel acknowledges he gets scoffed at by folks who think he's crazy, but he doesn't give a damn. In fact, it's catching on like wildfire ... millions have viewed his doggy-style workouts on TikTok.

He's been doing it for a year and swears by it.

Nathaniel also does exercises of the human variety ... breakdancing, handstands, push-ups, and martial arts ... so exercise doggy-style is not the only game in Indianapolis.

'RHOC' alum Braunwyn Windham-Burke and her girlfriend, Victoria Brito, have called it quits after nearly 9 months of dating ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ ... the two ended things early this week. We're told the relationship had gotten tough to manage over the last few weeks due to the long distance between them and their work schedules.

We're told last weekend, Vic was on a work trip in Mexico and Braunwyn was in Orange County, CA ... and the two realized things just weren't working because they couldn't spend the time together they had hoped for -- not to mention, Vic lives in NYC.

We're also told they fell fast and hard at the beginning, but the spark didn't stay strong.

TMZ broke the story ... Braunwyn and Vic first started dating in November 2021, and were spotted together in December when they put on a full-blown PDA show on Miami Beach.

Despite the Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury fight falling apart for the second time, The Problem Child tells TMZ Sports he STILL wants to beat the pugilist reality star's ass ... after he defeats Hasim Rahman Jr.

"I'm considering [fighting Fury] after August 6, but I want to fight at Madison Square Garden, and the show must go on whether or not Tommy Fury's in the arena. I don't wait for people. I don't need to wait around. I have a responsibility to my fans to put on shows."

Of course, Jake and Tommy were set to scrap at MSG in NYC in August ... until Tyson's younger bro learned he wasn't able to enter the United States (backstory here).

Despite the official account, Jake says he's skeptical Fury truly wants the fight.

"I don't buy it. I had multiple people hit me up that said, 'I can get him in. I have connections to people at the embassy. We'll get him his visa, no problem.' And I DM'ed Tommy and he just went into hiding."

FYI, it's the second time Jake and Tommy were scheduled to fight. Back in December, Fury pulled out after saying he developed a "chest infection."

Enter 31-year-old Hasim Rahman Jr. -- a professional boxer with a 12-1 record who previously trained with 25-year-old Paul -- stepped in on short notice to accept the fight.

He's bigger and more experienced ... so, we asked Jake if he believes HR Jr.'s a tougher test than Tommy.

"Yeah, this is a harder opponent than Tommy Fury," Jake says.

The 5-0 boxing star continued ... "Look, [Hasim] has more amateur fights, he has more heavyweight fights. He’s a heavyweight. He’s been in boxing his whole entire life. He’s older, more experienced than Tommy Fury and has been in a lot bigger fights and has sparred with some of the toughest heavyweights in the world.“

If Rahman Jr.'s name rings a bell ... there's a reason. His dad, Hasim Rahman, was a 2x heavyweight champ who once absolutely starched boxing great Lennox Lewis.

In fact, Jake says Rahman Jr. is such a step up in competition, his own brother and team advised him NOT to accept the fight.

"Really my manager, and even my own brother [Logan] was like 'Yo, you shouldn't be doing this fight. Like why do you want to do this? The risk isn't worth the reward.'"

"And I was just like, 'Yo, I'm built different.' I really want to do this. I want to prove to the world that I can knock out a professional boxer no matter how good he, or she is, or anyone. I'll knock out anyone!"

We also talked to Jake about star boxer Amanda Serrano, signed to Paul's MVP promotions, beef he has with Rahman, and much more!

Before this cute kid was putting out top chart bangers and making viral TikTok videos, she was just a city kid working the cash register and growing up in The Bronx.

She first emerged on the scene when she was portrayed as a feisty and quick-witted rapper on VH1's "Love & Hip Hop." She holds the record for being the first female artist with back-to-back number one songs on the 'Hot R&B/Hip-Hop' chart.

Need one more hint? She may have an array of expensive cars, but she is proud to say that she doesn't have a driver's license.

If you want an autograph from Steph Curry ... you might wanna start hitting the gym, because one fan needed to drop and give the NBA star 30 push-ups to secure his signature.

The NBA Finals MVP was playing golf Thursday at a celebrity tournament in Lake Tahoe, CA when a young fan asked how many push-ups he needed to do for a John Hancock.

Steph told the fan the magic number was 30 -- the same number he wears for the Golden State Warriors -- so the kid removed his hat and emptied his pockets before busting out 30 perfect pushups right on the tee box.

The fun interaction is all on video ... and Steph even signed the jersey before the fan reached the finish line, drawing a laugh from the crowd.

Fresh off his fourth NBA championship, Steph is playing in the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe along as part of a field stacked with celebs.

Steph's going up against the likes of Justin Timberlake, Miles Teller, Ray Romano, Colin Jost, Nick Jonas, Joe Buck, Bret Baier and Anthony Anderson ... plus famous athletes like Aaron Rodgers, Charles Barkley, Vince Carter, Patrick Mahomes, Tony Romo, The Miz, Emmitt Smith and Steve Young.