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John Legend says his friendship with Kanye West dissolved because of who JL supported in the 2020 election -- not so much who Ye's supported of late ... namely, Donald Trump.

The singer did an interview with the New Yorker this weekend, and they covered a range of topics -- but the most interesting, perhaps, was when they talked Kanye and why he and John aren't cool anymore ... something many just chalked up to differing politics.

That's not exactly what ruined things, though, according to John ... who explains that he doesn't just burn bridges because of who someone votes for, but more so the why.

He says, "I don’t feel like politics should be everything in your relationships, and your relationships with people shouldn’t only be determined by who they voted for. But I do believe that certain things you believe in are indicators of your character, and obviously that will affect your friendships."

John continues ... "I don’t want to live a life that’s so consumed by politics that it’s the sole determinant of who can be my friend and who can’t. But values matter and character matters and moral compass matters."

While JL was speaking somewhat broadly here, this answer immediately followed one he gave about Kanye specifically -- so you gotta figure this applies to his old buddy too.

But on why he and Ye aren't cool anymore, explicitly, John says it's more about the fact he didn't get behind KW's presidential campaign ... but, instead, cosigned Joe Biden/Kamala Harris. Apparently, Kanye took great offense to that -- seeing it as a personal betrayal.

Adele and Eminem are on the cusp of becoming EGOT winners, because they just snagged a crucial letter in the acronym ... a couple of Emmys, respectively.

The artists won awards Saturday during the 2-day Creative Arts Emmys ceremony in Los Angeles. Adele's 'One Night Only' show -- where she was singing at the Griffith Observatory last year -- took home five Emmys, in fact ... including for Outstanding Variety Special.

As for Em ... he too won for Outstanding Variety Special, although his was for the live version (Adele's was pre-recorded). As we reported ... him, Dre and the rest of the SB gang are all Emmy winners now for their Halftime Show performance earlier this year.

With Shady, that means he's just a T away from EGOT. His longtime manager, Paul Rosenberg, noted that on Twitter.

Just for a refresher -- Eminem has won an Oscar for Best Original Song in "Lose Yourself" ('8 Mile), tons of Grammys, and now ... an Emmy for his Super Bowl gig. Adele has also won an Oscar for Best Original Song in "Skyfall," Grammys galore, and now this as well.

The Tony is by far the hardest award to win for entertainers who don't normally do theater work (like these two) ... but there's ways to earn one without having to necessarily perform.

They could each write songs for Broadway shows and win that way, or contribute to the musical arrangement of an original song -- which is well within their wheelhouse. Both could easily do something like that and potentially win a Tony, assuming they're interested.

If they each won EGOTs, they'd join a relatively small and prestigious list of past winners -- including Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, Rita Moreno, Mel Brooks and a handful of others.

For now, though, they're on the list of 4-award winners, sharing company with Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, James Earl Jones, Quincy Jones and Harry Belafonte.

Not a bad crowd!

Pat Stay, known as one of the best battle rappers in the game, is dead after a stabbing incident in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The stabbing happened early Sunday morning in downtown Halifax, according to police -- and while the authorities haven't confirmed Pat as the victim ... his brother, Pete Stay, confirmed his death to CBC.

Police responded just after 12:30 AM, and Pat was taken to a hospital ... but he later died from his injuries. No one's been arrested for the stabbing.

Pat was from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia ... hardly a hotbed for hip hop, but he was still revered within the industry for his freestyling during live rap battles.

Stay had a large social media following, and dropped a new track on YouTube just 2 days ago that rips into The Game -- it's called "The Game DISS."

The video includes brief quotes from Drake, Method Man and Joe Budden ... who all praised Stay's battle rapping.

Drake's take on his skills was, "Pat Stay's definitely one of, if not, the best."

Police are asking anyone with information about the stabbing to call 902-490-5020.

The Weeknd barely got started performing the second of his 2 sold-out shows in L.A. Saturday night when he lost his voice ... and he was almost in tears.

SoFi Stadium was packed with 70,000 fans when 15 minutes in the band started playing "Can't Feel My Face." Thing is ... the Weeknd was nowhere to be seen.

Turns out he was backstage as the song played, trying to figure out what to do because had had no voice. Something happened during the previous song -- he yelled and apparently it blew out his vocal cords.

The audience didn't know what was up ... the song played and there was no Weeknd in sight. When the song ended, he came onstage and told the crowd, "It's killing me," but the show had to abruptly end because he had no voice.

He said, fighting back tears, "I can't give you the concert I want to give you," promising everyone would get their money back and he would reschedule soon.

The Weeknd was profusely apologetic and clearly emotional. This was a big part of his After Hours Til Dawn Tour, and he knew how much the show meant to his fans.

You hear pretty much the entire crowd was on Weeknd's side, applauding him for being transparent.

After he left the venue, The Weeknd posted, "My voice went out during the first song and I’m devastated. Felt it go and my heart dropped. I promise I'll make it up to you with a new date."

This isn't the first speed bump for the tour ... it was postponed twice before because of the pandemic.

The incredible Super Bowl Halftime Show got a big score Saturday night ... an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special, and some very big names took home some hardware.

Dr. Dre, who produced and performed in the show, won along with Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent.

The halftime shows are always big, but this is the first one that was honored with an Emmy.

Now get this ... Eminem is now one award away from an EGOT ... all he needs is a Tony and he joins a very small group.

Everyone in the group except Snoop has also won a Grammy.

The show was electric, with iconic songs like "California Love," "No More Drama," "Lose Yourself" and "Still D.R.E."

Some other Emmy winners -- Adele for "One Night Only," and The Beatles "Get Back" documentary.

Congrats!!!

Caitlyn Jenner is getting put on BLAST by a transgender artist who's getting ready to step in the ring ... and she's calling Caitlyn out to be her next victim.

CJ was challenged by recording artist BraydBunch at a recent face-off event for the Fake Drake celebrity boxing match, which is set to go down in October.

As Brayd faced off against Mike Mazza, she says she hopes her courage will bring others like her into the boxing scene -- even saying she'd love to take Caitlyn down next.

The insults were FLYING -- calling her an oldie whose Olympic status won't mean squat once she's done with her ... she's craving the opportunity to "shut her up," and thinks she can get it done in the ring.

Caitlyn has some experience in the ring, but it might not have been as legit as it looked -- she fought and "beat" bodyguard Mark Behar back in '09 for a charity match ... Mike later claimed the fight was staged for their reality show.

FYI -- the Fake Drake boxing event was supposed to end the night with a big brawl between the imposter himself and Lamar Odom, but the basketball star recently backed out and was replaced by YouTuber M2thaK.

Dave Grohl had some musical and emotional backup at the tribute concert for the Foo Fighters' late drummer, Taylor Hawkins ... his son got behind the drum set to honor his dad.

The London concert was packed with stars who participated, including Paul McCartney, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, Travis Barker, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock.

Dave got super emotional as he performed "Times Like These."

There were incredibly touching moments ... Tyler's 16-year-old son, Oliver Shane, played drums on "My Hero."

Travis got behind the drum set for a spectacular version of "The Pretender," and "Monkey Wrench."

There were other musicians who joined in ... The Darkness’ Rufus Tiger Taylor and Justin Hawkins, Wolfgang Van Halen, AC/DC's Brian Johnson, Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Rush's Geddy Lee, Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, and Oasis' Liam Gallagher.

As we reported, Taylor was found dead in a hotel room, aged 50, just hours before he was due on stage with his bandmates in Bogota, Colombia, in March. The cause of death was cardiovascular collapse. Taylor was only 50.

There will be a second tribute concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood Sept. 27th.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's girlfriend is legally barred from contacting him following her domestic violence arrest, but the rapper tells us he doesn't think the no-contact order is necessary.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tekashi's girlfriend of 4 years, Jade, is prohibited from having any communication with him, including phone calls, texts, letters and social media.

Jade's also barred from using a third party to contact 6ix9nine ... and she's got to stay at least 500 feet away from 69.

Tekashi tells TMZ ... his relationship with Jade is fine, and he's allowing Jade and her child to stay in his Florida home until the case is resolved. 69 tells us he will shack up in a hotel as the legal process plays out, and when it's over he will move back in with Jade and her kid.

TMZ broke the story ... Jade was arrested last month after getting into a dustup with Tekashi in Miami, with their altercation caught on video.

For his part, 6ix9ine thinks Jade attacked him because she was drunk and was being influenced by her friends.

Ex-UFC fighter Pearl Gonzalez says she wishes she could go back and stop herself from getting tattoos at such a young age ... telling TMZ Sports it ended up being more than a $10,000 mistake!!

As we previously reported, the Chi-Town Princess is getting her signature boob ink -- along with three other pieces -- removed over the next few weeks ... a process she says she wishes she didn't ever have to go through in the first place.

Gonzalez tells us getting the tats lasered off is something she had been planning on doing for a while ... but knew it was time to clean up her image once and for all.

"I'm currently having four tattoos removed," Pearl tells us. "If I could have them all removed, I would. Maybe two I would keep."

Gonzalez says she first started getting body art before she even became a teenager ... and the majority of her collection came from going to tattoo parties before she was 18 years old.

As for her most recognizable piece -- the fighter says she can't stand the clouds and moon she got above her nipple when she was around 15 ... even if others still appreciate it.

"It is the stupidest t***y tattoo I've ever gotten in my life," she said. "But yes, everybody loves the t***y tat."

"I just don't like it. It doesn't look good. It looks ghetto to me. I want cleaner skin, a cleaner body."

Gonzalez is one of the toughest ladies on the planet ... but admits the removal process is pretty excruciating.

The last of this season's Summer Hot Shots features comes from an incredibly lucky inflatable pool that popped up in Inglewood where Nisié and Dani ... also known as the Di Soca Twins ... cooled off in a hot way while beating the Los Angeles heat!

When the Caribbean dancers and micro-influencers aren't bringing the heat to their Instagram and TikTok pages ... the perfect pair like to turn heads with their creative makeup styles and dance fashion ... and even taught Caribbean fitness in the Grand Cayman!

These two really know how to make you sweat!

Dr. Will Kirby, known as the "Big Brother 2" champ, is a single man once again ... because his divorce from Erin Brodie has been officially finalized.

The judgment, obtained by TMZ, shows neither party will pay any spousal or child support -- he and Erin will share joint legal and physical custody of their 2 kids.

According to the docs, Will gets to keep his dermatology practice ... as well as his jewelry, artwork, and -- most importantly -- the dog, Wriggley. Erin walks away with all her personal items.

They'll continue to co-own their L.A.-area property ... and the docs indicate they plan to hold onto the spot until their young daughter graduates from high school, at which point they'll look to lease or sell the pad.

As we reported, the dermatologist filed for divorce last year after nearly 4 years of marriage.

Underneath this puckered-up shot is a singer and songwriter who has taken on the music industry with numerous wins at a time, and you should note she started as just a teenager growing up in West Reading, PA.

You most likely first heard of this scrambled star back in 2006, which was just the beginning for this multi-Grammy-winning musician. When she's not in the recording studio, she's either hangin' with her three cats or her famous bud Selena Gomez.

Kevin Bacon might be the winner of the "It's Corn" challenge ... 'cause he's got a take that's stripped down, but so damn soulful. Seriously, just look at this thing!

Here's the actor taking up his trusty guitar to do a rendition of the now-viral track -- which was recently remixed by the Gregory Brothers ... who took what this little kid named Tariq hilariously said in an interview about his favorite food and turned it into a catchy song.

Of course, the OG clip took the internet by storm ... you got this little kid doing a MOTS interview, where he's eating corn on the cob, and going on and on about how much he loves it with tons of enthusiasm. It's actually super hilarious -- with a lot of quotable lines.

That's exactly why this song was made ... with Tariq's family splitting the profits from its publication and streams. Clearly, it's captured the attention of some very famous people.

We know Kevin's pretty hip when it comes to what the youth is listening to these days ... and he's right on it with this entry. No goats this time around, but it's still a helluva ditty -- especially when you see he's strumming along with the signature vegetable itself.

Mark Zuckerberg might be the most eccentric of the tech billionaires out there ... 'cause the dude's apparently diving into mixed martial arts, with some skills to boot.

The Facebook founder posted a video Saturday, which shows him training with a fighter named Khai 'The Shadow' Wu ... who's got his UFC debut coming up on Fight Pass. To ring in the milestone, Mark honored his buddy with this clip of them throwing blows.

Check it out ... you see MZ all padded up an going toe to toe with Khai, and wouldn't you know it -- it actually looks like he knows what he's doing. Peep that vicious leg kick!

Mark writes, "One of my training partners, @khaiwu, is making his debut on @ufcfightpass tonight. Looking forward to a great fight." So it seems Zuck's the one who's getting a workout in with Khai -- and not the other way around. On the face of it, the sessions are paying off.

Of course, some can't help but notice that Mark recently sat down with Joe Rogan for a chat on his podcast ... where they talked more serious issues than they did Octagon fighting.

After seeing this demonstration, though ... maybe JR has more in common with the Meta boss than he thought. And perhaps we'll even see Zuck ringside one of these days! 😆

The chemical engineer who hurled homophobic slurs on an airplane was also dropping a ton of other bigoted bombs as well -- namely, the N-word ... which got him into a fight.

Zachary Easterly -- the now-fired, ex-GlaxoSmithKline-employee -- alluded to being racist in the first video we got of him freaking out ... and now, we have the proof. Here's new video, obtained by TMZ, showing him on Tuesday throwing the epithet around like it was a frisbee.

This clip picks up with him being escorted off the plane, and he's literally dropping the N-word left and right -- in front of Black airline employees, no less -- with no shame.

As others hear him on his way out -- now entering the main terminal area of the airport -- he starts to get accosted and confronted by outraged bystanders ... who tell him to watch his mouth, or suffer the consequences. He chose to do the latter, and all hell broke loose.

Two men are seen tussling with Easterly at one point, and they even pin him down onto the ground -- seemingly in an attempt to make a citizen's arrest ... you can hear them talk about police/security. It's unclear if Easterly was ever detained or arrested, however. Philadelphia PD tells us they're looking into whether a case was opened in this matter or not.

What we do know is that he's without a job ... as GSK canned this man shortly after the video was posted and went viral. Once a proud chemist, now some jackass on the internet.

Easterly had suggested he was somewhat intoxicated during this, but that's obviously no excuse ... sounds like he got some things off his chest that he'd been holding in a long time.

Kanye West is fired back up again -- now re-focusing his outrage at a specific Adidas executive ... who's plastered all over Ye's Instagram page, with some interesting commentary.

Ye went on the offensive Saturday with a slew of new posts that have Daniel Cherry III in his crosshairs. DC is Adidas' Senior Vice President/General Manager -- and Kanye is dragging him through the coals over what he apparently sees as hijacking his Yeezy brand.

We saw this earlier in the week ... KW was upset over a perceived feeling that he's being iced out of managing Yeezy via Gap -- and now, he's going back to the source in Adidas.

In one of his newest messages -- which looks to be aimed at Cherry -- he references "VCs" ... or venture capitalists. Kanye writes, "VENTURE CAPITALIST WHO'S ONLY ADVENTURE IS CAPITALISM. CANT CREATE SO THEY TRY TO OUT COUNT THE CREATIVES."

Ye adds, "DIE SLOW." There's more  ... Kanye seems to allude to some sort of history he and Cherry share -- alleging DC recently told Lil Uzi Vert that he should've "taken it to the hands" with Ye years ago, which is seriously pissing him off. He says he's already got a fake NYT death cover story in the can for when Cherry gets fired -- something Ye's predicting.

He also writes ... "I GUARANTEE YOU'LL HAVE TO RELOCATE BEFORE I'M LEGALLY FINISHED WITH YOU." Kanye has photoshopped tons of pics of Chery in different scenarios with mocking captions ... alluding to the notion Cherry was hired to manage Yeezy without Kanye's knowledge and is supposedly running it into the ground -- at least from KW's POV.

In one of his new posts ... Kanye also appears to be texting Kim about where their kids should go to school -- picking up where he last left off. Lots on Kanye's mind right now ... and he's airing it all out publicly for the world to see.