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Elon Musk isn't just tooting his own horn when he says he doesn't need to keep his technology top secret to succeed, he's actually making a totally "gangsta" business move ... according to Daymond John.

The "Shark Tank" star was on TMZ Live Friday explaining why Elon's unwritten rule of not patenting Tesla and SpaceX innovations is paying off for him ... and others. First off, Daymond says patents can slow down companies, and often it's all about speed when it comes to getting a good product to market to beat out the competition.

As we've reported, Elon dropped his "no patent" bombshell while on "Jay Leno's Garage" this week -- explaining he's not the least bit afraid of going head-to-head with other companies or inventors.

In fact, DJ points out Elon's said he won't sue anyone who wants to use Tesla technology in good faith, so he's walking the walk ... allowing others to build off his ideas and create better tech to advance society.

Todd Chrisley is continuing to spew lies about a woman who investigated him for tax evasion ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The "Chrisley Knows Best" star is being sued for defamation by Amy Doherty-Heinze over remarks she says he made on his popular podcast about the former Georgia Department of Revenue investigator.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Amy claims Todd continues to defame her on his podcast, "Chrisley Confessions," by falsely accusing her of various criminal conduct related to the investigation into his finances.

In a podcast episode last September, ADH claims Todd "maliciously" accused her of breaking laws during the investigation, mentioning her twice by name, calling for her to be prosecuted and making her out to be corrupt and dishonest.

Amy previously sued Todd back in June 2021 for defamation -- that separate lawsuit is still pending -- but she says Todd has not only refused to retract his statements about her but has instead doubled down, prompting her to file another lawsuit.

As we reported ... Todd and Julie Chrisley were found guilty in June of bank fraud and tax evasion. The couple is awaiting sentencing and are facing up to 30 years in federal prison.

Todd's talked about the case at least a few times on his podcast ... recently asking listeners to send thoughts and prayers.

Tommy Lee is taking another shot at selling his home in Calabasas ... because he just put it back on the market.

The rock star drummer listed his picturesque estate this week for $4,599,000. It's the same price he listed the home for back in May 2020. It didn't sell the first time so Tommy took it off the market to lease it for a year and has now relisted it.

Tommy's place is 6 bedrooms and 12,000 square feet of pure luxury ... the crib is custom built with all the bells and whistles, including a home theater and a state-of-the art recording studio.

The three-story home features sweeping city views, which are also visible from the private pool and spa.

Tommy's estate is built around a central atrium with a retractable roof ... and there's a concession bar and a wine tasting area.

A man invaded the Laver Cup in London on Friday and set his arm on fire right next to the net -- just hours before Roger Federer will play his last-ever competitive tennis match on the court.

The wild scene just went down minutes ago during a match at O2 Arena -- when a guy wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt stormed the court with a lighter in his hand.

Video shot by witnesses in the stands shows the man sat down, made a fire -- and then let the flames crawl up onto his arm.

Security raced in to smother the blaze -- before they carried the guy off the court. No word if the man was seriously injured.

It's unclear what message the guy was attempting to send with the protest -- though his shirt did read, "End UK Private Jets."

Despite the scene, Federer's final match is still scheduled to go on later Friday -- when he's expected to team up with Rafael Nadal in a doubles event for the final match of his historic career.

Gear up Swifties -- Taylor Swift could be this season's Super Bowl halftime show act ... at least, that's what the musician's fans are thinking after the NFL appeared to drop a big clue into it all on Thursday night.

Here's the deal -- back in May, Pepsi pulled out of its longstanding partnership with the league and its Big Game's halftime show ... and on Thursday night, the NFL announced it's finally replaced the soft drink company with Apple Music as the new sponsor.

In its announcement, the league made no mention of a potential halftime performer for Super Bowl LVII ... but, according to Swift fans, it didn't need to -- because the timing of the release said it all.

The league curiously dropped the news at midnight -- something that's been associated with Swift for YEARS. She's put out albums twice since 2020 that were released at that time, and she's sung the word "midnight" hundreds of times in her tracks.

Swift is also set to release a new album next month ... titled "Midnights."

Taylor has never done an SB show before -- with many believing she wouldn't take the gig due to being locked in a sponsorship deal with Pepsi's biggest competitor, Coca-Cola.

With Apple Music now in, though, it seems Swift would be free and clear to belt out "Shake It Off" to millions during the Super Bowl's break on Feb. 12 without issue.

"Real Housewives" star Meghan King and "Bachelorette" alum Mike Johnson appear to be getting really cozy ... enjoying each other's company at a popular strip club.

Meghan and Mike hit up Crazy Horse 3 in Las Vegas Thursday night, a source at the club tells us the two arrived hand in hand for the Local Love 2.0 party, which always attracts some big attention.

You can see from the video, the two were ALL over each other all night long -- they even snuck off to a VIP table at one point while Meghan spent some time on Mike's lap.

They also took some time to enjoy the dancers ... grabbing a money gun and spraying the dancers down with some cheddar at one point.

They left together around 1 AM, holding hands on the way out.

Sources close to the two are denying an actual fling, though -- telling TMZ they went to the club as part of her podcast they are doing together -- claiming there's nothing romantic going on between them, just good friends working together.

While they might not be official, they're clearly having some fun together -- Meghan posted about who she "found" in Vegas that night ... calling Mike, "my new fave."

Brett Favre's alleged involvement in a multi-million dollar welfare scandal may have just gone from bad to worse ... 'cause a key figure in a criminal case has just made a deal to cooperate with the feds that could put the NFL legend in the crosshairs of the Justice Department.

Former Mississippi Department of Human Services director John Davis pled guilty on Thursday to conspiring to defraud the State of Mississippi out of more than $70 million in federal funds, which he was accused of misdirecting from the state's poorest people.

As part of his agreement with prosecutors, officials say Davis agreed to tell everything he knows about the massive scheme ... which could be problematic for Favre.

The former Green Bay QB has been under fire after he allegedly worked with Davis and other government officials to obtain $5 million from Mississippi welfare funds to help his alma mater, the Univ. of Southern Miss., build a new volleyball facility. Favre's daughter played the sport at the Univ. at the time Favre was accused of getting the money for the project.

Favre sent a text in 2017 to the woman who ran the nonprofit, seemingly acknowledging it was wrong to take the money ... "If you were to pay me is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?"  She responded, "No we never have had that information publicized."

A few hours later, the woman who runs the nonprofit texted Favre back, saying "Wow, just got off the phone with [then Mississippi Governor] Phil Bryant! He is on board with us! We will get this done!" Favre responded, "Awesome. I needed to hear that for sure."

Despite facing 15 years behind bars, Davis is being seen as an essential component in the ongoing federal investigation into the misdirection of the funds, as well as a corresponding state case. Prosecutors on both sides are eager to obtain information on other possible co-conspirators, including those connected to Davis.

A Los Angeles TV anchorman just got the boot for going ballistic against management -- on the air -- after his co-anchor was not allowed to say so long to viewers after she resigned.

Mark Mester had been suspended earlier this week, but KTLA decided what he did warranted termination.

Mester was pissed off that co-anchor Lynette Romero, whom Mester called his "best friend," told management she was leaving after 24 years to anchor at another station and management didn't allow her to have an on-air goodbye.

Producers had reportedly written a segment for Mester to read as tribute to Lynette, but he refused, instead, Mester groused, "I want to start off right now by offering up an apology to you [Lynette]. I love you so much, you literally are my best friend. You did not deserve what happened to you."

Mester was not done, calling the move rude, cruel and inappropriate.

He also told viewers a plane was flying over KTLA with a banner that read, "We love you Lynette." The plane was chartered by Mester, according to the L.A. Times.

Apparently, Lynette was willing to stay if she could anchor weeknights instead of weekends, but the station wouldn't budge and that's why she left.

Lamar Odom is not romantically involved with transgender actress/model Daniiellè Alexis ... despite a few social media posts sparking speculation they're dating.

Sources close to Lamar tell TMZ ... the former NBA player is currently single and is not seeing Daniiellè, but they do know each other and are friendly -- which is pretty clear from her social media.

We're told Lamar and Daniiellè met back in June when he was in L.A. for the BET Awards. Our sources say Lamar was shopping when a car pulled up, Daniiellè hopped out and asked for a photo ... and afterward, they exchanged numbers.

They kept in touch, and when he recently moved back to L.A. they grabbed lunch together because they were both in town. Daniiellè's an aspiring actress, and our sources say they typically chat about the industry.

Daniiellè's posted a couple photos of Lamar, which got the dating rumor mill going ... but we're told they are just friends.

BTW, our sources also tell us Lamar has no problems with the transgender community, in general, and obviously has no issue with Daniiellè being a transgender woman -- there's simply no romantic spark between them.

Russians are not on board with Vladimir Putin's plan to amp up the war in Ukraine -- and Internet searches prove they're ready to go to extremes to avoid stepping onto the battlefield.

"How to break an arm at home" started catching serious buzz amongst Russians in search results -- and the frantic Googling came just 2 hours after Putin told the nation Wednesday he'd deploy up to 300K citizens to Ukraine.

The specific search quickly jumped from 0 to 38 out of 100 according to Newsweek -- data also showed a serious spike in searches for Aviasales ... the most popular flight booking page in Russia.

The site has been completely sold out of flights to Turkey and Armenia -- 2 places where citizens can go without a visa -- through Sunday.

The search results also come as the country's started to lose ground in the war ... Ukrainian soldiers recently forced a Russian retreat, and they also took back the Kharkiv province this month.

Several protests were held after Putin's announcement, with hundreds arrested in the hours that followed.

DeMario Jackson, a former "Bachelor in Paradise" contestant, says the rape allegations against him are costing him six figures in brand deals ... and he's vowing to clear his name.

The reality TV star tells TMZ ... the day after he was sued for sexual assault by two women, he lost 10 deals worth $25,000 ... with brands he's worked with for years quickly severing ties.

DeMario straight up says it "sucks" to be dealing with another sex scandal -- back in 2017 'BIP' production shut down after he and Corinne Olympios hooked up in a swimming pool -- and he says his life's been a living hell since the lawsuit.

DJ tells us he feels like it's his 2017 nightmare all over again ... saying he hasn't been able to sleep and feels trapped in his home.

TMZ broke the story ... DeMario was sued Tuesday by two different women, who claim they went on dates with him that both ended with DeMario forcing them into nonconsensual sex.

DeMario's attorney, Walter Mosley Jr., says LAPD already investigated the alleged incidents and the investigations did not lead to criminal charges ... and he says DJ has evidence that will exonerate him in court.

For his part, DeMario claims he maintained a good relationship with his accusers over the years -- he says they even had plans to meet up the day after they went to the police with their allegations. His attorney characterizes the suit as a shakedown.

Trae Tha Truth is making sure Dave Chappelle stays shining during his stand-up gigs -- he just hooked up the GOAT with a diamond and gold rendering of his signature logo!!!

The Houston rapper was recently in L.A. when he surprised the legendary comedian with the custom pendant, straight from famed H-Town jeweler Iceman Nick.

We're told the piece consists of 15 carats of VS quality diamonds and is valued at $25,000. It was intended to be a small gesture -- Trae noted Dave already has everything money can buy, but he picked wisely.

DC was floored when he opened the jewelry box, and admitted he didn't have a logo chain in his collection ... and graciously accepted the chain and pendant combo.

Dave and Trae have been friends for several years ... Trae regularly shows out to support when Dave is touring around the country, as he is now.

Trae has been in a giving mood lately ... his Relief Gang charity recently delivered clean water and supplies to Jackson, Mississippi residents struggling with contaminated water pipes.

In a far less kind gesture ... he helped hand out a certified beatdown to his former rapping partner Z-Ro a couple of weeks back -- but according to Boosie Badazz, J. Prince's mediation skills have been activated to squash that beef.

Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka reportedly had an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer ... and he's now facing a suspension over it all.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday night the 45-year-old was found to have had a "consensual intimate relationship" with a woman who has a role on the Celtics' staff -- a violation of Boston's franchise guidelines.

As a result, according to Woj, Udoka is facing a ban from the team that could be "significant." Udoka's job, however, is not believed to be on the line.

Further details regarding the allegations were not disclosed. Udoka and the Celtics have yet to address the report.

Udoka -- who took the Celtics job in 2021 and led the team to an NBA Finals appearance in his first year as head man -- has been in a relationship with actress Nia Long since 2010.

The couple reportedly got engaged back in 2015 -- and has one child together.

Udoka played in the NBA for nearly a decade in the early 2000s -- and began his coaching career with the Spurs following his playing days in 2012.

He later coached for the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets before joining the Celtics.

Donald Trump's legal headaches keep piling up and now he has another one ... the special master in his classified documents case just ordered 45 to prove his assertion FBI agents may have planted evidence at Mar-a-Lago.

Court-appointed Special Master Raymond Dearie has requested that DT put his money where his mouth is. In a filing Thursday, Judge Dearie ordered Trump to submit a sworn declaration itemizing “inventory” of materials seized from his Palm Beach, FL estate that were NOT actually recovered during the FBI search. In other words, Dearie is calling DT's bluff about the FBI's alleged shenanigans.

You may recall Trump went ballistic after the feds raided Mar-a-Lago on August 8 and carted off more than 11,000 sensitive government docs the former president had allegedly swiped from the White House.

Trump fired off a message on his social media platform, suggesting FBI agents did something sketchy during their Mar-a-Lago search. "Planting information anyone?," Trump asked. He also went on Sean Hannity's show this week and insinuated the feds had dropped evidence "into those piles" of secret documents taken from his resort. Even his lawyers have gotten into the action by hinting the feds were up to no good that day.

But, not one of them has coughed up a shred of evidence to support their incendiary claims.

Speaking of unsubstantiated claims ... Trump told Hannity that as President he had the ability to declassify the sensitive docs just by thinking about it -- and that's just plain ridiculous.

Bob Saget's famous friends are picking up where he left off, raising seven figures for a cause near and dear to his heart ... scleroderma research.

John Mayer, Jimmy Kimmel and Jeff Ross took over hosting duties for their late friend Wednesday at an annual fundraiser for the Scleroderma Research Foundation, with the event raising $1.2 million for crucial research.

Bob hosted SRF's signature event, "Cool Comedy • Hot Cuisine," for 30 years before his death ... and this year's fundraiser featured a special video tribute to Bob, presented by John Stamos and Mike Binder.

Dave Chappelle showed up to the Beverly Wilshire for a surprise performance, even sharing a personal video message he got from Bob before he passed. Bill Burr joined Dave on stage for a couple jokes too.

And, Lori Loughlin was also in attendance at the event.

Other celeb performers included comedy sets from Howie Mandel and Kevin Nealon, plus a musical number from Mayer. Joel McHale led the live auction.

Attendees plunked down $500 just to get inside the building ... and they chowed down on a sit-down dinner curated by celeb chef Susan Feniger.

Todd Bridges, who famously played Willis on "Diff'rent Strokes," has tied the knot for a second time ... this time with a low-key Bev Hills ceremony.

Sources at the wedding tell TMZ ... Todd married a woman named Bettijo on Wednesday at Greystone Mansion & Gardens, and it was an intimate and exclusive affair for those closest to the bride and groom.

The guest list topped out at around 40 people -- friends and family members ... like Todd's mom, son, sister, brother, and nephew were present. The rest of the crowd was mainly from Bettijo's side.

We're told she ran a little late, but hey ... it's her party, and that's every bride's prerogative!

The reception went down later at Il Cielo, a couple of miles away -- more people were invited to that, and the party went well into early Thursday morning.

Talk about your whirlwind romances ... we've learned Todd and Bettijo met 9 months ago on a dating app, and got engaged about 6 months later. She comes from a big Mormon family, and Todd's now stepdad to her 4 kids.

FYI -- he's already got 2 of his own ... 24-year-old Spencer and 25-year-old Bo.

As we reported, Todd and his ex-wife Dori split back in 2012 -- putting an end to their 14-year marriage.