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Dan Benson -- a former star on "Wizards of Waverly Place" -- went from child star to porn star ... and he says he couldn't be happier over the career change.

The ex-Disney Channel actor -- who used to play Zeke Beakerman and work alongside Selena Gomez between 2007 and 2012 -- hopped on TikTok to provide a mental health update ... explaining he was feeling great about his pivot into adult entertainment.

He says he has no regrets about the kinda stuff he's doing on camera now, and that he was even surprised about some of the reactions he's gotten ... which have mostly been positive.

DB explains that while he thought he'd be met with shame and condemnation, he's actually experienced a lot of love and empowerment -- and he's glad the stigma associated with porn isn't being hurled his way. On the job front, there too he's found a healthy environment.

Dan goes on to say he's asked to do stuff all the time that he's not necessarily comfortable with, but now finds himself in a position to say no -- which he says is often respected.

And, the cherry on top ... him being supported, encouraged and, sometimes, approached by fans in public -- who he says have been nothing but lovely to him since he left the Mouse House. As he puts it, Dan feels like a "badass" these days ... so he's in a solid place.

Dan uses OnlyFans, among other X-rated platforms ... and has embraced his sensuality.

It just goes to show, there's lots of ways to make money these days -- and even the untraditional ways are being viewed in a different light than ever before.

Zendaya and Tom Holland are clearly meant for one another -- jammin' out and singing one of Beyoncé's classics to each other at her latest concert!

The 'Spider-Man' costars and real-life lovebirds were spotted having an absolute blast at Bey's Warsaw concert Tuesday night ... singing "Love on Top" right in each other's faces as the legendary performer did it for the crowd.

Ya know, the one that goes, "You're the one I love, you're the one I need" ... obviously the 2 are still doing great as a couple -- and having a ton of fun, too.

The pair's been enjoying each other's company for a while now, going back to 2021 when they went public with their relationship. We've since seen them grabbing some Thai food, leaving Mumbai hand-in-hand, and even goin' wild at a Warriors game!

Most recently, Tom and Zendaya were spotted walking the dog earlier this month in London while she fed him some ice cream -- goals.

Cops were dispatched to the Duggar home in Arkansas just hours after Jim Bob's uncle died of a heart attack ... TMZ has learned.

Officers arrived at Jim Bob and Michelle's compound around 8:30 Sunday morning for a "follow-up investigation" about 2 hours after Jim Bob's uncle Tommy died.

According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, officers spoke to Tommy's husband, Lawrence, who told them Tommy had felt ill the night before and had fallen over multiple times. Lawrence claimed 75-year-old Tommy refused to go to the hospital because he was afraid he'd be put in a nursing home.

However, when he was in the bathroom Sunday morning, Lawrence claimed Tommy yelled for help before collapsing against the door unresponsive. Tommy was pronounced dead at home, and the report states he died of natural causes.

What's puzzling is why police went to Jim Bob and Michelle's home if Lawrence was already aware of the death. In fact, we've never known a case where cops paid a visit to other than next of kin to inform them someone died.

There's a new Superman in town, but a lot of people are experiencing déjà vu after giving him a once-over ... 'cause the dude looks a hell of a lot like Henry Cavill.

29-year-old David Corenswet was tapped Tuesday to portray the Man of Steel in James Gunn's forthcoming "Superman: Legacy" ... which is a complete reboot of the franchise, and clearly a pivot toward a younger Clark Kent. Rachel Brosnahan's playing the new Lois Lane.

Corenswet and Brosnahan's casting got a lot of positive feedback -- especially for him. Frankly, folks seem to think he channels Superman quite well, not just in look but in height too. The guy's 6'4", and is the tallest actor to play Supes since the late Christopher Reeve.

And yes, based on his work in other stuff he's done in showbiz thus far -- "Hollywood," "Pearl," "We Own This City," etc. -- he definitely emanates Kal-El energy. Just look at him!

However, there's also a fair amount of fans who are pointing out the obvious ... namely, his passing resemblance to the last guy who played Superman -- one Mr. Cavill. Sure, he's not necessarily a dead ringer for Henry ... but some feel he's close enough, and they're questioning why Gunn went with someone so similar looking if he wanted a true change.

Of course, with that comparison ... there are gripes, especially from diehards who really wanted Henry back in the tights (AKA, Snyderverse devotees). But, as others have pointed out in the pushback to the "outrage" ... all the Superman actors kinda look like each other.

It's a good point, and not just that ... but Corenswet did seem to be a fan fave in the lead-up to the announcement. Other actors in the running included Tom Brittney and Nicholas Hoult -- but in the end, it seems DC won James and co. over with his audition/screen tests.

Henry himself certainly appears to be over the Superman drama -- this after he was dramatically dropped after briefly being assured he'd be coming back ... but he hasn't commented on Dave taking up the mantle just yet.

Corenswet might look a bit like Cavill, but time will tell if his performance is any different. It's a bird, it's a plane -- it's a new day in comic book movies. Out with the old, as they say.

A Royal Caribbean passenger is thanking her lucky stars ... after miraculously surviving a terrifying fall off a cruise ship all the way from the 10th deck.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, a 42-year-old woman on RC's Mariner of the Seas ship went overboard Sunday about 27 nautical miles south of Punta Cana ... with crew members quickly launching a rescue mission to find the fallen passenger.

You see what appears to be a couple of empty life rafts next to some smoke -- apparently emanating from flares -- as guests onboard the cruise ship anxiously looked out to the ocean, hoping to spot her. Thankfully, the team eventually found her and picked her up in their rescue vehicle.

Matthew Kuhn, who filmed the rescue video, told Fox35 he feared the worst during the search ... saying "I was like, someone just died." He says everyone was on their balcony at the time, and was cheering together once she was finally found.

The woman didn't require medical attention, despite the steep fall ... but she was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Tom Brady sent a heartfelt message to Ryan Mallett and his family after the former quarterback tragically died on Tuesday ... writing in a sweet note, "We lost a great man."

The Patriots legend -- who was teammates with Mallett in New England from 2011 to 2013 -- posted the message to his Instagram page ... adding, "Thank you for everything Ryan."

"Praying for the Mallett family and all their loved ones tonight."

The post went up only hours after cops say Mallett drowned while swimming in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, Mallett was part of a group of swimmers who had been "struggling to make their way back to shore" after getting in the water at around 2:12 PM

Cops say Mallett went under ... and when he was finally pulled from the ocean, he wasn't breathing. He was later pronounced dead at a local emergency room.

The passing shocked the NFL world ... in addition to Brady, several other stars penned tributes to the ex-QB on their social media pages, including J.J. Watt -- Mallett's former teammate in Houston -- who wrote, "Gone way too soon. Rest in Peace brother."

Dez Bryant and Rob Gronkowski added messages of their own to Mallett on their Instagrams as well.

Mallett was just 35 years old.

Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial kicked off Wednesday ... but the Oscar-winning actor looked more like he was arriving at an awards show, smiling and waving at the crowd.

Spacey rolled up in a taxi to London's Southwark Crown Court, got out in a navy suit and pink tie and greeted a throng of people assembled outside, cordially saying, "Good morning." He then casually walked inside the courthouse as media from around the world covered his every move.

The four-week trial could have major implications for Spacey given that he faces a maximum punishment of life in prison if convicted.

As we reported, Spacey was accused of committing a dozen sexual offenses against four men from 2001 to 2013 in the capital of England. Prosecutors charged Spacey with 12 counts of sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. Spacey has pled not guilty.

"General Hospital" star Haley Pullos has been charged by the L.A. County D.A. ... this after getting cuffed after a near-fatal DUI.

Haley's been charged with one felony count of DUI causing injury, one felony count of driving with a .08 BAC or higher, and one misdemeanor count of hit-and-run.

The actress pled not guilty and a preliminary hearing is set for next month.

TMZ broke the story, Haley was arrested in April after cops say she was driving the wrong way on a freeway and collided head-on with another car that was going about 60 mph.

Cops said Haley was also involved in a hit-and-run before the crash ... and officers say they found edibles and mini-bottles of tequila during a search of the vehicle. Police claim she showed clear signs of intoxication.

Elon Musk is already hitting the training mats in anticipation of his huge fight with Mark Zuckerberg ... throwing and slamming a famous black belt who recently trained with Elon's fellow billionaire.

Popular podcaster Lex Fridman says he had an impromptu training session with Elon on Monday, sharing a photo of Elon slamming him to the ground.

Lex, a black belt in jiu-jitsu, says he came away super impressed with Elon's fighting prowess.

"I'm extremely impressed with his strength, power, and skill, on the feet and on the ground," Lex said. "It was epic. It's really inspiring to see Elon and Mark doing martial arts, but I think the world is served far better if they train martial arts but not fight in the cage."

Don't get it twisted, Lex wants to see Elon and Mark do battle ... just like everyone else.

Lex adds ... "That said, as Elon says, the most entertaining outcome is the most likely... I'm there for them, no matter what."

It's interesting to see Elon and Lex training ... Lex recently had Mark on his podcast, and they trained some jiu-jitsu.

In addition to Lex, Elon's accepted an offer to train with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre ... while Jon Jones recently offered Mark his services.

As TMZ Sports first reported, Dana White told us both sides are for real about getting in the Octagon together ... and now Elon's showing just how serious he is.

Before this lovable little girl was acting on the big screen and traveling the world with her famous friends, she was just training hard in rhythmic gymnastics, playing with her pets and growing up in both Bulgaria and Toronto, Canada.

You may recall her supernatural acting roles in The CW's "The Vampire Diaries", but before she was a vampire drawing blood ... she was acting alongside Drake in the teen drama TV series "Degrassi: The Next Generation."

Need one more hint on who this cute kid is ... just ask her snowboarding bae Shaun White!

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett -- a third-round pick in 2011 NFL Draft -- has passed away. He was 35 years old.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... Mallett tragically drowned in Florida. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Mallett was a star prospect out of Texas High in Texarkana ... where he was one of the top-ranked signal callers in his class. He went on to play at the collegiate level from 2007-10 for the Michigan Wolverines and Arkansas Razorbacks ... and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2010.

He was the offensive MVP of the Liberty Bowl in 2010 ... and was named All-SEC second team in 2009 and 2010.

Mallett was the 74th-overall pick to the New England Patriots in 2011, serving as a backup to Tom Brady for three seasons.

He was traded to the Houston Texans in 2014, where he would start two games before going down with a season-ending injury. He remained with Houston for six games the next season ... before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens.

Mallett played two more seasons with the Ravens ... taking his last NFL snap during the 2017 season.

The former standout took up coaching after his pro career ... joining White Hall High School's coaching staff in Arkansas.

Margot Robbie is a Barbie girl in her own little Barbie world ... and she's looking like the real thing as she promotes her upcoming movie.

The "Barbie" star just arrived in Australia with her husband, Tom Ackerley, and she made sure to channel her movie character ... strolling through the airport wearing a bright pink jacket.

Margot didn't stop there ... she also made sure to pack not one but two pink suitcases ... so she's really going all in with the pink Barbie theme.

The Australia arrival is more proof Margot is taking her movie promotion super seriously ... as we previously reported, she was the only one among the cast to wear pink over the weekend for a press shoot in Beverly Hills.

Nicki Minaj is fully in the corner of the Chicago 14-year-old who shot and killed a man to protect his mom while she was being attacked, saying she's willing to help him go to college.

The rapper chimed in on the viral case, which has spurred a lot of conversation online over the past week or so. She took to IG to sound off, and it's clear she believes the 14-year-old and his mother did absolutely nothing wrong here ... even if it cost a life.

Nicki passionately writes, "That 14-year-old boy that backed dat hammer out when that grown ass man was punching his mother in the face as if she were a MAN; is a true hero."

She continues ... "If he wants to go to college, I'd love to help. It's what ANY son should've done for their MOTHER. She raised a dope kid & should be so proud. Also, God knew b4 she knew; that she'd be attacked that day & made sure they had protection on DECK."

NM finishes with a simple message, "God is GOOD." Now, as for her offer of assistance for higher education -- she didn't really elaborate ... but ya gotta figure she's talking about cash here. If the kid sees this, it'll be interesting to see if he takes her up on it.

As for the case itself ... it's a doozy. Carlishia Hood and her son were charged with first-degree murder after the teen shot and killed 32-year-old Jeremy Brown on June 18 at a restaurant ... this after an argument ensued inside, and Brown was filmed repeatedly punching Hood in the head.

Right as he's wailing on her, her son enters the restaurant from outside and opens fire on Brown. Cops say Brown then fled, but allege that Hood ordered her son to finish the job and continue shooting him outside ... which he then did. Brown died from gunshot wounds.

Amid a lot of uproar, Cook County prosecutors dropped all the charges against the mother and son ... saying they didn't have enough evidence to proceed with a prosecution. Since then, Hood has sued the City of Chicago and a few cops too ... claiming she was unjustly arrested/charged -- and that the whole ordeal has caused a lot of emotional distress.

Her legal team has been echoing what a lot of others have argued -- namely, that the use of deadly force here was justified and that Hood/her son were simply defending themselves.

The mystery of actor Julian Sands' disappearance has finally come to a close ... after officials confirm human remains discovered where Sands last went hiking are his.

A statement released Tuesday from the San Bernardino Co. Sheriff's Office read, "The identification process for the body located on Mt Baldy on 24 June, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood."

As we reported, it was Saturday when some hikers in the area discovered the human remains -- more than 5 months after Sands first went missing.

There's not yet a cause of death for Sands, but extreme weather rolled into the area when he went on his hiking trip.

Interestingly enough, rescuers had continued to search for Sands over the last few months, with efforts happening as recently as this month.

While some of Sands' relatives had already lost hope and said their goodbyes, others released a statement, saying they were, "deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian."

Most of Sands' success came in the '80s and '90s in films like "Warlock: The Armageddon" and "Arachnophobia."

He was 65.

Roseanne Barr is taking a lot of heat for seemingly denying the Holocaust ... but her son says her controversial podcast comments are being taken out of context, and she was just being sarcastic.

Here's the deal ... Roseanne went on Theo Von's podcast, "This Past Weekend," and a clip from their conversation is going viral, with folks accusing her of being antisemitic.

In the clip, which Roseanne's son says lacks context, she says ... "And, that is the truth. And, nobody died in the Holocaust either. That's the truth. It should happen. Six million Jews should die right now cause they cause all the problems in the world. But, it never happened."

Roseanne goes on to say she is Jewish. Leading up to her Holocaust remarks, Roseanne is talking to Theo about how people believe things that aren't true, like the 2020 election being fixed.

The comedian's son, Jake Pentland, tells TMZ ... "We are embarrassed that people are stupid enough not to recognize Roseanne is being sarcastic."

Theo is also defending Roseanne ... quote tweeting the viral clip and saying, "This Roseanne Barr clip was sarcasm folks. A clip taken out of a long sarcastic rant she had during our chat. Can we not recognize sarcasm anymore?"

Roseanne's son also says anyone who watched or listed to the full podcast knows it was sarcasm, telling us ... "We think it's funny that people are so stupid. Let's stop doing this clickbait s***, we need to focus on big problems in America. Focusing on out-of-context clips is what morons do."

Leonard Fournette experienced a terrifying incident on Tuesday -- the NFL running back's car burst into flames on the highway ... but luckily, he seemingly escaped without injury.

The 28-year-old Super Bowl champ was driving on I-275 in Tampa Bay  ... when suddenly, his whip set ablaze.

The Florida Highway Patrol tells TMZ Sports the fire started due to a mechanical issue, not a crash ... and the flames were extinguished by the local fire department.

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star shared footage of his Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat burnt to a crisp ... with the front part of the car absolutely destroyed.

"Man it was one of those days today, but I would like thank God, my car caught on fire while I was driving, But I’am still blessed 🙏," Fournette said on Instagram.

The NFL community commented under Fournette's post ... with several players sharing how grateful they are it wasn't more serious.

"Awww hell naw bro I’m thankful!" Denver Broncos star Frank Clark said. "God talkin."

Stevan Ridley, Jalen Ramsey and Jonathan Stewart also left positive messages.