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Russell Brand got ahead of explosive allegations against him -- including claims of rape -- before they hit the news ... taking to his own channel to vehemently deny wrongdoing.

The comedian-actor turned podcaster hopped on YouTube and Twitter Friday night with a video addressing what he said was a couple different stories that were set to be released ... which detailed allegations made by women, some of whom say he'd abused them.

The two pieces were published Saturday -- it was a collab between The Times (UK) and Channel 4 ... and their reporting appears to be extensive with a year-long investigation.

A total of at least 5 women have gone on the record to detail disturbing stories that they claim occurred between them and Russell from 2006 to 2013 -- when RB was at the peak of his fame in Hollywood. They range from outright rape and sexual assault to abuse ... as well as claims of controlling/threatening behavior. One woman, who stayed anonymous, alleged her toxic interactions with Russell started while she was underage ... at just 16 years old.

In anticipation of the pieces being ran, Russell talked to his audience directly ... telling them that he completely refutes the allegations that rise to a criminal level -- seemingly, the rape/sexual assault claims. He says all of his sexual episodes have been consensual.

Russell does acknowledge that he was very promiscuous once upon a time and that he's had a lot of partners -- but also says he's been very open about all of this in the years since.

Eventually, he goes on to suggest that he's being targeted by mainstream media agendas ... and that the reason might lie in his recent stances and politics, on which he's been vocal.

If you haven't followed Russell's journey lately, the dude is very much leaning right these days -- and has espoused strong opinions on everything from COVID to Ukraine and beyond. He's very much so in the Joe Rogan field of POVs ... and thinks that's at the root of this.

It doesn't sound like anything formal has been done as it pertains to the allegations -- including police reports or lawsuits -- but he says he's going to look into all of them.

El Chapo might be in prison for the rest of his life, but his wife is a free woman after serving just two years behind bars -- and a couple days after being sprung, she hit the town!

Emma Coronel was spotted out in L.A. Friday night with a posse, dropping into a club down in Lynwood for a little live music and fun with her crew. The place they hit up is an event center called El Farallon ... and they say this shindig was put on by Emma's attorney.

BTW, this lawyer is also apparently a singer too ... 'cause she was up on stage performing. Her name is Mariel Colón Miró and she was putting on quite a show for her client.

As you can see, Emma was enjoying herself on the couch -- seemingly partaking in drinks -- and was mostly left alone. There was a lot of security standing around, though ... so maybe that's why people steered clear. Also ... she posed for some pics outside the venue too.

The outing follows Emma's release from custody Wednesday. She'd been transferred from a Texas facility to a halfway house here in Long Beach ... and, just this week, she was finally cut loose and placed on supervised release -- on which she'll be for the next 4 years.

Remember, Emma copped a plea deal with the feds in 2021 on drug trafficking charges ... and was sentenced to 3 years in prison. Ultimately, though, she did less than 2 ... and now, she's back on the outside.

As for her hubby, well ... he won't be getting out anytime soon, or ever. He's due to serve out the rest of his days in lock-up -- that is, assuming he doesn't pull another wild escape.

Nicki Minaj's husband and some goons were apparently waiting to see Offset outside somewhere on the streets of New York this week -- but the man himself was up in air.

A pal of Kenneth Petty went live on IG Friday night -- which, of course, was captured and reposted by the general public. In the lengthy clips, you can see him, KP and another man all standing on a sidewalk across the street from some building ... calling out Offset.

Seems they thought he'd be leaving this place and planned on confronting him -- evidenced in their ominous remarks in the videos. Kenneth, especially, looks ready for smoke.

Unclear exactly what this is all about -- but some have speculated it might pertain to the VMAs, where Nicki and Cardi both performed ... and where they may have even crossed paths. As we all know -- they have an ugly, violent history between them

Unfortunately for Ken and co. ... Offset never showed, and the reason for that is because he's had a busy past 24 hours. On Friday, he was noticeably live streaming with a famous YouTuber out in Atlanta -- and come Saturday morning, homeboy was in Colorado meeting HC Deion Sanders and raging with all the college kids ahead of the big game.

Offset hopped on social media upon touching down this AM, and he was kinda taunting the fellas who were curbside looking for trouble. Sounds like he finds the whole thing hilarious.

Hugh Jackman isn't quite ready to talk about his split from his wife beyond what he's already said in a statement -- but even when pressed by a photog ... the dude was all class.

The actor was approached by a pap Saturday in NYC, where he got peppered with questions about his separation from Deborra-lee Furness -- whom Hugh has been married to for the last 27 years ... and which came out of nowhere Friday in a shock announcement.

Check out what he had to say about it in person ... the videographer was wondering what sort of personal growth he and Deborra-lee would be pursuing -- something they alluded to in their remarks -- and Hugh actually gave the guy the time of day, in a very polite way.

For starters, HJ says he doesn't feel right discussing the matter right then and there in an impromptu interview -- which is fair. He says he appreciates the photog's thoughts, but when the guy pushes a bit further ... Hugh says flat out, they're going through a hard time.

The pap pivots to "Deadpool 3" and asks when he thinks they might be able to resume filming -- and Hugh says as soon as they're allowed to ... referencing the ongoing strike.

Like we said ... he couldn't have been more graceful here. Considering how personal of a situation it is and Hugh's private nature -- he handled this interaction as well as possible.

Hugh and Debora-lee were one of these longtime couples who everyone thought would stand the test of time ... but as we've seen a lot this year already, some of the sturdiest relationships in Hollywood are seeing their end.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a close call with a member of "law enforcement," but the heavily armed "officer" turned out to be fake and got arrested.

The 2024 Democratic presidential hopeful was campaigning at a Hispanic Heritage Month event in L.A. Friday when the suspect -- posing as a U.S. Marshal -- tried to approach him.

The phony fed was carrying two loaded pistols in shoulder holsters and a bunch of ammo, as well as a bogus U.S. Marshals ID badge.

But the guy made a HUGE mistake, identifying himself as a member of Kennedy's security detail. Of course, Kennedy's real bodyguards didn't recognize him and promptly detained him and called police.

Check out video posted on TikTok, which shows LAPD officers putting the man in handcuffs and searching his pockets. Criminal charges have yet to be filed.

Las Vegas visitors who got stressed out by the cyberattack can unwind at a strip club ... where they're offering up free lap dances, among several other perks, for affected tourists.

Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in Las Vegas is going the extra mile to make sure MGM Resorts guests who were caught up in the cyberattack still have a great time in Sin City.

Among the freebies for those who had their trips thrown for a loop ... free airport pickup, luggage storage for those experiencing check-in delays, complimentary $1,200 platinum VIP membership and lap dances on the house.

The GM of Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club Brittany Rose tells TMZ ...“Our hearts go out to both the employees as well as the tourists who have been affected by this devastating event. As members of the hospitality industry, we decided to do our part to help improve the guest experience during their visit to Las Vegas which will in turn alleviate the stress of the employees who are so diligently handling the situation.”

As we reported ...  the cyberattack started at the beginning of the week, preventing some guests from getting into their rooms or checking in altogether. The attack then spiraled into issues with casino slot machines and the phone lines went down, among other issues.

Larry Flynt's says guests who are at least 21 years old just need to show proof of a valid hotel reservation at any MGM property from this week to take advantage of the freebies, but the free fun ends Sunday.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson knows how to make an entrance and he proved it in a big way with his surprise return to the WWE after nearly 4 years.

The Rock stunned the packed crowd watching WWE Smackdown at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado Friday night, when he stepped out from behind a backdrop to his signature song, "Electrifying," playing loudly over the sound system.

Everyone went berserk, cheering like crazy and shooting cell phone video to capture the epic moment. You may recall, the last time the WWE legend had suited up for a wrestling match was in October 2019.

After the initial shock, The Rock made his way to the ring, where former WWE U.S. Champion Austin Theory and ex-NFL punter Pat McAfee were giving each other some lip.

The Rock got in on the action, trading insults with Theory as the tension grew.

Finally, The Rock sent Theory over the edge after calling him an "a**hole" -- and even getting the audience to chant, "You are an a**hole."

Theory threw a flurry of punches that hit their mark, but The Rock quickly turned the tables and gave his opponent a spinebuster.

With Theory laid out on the canvas, The Rock delivered his famous “people’s elbow."

It was all over after that. Theory was down for the count.

Rep. Lauren Boebert's night inside a Denver theater was way more handsy than it initially appeared -- new video shows her groping her date's crotch as he aggressively paws at her breast.

In the new surveillance video clip -- recorded Sunday night during a performance of "Beetlejuice" -- Boebert's date first reaches over to fondle her right breast, and almost immediately she puts a hand in between his legs.

The groping of her chest continues throughout the clip, and eventually the U.S. Congresswoman puts her other hand in his crotch as well.

As we previously reported, other clips revealed Boebert was also illegally vaping inside the theater -- something she had denied -- and that eventually got her and her date kicked out of the performance. For good measure, she flipped off a theater employee on the way out.

Boebert is, of course, a staunch and vocal Trump Republican -- but her date is reportedly an Aspen bar owner ... and a Democrat. If only we could get this kind of bipartisan cooperation in Washington.

Pick your controversy here folks, but the biggest takeaway we see is: Who knew "Beetlejuice" was such a turn-on??? This should do wonders for future ticket sales.

Jonathan Majors' lawyer says a new angle of him breaking up a fight between two high school girls should be enough to debunk allegations it was all a PR stunt.

The actor's attorney, Priya Chaudhry, tells TMZ ... the suggestion the fight outside Hollywood High was staged is "absurd" and one of the students involved in the fight has since come out and confirmed it was all legit.

Jonathan's lawyer is referring to a social media post showing a new angle from the fight, posted on Elon Musk's app by someone claiming they go to school with the girls who were fighting.

After we broke the story of Jonathan breaking up the fight and obtained the video, conspiracy theorists flooded the internet with claims it was all a PR stunt to make JM look good in the middle of his assault case. Some thought the people fighting were paid actors.

But his lawyer insists that's not the case ... and she says the new angle should remove any doubt.

There's a lot of smoke now that Taylor Swift is dating Travis Kelce, and Aaron Rodgers says don't count him out. So we gotta ask ...

If Brett Favre had things his way, Deion Sanders' coaching career would've looked a whole lot different to this point ... telling TMZ Sports he actually tried to get the Hall of Famer to take over at Southern Miss before he landed his Jackson State gig.

The Packers legend says his recruitment of Sanders to his alma mater happened a few years ago -- back when Deion's son, Shedeur, was a high schooler looking at potentially attending USM.

At the time, Golden Eagles head coach Jay Hopson had just resigned ... and Favre says he tried like hell to get Prime to fill the vacant role.

"I knew he would do a great job," said Favre, who played with Sanders in Atlanta in the 1991 season. "I knew the things that we needed at Southern Miss, he checked the boxes. Attention, enthusiasm, getting people in the seats. He would've done that."

"And, I knew players would follow him," Favre added. "Not to mention, we'd have gotten his son, who's probably going to be one of the Heisman finalists this year."

Of course, Deion never took over at USM ... and instead, he ended up at JSU, where he dominated for two years. He ultimately left Jackson for the Univ. of Colorado -- where he's currently got the Buffs ranked No. 18 in the country.

Lance Bass might be looking to make some big business moves on the heels of the massive *NSYNC reunion ... by using one of the boy band's most famous phrases.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Lance wants to trademark the phrase "Dirty Pop" and slap it on a bunch of junk food ... like candy, chocolate and flavored popcorn.

Of course, the phrase is the opening line in *NSYNC's smash hit from way back in the day, "Pop"

The boy band reunited Tuesday for the first time in a decade, presenting an award at the MTV VMAs ... and fans have been going nuts ever since, so it seems like a perfect time for Lance and the guys to cash in.

The docs show Lance is also looking to trademark "Boy Band Wars" ... indicating he may want to use it for a potential TV series!!!

The guys are already capitalizing on all the *NSYNC buzz now that they are once again front and center in Hollywood ... rolling out a new single for Justin Timberlake's upcoming 'Trolls' movie.

In addition, Lance's company filed docs to secure the rights to "Frosted Tips" ... for a potential new podcast!!!

The front door to the home where Sharon Tate was infamously murdered by Charles Manson's cult has sold at auction ... and the highest bidder put a big chunk of change down for the piece of dark history.

The door was sold courtesy of Julien's Auctions ... after 40 bidders vied for the unique find. The high bid was $127k. It was projected to fetch somewhere between $2,000 and $4,000.

Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor recorded an album in the Cielo Drive house in 1992 -- long after the grizzly 1969 murders.

Trent ended up taking the door with him before the place was demolished. He took it to his New Orleans recording space but left it behind in 2004 when he relocated his studio.

From there, a doctor bought Trent's recording space and pulled the door out of the trash when he learned about its history. The door was then purchased from the doctor by a man named Christopher Moore in 2017. Eventually, the door made its way to Julien's Auctions.

No word on who bought the door, but it will certainly be quite the conversation piece.

Whether it's the runway or street, it's no secret that Heidi Klum has the confidence to strut her thing! In-vest your time to see if you got what it takes to judge these two images and find the changes right in front of you.

Looking fashionably ready, Heidi was recently spotted in California showing off a bright smile for the cameras! Can you gather your talent and track down the minor switch-ups before they slip away? Don't worry, you got this in the bag!

Moments after Blueface got stabbed in a boxing gym, his trainer dialed 911 and the call got pretty intense ... with the operator trying to get details of the attack, as the trainer tried to get medics to save Blue.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained audio of the 911 call that launched paramedics to the bloody scene on August 23 at the Kaminsky Boxing Gym in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley.

On the call, the trainer -- who also owns the gym -- tells the operator a random guy came in and "stabbed my client" ... and then the miscommunication begins.

Seems the gym owner couldn't really hear the operator's questions about whether the assailant was still there -- and the gym owner quickly grew frustrated as he urged the operator to send help right away for Blueface ... who was bleeding from his leg wound.

As we previously reported, the alleged assailant didn't get very far, before eventually surrendered, and LAPD arrested Brandon Henry Snell. We're told the L.A. County D.A. is now reviewing the case to determine charges.

As the summer nights begin to fade, shining stars are soaking up every last ray ... and with social media being quite the sunny sight to see ... these scenic shots will have your day made! So, sit back and look alive at these stars with sunsets!

Soaking up the sweet settings under the cotton candy skies, see sun-lit celebs like Rob Lowe and Kali Uchis taking it all in, and there's a glistening glow in Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian's eyes from the pink and orange sky!