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Doja Cat is once again being accused of pandering to fringe communities after wearing a shirt with a photo folks on the alt-right know all too well ... showing off one Sam Hyde.

The rapper/singer posted and then deleted these pics on her IG Friday, but fortunately ... the Internet captured them and they're now circulating -- with DC getting dragged through the mud for what many consider an endorsement of Hyde and his brand of humor/following.

For those unaware, Hyde is a comedian ... who has been widely embraced by trolls in online chat rooms and forums, and who's even been accused of embracing neo-Nazi sentiments.

This particular photo of him holding a semiautomatic has become meme fodder for years -- anytime there's a mass shooting here in the States ... far-right keyboard warriors circulate the pic and falsely claim that Sam Hyde is the shooter, attempting to spread misinformation.

It's unclear if Hyde himself started that whole trend, but he and his comedy group have leaned into the joke -- bottom line ... the dude is highly problematic and polarizing.

That's exactly why Doja Cat rocking this shirt -- which, BTW, Hyde himself appears to be selling on his own website for a cool $38 -- is incredibly strange ... and getting double takes from her fans online. By the same token, many others aren't all that surprised by this either.

Fact is ... Doja has flirted with far-right wingers for a long time now -- including back in 2020 when old footage surfaced showing her talking to a bunch of dudes in a chat room ... which was later alleged to have featured racist convos. She denied those allegations at the time.

Of course ... there's also the "Dindu Nuffin'" song she put out once upon a time. All of that stuff mixed together -- plus this latest stunt -- is again thrusting her into controversy.

The new 'Exorcist' movie isn't raking in as much dough as its parent studio would like -- which isn't great news considering almost half a billion dollars was spent to get it going.

Here's the deal ... the first-day box office numbers for David Gordon Green's 'Exorcist: Believer' are in -- and they're underwhelming to say the least ... just $11.9 million from Friday's haul, which includes about $2.8 million in Thursday previews.

At this pace, the projection for the 3-day weekend is about $28 million domestically ... which is lower than what the initial estimates had this horror flick making, about $30-$35 million.

Of course, when the Taylor Swift movie comes out next week ... it's almost sure to wipe 'Exorcist: Believer' completely off the map -- so, big picture, this latest installment/reboot doesn't appear to be on track for major gains ... and that's troubling for Universal.

The reason ... the studio spent a fortune to attain the rights to the 'Exorcist' franchise -- upwards of $400 million -- and they're planning on cranking out 2 more sequels after this. Despite poor reviews and an underwhelming box office, you can bet they're gonna chug right along and crap those out in the next few years -- they spent way too much $$$ not to.

Terrorists unleashed a surprise attack in Israel this weekend that has left scores of people dead -- marking what's sure to be the start of a prolonged bloodbath in the Middle East.

The radical group known as Hamas swarmed Israeli territory along the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas early Saturday morning -- this after launching countless rockets at civilian buildings and going around to wreak havoc on the streets thereafter in armed convoys.

There are several videos surfacing from Israel that capture the sheer brutality and horror of what's happening on the ground ... and most of them are far too graphic for publication.

What we can show, however, are key clips of Israelis being taken hostage in this hellish ordeal -- including lots of women and children who are being wrangled by Hamas members and thrown into the backs of their trucks ... getting tossed and thrashed and mistreated.

As of this writing, the official body count on Israel's side is upwards of 150 ... and it continues to soar as the government scours through the wreckage and aftermath. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is "at war" following the Hamas incursion -- and promised to retaliate with everything in his power to send a message of deterrence.

Israel has already begun to do that ... firing its own rockets and destroying buildings that are believed to be affiliated with Hamas militants -- and there are aerial strikes happening as well.

The fighting has only escalated since the initial onslaught ... the latest reports say a new wave of rockets have been fired from the Gaza region and are headed toward central Israel, including Tel Aviv. The U.S. is already on its toes in the wake of all this ugly news.

The National Emergency Alert System test turned out to be a huge success for just about everyone ... that is unless you were a prisoner with an illegal cell phone behind bars.

Millions of cellphone users across the U.S. got an alert Wednesday from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and FCC to ensure emergency alerts reach the public at a national level. Phones received both a test message and made a loud alert noise.

However, the testing system made prisoners hiding phones an easy target for prison guards.

A New York State Prison official tells us they confiscated two phones at Sing Sing Correctional Facility during the test. Additionally, a source at FCI Coleman Low in Florida says they too confiscated two phones during the emergency test.

It's unclear how many other prisons faced similar circumstances -- we called around in Arizona, California, Illinois and others -- but you gotta imagine it was a problem nationwide.

A source in Nevada tells us most of their prisoners were already aware the alert was gonna happen, likely turning their phones off, so they didn't confiscate any devices.

When reached for comment, the BOP told us, "The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not elaborate on specific internal security procedures for safety and security reasons."

Unsurprisingly, we're told phones behind bars have become a growing problem, and officials have implemented new tactics in trying to locate them -- including phone-sniffing dogs called "E-Dogs."

8:47 AM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Canadian officials decided last minute 21 Savage could not enter the country though it’s unclear why.

21 Savage went MIA from his much-hyped performance with Drake in Canada after finally getting his Green Card -- and it's a big mystery why.

The rapper was supposed to perform with Drake at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto Friday night, but Champagne Papi brought out Lil Baby instead.

The concert would have marked the first time 21 was legally permitted to travel outside the United States -- thanks to his shiny new Green Card. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, leaving everyone scratching their heads.

As we reported, Drake recently hinted in his rap song, "8AM in Charlotte," that 21 had finally overcome his immigration issues. He rapped, "Savage got a green card straight out of the consulate/Where I go, you go, brother, we Yugoslavian."

Back in 2019, 21 was taken into custody by immigration authorities in Georgia because he was actually a UK citizen -- living in the United States illegally on an expired visa. His case dragged on for years, and was further complicated by the fact he was caught with codeine and a handgun during the bust.

Lindsay Lohan apparently reprised her famous role from the film, "Mean Girls," but this time it was for an upcoming Pepsi ad.

The actress -- and new mom -- seemingly shot the ad with Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert, both of whom were Lindsay's costars in the 2004 hit movie.

Photos obtained by TMZ show the women together on set in Los Angeles Friday -- and they all were relaxed and smiling.

Lindsay was holding a pocketbook labeled, "Plastic Clubs Member, Est. 2004," which was the name of the "Mean Girls" group in the flick. The bag also featured their notable tagline, “On Wednesdays, we wear pink.”

Seyfried and Chabert were posing for snapshots in a convertible car and on a football field.

For anyone who doesn't know, "Mean Girls" was a massive success at the box office and starred Lindsay as Cady Heron, Amanda as Karen Smith and Lacey as Gretchen Wieners. The plot follows Cady as she moves to suburban Illinois and enrolls in a public high school, where she joins a "Mean Girls" clique.

School officials in one Louisiana town must really hate twerking.

Just ask Kaylee Timonet who was filmed happily shaking her booty at a homecoming after-party -- causing the Walker HS senior to lose her scholarship endorsement and her title as president of the school's government association.

Walker HS principal Jason St. Pierre meted out the punishment after he saw Kaylee's video on social media and was apparently super offended, according to "Unfiltered With Kiran," a blog that first reported the news.

Kaylee told the blogger she was just having some harmless fun at the bash with her friends -- one of whom shot the clip and posted it online -- not knowing St. Pierre would take retribution.

Kaylee said she was summoned to St. Pierre's office at school days later and was dressed down by him for twerking, causing her to burst out in tears.

“They basically told me I should be ashamed of myself and that they were concerned about my afterlife if I wasn’t following basically God’s ideals, which made me cry even more,” Kaylee said, adding, “I felt like my life was over.”

Kaylee went on to say St. Pierre removed her scholarship application, despite her 4.2 grade point average, and then booted her from the school's government association.

Bill Maher did not hold back Friday night, calling comedian Hasan Minhaj a shady liar.

The 'Real Time' host ended his show worrying that the concept of truth has become relative, and Exhibit A is Donald Trump, making wild claims and then simply declaring them to be true.

He then broadens out and says both sides -- the left and right -- are guilty as charged. As Maher puts it, the right pushes conspiracy theories and the left embraces "emotional truth."

BM then takes aim at Minhaj, and there's more beef here than in any happy meal.  Minhaj accused Maher of saying Muslims should be rounded up and incarcerated -- something Bill has never said.

Maher then references a New Yorker story, which calls Minhaj out for making up stories for his act. Specifically, Minhaj says he asked a girl to the prom and at the last minute her parents said she couldn't go because he was a person of color. False, says the New Yorker.

And then there's the story of the FBI hunting Minhaj down and throwing him against a car because they thought he was a terrorist. Again, false, says the mag.

Minhaj told the New Yorker, emotional truth is first -- factual truth is secondary. Not so, says Maher ... not at all.

The ex-wife of Kevin McGrath, the missing Carnival cruise passenger who mysteriously vanished during a Bahamas trip, doesn't think he's dead ... telling us his family just wants to see him come home safe.

Addison Thomas tells TMZ ... deep down she feels Kevin is still alive somewhere, even though his whereabouts remain unknown a month after he fell off the ship and the map.

Even so, Addison says it's still difficult waking up every morning wondering where Kevin is ... telling us it's not like him to abandon his family or his children.

Addison says she maintained a good relationship with Kevin after their split, telling us he would always call to check on their kids ... something they've been missing since his disappearance.

TMZ broke the story ... Kevin was on probation when he vanished over Labor Day weekend, disappearing from a cruise from Miami to the Bahamas without a trace and sparking a Coast Guard search that was ultimately called off.

Kevin was in legal trouble after pleading guilty to aggravated assault in Tennessee in September 2022 -- Kevin threatened her and their kids one night -- and he ended up getting sentenced to 6 years of supervised probation.

Despite that incident, Addison defends her ex, saying he's not a bad guy ... he's a veteran who fought for his country and loves his family.

The alleged abductor of 9-year-old Charlotte Sena held her for ransom to get his hands on a portion of a multimillion dollar settlement, according to a new report.

Craig Ross was aware Sena's late grandfather, Patrick, was awarded $2.2 million after he was severely injured in a sledding accident and sued the town of Greenfield, New York, in 1998, the Daily Mail reported. Patrick passed away in 2015, but his sizable payout lives on in his family and was common knowledge among locals like Ross.

Ross allegedly kidnapped Sena and demanded the $50,000 ransom in a note he left at her parent's house because he was "struggling financially," his ex-girlfriend, Amanda Preece, told The Mail.

Preece said the ransom money would have set up Ross for up to five years. She also called Ross a "mooch" because he never wanted to work for money and lived off his mother and girlfriends.

Preece went on to say she believes Ross is "evil" and had been stalking Charlotte and planning her kidnapping for a while.

Last Saturday, Ross allegedly snatched Sena as she rode her bike in Moreau Lake State Park, while the girl was on vacation with her parents in upstate New York.

Police say Ross drove to Sena's home and stuffed the ransom note into her mailbox as investigators were staking out the location.

Tupac Shakur's fatal 1996 shooting was related to the murder of fellow rapper Biggie Smalls the following year, according to grand jury testimony from a former detective.

Retired Las Vegas Metro Police Detective Clifford Mugg testified before the Clark County grand jury in the Tupac case last month after the recent arrest of Duane "Keefe D" Davis for the hip hop star's murder, CNN reported.

Mugg, one of the investigators in the Tupac case, testified people "associated with both murders were involved," adding that the “theory was accurate that they were related.”

He didn't reveal the theory but admitted there were different assailants in each attack, giving Davis a pass on the Biggie murder.

Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo asked, “When you say they were related, you’re not saying perpetrated by the same individuals?” Mogg replied, “That’s correct.” Davis was busted in late September and charged with Tupac's murder.

Mogg testified Davis talked his way right into jail by granting so many interviews over the years and talking openly about his alleged involvement in the Tupac murder. Davis was only speaking out to get paid for the salacious story, according to Mogg's testimony.

Shakur was shot to death in a vehicle driven by then-Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight while they were in Vegas for a boxing match in September 1996. Suge was wounded, but survived.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce haven't convinced everyone their deal is real ... and there's never been a murder suspect more eager to get cuffed. So we gotta ask ...

7:36 AM PT -- Anthony Chickillo's girlfriend, Tatu Baby, tells TMZ Sports ... the former NFL player was going through a medical episode due to bipolar disorder caused by a concussion that he suffered during his playing days.

"It was just a medical situation," Tatu Baby says.

Tatu Baby added that Chickillo is currently hospitalized and getting the medication he needs in order to get better.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo was tased by cops at a hospital this week ... after police say he had a breakdown inside of a doctor's office.

According to the Hialeah Police Department, Chickillo was at the Hialeah Hospital in Hialeah, Fla. on Thursday morning ... when witnesses say he suddenly snapped and began "trashing" an office, breaking things and throwing chairs.

Cops say the former football player then allegedly "tried to attack everybody" -- before he got into a wrestling match with his dad.

Bystanders called 911 -- and when officers arrived on scene, we're told they deployed a taser in order to subdue him.

In video obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see 30-year-old Chickillo was barefoot and shirtless as cops finally got him in handcuffs and took him away from the area.

The HPD tells us, though, Chickillo was not arrested ... and instead was placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold.

We're told he will not be arrested once he's released either because nobody at the doctor's office wanted to press charges.

Chickillo is not a stranger to run-ins with the law. In 2019, he was arrested for allegedly roughing up his girlfriend. The charges were ultimately dropped, however, after prosecutors said she refused to testify against him.

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez have made quick work out of their divorce, settling up just weeks after they filed to end their marriage.

There weren't a whole lot of contentious issues ... there was a prenup, and, as we reported when we broke the story, Ariana cut Dalton a check ... and according to the settlement Dalton will receive $1,250,000, tax-free. Dalton is getting the money upfront, so there will be no spousal support.

Dalton will also receive 1/2 of the net proceeds from the sale of their L.A. home. And, Ariana will pay up to $25,000 of Dalton's attorney's fees.

A source close to the situation tells us, "There is still a strong mutual love and respect between Ariana and Dalton and they wanted to make sure everything was done right in lockstep with one another."

The settlement is standard operating procedure for Ariana's lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, who tries -- usually successfully -- to quickly settle even the most contentious divorces. You'll recall, she recently settled the bitter divorce between Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner.

The settlement has been filed with the court, and all that's left is for the judge to sign and they will be single again.

Ariana is in deep with her newest boo, "Wicked" co-star Ethan Slater, and we're told Dalton is dating as well.

The date of separation on the divorce docs is February 20, but they didn't file for divorce until last month.

Alexis Bellino is remembering her late mother ... by getting a passage from her mom's journal tattooed near her boobs.

The 'Real Housewives of Orange County' alum tells TMZ ... her new ink reads "dying is a different way to live" ... it's something her mom once wrote in a diary.

Alexis tells us her mom, Penelope, died from a rare brain disease in August ... and 5 days before she died, the family found Penelope's personal journal and went through it.

One passage stuck out to Alexis ... her mom's thoughts about death.

The journal excerpt reads ... "Why is death feared? Is it any different than going to bed at night and then waking up in the morning? Close your eyes one minute and open them the next to a different reality. We so trust waking up. We trust waking to the same reality. But everything changes ... could dying be a different way to live? Dying is a different way to live."

Alexis says when she read the "dying is a different way to live" concept, it felt like her mom was speaking to her directly ... and she wanted it somewhere on her body.

Well, Alexis followed through ... she went to a tattoo parlor Wednesday and got the phrase inked over her ribcage, just below her boob.

Alexis says a friend recommended tattoo artist Dillon Giarraffa, and she's thrilled with the outcome ... telling us he nailed her mom's handwriting. She says the whole process took about 2 1/2 hours and she could feel her mom's energy while she was getting inked.

It's time to GET LOUD, because Jennifer Lopez has entered the chat, and she's not only ready to take some fan selfies, but she's here to stomp you with these two shots! Are you up for the challenge?!

Jenny from the Block left her ball and chain back at Dunkin', stepping out earlier this week in LA and was a total baddie in beige. "Don't be fooled by the (new) rocks that she got," because she's still got some switch-ups in her back pocket 😜!

Also, "Ain't it funny" JLo's bun-y seems a smidge bigger?