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Before this lil' baseball player turned into a rapper and singer, he was just playing Guitar Hero with his younger bro in Louisville, Kentucky and showing his ultimate game face ... getting ready to play ball for the Pirates.

Playing sold-out shows throughout high school, this talented musician opened for Vince Staples back in 2016, and he's also collab'd with other big names like Lil Wayne. You may have seen his curls and beard on the court, playing against Machine Gun Kelly at the 2022 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

Need one more clue? "WHATS POPPIN ft. Justin Bieber"?!

KISS legends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are being dragged to court over the COVID death of one of their longtime guitar techs ... and his family say it all started with Paul.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the family of late KISS guitar tech Francis Stueber says he died a couple days after contracting COVID while on tour with the band back in October 2021.

The family says COVID started spreading amongst tour personnel in August 2021 when Paul contracted the virus ... and they say COVID kept spreading due to lax safety policies on the tour.

In the suit, Francis' family says anyone on tour who came down with COVID was instructed to quarantine in a hotel room in whichever city the band was in ... but they say the protocols offered little else.

Francis, the suit says, got COVID while in Detroit and was told to hole up in a Sheraton hotel ... and the family says KISS longtime manager Doc McGhee failed to arrange for medical personnel to visit and examine Francis at the hotel, despite Doc promising to do so.

It's pretty sad ... the docs say Doc asked another tour member to check on Francis at the hotel but Francis was dead when the person arrived, dying only 2 days after testing positive for the virus.

Francis' family is going after Gene, Paul, Doc, Marriott hotels and Live Nation for damages.

6:14 PM PT -- Taylor Swift is giving the fans what they want ... photos!!!

Taylor's taking time to snap a ton of pictures with the thousands of fans lucky enough to get a ticket to her special movie premiere ... and as you can see, Taylor's in huge demand.

One of the lucky ones to get a selfie with Taylor ... Gianna Caruso, the daughter of The Grove's owner Rick Caruso.

Taylor's not just taking selfies though ... she also posing for more traditional shots right in front of the movie theater where the film is about to begin!!!

6:04 PM PT -- Taylor Swift is at The Grove for the premiere of her 'Eras Tour' movie and fans are going wild ... and she's wearing the blue dress from her earlier social media post.

Taylor just made her big appearance, emerging for a few seconds in a blue dress ... waving and interacting with fans and telling them she would be right back.

Taylor Swift is giving Swifties more opportunities to see her highly-anticipated flick ... she's moving the release date up a day, and she's on her way to the big 'Eras Tour' premiere.

Taylor says fan demand is so overwhelming, she's moving the concert film release date from Friday to Thursday in the United States in Canada ... as well as adding additional showtimes Friday and throughout the weekend at theaters across the globe.

Meanwhile, Taylor says she's getting into the car that's going to whisk her away to The Grove in Los Angeles ... the outdoor mall that's being shut down just for her movie premiere.

As we first told you, the world-famous outdoor mall is hosting 2,000 lucky fans for the first-ever showing of "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" ... and the hoopla is bringing tons of security to The Grove.

TMZ broke the story ... Taylor's planning a surprise at the film debut -- there were questions about whether the guest of honor would be there in person -- and as long as chaos doesn't break out at The Grove she's going to show ... and it appears she's on her way.

It's already a wild scene at the outdoor mall ... where security is tight and helicopters are buzzing overhead.

Guests will start arriving at 6 PM PT and the movie is set to begin at 7 PM ... so it's likely Taylor will be there within that timeframe.

Taylor posted the movie announcement alongside a photo of her in a blue dress and pearl necklace ... but it's unclear if that's tonight's actual outfit or just an old shot.

The 'Eras Tour' movie's already a box office hit ... with presale tickets across the world eclipsing 9 figures!!!

Browns tight end David Njoku just revealed what his face looked like in the aftermath of the serious fire pit accident at his home a little more than a week ago, and it's gruesome.

Of course, the 27-year-old appeared on the Browns injury report before their week 4 game against the Ravens ... which stated he suffered injuries to his arm and face.

Njoku somehow played through the pain of the burns and actually caught 6 passes for 46 yards in a loss to Baltimore.

Prior to the game, Njoku wore a mask that fully covered his face as he walked into the stadium, meaning no one got an up-close look at the former first-round draft pick.

That changed on Wednesday when Njoku posted a selfie from his car, presumably sometime shortly after the burn.

He also shared an updated look at his face ... which appears to have substantially healed.

Njoku's turning the accident into a positive. He launched a clothing line and is donating a portion of the money from sales to the American Burn Association.

“I want to use my platform to help bring awareness to an all too common issue,” Njoku said.

Some folks think Bigfoot just made a legit appearance in Colorado, and interestingly, the U.S. agency in charge of the location of the alleged sighting ... isn't totally writing it off as BS, or so it seems.

A rep for the USDA Forest Service -- which has jurisdiction over the San Juan National Forest -- tells TMZ ... they're well aware of this new video "evidence" recorded last weekend, but they're not prepared to weigh in on its validity.

Specifically, the Forest Service says, "The USDA Forest Service can't speculate or provide comments on the authenticity of the video. We'll be sure to alert the media if and when a Sasquatch is sighted by officials on National Forest System lands."

The response sounds very tongue-in-cheek, but it is interesting -- the agency that's all about endangered species and other wildlife, isn't straight up saying the vid is fake. It's essentially giving the ol' ... we can neither confirm nor deny.

For the record, the Forest Service tells us it's NOT investigating any further -- a very good indication it doesn't think the "missing link" is roaming around Colorado.

Of course, Sasquatch truthers are gonna believe what they want -- most have laughed the sighting off as a hoax, but some in the Bigfoot community (yeah, there's enough of 'em) have said this one's the real McCoy.

There's never been a Bigfoot body found or studied, obvi ... so, until that happens, skeptics will keep rolling eyes.

In any case, Sassie can rest easy knowing Uncle Sam ain't coming for him. Not yet.

Kim Kardashian, like most of the world looking on in fear, says her heart breaks seeing the images of babies, families and innocent people murdered and terrorized in Israel, Palestine and even Armenia ... a cause she's been trying to bring awareness to for years.

Kim took to social media Wednesday with a lengthy post that first spoke to the monstrosities in Israel. Kim says, "A message to my Jewish friends and family. I love you. I support you. I have heard about how scared you feel during this time and I want you to know you are not alone in this."

She continues, "As human beings with a heart, how can anyone not be devastated by these horrific images that we will never be able to unsee? Brutal terrorism has taken innocent lives and now both Israeli and Palestinian civilians are suffering and paying the greatest price there is.

Kim has, for years, been a voice in bringing attention to the Armenian Genocide and points out the "minimal media coverage" without external support for the people suffering through an "ethnic cleansing" in Artsakh.

The mother of 4 says it shouldn't matter whose side you might be on ... "our hearts should always have room for compassion towards innocent victims caught in the cross hairs of warring over power, politics, religion, race and ethnicity."

Kim says she understands there's nothing she can do to get rid of the pain people around the world are suffering ... but says she and her family are praying for hostages to be returned, the victims, their families, for peace for the innocent and justice to those who deserve to pay for their actions.

In closing, Kim asks anyone reading her message to reach out to, "friends, colleagues and those in your community, those who are hurting, no matter what side they are on, check in on them and tell them you love them."

Carlee Russell has been found guilty of fabricating her wild kidnapping story ... and the judge recommends she spend a year behind bars.

The ruling came down Wednesday in Hoover, AL., where Carlee was found guilty of false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident, both misdemeanors.

Carlee had pled not guilty, but that didn't matter to the judge and prosecutors ... in fact, the judge recommended a one-year jail sentence.

Remember ... Carlee called 911 in July as she was driving down an Alabama interstate to report a toddler wandering alone on the roadside. She then got out of her car and vanished for 2 days ... ultimately showing up at her parent's house.

Cops determined there was no toddler on the highway, and Carlee was never abducted ... she eventually admitted her whole story was phony.

As we reported, Carlee's boyfriend dumped her once she copped to the load of BS ... this after he initially defended her and bought her kidnapping lie, like countless others.

An OnlyFans model asked Dillon Danis to choke her out ... and he did just that.

The wild scene went down at the Misfits Boxing open workout on Wednesday ... when Elle Brooke wanted to get a firsthand understanding of the former Bellator fighter's submission skills.

Logan Paul's nemesis -- wearing a cap that read "I went on a date with Nina Agdal and all I got was this stupid hat" -- happily granted Brooke's request ... getting behind her and putting her in a rear naked choke.

The influencer/celeb boxer appeared to go out cold -- shaking as Danis and two others kept her from crashing to the ground.

Brooke came to several seconds later, and gave her immediate review of the experience ... comparing it to being on MDMA.

"Oh my God, that's so much better than drugs!!" Brooke said after the demo.

MMA stars are no strangers to doing tutorials on regular folk -- remember when Paige VanZant nearly made our idiot reporter Lucas go lights-out in the TMZ studio a few years ago?!

Our sources tell us Lucas didn't want to tap ... but Harvey made him.

As for Dillon and Elle, it looked like everyone left the experience on good terms ... even if it did look a bit scary. In fact, Brooke shot her shot with Danis on social media after the encounter ... saying, "Next time can we do it naked?"

The interaction comes just days before Danis is slated to fight Paul on the Prime Card in Manchester after months of ruthless trash talk ... and based on all the drama surrounding the bout, it's gonna be a movie.

Taylor Swift is planning to attend the world premiere of her "Eras Tour" flick at The Grove ... a huge and exciting piece of info for the fans lucky enough to get an invite.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Taylor's plan is to show up for tonight's event at the world-famous outdoor mall to surprise the 2,200 lucky fans for movie screenings in The Grove's 14 AMC theaters.

We're told Taylor's planned appearance comes with one caveat though, she may get pulled if any security issues arise, or if The Grove becomes overwhelmed by Taylor-mania.

Our sources say there are hundreds of security guards in place to prevent chaos from erupting ... and it's the reason The Grove decided to shutter for the first time in 20 years.

Security is already super tight at the mall, with barricades and guards all over the sprawling property ... making it next to impossible to get inside the shopping center.

As we first told you ... Taylor's team invited the lucky fans for the premiere and guests will start arriving at 6 PM before the movie starts at 7 PM ... so Taylor's presumably scheduled to make her appearance within that window.

Taylor's movie is already a box office success, surpassing $100 million in presale tickets across the globe, so tonight's premiere will be a night to remember, especially if she shows.

An Israeli mother, who managed to flee Hamas terrorists with her newborn daughter, burst into tears and wailed as she found out -- in the middle of an interview -- her husband didn't make it out alive.

Shaylee Atary was talking with Sky News about her terrifying escape, saying Hamas aggressors broke into their family's Kfar Aza home Saturday after hearing bombs falling while getting ready to feed her baby.

She says she took their child and bolted out of the building, hiding for 27 hours before they were found and rescued ... but her husband, Yahav Winner, didn't make it out with her.

Shaylee was holding out hope Yahav had also survived, but the interview took an incredibly grim turn when -- as the camera was rolling -- her family got the horrifying call that he was dead.

Instantly, Shaylee broke down in tears, surrounded by family members as they began mourning their loss.

Reportedly, more than 2,200 people have been killed on both sides of the conflict -- more than a thousand by the initial terrorist attack launched by Hamas on Saturday. Since then another 8,000 have been injured.

9:08 AM PT -- According to cops, Sergio Brown was taken in on a warrant for First-Degree Murder in the death of his mom. He will be extradited to Illinois on the charge.

Former NFL player Sergio Brown has been arrested in Southern California, TMZ Sports has confirmed ... nearly four weeks after his mother was found dead in Illinois.

According to jail records, the ex-defensive back was booked into a San Diego jail on Tuesday. Our sources tell us the arrest stems from a warrant in Illinois related to the September death of his mom, Myrtle Brown.

CNN added on Wednesday that Sergio was recently found in Mexico by authorities and deported after they became aware of the warrant.

He's now expected to be transported soon to Illinois to face charges in the case.

As we reported, Brown had been seen in Mexico dancing and partying in the days following Myrtle's death. He was also spotted in a selfie video from the country rambling about Myrtle's passing and "fake news."

Authorities in Illinois, meanwhile, have been largely mum on the investigation into Sergio's mother's death ... though officials did say they've ruled the 73-year-old's passing as a homicide after her body was discovered near a creek with apparent assault injuries.

Requests for comment from the Maywood Police Dept. on Wednesday were not immediately returned.

Sergio, who starred at Notre Dame, played in the NFL from 2010 to 2016 ... starting 15 games.

The NYC tech founder who flew to Israel to help in the war against Hamas terrorists says the death and destruction are making for a terrifying fight ... but it's one he's determined to see through to the end.

Noy Leyb joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," talking to us from Israel about his experience flying overseas and rejoining the Israel Defense Force -- after first enlisting when he was just 18 years old.

He says he's been going back to Israel for training over the years after completing his time in the IDF, so he wasn't completely out of practice Saturday when he saw the horrors unfolding and booked a flight.

We also talked with Noy about the level of fear he's feeling in such an uncertain time ... and despite all the gruesome happenings in the days since Hamas slaughtered innocent Israelis, Noy knows he and his brothers in arms are ready to fight until all of Hamas is "eliminated."

8:54 AM PT -- GaTa's lawyer Shawn Holley tells TMZ, "The entire incident between the parties is on video which I am in the process of providing to law enforcement. The video demonstrates clearly that Mr. Ganter did nothing wrong and, instead, tried to de-escalate the situation."

GaTa -- famous from the TV show 'Dave' -- was busted for domestic violence ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a DV incident in Santa Clarita, CA this past Sunday -- officers were told a physical argument occurred between two parties. The details are unclear ... but we know it ended with GaTa getting arrested.

We're told he was booked for felony domestic violence ... before being released on $100K bond and scheduled to appear in court at a later date. The case is under investigation.

GaTa -- whose real name is Davionte Ganter -- is a rapper/musician ... and lately, he's been an actor on Lil Dicky's FX series that launched in 2020 ... on which he's been featured for three seasons now, playing a fictionalized version of himself.

The guy is known in the music world ... having served as a professional hype man for the likes of Lil Wayne, Gym Class Heroes, Tyga and others.

"The Bear" and "Shameless" star Jeremy Allen White is open to proving he's not boozing in order to spend time with his kids ... and if he slips up, he won't be able to see them.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Jeremy agreed to alcohol testing as part of a custody agreement with his estranged wife, actress Addison Timlin.

Jeremy will be tested for booze up to five times a week when he has custody of their two daughters ... Ezer and Dolores ... and if he's found to be drinking, he loses custody ASAP.

If Jeremy has a positive test for alcohol, he gets to retest again 15 minutes later to make sure the test is accurate.

The docs say Jeremy and Addison agreed to share joint physical and legal custody ... but Jeremy's custodial time has strings attached, and he's also got to attend at least one Alcoholics Anonymous meeting a week, plus other therapy.

TMZ broke the story ... Addison filed for divorce back in May after 3 years of marriage.

The exes seemed to get along fine in August when they were both at their kids' soccer practice ... but they have yet to finalize their divorce.

It's true, true ... Barbara Walters "loved a brother," and not just any Black man -- according to Sherri Shepherd "The View" creator hooked up with Richard Pryor!

The story comes up on Wednesday's episode of "Sherri," as she reunites with Joy Behar, and they discuss some stories from their time together at "The View" -- one in particular about when Sherri caught wind of Barbara's old tryst with Richard.

Sherri says the late comedic great Paul Mooney told her, back in the day, he'd walked in on Barbara and Richard doing the deed. Sherri admits she couldn't wait to share her juicy gossip with Joy, but asked her to keep it on the DL.

As you can imagine, that didn't happen -- you gotta see Sherri describe the moment they ended up confronting BW about her Richard "relations."

Fact is, Barbara did seem to have a type. In her memoir, she copped to having an affair, back in the '70s, with Sen. Edward Brooke from Massachusetts -- and both Joy and Sherri recalled how Barbara LOVED cozying up to Colin Powell whenever he was a 'View' guest.

BIGFOOT IS REAL!!!!! That, or is this just another silly hoax ... you decide.

Check out this clip that's making the rounds, which purports to capture a real sasquatch sighting in Colorado. The video was apparently shot over the weekend during a steam-engine train ride from Durango to Silverton ... cutting through the San Juan National Forest.

As they were chugging along, it seems a group of passengers noticed what they believed to be Biggie walking along on the side of a mountain they were passing ... and they caught him.

Watch ... it certainly looks like a bipedal creature making its way through, and it even appears to notice the train -- spurring the beast to immediately crouch down in an attempt to blend in with its environment. We'll be honest, he does a good job of that ... it's uncanny.

During this same instance, a separate passenger snapped a still image ... although, it's unclear if it's the same bigfoot that's on video here, or a completely different one. In any case, with that photo ... you can kinda make out what looks to be an actual face!

Of course, despite this being fairly decent footage of the famed bigfoot ... many are still skeptical and not buying it, feeling like this is probably just a person in a gorilla costume.

We'll say this .. it's definitely one of the better purported sightings out there -- and funny enough, it actually kinda resembles the best video known to exist ... the notorious Patterson-Gimlin film that was shot way back in the late '60s, and which still has people torn.

He's been the hide-and-seek champ for years -- but that reign is over. We see ya, buddy. 😅

Do you think the video is real proof bigfoot exists? Vote below.