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You can definitely call it a comeback -- Matt James, the first Black 'Bachelor,' and Rachel Kirkconnell making their public debut as a couple ... after the racism controversy that broke them up, and blew up the TV franchise.

The duo was all smiles as they showed up for the ESPYs Saturday night in NYC ... and happily posed for photogs. Although we've known they were back together, they've been laying low.

They looked pretty stylish for their coming out -- Matt, a former college football player, rocked a double-breasted plaid suit, while Rachel went with a very low-cut sheer black gown.

Quick refresher: Matt gave Rachel his final rose, but after pics surfaced of her at an antebellum south, plantation-themed college party ... he broke up with her during the "After the Final Rose" special.

Matt said, “If you don’t understand that something like that is problematic in 2018, there’s a lot of me that you won’t understand.”

Matt framed the split as giving Rachel space to work on herself, and then a few weeks later ... bam! We spotted them out together in Santa Monica -- but they were obviously trying to keep it on the DL, as Matt covered up in shades and a hoodie.

Since then, we've also seen Matt and Rachel hanging out around NYC. So, with last night's debut ... it looks like they've fully worked things out!

Bill Cosby now knows there's at least one place his return to stand-up comedy won't take him -- one of New York City's most popular venues for comics is telling him, HELL NO.

TMZ broke the story ... Cosby is plotting a tour on the heels of his prison release, and his camp says several promoters and comedy clubs are interested -- but the famed Comedy Cellar in NYC's Greenwich Village is definitely not.

Owner Noam Dworman tells TMZ ... his venue's not the slightest bit interested, and he doesn't want Bill to even step foot inside his club. While the Comedy Cellar is known for allowing comics and content that make audiences super uncomfortable, it sounds like Cosby is off-limits.

It's worth noting the club did allow Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari on its stage in 2018 following their sexual misconduct scandals.

As you know, Cosby was released from prison last month after Pennsylvania's Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction.

Dworman says even his audiences -- which largely welcomed Louis and Aziz -- wouldn't support a Cosby comeback.

If Sha'Carri Richardson and Naomi Osaka had any doubts about how much public support they're getting -- it's gone after the ESPY Awards, where host Anthony Mackie put a spotlight on them.

During his opening monologue, Mackie took a direct shot at U.S.A. Track & Field over its suspension of Richardson for a positive marijuana test. He joked, "The greatest celebration of sports is back! We up here on a rooftop in New York City. Man, we're so high they wouldn't let us compete in the Olympics."

The award show was held outdoors in NYC's Seaport district, and Mackie added, "How do you justify banning Sha'Carri Richardson for smoking weed? Weed is a de-hancing drug -- it doesn't make you do anything but want to watch another episode of 'Bob's Burgers.' You never saw Snoop Dogg run anywhere!"

The event was Sha'Carri's first public appearance since she got benched from the Olympics. Ditto for tennis superstar Osaka, who took home an award for Best Female Athlete.

But, even before she got the trophy, Mackie called out the World Tennis Association for not supporting her after she pulled out of the French Open and Wimbledon due to mental health.

"I'm no tennis exec, I don't know, but if my sport had one of the most popular and marketable athletes on the planet, you know what I would do? I would probably make sure she felt comfortable and respected. But hey, what do I know, right? I'm just Captain America."

Interestingly, while Sha'Carri's shut out of the Olympics, Naomi will be there. She's playing tennis for Japan ... her mother's home country.

Conor McGregor just broke his leg at the end of round 1 of his super fight with Dustin Poirier ... and was taken out on a stretcher.

Poirier was declared the winner via doctor's stoppage.

The fight was absolutely crazy ... but with only seconds left in the 1st, Conor attempted to plant his foot and his leg buckled above his left ankle/lower shin area. It was gruesome.

Conor -- who stayed in the Octagon and was interviewed by Joe Rogan while sitting against the fence -- said "this is not over. If I have to take this outside, I'll take this outside."

Poirier had to be held back from charging McGregor as CM talked to Joe.

Despite what McGregor said, with a serious injury like this ... you have to wonder if we'll ever see Conor back in the Octagon.

As for Dustin -- who was billi strutting around the Octagon -- it's clear even after the win and Conor's injury, their beef is still very much alive.

Poirier speculated McGregor broke the bone earlier in the fight while throwing a leg kick that DP checked ... something Conor denies.

Khabib Nurmagomedov weighed in on social media, saying ... "Good always defeats evil. Very happy for @DustinPoirier"

"I hope you will get the belt end of the year" ... Eagle wrote.

Floyd Mayweather also took a jab at Conor ... Tweeting a photo of a $50K betting slip, writing, "Thanks for getting me paid!"

The crowd was almost as electric as the fights ... some of the biggest names in Hollywood were in the house -- from President Donald Trump, Justin Bieber, Megan Fox, MGK, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, Kevin Durant and more showing up for the bout.

KK and TB decided to put on a show as everyone got into fight mode -- straight-up making out as the camera panned to their area.

Cleveland Browns superstars Baker Mayfield, Austin Hooper and David Njoku also showed face ... with the QB sitting right next to UFC legend Chuck Liddell -- but yeah, they did NOT follow in Kourt's footsteps.

Scooter Braun's marriage is on the rocks -- he and his wife, Yael Cohen Braun, are splitting up -- but it's not a done deal, yet ... TMZ has learned.

Scooter -- who manages Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande -- and Yael are breaking up, at least temporarily, according to our sources. We're told they've been having some trouble for a couple months ... but it's unclear if they've physically separated yet.

As our sources describe it, the couple is trying to work things out. There was evidence of that earlier this week ... when Scooter posted a "thank you" message to Yael to mark their 7th wedding anniversary on July 6.

We're told it's also unclear if either party has even mentioned the word divorce.

Yael, founder of the F*CK Cancer Foundation, and Scooter started dating back in 2013. Since tying the knot they've had 3 kids ... Jagger, Levi and Hart. The NY Post first reported their split.

In his IG post, Scooter wrote ... "Thanks to you I have grown, I have been pushed to be the best version of myself and to continue growing and learning." He also added, "7 years. The adventure is just beginning."

One of Scarlett Johansson's super powers is truly her good looks!

Here is a 13-year-old version of the award-winning star looking darling at a movie premiere in New York City back in 1998 (left). This was just a few years after she made her on-screen debut in the 1994 film "North."

And, 23 years later ... This now 36-year-old was most recently seen showing off her glowing good looks at a virtual award show earlier this year (right). Scar Jo has graced a number of iconic films, including the highly anticipated Marvel movie "Black Widow" that was released this week.

Marvel-ous!

The question is...

SharkNinja's products are supposed to blend ingredients, not flesh -- but a California woman claims one of its blenders did a gory number on her fingers.

Nicole Guttormsen's suing the kitchen appliance company over its Nutri Ninja BL480 blender, which she alleges is a defective and dangerous product ... and she says these pics of the bloody mess support that.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Nicole says she was blending ingredients in the Nutri Ninja when the canister shot off the base ... leaving the spinning blades exposed and causing significant injuries to her hand and fingers.

We'll say this ... her alleged photo evidence ain't for the queasy.

You can see 3 of Nicole's fingers suffered gnarly injuries. While it's not spelled out in her lawsuit, it sure looks like some of the cuts went to the bone.

In any event, Nicole claims the blender's defective because it generated an excessive amount of pressure and the threads that are supposed to secure the canister onto the blade assembly don't work properly.

The man who was violently hit in the face by MMA fighter Joe Schilling in a June bar fight was covered in blood shortly after the barrage of punches -- new police video shows.

In the clip, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see spatters of blood all over 31-year-old Justin Balboa on June 27 as he tried to explain to officers what had just happened to him at a local bar in Florida.

Video shows Balboa (whose face was blurred by cops in the video) telling cops that a man -- later ID'd as Schilling, the former Bellator fighter -- knocked him out cold "for no reason."

"We were all having a good time and this guy just cracked me," said Balboa. "And, then he chased me. He chased me down, bro. Like chased me down. Beat my ass, bro. He wanted to kill me. For no reason. 'Cause he hates me."

Balboa described Schilling to cops as "at least" 6-foot-5 ... and weighing about "f***ing 270" pounds.

Later in the clip, as officers and medical personnel checked out Balboa's face ... they all said he DEFINITELY needed stitches to repair his busted lip.

Balboa has since filed a civil lawsuit against Schilling and the bar ... with his attorney, Robert Solomon, telling TMZ Sports Balboa is also cooperating with prosecutors and wants them to bring a battery charge against Schilling.

Chace Crawford is NOT back together with Rebecca Rittenhouse ... despite several reports saying so after their recent Italian vacation, and some pretty hot pics together.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ ... the former "Gossip Girl" and current "The Boys" star took a trip to Capri at the end of June with his ex-girlfriend, but it wasn't just the 2 of them on a romantic getaway -- they were part of a group of 8 friends.

We're told Chace and Rebecca -- who met on the set of "Blood & Oil" and began dating in 2015 -- have remained close since their split in late 2018, but have both dated other people since then.

Our sources say they're "great friends," and add that headlines referring to "The Mindy Project" star as Crawford's girlfriend again are inaccurate.

This week's Summer Hot Shots is coming from a lush garden in magical Melbourne where the Aussie hottie, Paige De Cinque, made us green with envy with her eye-popping plaid two-piece while she enjoyed some luxuriant outdoor space.

When the Melb model isn't growing her IG following with her natural beauty ... the 27-year-old enjoys chasing warm beaches around the world, Muay Thai training camps in Thailand and focusing on health and wellness through yoga and meditation.

We should all take a Paige out of her book.

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2021 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!

Disney has a new Jungle Cruise look at its theme parks -- this after catching flak for what some said were racist depictions -- and they did away with any and all offending robots.

The honchos at Disney unveiled this week an update to their Jungle Cruise rides at both Disneyland and Disney World ... which were getting re-tweaked over the past year and change after a ton of people demanded they lose the so-called "natives" along the OG path.

The Mouse House posted a BTS video showing the process of what went into reworking the ride -- and the engineers reiterated what Disney said in a statement ... namely, that they wanted to remain faithful to what everyone loves and remembers about Jungle Cruise voyages of the past, while also being inclusive/respectful/accurate over depicting cultures.

What that, apparently, amounted to in the final product -- based on video they posted of the updated Jungle Cruise ride -- is no trace of the indigenous people that used to be seen along the way.

Most of those indigenous people were portrayed as Black -- but they were also made out to look like what some have characterized as "savages" ... something that's been done time and again dating back to the 20th century. Dr. Seuss even used to portray indigenous people in the same fashion ... always drawing them with super dark skin and exaggerated features.

It appears none of those depictions are still around in the new ride -- but there are still Black people featured. Only now, they're seen as part of the exploration squad ... as opposed to being seen as the scary, cannibal-esque bad guys threatening the cruise passengers.

The call to revamp Jungle Cruise came on the heels of Disney announcing they were also giving their Splash Mountain rides a facelift ... with the OG animatronics also being called racist and perpetuating deep South tropes. They took care of that, and now ... this too.

Rob Schneider seems to be saying the best way to ward off the COVID vaccine is with an old Nancy Reagan campaign on drugs -- and if that doesn't work ... maybe flash some ammo.

The actor -- known for comedic roles in Adam Sandler movies, etc. -- was in no joking mood Saturday upon hearing some news that a third vaccine jab might be around the corner ... as reports surface that the effects from the first 2 are wearing off in a matter of months.

He was responding to a report with the headline, "Is it already time for a 3rd Covid-19 shot?" posted by journo Sharyl Attkisson. Rob retweeted it and wrote, "Just say no... And keep saying no..."

RS added this as well ... "Over Half of the US population is continuing to say no to this unapproved experimental gene therapy! 'My body, my choice!' #2ndAmendmentIsForThis."

Of course, his remarks are getting tons of backlash right now -- as he appears to be suggesting that Americans should take up arms ... against COVID jabs, or the notion of being forced to get them. Some are saying his thinking here is flawed ... and pretty dangerous.

No matter, though -- Rob seems to be digging his heels in on his position ... rehashing what sure sounds like far-right wing talking points, spreading fear and doubt about vaccines.

The fact is ... most of the vaccines in circulation have been deemed safe by the powers that be -- including scientists from all over the world, whether they're in government or not.

A few Twitter users have told Rob to mind his own business -- to which he seems to be receptive. All we know is ... a gun ain't gonna beat coronavirus, plain and simple.

A woman who allegedly had a mental health episode aboard an American Airlines flight appears to have been taped down after freaking out in the air ... and the crew's drastic response is getting some side-eye.

This video was captured by TikTok user @lol.ariee a few days ago, during a late-night AA flight that she says was taking off from the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and was in the air for about 2 hours. During that time ... a situation unfolded that caused a bit of a panic.

According to the TikToker, flight attendants started frantically running up and down the aisles at around 1:30 AM, locking bathroom doors and securing the scene for something that was happening up near the front. She says no one said anything ... just hush-hush whispering.

Eventually, she says the captain got on the intercom, and told everyone to stay in their seats 'cause of the problem toward the front, which he apparently said they were handling. When they eventually landed, this user captured the aftermath ... a woman duct-taped to her seat, with her mouth also taped -- who was crying out as passengers passed her to deplane.

As the TikTok user exited the plane, she recorded paramedics who were standing by with a stretcher. She later posted other videos saying she'd heard the woman was trying to actually get out of the plane during the flight, and seemed to be having an episode of some sort.

Sources familiar with the situation confirm that latter account to us ... saying the woman was, indeed, going ballistic. But, we haven't heard about her allegedly attempting to open doors or anything. In any case ... people are openly wondering if AA handled this the right way.

If she was actually having a breakdown of some sort ... some have questioned if restraining her in that manner might actually do more harm than good. Of course, others have pointed out that, in a scenario like that, the crew has to do what they must to keep people safe.

As for American, a rep for the company tells us this ... "While in flight from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Charlotte (CLT) on July 6, the crew on board American Airlines flight 1774 reported a potential security concern after a customer attempted to open the forward boarding door and physically assaulted, bit and caused injury to a flight attendant." They add, "For the safety and security of other customers and our crew, the individual was restrained until the flight landed at CLT and could be met by law enforcement and emergency personnel."

Zoe McLellan -- an actress most famous from 'NCIS' -- has up and vanished with her and her ex's kid ... so claims the father ... who got a court involved, which has branded her as wanted.

Court records obtained by TMZ show an arrest warrant out of L.A. County was issued for Zoe a few months ago in May ... with outstanding charges of kidnapping, child custody deprivation and child stealing alleged against her for an issue dating back to 2017.

We covered the drama back then -- McLellan's ex-husband, J.P. Gillian, was in a custody war with her over their then 4-year-old, Sebastian ... whom Gillian claimed McLellan was taking to Toronto while she filmed "Designated Survivor" without his permission or consent.

It appears that ended up happening ... except, now, Gillian says he hasn't seen or heard from McLellan OR his boy since at least April 2019. His attorney, Lawrence Markey, tells us ... the child is still missing, and that Gillian and co. believe the kid is still with Zoe.

It doesn't appear she's been hauled in yet -- there's no record of her arrest within the L.A. County Sheriff's Office. Sources familiar with the case say last Gillian heard ... McLellan was said to be somewhere near NOLA. But again, we're told Gillian doesn't know their whereabouts now -- or their status for that matter. We're told they're virtually off the grid.

It's a pretty wild story ... made even more eyebrow raising by the fact that McLellan doesn't appear to have acted in anything major since 2019. So, there too she's kinda vanished.

Matt Damon says the research for his role in "Stillwater" -- in which he plays an oil-rig worker -- was a major wake-up call on red-state culture ... something that could well earn him an Academy Award.

The actor recently dished on what went into learning about his character for the Oscar bait-y flick -- which got rave reviews and even a standing O at the Cannes Film Festival the other day -- and he says what he gleaned from the roughnecks of Oklahoma was "eye-opening."

Watch how Matt characterized the experience during a panel Q&A following the screening of his upcoming movie in France. He explains how he and director Tom McCarthy spent a good amount of time down in the South ... where they got the lay of the land, literally, from guys who do the job day in and day out -- getting a sense of their lifestyles, their POVs on life/family and, of course, their politics as well ... which Matt didn't discuss with disdain.

If anything ... he's got the opposite sentiment, saying the people he was around -- not to mention his character, Bill -- own who and what they are ... even on the issue of MAGA.

It's a pretty fascinating take on what many may perhaps write off without a second thought -- the minute you bring up Trump and his supporters ... a lot of folks will tune it all out.

Not Matt, though ... the way he talks about his encounters down there makes it seem like there's some good people around -- regardless of their politics -- and that they're more nuanced than how they're made out to be a lot of the time. To which we say ... obviously.

BTW, this film isn't necessarily a slice-of-Oklahoma-life type of a project -- where Matt immerses himself in method acting or anything. It's actually an action thriller -- a la, "Taken" -- with the oil-rig/middle America stuff as the backdrop. Still ... word is, Matt's turn here is getting tons of buzz, as they're saying he's "unrecognizable" on screen.

Atlanta Falcons LB Barkevious Mingo was arrested earlier this week for "indecency with a child" ... TMZ Sports has learned.

30-year-old Mingo -- who was the 6th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft -- was arrested July 8 by Arlington Police Department ... and booked into Tarrant County jail for "indecency with a child, sexual contact," according to court records and law enforcement officials.

We're told the charge is a 2nd degree felony. If convicted, a 2nd degree felony can carry up to a 20 year prison sentence in Texas.

Mingo's bond was set at $25K ... and he was released the following morning.

The details surrounding the arrest are not yet clear.

After starring at LSU, Mingo has bounced around in the NFL ... spending time with the Browns, Patriots, Colts, Seahawks, Texans, and Bears before signing with the Falcons this year.

BM won a ring with the Patriots at Super Bowl LI ... recording 2 tackles during the Pats historic comeback against the Falcons.

The Falcons provided us a statement on Mingo's arrest, saying ... “Our organization became aware of the allegations involving Barkevious Mingo today and are currently gathering information on this incident."

"The Falcons take the allegations very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation.”

We've also reached out to Mingo's reps ... but so far, no word back.