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P!nk seems quite concerned a teen influencer is being used by her parents in an unsettling way -- but the kid's speaking for herself, saying she is in the driver's seat here.

Piper Rockelle -- a YouTuber who just turned 14 -- tells TMZ ... "The first thing I want everyone to know is that my mom doesn't make me do anything. Quite the opposite, I'm a kid who had a dream and my mom is amazing enough to help me live it out."

She adds this of P!nk's worries ... "I don't think P!nk has ever seen one of my YouTube videos because if she did she'd see it's just my friends and me having fun and acting like ourselves. The content we make is the kind of stuff anyone can watch."

ICYMI ... P!nk took to social media over the weekend to address what she considered the over-sexualization of children -- and specifically name-dropped Piper to make her point. The singer seemed to take exception with a bikini photo posted to Piper's IG recently.

Piper touches on that too, telling us she rocked the bikini 'cause ... well, it's summer, adding she doesn't see anything sexual about a 14-year-old wearing a 2-piece in and of itself.

The YT'er told us she just did a crash course on P!nk, and learned she started following her dreams for stardom right around the same age Piper is now ... so, she questions why P!nk's giving her flak for doing the same thing.

Cam Newton is a Patriot no more ... New England has released the veteran QB in a shocking move.

The Pats announced the cut on Tuesday ... paving the way for rookie Mac Jones to be the starter in New England going forward.

Newton hasn't exactly lit it up for the Pats in his time under center -- he threw for just 2,657 yards and 8 TDs along with 10 interceptions in 15 games last season.

And, his preseason work this summer wasn't exactly inspiring either.

Still, Cam inked a 1-year, $5.1 million contract this offseason to play for the Pats ... and all indications were he would begin the season as QB1 in New England.

As for what's next for the Pats now, it's clear Bill Belichick is ready to ride with Jones -- the former Alabama superstar who the team drafted with the #15 overall pick in the spring.

Jones had a very good preseason -- throwing no interceptions and completing 36 of his 52 pass attempts in three games.

It's unclear, meanwhile, if Newton will find much interest from NFL teams now that he's a free agent.

Matthew Mindler's mom says he struggled with severe anxiety issues for years, and yet ... prior to his suicide, she says he seemed to be enjoying his 1st week of college.

The late child actor's mother, Monica Mindler, tells TMZ ... Matthew moved into Millersville University on Aug. 19, and things seemed to be going very well, until he disappeared.

Matthew's mom says he kept in constant contact with her during his first few days on the Pennsylvania campus, and he was busy. Monica says her son told her he met with an advisor about starting a campus computer/programming club, had an upcoming job interview with the IT department and was making friends.

As we reported ... Matthew, who starred in "Our Idiot Brother," never returned to his dorm room Tuesday night, was reported missing Wednesday, and found dead Saturday near campus. The coroner says he died by suicide.

Matthew's mom says their last text message exchange was Tuesday night, when she told him she was planning to pick him up Friday to spend the weekend at home. She wanted him to come home and relax for a few days, knowing he struggles with "crippling anxiety."

Monica tells us she texted him Wednesday morning, but didn't get a response -- her messages went through as texts instead of iMessages, suggesting his phone was off or in a bad service area.

Monica says she later contacted Matthew's dorm at MU for a wellness check, and got in touch with his roommate Wednesday evening, but she was told no one had seen her son and people at school were concerned.

By Thursday, Matthew's mom still hadn't heard from him and she drove to campus and got the police involved.

The U.S. Marine who got relieved of his duties for criticizing the U.S. Afghanistan pull-out is beating his bosses to the punch by quitting -- but not before going off about a psych evaluation he says he was asked to undergo, and lots more.

Lt. Colonel Stuart Scheller is getting his feelings out on social media after his dramatic announcement -- that he'd been disciplined for speaking out on the way the U.S. handled the withdrawal.

In a new YouTube vid he said he'd actually be resigning, and turning down a lucrative retirement he's owed to avoid being silenced -- but he also pointed out this was far from dishonorable as some might suggest. He dared superiors to ask anyone he served with about about his rep in battle.

While Scheller repeatedly says he's not considering legal action just yet ... it sure sounds like he might be soon, because he ominously warns this is far from over.

Then on FB, he addressed another issue Monday ... claiming his commanding officer asked him to get a mental health checkup, because they were apparently worried about his first video last week.

Scheller says he gets why that request was made, but he feels reducing behavior like this to a PTSD claim is perhaps the biggest disservice the U.S. military can do to any of its members.

He goes on to say all he wanted from leadership was accountability and a confession that the mission was botched -- but because of what he characterizes as a system of silence and following orders no matter what, he didn't get that ... so he's exiting on his own terms.

Soulja Boy is still steaming over being left off Kanye West's new album ... telling us Ye is nothing but a time waster and a coward!

We got Soulja at a Shell gas station in Calabasas on Monday and asked him about getting cut from "Donda" ... and the rapper didn't hold back.

Soulja says Kanye totally wasted his time by reaching out to him for a collab on Ye's new track, "Remote Control," before ultimately leaving SB's verse on the cutting room floor.

What's more, Soulja is ballistic Kanye was, as he says, spinning fake stories on social media about the album's release.

He says he's especially ticked off Ye didn't have the courage to personally call him and explain why he was cut.

Jay Cutler might be having problems playing the field after splitting with Kristin Cavallari, but she's doing just fine ... TMZ's learned she's dating a big country star.

According to our sources ... Kristin and singer Chase Rice have been seeing each other for about 2 months now, though we're told it's pretty low-key and casual so far.

Our sources say they've been talking and hanging out pretty regularly, getting to know each other, but seem to be heading toward that territory best described as smitten with each other.

We're told Chase and Kristin were introduced through a mutual friend in Nashville -- where they both live most of the time -- and hit it off, but their relationship isn't exclusive just yet.

As we reported ... Cutler recently admitted he's not had much fun back in the dating world since he and Cavallari officially called it quits in April 2020, describing the scene as "hard as hell."

Jay described the many challenges he's faced, including the major change of using apps and social media platforms to court women, adding ... "I'm at a different phase of my life now with kids and priorities are just changed."

Speaking of kids ... our sources with knowledge of Kristin's situation say Chase hasn't met hers yet.

Georgia native Russell Horning -- or better known as Backpack Kid -- was a young teenager when he began to gain fame for his viral video comprised of original dance moves on social media ... but it wasn't until superstar Rihanna shared BK's vids on Instagram that the young dancer's popularity really caught fire.

Once Backpack Kid's signature dance move The Floss wiggled its way into pop culture the flossy teen was spotted on Saturday Night Live alongside Katy Perry as she performed her 2017 dance single "Swish Swish."

Backpack Kid is now a backpack adult and is focused on his fitness routine.

Ellen DeGeneres just expanded her real estate portfolio ... scooping up a home in Beverly Hills.

Our real estate sources tell us the talk show host dropped a cool $8.5 million for the 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom home.

The place is 4,614 square feet and it looks like a fixer-upper. Real talk ... the home looks dated. It was built way back in 1961 and has been through at least one renovation.

Ellen closed escrow on the place Friday. It's got a pool, fire pit, chef's kitchen and lush gardens. Some of the rooms are even heated by furnaces.

She'll have some famous neighbors ... among them, Adele and Cameron Diaz.

It's the second home purchase in as many months for Ellen ... as we reported, she threw down $2.9 million back in June for a 2-bedroom pad in Santa Barbara.

Ellen's pretty familiar with Bev Hills real estate ... she recently sold a 2-story monster of a property she bought from Adam Levine.

A Southern California teacher is in the hot seat for suggesting her students pledge allegiance to the Pride flag ... instead of the American flag.

The lady's name is Kristin Pitzen, and she works for the Newport Mesa School District in Orange County -- which can lean pretty conservative compared to L.A. To that point, she apparently pissed off a lot of parents and Twitter users over this video she posted.

Check it out ... Pitzen says she packed away the U.S. flag in her classroom during COVID -- because it made her uncomfortable -- and hasn't been able to find it (nor does she seem to want to). The lady's giggling through her story pretty much the whole way through.

Fast-forward to the 2021 school year, where she says some students -- at least those who've chosen to partake, that is -- have asked what they're supposed to pledge allegiance to during the morning announcements ... seeing how Pitzen still hasn't gotten Old Glory back up yet.

She jokingly says she told one of the students who asked her that ... well, there's one flag they could pledge to if they wanted -- and pans to the rainbow flag behind her.

The video has reportedly triggered outrage in the community for a variety of reasons -- some feel like she's "indoctrinating" their children while others feel she was just outright disrespectful to the flag and the U.S. by extension ... especially hurtful during this Afghanistan moment.

Jake Paul just beat future UFC Hall of Famer Tyron Woodley via a split decision victory -- and then the fighters seemingly agreed to a rematch in the ring.

24-year-old Paul fought a good fight ... and was the more active fighter over the 8 rounds.

Woodley had his share of positive moments ... stunning Paul near the middle of the 4th round.

After the fight, during the post-fight interview -- which went down in front of a packed house at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland (Jake's hometown) -- the guys came face-to-face and seemed to agree to a rematch.

The condition ... if Woodley got the "I Love Jake Paul" tattoo done.

The action wasn't just in the ring ... stars like Dave Chappelle, Dustin Poirier, Andre Berto and a bunch of Olympians from Ohio were in the building.

Chappelle was REALLY into the fight ... jumping up-and-down behind the ring for nearly the entire scrap.

Paul said Woodley put up a better fight than he expected ... but called the split decision "bulls**t."

And, Jake won in more way than one ... sharing a post-fight kiss with GF Julia Rose.

As for the rest of the card ... Tyson Fury's bro, Tommy Fury won a 4-round unanimous decision victory over Anthony Taylor.

After getting his 1st dub on American soil, Tommy called out Jake ... challenging him to a fight.

Matthew Mindler, the child actor known for his role in "Our Idiot Brother," died by suicide ... according to officials.

The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office tells TMZ ... Mindler's manner of death has been ruled suicide, but the cause of death is still pending toxicology results.

We broke the story ... Matthew's college, Millersville University in Pennsylvania, confirmed his death with an announcement to the student body Saturday. It said he was found deceased that morning in Manor Township near the campus.

The first-year student had not been seen since Tuesday night after failing to return to his dorm room, and was reported missing late Wednesday.

Along with his role in "Our Idiot Brother" alongside Paul Rudd, Mindler also appeared in a sketch on "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" in 2015 and had a few other acting credits to his name.

He was 19.

Lil Nas X wants the world to know he has no beef with Tony Hawk -- 'cause the rapper hung out and skated with the legend ... just days after calling out the double standard between his Satan shoes and Hawk's blood-painted skateboard.

Of course, Hawk teamed up with Liquid Death to sell limited edition "Blood Deck" skateboards painted with his blood earlier this month ... which was met with not nearly as much backlash as LNX's kicks with bloody soles.

While Hawk's boards aren't laden with satanic imagery, LNX's shoes are ... but he still felt the outrage was actually for another reason, not the fact that they were demonic as hell (ha).

"Now that tony hawk has released skateboards with his blood painted on them, and there was no public outrage, are y’all ready to admit y’all were never actually upset over the blood in the shoes? LNX said on Twitter, "and maybe u were mad for some other reason?"

But, the two made it clear they are not about to get in an all-out bloodbath over the controversial items ... with LNX rocking his Satan Shoes and Hawk holding his blood board as they posed for a pic!!

Hawk even came up with a clever name for the duo ... saying, "blood brothers?"

Hawk and LNX made a TikTok together ... with the artist pretending to ride down a halfpipe.

Despite the outrage over the blood, the guys aren't doing anything too groundbreaking -- after all, legendary guitarist Steve Vai did this way back in 2000 with his "JEM Y2K DNA" models, which are super collectible and painted with his own blood, too.

Kenya Moore is going to be super busy soon, because she's about to join the cast of another TV show ... and show off her ballroom moves!!!

The 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star is joining the cast of "Dancing With The Stars" for the show's upcoming 30th season on ABC ... according to our production sources.

As you know Kenya has been a full-time housewife for the past 10 seasons on 'RHOA' ... so it will be interesting to see how she fares on the dance floor -- particularly compared to some of her contemporaries.

Kenya joins a long line of 'Housewives' who have been on 'DWTS' over the years ... including Nene Leakes, Lisa Vanderpump, Erika Jayne, Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Lisa Rinna.

'DWTS' has not revealed its full cast for the season yet -- but as we reported, 18-year-old Team USA medalist Suni Lee is joining the fold fresh off her gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Sharon Stone has lost someone near and dear to her -- her baby nephew, River, has died ... just days after she announced his organs had given out on him.

The actress provided a tragic update Monday, saying the 11-month-old had passed away ... and posting a video tribute in his honor. She lists his DOB as Sept. 8, 2020, and his death as Aug. 30 ... so the kid was just a week or so shy of his first birthday.

It's unclear what led to River's organ failure to begin with -- but it was quite clear he was in dire need of immediate life-saving measures just last week ... when Sharon posted a photo of him hooked up to a ton of tubes in the hospital and asking for prayers.

All she wrote at the time about the circumstances was, "My nephew and godson River Stone was found in his crib w total organ failure today. Please pray for him. We need a miracle."

River is the son of Sharon's brother, Patrick, and his wife, Tasha. Sharon was a proud auntie -- posting pics of the newborn when he came into the world. It's been a rough year for the Stone family all around ... Sharon also lost her grandmother and godmother in the pandemic.

"Tyron, let your hands go! F*** it!!!"

If you were wondering what Dave Chappelle was yelling during the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight, TMZ Sports has you covered ... 'cause we just got video of the comedy legend in the stands Sunday night -- and it's hilarious!!!

Of course, DC had ringside seats for the big event ... which means his every move was picked up by cameras on the Pay-Per-View broadcast -- from yelling to clapping and REALLY getting into the fight.

No matter how loud Chappelle was cheering, there was no way the mics were gonna be able to pick up exactly what he was saying ... but after checking out these vids, taken by Anthony Jones, we wish they did!

Before the fight, DC led an Ohio State-classic "OH-IO" chant -- after all, the fight was in Cleveland ... so we're sure there were plenty of Buckeyes in the stands.

Next, he took his focus to the fighters ... giving out some hilarious advice.

"Jake, grab his cheeks!!!," DC said, which is a reference to Paul recently complimenting Tyron's "big booty" and saying he wanted to squeeze his ass.

DC was then shouting for Woodley to let his hands go and throw some punches ... saying, "From Ferguson, Missouri, let them hands go!"

"This is for the culture, this is for the culture!!!"

Chappelle's cheerleading didn't really help, though ... as Jake secured a split decision win.

But, DC didn't seem too worried about it -- he actually linked up with the Paul bros after the fight and said he wanted free tickets to the rest of their fights!!!

Korn lead singer Jonathan Davis is gutting it out onstage as he continues to recover from the coronavirus -- he needed an oxygen mask onstage just to get through a performance.

Jonathan and Korn returned to the stage Friday night in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park after canceling a bunch of shows when he contracted COVID-19 earlier this month -- and it's clear he's still struggling with the lingering aftereffects.

Video shows Jonathan taking occasional breaks to suck in SOME pure O2 between songs, and he spent the majority of the concert sitting down on a huge throne.

Korn guitarist Brian Welch says Jonathan's still feeling "physically weak and having a mental battle" ... and he's drawing on the energy from fans.

Jonathan confirmed as much to the crowd, saying ... "I'm f****** feeling very weak but I f****** refuse to f****** cancel!!!"