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Some of the closest people to Norm Macdonald didn't know the comedian was battling cancer for a decade ... so the surprising and sudden loss floored them as much as it did fans.

We got 'Tonight Show' announcer and producer Steve Higgins in New York City and asked how he's dealing with Norm's death. They'd worked very closely ... Steve was an 'SNL' writer when Norm was a star cast member.

Steve says they were really close outside of work too, and he's taking Norm's death hard ... because he had no clue his friend was diagnosed years ago.

He also explained -- with a vivid and perfect metaphor -- exactly why everyone in the comedy community loved Norm.

Steve recalls spending tons of time with Norm back in their 'SNL' days ... saying Norm was "truly brilliant" for his comedic timing.

Elon Musk's space company just made history ... the first ever, all-civilian spaceflight is way up above our planet ... and they blasted off without any astronauts.

Billionaire Jared Isaacman, a pilot himself, is leading the mission dubbed Inspiration4 ... and it looks like he's already having a blast up there in space with the rest of his lucky space tourists.

Chris Sembroski, Dr. Sian Proctor and Hayley Arceneaux took off with Jared in a SpaceX Dragon capsule Wednesday night ... blasting into space using a Falcon 9 rocket, which launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As you can see ... the space tourists were clapping and celebrating as they took off into space, breaking the speed of sound on the way up, while those in mission control back home were hyped too.

Now that they're in orbit, Jared and co. will be in space for the next 3 days, zipping around Earth about once every 90 minutes and enjoying the views.

As we first told you ... Jared told us back in February he was most looking forward to overriding the automatic pilot and taking Dragon for a spin up in space.

BTW ... the civilian crew will be sleeping in the same reclining seats you saw them in on the launch ... and they've got to share a toilet and forego showers.

Ben Simmons does NOT have a problem with his jumper -- it's a CONFIDENCE issue -- so says NBA and BIG 3 sharp-shooter Joe Johnson, who tells TMZ Sports the Sixers guard will be just fine.

Simmons has struggled to find his rhythm with jump shots since entering the league in 2016 -- most recently, he was criticized for going 35% from the charity stripe and averaging 9.9 points a game in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Atlanta Hawks.

Not ideal for a former #1 overall pick ... but Iso Joe -- who's known for his clutch shooting -- isn't worried at all, saying he knows the 25-year-old will find his way.

"I honestly don't think nothing's wrong with it," Johnson tells us. "You see him playing pickup basketball shooting jumpers, fadeaways, threes ... so we all know it's there."

It's true -- Ben put in work with Rajon Rondo earlier this offseason ... where he was recorded on video drilling threes.

"He just has to take that same confidence that he has in pickup and translate it into an NBA game," Johnson adds. "That's it. You're gonna miss and make shots, you can't care about the misses. He's just got to continue to take them."

Johnson says the talent is clearly not the problem ... but when BS takes the court, he's got to remember that he's that dude.

Before this perfect angel was a household name for her funny friendships on television, she was just another brunette beauty growing up in Birmingham, Alabama.

This little lady's career launched into stardom when she was cast in one of the most popular sitcoms of all time ... along with an ensemble of hilarious celebrities. This long-reining comedy series ran for 10 years, but it wasn't this famous face's only claim to fame. Around the same time, she balanced between television and film when she became the starring scream queen in a popular horror flick franchise.

Ex-NBA star Tyson Chandler and his wife, Kimberly Chandler, are going their separate ways ... TMZ Sports has learned Kimberly filed for divorce this week.

Kimberly, according to court documents, cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. The two had been married for 16 years and separated in August.

Kimberly often posted pictures of her and the former basketball player on social media during their relationship ... recently showing off a photo of the two from their trip to Coachella in 2016.

"#ItWasAVibe," Kimberly said in the caption with the photo. "#MyLoverAndMe."

The couple has three children -- a 15-year-old daughter, a 12-year-old son and another 11-year-old daughter -- from their time together.

In the docs, Kimberly stated she was seeking spousal support ... as well as joint custody of the kids.

Marilyn Manson's rape accuser just had her lawsuit against the shock rocker tossed out of court ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge dismissed the suit Tuesday, ruling the statute of limitations had passed on the woman's claims.

TMZ broke the story ... Manson was sued back in May by a Jane Doe who claims they started dating in 2011 before things took a turn for the worse and he raped her.

Manson's accuser claimed she repressed her memories of the alleged rape ... but the judge dismissed the suit because the woman couldn't specify how her memory was repressed, or why she didn't learn of it earlier.

While this lawsuit is dismissed, for now, we've told you Manson is also being sued for sexual assault by 3 other women ... including his former assistant and "Game of Thrones" star Esme Bianco.

Usher is standing up and speaking out for his pal Jermaine Dupri ... telling us JD definitely has bangers to compete with Diddy on "Verzuz" -- despite what the latter says about it.

We got Mr. Raymond out Wednesday in Hollywood, where we asked about this back and forth his music industry friends and mentors had about a potential song-for-song showdown on the big stage.

Sounds neat, but Puff made it seem like he was too good for all that -- or too good for JD, rather ... suggesting the dude doesn't match him on hits. To that, Usher says ... hold up!

When we explained what Diddy's saying in response to Jermaine's proposed matchup -- namely, that JD isn't on his level, Usher gave us a side-eye look ... and then defended his longtime producing partner -- who literally made "Confessions" go diamond, among many other accolades.

You gotta watch how Usher breaks it down here -- because on the one hand, he clarifies that Jermaine absolutely has a catalog of hits that could stand up to Diddy's ... but he stops short of declaring who'd be the winner. His allegiance is clearly torn down the middle.

If you didn't know, Diddy gave Usher his start in the music industry and they have deep ties -- but Jermaine has worked with him more often, and has helped Usher reach unimaginable success. It's a tight rope of a convo, but Usher handles it pretty well.

Rapper Mo Fayne's going away for a long, long time for his role in a PPP loan fraud case ... he's just been sentenced to 210 months in prison -- that's 17.5 years.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" star was hit with the prison sentence after pleading guilty to 6 counts, including bank and wire fraud.

Remember ... prosecutors alleged he funded a lavish lifestyle during the pandemic with money from the Paycheck Protection Program. The money was intended to help employees and small businesses hit hard by COVID.

Fayne had cut a plea deal with prosecutors ... who agreed to drop 14 other charges and recommend Fayne get a 151-month sentence. Instead ... the judge hit him with nearly 5 more years behind bars. The silver lining ... he was staring down a possible 30-year sentence if he didn't cut that deal, so take that for what it's worth.

According to the Dept. of Justice ... Fayne submitted a $3.7 million PPP loan application, falsely claiming his trucking business had 107 employees and an average monthly payroll of $1,490,200.

The feds say Fayne promised to use the PPP loan to retain workers and maintain payroll but instead used it for improper purposes ... including $40k for past-due child support, $85k for for jewelry, $136k for a Rolls-Royce, and $907k to start a new business in Arkansas.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Met Gala dress looks like a carbon copy of one designer's own brand -- at least according to the designer, but she doesn't want a fight ... just a collab.

An IG user who goes by the Velvet Bandit posted photos of AOC in her "Tax the Rich" dress stacked up against some artwork she claims to have designed ... and says something looks a little too familiar. Specifically, she's talking about the font and typeface of the words themselves.

VB writes, "@AOC stepped out at the Met Gala wearing a dress designed by @aurorajames that looks hella similar to my design. 😳"

Velvet continues by saying her own "Tax the Rich" thing went viral on TikTok after putting her work up all around Sausalito, CA, and she adds ... "This dress bears the same likeness as my handwriting." Sounds ominous, but she simmers down.

The street artist doesn't seem particularly litigious ... saying she admires both AOC and the designer of her dress, Aurora James, and would like nothing more than to work with them.

She says she's a lunch lady and a single mom, and doesn't have the time or influence to try to reach out to famous people for gigs.

Instead, she's asking people to tag and/or share this with the congresswoman and her designer, adding ... "They need a female street artist working on their team, dontcha think? It would be an honor. Obviously they have fabulous taste." Well ... (de)escalated quickly. 😅

As more and more states adopt laws making it illegal to make racially biased 911 calls ... a noted author and comedian -- who's called out so-called "Karens" -- is praising the move as a literal lifesaver.

Tyler Merritt jumped on "TMZ Live" on Wednesday and explained the importance of the Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-emergencies Act (or the CAREN Act) ... a law passed by San Francisco last year, and just recently in Santa Cruz, CA too.

Tyler has no doubt the legal change will save lives ...  mostly for people of color who are being prejudged by people whose unfounded fear triggers them to call 911.

He says the danger is the caller ends up passing their false perception on to cops responding to the scene -- and, as we've seen, that can lead to tragic outcomes.

Perhaps the most famous case went down just last year ... when an NYC woman, Amy Cooper, was caught on video calling 911 and pretending a Black man was attacking her in Central Park. Christian Cooper, a frequent bird watcher, had only asked Amy to leash her dog.

Tyler -- the author of the new book, "I Take My Coffee Black" -- says a 6-foot-2 black man like himself already has a strike against him in society because he's Black ... let alone the added fear that he's being misperceived based on a phone call rooted in ignorance.

Julianne Hough's blackface scandal is resurfacing ... some 8 years later as she faces new criticism over her role on a new CBS reality show that has her judging real activists.

The dancer and actress addressed the backlash Tuesday, saying many people are just now becoming aware she wore blackface in 2013 when she dressed up as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren from "Orange is the New Black" for Halloween.

She said, "Wearing black face was a poor choice based on my own white privilege and my own white body bias that hurt people and is something I regret doing to this day."

The renewed backlash stems from Julianne's role -- alongside Usher and Priyanka Chopra Jonas -- for a new reality competition series, "The Activist" premiering next month, where she judges 6 activists competing to bring attention to their causes.

The show was slammed as tone-deaf ... and Julianne addressed the concerns head on. She said, "I heard you say that the show was performative, promoted pseudo-activism over real activism, felt tone-deaf, like Black Mirror, The Hunger Games, and that the hosts weren’t qualified to assess activism because we are celebrities and not activists."

Julianne said that with some people only now finding out about her blackface scandal ... it "only further added insult to injury."

Here's some news that might be a punch in the gut to fans of Justin and Hailey Bieber hoping they were expecting their first child -- they're not.

As you may have heard ... the Biebs sparked major pregnancy rumors this week when he placed his hand on Hailey's tummy -- albeit just for a second -- as the couple was posing for pics at the Met Gala.

This of course led to Internet sleuthing and speculation Hailey's expecting and this was JB's way of announcing it, but sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... she's not pregnant, and it was just an innocent pose.

We're told the couple's appearance at the star-studded event was a first for them, and it served a dual purpose -- they were also there celebrating their wedding anniversary.

TMZ broke the story, Justin and Hailey wed at a courthouse in 2018, and had a blowout wedding in South Carolina in 2019, and while they're going strong ... our sources say there's no baby Bieber on the way just yet.

Octavia Spencer is saying sorry to Britney Spears and Sam Asghari ... she acknowledges her prenup comment on their engagement announcement wasn't funny.

The Oscar-winning actress says she was just trying to make a joke when she left a comment on Britney's social media post saying, "Make him sign a prenup" ... and she says she's since privately apologized to both Britney and Sam.

Octavia says her "intention was to make them laugh not cause pain" ... and now she hopes to "restore just a smidge of happiness they were robbed of."

The actress wasn't alone in telling Britney to get a prenup ... and as we reported, Sam told fans almost right away he would sign a prenup alright ... joking the prenup would be designed to protect his Jeep and shoe collection.

Octavia's singing a different tune in the wake of her apology ... she says she's thrilled for Britney and thinks the singer has found happiness after going through a lot of pain.

But, here's the real story ... Britney IS getting a prenup, because our sources say literally a day after she got engaged her team was on the case.

No word if Octavia's getting a wedding invite.

Simone Biles broke down while testifying about Larry Nassar in front of a group of senators on Capitol Hill ... choking back tears while explaining how U.S. Gymnastics and other agencies failed her and other abuse victims.

Biles, along with fellow former USA gymnasts McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman, told their stories in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington D.C. on Thursday ... and understandably, it's still an incredibly difficult topic to discuss.

"I am also a survivor of sexual abuse," Simone opened her statement, continuing, "and I believe without a doubt that the circumstances that led to my abuse and allowed it to continue are directly the result that organizations created by Congress to oversee and protect me as an athlete, USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee failed to do their jobs."

Biles then quoted Nelson Mandela, before getting emotional while saying she never wanted another child to endure abuse.

Of course, Nassar was convicted of sexually abusing hundreds of women and girls ... and effectively received life in prison -- getting sentenced to 175 years behind bars.

But, the hearing wasn't directly about Nassar's deplorable behavior ... it was held to discuss the FBI's failures with respect to their investigation into the team USA doctor, after a government watchdog group concluded the country's top federal law enforcement agency didn't adequately respond to the allegations.

And, the gymnasts didn't hold back when taking on the bureau.

“We suffered and continue to suffer because no one at FBI, [U.S. Gymnastics] or the [USOC] did what was necessary to protect us,” Biles told the committee.

“We have been failed and we deserve answers. Nassar is where he belongs, but those who enabled him deserve to be held accountable. If they are not, I am convinced that this will continue to happen to others across Olympic sports.”

"This is the largest case of sexual abuse in the history of American sport," Biles told the committee, adding, "It truly feels like the FBI turned a blind eye to us."

Maroney also went in on the FBI, saying ... "They had legal, legitimate evidence of child abuse and did nothing."

The U.S. gymnasts are still testifying on Capitol Hill.

As for Nassar, he's rotting in prison ... where he will remain for the rest of his life.

Kate Quigley is back on the outside after her scary overdose incident ... which left 3 of her friends dead, and her hospitalized in critical condition.

The comic was spotted out Tuesday for the first time since being released from the hospital. She was cruising through Venice in her convertible -- stopping at a barbershop for a quick chat, and then got back on the road.

She looked pretty casual -- rocking a black T, cut-off jean shorts, flip-flops and a cap -- as she seems to be getting back to her normal life after the ordeal.

As we reported ... Kate was rushed to the hospital a couple weeks ago after cops got a call about a possible overdose situation. Three comedians -- Kate's friends Fuquan Johnson, Rico Angeli and Natalie Williamson -- were found dead on the scene. Kate was still alive.

We're told cocaine laced with fentanyl is what they're suspected of using that night. Autopsies are underway for an official cause of death.

Reba McEntire got the cat-stuck-in-a-tree treatment from a fire department in Oklahoma -- except the trunk she'd gone up was actually a pretty ancient building with a caved-in staircase.

The country singer was one of 7 people rescued Tuesday by authorities in Atoka, OK. Reba and a pal were touring a historic site -- the building's at least 100 years old -- when it partially crumbled inside.

Emergency Management Director Travis Mullins tells us ... the building was in the middle of being renovated when this happened -- the dilapidated stairs were already scheduled to be replaced. No word on why anyone was actually let inside, if that was the case.

Anyway, Reba and co. were, luckily, just on the second floor when the stairs collapsed ... leaving them stuck up there, and requiring an old-fashioned ladder rescue. Video of the incident shows firefighters safely leading her and others down through the window.

Reba and co. were mostly okay ... one person was transported to a hospital with minor injuries. After the fact, officials said that not only did the 2nd story stairs topple down, but the ones leading up to the 3rd story did as well ... trapping others higher up at the time.

Obviously, this could've been much worse than it turned out ... especially for Reba. Indeed, she is a survivor.