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There are a lot of people involved and pulling for Britney Spears these days, but the one person who has worked behind the scenes to remove Jamie Spears and end the conservatorship altogether is Cade Hudson, who has deep ties to Britney ... TMZ has learned.

Hudson has been one of Britney's closest friends for a dozen years. He's also been her agent for 9 years and has been in her inner circle the entire time.

Our sources say Hudson has been in constant contact with Britney, advising her on how to navigate the conservatorship. When Britney was upset about restrictions by conservators and others involved in the conservatorship, Hudson was there to give her guidance.

He was working behind the scene for a long time to try and bring the conservatorship to an end. And, our sources say ... Hudson is the one who hooked Britney up with attorney Mathew Rosengart, who is now shepherding Britney's move for freedom.

Tyga says he's always felt like an underdog, so he performed as a canine on "The Masked Singer" ... but this dog don't hunt, because he's been eliminated from the Season 6 cast of masked contestants.

The "Taste" rapper yanked off his Dalmatian getup on Wednesday night's episodes of the eccentric singing competition after he got voted off, but turns out the host sniffed out his identity when he was fully masked.

After the Dalmatian rapped "Beautiful" by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell Williams ... both Robin Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger guessed it was Nelly, Jenny McCarthy went with Kevin Hart, and Ken Jeong guessed Reggie Bush.

Host Nick Cannon claimed he knew it was Tyga underneath the Dalmatian costume all along, but everyone else was stunned.

As for why he decided to join the show ... Tyga says he was inspired by watching Lil Wayne perform as Robot back in Season 3.

One of Vanderbilt University's longtime employees says she's been bullied and viciously mocked by co-workers -- using words like "freak," and "gross" -- after she underwent transition surgery.

Olivia Hill is suing Vanderbilt for the abuse she says started back in mid-2018, when she'd informed her employer she'd been diagnosed with gender dysphoria ... and, therefore, needed to transition from male to female. She says she soon learned a direct supervisor was referring to her as "it," "trans freak" and "weirdo."

Olivia -- a U.S. Navy veteran who's worked at Vandy for 25 years -- says that sort of reaction made her second guess getting the surgery, and she even delayed it until February 2019. In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, she says the abuse was even worse when she returned to work in May 2019 -- some people would leave rooms as soon as she entered, while others made crude remarks.

According to the suit, those comments included a bigwig commenting directly to her about her big feet looking strange. She alleges he also asked if she shaves her chest now, and added ... "Ugh, the thought of you shaving your tits is gross."

Olivia claims in the suit another employee asked if he could "be the first to use her new vagina."

Interestingly, Vanderbilt touted Olivia's transition ... even posting a video where she tells her story. However, Olivia's attorney, Abby Rubenfeld, says this only highlights the university's hypocrisy -- "The way Olivia was treated violates federal and state law, and is inconsistent with Vanderbilt's own policies and public presentation as allegedly being a model of LGBTQI tolerance and inclusion."

Olivia says she informed her supervisors, but got no relief, and even filed complaints with the University and federal employment agencies. She says the school placed her on paid administrative leave, and says she's been passed over for promotions.

She's suing Vanderbilt for damages, including lost wages and pain and suffering.

R. Kelly's persona non grata in Baton Rouge ... his "key to the city" there has been rescinded by the very same official who bestowed him with the honor.

Kelly was given the honor back in February 2013 by Denise Marcelle, who, at the time, was a member of Baton Rouge Metro Council. Marcelle tells us after Kelly's guilty verdict, she regrets giving Kelly a key to the city in the first place and is going to rescind it.

If you're wondering how that works, the process doesn't include actually physically taking the $256 plaque and key back from the singer ... but he's stripped of the honor.

Obviously, there were allegations against Kelly when Marcelle presented the key to him back in 2013, but she tells us she only knew he had been acquitted in 2008, and didn't do her homework to truly understand what was leveled against him.

Marcelle now serves as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and not in the BR Council, but a rep for BR tells us Marcelle still holds the power to rescind the key since she was the one who gave it out.

As we reported ... Kelly was found guilty earlier this week on all counts in his federal sex crimes trial.

Monica Lewinsky says she had suicidal ideations during the scandal over her affair with Bill Clinton because she couldn't see a way out ... but a psychiatrist helped her through it and possibly saved her life.

Monica revealed her mental health struggles amid the investigation into the Clinton scandal to CNN's David Axelrod on Thursday's episode of his podcast, telling him she thought killing herself might be a solution.

Lewinksy says it went as far as her asking the lawyers working for Ken Starr -- who was leading the investigation -- what would happen if she died.

According to Monica ... it's inexcusable there was no protocol back then to help someone in her situation, but thankfully she began seeing a forensic psychiatrist who guided her through it.

She adds ... "And so I was, you know, pretty, pretty lucky."

Monica's infamous experience is back in the spotlight thanks to the latest installment of "American Crime Story" on FX -- 'Impeachment' -- for which she's a producer. BTW, the show is great and -- because Monica was so involved -- it gives never-before insight into her relationship with Clinton and Linda Tripp.

Tensions are boiling over on Brian Laundrie's block, a fight just broke out right in front of his Florida home involving one of the family's neighbors.

Ya gotta see the video ... the neighbor, in a red shirt, starts screaming at a couple of protestors who have set up camp outside the Laundrie family home ... accusing the couple of stepping on his property.

The man sounds like he's had enough of the protestors on his street, threatening to open a can of whoop-ass if the protestors step foot on his property ... something he's already accused them of doing before.

The showdown is super intense ... and it gives a sense of the tensions building on Brian's block.

As you know ... there's a manhunt for Brian, and the FBI has already searched the house.

The altercation outside Brian's home comes on the heels of a makeshift floral Gabby Petito memorial on the front lawn getting tossed in the garbage.

Bottom line ... Brian's neighborhood is on edge.

Greg Steube looked less like a politician and more like Juan Soto on Wednesday night ... hitting a towering home run in the Congressional Baseball Game that was WILD!!

Steube -- a Republican from Florida -- blasted the moonshot dinger in the third inning of the annual Democrats vs. Republicans game ... and you can see in footage of the homer, he got ALL of the ball.

Steube planted the pitch several rows into the seats in left field at Nationals Park -- clobbering the baseball more than 330 feet!!!

"That was a bonafide Major League home run right there," one of the game's announcers said on the broadcast.

In fact, the swing was so impressive, Steube got some dap from the Democrats as he rounded the bases -- and then he was mobbed by his Republican teammates when he stepped on home plate.

For his part, Steube seemed to love the tater as well -- 'cause his home run trot was long, slow, and featured a lengthy finger point to the sky!!

Steube became the first participant in the game to hit an out-of-the-park homer at D.C.'s MLB stadium since the contest was moved there in 2008.

And, in addition to his heroics at the plate ... the 43-year-old politician also pitched in the game -- and later played some stellar defense at third base, helping the Republicans win the evening, 13-12, for the first time since 2016.

Steube's probably got too much on his plate to make a run at The Show -- but it should be noted, the Nats are in danger of finishing in last place in the N.L. East this season and could use some help.

Heather McDonald is absolutely not walking back her comment about Chrissy Teigen being hypocritical, and she's also accusing her of being a social media manipulator ... so yeah, the beef is still on.

We got the comedian outside her "Juicy Scoop" podcast studio in L.A. and gave her a chance to respond to Chrissy telling her to "f*** off" ... and Heather did not disappoint.

She tells us she didn't think twice about calling Teigen out on IG. ICYMI ... Heather accused her of "humble brags" for posting self-proclaimed unflattering photos knowing they actually look good -- until she saw Chrissy's retort the next morning.

Along with blasting Heather, Chrissy pointed out it was the anniversary of her son Jack's death, saying ... "So maybe I'm a little sensitive but f*** off."

Well, Heather alleges that was a strategic move on Chrissy's part to try to make her look bad because she says she had no idea it was the anniversary of the tragedy ... and her comment on Chrissy's post had nothing to do with it.

Translation -- Heather feels she was just pointing out the obvious about Chrissy's hypocrisy, Chrissy didn't like it, so she tried to flip the script to make people feel sorry for her.

"Outer Banks" star Madelyn Cline certainly looks like she's dipping a toe in the dating waters as a single woman ... because here she is dancing with actor hunk Ross Butler.

TMZ's obtained this video of Madelyn and the "13 Reasons Why" star moving and grooving at Cera restaurant in Milan, Italy ... where they're in town for Fashion Week.

As you can see, Madelyn and Ross are vibing and getting pretty up close and personal.

Adding to the intrigue ... Ross recently posted a pic of them together on his social media, and they're both mugging for the cameras.

The late-night dancing and social media posts are pretty interesting, considering they come on the heels of rumors Madelyn is on the outs with her "Outer Banks" costar, Chase Stokes.

Dak Prescott is better right now than Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson AND Kyler Murray ... so says Drew Pearson -- who tells TMZ Sports the Cowboys star is a top-3 QB in the NFL.

The Dallas legend made the claim just one day after Dak carved up the Eagles on "Monday Night Football" ... saying he believes only 2 other QBs in the league are as good as Prescott is at the moment.

"Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott," Pearson says. "Top three quarterbacks in the league, I would say, right now."

Dak has been tremendous through the Cowboys' first 3 games of the season ... completing 77.5 percent of his passes for 878 yards, 6 TDs and just 2 INTs.

And, Drew's been wildly impressed with it all, praising the guy for his leadership as well as his ability to bounce back from a devastating ankle injury in 2020.

In fact, Pearson tells us Dak has been so good ... he already believes the Cowboys are a true Super Bowl contender.

"You didn't hear it first but you heard it from the original 88, OK?!" Pearson says. "I think they're on a roll."

Before this ballin' baby was driving to the hoop on the NBA court, he was just another sporty sweetheart working on his game in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This mini-man is best known for shining as an all-star athlete -- he went home with the first round pick for the NBA back in 2015 and took his team to the finals just last year. He isn't unfamiliar with being in the sports spotlight ... his father was also a professional basketball player.

Now, this talented gamer can be spotted with his famous fashion model girlfriend.

Britney Spears won a huge victory Wednesday -- a victory she's sought for years -- because her dad has been officially removed as conservator of her estate, and it looks like the conservatorship is coming to an end.

It was a monumental day in court as Britney's lawyer, Mat Rosengart, zeroed in on Jamie Spears, saying he committed shocking abuse and mismanagement during his tenure as conservator. Rosengart was especially outraged over recent allegations Jamie engineered a scheme to secretly record Britney in her bedroom. Rosengart says there were conversations between Britney and her kids that were captured and he called it "unfathomable."

Jamie tried arguing the conservatorship should end today, but Rosengart begged to differ. The attorney wants to hold Jamie accountable for possible misappropriation of assets, among other things, and he wants the conservatorship in place until he can investigate.

The judge agreed with Rosengart and suspended Jamie. She also ordered Jamie to turn over all the books and records during his time as conservator so Rosengart can pour through them.

Our producer asked Rosengart on the way out of court if Britney would sue her dad if there's evidence of misappropriation of assets or other misdeeds. Rosengart jumped on the question and said Britney would absolutely sue.

As for ending the conservatorship ... the judge set a hearing for November 12. It's very possible the conservatorship will be terminated on that day. Significantly, there was no talk in court about a mental evaluation as a condition to ending the conservatorship. Fact is ... all parties, including Jamie, have advocated for terminating the conservatorship without a mental evaluation, so it seems things are headed in that direction.

In the meantime, a new conservator of Britney's estate has been appointed on a temporary basis. His name is John Zabel, a CPA handpicked by Rosengart.

For Britney's part, she's over the moon, posting on social media she's on cloud 9.

We interviewed a psychiatrist, Dr. Charles Sophy, on "TMZ Live" Tuesday -- he's handled numerous court cases involving celebrities and has been involved in a number of conservatorship cases -- and he suggested the judge should terminate the conservatorship with one string attached. Britney and her doctors should come back to court in 6 months so the judge could make sure she's taking her meds. That's his suggestion, but it seems everyone is headed in the direction of just ending it.

Britney will have a safety net in fiance Sam Asghari and her current personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery. BTW, Jodi has said she will stay on even if the conservatorship ends, and Britney is agreeable.

All in all, it was a huge day for Britney, Rosengart and Co.

As they say, it's the thrill of victory for Britney Spears -- but the agony of defeat for her father, Jamie Spears, is potentially just beginning, and we're explaining why on the new TMZ Podcast.

Just moments after Britney's conservatorship hearing ended, we got the team together for the inaugural episode of the pod. There's a lot to break down from Wednesday's hearing, and even more to discuss about what happens next.

As you know, the judge suspended Jamie from his gig as conservator of Britney's estate, and now Britney's lawyer is vowing to investigate him for alleged misappropriation and other conservatorship abuses.

We'll tell you why there could be some very real consequences for Jamie. Also, as you'd expect, Britney's already celebrating her big win as only Britney can. Ditto for the throngs of #FreeBritney supporters who were outside the courthouse.

Speaking of which -- looks like there's a #FreeBritney convert among us.

The upcoming wild card on "The Masked Singer" had a wild ride leading up to their performance ... and we've learned this celeb is a major player in Hollywood.

Production sources tell TMZ ... next week's wild card contestant was cast just 24 hours before their first performance on the hit FOX show. The problem -- there were no costumes, no song choices ... nothing was in place for the performance.

Our sources say the celeb was at home making dinner Sunday when the call came in from "Masked Singer" honchos, and the celeb immediately dialed up costumers, stage producers, clue producers and more to get ready to be on set the next day.

It's pretty wild ... this secret star even had to call friends to help clear songs for the show in a very timely manner ... and the celeb had to learn the songs ... and fast!!!

We're told there's no question ... this celeb had a ton of pull in the industry to move mountains, so if you're guessing who it might be ... 86 C-listers and below, and maybe even B-listers.

Kelly Price is no longer listed as a missing person with the National Crime Information Center ... this after her attorney met with law enforcement in Georgia.

Police in Cobb County tell TMZ ... Kelly met with investigators this week and she has been removed from the missing person list at NCIC.

Kelly's attorney, Monica Ewing, says cops also conducted a welfare and safety check, as is required in missing persons' cases, and authorities were instructed to remove her from the National Missing Persons Registry.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly finally addressed going MIA from her family and says while at one point in her battle with COVID she was medically dead, she was never actually missing, despite family members insisting she vanished without a trace.

The way Kelly explained it ... she isolated to recover from the virus and was avoiding her family, who she claims she doesn't really keep in touch with.

Kelly's attorney, Monica Ewing, insisted to us Price was not missing last week and was safe, despite Kelly's family calling cops to conduct a welfare check at her home earlier this month, which resulted in Kelly being listed as a missing person.

Blink-182's Mark Hoppus just got some great news on his battle with cancer ... his oncologist told him he's cancer free!!!

Mark says he just got done with his doctor's visit Wednesday, and the positive prognosis has him feeling blessed.

Hoppus adds ... "Thank you God and universe and friends and family and everyone who sent support and kindness and love."

Mark says he still has to get cancer screenings every 6 months and it will take him until the end of the year to "get back to normal" ... but he says the doc's news is amazing.

As we reported ... Mark revealed back in June he had been quietly battling cancer and vowed to remain hopeful and positive despite being scared about undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma.

Hopefully, for Mark, the cancer is gone for good.