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Chumlee is a whole new man ... after practically losing an entire man's weight.

The guy from "Pawn Stars" tells TMZ ... he was tired of struggling with his weight, which constantly fluctuated 100 pounds at a time. He says it had been a years-long battle and he felt it was time to make a drastic change after getting all the way up to 350 pounds in January 2019.

That dramatic change started the following month when he went in for gastric sleeve surgery ... a popular weight-loss procedure in which a large portion of the stomach is removed to create a smaller stomach pouch.

This, of course, reduces the quantity of food one can eat while making them feel fuller even when consuming less food. The stomach size is brought down to about the size of a banana.

As you can see, Chumlee's looking slim at 190 pounds now. He says he went through the 160-pound transformation because he wanted to not only get healthy, but stay healthy ... unlike his years of yo-yoing.

Chumlee, who got the procedure done at Blossom Bariatrics in Vegas, says now that he's slimmed down he's committed to maintaining his weight by embracing a lifestyle change ... eating clean, healthy food and getting his sweat on.

The battle between Mark Cuban and Cole Beasley over the COVID vaccine is still going strong ... 'cause the Dallas Mavericks owner tells TMZ Sports he's still pushing for the NFL star to get vaccinated.

The two have gone back on forth on social media for weeks over Beasley's anti-vax stance ... and when we got Cubes out in NYC this week, he reiterated he desperately wants the Bills player to get the shots.

"Cole's a good guy, but, you know," Mark said, "getting vaccinated isn't just about you, it's about everybody else as well."

Cuban tells us he believes getting the vaccine is necessary to help protect at-risk people from contracting COVID-19 ... and he REALLY wishes Beasley would change his stance.

"There's 16.9 million cancer survivors in this country," Cuban said. "Three million-plus people who are immuno-compromised. And, when you don't get vaccinated, it's not just about you. It's about other people as well."

Of course, Beasley has dug his feet firmly in the ground on not getting the vaccine ... saying earlier this summer, "I may die of COVID, but I'd rather die actually living."

Beasley has been booed even at home this year in Buffalo over his comments ... but he's remained staunch in his beliefs regardless.

Kimberly J. Brown's looks are so good it's frightening!

Here's the 18-year old version of the "Halloweentown" actress -- who shared the screen with her Disney Channel original movie grandmother, Debbie Reynolds -- showing off her bright blonde hair at a film premiere in Hollywood back in 2003 (left).

And, 18 years later ... the 36-year old bangin' brunette looked timeless getting ready for spooky season with an appearance at Freeform's "Halloween Road" Preview Night in Los Angeles just last week (right). She looks so good you would think someone cast a spell on her!

Witch, please!

The question is ...

The 'Captain America' actress who told cops she killed her mother in self-defense just days before Christmas has been found incompetent to stand trial ... TMZ has learned.

According to court records ... Mollie Fitzgerald was found to lack competency to stand trial in late September. Her attorney, Jason Billam, tells TMZ ... she'll be returned to a state mental hospital for treatment.

We're told things are on hold for now, and her mental state will be reviewed every 90 days to see if she can regain competency to stand trial.

Billam tells us 3 mental health doctors stated their case and the court was satisfied with their findings. He said 2 of the 3 doctors concluded Mollie didn't have the ability to assist her attorney in providing a defense and she didn't understand what's happening to her.

That said ... Billam did say Mollie understands she's been charged with the murder of her mother ... and she also understands the roles her attorney, prosecutors and the judge play but gets confused about how the overall judicial process works.

The NFL season is in full swing and the new SoFi Stadium is getting football fans in the zone!

Los Angeles is chock full of celebrities lining up for yards to support their favorite teams who now call this field home ... including Don Benjamin, Sterling K. Brown, Kate Hudson, Leslie Mann, and Wiz Khalifa.

Rob Lowe, Rebel Wilson, David Arquette and Lance Bass are just a few other sporty stars cheering on the Los Angeles Rams and the San Diego Chargers.

SoFi Stadium had to delay its premiere events due to the pandemic back in 2020 ... but now it's making up for lost time with famous-filled seats and epic preparations for Super Bowl LVI.

Adele is returning to the big stage after a 6-year absence from music -- and if you were wondering if she's still got it in the vocals department ... here's confirmation that she does.

The singer previewed a snipped of her new forthcoming single, "Easy On Me," on IG Live this weekend ... playing a good 40 seconds of what seems to be the first verse and almost the hook. She cuts it off before it gets any better ... but the consensus is, so far so good.

The track is laced with a piano melody -- and Adele starts talking about how there's no gold in the river she's been washing her hands, but how she still maintains hope.

The song is also sung in the same soulful, operatic style that Adele has carved out for herself ... as she goes low, high and everything in between. This, of course, comes before she dives into what sounds to be a crescendo that'll probably top what we've heard here.

In other words ... Adele's pipes are still intact after years of no new music. If anything, she sounds as good as ever -- if not better. That's something people often wonder about when artists take long breaks from the scene when it comes to new studio sessions. Rihanna falls into that category ... Bieber recently did too, before coming out with his latest album.

Now, it's unclear if Adele was supposed to play this before the song's out next Friday ... because she (jokingly?) said her phone was blowing up, and that she was gonna get in trouble.

She's probably kidding ... and the snippet is likely part of a bigger marketing campaign to get buzz. Not that she needs it, really -- but hey, there's no such thing as bad pub for Adele. Especially when the product is as top-notch as this almost certainly promises to be.

Adele also took some fan questions ... and weighed in on #FreeBritney, Lana Del Rey and Harry Styles. She supports the first, loves the 2nd and thinks the 3rd is a "very sweet boy."

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West put on a united front ahead of her "Saturday Night Live" appearance -- well, sorta ... dude still seems hesitant to acknowledge they're rekindling.

The recently estranged couple -- who are still technically in the middle of a divorce -- were seen leaving a hotel Saturday ... surrounded by a crush of paps, presumably on their way to NBC Studios to settle in ahead of KK's debut as host later this evening.

Kim was leading the charge with her head high ... and Kanye trailed behind, obscuring his face and keeping his head low -- even though everyone in town knows he's there. Seems the whole low-key vibe might be an act ... 'cause moments later, he took a selfie with a fan.

They hadn't been snapped together in NY prior to this -- but considering Ye was spotted out and about in the Big Apple over the past 24 hours ... it was no secret he'd likely be in attendance for Kim's big show. Now, it's all but certain he's in the audience, if not backstage.

We've seen them hanging out with one another quite a bit lately on the West Coast -- so it's obvious they're working out their issues and, seem to be on the road to reconciliation ... which may well lead to the divorce being called off.

While we haven't witnessed any full-blown PDA between them just yet -- the fact that they continue to step out publicly is a good sign for their relationship ... at least on its face.

Matthew McConaughey says he's still not sure if he'll run for Governor of Texas -- heavily suggesting it's NOT in the cards for him, considering how little leg work he's done thus far.

The actor did a wide-ranging interview with the NYT's Kara Swisher for a recent episode of her 'Sway' podcast ... and it's pretty astounding how little Matt knows about current issues, and how unwilling he seems to be in committing to one side of the aisle or another ... or even expressing a clear cut, definitive view of what he considers right or wrong.

The one thing he did clarify -- after constant (and much-needed) follow-up questions from Swisher on where he landed/what he's going to do -- is that he's woefully unprepared for a serious gov run in the Lone Star State ... as he's only in the consulting phase right now.

Matt says he hasn't started forming committees, conducting polls or much of anything else yet that comes with getting a legit campaign started and rolling. Apparently, he's still just talking to certain people about the idea of running ... and the election is just a year away.

MMC also says this about the proposition ... "Who am I going to be? No, who -- who am I going to be? Where can I be most useful? Is politics an embassy for me to be of the most use to myself, to my family, to the most amount of people in my life moving forward?' He adds, "I could arguably have more influence as an informal leader than a formal leader."

He also called the current American political system (2 parties, seemingly extreme views on both sides) "broken" ... implying he was more of a centrist than anything, also saying in philosopher fashion that he continues to "measure" what avenue would be best for him.

What that measurement entails, exactly, is anyone's guess ... but Matt says he's "studying" the issue. Speaking of issues, he actually did end up weighing in on some concrete ones, after incessant badgering (and explaining of said issues) from Swisher. On mask mandates in TX ... for. On voter rights protections ... for. On the abortion bill ... against.

You can listen to the full podcast to hear how he explains his rationale for each -- some explanations of which are a bit of a doozy, and sorta hard to unpack. But, based on how he answers, McConaughey appears to lean center-left ... more than anything.

At one point, Swisher asks what he made of Beto O'Rourke saying Matt was an enigma, and hadn't made a lot of his positions clear -- something he thinks is essential to being a real contender in modern-day U.S. politics. Swisher said she perceived that as "shade."

A crazed gunman on an alleged crime spree in L.A. ended his trail of terror by taking a woman hostage -- only to be killed by cops who stormed in ... all of which is on video.

LAPD says this guy was on a criminal tear before fleeing into the Santa Fe Loft & Apartments high-rise building in downtown Friday ... running into a lady in the halls as police were hot on his trail, and forcing her into her unit at gunpoint -- barricading himself inside.

From there, a tense standoff unfolded -- but even prior to what you see on video here -- captured by another DTLA resident from across the way -- cops say the gunman was running amok on the streets ... allegedly shooting folks in a business, trying to carjack someone and even attempting to shoot someone in the head, with the gun failing to go off.

Like we said, this was his final stop -- and as you can see ... it was truly life or death, as the guy clearly appears to have had his own gun at her head while she was on her knees.

Helicopters were zooming ... and within minutes, a SWAT team was at the door, trying to negotiate with the man -- but ultimately decided to bust in and take control of the sitch, which they did. Luckily, the victim was unharmed as they unloaded their weapons on him.

She'd been moved to another area of the apartment, and was taken to a hospital afterward for an evaluation. Considering the violence this man is alleged to have inflicted before this ... it's a miracle the woman was left relatively unscathed, and walked away with her life intact.

The cops explained their actions on Twitter ... saying that based on what they'd been told the man had already done and the dire nature of the moment -- in addition to what they themselves were seeing via surveillance -- SWAT decided to take action ... and an officer-involved shooting occurred, killing the suspect on the scene.

Saweetie is denying partaking in colorism after an old chat she had with Too Short resurfaced anew -- pointing out that ... yes, she checked him and defended Black women.

This IG Live convo between the two rappers went down sometime last year, and for whatever reason ... it popped up on social media again this weekend, with folks criticizing both her and the Bay Area legend for many perceived as pitting biracial Black people against those who are 100% Black.

In the clip, you hear Short say that he loves biracial women ... and that he's never fallen in love with any woman who wasn't mixed. Saweetie -- at that point in the convo -- was just taking it in, without any real pushback in the moment ... and sorta yukking it up with him.

TS goes on to say that biracial babies are also the most beautiful ones, to him at least, and that no biracial baby can be ugly. While he didn't say this, per se ... the assumption is that other babies, perhaps, of one race or ethnicity could be less than cute, in his eyes.

It's worth noting ... the reason they got to talking about this in the first place is because Saweetie herself is half Black/half Filipino -- and she's also from NorCal, which they noted is pretty diverse, especially among the Asian community.

Despite that context, some felt Saweetie's reaction here -- in this particular moment -- was less than supportive of Black women, and many are even calling it anti-Black ... which she was apparently perpetuating by not speaking out against Short. She did, though ... just later.

Saweetie posted another clip from that same IG chat, and sure enough ... she notes to Too Short that Black women are beautiful babies, and do indeed make beautiful babies as well.

Kim Kardashian's burning the midnight oil to get ready for her highly-anticipated hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live," showing that no matter what she says ... it ain't easy!!!

Production sources tell TMZ ... Kim's been putting in 20-hour days since she got into NYC Monday night. We're told call times for the 'SNL' talent have been 5 or 6 AM all week ... and some of the rehearsals have lasted until 3 AM. Sounds crazy, but we've independently confirmed it.

Our sources say Kim's been a trooper through it all too -- no complaints and no drama -- and has been laser-focused on the task at hand. We're told it's very clear ... she seriously wants to deliver as host.

As we told you ... one of Kim's promos for the Oct. 9 show has her joking the job is "so easy" because she's got the good looks for it, but the truth is she's also been getting guidance from some of the best in the biz.

We're told comedy legends like Dave Chappelle, Michelle Wolf, Ellen DeGeneres, Amy Schumer and James Corden have all been giving Kim tips on what to include in her monologue, how to approach the skits and nail her delivery.

Kanye West will almost certainly be in the building when Kim Kardashian hosts 'SNL' and we're guessing we'll see his mug and maybe hear his voice during the show, but before the show, Ye had a chitchat over coffee with one Michael Cohen.

Kanye and Cohen were spotted at an Upper East Side coffee shop Friday, according to Page Six.

It's interesting for a couple reasons. First, Cohen -- who was famously Donald Trump's fixer -- has turned on Trump in a big way. Ye's feelings, on the other hand, are not as clear. As you know, Kanye loved sporting his MAGA hat and visited Trump in the Oval back in the day.

The other interesting thing ... Cohen is under house arrest after serving time for tax fraud and lying to Congress. He got in hot water a while back after dining at a fancy French restaurant without getting permission from the Bureau of Prisons, and it's unclear whether this meeting was approved or whether provisions have been made so Cohen can venture out.

As for Kim ... she's been pulling 20 hour days rehearsing for the big show. That sounds nuts, but it's true. She's been getting to the studio at around 5 AM and staying until 3 AM the next day.

As we reported, she's getting tips from huge names in comedy, including Chappelle, DeGeneres, Corden and Schumer (not Chuck).

Actor Kristian Nairn, who played Hodor on "Game of Thrones," thinks Dave Chappelle shouldn't make jokes at the expense of the LGBTQ community.

Nairn was on Robertson Boulevard in L.A. Friday when our photog asked about the heat Dave's taking over his latest Netflix special. He makes a case that he's not transphobic or homophobic, but not everyone in the LGBTQ community is buying it and some are calling for a boycott.

Kristian, who came out as gay back in 2014, suggests Dave should stay in his lane and not take shots at communities that don't affect him.

Chapelle couldn't care less about the cancel calls ... he made that clear earlier this week. And, he tripled down at the Hollywood Bowl Thursday night, and Stevie Wonder, Snoop, Lizzo, Jon Hamm and others took the stage and had his back.

Bill Maher ended his show Friday night with a message ... "I hope I scared the s*** out of you," and he delivered ... by laying out a believable scenario of how the 2024 Presidential election will go down.

Maher believes we are in the grips of what he calls a "slow-moving coup" at the hands of Donald Trump, and his evidence is really hard to rebut. As he says, Trump learned from 2020 that you can't overturn an election with the current players in place, so he's been spending most of his time trying to change all that.

The evidence is out there ... we've seen Trump trying to purge the GOP of RINOs and endorsing secretaries of state all over the country -- these are the folks who manage elections. Trump's also been active in trying to change state legislatures so his people are in place who can grab more power over election tabulations. And, of course, he'll be the beneficiary of the 2022 midterms, when Republicans are expected to regain control of the House.

As you know ... the House certifies the election and although Trump couldn't get the results overturned in 2020, the landscape will shift in such a way that it could happen the next time around.

And, here's the craziest part ... Maher says it doesn't matter who Trump is running against. Even if it looks like the Democrat won, the day after the election Trump will declare victory and the pieces will be in place to affirm it -- whether he really wins or loses.

And, wait till you hear him lay out what might happen on January 20, 2025. It's a set up for civil war.

Sam Asghari got his fiancee a living, breathing present with dual intentions ... to keep her happy, and to keep her safe.

Britney filmed Sam as he gifted her a Dobie pup Friday. He posted the video with the caption, "Surprised my fiancé with our newest member to the Family ❤️ Porsha."

As Brit trained her cellphone on man and dog, you hear him say ... "Her name is Porsha and she's meant to unconditionally love you and is going to be trained to protect you from any motherf***** that comes around you with bad intentions."

You'll recall, Brit's had canine issues recently ... she got into it with her housekeeper after the woman took Britney's other 2 dogs to the vet because she felt they were being neglected. The dogs ended up staying with the dog sitter for 2 weeks until they were returned.

It feels like things are lining up for a post-conservator life. As we reported, our sources say Britney and Sam are in the early stages of looking for a new house, though they won't pull the trigger until the conservatorship is terminated. That could happen as early as November 12, the date of the next court hearing.

There's been a very public back and forth between private investigators and cops investigating the Zodiac killer case over the testing of DNA found at the scene of a potential victim, but an email exchange obtained by TMZ appears to swing things in favor of the private investigators.

We've obtained emails from April, in which a member of The Case Breakers sent a message to The Riverside Police Department asking about hairs found clenched in the hand of victim Cheri Jo Bates. CB stated their investigators had identified a "viable suspect for a potential comparison."

From there, The Case Breakers tell us they were met with silence on the testing, and RPD refused to do a comparison between the DNA evidence found at the scene and the potential Zodiac Killer.

The email exchange seemingly goes against the RPD claim from earlier this week when they denied they'd ever received any sort of DNA testing or comparison request from CB.

What's more, in another email exchange obtained by TMZ between CB and RPD regarding the Bates case, RPD flat out said, "we can say without a doubt this case is not related to the Zodiac Killer case."

That statement is quite the opposite of what Riverside Police Chief Kinkead said back in 1969 when he said he felt the killer in the Bates case had many similarities to The Zodiac, including a military boot print at the scene of the crime.

As we reported, The Case Breakers announced Wednesday they had identified The Zodiac Killer as Gary Poste, a man who was living in Northern Cal and died in 2018.

Poste's family has not yet commented on the findings.