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While Ye and Drake's historic concert for Larry Hoover is giving their fans all the feels ... the feds are pissed the music icons are pushing to release a guy the government considers the "worst of the worst."

One federal law enforcement source -- who is connected to Hoover's case -- tells TMZ ... prosecutors are "surprised" to see Drizzy and Ye throwing so much support behind the #FreeLarryHoover movement, considering the facts of his case.

For those not in the know ... Hoover was convicted and sentenced for an Illinois murder in 1973. He wasn't the triggerman, but prosecutors said he directed the shooting of a man he accused of stealing from his gang. Hoover is credited with founding Chicago's infamous Gangster Disciples.

While he was serving 150-200 years for the murder, the feds stepped in to indict and convict Hoover for drug conspiracy, extortion and engaging in organized crime. In 1997, he started serving 6 life sentences in a federal Supermax prison.

The feds think that's exactly where he belongs ... but Hoover's backers believe the U.S. government outrageously over-sentenced him -- considering his federal crimes were related to drug distribution, and not murders.

Our source says the feds acknowledge there are lots of low-level drug dealers who got draconian prison terms in the '80s and '90s -- think Alice Marie Johnson -- who are worthy of this kind of celeb backing. Remember, Kanye even asked then-President Trump to pardon Hoover back in 2018.

Trump shot that down, and just this past summer a federal judge denied Hoover's request for a compassionate release. The 71-year-old has been in prison for 48 years.

Jussie Smollett is a guilty man, but the only thing Bola Osundairo is guilty of is having hot hands ... as he demonstrated in the boxing ring just as the actor's fate was sealed.

Bola's been fighting for well over a year now, and it just so happened he had a match Thursday night in Louisiana while a jury found Jussie guilty on 5 of 6 felony charges for falsely reporting a hate crime.

As you can see from our video, Osundairo was dominant, winning a unanimous decision against his opponent Ezri Turner. The fight was part of the 2021 USA Boxing National Championships ... Bola won his previous contest as well.

Minutes after the jury read its verdict, Bola's brother, Ola, shared a few words with reporters outside the courthouse ... but he didn't talk about the case, just shouted out his brother's fight and exclaimed "Nigerian-American lives matter!"

TMZ broke the story, Bola and Jussie were friends -- even hitting clubs together -- in the weeks leading up to the staged attack. Ola and Bola maintained from the beginning that Smollett had paid them for the hoax because he wanted press.

No Denver Broncos player should ever wear #88 again ... so says Brandon Marshall, who tells TMZ Sports the team needs to retire the digits to honor Demaryius Thomas.

"It's just fitting, it just makes sense," said the former Broncos linebacker, who played with Thomas in Denver for years. "[He's] one of the greatest Broncos ever."

Marshall is making the push for his former team to go ahead with the tribute following Thomas' death this week ... telling us Demaryius is more than deserving of the honor.

Marshall explains Thomas' resume on the field was simply that good ... but he also says Thomas' off-the-field actions warrant the jersey praise as well.

"He's one of the greatest Broncos of all-time, point blank, period," Marshall said. "He's one of the greatest receivers of my era -- of our generation. One of the greatest receivers in Broncos history."

"And, as Peyton [Manning] said, he's an even better guy."

While no jersey retirement is in the cards yet -- the Broncos already have plans to pay tribute to the former Super Bowl champion before the Lions game this weekend at Empower Field At Mile High regardless.

Head coach Vic Fangio said the team will wear helmet decals and play a video tribute prior to kickoff. He also said a moment of silence will be observed.

Sleighbells ring, are you listening? In the lane, snow is glistening ... and these stars are a beautiful sight and happy to be bundled up tonight!

Chilly celebrities -- like Nina Dobrev, Kendall & Kylie Jenner, Martha Hunt and Khalid -- are sharing their favorite freezing photos while taking a walk in a winter wonderland this season!

Celine Dion, Donald Faison, and Chelsea Handler are just a few other frosty faces sharing their fresh powder pics!

So, before you turn down building a snowman, click through this gallery of stars stuck in the snow making the best of being left out in the cold!

Things certainly got heated between DJ Akademiks and IG model Whitney LeDawn -- with cussing, yelling and even drink-throwing -- but Whitney says she NEVER pulled a gun ... despite claims to the contrary.

Ak claimed that during the turbulent interview, Whitney brandished her gun in a threatening fashion ... something LeDawn adamantly denies. The model admits to carrying a firearm, but says she never flashed or threatened anyone with it.

LeDawn now believes the only reason she was brought on the show was to be made fun of, specifically for having a baby out of wedlock as a Christian woman ... and thinks the gun claim was only made to help boost attention around the episode.

During the episode, Akademiks teased LeDawn about the gun, telling her to "reach for it" and "try it" ... but she says she never caved.

The model says Instagram deleted her account after reported "bullying" violations, but she claims she was only responding to hate from DJ Akademiks' fans after her appearance ... she added that she hasn't been contacted by the police or anyone from the podcast.

Don't let these two almost identical images of Chloe Grace Moretz leave you out in the cold! Strut your stuff to find out if you can play cat and mouse with all the sneaky switches!

The all-star actress was seen making her rounds on the press tour for her newest film 'Mother/Android' in New York City this week ... and we have made a few changes to the original pic! Use your superpowers to see if you can kick ass at discovering the differences between these two super similar snaps!

Nick Cannon is stoically dealing with the tragic death of his youngest child ... saying he will absolutely keep the infant's memory alive.

We got Nick leaving an endodontist's office where he had 3 root canals ... but he stopped on his way in and his way out to talk about Zen's passing. As we reported, Zen was only 5 months old when he died Sunday from brain cancer.

Nick got a tattoo of his son, and says that's only the beginning of what he plans to do to make sure Zen is in his thoughts and prayers.

Nick broke the news about Zen's death Tuesday on "The Nick Cannon Show" ... and his emotion was palpable.

He says Zen's mom, Alyssa Scott, is dealing with the tragedy as best she can, and he's doing the same. Nick and Alyssa kept Zen's health issues private during the cancer battle, so it was a real shock to hear the little boy had passed.

Nick spoke about Zen's passing several times during his show this week, thanking fans for their support and condolences.

Travis Scott's Cacti hard seltzer will have to find a new home if it hopes to continue, because Anheuser-Busch has made the decision to discontinue the beverage.

In an announcement Friday, AB said, "After careful evaluation, we have decided to stop all production and brand development of CACTI Agave Spiked Seltzer. We believe brand fans will understand and respect this decision.”

According to a report from AdAge, the company would not specify if the decision came because of what happened at Astroworld.

A source close to Travis, however, tells us the two sides had an agreement that was to end November 30, saying, "this is not a cancelation or creasing of an ongoing agreement." We're told the Nov. 30 decision was a mutual one.

Cacti seemed to be a marketing hit, selling out in stores and even causing a frenzy when TS hit a local grocer in Los Angeles to promote the product.

It's currently unclear if Travis will attempt to repurpose the brand elsewhere.

Jussie Smollett is now staring at a possible prison sentence after being convicted, and Kim has pulled the trigger on getting her marital status changed, STAT. So, we gotta ask ...

Kim Kardashian wants to move forward with her life as a legally single woman, and just filed docs to do so in her divorce with Ye ... TMZ has learned.

Kim filed legal docs Friday ... which if signed off by a judge, will make her officially single. She's essentially asking the judge to separate issues of child custody and property from marital status. Kim is also asking that her maiden name be restored ... aka, drop the "West."

It's interesting ... Kim's lawyer is disso queen Laura Wasser, who has frequently made similar moves with other celebrity clients, including Dr. Dre and Kelly Clarkson -- separating marital status from other issues. It allows people to get on with their lives ... settling other issues for a different day.

What's especially interesting ... just hours before Kim filed for a change in her marital status, Ye went on stage at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, and as he sang "Runaway" he ad-libbed over vocals at the end of the song to say, "Run back to me ... more specifically, Kimberly."

Kim attended the show, bringing the couple's kids North and Saint to watch dad do his thing and give some family support.

TMZ broke the story, Kim's already taken one big step in figuring out the property side of things -- buying Kanye out of their Hidden Hills Estate for $23 million. But, there are still other property issues that are outstanding. We're told there will not be any dispute over custody ... they will get joint custody and are committed to co-parenting.

One thing is for sure, divorce or not ... Kim and Kanye have, for the most part, remained a united front when it comes to their kids and emotional support. Just days ago they attended close friend Virgil Abloh's funeral together.

It wasn't the first time we'd seen Ye make a public play for his estranged wife, either. On Thanksgiving, he released a 5-minute-long video confessing to his issues with alcohol and times when he embarrassed Kim ... including wearing a MAGA hat.

Josh Duggar isn't the only person in the family experiencing legal issues, his sister, Jana, has been charged as well ... TMZ has learned.

Jana's been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, a court clerk confirms to TMZ. The circumstances surrounding the charge are still unknown, but we're told Jana -- the oldest daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle -- was cited on September 9, 2021 ... she'll be back in court next month.

As we reported on Josh, the former "19 Kids and Counting" was charged with one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography ... one of the images was allegedly of a child younger than 12.

Josh was immediately taken into custody, though his legal team says they'll appeal the decision.

The Denver Broncos will recognize Demaryius Thomas before their game against the Lions this weekend ... honoring DT with helmet stickers and a video tribute just three days after his tragic death.

Head coach Vic Fangio just announced the plans ... saying there will also be "a moment of silence and maybe another thing or two" before kickoff at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday.

"There's still 10 players on this team that played with [Thomas], a bunch of coaches that coached him," Fangio said Friday. "And we've got over 40 workers in the organization and the support staff that were around him."

"And just seeing and feeling their reaction and hurt just tells me what a special player DT was."

As we previously reported, cops say they found Thomas dead in his shower in Roswell, GA at around 7 PM on Thursday night.

The reaction to his passing in the NFL community has been overwhelming since the news broke, with nearly every major player in the league expressing heartbreak over the death.

Stars like Tim Tebow, Tom Brady and DeMarcus Ware have all penned emotional notes on their social media pages -- and the Broncos themselves have also released statements mourning the death.

Thomas -- who played 10 seasons in the league, including 9 with the Broncos -- would have turned 34 on Dec. 25.

Dr. Dre and Nicole Young have reached an agreement in principle to finally put their divorce to bed ... TMZ has learned.

The two had been at war over money for well over a year, Nicole wanted $2 million a month in temporary spousal support, and Dre ended up ponying a one-time check for $2 mil and $500k in attorney fees. A photo showing the producer and businessman with balloons that read "Divorced AF" started to make rounds on social media Friday.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us that no deal has yet been signed, and as one source put it, "This whole thing could blow up again."

Michael Nesmith, singer/guitarist for the famously famous 60s group The Monkees, has died.

His family said, "With infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully of natural causes."

Nesmith was part of the quartet that was manufactured for a TV show about a rock 'n roll group ... and the group exploded with hit after hit ... at one point even rivaling The Beatles.

Among the hits ... "Last Train to Clarksville," "Daydream Believer," "I'm a Believer," "Valerie," and many more.

Mike fought for artistic control of the group ... he wanted them to be a real group, not just one that's made for TV. Point of fact ... initially on the show, they didn't actually play the instruments. He once got into such a heated discussion over this he put his fist through a wall.

Mike once said, "We were kids with our own taste in music and were happier performing songs we liked -- and/or wrote -- than songs that were handed to us."

One of his biggest impacts after the group disbanded ... he helped launch MTV by pitching a show called "PopClips," which evolved into the 24-hour video channel.

His mom famously invented Liquid Paper -- AKA white-out -- which became a cash register for the family.

Now 3 of the 4 Monkees have died. Mike and sole survivor Micky Dolenz performed their final show together last month at the Greek Theatre.

Nesmith was 78.

RIP

Move over Kylie Jenner, there's a new 20-something billionaire on the block and he's kicking it in a house that would even make her blush -- a hilltop mansion with a view ... an $83 MILLION view!!!

This badass pad -- that looks like a mountaintop fortress from a 'Bond' movie -- belongs to Austin Russell, the 26-year-old founder of a company called Luminar.

Anyway, check out how he's spending his dough ... 20,000 sq. feet in L.A.'s ritzy Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Yeah, it's got 6 bedrooms and 18 bathrooms, but its best feature is that freakin' view.

The home actually sits on a measly 1 acre of land, but what an acre!!! Austin bought it back in July, according to The Dirt, which first reported his big real estate score.

As for how a guy so young was able to score this spread? Forbes calls him the "youngest self-made" billionaire and estimates his net worth at $1.7 billion -- a nice little nest egg he earned when Luminar went public a year ago.

Kanye West was electric in his return to the stage in Los Angeles, but also showed he's still struggling to accept his ongoing divorce with estranged wife Kim Kardashian -- begging her to come back -- so they can be together again.

Ye and Drake hit the stage in front of 70,000 at The L.A. Memorial Coliseum Thursday night, and to everyone's surprise, Ye played a ton of songs from his entire catalog. One of those songs was "Runaway," but Ye started to freestyle at the end of the song while the music continued.

Kanye continued to repeat "Run right back to me!" then saying, "More specifically, Kimberly."

The crowd went crazy with those words ... but it was the only obvious mention Ye made to his estranged wife outside of lyrics that were already written in songs.

Kim was in attendance at the show, bringing the couple's kids, North and Saint. Kendall and her boyfriend, Devin Booker joined as well.

Of course, Kim's been coast-to-coast with Pete Davidson over the last few weeks ... most recently, we saw the two celebrating Pete's birthday at Kris' home in Palm Springs before heading back to L.A. where they were spotted grabbing dinner and then breakfast and snapping photos (above) with a fan in the same weekend.