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Kelly Rowland is passing on an opportunity to explain exactly what happened on the "Today" show ... and as she makes clear here, she only wants to discuss her new movie.

The singer was directly asked about her recent "Today" controversy during an interview Wednesday with WGN News in Chicago -- where she was plugging her upcoming movie, "Mea Culpa" ... and based on this alone, you can tell she ain't gonna spill the beans.

The news anchor asks Kelly if she can clear up what happened on "Today" -- because, as he notes, there's all these different reasons out there as to why she bailed on cohosting the show. Remember, some suggested she was actually peeved over Beyoncé questions.

Anyway, Kelly sticks to her guns here ... and kinda dug her heels in on refusing to talk about it -- and we'll be honest, it's kinda awkward. Check it out ... she says straight up, nah.

Kelly explains that she's not going to talk about it because she wants to keep the spotlight on her new Netflix film ... though she does say she loves the "Today" show and Hoda Kotb.

Like we said ... it's bizarre that continues to refuse to just address the elephant in the room. In fact, you could argue that her trying to ignore it is only making the legend grow -- and at this point, it seems to be all anyone wants to talk about ... even though she insists on just promoting. On its face, her strategy seems to be backfiring ... but she's not cluing into this.

While Kelly's not getting into the deets -- we did get to the bottom of this ourselves ... as we first told you, the true reason why she bolted from the "Today" set was, in fact, the dressing room thing. Namely, her not being satisfied with NBC's rinky-dink rooms to get prepped.

Some have accused her of being a diva -- but Hoda and co. appear to be falling on the sword for Kelly ... profusely apologizing and begging her to come back, while also publicly acknowledging their dressing rooms do actually suck. It's been a little cringe to watch, TBH.

Of course, Hoda and them have since invited Kelly back ... and they're hoping for a whole do-over, with refurbished and upgraded dressing rooms ready for the Destiny's Child alum.

Based on what Kelly's saying here ... it sounds like she might, perhaps, take 'em up on it.

Bobbi Althoff says she and her estranged husband have settled their divorce just weeks after news of their filing broke -- and yes, it was pretty freaking fast.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ ... Bobbi claims she and Cory Althoff have "reached a global marital settlement agreement" and have resolved any issues related to property rights.

BA asked for joint legal and physical custody of the couple's two children, but there are no further details about the settlement in the docs. She also checked the box requesting they pay their own attorney's fees.

Remember ... Cory filed for divorce earlier this month after about four years of marriage.

They both cited irreconcilable differences, asked for joint legal and physical custody, and wanted to block the court's ability to award spousal support.

Seems like the exes are on the same page ... a somewhat rare sight in Hollywood divorces. But, it makes sense given the reasons we're hearing the couple decided to call it quits.

Sources told us Bobbi's fame didn't jibe with Cory's desire to live a more normal, low-key kinda life. We were also told the split had nothing to do with cheating allegations that blew up after Bobbi interviewed Drake while lying in bed together.

While their divorce isn't finalized -- a judge has yet to sign off -- it seems it's only a matter of time before it becomes official.

A FOX News host is under fire for suggesting Donald Trump's new sneakers will win over Black America -- and one rapper from Detroit seems ready to cosign that message.

Raymond Arroyo was on the air and talking about DT's "gold" kicks -- which cost about $400 -- and he said something controversial ... namely, implying all Black people love sneakers, and because of that -- Trump's new endeavor will bring them over to his side in droves.

Here's what he said ... "This is connecting with Black America because they love sneakers. This is a big deal, certainly in the inner city. So when you have Trump roll out his sneaker line, they're like, 'wait a minute, this is cool.' He's reaching them on a level that defies and is above politics."

Naturally, Arroyo's comments sparked outrage online -- with many calling his sentiment outright racist ... and playing into harmful stereotypes that just aren't true. As many rightly noted ... Black people are NOT a monolith, and neither is any other group for that matter.

And yet ... Peezy -- who's got a pretty big following -- appeared to back Arroyo's argument ... hopping online to explicitly plug Trump's "Never Surrender" shoes, and even saying he's trying to get his hands on a pair. Indeed, he endorses Trump here -- and slams Biden as well.

Peezy put out an APB for a size 13 for the sold-out sneakers ... while making his political affiliations clear ... saying "F*** Joe Biden, I'm rocking with Trump," before adding a "f*** Kamala Harris" for good measure. He also said "Free Trump" ... so yeah, he's a fan.

Of course, Peezy is in no way speaking on behalf of others here -- he only represents himself and his own views -- but it is interesting that he's coming out swinging on behalf of DT and his kicks.

Big picture though ... Arroyo's remarks are being viewed as problematic, but by the same token -- there's clearly some Black people who actually dig Trump and his merch. Again ... not a monolith -- so no surprise there, really.

We'll say this ... if Trump is able to sway more African Americans to vote for him this year -- it probably won't be because of these shoes, specifically -- despite what FOX News thinks.

Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with aphasia and dementia -- the same disorder Bruce Willis has -- and the news comes ahead of a new doc chronicling her recent troubles.

The news came down Wednesday from her care team, who blasted out a press release with what they characterized as a very personal update ... which they say is an effort to bat down rumors and speculation about her health.

Her team says everyone already knows she struggles with Graves' Disease and Lymphedema -- but they say others started to wonder what was going on in moments when Wendy would lose her train of thought or act erratically ... and now, they say it's because of this condition.

They write, "In 2023, after undergoing a battery of medical tests, Wendy was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)."

Her team here also says this ... "Wendy would not have received confirmation of these diagnoses were it not for the diligence of her current care team, who she chose, and the extraordinary work of the specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine."

They add, "Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires."

Wendy's team goes on to say that they're revealing this about Wendy in hopes of raising awareness of these conditions she's been afflicted with -- but to also protect her from fervent gossip that's sure to kick up anew this weekend with the release of this new Lifetime doc.

The team finishes with this update on WW herself ... "Wendy is still able to do many things for herself. Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way."

Machine Gun Kelly's new blackout tattoo has really done it for Joe Exotic ... 'cause the 'Tiger King' star is apparently pretty into it ... and pretty into him too.

The Netflix star openly pined for MGK on X Wednesday -- from his account, no less -- by sharing a snap of the rapper showing off his upper torso inking along with the flirtatious message ... "A tiger and a bit of meth, I can make MGK gay."

In the pic's caption, Joe wrote: "Anyone remember that line from Tiger King? @machinegunkelly." As if his head-over-heels infatuation wasn't obvious, he shared another MGK snap meme, adding ... "Once you go Tiger King you'll forget about the Fox."

Yup, looks like Joe might have a bit of a crush here.

Joe -- who's currently behind bars -- already appeared to manifest their relationship and personally pleaded with the "Bad Things" hitmaker to help him get the hell outta prison.

He added an extra text caption over one of the memes, writing ... "Now that we're practically a new item. Help me get the hell out of here."

So ... he's kinda begging Kelly for prison help too now, something he's been throwing out there lately with certain celebs.

Unfortunately for Joe, MGK most likely won't be down to explore anything romantic -- as we all know, he's in a pretty committed relationship with Megan Fox.

Also, MGK explained on IG that his new tat was for spiritual purposes, and he wanted to steer clear of chaos from his life -- which probably won't mesh well with Joe's colorful and wild ways.

Joe might have to keep looking for his partner in crime ... MGK probably ain't interested.

Darius Rucker is a big fan of Beyoncé joining his genre ... saying he's loving her new country music, and hopes it finally lands her a coveted Album of the Year Grammy.

The legendary singer-songwriter -- who's one of the few Black artists who's broken through into country successfully -- was at LAX Wednesday when a photog asked him about Beyoncé's latest offering, "Texas Hold 'Em."

Darius is fairly brief and succinct in his review -- but he's clear ... he's digging Bey's twang.

He says 'THE' is a great song and even throws good luck her way over the prospect of Beyoncé's foray into country music finally earns her a Grammy award for Album of The Year ... something that's still missing from Bey's mantle.

Remember ... Jay-Z made a big stink about Beyoncé's lack of an AOTY award during a speech at this month's Grammys, so lots of folks are wondering if a country album will get Bey over the hump ... Darius included.

Of course, Beyoncé's going to have to beat out Taylor Swift -- and others -- to win AOTY ... Taylor's got a new album coming out too, and Darius actually addresses Taylor too here.

The cameraman asks Darius if he thinks Taylor should go back to country -- something that another bystander next to DR actually weighs in on before has a chance to. As for Darius, he says Tay Tay should crank out whatever type of music she wants ... ditto for Beyoncé.

One last thing Darius addressed here about Bey and country ... namely, John Schneider's ugly remarks about her last week -- when he likened her to a dog marking its territory.

Like many people ... he agrees that John's words were laced with a racist undertone -- and he says gatekeeping country music is absolutely silly. On the question of whether Beyoncé is a "lightning rod" ... Darius scoffs at that notion as well in this interview.

Long story short ... Darius is all for Beyoncé getting into country music -- he's definitely a fan.

Johnny Manziel says he withered from 210 pounds all the way down to 170 just months after his NFL career ended ... explaining his body morphed due to "a strict diet of blow."

The former Heisman Trophy winner opened up about his struggles following his Cleveland playing days during a recent, two-hour interview with Shannon Sharpe.

In the chat on the "Club Shay Shay" podcast ... Manziel admitted he was at nearly rock bottom once he had failed the Browns in 2015 at 23 years old -- so he turned to the Las Vegas party scene to pick him up.

Apparently, his trip to Sin City included a lot of cocaine ... something he says changed his figure into an unrecognizable one.

"At that point in time, man," Manziel said, "I would look in a mirror and I didn't see myself any different than when I was in Cleveland. Until I stepped on a scale at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, I didn't realize I had lost 40 pounds at all."

"I remember these pictures came out," he continued. "I was like, 'Damn. What am I doing? Ah, whatever, we'll figure that out later. Let's go again.'"

Manziel said in addition to coke, he was also using OxyContin and Percocets.

Johnny Football went on to lament other parts of his life in his talk with Sharpe -- including his strained relationship with LeBron James.

After Cleveland had drafted the Texas A&M QB, LeBron signed him to his agency ... and throughout his time with the Browns, Manziel said the NBA superstar tried to take him under his wing. But, while battling poor play and subsequent depression, he said he pushed the hooper away.

"LeBron would text me every week to come over to the house and watch a game or play poker with the boys and just tried to be there," Manziel said. "And I was so depressed for the first time in my life that even my biggest role model and inspiration in my life couldn't get me out of bed to come and hang out with him."

Manziel added that he still feels to this day he let the future basketball Hall of Famer down.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reunited down under -- and their first order of business as a couple was to go back to the zoo she was just at the day prior ... talk about déjà vu.

The lovebirds were seen hand in hand Thursday walking through the Sydney Zoo -- taking in the sights and peeping all the animal exhibitions. Tay Tay seemed to take the lead in showing him around ... which makes sense since she was literally there 24 hours before his arrival.

The attraction must've left a good impression on her, 'cause she clearly thought it'd be worth taking TK for round 2. Indeed ... she was playing the tour guide, as seen in these sky pics obtained by Australia's Channel 9 News. Heck, Traylor even fed a kangaroo at one point!

Now, they came off like they usually do as they moseyed around ... namely, super in love and tied at the hip. Not only were they holding hands, but they were locked in a hug a few different times as well. So, yeah ... they're still going strong and very into each other.

As we reported ... Travis was en route to Sydney Wednesday after hopping on a private jet Tuesday night from L.A. and making a pit stop in Hawaii.

Now, in terms of privacy ... it doesn't appear Taylor and Travis had the place shut down for themselves -- there were other zoo sightseers walking around, but they did seem to have their own little bubble without being bombarded by fans and gawkers. Thank you, security!

They got a few days together through the weekend -- however, Taylor will be busy ... as she's got 4 shows to do. Safe to say, Trav will be in attendance.

Ya gotta wonder what else they'll get into ... Sydney's a cool town, and there's lots to see/do. We'll be on the lookout for some bridge shots -- everybody heads there down under.

Have fun, you two!

The apple ain't fall too far from the tree with Cristiano Ronaldo and his 13-year-old son, CR Jr. ... 'cause the two look just alike -- even down to their shredded abs!

The proof's in the photos that 39-year-old Ronaldo dropped Thursday on Instagram featuring Cristiano Jr. ... giving his 622+ million followers a view of their physique during their workout sesh.

"Today with my partner ❤️," Ronaldo said in the caption.

The father-and-son snap got over 9 million likes within five hours ... and more than 76K comments, with one writing, "The king and heir to the throne🔥"

Of course, this father-and-son training session comes just a day after Ronaldo scored his 876th career goal in the AFC Champions League, helping lead Al-Nassr to the quarter-finals with a win over Al Feiha in the round of 16.

Like pops, Cristiano Jr. also plays soccer. He spent two seasons with the Juventus youth team before signing with Al-Nassr U13 last October.

And, as an ode to his superstar dad ... he also wears No. 7.

Elton John's swapping out that yellow brick road for another made of 24-karat gold ... 'cause a collection he curated for Christie's sold at auction -- and they fetched a bundle.

The legendary singer-songwriter partnered with the popular auction company to sell a ton of iconic items, and Elton made out like a bandit on the auction's first night -- with all 49 lots selling for a total of around $8 million.

Among the items sold ... Elton's silver leather platform boots circa 1971 for $94,500, prescription sunglasses for $22,680 and even his beloved 1990 Bentley Continental which brought home $441,000.

A series of luxury wristwatches sold for prices in the six figures ... and Elton even parted with "Flower Thrower Triptych" -- a painting by enigmatic artist Banksy -- to the tune of just over $1.9 million. The auction house says Elton got the Banksy piece "directly from the artist" ... which presumably means EJ has met the elusive man (or woman) himself.

BTW, Wednesday was only the first night of The Collection of Sir Elton John: Goodbye Peachtree Road sale ... more items are set to be sold off in person Thursday and Friday.

Also ... deep-pocketed purchasers who'd rather buy from the comfort of their own home will have about a week to pick up more one-of-a-kind collectibles.

Hoda Kotb is letting bygones be bygones after Kelly Rowland stormed off the "Today" set last week -- in fact, she's ready to bury the hatchet even further with a whole redo!

The morning news host told ET Wednesday that despite the disappointment of having Kelly bail ... she's willing to give it another shot ... explaining that she's been texting with Kelly since Thursday to get her to come back for a future hosting date.

Hoda seems to know Kelly on a personal level ... adding she's one of the NBC show's all-time favorites, and that there's no one more gracious or graceful than her. So, it definitely sounds like Hoda's not holding this against Kelly whatsoever.

So far, no word on whether KR will give the "Today" show another go ... but if she does, they're clearly gonna have to touch up all their dressing rooms and give her their best one.

In Kelly's defense ... HK's other cohosts -- Jenna Bush Hager and Savannah Guthrie -- also admitted their dressing rooms suck, and need to be worked on. They also explained that they're in an old, historic building ... and that it shows.

In fact, JBH joked in this ET interview that she's gonna be doing all the re-wallpapering 'cause she loves a bit of interior design. Unclear if it's actually gonna happen or not though.

We broke the story ... sources told us Kelly and her team weren't feeling her dressing room's vibe from the jump during last week's appearance ... and that they ended up bolting from the studio after a game of musical dressing rooms, as none of them were up Kelly's standards.

There were other reports she left over a Beyoncé grilling by Savannah -- but we know that just wasn't the case.

Mischa Barton claims she dated her one-time 'O.C.' costar Ben McKenzie -- and it's troubling since she says she was underage at the time ... a window she calls "complicated."

The actress shared her story on "Call Her Daddy" this week, saying that the onscreen relationship she shared with Ben actually took hold in real life as well -- something she alleges happened right from the jump when she first joined the show.

Check it out ... MB says she was 17 at the time, and that Ben was a few years older in his mid-20s -- and notes she was very new to all of it, as she hadn't dated much before him.

Safe to say ... the age difference came onto the radar of producers who were apparently concerned about it -- at least according to Mischa, anyway. She says showrunners were hitting up her parents ... and it was a "whole ordeal," as she puts it.

Mischa goes on to say she and Ben only dated for a bit before breaking things off -- and it sounds like she might've dated other costars as well ... explaining that a lot of people on "The O.C." back then were hooking up with each other.

Long story short, Mischa says she had to grow up fast while working on the series -- although, it doesn't sound like all of it was exactly smooth. The 2000s were a different time, indeed.

Gabby Petito's family has reached a settlement with her killer Brian Laundrie's family in their emotional distress lawsuit ... but the details aren't being released to the public.

An attorney for the Laundries, Steve Bertolino, released a statement on the settlement Wednesday, according to CNN, saying the two sides had reached an accord to avoid going to trial in the case.

Bertolino said the terms of the settlement are confidential ... so, unclear exactly how much money they settled for, if any. But, it ends a years-long saga that began when Brian killed Gabby in late August 2021.

The Petito family also made a statement through their lawyer who said the sides "reluctantly agreed" to avoid a difficult legal battle and "prolonged personal conflict."

A couple days after Laundrie killed Petito, he reportedly called his parents and told them Gabby was "gone" and he was going to need a lawyer before going on the run and sparking a statewide manhunt. He was later found dead, and the death was eventually ruled a suicide.

This call was apparently made weeks before Gabby's body was found in Wyoming ... a killing Brian later seemingly confessed to in a series of writings found at his death scene.

Petito's family is still engaged in another lawsuit ... as we previously reported, Gabby's parents are suing the Moab City Police Department who interviewed Gabby and Brian on the side of the road in the weeks leading up to her death.

Motocross star Jayden "Jayo" Archer -- a two-time X Games medalist and the first person to land a triple backflip in competition -- died this week after crashing during trick practice in Australia.

He was just 27 years old.

Archer -- a member of the renowned action sports group Nitro Circus -- was reportedly attempting to recreate his famed upside-down move during drills in Melbourne on Wednesday ... when he tragically lost control of his bike.

Travis Pastrana, Nitro Circus' co-founder, said in a statement to ESPN he was devastated to learn of the news.

"This really hit home," the motocross legend said. "Jayo grew up in a time when action sports was at its biggest, and he always wanted to do the big stuff like the double and the triple, even though there weren't a lot of places to showcase those bigger tricks."

"He was a great human first," Pastrana added, "a hard worker second and a bad motherf***er third."

Archer first began racing for Nitro Circus when he was a teenager ... but gained national notoriety in 2022 -- when he became the first rider ever to hit a triple backflip at the Nitro World Games in Australia.

After the stunt, he proposed to his girlfriend, and she said yes. The two were reportedly set to get married this year.

"Jayo was the epitome of passion, hard work & determination," Nitro Circus said in a post on its Instagram page. "He pushed what was possible on a dirt bike to heights never seen before. A positive influence to those around him. And above all else a great human being and friend to us all."

"Sending our thoughts and love to Jayo’s family and friends. We love you mate."

Natalie Portman finally addressed all the speculation about her alleged marital issues and cheating rumors involving husband Benjamin Millepied -- but she didn't offer any real insight.

The Academy Award winning actress sat down for a recent interview with Vanity Fair writer Keziah Weir to talk about her latest film, "May December," and a range of other topics, including her personal life.

At one point, Weir addressed the elephant in the room, saying in the lead up to the 2023 release of "May December," Portman's marriage was in the spotlight "in a very public way." She then asked her what that was like.

Portman didn't miss a beat, stating, "It's terrible. I have no desire to contribute to it." And that was that.

Of course, Portman was referring to allegations of infidelity by Millepied, who supposedly had a fling with climate activist Camille Etienne last year, but it soon ended. Other media outlets have reported rumors the two have separated over the cheating claims -- which the pair has yet to confirm or deny.

Millepied, a French dancer and choreographer, has been married to Portman for 11 years. The couple share two kids, Aleph, 12,  and Amalia, 6.

In the VF interview, Portman also discussed her love of living in Paris and L.A., going back and forth between both cities. She particularly enjoys her time in L.A., where she leads a very non-Hollywood life.

She said she hangs out with many friends who are not in the TV or film industry, trading in celebrity parties for backyard dinners. But she admits she still has some industry pals with whom she spends time.

Danny Masterson is settling into his third prison in two months ... and TMZ has learned why he's been on the move so much.

Despite reports claiming concerns for Danny's "well-being" were behind his recent transfer from one of California's worst prisons to a more humane facility, we're told that's not quite the reason for the move.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... there was no attack on Danny at Corcoran State Prison, nor were there any credible threats against the ex-"That '70s Show" star. There've been a lot of rumors/speculation that something might've happened to him -- but it's all BS.

As we reported ... Danny started the year at North Kern State Prison, a medium security detention facility in Delano, before being transferred at the end of January to the maximum security CSP, the same penitentiary that once housed the late Charles Manson.

After a couple weeks at Corcoran, Danny was transferred to the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo, a medium to minimum-security prison.

Like we said ... all the shuffling around he's been doing between different prisons lately had some folks wondering why Masterson was being moved around ... and now we know.

As it turns out ... we're told North Kern is just a reception center where inmates are processed into the California prison system ... so it's literally a starting point, and wasn't ever going to be his permanent facility.

Our sources tell us Masterson had a primary prison and a secondary prison designating where he would be sent after being processed at North Kern ... the primary prison was California Men's Colony, and the secondary was Corcoran.

But, when it was time for Masterson to leave North Kern, we're told there was no space for him at CMC ... so he was sent to the backup option -- the infamous CSP. Unclear if these were prisons Masterson himself chose, or if it's just where officials put him down on paper.

His latest move was explained to us this way -- after a couple months at maximum-security Corcoran, we're told there was an opening at California Men's Colony ... so the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sent Masterson there, since that's where he was supposed to be all along.

So there you have it -- he's been getting moved around because of logistics ... not for any other reason.