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Drake Bell's alleged abuser, Brian Peck, was seen for the first time in public since an explosive documentary trailer suggested he'll be accused of molesting the ex-child star.

Brian -- who worked as Drake's dialogue coach on "Drake & Josh" in the early '00s, and who's worked on countless children's shows through the years -- surfaced this week in L.A. as he tried covering up from the rain, using a blue puffer jacket while exiting a vehicle.

The showbiz veteran kept the jacket over his head as he made his way inside his home. Looks like he wanted to make it inside pretty quickly -- as he carried his keys in his mouth and darted into the house.

This would mark the first sighting of the guy since Drake revealed he'll tell his story on the ID doc 'Quiet on Set' ... in which he's expected to claim he was a victim in Peck's criminal case from 2004, when he was convicted of performing a lewd act with a 14 or 15-year-old and oral copulation with a minor under 16.

Unclear if Drake will allege both of these counts pertained to him ... or if someone else was in the mix. In any case -- this will be the first time Drake has spoken about this publicly.

Brian was sentenced to 16 months in prison and had to register as a sex offender. He's continued to work in Hollywood since that whole ordeal ... with a crap ton of credits under his name post-2004, including recognizable shows and movies.

Drake isn't the only former child star to speak out against Brian ... "Boy Meets World" alum Maitland Ward even told TMZ in February that she was always suspicious of him when he worked on her show, which also starred Rider Strong and Will Friedle.

Rider and Will acknowledged their relationship with Brian was odd -- sharing that they previously came to his defense because they believed his story about falling victim to "jail bait." Worth noting, they never alleged he'd done anything inappropriate with them.

Lindsay Lohan's renaissance is in full swing -- just take a look at the frenzy surrounding her in NYC this week while promoting her new movie ... it feels like 2004 all over again!

The actress was fully embracing her return to the spotlight Thursday while arriving at NBC Studios for an interview to plug her upcoming Netflix film "Irish Wish" -- which is set to start streaming on March 15 -- and if this doesn't scream A-list ... we don't know what does.

Check it out ... LiLo owned the moment as she signed autographs -- and let paps fire away for photos. She was even kind enough to speak with our photog to answer some questions.

We asked her how motherhood was treating her ever since welcoming her baby boy, Luai -- whom she shares with her hubby Bader Shammas -- and she actually gave us some insight into that ... telling our camera girl that she loves being a mom.

Lindsay's had her family with her while working here in the States lately -- even though she lives abroad. And with all these projects she's on these days ... it's clear she's ready to embrace the major stardom she once had in her youth.

It's pretty awesome to see, TBH ... sort of a full circle moment for her, and she seems more than ready to take it all on again.

Remember ... LL made a brief cameo/appearance in the recent "Mean Girls" remake and has also been confirmed for a "Freaky Friday" sequel ... so she's booked and busy.

Of course, she skyrocketed to fame as a child star in "The Parent Trap" and became an icon in teen/young adult movies thereafter -- but eventually, after some turbulence, she stepped away from the limelight and went overseas.

Oprah is gearing up to tackle a big topic in America in her upcoming TV special ... namely, the impact prescription weight loss drugs are having on society, including herself.

The billionaire TV mogul says she will address medications and their relation to the weight loss revolution in her new ABC primetime special, "An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution" -- which is set to air in a couple weeks.

Oprah's special comes only weeks after she parted ways with WeightWatchers following a nearly 10-year partnership, leaving the weight loss company on the heels of criticism about proudly revealing she uses a weight loss drug.

As we reported ... Oprah says she dropped 40 pounds last year, with the help of doctor-prescribed medication, though she's never revealed the name of the drug she used.

Remember, Oprah using weight loss drugs was controversial because she previously labeled medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro an "easy way out" -- and yet, she turned around and started taking them ... although it's unclear which of these drugs she's on.

The TV special will explore questions and concerns about weight loss medications' intended uses, side effects and their impacts on people living with obesity and diabetes.

In a statement announcing the special, Oprah says ... "It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity."

Oprah continues ... "This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment and stigma surrounding weight."

The Oklahoma high school under fire for a fundraiser that had students licking their peers' toes apparently wasn't alone  ... videos of another high school doing the same have surfaced.

New clips have started to make the rounds online that show students from a neighboring high school right down the street -- Edmond-North High -- that show their own pupils using their mouths to slurp up peanut butter off the feet of others ... with videos going back to 2015.

Not just this ... but as it turns out, these videos show students licking up armpits as well.

These videos suggest Deer Creek High -- the original school that was revealed to have done this -- wasn't the only educational institution in town that was partaking in the bizarre activity.

Folks who've been following this story continue to be up in arms over the situation -- labeling the whole thing disgusting and going well beyond inappropriate.

Deer Creek High previously denied any wrongdoing ... saying in a statement that students volunteered to do this activity and insisting no faculty members were involved. FWIW, the licking stunt has proven to be an effective fundraising tool -- as the school claims to have raised more than $150K for a local charity when they did this.

The answer is probably no for Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters -- who has launched an investigation, while vowing to clean up the "filth" in Oklahoma schools. Sounds like he might need to make the rounds and talk to all of the schools in his local area.

Sean Garinger sadly died on his mother's property after an ATV flipped over on him -- and now, his family is marking the space as hallowed ground ... and TMZ has the first look at it.

Check out these photos, obtained by TMZ, that show the patch of ground that caved in as the "16 and Pregnant" star was driving his ATV, causing the off-road vehicle to pin him underneath ... crushing his skull in the process and taking his life before help arrived.

As you can see, there's a mini-landslide on a slope of a hill next to a dirt road ... this is where Sean's mother, Mary Hobbs, says he was parking the ATV to make room for her car when the accident happened. Now, there's a makeshift memorial where Sean died ... with flowers and signs that say, "We Love You Squishy." We're told that was Sean's nickname.

Mary tells us they're planning a permanent memorial here ... which is currently in the works.

His stepdad, Dan Wolfe, is building the memorial -- and he tells TMZ ... there will be a stone wall with a laser engraving of Sean's picture, plus a custom urn made from black cherry wood, laser engraved with Sean's thumbprint, picture, birth date and death date. A garden will also surround the memorial when it's all said and done.

Mary says her son grew up riding ATVs, dirt bikes, four-wheelers, etc. ... and he wasn't doing anything reckless when he died ... it was a freak thing, and an absolute tragedy.

Of course, Sean was on Season 6 of the show with his ex, Selena Gutierrez ... and now -- their two young children will grow up without their father, something Selena is agonizing over.

Selena tells TMZ ... their two daughters, 3-year-old Dareli and 19-month-old Esmi, are too young to understand what happened to their father at the moment ... but she's glad they got to spend time with him a few weeks before he died.

TMZ also obtained some family photos and videos of his last visit with his children ... showing Sean lovingly interacting with his kids. Selena says he was "an amazing father who loved his girls" and his mom says Sean's daughters were his whole world.

Sean was only 20.

Joe Biden is going all out to make sure his State of the Union address resonates with Americans ... 'cause he's taking tips from former Presidents -- albeit, fake ones!

POTUS posted this video Thursday ahead of his SOTU later this evening, and he's zooming with a bunch of actors who've portrayed presidents in film or TV roles -- and yeah, he's got some big names here chatting with him.

Morgan Freeman -- who played President Tom Beck in "Deep Impact," as well as Pres. Trumbull in "Angel Has Fallen" -- reflects on his character having to deal with a looming meteor threat ... saying amid the crisis, people found solace in his message of hope.

Bill Pullman -- known for his role as President Thomas J. Whitmore in 1996's "Independence Day" -- looks back on his character's battle against invaders from outer space ... noting fear and chaos had a unifying effect on people.

As for Tony Goldwyn -- who played President Fitzgerald Grant III in "Scandal" -- he admitted his character behaved pretty badly while in office. But here's the kicker ... he advised Joe that if he just told the general public they made him a better man, they'd eat it up.

Michael Douglas, meanwhile, had some poignant advice to share ... emphasizing that love and compassion are strengths, not weaknesses, and urged Biden to utilize his first lady, Jill, to his advantage. He played President Andrew Shepherd in "The American President."

Geena Davis -- famous for her role as President Mackenzie Allen in the TV show "Commander In Chief" -- revealed that every week her character faced a new crisis, and the number one lesson she learned was that there's no crying in politics.

JB was clearly impressed by GD's portrayal, telling her she did one helluva job. And with a touch of humor, expressed his hope that his politics wouldn't make anyone else cry. The one big actor he was missing from the lineup is obviously Martin Sheen ... 'West Wing' anyone?

Elon Musk apparently doesn't like MacKenzie Scott's charitable efforts ... criticizing Jeff Bezos' ex-wife for donating billions to charities supporting women and minorities.

The Tesla founder vented about this issue (in his mind) on X Wednesday ... writing, "'Super rich ex-wives who hate their former spouse' should be listed among 'Reasons that Western Civilization died'."

As of Thursday, the fiery post is no longer available ... so yeah, he took it down.

Elon's message was actually a response to another user's complaint about Scott's donations ... which bashed her for giving money to orgs focused on race and gender issues -- calling it "the ultimate expression of the most awful group in the US."

On its face, this seems to align with Elon's recent railing against DEI. But this isn't the first time he's spoken out against Scott's philanthropy. In 2022, he linked hostility toward his companies to "Mackenzie's donation to PACs posing as charities."

Goes without saying ... EM's stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts hasn't exactly been a secret -- and he's also faced accusations of sexism over the years to boot.

As for Scott, her philanthropic efforts have been pretty impressive. After her divorce from Bezos in 2019, she walked away with nearly $37B and pledged to donate half of it to charity. She's definitely stuck to her word ... giving away over $16.5B to more than 1,900 nonprofits, as reported on her Yield Giving website.

Hollywood is rolling out the red carpet for the Oscars this weekend ... and we mean that literally -- 'cause workers are already knee-deep in prep work for the big show!

The iconic awards show will kick off Sunday at the famed Dolby Theatre in Hollywood -- and it's pretty obvious it takes a few days to transform the Hollywood Walk of Fame into an A-list-ready red carpet ... as you can see, people were already hard at work starting Wednesday.

Crew members came together to roll out massive amounts of red fabric in order to cover up the star-studded walkway. It looks like red and gold will be the colors of the evening, if all the drapes that are going up are any indication. No surprise ... that's usually the Oscars' theme.

Of course, stencils of Oscar statuettes are heavily featured throughout the space ... as if we'd forget which awards show we're watching. Point is ... they're getting the joint ready to go!

They do this every year -- but it's always fascinating to see what goes into making the venue actor-ready once cameras start rolling later this weekend. Clearly, there's a lot of work BTS.

Superstars like Margot Robbie, Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera are expected to attend ... as they're all big nominees heading into Tinseltown's biggest night.

Safe to say ... this thing will be backed with A-listers -- similar to how the 2023 show was.

That's to be expected, of course. Last year's awards show featured the likes of Austin Butler, Ana de Armas, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis and Cate Blanchett ... all of whom stepped out for the event and posed for cameras.

A Mahomes is dealing with a significant injury -- but it's not the one who gets tackled by 300-pound linemen weekly -- no, it's actually Patrick's wife, Brittany, who revealed this week she's suffering from a fractured back.

The mother of two announced the diagnosis on her Instagram page on Wednesday ... appearing to say not taking care of her body properly following two pregnancies led to the ailment.

"Just your daily reminder," she wrote in an IG story, "once you have kids please take care of your pelvic floor. Seriously."

"From: a girl with a fractured back," she added.

Brittany didn't disclose any further details about the situation ... but she seems to be handling it well despite the apparent severity of things -- even joking that a vacation with her hubby and her children "will maybe make it better?"

Brittany and Patrick welcomed their first child, Sterling, into the world back in February 2021. Nearly two years later, in November 2022, she gave birth to the couple's first son, Bronze.

Rita Moreno says that her heartbreak from her relationship with Marlon Brando led her right into the arms of another Hollywood icon ... Elvis Presley.

The "West Side Story" star recently told People that she accepted a date from the King of Rock 'n' Roll after Marlon left her in tears -- this after she says she discovered another woman's underwear while at his house.

Rita says Elvis himself didn't ask her out, but rather ... he had his longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker, call her up. The Colonel reportedly told Rita ... "He liked what he saw and he would like very much to meet you. Would you like to meet him?"

Because RM says she was shaken up over Marlon -- she quickly accepted the invitation.

Rita and Marlon -- who first connected in 1954 on the set of the romance film, "Désirée" -- were on and off over the course of their eight-year romance. Despite him breaking her heart on several occasions ... the Oscar winner still considers him one of her great loves.

As for what happened with Elvis ... their fling was short-lived -- Rita told "The View" in 2021 that she found the singer "sweet but boring." Still, it's interesting to hear all these years later that she only banged him to get back at MB.

Of course, we're not sure Priscilla Presley -- would agree ... she's called Elvis the love of her own life ... and their relationship was documented as quite momentous by PP herself.

Anyway, Rita eventually found her own happy ending with doctor Leonard Gordon -- they were married for 45 years before his death in 2010. Marlon ended up marrying three times in total before his death in 2004.

Nothing like a little walk down memory lane, huh?

Gisele Bündchen got emotional talking about her ex-husband, Tom Brady, and their high-profile divorce ... and in the same breath, she refused to discuss her new romance.

The supermodel spoke with 'GMA' anchor Robin Roberts in a new special that aired this week -- and she asked the one question everyone's been wanting to know ... how has she been since ending things with TB12, and what's her dating life like now?

Gisele was willing to address the former, but not the latter ... and while she responded to the Tom question -- she actually teared up, having to turn away from the camera for a bit.

She says she's in the middle of a transition that had to take place -- something she notes she never wished for in her marriage with Tom ... but which unfortunately became their reality.

Despite the sad ending, Gisele says she wouldn't change anything ... noting she's grateful for her 2 kids she shares with her ex, calling them the ultimate blessing in her life.

Gisele goes on to say she's in a new season right now, and is embracing it head-on.

In terms of talking about her new boyfriend, Joaquim Valente ... that was apparently off-limits during this interview. Gisele is never heard even saying his name -- it's just Robin noting that Gisele wanted to keep her personal life private ... even though it's clear what's up.

Joaquim continues to be seen at Gisele's pad in Florida -- in fact, they were seen leaving her crib on Wednesday ... and even Tommy was spotted out and about the same day.

Tom's moved on himself, obviously ... he's been dating Irina Shayk on and off for the past year -- and while we know he's questioned the timeline of Gisele and Joaquim getting together ... it also seems like he's over it and turning the page.

Gwyneth Paltrow says merging her family with her husband Brad Falchuk's was no easy feat -- admitting that becoming a stepmom was tough, and at times ... a pain in the ass.

The actress opened up about her blended family struggles while attending the Visionary Women’s International Women’s Day Summit in Beverly Hills on Wednesday. During the event, she shouted out her fellow stepmoms -- asking the crowd, "It's a bitch, right, guys?"

Gwyneth went on to call becoming a stepmom to Brad's teenage kids, Isabella and Brody, a learning experience ... noting that the relationship was difficult at first, according to Page Six.

Per GP -- who shares daughter Apple, 19, and son Moses, 17, with ex Chris Martin ... she navigated the rough dynamic by just continuously giving without expecting anything in return.

This isn't the first time that Gwyneth has hinted there were issues creating her modern family. Remember, she previously revealed that she waited a year after her 2018 nuptials to move in with BF and his brood ... so, obviously, the whole process was relatively slow-going.

As she explained to Jimmy Kimmel in 2019 ... she and Brad were simply trying to be mindful of their respective kids' feelings -- as they didn't want to move too quickly.

Gwyneth's stepmom experience is certainly different from Dakota Johnson's -- who has been dating the Coldplay frontman for the last six years. Dakota recently publicly declared her love for Apple and Moses, gushing ... "I love those kids like my life depends on it."

Andy Cohen is firing back at Leah McSweeney's claims about him -- but one specific allegation has got him and his lawyers fired up ... and they're threatening a lawsuit.

The Bravo honcho -- who was, along with the network, sued by McSweeney in an explosive lawsuit last week -- fired off a letter to Leah through his attorneys ... and they make it crystal clear that they believe her allegation of cocaine use against Andy is false and defamatory.

His lawyers don't mince words, saying virtually everything she said about Cohen in the lawsuit is baseless and false, but on the cocaine claim specifically they write ... "[W]e demand that you immediately retract and withdraw all allegations relating to Mr. Cohen’s purported 'cocaine use.'" If she doesn't, they say they're taking her to court.

Andy's legal team continues ... "To be clear: these allegations are categorically false. Mr. Cohen never used cocaine with any cast member on any Real Housewives show or with any other Bravo employee. The absence of any reasonable basis to make such allegations is confirmed by your pleading itself."

They point out there are no details included in her allegation here, which they think points to her not knowing anything concrete ... because it's simply not true. Her attorneys say they believe Leah levied this salacious claim against Andy recklessly just to get headlines and potentially a quick payday.

Andy's lawyers end by saying ... "The truth matters. Litigation cannot be used to create fake news. And it cannot be used as a vehicle to spread false and malicious lies, in furtherance of a shakedown. We demand that you issue an immediate public retraction and apologize to Mr. Cohen. Every day you fail to do so only increases the damages suffered by Mr. Cohen."

McSweeney’s attorney, Sarah M. Matz tells TMZ ... "That Andy Cohen had his counsel and PR agents write a threatening letter to give to the press is hardly surprising.  Mr. Cohen is accustomed to using his power in the media to scare and intimidate people like Ms. McSweeney so that they will not speak out. Mr. Cohen’s attempt to discredit and intimidate Ms. McSweeney to deter her from engaging in legally protected activity in Court is exactly the type of retaliation that this lawsuit was brought to address and only is further evidence for Ms. McSweeney. We do not intend to litigate this matter in the press, and if Mr. Cohen wants to address Ms. McSweeney’s claims, we suggest he do so in Court, not in a letter for the press."

A source close to Leah tells TMZ that she's flabbergasted that he wants to keep bringing attention to this in the press, rather than just letting it play out in court.

NY skipper Cole Brauer totally crushed her goal and made history ... becoming the first U.S. woman to sail solo around the world!

The 29-year-old from Long Island marked the achievement as she sailed into Spain Thursday morning ... tearfully reuniting with her family and popping champagne bottles from her trophy to celebrate over 130 days of being out to sea.

Cole's journey was all part of the Global Solo Challenge ... a wild 26,000 nautical mile nonstop race that kicked off from the coast of A Coruña, in northwestern Spain, back in October and circled right back to the same spot.

Throughout the journey, she kept her IG followers in the loop, documenting the ups and downs of the dangerous trip onboard her 40-foot monohull sailboat -- and there were loads of times the weather clearly wasn't in her favor .. but for Cole, it was all part of the adventure!

Cole also brought her followers along for the epic finale on IG Live ... and in her official celebratory post, she gushed: "Amazing finish!!!! So stoked! Thank you to everyone that came together and made this process possible. 😭😍🌈🤙🏼."

She had her eyes on the prize for quite some time ...according to her sailing profile, she said she always dreamed of becoming the first American woman to race around the world, mainly 'cause she wanted to make the male-dominated sport more inclusive for others.

And Cole's definitely broken barriers ... 'cause she was the only woman in the mix of 19 sailors -- and only 7 remained in the race after the rest dropped out along the way. So her feat is even more remarkable!

The UFC just released one of the most kick-ass fight promos you'll ever see ... but it's not for Conor McGregor, Israel Adesanya or Jon Jones -- it's starring Jake Gyllenhaal!!

The Academy Award-nominated actor is portraying a former MMA fighter-turned-bouncer named Elwood Dalton in the upcoming reimagining of the cult classic, "Road House" ... and Dana White's organization is clearly going all-in on its involvement with the Prime Video project.

The promotion's social media accounts posted a 90-second clip on Thursday ... and it's all about Dalton's pursuit of a UFC championship against a dude named Jax "Jetway" Harris (played by former fighter Jay Hieron), who holds the belt at the time of the movie matchup.

It features all the great stuff any other fight promo would have -- highlights, voiceovers and training montages (shoutout to Jake's shredded bod).

Of course, the flick worked hard to make any fighting footage look legit ... even shooting scenes at a UFC event in 2023 to give it the full effect.

There are some pics out there that spoil the result of the Dalton vs. Harris fight ... but we won't do the same here so folks can enjoy it on March 21.

Kathy Hilton believes her sister Kyle Richards' split from Mauricio Umansky was a long time coming ... and she expressed her fiery opinion on national television, no less.

Paris Hilton's mom made her highly anticipated return to "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" for part 2 of the reunion on Wednesday -- and she didn't hold back when it came to weighing in on her sister's marriage.

The veteran socialite speculated aloud that Kyle likely didn't rush into her decision to separate from the real estate mogul. As Kathy put it ... "[Kyle]’s not a compulsive person.”

With that in mind, Kathy thinks it's unlikely that Kyle would end her 27-year marriage over a few rocky months. The Hilton matriarch suspects her sibling has been considering the split for at least a few years.

As for how Kyle and Mauricio are doing in the aftermath of their public breakup ... Kathy made it clear that they're all hunky dory, doing their own things -- shouting out Mauricio's stint on "Dancing With the Stars" as proof. That was her view when this was filmed anyway.

Kyle -- who has denied rumors she's dating gal pal Morgan Wade -- has somewhat changed her tune in recent months ... as she revealed in an Amazon Live stream last week that she and Mauricio are allowed to date other people.

Kyle and Mauricio's split is set to play out on season 2 of "Buying Beverly Hills" ... the family's other reality show. We'll be tuning in!