TMZ.com Home

Billy Baldwin is calling BS on Sharon Stone's allegations that a film producer urged her to sleep with Billy while working on a movie together ... suggesting she was actually into him.

The actor came out swinging Tuesday to deny a claim Sharon recently floated on a podcast -- where she alleged late producer Robert Evans told her she should bang Billy to get a better performance out of him in 1993's 'Sliver,' in which she starred opposite Billy.

In response to that, Billy wrote ... "Not sure why Sharon Stone keep talking about me all these years later? Does she still have a crush on me or is she still hurt after all these years because I shunned her advances?"

Billy goes on to claim that Sharon confided with her friend, Janice Dickinson, that she was going to "make him fall so hard for me, it's gonna make his head spin." Basically, he's making it seem like Sharon actually wanted to get with him while they were shooting.

Billy makes another startling allegation, writing ... "The story of the meeting I had with Bob Evans imploring him allow me to choreograph the final sex scene in the photo below so I wouldn't have to kiss Sharon is absolute legend." He teases spilling some tea one day.

Sharon coming out with this story follows years of her teasing being ready to reveal the identity of a producer she says was scummy -- and now, she's naming Evans as that guy.

Sharon went on to explain that she'd been told the acting issues with the movie at the time were being blamed on her ... all because she refused to sleep with Billy, which she says Evans apparently thought would make their chemistry better and "save" the flick.

She says she'd suggested other actors besides Billy -- like Michael Douglas -- whom she says she considers a professional ... so yeah, she's kinda trashing BB here too.

Donald Trump seemed to snub his own grandson at the UFC event over the weekend -- and the video is pretty brutal ... with the kid being left in the wind next to his mom and dad.

Different videos capturing the awkward moment have been spliced together into one clip -- and it makes for a tough scene for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner ... who were on hand Saturday to watch UFC 299 in Miami, something DT himself also crashed.

As you can see, when Trump was making his entrance ... he was hand-shaking and hobnobbing with a lot of notable people -- including Dave Portnoy -- but when he finally landed at where Ivanka and Jared were standing, things got a little icy.

Check it out ... Donald kisses Ivanka and hugs Jared, but when they try to present their son, Joseph, to his grandfather -- DT appears to turn away without acknowledging him.

The ex-Prez continues on his way without even so much as saying hello -- and Joseph is seen standing still in the immediate aftermath ... looking pretty sad. His mom goes down to seemingly console him before the clip cuts out entirely -- but on its face, it looks harsh.

Unclear if Trump was just in a hurry or what the deal was -- but in any case, he didn't give his 10-year-old grandkid the time of day ... and it seemed to hurt the boy.

We should note ... Don has been fond of and friendly with his grandchildren, in general, in the past -- including with Joseph specifically. He's been photographed holding his hand while walking across the White House lawn on at least a couple of occasions.

Ya gotta figure he loves the kid, but might've been distracted considering everything that was going on in the moment. He was arguably the most important person in the room that night.

BTW, Donald has a massive brood thanks to his five children -- Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany and Barron. He has since become a grandfather 10 times over.

Kate Middleton's Photoshop fail reportedly had at least 16 editing mistakes that experts could see ... and with the release of a new pic, more conspiracy theories are mounting.

The Princess of Wales' UK Mother's Day tribute has been analyzed in-depth by several different photographers who weighed in with the Daily Mail -- who collectively highlighted more than a dozen blunders Kate made while manipulating her controversial pic.

Upon closer inspection of the viral image -- which shows Princess Kate posing for a photo with her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis -- it's clear that quite a bit was changed after reportedly being saved twice on Photoshop.

Here is a full list of the spotted errors ... Charlotte is missing a part of her left sleeve; Kate's zipper is screwy; Charlotte's hair is cut off; Charlotte's skirt juts out; Charlotte's knees are blurred; Louis' sweater sleeve is contorted; Louis' right thumb is blurry; indent/distortion on the ledge; step behind Louis is distorted; Louis' finger looks cut off; George's blue sweater enhanced; Kate's hand out of focus; George's sweater sleeve has unusual lines. Phew!

With all these changes made ... many are now leaning into a new theory about when this photo was actually taken -- and what everyone in the pic was actually wearing at the time.

Online sleuths went back to December, when a video was posted to the official YouTube channel of the Prince and Princess of Wales -- which shows Kate and her kids doing some charity work ... in outfits that some believe seem to match up with this Mother's Day photo.

The colors of each person's clothing are different than what you see in the picture in question -- but some have suggested that's where the real alterations lie ... namely, color swaps.

There's another conspiracy theory floating around as well ... and this one has to do with the photo that surfaced Monday showing Kate and Prince William in a car leaving Windsor.

You can't see Kate's face clearly in this new shot -- it's almost as if she's looking away -- and because of that ... some have made the leap that even if this photo might be manipulated ... even though we've been assured by the photog/agency distributing it that it's authentic.

The reason people suspect this pic might be Photoshopped, too, though has to do with the fact Kate's appearance here mirrors an older photo she was in from back in 2016 ... when she was snapped standing with Will and Prince Harry. Some think the angle/image are identical.

It's an interesting thought, but TMZ's art department tried lining up the two images -- as many have already done online -- but they don't blend into each other perfectly, specifically around the ears. In other words ... it is very likely these are, in fact, 2 different photographs.

TMZ's art team tried duplicating the edits ... and, unfortunately for conspiracy theorists, it doesn't line up. So ... despite the speculation, it does seem to be different photos.

That's not gonna stop the tinfoil hat people from continuing to gossip/speculate though ... and anything short of seeing Kate hop on camera or come out for an actual appearance probably won't appease everyone who's fired up about this.

Travis Kelce took a pause from Taylor Swift on Tuesday to cruise around Los Angeles with a pal -- but don't worry, Swifties ... he was probably on his way to her pad here.

Paps snapped photos of the Kansas City Chiefs star while he was riding in a fancy Range Rover on a sunny afternoon in Beverly Hills ... and as you can see, there was no Taylor in sight for this outing.

Kelce was riding shotgun as his buddy steered ... and, yeah, the back seats were all empty.

The tight end looked pretty stoic without his GF ... rocking a pair of dark sunglasses covering up his eyes.

However, there were several people on the ground near his vehicle who swore it was on its way to see T-Swift -- if you don't know, the pop star's got a sweet pad in that hood ... so he for sure might've been heading in that direction here.

It's probably a safe bet, if we're being honest. After all, Kelce just traveled across the globe last week to see her perform in Singapore -- and the duo jetted all the way back to the States to hit Madonna and Guy Oseary's Oscars after-party in Hollywood Sunday night.

Some thought the couple might skip it all and have a whirlwind Spring overseas -- as Kelce's currently in his offseason and Swift's "Eras" tour is on a month-plus break right now. Alas, they came on back to the States and seem inclined to hang here in L.A. for a bit.

Still no sign of Taylor herself here in L.A. just yet -- but we're sure she'll surface eventually, with or without an umbrella covering her up. Trav seems more chill being photographed.

NFL superstar quarterback first ... Vice President of The United States of America next?

If things go the way Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hopes, that could be how life turns out for Aaron Rodgers, because the presidential hopeful confirmed Tuesday the Jets' signal-caller is at the "top" of his running mate list.

According to the New York Times, RFK Jr. said he's been communicating with Rodgers for most of the last month, and they've talked about the role ... and Rodgers is said to be interested.

Of course, the two -- who share similar stances on vaccines and other issues -- have grown close recently, with Rodgers throwing his support behind the independent candidate publicly multiple times in the last few months.

It's unclear, however, just how Rodgers would do his New York Jets job if he were to join the ticket with Kennedy.

The election is in November ... when football is in full swing.

The NYT also reported Tuesday that former WWE star and actor Jesse "The Body" Ventura is a strong candidate to be on the ticket.

The 70-year-old -- who has reportedly also considered Andrew Yang, Rand Paul, and Tulsi Gabbard for the role -- is expected to name his official running mate within the next few weeks.

Whoever RFK Jr. ultimately chooses, he's got an uphill battle ahead, despite polling strongly for an Independent.

Mark Coleman is retired, but he's not done fighting ... the UFC legend was airlifted to a local hospital after sustaining injuries while rescuing his mom and dad from a raging house fire.

59-year-old Coleman, one of the MMA promotion's earliest stars who beat legends like Stephan Bonnar, Don Frye, and Dan Severn, played hero Tuesday morning in Toledo, OH, when his parents and dog Hammer were trapped in an inferno.

Mark was able to get his mother and father out of the burning house and to a safe area before returning for his pup. Tragically, the dog didn't make it, according to the local fire department chief.

As tragic as it was, it could've been much worse ... the chief told reporters the roof of the structure collapsed shortly after firefighters entered the premises.

Although mom, dad, and Mark got out, the UFC Hall of Famer was in such rough shape that he had to be airlifted to a hospital, according to MC's good buddy, Wes Sims.

Sims added that Coleman was intubated and sedated, but provided no further update on his friend's condition.

The cause of the fire isn't yet known.

It's clear Mark has a close relationship with his mom, Connie. On Mother's Day in 2022, he posted a photo with her, along with a sweet caption.

"You are my favorite thank you for everything u are my inspiration. I love u so much."

Wes ended his health update like this ... "I swear to GOD-he’s one of the toughest individual ever created, been thru so much a Movie at this point could not give his life work Justice! Please 🙏 and Share! Life is Precious!"

It's not quite "How I Met Your Father" -- not yet, anyway -- but Kristin Cavallari's explaining how she bagged her much younger boo, Mark Estes, and like most things these days, it started with her scrolling.

Kristin spilled the tea on her 'Let's Be Honest' podcast ... she says she was casually watching TikTok vids in September, when she stumbled upon Mark's group Montana Boyz, and he caught her eye as the hottest one.

She then moved on with her life -- until fate swooped in 3 weeks later, bringing them together.

Kristin said she randomly got a DM from one of the Montana Boyz saying, "I love you" ... and she was so excited by the digital flirtation, she invited them to her podcast.

As Kristin was setting up the interview, her assistant dropped the bombshell the Montana Boyz were moving to Nashville ... right where Kristin lives! How convenient.

It's like the stars aligned or something.

Kristin kept the DM convo alive ... telling them she'd take them line dancing when they were in town -- before asking who in particular she was talking to. When she found out it was Mark, she responded, "Oh good, you're my favorite!"

Once together, the pair wasted no time ... going on a date just before Valentine's Day, and Mark even met Kristin's kiddos, who she shares with ex-husband Jay Cutler.

Right after their date, they started hanging out a whole lot more, and next thing you know, they were jetting off to Cabo together -- around the time their romance came to public attention.

At 37, the reality star adds that dating a 24-year-old wasn't part of her grand plan. Age is just a number, after all!

She's certainly head over heels for her man ... commenting "smash" on a recent IG thirst trap of him. Might just be the real deal, folks!

Jenifer Lewis fell from a balcony while vacationing in Africa a couple years back -- and she says the horrific experience nearly took her life ... part of which was caught on video.

The "Black-ish" star recounted this awful story to Robin Roberts on 'GMA' Tuesday ... and yes, it's terrible as it sounds -- as JL says she practically died from this accident -- which happened while she was in Serengeti ... this after traveling to Cape Town and Rwanda.

This all happened in late 2022, after Jen had wrapped production on Season 8 of her hit show ... and she was doing a little traveling with friends. She says things were looking up.

Anyway, when she got to Serengeti ... Jenifer says she checked into a hotel -- one she didn't get a tour for, she notes -- and that's when this nightmare unfolded. As she was in her room at night, Jen says she saw an infinity pool right outside on her own deck.

She thought she could just access it directly from the balcony -- but because it was so dark ... she didn't see that there was a massive gap, through which she fell a whopping 10 feet.

Jenifer says there was no warning sign that someone could fall there -- and goes on to describe the excruciating pain she felt ... once the initial shock wore off, of course.

She says ... "My right hip took the impact. My shoulder went up against the stone. A lightning bolt went through my mind's eye. In pitch black, I didn't know I was falling. nothing would move."

Jenifer continues ... "So I laid there and said, 'Move your body, baby. Come on Jenny, move your body.'" Eventually, people came to her aid -- but she was still in danger ... because there were wild animals roaming about, including a Cape buffalo that got very close.

Gap Band member Anthony Walker -- famously known as "Baby Gap" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Dr. Eric Walker, Anthony’s younger brother, tells TMZ ... the singer and musician passed away at an Ohio hospital last Monday -- this after he experienced complications from a neck surgery he was undergoing.

Unclear what exactly the procedure was meant to correct, or what went wrong -- but we're told Anthony died as a result. His sibling tells us the artist's life will be celebrated in his hometown of Chicago later this week.

Anthony's family tells us they thank his fans for their love and support during this tragic time.

Anthony joined the famed R&B/Funk band in 1979 ... contributing to the group as a dancer, choreographer and songwriter. Despite his late addition to the group -- which formed in 1967 -- Anthony went on to perform with GAP Band for the next 23 years as a core member.

The Gap Band notably appeared on "Dick Clark's American Bandstand," "Don Cornelius' Soul Train" and "Solid Gold." Anthony even did some moonwalking for Dick himself back in the day ... and he showed him how to do the cool move that Michael Jackson has popularized at the time.

In 1985, Anthony had a major music win thanks to a collaboration with Charlie Wilson -- the GAP Band's lead singer -- and bandmate Billy Young ... as they produced together the album "Billy & Baby Gap." Not only was it the first album released as part of a band member collab, but their single "Rock the Nation" hit No. 3 on the charts.

During his lengthy career, Anthony also collaborated with music legends Rick James and George Clinton. You'll even hear Anthony's percussion skills on Snoop Dogg's single "Snoop's Upside Ya Head."

Anthony didn't just make a splash with GAP Band ... he famously formed a break-dancing group, known as "Tidal Wave," in the '70s. They once even beat out the famed New York City Breakers in competition  ... in addition to nabbing several other awards during their run.

There's no doubt dance played a huge role in Anthony's career ... he taught at John Travolta's dance studio in the early '80s and even went on to work as a choreographer for Disney.

Prior to his passing, Anthony was spending his time performing with GapX ... a group formed by other former members of the Gap Band. He was 60.

'Star Wars' child star Jake Lloyd has been receiving treatment at a mental health facility for the past 10 months ... according to his mother.

Lisa Lloyd says her son -- famous for playing young Anakin Skywalker in 1999's "Episode I: The Phantom Menace" -- began his inpatient program in March 2023. She told Scripps News Monday, he'd been experiencing a psychotic break while they were driving home after making a McDonald's run.

Lisa recounted how Jake, now 35, expressed a desire to turn off the car, and unsettlingly, proceeded to carry out the act while they were in the middle of 3 lanes of traffic ... leading to a tumultuous exchange of yelling and screaming between Jake and her.

The incident caused a major traffic jam, prompting other drivers to call 911, and when cops arrived on the scene, they asked Jake a bunch of questions to get deets surrounding the incident.

However, Lisa says Jake was unable to make sense of the officers' questions ... describing them as a "word salad." Hearing a jumble of incoherent speech is often associated with conditions like schizophrenia, which Jake was diagnosed with back in 2008.

Jake was admitted to the hospital that day ... and later entered the rehab facility for an extended 18-month stay to battle his demons.

Thankfully, there's good news regarding his progress -- Lisa says he's doing great, even exceeding her expectations by relating to people better and becoming a bit more social.

2:03 PM PT -- John Barnett's family released a statement on their loved one's passing, and they reiterated his cause of shining a light on safety concerns that he was raising while at Boeing -- noting he was deeply affected by the lawsuit he was embroiled in, which they say was going to trial in June. His family says they believe his experience at Boeing contributed to his death.

The Boeing whistleblower's attorneys say he didn't appear suicidal before he died -- which is why they think his death is incredibly suspicious ... and are calling for answers immediately.

Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles -- who were repping John Barnett in a retaliation lawsuit against Boeing, which was well underway -- tell TMZ ... Barnett was in the middle of depositions last week in his civil case, a process they say was nearing an end soon.

We're told Barnett was in good spirits and very much so looking forward to putting this whole saga behind him, ready to move on. They add, "We didn't see any indication he would take his own life. No one can believe it."

They add, "We are all devastated. We need more information about what happened to John. The Charleston police need to investigate this fully and accurately and tell the public what they find out. No detail can be left unturned."

The attorneys explain that Barnett had filed suit because he felt Boeing had retaliated against him after he tried sounding the alarm on what he believed was them turning a blind eye to safety issues ... and alleged in his lawsuit they'd fostered a hostile work environment.

Like we said ... Barnett's case seemed to be wrapping up -- and amid reports Barnett took his own life in the middle of all this, it's safe to say his legal team is incredulous. Knowles was even quoted as calling the self-inflicted wound being attributed to his client "alleged."

As we reported ... Barnett had been going around and speaking very publicly about the issues Boeing had been experiencing lately -- even coming onto our own show, "TMZ Live."

He explained why he felt them getting the green light to hit the skies again so soon after the Alaska Airlines incident was dubious -- claiming this was in line with his own experience with Boeing as a quality manager ... a period during which he alleged he saw many lapses.

In the aftermath of our chat with Barnett, Boeing planes have continued to experience problems -- including something dramatic just this week ... with a flight from Australia to New Zealand beginning to drop out of the sky after apparent massive equipment failure.

TikTok star Leah Smith has died after battling stage 4 bone cancer ... and her fans who've followed her journey on the app are devastated.

The content creator's boyfriend, Andrew, announced the sad news Monday -- posting an update to Leah's 500,000-plus followers ... revealing she passed away earlier that morning.

In his video -- which has already amassed millions of views -- Andrew thanked her fans for all their love and support throughout Leah's tough fight with cancer ... which she documented extensively. Fellow TikTokers Katylee Bailey, Issey Moloney, Miah Carter and Ami Charlize have all expressed their condolences to Leah's loved ones.

At the start of 2024, Leah, who often documented her cancer journey, shared that she was struggling amid her health battle ... as her sickness had left her bedridden. By February, the social media star had reentered the hospital due to extreme pain.

She shared at the time ... "I can’t even move to go to the toilet."

Shortly after this update, Leah confirmed that her cancer had spread and that new tumors had grown.

As her health continued to worsen, Leah hinted that she was reaching the end of her journey ... detailing the crushing pain she was experiencing since her meds had stopped working.

Leah's brother Liam and friend Vikki took over posting for the star in recent weeks. In fact, just 3 days ago, the latest update read that Leah was "still here and fighting."

Vikki has since confirmed that Leah's page will not be deactivated ... but will remain on TikTok to preserve the star's legacy. She was only 22.

RIP

Neve Campbell is coming back into the fold for 'Scream' -- something she just announced after exiting a couple years back over pay discrepancies ... and a lot of drama since.

The actress broke the news on Instagram Tuesday, posting a photo of a 'Scream 7' script with her name on it -- and some other interesting deets about who's writing this, and who's directing (more on that later).

NC writes, "I’m so excited to announce this news!!! Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!! It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies. My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned."

She adds, "I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!! Well actually I could."

Neve goes on to say that she's honored to work on this latest installment with the original screenwriter for the first and second films -- Kevin Williamson -- who's now directing.

She finishes by saying ... "To the amazing Scream fans, I hope you are as excited as I am. See you on set."

Clearly, whatever pay issues Neve had when she first walked away from 'Scream 6' have been resolved -- remember, she first said the honchos behind the film weren't shelling out a wage that she considered fair ... and as a result, she was absent from the last movie.

Of course, in the aftermath of all that ... the 'Scream' franchise has lost two of its lead stars -- Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega -- so this move to get Neve back into the mix as the main character (again) is sort of a no-brainer. She's the soul of the franchise, after all.

It's interesting ... earlier this year, Neve strongly suggested she was open to returning amid all the chaos the franchise had been experiencing of late -- but also implied she'd only come back for the right amount of money. Clearly, they wrote her a fat check.

12:22 PM PT -- Philip Sokoloski of FilmLA -- the company handling the permitting for this shoot -- tells TMZ ... he was just informed by a colleague that they've gotten word the whole shoot that was scheduled for Wednesday is now officially off.

No word on exactly why, but we're told the production will not move forward. Any equipment that was out there between yesterday and today is likely to be packed up and removed soon.

11:37 AM PT -- Disney+ says Taylor Swift will not be in attendance or be performing on Wednesday during the shoot.

Taylor Swift and the Hollywood sign are going to be one and the same this week ahead of her big debut on Disney+ -- and neighbors there are pissed about it ... TMZ has learned.

Residents who live by the famed landmark near Griffith Park in Los Angeles are up in arms over a production that's been ramping up all week -- which is scheduled to shoot something big on Wednesday ... this according to the film permit notice neighbors have received.

TMZ has obtained a copy of one of those permit notices -- which, BTW, we've confirmed law enforcement is in possession of as well, with cops being put on notice that filming's going down the H'wood sign tomorrow -- and it spells out pretty clearly what's going down.

Check out the notice yourself ... it says they'll be filming for "Disney + TS" and it'll be taking place along Mulholland Highway -- right below the Hollywood sign itself. Prep for the shoot is taking place all day Tuesday, and cameras are scheduled to be rolling all day Wednesday.

Come Thursday ... that's when the production will work on breaking everything down and clearing out -- which is why we're told neighbors around there are furious over all this.

We're told residents in the vicinity feel like this is a massive eyesore, and not just that -- but it's creating a bunch of foot traffic and ruckus that's disturbing their peace and way of life. We're told there's been a lot of internal communication among different home associations and other orgs ... and let's just say, folks there aren't happy with the production.

Unfortunately for them, the show will go on ... and as you can see, there'll be some aerial photography happening as well. We're told drones are expected to be in the mix ... possibly a lot of them. BTW, before Swifties start hiking up the hill ... there's nothing in the permit to explicitly suggest Taylor is going to perform at this thing.

Of course, this performance would be happening one day before Taylor's "Eras" Tour concert movie drops on Disney+ -- although, it'll be a "Taylor's Version" drop, with 4 extra songs.

Disney's been plugging the hell out of this release -- and you gotta imagine they're stoked to be the company Taylor decided to release her film on ... 'cause it was a huge hit in theaters.

Makes sense they'd be doing something big and splashy to promote it even further.

We've reached out to Film L.A. and Taylor's camp ... so far, no word back.

Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld are now apparently so serious ... one of the NFL star's closest teammates just said he believes the quarterback is "in love" with the actress.

Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins broke it all down while appearing on Kay Adams' "Up And Adams" show on Tuesday alongside Taylor Lewan.

The 29-year-old offensive lineman -- who's great pals with Allen -- was talking about how the signal-caller famously split his pants in Paris last week ... when he insinuated the QB's obsession with Steinfeld led to the now-viral moment.

Dawkins explained that because he thinks Josh is so smitten with Steinfeld, he's been open to trying out a new wardrobe ... which culminated in the pants malfunction.

Then, he dropped the L-word into the conversation.

"You know your quarterback, man," Dawkins said. "And I know Josh, and I know Josh is not a product of his environment, but, you know, Josh is in love."

"Josh is in love," Dawkins continued. "So, if his girl is shopping and she's like, 'Joshee, try these on!' Josh is going to say, 'All right. I'll try these on!'"

Lewan's eyes got super big when "love" got thrown around ... but it sure doesn't seem like Dawkins was speaking in hyperbole.

After all, Allen and Steinfeld have been dating for around a year -- and while they've largely kept out of the public eye, they've seemed to spend a ton of time together. In fact, Steinfeld was seen traveling to L.A. this past December to watch Allen's game against the Chargers, before she jetted back to Buffalo to presumably spend the holidays with him.

Neither has publicly commented on the other much -- if at all -- but it sure looks like behind closed doors, a real-deal romance is brewin'.

While Kate Middleton and the royal family dig out from the Mother's Day pic scandal, the company that helped them pull it off is popping bottles -- 'cause Photoshop's suddenly hot on Wall Street.

Despite the Princess of Wales -- or someone at the palace -- having sketchy photo editing skills, Photoshop's parent company, Adobe, saw a spike in its stock price after Monday's trading ... affirming the old adage of any publicity's good publicity.

Here's the breakdown ... Adobe (ADBE) went from $551.69 on Friday, did a little Monday morning stretch to $552.45, and by the end of the day, they were ridin' high at $560.42. The numbers don't lie!

Business writer Trung Phan immediately put the company's $3B market cap to Princess Kate's claim she'd used Adobe's product.

Of course, it's unclear if the Kate saga really is behind the fluctuation -- but the whole thing is a bit of a coincidence.

It also seems like everyone's getting a kick out of imagining Kate as just another regular Joe, clicking away on Photoshop like the rest of us mere mortals.

One person joked on X, "I like the idea that kate middleton got a royal discount on adobe creative cloud and started poking around in Photoshop," ... and another added, "The Palace now upgrading to the full Adobe suite to fix the Kate Middleton pic."

Nonetheless, while a whole set of conspiracy theories are floating about why the royals doctored the pic ... KM's official Kensington Palace statement claims she just did a crappy job using Photoshop to improve her Mother's Day snap with her 3 kiddos.

Her apparent falling on the sword doesn't explain why the Palace lied, in the first place, about when the photo was taken -- nor does it shed any light on what's really going on with Kate's now 2-month-long recovery from abdominal surgery.