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Jon Taffer says there's some guy prowling around Florida bars and restaurants pretending to be him ... and pulling some sketchy moves with women while he does it ... according to the federal lawsuit Jon just filed.

The "Bar Rescue" star says Vic Caroleo's been passing himself off as Jon Taffer in and around Naples, FL for more than 3 years -- and even brags openly all over social media about their resemblance.

He even boldly commented on one of Jon's posts about his new book, writing "My Twin ... so they say."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Caroleo's primary gig is as a television preacher ... and in parts of NY, his sermons air just a few hours after "Bar Rescue" on the same channel. Taffer says that's no coincidence, accusing Caroleo of trying to bolster his ruse ... that HE is actually Taffer.

Jon says Caroleo has even gotten credit cards with the name "Jon Taffer" ... and he allegedly used one of them during a dinner date in Naples back in January -- a move the woman he was out with found fishy enough to rat him out.

In the docs, filed by Jon's attorneys Bradford Cohen and Michael McMullen, they say the woman contacted Taffer's office, texting that "Caroleo, while acting as Mr. Taffer, 'was extremely touchy and inappropriate.'"

And, there was another similar incident ... when a different, anonymous, woman claimed she'd been sexually assaulted by Taffer in Naples. Jon says he was actually filming in San Diego at that time, but the woman lawyered up and sent a letter describing the alleged sexual assault -- claiming the guy reached under her skirt, and also tried to force her to perform oral sex on him.

These 2 very serious allegations were apparently the final straws for Taffer, whose lawyers Bradford M. Cohen and Michael J. McMullen say, "It has become all too common now for Mr. Taffer to be blamed for or associated with various acts committed by Caroleo as he continues to impersonate Mr. Taffer in Florida, unchecked."

Taffer also claims Caroleo's freeloading off his name ... attempting to secure free products and discounted services in various establishments.

Joe Alwyn is in L.A. while his ex, Taylor Swift, and her current boyfriend, Travis Kelce are in town ... and it seems there's a common connection in one Emma Stone.

The British actor surfaced Friday near a coffee shop in Studio City, where he appeared to be on his own and minding his business -- but by the same token, he wasn't really going incognito ... while JA was rocking a ball cap and shades, he removed both.

What this seems to mean ... Joe wasn't shy about having his mug out there, and he didn't appear to mind being photographed either. The dude's just out there doing his thing.

This is interesting for a few different reasons -- one, he's technically on Taylor's turf here, and not just that ... but she's out here in L.A. right now with none other than TK -- who's been a man about town as well. Of course, if these 2 were to run into each other ... awk.

Taylor and Joe were together for 6 years before they split up in 2023 -- and in the aftermath of her getting with Travis ... she's got a new album coming out that seems primed to take JA to task, at least that's what the Swifties seem to think anyway.

In any case ... Joe doesn't seem to care if he crosses paths with T-Swift and Travis -- 'cause, frankly, he actually has a reason to be in town, and it's work-related.

If you didn't hear, Emma Stone is gonna be in this new movie with the same director who just helped win her an Oscar ... and Joe's gonna be in it too. In fact, this will mark the second time that Joe has worked with ES on a Yorgos Lanthimos movie ... they already did "The Favourite" together a few years back, and YL is reteaming with these two again for his latest.

Interestingly enough ... Taylor and Emma have a good friendship as it is, and now -- Emma's slated to work with her ex, who's now cruising around L.A. as Tay Tay is on a lil' break.

Marquise Brown celebrated his Chiefs signing in perhaps the most fitting way possible ... rockin' out to some Taylor Swift tunes with a bunch of Kansas City fans!!

Just minutes after the former Arizona Cardinals wideout agreed to join up with Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, for the 2024 season ... he took to Twitch to memorialize the moment with some of his biggest supporters.

He started out by dancing along to some of his favorite songs -- before he took music requests from commenters in the chat.

Some suggested "Red Kingdom" and "Swag Surf" -- Arrowhead Stadium staples -- but others told him to play some T Swizzle.

And, eventually, he got around to it ... and it's clear as day he was digging it.

Brown swayed back and forth to "Blank Space" -- getting familiar with a voice that will assuredly be around a whole lot in '24 if Swift and Kelce remain strong.

Brown also took some time on his stream to thank several people -- including Andy Reid -- for making Friday's signing happen.

"I'm ready to work," he said. "I'm ready to meet my teammates. Meet the coaches. Get ready to work. Earn my stripes. Earn trust within the team, within the organization."

Don Lemon's defending his interview with Elon Musk ... asking people to watch the interview before they dismiss him -- and saying X would benefit from these kinds of convos.

We caught up with the talk show host in the Big Apple Friday and asked him all about his upcoming interview with Elon ... he's challenging people to sit down, watch the interview and let him know why he's not the right voice for X -- 'cause Don says he can't figure it out!

Lemon -- who says he's open to speaking to Musk despite his recent firing -- says he's giving the platform the kind of conversation he thinks it needs ... and he wants X to hire people with his viewpoint to further its free speech goals.

When asked if he'd consider the Shannon Sharpe/"Club Shay Shay" route -- DL seems to be thinking about it, and he's got nothing but praise for the former Denver Bronco.

As for whether his beef with Don might cause Elon to lose followers ... Lemon's a lot less sure. He seems to think Elon is uber-popular with his base, regardless.

BTW ... Elon's resorting to name-calling in this beef -- calling Don a "pompous fool" on X Friday before saying he's still got the right to share the interview on X when it drops.

Don's on his full rollout tour right now -- sharing bits and pieces of his interview set for release on YouTube and X on Monday, and he shared a particularly wild clip on "The View" Friday.

Check out the latest clip he dropped on "The View" ... Don asks EM if he values women and minority pilots less than men, and Elon says no -- but he also cites replies on his platform as alleged evidence standards are being lowered to include them in the profession.

All in all, not really a great look for the X CEO ... and it seems like this is just the very tip of the controversy iceberg.

Luke Bryan's Nashville bar says Riley Strain only had one drink while at their establishment last week -- denying overserving claims and other narratives that have been floated.

A rep for the TC Restaurant Group and Luke's 32 Bridge tells TMZ ... they quickly provided cops with any and all pertinent information in helping track Riley's whereabouts when he first disappeared last Friday -- including handing over all the surveillance footage they had.

They go on to say they also forked over receipts, transaction records and time stamps to prove what exactly he drank while in the building ... and as it turns out, they're saying he only purchased and was served one alcoholic drink.

In addition to the boozy beverage, Luke's 32 Bridge says Riley was also given two waters.

Despite this, they say their security team made a decision around 9:35 PM that Riley needed to go -- based on their conduct standards, they say -- and the muscle escorted him to the front of the venue ... where they say he was accompanied by one person in his party.

They also claim the dude who came downstairs with him did not exit with Riley, but instead ... returned upstairs without him. This is different than what Riley's family has said in interviews ... where his father seemed to suggest his friends had been blocked from leaving.

Ryan Gilbert, Riley's dad, told FOX17 ... "He was put out of the bar by himself, and there was a time that went by that his friend wasn’t able to get out. We believe they were taking care of the bar tab or whatnot. By the time they got outside, he just wasn’t there any longer."

On its face, it would appear the dad was putting some blame on the bar -- and even when police first relayed what had allegedly happened ... they said they'd been told Riley was overserved, something Luke's 32 Bridge is now explicitly refuting with their information.

Of course, this comes on the heels of the TABC opening an investigation into claims that the bar gave him one drink too many -- with a misdemeanor charge on the table. They made clear that it's against the law to serve someone alcohol who is visibly intoxicated.

That seems to be the lingering question here ... was Riley obviously drunk to the bar staff?

Luke himself has already addressed the tragic story in the wake of Riley's week-long disappearance -- he posted a message asking for prayers and noting his bar was cooperating with the authorities. Officials have scoured the Nashville area looking for Riley, with no luck.

Cops are asking anyone with reliable information on Riley's whereabouts to call 615-742-7463.

Larry H. Parker -- the famous auto accident and personal injury attorney known for his iconic commercials in the '80s and '90s -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The famed attorney's longtime law firm partner, Ron Beck, confirmed to us Friday that Larry had passed away ... but wouldn't elaborate on details -- including where, when or under what circumstances.

Larry's daughter-in-law, Alissa, also told us the sad news was true -- but she wouldn't reveal more either ... telling us the family is considering their next steps.

We're hearing he may have died as recently as this week, although it's not 100% clear. In any case, it's a huge blow to the legal community ... as LHP was a titan in the industry.

People in and around Los Angeles -- and even in the greater Southern California area -- know Parker well ... if not for his TV ads, then for his many billboards all over the region. If you've been on the 405 in L.A., you've very likely passed by and seen Larry's face.

He's the founder of the Law Offices of Larry H. Parker -- which mostly specializes in taking cases for people who've been in car accidents, but which takes a variety of injury-related cases. His firm has been up and running for at least 50 years ... so he's an L.A. staple.

Larry opened his law office in the '70s, and it's gone on to become one of the biggest in America -- which now employs over 150 lawyers, all of whom work under Larry's brand.

His approach to promoting his services pierced pop culture and arguably served as the blueprint for many other attorneys (and spoofs) seeking to reach an audience. You could say that the spirit of his straightforward legal ads has gone on to inspire several iterations ... both fictional and real. The 'SNL' Green & Fazio sketch seems to have been inspired by Larry's work, and ditto for 'Better Call Saul.'

Of course, there are countless other real-life lawyers who've followed in his footprints all over the country ... buying up billboards, ad space and airtime to let people know they're ready to take a case and go to court for the public.

His slogan was "We'll Fight for You!" ... and safe to say, it's burned into the American psyche.

Larry was 75.

Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper couldn't keep their hands off each other on date night ... lockin' lips repeatedly while out to dinner with friends in New York City.

The happy couple hit up Via Carota Thursday night and shared a whole lot more than appetizers at the table ... just check out the pics, Gigi's got a pretty firm grasp of Brad's face while they're lip-to-lip and smoochin'.

In fact, the two of them were sorta the picturesque model of lovebirds at an Italian restaurant ... repeatedly kissing not just in front of the cameras but also for all their close friends to see.

So, yeah ... they definitely wanted to show off some PDA here, and on its face -- this feels like them coming out and confirming for everyone, we're an item.

The date didn't end with dinner either, BTW ... BC and GH also strolled around town with Brad walking a dog while Hadid chatted up her close friend Tan France.

Gigi and Bradley's sightings are becoming pretty commonplace ... remember, she hit up Bradley's new cheesesteak food truck in December and grabbed dinner with him and his mom after the Globes in January. With that said, we've never seen them quite like this.

Rumors about the couple first started to swirl in early October -- following her romantic entanglement with Leonardo DiCaprio -- and that only kicked into higher gear when they decided to take a weekend getaway after they were seen out to dinner together.

They've stayed pretty mum on their relationship overall ... but now, these pics from Thursday night seem to be a hard launch of their relationship -- something Brad was reportedly supposed to do at the Oscars, which never happened.

12:31 PM PT -- Cara Delevingne has addressed the fire at her home, but she worried a lot of people by insinuating that her cats had died in the blaze ... something she's now clarified as not being the case.

At first, Cara posted a photo of two Persian kitties of hers with the caption ... "My heart if broken today ... I cannot believe it. Life can change in a blink of an eye. So cherish what you have."

She then posted B-roll footage that was taken at her property and sent to her, and another message that read, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the firefighters and people that have showed up to help."

Of course, her cat post startled many ... leading them to believe her pets had perished in the fire. But, Cara has set the record straight.

She posted a second photo of the cats, and wrote ... "They are alive!! Thank you to the firefighters." Phew!

8:48 AM PT -- Harrowing video of Cara Delevingne's Hollywood Hills mansion, shot this morning, shows just how catastrophic the fire was. You can still see smoke embers rising from the home.

Cara Delevingne's Los Angeles-area home caught on fire this week in the dead of night -- and it turned out to be a massive blaze that required the cavalry to be called in.

The model's massive property in Studio City was ablaze early Friday morning -- around 3:52 AM, we're told -- which required a massive response from the fire department ... with firefighters rushing in with hoses to put out flames that had overtaken much of the home.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a 911 call for a fire first came in around 3:57 AM PST, and when the fire crews showed up, we're told they came to realize that a backroom of some sort on the property caught on fire -- although it's unclear what the cause is for now.

In any case, this was a big one ... we're told the fire spread up into the attic and our sources say part of the roof even collapsed. We're told it took firefighters upwards of 2 hours to get it contained and fully put it out. Not just that, but our sources say some injuries occurred.

We're told one firefighter fell off a ladder trying to put out the blaze and was hurt -- although it's unclear to what extent -- and our sources say an occupant at the home was treated for smoke inhalation as well.

We know Cara was not on the scene ... she's in England right now, and was photographed out and about on Thursday. Cara's been performing there at the Playhouse Theatre all week.

We can't understate how big of a fire this was, as it required a huge response. In total ... we're told 94 total firefighters showed up to fight the blaze in 13 different engines that arrived on the scene. Our sources say 4 ambulances were also sent to the property.

It goes without saying, Cara's home here is a beaut and was actually featured in an Architectural Digest spread in 2021 -- where she and and her sister gave a tour of the grounds, including their remodel of the inside. It's a 4-bed, 6-bath home that's over 8,000 sq. feet.

It includes just about all the bells and whistles of luxury in Los Angeles.

Interesting tidbit -- this home was originally built in 1941 for a famous family ... the Von der Ahes, the founders of the Vons supermarket chain. So yeah, there's history for this house.

We've reached out to her camp ... so far, no word back.

11:35 AM PT -- Bunnie XO just took to Facebook to address the accusations that Kalista's mother made the whole story up saying, "I cut the sale short yesterday after an hour because a lot of the things were coming forward about the mom. Tons of accusations with zero documentation."

She continued, "The proceeds from the shirts that were sold yesterday will be put into a trust fund for her. I'm working out the details w my accountant & lawyer as we speak about that. I also want the record to reflect that her mom has never once asked me for money. She's always maintained that this is about her daughter."

She concluded, "I love all y'all so much for supporting this little girl & showing her that when ppl come together our voices can be heard loud & clear. Excited for y'all to get your shirts & rep them!"

Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO are standing by a Tennessee middle schooler who was allegedly disciplined for drawing the famous couple for a school project by creating a T-shirt with the girl's design.

The Grammy nominee's wife released the new limited-time merch on her Patreon site ... where it appears the $32 tee sold out within the 24-hour sale window. The website asked for purchasers' patience, as they cited high demand for the 2-week delivery timeline.

We're told all proceeds from the shirt are going toward a college fund for the girl, whose name is Kalista.

ICYMI ... Bunnie spoke out earlier this week after she had learned about Kalista's drama at school. She said that she learned Kalista had gotten suspended for drawing Jelly and Bunnie for her school inspiration project -- slamming the school for punishing Kalista for simply respecting their resilience.

Remember, Jelly has become a mental health advocate through his music after overcoming his drug addiction.

While the school has since refuted the fact that Kalista was ever suspended ... the middle schooler's mom, Delisa Patrick, clarified her daughter was sent home from school after handing in her assignment. She also noted this situation occurred last year, even though the story's just taking off now.

As Delisa put it ... Kalista was previously warned to not select the A-list couple for the homework assignment since they were viewed as inappropriate. Delisa shared she stood by her daughter's decision since Jelly has such an inspiring story about turning his life around.

Kalista returned to school the next day, but allegedly had to be picked up again as she was facing bullying over the project.

Delisa applauded Jelly and Bunnie for standing by her daughter ... but asked people following the situation to not harass the school on behalf of Kalista.

Kristen Stewart's new film is apparently pretty hot -- 'cause a Michigan moviegoer was arrested this week for allegedly exposing himself during the flick ... TMZ has confirmed.

A 33-year-old man got busted Thursday by cops in Southgate, MI -- near Detroit -- after they got a call that this dude had fallen asleep in a theater during a screening of KS' "Love Lies Bleeding" ... with the obvious problem being that his penis was out and exposed, which was photographed.

Somebody uploaded a pic that appears to show the man in question passed out in his seat at the theater -- and it looks like this was taken after the credits rolled and lights came on.

The eyewitness claims the man masturbated and then fell asleep -- but cops didn't quite go there. All they're saying is that the guy they arrested was allegedly intoxicated -- BTW, you can see what seems to be booze in the photo -- and that he was refusing to leave.

Southgate PD also claims they found illegal substances on him. In the end, he was booked for possession of narcotics, indecent exposure, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

If you're unfamiliar with what this flick is all about -- it basically follows a lesbian love story between Kristen and Katy O'Brian's character ... with a noir crime plot in between. There's a lot of strong sex scenes in the first 45 minutes of the movie, but none really after that.

So, perhaps this guy got a little happy in the first half of the film -- and then started snoozing as the rest of it played .. without putting his little friend away, of course.

Kristen has been wearing some out-there outfits lately to promote the film ... but you just can't buy this type of publicity. Ya gotta figure folks will be dying to see it now ... hopefully not spanking any monkeys, though. We left porno theaters back in the 20th century, y'all.

Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli weren't gonna let a group of rowdy climate protesters ruin their Broadway play -- 'cause in the middle of an outburst ... they kept on acting!

A couple climate activists representing the group Extinction Rebellion NYC jumped up to warn about the dangers of climate change during a performance of "An Enemy of the People" Thursday night ... and in the middle of JS and MI's show, things got loud quickly.

The protesters were shouting about government failures and the dying planet -- but, they chose a time when the play called for some audience engagement ... and some in the crowd seemed to think it was part of the show initially.

You see, "An Enemy of the People" follows a man -- in this case, played by Strong -- who tells an inconvenient truth and is crucified by his town ... reality imitating art, no doubt.

You can even hear Strong in one of the videos saying to let the protesters continue ... clearly staying in character while Imperioli literally shoved the man up the stairs -- totally in line with his character who is hoping to sweep the truth under the rug.

Of course ... the audience ultimately realized the protest wasn't actually part of the show -- but in the moment, it looks like a lot of people believed it was all an act.

It's a pretty slick way to protest ... especially when compared to stunts other climate activists have pulled -- like the London protesters who disrupted Les Misérables or the dude who glued himself to the ground at the U.S. Open last summer.

Unclear what charges, if any, the protesters may face over this incident ... but it sounds like the show kept right on going. So ... no harm, no foul?

Kim Kardashian and Bianca Censori were once again in the same space -- as they both descended upon Kanye West's Rolling Loud set ... where young North was in the mix.

The Kardashian-West family was looking very blended and kumbaya Thursday evening, where Ye and co. were scheduled to perform at the L.A. music festival ... and where North was also set to do her thing for the 'Vultures' song she's on with her dad, called "Talking."

Just like a few days ago in San Francisco -- Kim was there for North ... rolling into the event in an SUV, where she was riding passenger ... similar to how Bianca arrived in her own car.

There's no visual evidence thus far that Kim was standing next to BC the way she was on Tuesday for the SF listening event -- where they were shoulder-to-shoulder -- but there's no doubt they were within reach of one another ... as they obviously had backstage access.

Speaking of North, she was getting the A-list treatment the whole night -- shaking hands with fans of hers (yes, including adults) with her entourage of friends behind her.

There's another video that shows North seemingly doing an interview with someone behind the scenes -- and as she's answering questions ... you can see Kim looking on not too far away. So yes, Mama Bear is keeping a watchful eye over her and Kanye's daughter.

Obviously, Ye himself is deeply invested in North right now -- she recently announced she has her own album coming out ("Elementary School Dropout") ... and we've heard she's hard at work in the studio with Kanye guiding her. Sounds like they're all taking it seriously.

It's interesting that Kim continues to show up for her daughter -- ya gotta figure she might feel somewhat conflicted over all this ... on account of Kanye's many controversies.

Despite that, however, she's out here backing up North -- and in doing so, she's rubbing shoulders with Bianca -- who's now the stepmother of all her children with Ye. There's no indication there's any bad blood between Kim and Bianca ... on its face, they're civil.

One thing we know for certain, though ... Kim definitely isn't as bold a dresser as Bianca -- and we're sure she wants to keep it that way. BC's been in some pretty wild outfits lately.

In any case ... KK and Bianca showing up near each other is becoming a regular thing -- and with North diving into music ... that's probably their reality for the foreseeable future.

A NYC subway rider is in critical condition after getting shot in the head at the end of a brutal brawl where he was also stabbed ... and the whole thing was recorded by an onlooker.

This went down Thursday in Brooklyn, where cops say 2 men got into a fight while they were both riding a subway car -- their showdown alarmed nearby commuters, some of whom started shooting video as it got physical.

Police say they were told the man who was shot actually instigated things -- and that seems to be confirmed by the video -- as he squared off with the other guy.

While the 2 men were punching and wrestling each other, a woman enters the fray and apparently stabs one of them in the back -- it appears she was with the other combatant. l

The stabbing victim, who was visibly bleeding, started screaming and asking if she'd stabbed him .. and then fumbles in his jacket pocket for a gun.

The man he was originally fighting ran over and tried to shield his woman ... as the gun-wielding man corners them.

At that point, everyone else in the subway car started running in the opposite direction ... desperately trying to get off, because they've seen the gun. It was a tense and terrifying scene ... and as they were cowering 4 gunshots go off.

Someone captured the aftermath of this -- where you can see cops on the scene attending to the man who was shot ... and as you can see it's the man who originally pulled out the gun.

The other man was eventually cuffed and led away, but it's unclear if he's been charged yet.

Bhad Bhabie is officially a mom ... as she's already posted the first photo of her baby girl.

The rapper, AKA Danielle Bregoli, gave a small glimpse of her little one in a black and white selfie shared to her IG story Thursday ... which featured only the top of the newborn's head. BB didn't share anything else -- likely basking in the glow of motherhood after giving birth.

The baby's arrival comes over three months after BB confirmed she was expecting her first child with boyfriend Le Vaughn. Shortly after debuting her baby bump with the world, Bhad Bhabie -- who became a viral sensation thanks to her "Catch Me Outside" encounter with Dr. Phil -- confirmed she was having a little girl.

Bhad Bhabie made a splash for the gender reveal, as she collaborated with Heaven by Marc Jacobs and designer Victor Barragan for the announcement. Remember, Bhabie posed on a motorbike that let out pink exhaust fumes as part of a photo shoot for the collab.

Pretty epic gender reveal, if we do say so ourselves.

Ahead of their little one's arrival, the couple confirmed that they planned to name their baby girl Kali Love. They even threw a Valentine's Day-inspired baby shower in February in honor of their baby's soon-to-be namesake.

However, Kali Love's arrival comes after some drama for Bhad Bhabie ... who was seen fighting with her baby daddy earlier this month.

As we reported ... Bhad Bhabie was filmed yelling at Le Vaughn while out in West Hollywood for dinner. The drama continued when her friends found themselves in a brawl with a neighboring table.

Here's hoping the dust settled before Kali Love entered the world.

Congrats to the new parents!!

Shocking news in the NFL world ... Aaron Donald -- arguably the best defensive player of his generation -- is retiring.

The Los Angeles superstar just announced his decision on social media ... revealing that after 10 seasons with the Rams, he's hanging up his cleats.

In his announcement post, the 32-year-old thanked L.A.'s org. and its fans ... before explaining he's now hoping that without football in his life, he'll be able to spend plenty more time with his wife and kids.

"Throughout my career," Donald said, "I have given my everything to football both mentally and physically -- 365 days a year was dedicated to becoming the best possible player I could be."

"I respected this game like no other and I'm blessed to be able to conclude my NFL career with the same franchise that drafted me."

Donald was picked by the Rams in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and he immediately became one of the team's best players. In his first year, he started 12 games and won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

He went on to make the Pro Bowl in every season he played in ... and was named an All-Pro eight total times. He also won Defensive Player of the Year honors three times.

Most didn't expect him to retire this offseason -- as he was still playing at an extremely high level. However, rumors of him possibly turning in his helmet have swirled since 2022, when it was revealed that he had previously only envisioned playing eight seasons.

The only question that remains surrounding his career is not if he'll get a gold jacket in five years -- but whether or not he'll be remembered as the greatest defensive tackle ever.

Oprah Winfrey says she stepped down from the WeightWatchers board after nearly a decade 'cause it was a super bad look ... and she didn't want to come off as unethical.

The talk show legend explained her decision to Jimmy Kimmel Thursday ... sharing that her upcoming special about prescription weight loss drugs played a major factor in her decision to leave the company she's been with for years as an official ambassador.

As Oprah put it ... this weight loss medication TV special she's working on was very important to her -- so she wanted to shed any appearance of impropriety by being involved.

Specifically ... O says she didn't want people to think she was just promoting a special about weight loss meds and assume she was making money off of it by being attached to WW -- which is now in the business of prescribing those same medications, like Ozempic.

News of Oprah's WW exit dropped two weeks ago -- when she announced that she was donating all her shares in the company to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Of course, she's also recently admitted she's on weight loss drugs herself.

Now that she's taken the step of leaving WW behind, she told Kimmel nobody could accuse her of doing all this for profit ... 'cause there's no money to be made at this point. She also says the WeightWatchers crew took the news of her bowing out pretty hard.

In a separate portion of this interview, Oprah shares why she embraced the miracle drugs -- saying her weight struggles over the years were tied to her genetics by a doc, and she went so far as to say that "obesity is a disease." She says she's lost 40 lbs. on the drugs.