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11:57 AM PT -- Riley Strain's family just held a press conference, announcing they've enlisted the help of the United Cajun Navy -- a nonprofit that helps in this sort of effort -- while reiterating the need to get more resources on the case ... and also thanking Nashville PD for their work thus far.

Police went on to say that they've been inundated with tips and leads from various sources, but none have resulted in anything concrete in terms of locating Riley and there is no indication of foul play.

Riley Strain's family is 100% confident that their loved one is still alive somewhere -- and they're frustrated with cops' search efforts ... demanding extra boots on the ground.

We talked to the Strain family spokesperson, Chris Dingman, Tuesday and he told us straight up ... Riley's parents, simply don't believe their son is dead -- this despite most of the public starting to assume that's the case at this point.

Even though it's been well over a week since Riley first vanished in Nashville after bar hopping with his friends -- Dingman says the family is hopeful ... but more than that, they're irked that much of Nashville PD's investigating has been focused mostly on the river nearby.

There's a few reasons why Dingman says the Strains feel this way -- for one, he says the river just isn't that deep, and it doesn't appear to have been roaring on the night he disappeared. So, in their eyes, him falling in and being swept away doesn't seem plausible.

Dingman also tells us that from the family's POV, cops haven't turned over every possible stone in trying to track him down -- claiming there are businesses along the river bank with surveillance video that weren't approached until very recently ... so, slow going at best.

While the Strains appreciate the police's help and diligence thus far -- we're told they think it's time to call in the cavalry and get extra assistance in helping find Riley sooner rather than later.

Nashville PD has already said they're prepared to call in the feds if it proves necessary. Dingman says the Strains think that time has come ... and that the sweep for Riley needs to expand well beyond just the river search that's been going on these past few days.

Of course, Riley's bank card was found there -- which is probably why this is a focal point in the effort -- but Dingman says his mom and dad want other possibilities looked into.

He doesn't have an exact idea of where he may be or what happened to him, but based on eyewitness accounts that continue to crop up day after day ... it sounds like people might've possibly been with him during the last known moments of him being out and about.

The other odd thing that's not quite tracking for the Strains is that when Riley was walking by the police officer -- he came across as coherent and normal, but other surveillance videos captured him looking inebriated and out of it. So the family doesn't know what's what here.

The one thing they do know ... they want answers, and soon. The Strains have been in Nashville for several days now -- and the longer Riley is missing, the more anxious they get.

Riley was last seen on March 8, and there's been no sign of him since. Cops are encouraging anyone with helpful info to call 615-742-7463.

12:14 PM PT -- The San Diego County Sheriff's Dept. tells TMZ that a call came in for medical aid around 1:30 PM PT Monday -- and that when deputies arrived, fire officials were already providing lifesaving measures for Karen Houghton ... who sadly passed away.

Unclear what medical incident precipitated the call.

Kris Jenner's sister, Karen Houghton, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Karen was reported as deceased to San Diego County officials Monday in San Marcos, CA. The exact circumstances of her passing are unclear, but we're told county officials are attributing her death to natural causes for now.

Karen was Kris' only sister -- sharing parents MJ and Robert Houghton -- and was born three years after the famed momager. Karen and Kris grew up in San Diego together, living predominantly with MJ after her divorce from the girls' father.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Kris is very upset over the passing of her sibling -- and is also concerned about Karen's mother and niece. This is MJ's first loss of a child, so obviously it's devastating. We're told the family at large is rallying around each other.

Kris addressed Karen's death on social media as well, with a sweet tribute that touched on their history and relationship ... remembering Karen fondly.

Despite the Kardashians' very public life, Karen has not played a major role in their reality TV fame ... as the sisters have had a somewhat complicated relationship over the years.

Karen went public with their issues back in 2014, alleging in an interview that Kris had changed since skyrocketing to A-list status. She also infamously weighed in on Kris' high-profile divorce from Olympian Caitlyn Jenner ... seemingly siding with her ex-in-law.

Then, in 2016, Karen made headlines for undergoing a five-hour facelift in order to look more like the Kardashian-Jenner matriarch -- ultimately pleased with the results, at the time.

A family truce seemed to be confirmed in 2019 -- when Karen and Kris posed for a photo with their mom MJ and their respective daughters, Natalie Zettel and Kylie Jenner, at Christmastime.

However, Karen hasn't been spotted with the family in recent years, having kept a low profile out of the limelight. She worked as a part-time nurse and an author before her death.

Karen is survived by her daughter -- who she welcomed with ex-husband Mark Zettel -- mother, sister and several nieces and a nephew. She was 65.

RIP

Oprah Winfrey is opening up about the extreme lengths she's taken to lose weight over the years ... revealing she previously starved herself in order to drop some pounds.

The talk show legend discusses her years of yo-yo dieting in her new ABC special, "Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution," sharing that it took a liquid diet to help her lose 67 pounds -- which she famously marked in 1988 by wheeling out a wagon filled with fat during an episode of her talk show.

The revelation she's making in the special, though, is that celebration of weight loss was extremely short-lived -- Oprah now admits she began gaining the weight back almost the very next day after that show ... becoming the object of public ridicule.

Weight loss has become a major part of Oprah's brand, having previously become a brand ambassador for, and major investor in, WeightWatchers.

Everyone remembers her "I love bread" commercial, right?

Earlier this month, she stepped down from her position on the WW board of directors after nearly 10 years ... following her admission she's now using weight loss drugs.

Oprah says she left WeightWatchers to avoid a conflict of interest while making this new ABC special ... since WW is now doling out weight loss drug prescriptions.

Ryan Garcia just got super emotional on video ... crying as he tried to create a TikTok to thank his fans for their recent support.

The boxing star can be seen in the footage -- which was posted to his social media page on Monday -- listening to Hillsong UNITED's "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" ... before he suddenly starts to break down.

In the clip, Garcia tearfully explains that he's "been going through a lot lately," but his faith -- and the love from his supporters -- have helped him get through it.

Garcia noted he was torn up over the fact that despite trying to do good in his community -- some tried to muzzle him ... and even cancel his upcoming megafight with Devin Haney.

"I was trying to do something good, you know?" he said ... adding, "I love you guys. And I appreciate every one of you guys. And I love all you guys."

Garcia ended the vid by promising to address his fans again soon.

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks for the 25-year-old ... especially when it comes to social media postings. Since announcing his April 20 tilt with Haney, he's shared bizarre messages and clips frequently on both his X and Instagram pages.

At one point following a series of unusual posts earlier this month, he actually vowed to no longer talk about anything but sports, boxing, and his fight with Haney.

Clearly, however, he's still making content ... although Haney's father and trainer, Bill, said on Tuesday he's sure Garcia is fine and the fight will go down as scheduled.

"No matter how many distractions, no matter the antics Ryan has displayed, I know the kid ain't crazy," Bill said.

The new Kate Middleton video -- showing her surfacing for the first time since Xmas -- is bogus, and it's NOT her ... so say a bunch of conspiracy theorists who claim to have receipts.

TMZ's video, shot over the weekend, shows what appears to be a healthy and happy Kate strolling out of a food store with hubby Prince William.

They point to Kate's height relative to William. In previous outings, they say Kate is shorter than she appears in the new video. In previous photos, Kate's eye line hits around William's neck, but in the new video, she's closer to his nose.

What's interesting ... in the old photo and new video, Kate is wearing flats, which leads folks online to believe the new video is a fraud.

Now there may be an explanation ... in the old photo, Kate seems a bit hunched over, whereas in the new video she's holding her head up high.

The social media crew also believes her hairline is different as is her chin. They say her chin seems stronger in the old photo. On the other hand, she seems thinner than before, which could account for her thinner facial features.

And, there's something else that leads online sleuths to believe the video was shot during Xmas, not over the weekend. Check out the shed covered in Christmas lights and garland. Thing is, we got a new photo shot Monday, and the lights and garland are still there.

Kate is recovering from abdominal surgery, so says the palace ... but her stride is strong as she carries a shopping bag out of the store.

We looked at the metadata on the new video -- which showed it was taken on Saturday near the royal couple's home in Windsor.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

New Beyoncé music is coming at the end of the month -- and based on what she's describing in terms of possible features ... a lot of folks think Taylor Swift will appear.

The singer made a big announcement Tuesday -- dropping the release date for her forthcoming album, "Cowboy Carter," as March 29 ... and adding a lengthy caption to describe the process that went into making this one.

She starts out by thanking everyone for blowing up her two new singles -- "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" -- and goes on to say she's excited to trot out this new era of hers.

Bey writes, "This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive."

She also notes she faced criticism when she first broached the country music scene -- something that was well-documented at the time with her track "Daddy Lessons."

With all that, Beyoncé says this ... "I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound."

She finishes by saying "Cowboy Carter" isn't a country album, but rather ... a Beyoncé album -- which is obviously exciting, but her suggesting some legendary acts are on this project has seriously piqued people's curiosity ... including the Swifties.

Fact is ... a Beyonce and Taylor collab would be one the biggest musical team-ups in recent memory -- and the fact that Taylor got her start in country isn't lost on anyone either.

Plus, we know T-Swift and Bey are already friendly -- having attended the other's respective movie premieres last year ... so we know for a fact they respect and support each other.

Also, remember ... music producer Killah B -- who came up with the beat for "Texas Hold 'Em" -- played coy with us when we asked him point blank if there was a possibility Taylor might appear on this record of Bey's. Worth noting ... he didn't outright deny it at the time.

Donald Trump once again hinted that he may deport Prince Harry from the U.S. if re-elected as President ... this after the Duke of Sussex admitted to using drugs in his tell-all.

During a sit down with GBN broadcaster Nigel Farage, the ex-Prez made it clear that King Charles' son would not get special privileges regarding his residency in the States if he potentially lied on his visa application.

Remember, Harry was very candid about his past drug use -- including cocaine, weed and psychedelic mushrooms -- in his memoir "Spare."

While PH's hard-partying ways seem far behind him ... an applicant's past drug use may technically make them ineligible for a visa -- which is why many are curious about what Harry dished on his paperwork.

In response to the chatter, Donald has promised to take action if the Duke's visa had any inaccuracies -- but stayed coy on the specifics of his plan ... just like he had before.

Remember, this ain't the first time DT has suggested Harry may get the boot under a new potential term of his -- but he isn't outright saying the guy's got something to worry about.

Prince Harry currently resides in the U.S. on a visa, as he's yet to become an American citizen -- something he says he is still considering. His wife, Meghan Markle, is a natural-born U.S. citizen with their children, Archie and Lilibet, being dual citizens.

The Kate Middleton sighting that got reported on this week is real after all -- 'cause a new video of her during this outing has surfaced ... and TMZ's got a first look.

TMZ has obtained a clip that was taken of Kate Saturday while she and Prince William were visiting a business about a mile from their home in Windsor -- known as the Windsor Farm Shop -- where The Sun reported eyewitnesses saw them out and about this past weekend.

Onlookers felt she looked "happy, relaxed and healthy" as she strolled in the store -- a supermarket of sorts -- and the couple didn't seem to have a care in the world.

Their three kids weren't with them ... but The Sun also claimed they spent the first part of their Saturday watching the children play sports. At first, there was no real evidence to back up the report ... but now, the first actual visual of her here has surfaced, and it's 100% her.

As you see in this footage, obtained by TMZ, Kate looks relaxed in casual athletic wear ... rocking an all-black look with some pink trimming. Her gait is strong -- a good sign given her purported abdominal surgery. PW is right by her side as they walk out of the Farm Shop with bags in hand.

Nobody around looks to be bothering them ... and Kate, sure enough, does indeed look pretty cheerful here -- smiling wide and even carrying on a conversation with her husband.

One of the eyewitnesses who saw them, Nelson Silva, says ... "I noticed a couple choosing loaves of bread and the woman turned her face and I felt like I had seen the face before. It was familiar. I knew it from somewhere."

He adds, "I went to my car and as they came out of the shop I just filmed them. I think they walked out through a gate out of the grounds. They just vanished and I didn't see a car. I just wanted to share with my family footage and show just how normal they were."

Silva finishes ... "Kate looked happy and relaxed. They look happy just to be able to go to a shop and mingle. Kate looked relieved like it was a success going to a shop. It felt natural."

The couple was walking at a relatively brisk pace ... and Kate, on its face, seems to be okay. Frankly, it's as if nothing was ever wrong with her ... although, of course, we know she was in the hospital for a while for a serious procedure that took her out of commission.

The exact nature of her ailment was never made clear by Kensington Palace officials.

BTW, for all the skeptics who might not believe this was taken as it's been relayed to us -- we've delved into the metadata ... and there's no doubt, this was filmed on Saturday right near the Prince and Princess of Wales' home in Windsor. So yes, it's a legitimate video.

Like we said, this is the first time we've seen Kate out in public -- outside of a car, that is -- since December -- and now that we're seeing her in the wild, on her own two feet, ya gotta wonder if this will satisfy conspiracy theorists who have taken over TikTok.

Remember, the Palace says she underwent abdominal surgery in January -- and was scheduled to be sidelined until at least Easter. Despite this timeline ... that hasn't stopped people from floating jokes/conspiracy theories, which got gravely serious on Mother's Day.

Of course, we're referring to the Photoshop fail seen 'round-the-world ... which showed that Kate (or someone at Kensington Palace) tried to pull a fast one on the public. There were 16 alterations made to the photo ... and it's been debunked as a fake many times over.

Kate ended up copping to it herself ... albeit, in nothing but a social media statement. Lots of people felt she was falling on the sword and that the Palace was behind the edits.

After that botched job ... everyone thought something very serious was going on -- but now, we're seeing Kate out and about and seemingly fine.

Are you believing your lying eyes?

Angel Reese is the latest celebrity victim of artificial intelligence gone bad after several nude images of the LSU hoop star hit the internet ... photos she's adamant are FAKE!!!

The 21-year-old college basketball star addressed the controversy on social media on Tuesday, writing point blank, "Creating fake AI pictures of me is crazy and weird AF!"

Despite the invasion of privacy (even though the pics are fugazi), the SEC Player of the Year is taking an upsetting situation and making the best of it ... all while making it clear she'd never pose nude on social media.

"Like i know im fine & seem to have an appeal to some but im literally 21 and yall doing this bs when i would neverrrrrr"

Of course, Angel has tons of fans ... and many ran to her defense.

"It's only bored people sweet Angel, put your eyes on the goal and that's a championship," a supporter responded on X.

Speaking of championships ... Reese, averaging 19 points and 13 rebounds, is preparing for March Madness. Her LSU squad is a three-seed in the Albany bracket, where they're hoping to run the table. The Tigers' first game is against 14-seeded Rice ... a contest they're heavily favored to win.

Louisiana State Univ. is looking to go back-to-back after winning a Natty last year under legendary coach Kim Mulkey.

Angel was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Sadly, for all the possibilities that come along with AI, there's also this ... and Reese isn't the first to have to deal with fraudulent images flooding the internet. In fact, Taylor Swift and Bobbi Althoff went through a similar situation recently.

"Will & Grace" star Eric McCormack is stepping up to defend straight actors who play gay characters on screen -- pointing out that taking on roles different from oneself is the whole point of being an actor.

The actor, who is straight IRL and also famously portrayed gay protagonist Will in the hit NBC sitcom, told ITV's "Good Morning Britain" ... it's all about casting the best person for the role, regardless of their personal identity.

Eric's drawing on his own experience in the industry, saying he didn't become an actor just to play versions of himself -- rather, he's always embraced roles where he's portraying someone entirely different from who he is.

He says, "It's part of the gig. And, I've always said, if gay actors weren't allowed to play straight actors, Broadway would be over."

Even though Eric's roles might not directly mirror his own life, that doesn't mean he skimps on the research. When it came to portraying Will, he brought his A-game by drawing on his theater background and the fact that many of his closest friends were gay ... channeling their spirit into the role.

Worked out pretty damn well ... "Will & Grace" -- costarring Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally -- ran for 8 seasons from 1998 to 2006, and added 3 reunion seasons from 2017 to 2020.

Jake Gyllenhaal says he suffered a nasty injury while shooting the new "Road House" movie with Conor McGregor ... revealing he cut his hand right open during an intense fight scene -- and ended up with a staph infection.

The Academy Award nominee and UFC superstar opened up on working together on set during a recent episode of "Armchair Expert" with Dax Shepard ... and while they both praised each other's professionalism, there was a bit of bad blood involved.

Gyllenhaal -- who plays former MMA fighter Elwood Dalton in the flick -- explained he was shooting an intense showdown with Conor's character, Knox ... and the scene involved a ton of breakaway glass.

As it turns out, it didn't matter if it was real or fake ... 'cause when Gyllenhaal put his hand down on the bar in the middle of the take, a piece went right through his mitt.

But, there was no quit in the lead actor -- he said he trucked through the shot and finished the scene because they had already run through it several times and he knew this take was a good one.

Once the director called "cut" -- shoutout irony -- Gyllenhaal said he looked down at his hand and noticed his whole arm had swelled up ... and he later found out it was a staph infection.

Of course, staph can be a real pain in the ass ... but it can also be deadly in some cases if it goes untreated.

Luckily, Jakey G is still kickin' ... and he said that was really the only injury he had while filming the Prime Video flick.

Conor ain't the only big-name non-actor in the project -- Post Malone also showed off his acting chops ... and based on BTS pics, the musician got pretty bloody, too.

Looks like Barbra Streisand's complaints are ringing loud and clear -- Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch will not be adding the RBG Award to their trophy shelves after all.

In fact, the uproar over the pair snagging the prestigious leadership award named for late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was so intense, the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation decided to pull the plug on the entire ceremony.

ICYMI ... Barbra, herself a former RBG Award recipient, didn't hold back when she slammed the organization's decision to honor the polarizing billionaire and the FOX Corp. founder.

Barbra took to IG to join forces with the Ginsburg family in denouncing this year's honorees ... saying she had the honor of rubbing elbows with RBG herself on multiple occasions, and she seriously doubts the late justice would give a nod to these particular awardees.

For those who don't know, the Org rolled out the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award back in 2019, originally aimed at honoring accomplished women. But, in a move toward gender equality, they switched gears in 2020 and started including men in the mix.

The pendulum swung pretty far the other way this year with 4 out of the 5 honorees being men -- billionaire philanthropist Michael Milken, actor Sylvester Stallone and Martha Stewart were to be honored along with Murdoch and Musk.

Barbra's denouncement came hot on the heels of RBG's daughter Jane speaking out, saying ... "The justice's family wish to make clear that they do not support using their mother's name to celebrate this year's slate of awardees and that the justice's family has no affiliation with and does not endorse these awards."

The backlash hit its peak when the foundation Chair, Julie Opperman, finally stepped up and announced the April ceremony was canceled... adding that offending RBG's family and friends was the last thing they wanted to do.

Garrison Brown was negatively affected by social media before his death -- and it impacted his own sense of self-worth ... this according to one of his siblings.

The "Sister Wives" star's actual sister, Madison Brown Brush, hopped online to post an emotional video reflecting on her brother's untimely passing -- and she spoke a lot about his mental health struggles, while also acknowledging pointing to mental health convos at large.

Maddie explains her brother was battling issues internally -- and even says he felt he wasn't doing enough with his life ... using social media as a comparison point.

She also says something pretty poignant ... namely, social media isn't real.

Maddie goes on to explain how she and the rest of the family have been dealing with Garrison's suicide -- describing how difficult it's been finding a new sense of normal.

She urged her followers to remember that social media is just a snapshot into someone's life -- it doesn't show everything. Remember, Garrison's loved ones say he seemed perfectly happy online ... having just adopted a new cat days before he died by suicide.

Maddie goes on to say that she's going to continue putting a spotlight on mental health ... and sends a message to people who might be battling demons -- telling them that if they're not feeling fulfilled with how they're spending their time, they gotta change that ASAP.

We broke the story ... Garrison was found deceased in his Flagstaff, Arizona home earlier in March. Flagstaff PD told us that no foul play is suspected, as Garrison appeared to have suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

He was only 25.

Drake Bell is blasting other Nickelodeon child stars for making light of his abuse -- specifically, going after the 'Ned's Declassified' crew ... who seem to find some humor in it.

Devon Werkheiser, Lindsey Shaw and others who used to work on their old Nick show were recording a TikTok Live Monday -- this as the second half of the 'Quiet on Set' doc aired on ID -- and they appeared to be cracking jokes at Drake and others' expense.

One of the jabs Devon and co. dropped while discussing the 'QOS' doc included him impersonating a tyrant, presumably Dan Schneider, saying "give me your holes."

Devon acknowledges right after that they shouldn't joke about the topic -- and DB himself certainly agreed ... taking to X to call him out. Drake quote-tweeted the vid, adding ... "Ned’s Declassless…this is wild…laugh it up guys…laugh it up…”Give me your h*les?!!” Really?!"

Devon does attempt to be serious at one point in his IG Live ... noting that what happened to Drake is terrible -- acknowledging it's crazy it stayed under wraps for as long as it did.

He also says that their set from 'ND' was not in any way like what was described in the doc from child actors who worked under Schneider's reign. Still, he continued to giggle with his old costars ... which didn't sit well with Drake, and definitely not with others online.

It's understandable that the 'Ned's' camp is getting trashed right now ... frankly, what Drake and co. revealed on the doc is extremely serious -- not to mention downright disturbing.

In addition to Drake's abuse at the hands of Brian Peck -- several other former child stars claimed they were mistreated while working at Nick ... and others suggested the showrunners and writers were often attempting to sexualize a lot of the kids in not-so-subtle ways.

There are a lot of sketches and costumes -- not to mention slime gags -- that are resurfacing now that come across as wildly inappropriate ... even though DS has denied wrongdoing.

Nickelodeon commented, saying ... "Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct."

They add, "Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience."

King Charles is alive and well despite what some Russian propaganda might have some believing this week -- proven by the fact the guy was photographed out and about.

HRH was seen doing his duties Tuesday in and around the London area -- including meeting with Korean War vets at Buckingham Palace ... where he hosted and chatted with the heroes, and later in the day, swinging by Windsor Castle ... where he was spotted exiting.

As you can see by the pics ... Chuck is very much so still with us, and the reason that's significant is because several Russian media sites and blogs floated a wild story about him supposedly kicking the bucket all through the weekend -- something that clearly isn't true.

These false reports were so rampant, in fact, that a BS statement being attributed to Buckingham Palace made the rounds -- which appeared to announce his sudden passing.

The cause these fake Russian sites were referencing was cancer complication -- and it got so out of control, the British embassy in Moscow had to issue an official clarification on the record ... noting that the King was not 6 feet deep, and instead going about his business.

He's just the latest senior Royal to face wild conspiracy theories -- remember, Kate Middleton has been in the crosshairs of tinfoil hat types for several weeks now ... that is, until she surfaced herself in the flesh over the weekend in what's an obvious and clear sighting.

The Princess of Wales was out and about Saturday, walking on her own two feet and looking relatively health -- this after being sidelined for a few months following a surgery she had in January, which involved a procedure in her abdomen area. Unclear what exactly it was for.

In any case ... she's been subjected to a barrage of jokes and gossip, just as her father-in-law has in the past 48 hours.

British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson is stepping into the suave shoes of James Bond ... or at least they've reportedly been offered to him, and the ball's in his court!

Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has apparently got her eyes set on the 33-year-old for the next 007 adventure, The Sun reports -- which would bring an end to the super long wait to find the seventh actor to take on the iconic role since 1962.

So, here's the deal ...the publication reports nothing's set in stone yet, but word on the street is that Bond is Aaron's gig if he wants it. The formal offer is sitting right there on the table, with producers waiting to hear back from him.

But, Eon, the production company behind JB, is pretty darn sure that Aaron's gonna scribble his name on that contract any day now.

Just last week, Aaron was keeping it low-key when folks started buzzing about him playing Bond, telling Numero, "I find it charming and wonderful that people see me in that role. I take it as a great compliment."

Classy move. Keeping things cool until everything's official ... very Bond.

IYDK, Aaron's last film was "Bullet Train" alongside Brad Pitt, and he'll be appearing in 3 films this year, "The Fall Guy," "Nosferatu" and "Kraven the Hunter" ... the fifth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe -- so he's been keeping busy, but looks like he'll soon be adding a whole lot more to his plate.

Goes without saying, the quest to find the next 007 has been one heck of a ride, with some seriously heavy hitters in the mix, such as Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Henry Cavill ... just to name a few. But, as for now, it looks like it's ATJ's role to lose.