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Diddy's ex-employee Rodney Jones is on the short list of accusers whose lawsuits might have sparked the federal investigation -- but he's not one of the witnesses the feds are interviewing ... not yet, anyway.

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... Rodney, AKA Lil Rod, is not one of the people federal prosecutors have called upon to provide sworn testimony for their investigation into the Bad Boy Records founder.

As TMZ previously reported ... Diddy's ex Cassie has been in touch with the authorities -- and is cooperating, alongside others who've made claims against the mogul.

9:49 AM PT -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD is clarifying the deliveryman only told them he had bite marks from the dog. As for whether officers actually saw those bite marks, the cops won't say -- they'll only reiterate they didn't have enough evidence to charge the deliveryman.

Angie Harmon's deceased dog was not as innocent as she claims ... at least according to the cops.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD tells TMZ … they are standing by their decision to not press charges against the Instacart shopper who shot and killed Angie's dog Oliver over Easter weekend.

While the cops will not say how they determined the shopper acted in self-defense, they insist the deliveryman, Christopher, did have bite marks on him from the dog.

Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill are technically the headliners of UFC 300 ... but, they're NOT "The People's Main Event!"

No, that title belongs to Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje, according to "Blessed" himself, who says fight fans can look forward to VIOLENCE!!

TMZ Sports spoke to the 32-year-old ... where the former featherweight champion previewed the highly anticipated scrap.

The weekend is almost upon us ... and what better way to celebrate than with some TMZ TV hot takes???

Let's kick things off with "TMZ Live," where Harvey and Charles break down Michael Jackson's production company's attempt to block accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck from getting his criminal file -- 'cause they think they're trying to get pics of his junk.

Former American wrestler Kurt Angle -- most known for his domination and skillset in the ring as a freestyle wrestler -- was in his late 20s when he first started winning over the wrestling universe back in the '90s.

Taking home a gold medal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics was definitely a career highlight for Angle, but he also took the WrestleMania stage by storm in the early 2000s.

Kurt is only one of four to hold the 'Amateur Grand Slam' title -- winning the Junior Nationals, NCAA, World Championships and the Olympics, but his biggest win is watching his kids carry on his wrestling legacy.

Former Nickelodeon host Marc Summers says he walked out of his interview for the 'Quiet on Set' doc ... 'cause he says he was duped into the sit-down from the get-go.

Marc says he wasn't clued in on producers' true intentions to expose the network's toxic workplace claims ... explaining on the "Elvis Duran and the Morning Show" that initially, he thought this was just an innocent look-back on his Nick days.

However, he claims the producers pulled a bait-and-switch maneuver on him ... allegedly hitting him with some footage that they asked him to react to, which was unsettling.

Diddy might be in hot water at the moment, but his daughters were in much calmer waters a world away this week -- enjoying their Spring Break with LeBron James' teenage son.

16-year-old Bryce James was featured in a video that's making the rounds online -- which shows him and a pal of his, Boogie Johnson, enjoying the ocean in Turks and Caicos ... and in the little dance compilation that got posted (and which has since been deleted), you can see Jessie and D'Lila Combs in the mix as well.

The girls and their matching bathing suits are unmistakable -- especially when you consider Bryce and the twins are quite close ... he and Boogie took them to homecoming last year. In fact, Boogie's got photos up with one of the twins on his social media page ... so yeah, it's a tight-knit friend group -- and it appears they're vacationing together right now.

The L.A. area mansion Serena and Venus Williams purchased years ago for their mother is hitting the market ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the tennis superstars grabbed this Woodland Hills property for their mom/coach, Oracene Price, back in 2005 ... just as their careers were skyrocketing. Oracene lived in the mansion up until 2019, when it was reportedly sold for just under $2 million.

Now the property is going back on the market, and our real estate sources tell us it will be listed for $4,649,000 starting Friday.

Britney Spears seems to be missing Sam Asghari -- that, or just missing the memories they once shared ... 'cause she posted a loving video of the two of them during happier times.

The pop star threw up a since-deleted IG post Thursday -- which featured a clip of Britney and Sam going through some dance choreography together ... this as he picked her up and swung her around, which was pretty intimate.

Her caption is just as telling ... long story short, she says it's hard looking back on her past -- but she still likes to do so (including here) 'cause she says it helps her learn from mistakes.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard might say there's nothing romantic between her and her ex-fiancé Ken Urker ... but these photos would suggest otherwise, at least on the face of things.

Take a look ... Gypsy and Ken looked awfully close for 2 people claiming to be just pals -- as they were hand in hand strolling into a Dollar General in South Louisiana Wednesday.

The former couple emerged from the convenience store with some budget purchases in hand ... and at one point, they even stopped for a smoke break outside -- where Ken placed a hand on her shoulder, showing off a little more affection.

Comedian Rip Micheals recovered from his near-fatal heart attack this past November but returned home to a cold bed -- he says his wife left him while he fought for his life!!!

Rip told Angela Yee the alarming news Thursday on her show "Way Up" ... he joked his ex-spouse Veronica -- to whom he was married for 2 years -- didn't care much for the "til death do you part" aspect of their vows, and started plotting her exit while he was in his darkest hour.

We got Rip out last month in NYC, and he had nothing but hilariously morbid jokes for his congestive heart failure condition -- laughing is better than crying any day of the week!!!

Joy Behar says the original "Jolene" is a song that's actually bad for women -- something Reba McEntire thinks is pretty hilarious ... this on the heels of Beyoncé's cover.

We got the country legend Thursday in L.A., and Reba actually talked about Bey's foray into the genre with her new album "Cowboy Carter"' -- on the topic of Beyoncé diving into country, RME says she's all for it.

Reba tells us Beyoncé is a welcome addition to the lineup, and says everyone in the game is happy to have her. You can tell Reba's a fan ... which is huge, 'cause Reba's an icon.

Lily Allen isn't holding back when it comes to sharing her honest opinion about Beyoncé's new country album ... slamming the chart-topper for trying too hard.

The English singer broke down "Cowboy Carter" during Wednesday's episode of her "Miss Me?" podcast -- and Lily and her cohost, Miquita Oliver, zeroed in on Bey's rendition of Dolly Parton's "Jolene."

Lily, who's married to David Harbour, said she found it a "weird" move to redo such a legendary song, in the first place.

Diddy is continuing to show his face in and around Miami -- only now ... he's riding high.

The hip hop mogul was spotted cruising around town Thursday in the Magic City -- apparently wanting to stretch his legs and get a little exercise ... because he was on a bicycle and pedaling away along what appears to be an expressway of some sort.

We're told Diddy ended up pedaling his way on down to South Beach -- not far from his Star Island homes -- and yes ... he was all by his lonesome, just a man and his thoughts.

Gene Simmons ain't lumping himself in with other musicians threatened by the emerging use of AI in the biz -- in fact, he's leaning into it, and is ready to live on as a hologram in music.

The KISS singer spoke to us on "TMZ Live" Thursday about the band's upcoming digital avatar residency ... saying he and his bandmates are ready to rock out as digital pixels for years to come, because if they don't they'll just become yesterday's news.

Gene tells us despite his band never touring as KISS in the flesh again, things for them are only just beginning -- this after selling their entire music catalog, name, and likeness to Pophouse Entertainment for about $300 million.

Rashee Rice has admitted to being behind the wheel of the Lamborghini that was involved in the massive car crash in Texas last weekend.

The Chiefs star's attorney, Royce West, just told media members at a news conference on Thursday afternoon that Rice made the admission while talking with Dallas Police Dept. investigators this week.

West said Rice is taking full responsibility for his actions ... vowing to make whole anyone who was injured in the accident or had property damaged in the wreck.