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Joe Budden's explaining a controversial cut to a recent episode of his podcast... diving into why he edited a segment about Diddy, and asserting he's not in Diddy's pocket.

The hip hop commentator says he was live on "The Joe Budden Podcast" Friday when CNN posted the video of Diddy assaulting Cassie from 2016. The episode was uploaded Saturday with the description promising Joe would discuss it.

But, he never touched on it ... completely editing out the segment. Upset fans demanded answers, and JB organized a discussion on Twitter Spaces to address the controversy.

Austin Rogers isn't turning his nose up at the pop culture "Jeopardy!" spin-off ... saying trivia buffs like him are cool with the traditional game -- but, there's a new breed of fans out there.

We caught up with the "Jeopardy!" champ this week at his bar Gaf West in NYC ... and we had to ask him about his thoughts on the new entertainment-focused game coming to Amazon Prime.

Rogers says he loves the democratization of his fav trivia game ... mentioning people have different interests and knowledge bases -- and, that's something to celebrate, not denigrate.

The new documentary about Ashley Madison's infamous cyberattack isn't warning people away from the service ... according to one exec, it's actually boosting membership, including famous folks!

We talked with Paul Keable -- the Chief Strategy Officer for Ashley Madison -- and he tells us memberships are up in recent days thanks to "Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, and Scandal" going #1 on Netflix. Paul figures it's partly 'cause people forgot the site exists until they saw the doc.

Paul says celebs do still use the site despite the 2015 hack that leaked many prominent people's names as allegedly having accounts. He thinks this is because they're dealing with the same issues as normies, feeling trapped in monogamy and it gives them a chance to explore in a safe space.

If ya don't know, Ashley Madison launched as a dating site for married people, and still promotes itself with the tagline ... "Life is Short. Have an affair."

If Paige Spiranac wants to prove to the world once and for all she does, indeed, have nipples ... TMZ Sports has learned one adult website is willing to shell out a small fortune for her to do it on camera.

Reps for Camsoda tell us ... they officially extended the offer to the Sports Illustrated model and golf influencer on Friday, after learning there were actually people on the internet who wondered if her now-famous boobs have nipples attached to them.

Paige, of course, debunked the theory with her words in an Instagram post earlier this week ... but Camsoda officials say they can fork over $250,000 for her to prove it for good on video.

As "IF" Ryan Reynolds' looks over the years could get any HOTTER ...

Here is a 21-year-old version of the hilarious Hollywood hottie at the "Two Guys And A Girl" Preview in New York City back in 1998 (left). This was Ryan's breakout role, playing Berg on the ABC show until 2001, before hitting the big screen in movies like 'Van Wilder' and 'Waiting.'

And 26 years later ... the Daddy of four and Wrexham team owner recently charmed his way on the red furry purple carpet for his new film "IF" (right).

"Oooooh the GOAT!"

but the question is ...

Francis Ford Coppola either has another masterpiece, or a dud in his new "Megalopolis" movie -- and amid comparisons to "The Room," one of its OG stars is betting on Coppola.

Word outta Cannes is that FFC's self-financed passion project is such a mess that it compares to the 2003 cult classic film by Tommy Wiseau -- which has been labeled so-bad-it's-good.

Greg Sestero played the dude who was Tommy's best friend in the flick -- he was on the receiving end of Tommy's infamous "Oh, hi Mark" line -- and he told us if Francis' movie is being compared to their flick, he's most likely got magic on his hands.

Ready for another week to begin? Enjoy some clips from TMZ's recent shows to get off to the right start.

On "TMZ Live," Babcock and Charles discuss Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck reuniting in public, despite still living apart.

Celebrities just love to hightail it out of Hollywood ... pack up their bougie belongings and get their Instagram-worthy vacations abroad underway. Come jumpstart your summer travels with these stars jet-setting off to Japan!

The singers hit it hard in Japan ... Beyoncé left her Cowgirl attire back in the states and sipped, slayed and posed next to a geisha, Olivia Rodrigo slurped up some ramen ... And when in Tokyo, a beautiful Dua Lipa posed with a Wagasa, Japan's traditional umbrella.

Dean McDermott's firing off at trolls shocked at Tori Spelling's acceptance of his new girlfriend ... this despite seemingly obvious tension between the exes.

The actor jumped into the replies of a post featuring his new girlfriend, Lily Calo, to defend himself and his estranged wife after several fans said they couldn't believe Tori liked the post ... essentially showing her support.

In response to one comment which seemed to really upset him, Dean wrote, "It’s because she is a highly evolved and compassionate loving person, which is a lot more [than] I can say for the trolls commenting on this post."

Ryan Reynolds' new movie "IF" must have a lot of imaginary friends in the crowd ... 'cause it's tanking at the box office despite the star-studded cast.

Deadline reports the movie made just $10.3 million on Friday -- including previews -- and, it's headed for just a $30 million opening ... lower than initial estimates projected.

Plus, another negative for the creative new picture ... critics seem to want it to disappear like a kid's IF when they grow up -- it's currently got a shockingly low 49% on Rotten Tomatoes despite its all-star cast.

Scottie Scheffler makes fast friends ... he wasn't in very long, but the world's number one golfer was a hit with fellow inmates -- and even law enforcement -- while behind bars!

TMZ Sports spoke to a man who was locked up with 27-year-old Scheffler Friday morning in Louisville ... and he told us the 2x Masters winner couldn't have been cooler during his couple-hours stay in lockup.

In fact, our witness didn't even know Scheffler was a star athlete, at the center of the biggest sports story in the world, until a police officer gave him the 411 ... saying, "You know you're talking to the number one golfer in the world, right?"

We asked Scheffler's fellow inmate about the golfer's demeanor while in custody.

"He kept saying it was bulls*** that he was there."

Scottie was seemingly popular among law enforcement behind bars, too. We're told he was drawing a crowd, with several jail staff and corrections officials popping out to take a peek at Scheffler.

Our witness even says he heard staff wondering how long Scottie would be held before being released.

Turns out his stay was rather fast. Scheffler, arrested during the 6 o'clock hour, somehow made his 10:08 AM tee time ... where the best player in the world proceeded to birdie the first hole (of course), and shoot a 5-under, 66 2nd round at the PGA Championship.

In fact, Scheffler's fast release (8:40 AM) has been the source of some controversy in Lousiville ... with some questioning how he was sprung so fast despite being arrested on 4 charges, including felony assault, for allegedly injuring (wrist and knee) an LMPD detective.

After he was released, Scottie addressed the incident, calling it a "misunderstanding."

"This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers. It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I'm hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today."

The woman who made headlines for photobombing Stephen Curry at an NBA game is making a no-brainer business move -- she's joining OnlyFans.

As TMZ Sports previously reported ... Katherine Taylor went viral back in March when she was spotted cheering on the action in a low-cut top at the Warriors' home contest against the Milwaukee Bucks -- and a ton of horny hoop fans rushed to social media to track down her identity, which didn't take long.

The admiration got to the point where Taylor's "luxury girlfriend" service was bombarded with so many requests, she had to increase her rate to $1,500 an hour (a $600 increase).

Cynthia Nixon's reflecting on the early days of "Sex and the City" ... remembering the show's doubters -- who said she and her castmates didn't seem like real women.

The actress -- who's played Miranda Hobbes in numerous incarnations of the show over the last couple decades -- reflected on the series during an interview with Page Six, calling out trolls for questioning the show's authenticity.

The way Nixon tells it ... early criticism of the show included a claim parroted by many detractors who she says claimed women didn't talk as openly about sex as the dialogue suggested.

Kim Zimmer -- a well-known soap opera star -- has breast cancer ... a shocking coincidence since her character on "The Guiding Light" suffered from the affliction.

The actress -- who played Reva Shayne on the show from 1983 to 1990 and then between 1995 an 2009 -- announced the news during "Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer – We All Have a Story" Thursday ... saying she got the diagnosis late last year.

Check out the clip ... KZ says she's had a mastectomy and expects to have her last chemotherapy infusion later this month ... before cracking a joke about how happy she is with her new breast size and cutting straight through the tension.

Matt Prokop -- a former child actor who was the subject of a restraining order for allegedly abusing Sarah Hyland -- has been arrested in Texas, TMZ has learned.

Victoria PD Sergeant Dailey tells TMZ ... Prokop and his girlfriend were out together Saturday when she allegedly told someone Matt assaulted her. Police were called to the location, but say the two were gone when they arrived.

About an hour later, cops say they received a call about a disturbance at another spot in Victoria ... where they say they found Matt and his girlfriend.

Ben Affleck just upped the ante, or lowered it, amid the marital strife between Jennifer Lopez and himself -- because he's no longer wearing his wedding ring.

Well, at least he wasn't on Friday evening when pulling up to the school where his kid had a recital ... and as Ben moved the sun visor in his car, it became clear his left hand was a little lighter than it's been for almost 2 years.

As we reported, Ben has been living separately from J Lo for a few weeks now -- he moved out of the $60 million Bev Hills mansion they bought last year, and into a rental home in Brentwood.