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Simon Cowell is ready to get back into the boy band game ... and is already on the hunt for his next One Direction-esque success story.

Almost 15 years after making magic by bringing together Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik as a group on "X Factor," the record executive is searching for "future megastars" who are ready to put in the work to achieve international fame.

Simon announced his new project Tuesday, dropping recruitment billboards across London, which read ... "Simon needs you! Future megastars wanted for new boyband. No timewasters."

Kanye West was accused of a lot of wrongdoing by a former Yeezy employee, but he's hitting back -- claiming it's actually her who's in the wrong ... alleging she's trying to extort him.

A legal rep for Ye tells TMZ ... "In response to these baseless allegations, Ye will be filing a lawsuit against Ms. Pisciotta, who actively pursued him sexually to coerce employment and other material benefits, then engaged in blackmail and extortion when her advances were rejected."

The rep also accuses Lauren Pisciotta -- who sued Ye on Monday for sexual harassment and wrongful termination, among other things -- of stealing Kanye's phone in an attempt to destroy evidence that would run counter to her narrative.

Jodie Turner-Smith isn't worried about dating at the moment ... literally laughing at the idea while out in NYC.

We caught up with the actress on Monday as she hit the streets of the Big Apple while promoting her upcoming Disney+ show, "The Acolyte." While looking as fabulous as ever, dressed in a vibrant minidress and heeled boots, JTS made it clear she isn't looking for love at the moment ... chuckling at the idea of linking up with someone.

Though, she wasn't entirely opposed to the idea. When asked point-blank if she was back on the market, she quipped ... "Look at me! Shouldn't I be?"

Everything seems to be A-OK with Pat McAfee and Caitlin Clark following his controversial "white bitch" comment -- the ESPN personality said Tuesday the WNBA star has accepted his apology for the remark.

The former NFL player said on the "Pat McAfee Show" he reached out to Clark and the Indiana Fever as soon as he realized he had set the internet on fire with his statement.

He said a short time after he extended the olive branch, the team messaged him back and said they were "all good."

A comedian in Spain got cracked after making a sexual joke about another guy's baby boy, with Papa Bear showing up at one of his shows and letting his fists fly ... which is on video.

The brutal attack played out on camera Monday night in Madrid, where comic Jaime Caravaca was doing a stand-up act. In the middle of the show, however, Alberto Pugilato rushed the stage and confronted Jaime, squaring up and landing a punch.

Alberto -- who's been described as a "far-right activist" and is very active on social media -- accused Jaime of making a dirty joke about his 3-month-old on X ... and told stunned onlookers he was just a father defending his son.

Julie Bowen acknowledges she helped her "Modern Family" costar Sarah Hyland leave an abusive relationship in the past ... and also says she didn't even think twice about it.

The actress talked about Sarah's 2014 breakup on Monday's episode of "The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast," and when it was pointed out to her that SH had shouted her out for helping her at the time, Julie made it seem like it was a no-brainer and NBD.

Julie explained her intervention was the obvious thing to do, just a case of "a responsible adult that happened to be around at the right time." She says she was sure others would have done the same.

Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC was totally Pete Rose'd in the middle of a celebrity softball game ... getting leveled at home plate and breaking his hand in the process -- but somehow, the dude kept playing through the injury!!

TMZ is told ... the musician was one of several big names invited to participate in the Rock 'N Jock fundraiser for Folds of Honor in Nashville on Monday -- and at one point in the friendly competition, CK proved just how tough boy bands can be!!

The moment went down in the third inning ... when local radio host Jeremy Loper rounded third base and headed for home.

Alejandro Fernández might be hot s*** with his music -- but after this video ... some seem to think he might not be bringing the heat down below, at least that's the vibe online anyway.

The Latin Grammy-winning singer sparked some unfortunate chatter after rocking a tight pair of leather pants for his performance at the La Onda Music Festival in Napa Valley over the weekend -- and it all has to do with a noticeable imprint around his crotch area.

AF thrusts his hips forward while jamming on stage -- giving fans an unexpected glimpse at the outline of his junk ... and like we said, some don't seem to be that impressed.

Ippei Mizuhara -- Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter -- just showed up to court and pleaded guilty to two federal charges ... stemming from allegations he stole from the MLB superstar in order to pay off gambling debts.

The 39-year-old hit a Santa Ana, CA courthouse early Tuesday morning ... and was mobbed by a throng of reporters as he made his way to the proceedings.

He did not, however, address the media as he traversed through all the cameras.

Rihanna is expanding her billion-dollar Fenty Beauty empire ... with the addition of a hair care line!!!

On Tuesday, Rihanna rocked a short blonde cropped mullet while starring in a colorful and stylish ad spot to promote the new brand, Fenty Hair, which launches next week on June 13.

The commercial shows off women and men of all races and various hair types -- straight, permed, curled, braided -- and there appear to be several products included in the collection.

A man who attended a recent comic convention in China wore a Kobe Bryant helicopter crash costume to the event ... and, as you can imagine, it's sparked a ton of outrage here in the States.

The unidentified person created the crass and offensive ensemble for the festival in Hangzhou ... using plastic bottles, cardboard and a No. 24 Bryant Lakers uniform for the piece. He also capped it off with a Kobe Bryant mask.

Somehow, as he walked through the venue with it all strapped to his person ... other attendees seemed OK with it.

Tennessee Congressman John Rose's son was ready for his close-up ... as you can see from this mega viral clip of him upstaging his dad on Capitol Hill.

Check out the clip -- 6-year-old Guy was bored outta his mind on Monday sitting behind dad as he spoke out against last week's hush money conviction of Donald Trump ... and resorts to making silly faces in full frame of the C-SPAN camera.

The little dude mischievously begins sticking out his tongue and dramatically rolling his eyes -- all made even more hilarious given the super serious nature of his dad's talk.

Tyrese is looking calm, cool and collected amid a slew of legal woes ... but maybe that's because he just got some great advice from famed lawyer Ben Crump.

The actor/singer was all smiles Monday night at Catch LA, where Tyrese broke bread with the powerhouse civil rights attorney.

Remember, Tyrese is taking on Home Depot ... having filed a $1 million discrimination lawsuit against the corporation -- a case that would seem to be right up Crump's alley. Tyrese claims an HD staffer racially profiled him and 2 Latino men who were working with Tyrese.

Alec Baldwin is about to head to reality TV -- this while he's also about to head to court and face manslaughter charges, which could land him in prison ... talk about bizarre timing, huh?

The actor and his family -- including wife Hilaria Baldwin and their 7 children -- are starring in a new series called "The Baldwins" that'll be airing on TLC sometime in 2025 ... something they all just announced together with a splashy new promo and sizzle reel.

The clip that Alec and Hilaria (and TLC) posted together shows a snapshot of their family life -- which looks sweet, fun and goofy ... and they play it up with a ton of humor and charm.

The-Dream is facing a number of troubling allegations -- including sexual battery, abuse and trafficking -- in a new lawsuit from a woman who claims she was his former protégé.

The artist -- who is best known for writing music for Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Mariah Carey, not to mention his own music -- is being sued by Chanaaz Mangroe, who claims the producer lured her into a relationship with false promises of launching her singing career but ended up subjecting her to "violent sexual acts and vicious psychological torture."

Per the docs, obtained by TMZ, Mangroe -- who says she was raised in the Netherlands -- was thrilled when The-Dream offered to sponsor the extension of her work visa in 2014 ... allowing her to further grow her career in the U.S.

Legendary sports announcer Bob Costas is calling out the hypocrisy within the WNBA ... saying fans are choosing when to be outraged based on race -- pointing to a "Black on Black" incident involving Angel Reese to make his case.

A hard foul on Caitlin Clark resulted in a ton of backlash toward Chicago Sky player Chennedy Carter over the weekend ... with many claiming opponents are going too hard on the rookie sensation.

Costas says that energy was nowhere to be found for Reese earlier this season ... when Connecticut Sun player Alyssa Thomas grabbed her by the neck and pulled her to the court, resulting in a Flagrant 2 foul and an ejection.