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Pope Francis has yet again used a disparaging slur against gay people behind closed Vatican doors -- less than a month after apologizing for doing the same thing.

According to ANSA -- the leading news agency in Italy -- the pontiff reiterated the vulgar term while speaking to Roman priests Tuesday ... stating, "There is an air of fa****ness in the Vatican," as he expressed it'd be better for young gay men to steer clear of seminaries.

No doubt, it's all a bit disappointing -- and with no repeat apology as of yet, it'll be interesting to see how this situation is handled moving forward.

Courtney Stodden is ditching all reminders of her ex-fiancé Chris Sheng ... and, absolutely shockingly, that includes tossing her massive engagement ring down the toilet.

Check it out ... Courtney records herself as she casually declares she's doing some spring cleaning around her Brentwood, CA home, and then grabs the diamond sparkler out of her jewelry box and holds it over the toilet.

She proves she means business by dropping the rock -- 5 carats large, BTW -- into the water, and flushing without hesitation!

A pool party in Compton ended in bullets flying and people running for their lives -- and TMZ has new video showing the chaos on the ground ... which ended with at least one death.

Check out this footage we obtained from a get-together on Friday in the L.A. neighborhood -- where a ton of folks were enjoying themselves and splashing around in the water, just in time for summer. Unfortunately, gunshots started to ring out when somebody opened fire.

Unclear what led up to the shooting, but the aftermath was tragic -- with at least one person left dead, and several others injured -- and now ... we can see how scared people were.

The new sex symbols of Hollywood have arrived -- and they're now being dubbed "rodent men," whose critter features ladies just can't resist ... so says The New York Times.

The publication's Styles team just put together a comprehensive list of hot "rodent men" ... with Jeremy Allen White, Travis Barker and Matty Healy among the poster boys ... err, poster rats?

"Challengers" stars Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor are getting a lot of non-traditional love on social media these days -- lotsa folks think they look like hotter, human versions of Stuart Little -- and now thanks to them, "rodent men" is a full-blown category of hunk.

Don't give up hope just yet, America -- there's still a chance Joey Chestnut could take the stage and devour dozens of hot dogs this Fourth of July ... with sources telling TMZ Sports event organizers are keeping the door open for the greatest eater of all time.

Here's the deal -- we're told Jaws did, in fact, ink an endorsement with a plant-based food company to promote its glizzy product ... which is a major no-no with Nathan's Famous and Major League Eating, as competitors are prohibited from partnering with rivals.

As it stands ... Chestnut cannot compete at the contest in Coney Island on Independence Day if he goes through with that sponsorship.

Kevin Spacey broke down into tears to reveal a hard truth: he's destitute -- so deep in the hole, in fact, that he's about to lose his home ... this on the heels of his #MeToo scandal.

In his first major TV appearance in years, the embattled actor disclosed on "Piers Morgan Uncensored" Tuesday that his Baltimore home, where he lived while shooting "House of Cards," is now up for auction -- and he was soon planning to pack his stuff into storage.

When Piers pressed Kevin on why it had come to such an extreme ... he candidly admitted he simply couldn't foot the debt he owed -- which he says amounts to millions.

Travis Kelce gave a little taste on Tuesday of what Taylor Swift's cooking is like ... confirming she does make some good desserts -- although, at first, he was reluctant to give any juicy details.

The pop star's kitchen skills were brought up following the Chiefs star's afternoon workout ... when a reporter asked about a video Swift had recently posted of the two.

In the footage, Kelce and the "Love Story" singer can be seen huddling over a pan -- before the tight end plants a kiss on her face.

11:04 AM PT -- TMZ has obtained Billy Ray Cyrus' docs -- and he lists their date of separation as May 22, 2024. In terms of why he filed for divorce, BRC is citing irreconcilable differences ... as well as "inappropriate marital conduct."

Billy is also asking the court to grant him an outright annulment, claiming the marriage was obtained by fraud. It also looks like Billy gave Firerose a deadline of May 24 to get the hell out of the house ... while also initially putting up $500/night over a period of ten days for temporary housing.

After that ... the docs say Billy will pay Firerose $5,000/month for her to obtain suitable housing in Tennessee for a period of 90 days, or until the divorce is finalized -- whichever occurs first. He's gotta pay her the $5k on the first of each month.

Sara Ramirez is making the split from husband Ryan Debolt official ... finally filing for divorce, years after announcing they were going separate ways.

The "Grey's Anatomy" star filed for a dissolution of marriage Tuesday, citing irreconcilable differences. Like we said ... this is coming a good three years after they and Ryan went public with their separation news.

Per the docs, obtained by TMZ, Sara has asked to block the court's ability to award spousal support for either party ... which makes sense because they say there's a prenup. Sara also lists their date of separation as January 2018 ... which is important to note since the exes didn't confirm their split until 2021.

"Teen Mom" star Amber Portwood says the man who recently proposed to her has since disappeared ... and now cops are involved.

Portwood beelined it to a North Carolina police station Monday and filed a missing person report for her new fiancé, Gary Wayt -- who just popped the question a few weeks ago, to which Amber said yes.

According to the incident report, obtained by TMZ, Amber told police Gary was last seen Sunday evening at their hotel. She notes Gary isn't a resident of the area ... he's from Indianapolis.

YouTuber Ben Potter -- AKA, Comicstorian -- has died suddenly ... and it sounds like a freak accident.

The content creator's wife, Nathalie, confirmed the tragic news Monday, throwing up a loving tribute to the online star ... who had racked up over 3 mil subscribers discussing Marvel/DC Universes and creating comic book audio dramas.

Nathalie wrote, "Two days ago, on June 8th, my husband, Ben Potter, passed away in an unfortunate accident.  To many of you, he was Comicstorian, voicing stories from across multiple different mediums. To his loved ones, he was one of the best and most supportive individuals anyone could ask for."

One of the Four Tops singers is suing a hospital for racial discrimination -- claiming white staffers sent him for a psych exam 'cause they didn't believe he was famous.

Alexander Morris -- who joined the band in 2019 as a vocalist -- filed suit against Michigan's Ascension Macomb Oakland Hospital ... explaining he was rushed by ambulance last April with chest pain and difficulty breathing, and when he got there he told a nurse and security guard he was a member of the famous Motown band.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, AM says he wanted the hospital staff to know he was famous because of security concerns with stalkers and fans ... but he says a white security guard and a white ER doctor didn't believe he was famous and figured he was mentally ill.

President Biden threw a big bash at the White House ... an early celebration for the upcoming Juneteenth holiday ... and it looks like Joe was in a happy daze.

Biden and VP Kamala Harris were front and center Monday night on the famous South Lawn, chillin' with Billy Porter, among others who came out for the celebration ... which included a concert and a standup comedy performance.

POTUS knows how to host a party ... the main draw here was live music with performances by Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Kirk Franklin, Doug E. Fresh and Trombone Shorty. Solid lineup, for sure. Comedian Roy Wood Jr. served as the opening act.

1:30 PM PT -- The Diddy roast cohost and organizer Brittany Brave joined "TMZ Live" on Tuesday and dismissed accusations that the jokes were out of place for a domestic violence event ... the allegations date back years and she says the timing was perfect!!!

50 Cent made it a top priority to be present at a Miami-based roast with sauteed Diddy on the menu ... and he was hoping to see his nemesis in person!!!

50 was a VIP at a brand new venue The Dead Flamingo Pop-Up's unfiltered brutal roast of Diddy hosted by comedians Brittany Brave and Danny Creamcity ...  which spared the embattled music mogul NO mercy.

5:00 PM PT -- Joey Chestnut tweeted an hour ago reacting to the news, saying "I was gutted to learn from the media that after 19 years Im banned from the Nathan's July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest"

"I love competing in that event, I love celebrating America with my fans all over this great country on the 4th and I have been training to defend my title."

"To set the record straight, I do not have a contract with MLE or Nathans and they are looking to change the rules from past years as it relates to other partners I can work with. This is apparently the basis on which I’m being banned, and it doesn’t impact the July 4th event."

"Sadly, this is the decision Nathan's and Major League Eating are making, and it will deprive the great fans of the holiday’s usual joy and entertainment. To my fans, I love you and appreciate you.  Rest assured that you’ll see me eat again soon!! STAY HUNGRY!"

This is a doggone shame.

Joey Chestnut -- the world's greatest eater -- will not defend his mustard belt at the Nathan's Hot Dog contest this year ... and it's all the result of a sponsorship deal he inked with a rival company.

According to the NY Post, Chestnut recently joined forces with Impossible Foods to promote its new plant-based alternative to tube steaks ... which created major issues with organizers and the governing body -- Major League Eating.

Oprah Winfrey was MIA from CBS this week, despite previously being announced as a guest to plug a new book -- and the reason is simple ... she was pooping and barfing.

O's bestie Gayle King got a little TMI during "CBS Mornings" Tuesday -- where she and the other anchors were hosting author David Wroblewski ... who's got a new book out that Oprah trotted out as the latest addition to her famed book club.

Gayle explained Oprah's absence -- saying she'd caught a bad stomach bug that landed her in the hospital. Then, a bit more detail about how it was affecting her ... and it's gnarly.