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Volleyball star Steven van de Velde -- a convicted child rapist -- broke down in tears during his first interview since his controversial inclusion in this month's Olympics ... and he admitted he nearly quit over the backlash he received.

The 30-year-old Netherlands athlete -- who was jailed in 2016 for raping a 12-year-old girl when he was 19 -- had dodged media throughout his time in Paris ... but on Tuesday, he faced microphones, and got emotional.

He explained to reporters that the consistent boos and jeers he received while competing in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower at the Games affected him ... and he had moments where he wanted to pull out.

Rachel Lindsay has some sage advice for the new "Bachelor" lead Grant Ellis -- while you're on the show looking for love ... look for a lawyer, too!

The former "Bachelorette" lead tells TMZ the most important thing Grant can do is protect himself if he proposes on the ABC show. RL speaks from experience ... as she's now knee-deep in a bitter divorce with Bryan Abasolo, who she met on the show back in 2017.

Rachel's romance with Bryan has spiraled into a courtroom nightmare after their 2019 wedding -- the chiropractor is now getting $13,000 a month in spousal support from her ... and he's pushing for even more cash!

Adam Sandler and Joe Rogan have an interesting perspective on Will Smith's career post-Oscars slap ... and, at the same time, they say it inspired Chris Rock.

Adam's the latest guest on Joe's super popular podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience," and their 2-hour conversation included a 3-minute segment on the infamous 2022 Oscars moment.

Adam starts by revealing he recently talked to Chris, who he says is excited about doing stand-up comedy again ... Joe interjects and says the Oscars slap was the best thing that ever happened to Chris.

12:30 PM PT -- Flavor Flav joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Tuesday to talk about his kind gesture ... and while he said he knows nothing can replace an Olympic medal, he still wanted to do something to show the gymnast has her support.

As for his advice on what Chiles should do with the bronze now that the IOC wants it back ... check out the interview, he made it clear he wouldn't give it up if he were her!!

Flavor Flav's a man of his word -- just hours after promising to get Jordan Chiles a custom bronze clock to help ease the blow of losing her Olympic medal ... he came through with it!!

Check it out -- the rapper posted video of the new piece on his Instagram page late Monday night ... and it's awesome.

The clock has what appears to be a bunch of bronze-plated stones all over it ... and Flav -- who became a face of this year's Olympics for the way he sponsored the USA women's water polo team -- was clearly pleased with how it came out.

Katy Perry is in the crosshairs of the Spanish government for kicking up some sand ... that happens to be on an environmentally fragile beach.

Spain's taking issue with Katy's music vid for her new single "Lifetimes" ... which she filmed on the Balearic islands, and one scene where she's dancing and sitting on some sand dunes is reportedly catching the government's watchful eye.

The regional government's Department of the Environment is investigating, claiming the production company behind her music video was NOT authorized to film there ... according to multiple reports out of Spain.

Josh Gad is steaming mad at Germany's flagship airline ... he says his international travel experience on Lufthansa has been a complete nightmare ... and he'll never book them again.

The "Frozen" star is going nuclear on Lufthansa on social media, accusing the airline of sticking him back in coach seats despite paying for business class on a flight from Frankfurt to Greece ... a demotion Josh says is "insane."

It only gets worse from there ... Josh says when he landed in Athens, he had an email from Lufthansa informing him his luggage wasn't on the flight. Josh says the airline told him there was simply too much baggage on the plane to load his gear.

Latto is confirming once and for all, Lil Kim is the greatest female rapper to ever do it -- but make no mistake, she's chasing down the Queen Bee's legacy!!!

The Notorious K.I.M. got her flowers from Latto when the latter sat down with Complex -- but Latto's BFF and eye of Drake's affection, Brooklyn Nikole, is also puckering up her lips to declare her bestie is the G.O.A.T.

So, we've got a G.O.A.T.-off?

Taylor Swift's fans will have to rethink their plans if they're planning on clustering outside London's Wembley Stadium for her upcoming shows -- 'cause authorities aren’t taking any chances.

The venue just made it clear -- if you don’t have a ticket, don’t even think about hanging around outside Wembley or the Olympic Steps during Taylor’s five-night run.

And if you’re dreaming of a Swiftie sleepover -- forget it! The stadium's in a residential zone, so setting up camp overnight could tick off locals and get you kicked out.

Don't expect George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino to collaborate again any time soon ... as the actor made it clear he's seriously pissed at the director.

George gave an update on his relationship with his former "From Dusk Till Dawn" costar in GQ's September issue ... and slammed the famed filmmaker for trashing his big-screen career in the media.

As Clooney put it ... he was "a little irritated" with QT after the director said GC wasn't a movie star since he hadn't had a hit "since the millennium."

Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo just received one of the biggest, and most awesome homecomings in sports history ... over 30,000 fans filled a stadium to welcome the Olympic hero home after beating U.S. track star Noah Lyles in Paris!

The festivities went down on Tuesday ... as tens of thousands of fans showed up to welcome back their athletes who competed in the Paris Olympics after President Mokgweetsi Masisi declared the day a holiday.

Fans -- hundreds of them -- began gathering at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport where Tebogo and the other athletes landed, singing and waving flags and posters as their heroes returned.

1:20 PM PT -- Pras saved the song's outro bits for his IG stories ... apparently, Lauryn Hill values serving clickbait and buying Gucci bags over keeping her word.

Pras has nothing but time now that The Fugees' anniversary tour is no longer happening, and TMZ Hip Hop obtained his newest track -- ripping Lauryn Hill and addressing his federal case.

On the track "Bar Mitzfa," Pras incorporates a rock 'n roll-rap hybrid to air his frustrations when he raps, "Don't blame me, blame her, she made the mess ... not another f***ing penny, is what I told [Wyclef Jean]."

We're told the song was recorded sometime last week, when Pras needed to blow off steam ... on the heels of low ticket sales shutting down the legendary hip hop trio's reunion plans.

Cleveland Browns rookie Michael Hall Jr. was arrested on Tuesday morning ... after he reportedly put a gun to his fiancée's head during a domestic dispute on Monday.

The defensive lineman -- who was just picked in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft -- was involved in the altercation at around 10 PM in Avon, Ohio ... this according to the incident report obtained by the The Chronicle-Telegram.

The outlet reports cops were called to the scene after the mom of Hall's fiancée alleged the 21-year-old football player roughed her daughter up and hit her with a baby bottle amid an argument.

Jaden Smith appears to be done with GF Sab Zada, because he's on a yacht overseas with a smoking hot IG model ... and things are looking passionate between them.

Will Smith's son is in Ibiza right now with an influencer named Khleopatre ... and Jaden's all over her, grabbing her booty and sucking face -- in the water, on the deck, pretty much everywhere.

Jaden and Khleopatre certainly don't look like this is a first date -- they seem very comfortable with each other, smiling, laughing and having a great time. If it is a first date ... it's the best one ever!

50 Cent is getting praise from the Shreveport Chief of Police for pulling off an epic comedy and music festival that was crime-free... especially given the backdrop of the City.

50 hosted Dave Chappelle, Katt Williams, Andrew Schulz, Matt Rife, Bill Bellamy and other comedians for the 4-day "Humor & Harmony" event which began last Thursday. There were performances by DaBaby, Master P, A Boogie, Moneybagg Yo, Muni Long and 50 himself, among many others.

Shreveport has had more than its share of crime problems, so cops were bracing for any incidents given the huge crowds that showed up for the festival. In the end, there wasn't a single issue, and officials were beyond grateful to 50, who helped provide security.

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith tells TMZ, 50 and his team were instrumental in keeping the event safe with good planning, resources and masterful execution. The Chief added, "I haven't seen this type of positive activity downtown since the late '80s!"

The Chief called 50 after the festival wrapped to express his gratitude.

Halle Berry is leaving little to the imagination as she gets ready to celebrate another birthday -- she was sheer elegance in see-through lingerie while stepping out for her new Netflix movie.

Halle's turning 58 on Wednesday, and that number's never looked hotter than when she arrived in her revealing outfit -- yes, it still qualifies as a dress -- and it showed off every curve of her bod.

Halle pulled out the head-turning ensemble Monday night for the L.A. premiere of "The Union" ... showing she's still got the leading lady look after nearly 40 years in the biz.

Kylie Jenner's boo Timothée Chalamet has been keeping things low-key in their romance ... but if there's one thing about Kylie's fans, they're like hawks unearthing the deets.

The makeup mogul shared two IG mirror selfies Monday, looking all sultry per usual. But hold up -- what's that in the background? Is that ... Timothée, lurking in the shadows?? Well, Kylie's sleuthing fans are 100% convinced it's him!

Of course, it might be a stretch ... but you can't blame fans for trying to catch any glimpse of the elusive couple. After all, with their romance flying under the radar, any hint of them in the same space is striking gold, at least for her fans.