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Julie Chen is taking a brief step back from "Big Brother" ... announcing she'll be skipping the upcoming house eviction for health reasons.

The TV personality took to Instagram Thursday, where she confirmed she'll be missing out on filming the new live episode of "Big Brother" ... as she's been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Per the announcement, Chen first began feeling under the weather on Friday last week and decided to visit her good friend, who happens to be a doctor. The "Big Brother" host shared this is the second time she's been diagnosed with the disease, but noted her symptoms were "very mild" ... just a sore throat this time around.

Backstreet Boys' AJ McLean is all for celebs diving into politics -- a hot topic seeing as how Taylor Swift’s recent endorsement of Kamala Harris has made quite a powerful impact.

We caught up with the singer at LAX ... and he tells us he believes everyone, including big-name stars, has a right to their own opinion, especially if they use their platform for good, and have a positive message.

He admits he's not one to make grand political statements, but he's not shy about who he's backing -- check out the video to see who’s got his vote!

Detroit Lions legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Schmidt passed away on Wednesday, the team announced. He was 92 years old.

"Joe Schmidt had the heart of a Lion," team owner Martha Firestone Ford said on Thursday ... "which made it appropriate that he was also the heart of our team."

"Joe was a key part of our Championship seasons and continued to be an important part of our organization until his passing."

Cardi B's family just grew a little larger ... 'cause she just gave birth to her third child -- announcing it moments ago on social media.

The rapper -- who just revealed her pregnancy last month amid divorce proceedings with long-time partner Offset -- confirmed the news Thursday with pics and videos of her holding the baby girl in the hospital bed.

Offset's with Cardi in the hospital in the photos ... sitting with their kids, and each holding on to the newest addition to the family -- who Cardi calls "the prettiest lil thing." She writes 9/7/24 in the caption -- so, looks like the baby was born Saturday.

Jack Antonoff is getting slammed as "disrespectful" after he put in earplugs during Katy Perry’s performance at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards … 7 years after his infamous banana drama.

Here’s what went down … Katy took to the stage at the UBS Arena in New York Wednesday evening, where she performed a medley of her greatest hits before accepting the show’s coveted Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

While the consensus online was that KP killed it in her VMAs performance, one person seemed less than impressed with her act … as the music producer was caught on the audience camera slipping some noise-canceling plugs into his ears.

Wyclef Jean is not amused by Donald Trump's bizarre debate tangent about Haitian immigrants supposedly eating household pets -- and tells TMZ Hip Hop that America needs to strictly focus on the facts this election!!!

Wyclef says, "I will be forever grateful for my family’s life, for having a fair chance to live what is called the 'American Dream.'"

"One of our greatest assets in America is that we are a country of immigrants," Clef says. "I speak from the heart when I say, Haitian people living in the U.S. are good neighbors and good people. We care about humanity. We care about our neighbors."

11:17 AM PT -- Cops in Washington, D.C. are investigating the incident as a lewd act.

In the police report, obtained by TMZ, cops say the homeowner called to report the incident around 5:30 PM last Friday, telling cops the guy stuck a cucumber in the grille of her car and used the vegetable to perform sexual acts.

Cops say the suspect also performed lewd and obscene acts on the cucumber at the back of the car ... before leaving the scene.

Groceries are not as affordable as they used to be ... but, they're still remarkably cheaper than sex toys -- and, one man was caught on video enjoying the less-expensive option.

A man near Washington, D.C. appeared to abuse his lunch last week ... video captures him ducking through a broken fence with a lunch box in hand, placing it on a small flight of stairs.

Check out the clip ... the man walks over to the front of a car -- taking a cucumber with him, and appears to shimmy the veggie into the car's grille.

Nikki Bella wants to keep her son with her ... asking for legal and physical custody of her son Matteo in her divorce from Artem Chigvintsev.

The former WWE star cites irreconcilable differences in the dissolution docs ... citing August 29 as the date of separation, the day Artem was arrested for felony corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant.

Bella checked the box to block the court's ability to award spousal support to either of them.

Good news for Shannon Sharpe ... the viral video of his Wednesday afternoon romp won't affect his day job -- as TMZ Sports has learned ESPN isn't going to discipline its star for his accidental sex stream.

A source at the network tells us ... Sharpe's absence from Thursday's "First Take" had nothing to do with what went down on his Instagram some 24 hours ago -- as his usual days off are Thursdays and Fridays.

The source says Sharpe is expected back on Monday -- and no punishment whatsoever is coming his way.

President Biden and a Donald Trump supporter teased each other before POTUS put on a red MAGA hat ... and there were jokes about Biden's age and Trump's conspiracy theories.

New video from the President's viral moment Wednesday in Pennsylvania shows the build-up to Biden briefly donning a Trump 2024 cap ... and there's lots of playful banter between Biden and a local man.

Biden presents the man with one of his own hats adorned with the presidential seal, and the guy asks POTUS to autograph the hat ... joking, "You remember your name?"

Harvey Weinstein is facing new criminal charges ahead of his rape retrial in New York ... with prosecutors hitting him with a brand new indictment after more accusers came forward.

Manhattan prosecutors revealed in a hearing Thursday a grand jury handed up additional charges, which will remain sealed until Weinstein is arraigned -- which won't happen until he gets out of the hospital.

Weinstein reportedly faces the possibility of 3 new criminal complaints from 2005, 2006 and 2016.

JoJo Siwa has nothing but respect for Taylor Swift after she decided to publicly endorse Kamala Harris for president ... but she isn't ready to follow in her footsteps.

We caught up with the entertainer at LAX after the debates, where the "Dance Moms" alum applauded the pop star for speaking out ... and noted the singer's endorsement will likely have an impact.

As she put it ... "The Swifties rule the world at this point."

The 2024 Video Music Awards were full of shocking moments and good vibes ... and, the celebs in attendance kept those good times rolling after the show ended -- congregating for a star-studded after-party.

Taylor Swift led the bold-faced names into the New York City party with her third outfit change of the night ... opting for a mini skirt paired with a corset and jacket, similar to the UFO-themed dress she wore earlier.

Sabrina Carpenter -- winner of the Song of the Year VMA, her first -- channeled her inner Dolly Parton ... white mesh dress and platform heels, matching her fierce white nails.

Eight months after a door plug blew out on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, co-pilot Emily Wiprud is speaking out about just how harrowing the ordeal was for everyone on board.

The pilot, who was the First Officer for the now infamous flight, sat down with CBS News, where she confessed she didn't realize the extent of the damage when it first occurred. As Wiprud recalled, she first heard an explosion and a loud "whoosh of air" before her body was forced forward.

Per Wiprud, she looked back through the flight deck door, which was open at the time, and "saw tubes hanging from the cabin."

Kendrick Lamar released his first track since being announced as the Super Bowl 59 halftime performer ... and the theme isn't exactly a stadium-rocker that'll need crowd control ... he's calling for the hip hop culture to change for the better!!!

The unnamed track clocks in at 5:06, which is pretty long by current standards. But Kendrick has a lot to say about the materialism and drug abuse that passes so easily in today’s music.

Fans are convinced the song is named “Watch The Party Die.” The lyrics say “I think it’s time to watch the party die … Street n***** and the corporate guys, the rappers that report the lies I need they families mortified!!!”

Billionaire Jared Isaacman is feeling outta this world after successfully completing the first-ever civilian spacewalk -- and he spent a pretty penny to get in the history books.

The billionaire CEO of Shift4, a payment processing company, took a ride on SpaceX for its riskiest mission to date ... in which he and another astronaut left the capsule and floated in space in newly designed spacesuits.

The Polaris Dawn mission was bankrolled by Isaacman. He and retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott Poteet, SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon orbited 435 miles above Earth.