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11:27 AM -- Penny was all smiles and in a celebratory mood after his acquittal. Check out this photo of him grabbing a few beers with his lawyers, Tom Kenniff and Steven Raiser, inside a bar.

Daniel Penny -- the man who choked Jordan Neely to death on a NYC subway -- has been found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide Monday, according to his attorneys, Tom Kenniff and Steven Raiser ... after prosecutors dropped a manslaughter charge Friday when the jury deadlocked.

The jury of 7 women and 5 men had been deliberating since Tuesday last week in the case -- they deadlocked twice on Friday, telling the judge they could not reach a unanimous verdict. Penny was facing charges of second-degree manslaughter and the negligence count. Prosecutors then moved to drop the manslaughter charge, and the judge allowed it, instructing the jury to consider only that count.

The central issue during the trial ... was whether Penny was justified in placing 30-year-old Neely in what turned out to be a fatal chokehold after witnesses claimed Neely was threatening passengers on a NYC subway car on May 1, 2023.

A person of interest in the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been detained.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a man in Altoona, Pennsylvania is being held for questioning in connection with last week's shooting in New York City.

Our sources tell TMZ ... local police responded after receiving a tip that the person of interest was seen in a McDonald's.

Jay-Z is vowing to fight allegations he and Diddy sexually assaulted a minor to the very end ... and several big-name rap stars are reacting over the brewing legal battle!!!

As Jay and attorney Tony Buzbee fire words back and forth, 50 Cent questioned Jay's status as the producer for the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show next year ... valid points in today's "cancel culture."

Soulja Boy called big 🧢 on the accusations and argued that celebrities -- especially African Americans -- are being targeted because of their wealth and success.

New video appears to show the suspect wanted for the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson ... lying in wait moments before the fatal shooting last week.

The video obtained by ABC News shows a figure wearing what appears to be the same dark clothing and gray backpack shown in photos of the suspect previously released by the NYPD, loitering across the street from the scene of the shooting.

In the new video, the figure lurks among vehicles parked on the street -- then appears to move swiftly toward Thompson. As we've previously seen, the killer emerged from between SUVs parked in front of the New York Hilton Midtown hotel, approached Thompson from behind, and fired multiple rounds. The suspect then calmly walked across the street into an alley, before fleeing on a Citi Bike electric bicycle into Central Park, according to police.

Andrew Witty, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group -- the parent company of UnitedHealthcare -- attempted to reassure employees with a message about their business ... only for that to provoke immediate backlash.

Check it out ... the executive addressed staffers in the days after UHC CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in NYC, defending the company's practices -- saying they'll continue to prevent "unnecessary care."

He noted ... "Our role is a critical role, and we make sure that care is safe, appropriate, and is delivered when people need it."

Kaitlyn Bristowe just got eyelid surgery and, naturally, she’s been sharing the whole thing with her fans every step of the way.

"The Bachelorette" star took to IG over the weekend, letting fans know she got an "upper bleph" (AKA blepharoplasty), sharing a pic of her in a hospital bed rocking a blue hairnet over her eyes while other selfies showed her swollen pink eyelids the next day.

Kaitlyn just had to poke fun at herself with a classic Meryl Streep line from "The Devil Wears Prada" -- "Don't be ridiculous, Andrea, everyone wants to look like this."

Bill Belichick just confirmed on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he does indeed have interest in the UNC job ... and he did speak further about the role with Tar Heels officials earlier this week.

Seems Bill Belichick's girlfriend wouldn't mind seeing him in Carolina blue ... 'cause Jordon Hudson's social media activity on Monday indicated she's a fan of him accepting the vacant UNC head coaching job.

Hudson wrote in a comment on her Instagram page to a Tar Heel supporter that sure appeared to be a stamp of approval on Bill potentially going to Chapel Hill in 2025.

The UNC backer wrote to Jordon, "Tell Bill to come to UNC!!" ... and she responded by saying, "I'll pass the message along..."

Selena Gomez has come a long way from her Disney Channel days -- just like Zendaya, Miley Cyrus and Nickelodeon alum Ariana Grande, with all four former child stars getting nods for the 2025 Golden Globes.

The noms dropped Monday morning, and Selena snagged TWO -- She’s up for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Series (Musical or Comedy) for "Only Murders in the Building" and Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for Netflix’s "Emilia Pérez."

Selena hit up her IG Stories to share her shock over her "Emilia Pérez" nom -- her reaction coming straight from bed as she processed the early morning news. For everyone else, though, no surprise there! "Emilia Pérez" was a critical darling, sweeping up 10 nominations -- the most at this year’s awards.

The commonly used phrase "all good things come to an end" applies not only to us mere mortals, but also to Taylor Swift!

After almost 2 years, 149 shows spanning 5 continents and record-smashing ticket sales, the pop superstar has finally come to the end of her "Eras" tour. Turns out, it was the most profitable concert tour ever -- grossing $2 billion -- and was virtually sold out from start to finish with her "Swifties" relishing every moment of it.

On Sunday, Taylor performed her last gig at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, Canada, where she dazzled the packed crowd with her typical 46-song set over 3.5 hours.

5:08 PM PT -- Tony Buzbee, who filed the suit on behalf of Jane Doe, tells TMZ ... "Mr. Carter previously denied being the one who sued me and my firm. He even filed his frivolous case under a pseudonym. What he fails to say in his recent statement is my firm sent his lawyer a demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him. Instead, she only sought a confidential mediation. Since I sent the letter on her behalf, Mr. Carter has not only sued me, but he has tried to bully and harass me and this plaintiff. His conduct has had the opposite impact. She is emboldened. I’m very proud of her resolve."

5:00 PM PT -- Diddy's lawyers tell TMZ … "This amended complaint and the recent extortion lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee exposes his barrage of lawsuits against Mr. Combs for what they are: shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.  As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process.  In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor."

Jay-Z has been sued for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl in a lawsuit tied to disgraced rapper, Diddy ... which the music mogul is calling "a blackmail attempt."

In the documents obtained by TMZ ... Jay-Z is named by an anonymous accuser, who says the rapper and Diddy drugged and raped her back in 2000.

The plaintiff, who is suing as Jane Doe, says the alleged assault occurred at an after-party following the MTV Video Music Awards.

Katy Perry turned the Jingle Bell Ball 2024 into her own winter wonderland, electrifying the stage as she dropped hit after hit!

Katy kicked off at London's O2 Arena Sunday night with bops from her new album "143" -- but didn’t forget the classics, belting out everything from "I Kissed a Girl" to "Teenage Dream" ... all while rocking a sizzling Santa outfit.

Katy kept the crowd roaring with "Roar" and lit up the arena with "Firework," serving festive realness in a red co-ord and furry white boots. Add in her signature animated stage vibes, and it was pure Katy magic!

Jennifer Lopez seems to be in the single and mingling phase of her divorce from Ben Affleck.

Check out the video J Lo posted to Instagram on Sunday ... the singer/actress squeezed into a tight-fitting Monot dress that barely covered her chest as she pranced down a long hallway.

J Lo then turned and strutted along another corridor. In her black pumps, J Lo stepped up onto a stair and flashed a smile.

Bill Romanowski tells TMZ Sports despite the repeated head trauma he suffered during his NFL career, he's still feeling great ... although he admits he has to work at it daily.

The legendary tough guy played linebacker for four different teams in the league from 1988 to 2003 ... and he revealed to us this week he ended up with "20 documented concussions" in that timeframe.

But, he said as of now, he's showing no signs of ill effects from the brain blows -- although he did relent he's working like a dog daily to make sure things stay that way.

Sports Illustrated model and actress Brooklyn Decker was in her mid 20's when she was cast to play Palmer -- the hot 6th grade math teacher with divorced parents -- in the rom-com film "Just Go With It" back in 2011.

Decker was part of an ensemble cast including Adam Sandler as the comedic and self-involved plastic surgeon interested in dating Palmer, Dr. Danny Maccabee, Jennifer Aniston as Dr. Danny's assistant and friend posing to be his pending ex-wife, Katherine Murphy, and Nicole Kidman as Katherine's sorority sister and competition who's totally into herself, Devlin.

Kate Cassidy is looking back at her relationship with the late Liam Payne ... sharing a number of home videos from their time together.

The influencer took to TikTok on Sunday, where she uploaded a sweet tribute to the One Direction alum ... nearly 3 weeks after he was laid to rest in Amersham, England.

Kim Kardashian is refusing to let her recent foot injury keep her from rocking stylish footwear ... even if she only gets to wear one shoe.

Check it out ... the SKIMS founder gave fans a small update on her recovery journey, posting to her Instagram Stories a photo of her foot still encased in an orthopedic boot.

However, you'll notice Kim didn't ditch the heels amid her recovery ... as she rocked a single suede-heeled boot that matched her all-black ensemble.